Liv stomps through the mud and muck, her mind awash with boiling hot rage. What right did Anthony have to speak to her like that, as if she were some moron who couldn’t think for herself. The mere thought of the argument was enough to reignite her anger every single time, even if anger wasn’t the only thing coming to the forefront when she thought of the argument. Bruno had been chastising her too, demanding she go back and regroup. It was, in its own words, the “safest recourse”. It could guarantee her a spot in heaven for all she cared, she wasn’t going back. She was clearing this on her own come hell or high water.

  The cold washes over her skin, thick fog roiling thicker and thicker before her eyes. Probably because she was getting deeper in, though she had been avoiding conflict with demons all together. She could sense them, though they seemed to be able to sense her in kind. Nothing she couldn’t outrun, at least. She had to admit exhaustion was getting to her, though it was nothing she hadn’t dealt with before. Years of mining had conditioned her to stay awake for long periods without food or water.

  After a few minutes of walking, she finds a suitable spot in one of the taller trees. She climbs it easily, settling down on the bark, a growl escaping her stomach. Of course her stomach chose to get hungry now. She runs her gauntleted hands down her face, a groan escaping her mouth. She was regretting throwing away her perfectly good minifridge and the meal she left behind. No use complaining about something she couldn’t change though. She sits up, looking for anything to eat within her bag. There’s a few MRE’s, a bit of dried meat, and a few changes of clothes.

  Liv sighs, opening one of her packages of meat. Best savor it if it were all she’d be having.

  “That will not be enough calories to energize you for next morning, Liv.” Bruno says, their voice containing more than a bit of worry.

  Liv rolls her eyes, popping a small bite of chewy beef in her mouth. It was rough, like chewing on a tire. Better than starving.

  “Ain't nothin’ I ain’t been through. Reckon ya can help me too.”

  “Hardly.” Bruno responds. “You don’t have the caloric reserves for me to burn to keep you afloat. You’ve gained a bit of fat since we’ve arrived-.”

  “Oi.” Liv interjects, the insult added as kindling to the flame that is Liv’s anger.

  “A bit.” Bruno emphasizes. “I hardly have enough to keep you alive without food for as long as I need, especially with you moving and fighting every day.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Liv mutters, folding her hands behind her head. “Figured it out ‘fore.”

  “In a city with adequate supplies in which I could guide you while we survived. Even then there were more than a few close calls. Here, you have no knowledge of the surroundings while still surrounded by demons and disease. It’s an entirely unfavorable situation that could be entirely mitigated if you simply went back and reconciled with your team.”

  “Then we’ll figure it out.” Liv says once more, infusing as much authority into her words as she could manage. She’d be damned if she went crawling back to them. They didn’t want her anyway. Well she didn’t want them either!

  “There is no convincing you, is there?” Bruno questions, eliciting a nod from Liv. They should’ve known she wouldn’t listen to reason. She never does.

  “Nah.” Liv confirms, swigging one of the few water bottles she brought. One of three to be exact. Rationing her water could probably net her six days of water, but that didn’t count for her somehow disinfecting the water. It was gross, but she could probably boil the hell out of it to get something halfway drinkable. That was if she, or the other three, didn’t clear the Strata. After that point, she’d most likely hear the Synth pouring off the exit if the entrance was anything to go off of. Didn’t matter to her either way. It only mattered that she survived either on her own.

  After finishing off the last of the package of meat, her bottle of water drained to half its original contents, she gives a languid stretch while closing her eyes. A yawn breaks from her mouth, her eyes fluttering closed. Might as well try and get some rest. In a flash, the specter of sleep closes its hand around her mind, a dreamless rest overtaking her mind. That rest lasts all of ten minutes before a hand slaps against her face. Her eyes slowly inch open, a soft light peeking through her eyes.

  “Are you also getting a major sense of deja vu? I know I am.” Says the soft voice of the one who awakened her, one Liv quickly pieces together as Donovan. Her eyes quickly darted open, her fist instinctively flying toward his face. He manages to dodge it by jumping off the tree entirely. “Bit jumpy, aren’t we?”

  “Why are ya here?” Liv questions, looking down from her perch on the tree. Donovan slides his hands in his pockets, cocking his head to the side as the universal “are you kidding me” face stretches over his visage.

