Thread: Ruin And Rebirth (Mech Pilot and darkangel76)

Cordy rested her hands against the seat of the bike, her thoughts whirling through her mind as she tried to process everything that had just happened and was still happening about her. Her friends hated her now. That much was clear. And an impending sensation of dread began to form deep in the pit of her tummy. She honestly feared facing the rest of her people now. If Harry, Gordon and Ellen were this upset, she could only begin to imagine what the others would react like... she'd be an outcast for certain. Shunned. No one would want to talk to her after this and no one would forgive her for the loss of Rick. And that look on Ellen's face. Oh god... Gordon would never forgive her for that. Cordy knew damn well the guy wished she'd been in his sister's place, taken the brunt of the brutality she'd been doled out even if she was the more delicate and younger of the two females present. Just then, Cordy choked on a sob, her hand quickly moving up to her mouth to stifle the sounds escaping her. Suddenly, she turned when that voice struck her ears. It was that of the mystery man, her rescuer. She blinked several times when mentioned that he wished for her to continue guarding his backpack. I... I will. I promise, Cordy answered timidly, hesitantly. Immediately, she reached for the backpack, clutching it close to her body as she gave the mystery man a nod, her eyes glistening with tears as a few rolled down her cheeks. Without thinking about it, she automatically brushed them away with one of her hands and tried to give him a smile, but she knew it wasn't a very good attempt. Her fear and worry were abundantly clear. But she had to try despite everything, even if it was in vain. Meanwhile, Harry just shook his head as the newcomer told him he should be thanking Cordy for having him come along to their rescue. He supposed the guy was right to an extent, but if it hadn't been for her they wouldn't have needed the help in the first place. They'd traded with these people time and time again. Why they'd chosen this moment to finally pull such a stunt was beyond him. Rick definitely hadn't seen it coming. Sure, he'd always told them all to keep their guard up, but he'd never suspected the group to ever pull such a heinous act. Ever. Then again, times were rough and getting rougher. Who the hell knew what was going on and why. Maybe they'd been having troubles for a while and it had just been a matter of time. Maybe they'd been stupid to think that nothing would ever happen. But whatever the case, Cordy still had gone against Rick's orders. She'd spoken out of turn, refused to stay back. And, in his opinion, she shouldn't have even been there in the first place. Her whiney insistence had softened Rick and it got him killed. It had nearly compromised them all. Harry looked over at Gordon and Ellen. Ellen was a definite mess and Gordon was clearly pissed off. He definitely wouldn't be going near Cordy again. Not for a while, nor would Ellen. That much was apparent. And once word got out about Rick's death... yeah, it would be a fucking mess. Needless to say, there were going to be severe problems once they got back and Cordy was going to be at the center of them all. And quite honestly, his own anger about everything didn't make him feel any sympathy toward her about any of it. All he could do now was just hope that he could somehow keep everyone calm and keep the chaos and fear down as he let everyone know about Rick. Hard to have much sympathy for someone who shouldn't have been here in the first place, Harry finally spoke. She shouldn't have been here and then she directly disobeyed orders. He let out a sigh. That disobedience got Rick killed and nearly compromised us all. Raking a hand through his hair, he glanced over at Cordy who knelt down on the ground next to the bike, her tiny body holding tightly onto a backpack. Sure, you helped us and I'm grateful she brought you. But if she hadn't been here and fucked up... we wouldn't have needed you. We've traded here before. He paused a moment, not wanting to think on the possibility that the men might have been planning the attack from the get go, that they might have been biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Again, he sighed. Now I'm gonna have a fucking mess on my hands when I go back. All because of her. He pointed his finger over at Cordy, his eyes glaring. Gordon looked over in Cordy's direction, his hold on Ellen tightening as she continued to sob against his shoulder. Under her breath, she mumbled curses and obscenities against the blonde. It's her fault Rick is dead. Rick was our goddamned leader! You know what kind of shit is gonna go down when I go back and tell them our leader is dead? Harry shook his head. It ain't gonna be pretty. And I'm not gonna sugar coat anything to save her ass either. She fucked up. She suffers the consequences. Cordy could hear everything Harry was saying and it made her tremble in fear. She was definitely going to become an outcast among her people. And where would that leave her? What would become of her then? She'd end up being pushed out beyond the protection of her settlement. She'd end up alone... with no one. She had practically no experience in anything. She couldn't fight, could barely defend... her life would be over before it started. At that, her teeth began to chatter, her body curling up into a slight ball. Oh how she missed Rick... she hoped that he forgave her... I'm so sorry... Cordy whispered again.