Chapter Text
Her sleep had been restless, like many times before. It was something she’d become accustomed to. Having closed her eyes hoping for a blissful slumber, only to wake more tired than she was before she went to sleep. The fatigue was brought on by the onslaught of disturbing images that flashed through her mind while she dreamed. Her mind was plagued with ghostly faces that hunted her dreams and turned them into hellish nightmares, that for years, had continued to play a never-ending movie of the tortuous events she’d suffer through in her short life. Her mouth, that always felt so dry, would mumble names of those lost and the tears that she willed away when conscious, would fall freely. Her fists would clench, sometimes causing blood to pool within her palms. Her body would become tense and rigid as she’d rock back and forth. Her continuance of exerting energy rather than restoring it while sleeping has made her weary of ever getting a restful sleep.
This tiresome feeling wasn’t something new but tonight, something felt skewed. Normally after a brief tussle with the unforgiving nightmares, she or some other force would cause her to awake. This time, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t encourage her body to break from the suffocating hold of sleep. Her limbs were weighted, her eyelids heavy and her skin was ignited with fever. Her breaths were at odds with each other as she’d take short hasty inhales and long jagged exhales. Her body was restricted-or rather confined- to this forced slumber. Or at least that’s how she felt.
The blonde in the corner knew a different story. She’d seen how the girl reacted to her treatment, how she squirmed, screamed and fought. In her delirious state, the girl had managed to land a hard right hook before being subdued. She watched her sleep, and though she wished the sleep was peaceful, she could tell from her pained expressions that it was not.
Vi sat with her knees tucked under her chin as she looked at her lover. She shouldn’t have left them for the safety of the cart. She should’ve taken the long way to the school instead of trying to take the riskier shortcut. She shouldn't have lost her temper on the bridge and should’ve saved her grief for later. Or maybe she should’ve shot her deranged ex when she had the chance. She shouldn’t have jumped the fence. If she had been stronger, if she was smarter, if she had fought harder… She blinked back the tears. Vi picked at her laces, hoping for a brief distraction from the fucked up reality she found herself in. Hoping for something to silence the voices in her crowded mind. She looked away from her girlfriend's grimace and let her eyes fall to her chest. Up and down. Up and down. Though Clem seemed to struggle for every breath she took, Vi took it as a positive that she was breathing at all. She couldn’t let herself fall into a pit of despair, letting her usual pessimism win, not when she had people counting on her.
Hovering over Clem, internally begging her to wake up, wasn’t going to help them put food on the table or repair the damage done to the school by the child snatching raiders. With most of the school on the mend, Vi once again was called into action and the leader role. Ignoring her own exhaustion and overwhelming anxiety about the school's current condition, she pushed on, standing up from her perch that she’d quietly watched Clem from. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she started for the door. A noise, barely above a whisper, called from the bed, causing the girl to pause, her hand still on the doorknob.
Those thick brown eyebrows furrowed as she stirred. Her fists would clench and unclench as she mutters. Her lashes fluttered open, and her amber eyes met with a tall figure. She flashed a weak smile before sweetly saying, “I’m going to tell them all about you…and how you kept me safe.”
“Tell who, Clem?” She’d rush to the girl’s side, taking her hands within hers and holding them tightly.
She giggled, “My parents, silly.”
Vi now knew the girl wasn’t fully conscious. It was something that didn’t catch her completely by surprise, seeing as the girl could barely keep eye contact, as her eyes kept rolling around her head. She also noted Clem’s voice was far from the one she knew. It was softer, more childlike and innocent. A vast difference from the hardened voice she had before.
“We’ll find them, Lee. I know we will.” Clem’s light now flickered in her eye’s, signaling the end of her time. “They’re out there…looking for me…” Her eyes closed, but her smile lingered for a while before dropping.