  “Are you serious?” He questions, quickly waving it off as Liv’s own face displays annoyance. He clears his throat, preparing to climb the tree at a moment's notice. “We’re in demon infested forests and you ran off on your own. It took everything me to keep Charlotte from bursting in herself.”

  “Then why’d ya do it?”

  “Because someone had to.” He responds. “Anthony and Charlotte can take care of one by themselves. Plus, you’re my pal, and I wanted to see you again.” These last words are said with a hint of joking, his eyelashes batting like a damsel seeing their knight in shining armor. Said knight rolls their eyes, crossing their arms in defiance.

  “Ya don't gotta.” She mutters. “I’m gonna clear it all on my own. I don’t need y’all!”

  “And leave us behind!? Surely you jest.” Donovan jokes, finally gathering the courage to climb the hurdle of the tree. He nestles on one of the lower branches, one leg lazily crossing over the other.

  Liv shakes her head, her head falling back to rest on her arms. “How’d ya even find me? Coulda sworn ya weren’t able to do the Synth thingy.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t track you in the typical way.” Donovan counters, pride washing over his voice. “You got feet, and this mud isn’t exactly firm enough to keep its shape under a lot of weight.”

  Liv furrows her brow, her gaze meandering down to the floor. Sure enough, she could see her footprints sprouting from where she was to where she is now, cutting off just below the tree. She hadn’t thought of that, and she had to respect the effort, even if it was buried beneath the residual anger she felt for the whole lot of them.

  “Well I’m fine. Ya see it?” She says, gesturing to herself. “Ain’t got a scratch.”

  “Trying to get rid of me so soon. It’s almost like you don’t want me here.” Donovan teases.

  “I don’t.”

  “Oof, a stake into my heart.” He bemoans, his hand clasping against his chest. He falls back dramatically, his smirk spreading to a full blown smile. “You’ve wounded me. Truly wounded me.”

  “Yer a dick.” Liv groans.

  “Guilty as charged.” Donovan raises his hands in a mix of triumph and acceptance. He adjusts himself, scooting to a part of the tree’s trunk bent enough to gain purchase on. “Sooooo. What do I gotta do to get you back at camp?"

  “I’m goin’ home soon as I clear this place myself.” Liv shoots back.

  “Now look who’s being the dick.” He snickers, too far to jab her in the arm. Instead, he sticks his tongue out, blowing a raspberry her way. “C'mon, seriously. What do I have to do to get you back on our side?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I ain’t goin’ back anytime soon.” Liv says resolutely, sitting herself back up to stare openly at Donovan. She notes his newfound closeness in relation to where he was. A large part of her screams to tell him to back off, though a smaller, stronger part of her shuts it up.

  “It’s because of the insults, right?” Donovan questions, shifting to lay on his stomach. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure Anthony's just being pissy. You know how his type gets when someone makes a mistake.” As if to emphasize his point, he waves his hand dismissively, his eyes rolling all the while. “He didn't mean it, honest. Scout's honor! Well, I wasn't a scout... You get the picture."

  “That ain’t it.” Liv growls, speaking before her mind can shut down the words streaming from her mouth. “I mean... It ain't the whole reason. It’s ‘cause yer all treatin’ me like I’m some stupid moron."

  Donovan blinks, his eyebrows shooting up as far as they could go. He pulls himself back up to a sitting position, no longer satisfied with his lounging position.

  "All of us?" He questions. "That seems like a broad stroke."

  "It ain't." Liv murmurs. "Yer always makin' fun of me, and Charlotte ain't doin' anythin' to stop ya. Hell, she's been treatin' me like that since I got 'ere, always laughin' at me when I'm tryna learn. I know I ain't as... Good as the rest of y'all, but I ain't as bad as y'all're sayin'!"

  Donovan tilts his head, his eyebrows furrowing as he loses himself in thought. Then, it hits him. "You mean the teasing?"

  "It ain't teasin'!" Liv retorts, her cheeks flushing a deep red hue. "Yer just makin' fun of me 'cause I ain't as smart as y'all! Formin' secret clubs 'n keepin' me out of 'em!"

