CYOA Page 172
Sep. 12th, 2013 06:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lumy12You're not typically afraid of the dark... but when you're this vulnerable? Fuck yes you are. It's a miracle you even manage to get back to sleep, since you keep seeing those glowing yellow-green eyes whenever you close yours.
It's still dark when you wake up... there's light flashing around outside, and...
"Ellie!"
Joel is looking for you! And he doesn't know about--
You go from half-awake to way-the-fuck awake in record time -- you fly to the front door -- no, the sliding door -- which you never even went back and closed! "Over here! Joel, hurry up and get inside! It's not safe out there!"
He's there like three seconds later. "What happened?"
You tug him inside, slam-slide the door shut behind him, and hug him for dear life. "There was a cougar -- I was an idiot and dropped my gun so I couldn't even shoot it, I had to run -- this was the first place -- the closest one -- then I was scared to leave, cuz who knows how long it would just sit out there waiting-- right outside the -- it came in here! Joel, I couldn't even shut the door -- it followed me --"
"Okay, all right, it's gone now," he soothes you, holding you close. "But... your jacket... are you hurt?!"
"No! No -- only a little. I'm okay now, I just got scared for you when I heard--"
"What's 'a little'?" He pulls back to shine the light over you from head to toe. "Turn around."
"It's mostly just my clothes," you assure him before turning, because you're sure it will look worse than--
"Christ -- let me see it. Take your jacket off."
You shrug out of it... and you start to give him a sly look over your shoulder, but your neck doesn't like the twisting motion, so you just... try to sound flirty. "Shall I keep going?"
"Yes. Here..." He helps you lift both of your shirts over your head at once, ruining your chance to do a... what do they call it... a stripper tease? But -- he's all business now anyway. "Shit... up here... does it hurt?"
You shiver when he brushes your hair aside to examine your neck. "Only a little. That's the only place it really got me." You wish you were wearing your other bra, the one that's sexier than your sports bra...
"You've got some little scratches down here..." He runs his hand lightly down your back, presumably alongside the scratches, and you're sure you have goosebumps now. "I should clean this."
"No!" You whirl around (owww). "No, I don't wanna go back outside yet! Please, Joel!" Even though you now have Joel, a flashlight, and a gun -- three things you were lacking before -- you're still kind of freaked out. "Let's stay here for a while, okay? Do you mind?" You start tugging him away from the door... and toward the bedroom where you were sleeping.
He chuckles. "Do I have a choice?"
"No." You switch places with him so you can march him in front of you, down the little hallway...
"Then I s'pose I don't mind. But don't you think we should at least go find your gun?"
"No. The cougar won't steal it so I don't care. It can stay out there for now." You turn him around again so you can push him down on the bed, on his back.
He chuckles. "All right th--"
You cut him off with a kiss. You basically have him pinned on the bed now... but you're not really looking to make out or anything. You're just like... relieved that he's safe and you're together?
He humors you with a few kisses, then shifts you aside... so he can remove his gun. ...and because he always moves me before things get too heated! But... usually not this soon, so maybe it really was just to ditch the gun. "Let's get your clothes back on."
"Aww, that's kinda backwards," you pout.
"The inside of your shirt is less dirty than this bed -- I can tell that much already. An' your hair... where's your hair band?"
"With the rest of my stuff -- back at camp. It's really not that dirty, though. I washed it just yesterday. Except I ran through some cobwebs, so... it might be a little cobwebby. But that doesn't count as dirt." You reluctantly sit up so Joel can work the shirts back over your head.
"Well, it don't count as 'clean,' either. You want the jacket too? I can go get it." Because you dropped it on the floor out there.
"Nah... it's not that cold in here. And... you are going to hold me, aren't you?"
"Sure."
"Then it's fine."
The two of you lay back down, and Joel slings his arm around you, hugging you to his side... but all gingerly-like. "Don't roll over on your back, all right?
"Just keep your arm where it is and I won't move," you promise. You're totally going to fall asleep like this.
He switches off the flashlight and plops it... somewhere. "What were you doin' way out here anyhow? I thought you were gonna stay right outside."
"I was... but that was really boring so I figured I'd just walk around a little."
He scoffs at that, like you knew he would. "Boring? Psh... you ain't cut out for guard duty. It's supposed to be dull."
"Not so dull that you fall asleep doing it!"
"That's exactly how it should be. Means it's all good. No danger."
"Well, I'd take 'boring' right now, that's for sure." You nestle yourself more comfortably in his arms.
"It's long past time for my turn," he says. "You can sleep now... though it's kind of hard to watch the horses and all our shit from way over here."
"Oh, I don't care about that stupid kid anymore," you reply, dismissive now that you've had a taste of real fear tonight. "You can sleep with me. Please don't go back out there!"
"Yes ma'am. I'll just guard you."
"And you can do that in your sleep."
"I think I've slept long enough. When I woke up an' realized you weren't right outside..."
You wince. "I'm sorry. I was hoping I'd get back before you noticed."
"You were testin' me. Seein' if I'd miss you."
"No I wasn't! ...and you did miss me, so if I was doing that, you passed. But I wasn't!"
"You're cute."
"I wasn't, I swear!"
"I believe you. You're still cute."
"You're cute," you retort... even though it doesn't really make sense in this context. You just... felt like saying it?
He kisses you softly. "Get some sleep now. Any cougars bust in here, I'll shoot 'em."
"Ha. I think we're safe here."
You're safe from wild animals at the moment, but you're never completely safe from harm Outside. However, with Joel's arms around you, you feel pretty fucking well-protected. You don't see the cougar's eyes when you close yours now. And when you fall asleep, you don't have any nightmares about it, either. You have a weird dream about a talking dog and a spiral staircase (when's the last time you even saw one of those?) that somehow magically connects two vastly different places... like a meadow and a dungeon? ...and you find Joel barbecuing cookies in... an office somewhere?
When you wake up, you don't immediately realize where you are... for some reason, you think today is the day you're supposed to leave on your mission. But it only takes a few seconds to come to your senses. Joel is snoring softly beside you in the gray-tinged early morning light... and you have entirely too many clothes on to be in his bed at home. Plus, you're on top of the covers, not beneath them!
And your neck/shoulder area is sore as fuck, for some reason.
Ten seconds later, the silly dream has completely faded from memory. You feel like you were dreaming about a cougar... no, wait... that was real! You have the scratches -- and the pain -- to prove it. ...how fucked up is it that I was more afraid of a cat than infected yesterday?! To be fair, you were well-equipped to dispose of the infected, having both Joel and weapons at your disposal.
This was supposed to be an easy trip, so maybe today you'll face neither. No hunters, either. Nothing but friendly people -- including the man you're looking for, safe and sound, with a perfectly good explanation for why he hasn't come home.
If you'd like to start another adventure, return to page 1.
carlos
Date: 2021-06-24 04:31 am (UTC)RE: carlos
Date: 2021-06-24 12:54 pm (UTC)