And Then There Were Two (W.I.P + Content Warning)

[Sarawr!?]

Emily
Her whole world shook, jarring her awake violently in the darkness. Sweating profusely, she brushed her hair away from her face, letting out a rough sigh. The darkness was filled with a slow, loud, metallic groan and a cool air now flowed into the room.

"Oh no..." Emily bit her lip in the dark, her mind suddenly shifted to the child who was now sharing her room. Frantically, she began to reach out in the darkness, trying to locate the girl. "Ah...kid?...kid?....Jaelyn?...C'mon...wake up.."

The room shook again, practically knocking Emily back to the floor. Before long, a dim light began to creep in from the top of of one of the walls, which was actually a huge metal door. The door continued it's descent, groaning and grinding it's way toward the floor, flooding a bright light into the room.

Jaelyn stirred in the corner, now looking toward Emily.

"H-Huh?...what's happening..?" She blinked, her nervous face now visible in the dim light.

"Listen...they're gonna come in here in a minute...and they're gonna bring us out into a big cargo hold filled with..." She trailed off, coughing harshly. "...filled with a lot of other people...y-you...try to stay close...alright?"

Jaelyn bit her lip nervously, nodding frantically in response before trying futilely to see around the door as it hung there, half open.

"Are they gonna hurt us?...E-Em?.."

Emily laughed coldly, coughing as she did. " 'Em'..?" She asked with a raised brow and a weak grin, before shaking her head, dismissing the thought and speaking softly. "P-probably not you...just stay close, okay?.." She tried to sound reassuring, finding it ironic that she found herself suddenly responsible for this child, despite her own predicament.

Jaelyn bit her lip again, a nervous smile crossing her lips. "Em is easy to say!..a-and...I'll try and stay close.." She whimpered, looking out into the cargo hold before her, wincing from the light. Jaelyn looked to Emily to speak, but before she could, two armed men had run into the room.

"Well well well, loooks like they're awake...and look! the Bretonian wench is even still alive!" One of the guards, a middle aged, neatly bearded Libertonian, laughed harshly, glaring down at Emily with cold, piercing, blue eyes.

"Sooo...who's your friend, huh? She's gonna be reeeeal popular around here!"
He laughed, kicking her in the stomach and gesturing toward Jaelyn before looking back to her again.
"I asked you who the kid was, Bretonian! Answer me!"

Emily groaned, rolling onto her back and grinning sickly up at the man standing over her, coughing a bit of blood before she spoke.
"O-Oh...hello again, Silas...W-what's the matter?...not man enough for a...real woman? gotta pick on k-"
She was cut off by a knee to the stomach as Silas dropped himself down onto her, simultaneously grabbing her by the face.

"You shut your goddamn mouth you little slut!...I'll kill you!.." The guard next to Silas grabbed him by the forearm and forced him to let go of her before he could proceed with his threat. "Nah man...just let 'er die out there...she's already all messed up."

Silas scowled and glared at the other guard, shoving Emily harshly down to the floor before standing up and detaching the chains that held her to the wall, kicking her in the stomach and spitting on her as he left the room. "See you later on, Bretonian.."

Having been unbound as well, Jaelyn had run to Emily's side, shaking her and crying as she tried to get a response out of her.

"Em...wake up! c'mon please!...please Em!.." She begged through her tears.

After a few moments Emily coughed weakly, opening her eyes to see Jaelyn staring down at her with tears streaming down her face. Forcing a weak smile, she nodded up to Jaelyn.

"H-Hey stop that...I'm here, I ah...I changed my mind..." She forced a laugh, trying to sound as if she'd been joking while pulling herself up to sit against the wall.

When Jaelyn had finally registered that Emily hadn't left her there alone, she frowned and practically threw herself into her, clinging to her and hugging her tight, burying her face in her side, and crying hard. "E-Em!...you can't do that!...y-you're the only one I know here!..."

This left Emily sitting there shocked, and once again, worrying about this child who she didn't even know, despite her own pain. After a long moment sitting there unsure of how to respond to a thing as simple as a hug, Emily gently put an arm around Jaelyn's back, patting her softly and hugging her reassuringly.

"It's okay, Jaelyn...l-like I said...I changed my mind, I won't leave you alone here..."

Emily found herself managing a genuine smile, even in her worn out, destitute state. It felt like an eternity since she had been on the receiving end of physical contact that wasn't malicious in some way, she had almost forgotten what it felt like just to be hugged by someone.

After simply sitting there for a long time, she nudged Jaelyn, looking down at her and groaning slightly, pain finally setting in. "C-Come on...Jaelyn, we have to get out there, before the guards come back.."

After a few moments of struggling, Emily made it to her feet, using Jaelyn to support her as they moved out into the crowded cargo hold, stopping to look back at the room they'd been cooped up in.

It hadn't really been a room at all, but rather the cargo hold of a Bactrian freighter, Jaelyn stared at it in half-awe, she had never seen a ship like that before, meanwhile Emily simply shrugged, having seen the view many times before.

"Yeah...that's what we were on, Jae...and we'll go back too, in a few days...but, c-come on...I know somebody here who can..."
She coughed again, her knees buckling and forcing her to lean against Jaelyn again.
"..I know somebody who can...get us food, a-and maybe medicine.."

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[LN] Recruitment | Rachel Baker Bio