Stray

[VoltTurtle]

((The heater gently crackled, illuminating their isolated corner with its dim, warm glow.))

Without the light from her heater, the basement would be terribly dark. Not quite as dark as the tunnels, at least before the sun finally set, but dark enough that they needed their flashlights to see. It was musty, a damp cardboard smell mixed with the ever-present metallic scent of blood, and the sweet odor of decay. There were bodies down here, that much Katelyn could tell, even if neither of them had actually seen them. At least it was also quiet, but in a peaceful sort of way instead of an ominous one like the tunnels, the mounds of boxes dampening any noise, including their own.

Not much of note had happened after Katelyn and Kai left the tunnels. They found a mirror within the research station that gave Katelyn the chance to sew her own face back together, a process that she found even more unpleasant than actually being shot in the face. Still, it wasn't like she was inexperienced at hurting herself, and once she was done bandaging her face back up and taking a few more painkillers than recommended by the label, she felt better.

Still not good, though. Her face continued to ache, but it hardly compared to the aching within her heart.

Kai hadn't said much in the intervening time. She had tried to strike up conversation with him, chat about whatever random nonsense came to mind like she always did, but his responses had been curt, if she even got a response from him at all. He had barely even looked at her, and had left her feeling like the wall between them had only gotten taller and thicker. She understood why, even if thinking about it made her stomach twist itself into knots. He couldn't understand the monster she had become, so capable of killing and willing to do so without hesitation or remorse.

She didn't know what to say or do to fix it. She was beginning to wonder if it even could be fixed. She wanted, more than anything, for everything to go back to normal, or at least as normal as it could be while they were trapped in this place. Normal wasn't coming back, though, and she knew that, and it left her riddled with anxiety.

Eventually, Kai had fallen asleep where they had made their nest. They sat in an isolated corner of the basement, shielded on all sides by a maze of cardboard boxes, warmed by the gentle crackling of her heater. She hadn't been able to sleep, preoccupied as she was with the gnawing void that was growing in her chest. Kai was her friend, arguably her best friend, and she loved him with all her heart. Yet, there was now a niggling, intolerable thought bouncing around her skull that he didn't love her anymore, because of what she had done.

She hoped, desperately, futilely, that she was wrong. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to talk with him about it, and instead was awake and struggling for hours with her ever-louder anxious thoughts. She just couldn't take it anymore. She needed some fresh air, and some time away from him. She would come back, of course she would, but staying here wasn't doing her any favors right now.

The weather outside might be bad, but she was warm enough that she could take it, for a little while. To help, she put her mittens on, and her windbreaker over her vest and jacket. He would be fine in her absence, and she would be fine in the cold, for an hour or two, and then she would come back. Maybe the cold would help her appreciate what little she still had.

She hoped.

((Without a word, she crept out of the basement, leaving her stuff with Kai, save her flashlight, the grenade launcher, her knife, and a loaded revolver.))