Aftermath

Thank you so much to everyone who read my previous installment!! Special thanks to the person who left a comment on the first chapter asking for another, got this out earlier for you!

No smut in this one but the plot has to happen sometime. I promise someone will fuck in the next one. =)

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Fox remained exactly as the men left her for a long time. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it was still dark out when a soft creaking echoed in the lofty barn. She whipped her head up and forced back panic as the barn door opened. Instead of the horrible men from before, however, a thin young man about Fox's age entered. He was the boy who helped Jeremiah capture her in the first place. He had shaggy blond hair and dark eyes which he cast nervously about. Over his shoulder was a large bag which burst at the buckle.

Fox lifted her head and watched him carefully from beneath tear soaked lashes. Tentatively entering the stall where she lay, still strapped down, he let his eyes wander her pathetic form. She watched him just as closely. Finally meeting her eyes, he seemed to snap to. He shuffled forwards and held out a hand in greeting. Curious.

"I'm Jamie." He said quietly. Fox stared at his hand. Hers remained bound behind her back.

"Oh," he said awkwardly and put his hand down. "I was thinkin' that if you weren't fixin 'to do anything wild we might be able to help each other out." He said hesitantly.

He stepped towards her again and spoke urgently. "Now, neither one of us wants to be here, you more so than me I'd imagine, so I figured we might go to the city together."

Fox continued to stare at him. This was the only chance she would ever get.

She nodded, and the boy grinned.

He quickly began to pull at her ropes, and as soon as one hand was loose she joined him, feverishly pulling at the rough cords. Once she was off the table the Jamie stepped back from her. She glanced anxiously at him while he dug through his bag, unsure of what nefarious tools he may be hiding. He handed her a shirt and a pair of pants. Fox held the foreign robes awkwardly, feeling inclined to throw them and run. Then again, after her treatment by Jamie's father and his friend, it felt somehow safer to add another layer between her and the eyes of others.

Jamie went to the barn wall and peered out one of the many small holes in the wood. He turned contemplate her, likely concerned that she would bolt. Fox remained still where he left her. She felt herself crumbling under the exhaustion and devastation of the previous hours. Abandoned in this foreign world, it was all she could do to remain upright.

"Right, let's go." Jamie said firmly. He seemed to have taken in Fox's delicate state and bolstered himself accordingly. Her head snapped to him. He snatched his bag from the floor, grabbed her hand and began to head for the door. Fox flinched at his touch but allowed herself to be pulled along.

They ran quietly through the tall grass of the homestead and towards the treeline. Fox breathed easier outside, but still felt panic slipping into her lungs at the thought of facing the men's wrath. Lights glowed from the farmhouse. Jamie's breath came in loud pants.

As they entered the forest Fox felt the trees close over her head and sighed gratefully. She was free again. Almost. Jamie's grip was tight around her wrist. For a moment she considered taking her chances, but the thought of making it through human infested land in her current state... she was already so tired. Her entire body ached and her mind was so unfocused that the sharpness of Jamie's hold on her wrist was the only thing keeping her on track.

They walked through the night, and Fox allowed Jamie to lead her out of the young broad-leaf forest adjacent the barn, through the countryside, and into a deep pine forest. By the time they stopped Fox was stumbling along pitifully.

After stoking a small fire Jamie lay out a blanket for them and led Fox to it, motioning for her to lay down. She sat, letting her shoulders slump and rubbing her eyes with shaky hands. Jamie hung his bag over a convenient branch, and then sitting down next to Fox, took his boots and belt off. positioned himself beside her. A small sense of alarm crept up the back of her neck. He yawned and flopped down onto the blanket. He made himself comfortable, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at her.

"You're not going to lay down?" He asked. She stared back at him. Did he expect her to nest with him? Excluding the horrible men, Jamie was the closest she had been to a human. Or to anyone really.

He reached for her, and in her fatigued state she was unable to stop him from pulling her firmly into the blanket. His arms were strong and warm, and though Fox's mind whirled with all the bad those arms could do to her, he didn't attempt to touch her beyond that. Eventually, his soft snoring let her relax. Fatigue took Fox as well.

For a few moments when she awoke, Fox thought it may have been the breeze which ruffled her hair. After fully greeting consciousness, however, she realized that it was Jamie's fingers. He carefully traced her scalp, gently caressing her shaggy gray hair. The wild part of her wanted to throw him off and leave claw marks in his face. But another part kept her frozen. She breathed steadily and kept her eyes closed, secretly basking in his attention. The soft and tender way he touched her sent goose-pimples down her arm and spine. She had never imagined such gentle pleasure was possible. He moved slowly and carefully so as not to wake her, but resting beneath his reach she couldn't help but yearn for his hands to go further down her neck.

His were nothing like Jeremiah's hands.

The thought of that evil man made her breath hitch. In the peace of the morning she had almost forgotten what happened, but suddenly the memory consumed her. She squeezed her eyes tight, praying the scenes flashing behind her eyes would stop. She could still hear him grunting. She could still feel the rough cords around her wrists. The pain and fear of the previous day sent her mind spiraling and her breathing became increasingly shaky. It was too loud for her to think.

Jamie's steady grip on her arm shook her from the panic.

"Hey! Hey, wake up!" His eyes were deep and concerned as she opened hers. Her whole body shook with the effort it took to endure searing consciousness. She needed to make it stop. She needed to run.

Before she could get to her feet Jamie caught her in his arms, holding her tight and close even as she pulled wildly against him, crying hysterically all the while. She hated him. He had dragged her far from her forest just to kill her and hurt her like his father did. Too panicked to remember the few words she knew in the human language, she simply shrieked incoherently into the trees.

After a time, Fox found herself too exhausted to fight Jamie's calm breathing and steady hold. Tears left her cheeks sticky, and she continued to tremble, but he remained quiet and firm until she had loosened each muscle in her body and steadied her breath. Only then did he slowly release her, using a kind hand to caress her cheek.

Fox wasn't sure how to move on from her dramatics. Her chest still carried an emptiness, but the panic was now gone. She glanced at Jamie awkwardly, and he gave her a kind look before she cast her eyes back down to the dirt.

Jamie packed up their measly supplies, and after taking a moment to consult a folded paper, walked to where Fox remained seated. He reached his hand out.

"Coming?" He asked with a smile. Fox took his hand.