  "Woah woah woah." Donovan puts his hands out, pushing out with each 'woah'. "I never made fun of you, and I don't know of any secret clubs! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

  Liv narrows her eyes at his now grinning face, an angry growl tearing its way from her throat as she turns her head away. Donovan sighs, his smile only faltering a bit as he continues to speak.

  "I'm not making fun of you, Liv– and I sure as hell don't wanna exclude you." He scoots up just a bit, sliding back down as her slitted eye glares down at him. "Seriously. You're not dumb. Can you make some... Questionable decisions? Sure. Do I like you storming off all the time? No. But that's the learning process. You fuck up, you learn, and you adjust, and you throw yourself back into the fray!" He whips his hands about in a throwing gesture, his smile growing on his face. "And if I personally excluded you, I'm sorry. But now's not the time-."

  "You don't get it!" Liv throws her head back down, unable to look him in the eye. She can feel the words she wants to say crawling at her throat, her addled mind unable to suppress them any longer. "I just keep fuckin' up! I can't do anythin' right! I can't lead y'all 'cause I dunno what's goin' on half the time 'cause I'm stupid. I can't talk to people 'n make peace 'cause I'm stupid! I can't do anythin' right 'cause I'm too stupid!" Her voice snaps halfway through, a wave of fresh bile boiling at the bottom of her throat. She bites it back, forcing words to tumble from her mouth. "I ain't goin' back. I can't go back... 'Cause I'm dumb. 'Cause I ain't good 'nough to be y'all's friend like I am now."

  Donovan stares at her for a moment, his expression changing from a half-joking one to a fully serious one. The two sit in relative silence for a moment, the rustling of leaves the only physical denotation of passing time around them. Liv sits in silence, her stomach churning as bitter tears streak down her cheeks. She wipes them without words. Crying over something everyone knew. It was... Well, it was stupid. She supposed that was par for the course. She wondered– for a brief moment– why she had told him that. She supposed he would know how dumb she is, but that didn't seem right.

  “I flunked out of school.” Donovan calls, his words ringing through Liv’s ears. They were controlled, though they had an undercurrent of nervousness even Liv could catch. She slowly pushes herself back up to look at him, though she found his expression a mirror of hers.

  “Calling my parents impoverished would be a nicer way of putting it than most people. They grew up just before the Phenomenon, so they weren’t really prepared for a world with demons and monsters. They used to tell me and my brothers about it all the time: TV, medicine, sports, the whole works! I’d be a fat liar if I said I wasn’t mesmerized by their stories, especially the ones about all the stuff they had. Did you know they had giant malls? Not like the small stores crammed together outside in the Initiative, but big centers with a bunch of stores crammed together?” He questions, a spark flashing across his eye. He seemed genuinely passionate, his body pulling itself further up the tree to the branches just below her. He shakes his head, a slow chuckle reverberating through his chest.

  “Sorry, sorry! Back on track.” He jokes, his legs dangling as he turns his head skyward, lost in a place far from reality. “We didn’t have any money. Supporting four kids in a place only afloat because one dude had a Synth Weapon does that to a family. This jacket’s the only nice thing I ever got from my parents. I still remember that Christmas in the back of my mind. It was the last I ever had with them ‘fore a demon rolled through and killed them and the town’s protector." His voice remains casual, as if he were talking about the weather on a winters day. He checks his nails, scraping some of the gunk from under them. "Me and my siblings decided to strike it out on our own. We never really had a strong sibling dynamic anyway, so none of us were too broken up about it. I found a small place to call home for a bit, but I never really liked it. Math, science, history... It was all so boring!" He gags, his tongue sticking out in mocking disgust. "Eventually, I flunked out of the school they had. I found myself wandering for a while, doing every crime I could, just surviving ‘till I found Hellfire. Turns out, I was pretty good at all the stuff they needed, and the rest is history.”

  Donovan unholsters his Tonfa with a soft smile, kicking himself up to Liv’s level. She scoots over slowly, allowing him to sit within her space, the two caught in a fog of moments before their time.

  “I always reckoned ya had a buncha money.” Liv murmurs under her breath. Donovan gives her a sidelong stare, his soft smile growing to a real, genuine one.

