CYOA Page 211
Sep. 11th, 2013 10:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lumy12You have to be Joel while Joel is asleep. Joel wouldn't sit on his ass if he thought he smelled danger.
...but he also wouldn't want to leave me alone, would he?
You ignore the second little voice in your head.
You steal away to the trees... feeling the need to move stealthily, for some reason. You slip through the trees, your eyes and ears keen to pick up signs of trouble... find the source of that creepy feeling you had... NOT just a feeling -- I fucking SAW something! What you saw could have been a deer or something... what you felt makes you think it was something more sinister than that.
But you still don't want to leave Joel unattended for long. You can't protect him from all the way over here, and if there is a threat...
And your instincts have served you well -- because as soon as you get back to the tree line, you see it! That flash of brown -- it was a woman! A woman who is now running like hell toward Joel!
No -- toward your horses.
"Hey! You! Freeze right now or I'll shoot!"
She freezes... sort of. She does stop running, but she whips around -- and she has a rifle! -- you can't take any chances here: you fire at her the moment you see that thing even start to point in your direction. She falls after the first shot, but she's still clutching that rifle; you shoot her twice more to make sure.
Joel is awake now. Calling your name.
"I'm fine! I'll be right there!" you call back. Right after I rid this chick of all her shit...
But it seems Joel doesn't want to wait that long. In your peripheral vision, you see him staggering toward you with a gun drawn, looking around... You can't help laughing at how clumsy and uncoordinated he is. "You look like a drunk person! Go sit your ass back down!"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes! She was alone. She was trying to rob us. I think she was waiting for the right time... when she thought she could just hop on a horse and take off?" You get up to meet Joel halfway; you can finish your looting later. "You should be resting!"
"It's too dangerous..."
"You are a danger -- to yourself -- if you don't sit back down." You put your arm around his waist. "You can't fall down, Joel -- I can't lift you back up!"
"I wasn't gonna fall."
"Whatever." You're pleased that he's not pushing you away, at least. "That was a good spot for you to rest. Let's get you back over there."
"I'm done restin'. I can't when there's--"
"I told you -- she was alone. I looked all around here. Several times." And that creepy FEELING is gone now...
Your reassurances don't seem to be penetrating Joel's thick skull. "There could be more. Places you didn't look. Hunters... they can be sneaky... maybe her group is -- maybe she was a friend of that woman..."
"I don't think so." You're not sure why you don't, but you don't. Possibly because they already had horses and shouldn't be desperate enough to steal guarded ones in broad daylight? But then, it is kind of strange to see all these women out here with no men around -- and even more so in multiple parties. "Just chill, okay? I've got this. You have to trust me! I learned from the best, remember?"
He does finally shut up... but only until you make him sit back down. "I shouldn't've fallen asleep like that," he scowls. "It was irresponsible. You could've been--"
"Killed? But I wasn't. I was faster than her. I'll keep you safe, don't worry."
"I need to keep you safe," he grumbles.
"It goes both ways," you remind him. "Fuck, you're annoying when you're hurt -- go back to sleep. Please. For me!"
"I can't sleep now."
"Yes you can! Here... if you put your backpack here, and lay down this way..."
He does resist you on this one, swatting your hands away. "I ain't gonna lay down. Bad enough I'm sittin'... when there's hunters around..."
"It was just her," you reiterate patiently. Or maybe not-so-patiently! "Don't take my word for it. Reach out with your spider senses. You'll feel it."
"Spidey sense," he corrects you.
Yay, I made grumpy Joel smile! "Whatever. Just do it. I think I'm developing my own, cuz I know there's no one else around. Isn't that cool? You're passing on your powers to the next generation."
"You can't rely on that. You still gotta be smart. It's possible to be... overconfident. Or just plain wrong, for that matter."
"Okay, sure. But do you sense anything right now."
He pauses a few beats, listening... sensing... "I s'pose not."
"Okay then! So you can go--"
"But I didn't feel it before, either. You think I would've gone to sleep if I'd known--"
"It's the drugs in your system, that's all. But I'm perfectly... not-drugged, and I'm telling you, we're safe." You plant yourself beside him and take the gun from his hand. "I'm right here. I'll wake you up if I feel anything else."
He frowns. "I don't like it."
"Tough shit. You need to learn how to like... not be in charge all the time. To trust someone besides yourself to keep you safe."
"It ain't that I don't trust you. I just can't very well keep you safe if I'm out of it."
"You don't have to worry about that right now. For once in your fucking life, will you quit worrying and just... enjoy the feeling of being safe and looked after?"
"...I can't. Guess I ain't wired that way."
"I get it. I was like that, too. I mean, I still am... sometimes. But other times... I do feel safe enough to relax and not worry about it. A lot of the time, when we're at home. I want you to have that feeling, cuz it feels pretty awesome."
"That's fine when we are at home. Need I remind you that we ain't?"
"We're in the middle of nowhere. We've already met our quota of people for the day. ...Again. For real, this time. Anyway, I've got you. Now relax!"
He chuckles under his breath. "You sure are stubborn."
"So are you! But I'm stubborner; I always win in the end."
He slumps a bit more... leans into you. "I think I do need to sit."
"Yes. Definitely."
"...Maybe rest my eyes a little..."
"Good. Do that."
"But I ain't goin' to sleep again."
"Whatever. Just know that if you want to, you can. I'll wake you up if my spider alarm goes off."
He makes a few more noises of protest, but then falls (blissfully) silent... and shortly after, he lays his head on your shoulder! Awww, how cute. You kind of wish you'd thought to dig your book out of your backpack first, but...
--NO. You can't read and be alert at the same time! (At least, not with a book you actually like.) You start petting Joel's hair... the way he pets yours sometimes. Nice and soothing. "Good night, baby boy," you whisper, somehow managing not to giggle at the name.
"Mmfff."
You're not sure what that means, or if he even heard you. He must really trust me, you think happily.
...or... the medicine gave him no choice? Like
This time you listen to the first voice in your head. He would've fought really hard against the fatigue if he was that worried, wouldn't he?
You feel very grown-up and important... and happy to finally be able to provide something to Joel that he constantly provides for you. It's a nice feeling -- and a bit different from that horrible winter when Joel almost died (he's not dying this time. He's NOT. His color definitely looks better. And his skin doesn't seem as clammy). You think you're starting to understand that however much you may feel like a burden to Joel at times, you're really not... at least not in the way you thought.
Maybe... possibly... probably?... you haven't actually been a burden since the moment he started caring about you.
If you'd like to start another adventure, return to page 1.
Carlos
Date: 2020-09-01 04:31 am (UTC)