  “Because of my killer fashion style?” He puffs out his jacket, flourishing himself like a model.

  “‘Cause yer awful smart ‘n stuff.” Liv responds. “Ya always know the right thing to say, and yer always matchin' Charlotte 'n the teasin' 'n stuff. I just reckoned..."

  Donovan looks on, temporarily dumbstruck by the rapid shift in her demeanor. If he were a less experienced speaker, he might’ve allowed it to linger on his face. If he weren't experienced, the world would've killed him long ago.

  “In your eyes I’m smart, sure.” Donovan says, his Tonfa quickly finding their spots back in their holsters. “But compared to Charlotte, I’m hopelessly outmatched in stuff like math and reading, and Anthony could probably tell you more about all this demon stuff than I could. But that doesn’t really matter, does it? Sure, I’m not going to revolutionize the world with new inventions, paving the world to a golden age!” He places his hand on his chest, the words trilling out like a song. He chuckles at his own dramatic joke, quickly reasserting his control over his vocal chords. “But I found you way quicker than she ever could, and you could beat be into the floor before I could uncle with those bad boys.”

  Liv yelps as Donovan claps her on the arm, her crestfallen expression morphing to mild annoyance. He raises his hands, that same stupid grin plastered on his face. “My point is: I’m not gonna judge my strengths based on someone else's. We’re different people with different upbringings, and that informs what we’re good at.”

  “So yer sayin’ I should just suck it up ‘n stop comparin’.” Liv mutters, her face burying in her knees. “That ain't helpin'."

  Donovan suddenly flicks her on the forehead. It’s not hard, hardly enough to sting. The most painful part was the surprise of it, a suddenness that made her nearly jump from the tree.

  “I’m saying that you’re comparing you don't need to be good at everything. Am I technically better suited to this mission than you? Sure. But what happens when we need to take down some giant demon? You think these things can take down something anything larger than me?" As if to emphasize his point, he shakes his Tonfa. "The answer is 'hell no'! But you? You could do that easy! So stop beating yourself up about what you are and aren't good at. Not everyone needs to be good at every little skill. That's why we're a team, isn't it? So one person doesn't have to carry the world on their shoulders." He stops for a moment, observing the minutia of her expression. He smirks, his voice dropping to a whisper as he continues. "And if you really wanna learn something, just ask. I'll teach you personally. If I can't, we'll find someone who can, and we'll learn it together! I got your back."

  Liv glares at him from the corner of her eye, a large part of her unwilling to admit he was right. That smaller, stronger part of her quickly envelops that part of her though. It’s the part of her that can clearly understand the truth behind his words, the part that washed away the last dregs of her boundless rage every time she came down from her emotional highs. Her rationale.

  “I ‘spose yer right.” She finally says. “But I dunno if I’m ready to face 'em without provin' I can stand next to 'em. I dunno if I can bare bein' the useless one anymore."

  “Aye,” Donovan interjects, his hand wrapping around her shoulders. He gives her an affectionate squeeze, his other hand suddenly rubbing against her head in a noogie. She tries her hardest to escape the attack on her person, though she can't find the strength amongst the small cackles that escape her. “You don't get to talk about my friend like that, bub! If Anthony can't talk to you like that, than neither can you!"

  “Aight, aight! Just stop!” She says between small chuckles, her hands raised in as defensive a stance as she could muster. Donovan stops his assault on her scalp with a chuckle of his own, his body sliding from the tree and to the ground. He extends his hand for Liv, one she accepts with only a moment's hesitation.

  “You first, m’lady.” He playfully teases, hoisting his pack over his shoulder. Liv snatches her pack from up high, slowly adjusting it on her own as well. As they prepare to leave, Donovan elbows her gently. “Just a heads up: please try to do this ‘getting angry on missions’ thing less. I don't wanna die.”

  Liv rubs the back of her neck, an awkward chuckle bubbling from her chest. Still, she nods her assent. The two walk in silence, the haze of exhaustion looming heavy over the both of them. Liv breathes, a bubble of nervousness and fear enveloping her chest. Apologizing felt daunting, and she didn't know if they'd give one back. If they didn't... Well, it was a scale she supposed. If it wasn't already broken because of her, they'd have to be the one to break it.