Thread: Ruin And Rebirth (Mech Pilot and darkangel76)

Cordy had held onto the mystery man rather tightly as he sped toward her friends in the distance. She feared what she might see once they got there, so to prolong the inevitable, she buried her face against his back, shielding her eyes from the horrors she knew awaited them both. As the bike came to a halt and she loosened her grip, she felt her heart pounding harder and harder, her breaths coming so quickly, she thought she might not be able to take another. When she finally dared to look at the scene before her, she nearly collapsed, her hands moving to her mouth to stifle the screams that threatened to roll over her lips. Ellen had somehow been thrown onto the ground, overpowered. Ellen! How! Oh god! The man who'd wanted her instead of the oranges he... no, there were three! Just then, Cordy got off the bike and was on her knees, her stomach churning as the horrific realities of life outside her own tiny settlement snapped into placeall the things Rick had tried to shield her from, protect her from. Suddenly, she felt a pang of nausea hit her like a ton of bricks, her mouth tasting like a mix of metal and saliva. She could feel her skin turn clammy, sweaty and in that instant, she twisted around and began to retch violently until her body no longer could. She was trembling, shaking... Oh Ellen... she'd saved her from that fate... Tears spilled down Cordy's pale cheeks as she sobbed, her one hand shaking as she brought it up to wipe at her mouth. She brought another hand up and raked it through her blonde hair, pushing it away from her face. Turning, she saw her rescuer immediately moving to save Ellen and waves of relief and gratitude washed over her. Her rescuer was fast, moving quickly and efficiently through the mob of men attacking her friends, her people. For a brief moment, her eyes drifted to one of the lifeless bodies on the groundRick. The body lied in a pool of deep red crimson. Blood. She knew he was dead and if not dead, then he was close to it. The wound in his gut was large and deep and the blood that had poured out of his body... more tears rolled down her cheeks. The man had been like a brother to her, always looking out for her. Cordy's attention turned back to the scuffles of the bloody battle ensuing about her as she huddled into a ball near her rescuer's bike. She felt all but useless now, realizing just how foolish she'd been for insisting she'd tag along. She hadn't been ready, not by a long shot and the fact that Rick had given in... she'd compromised everyone and this was the result of it all. If they all hated her now, she wouldn't blame them. As Cordy continued to watch everything, her heart racing, her mind spinning, she just hoped that somehow the rest of her friends would manage to make it out of this whole mess alive. They'd already suffered greatly as a result of her coming along, not to mention Rick was dead. She watched her rescuer save Gordon next and he immediately went to help out Ellen who was definitely shaken and not all right given things. Harry was holding his own, thankfully, but even he was having issues. She never thought she'd see the day that the tank of a man would have problems in a fight, but there he was... nearly overpowered. It was a miracle that she'd been found by the mystery man when she had been. Her mystery man was a wonder to watch, fluid grace as he moved through the crowd of men as they tried to continue their attacks. Cordy felt her entire body tense as her eyes remained fixed upon him, her mind still reeling as the events unfolded before her. She felt some of the tension ease once it became clear that her friends were no longer in imminent danger. Finally, all the men were down save one and Ellen, Gordon and Harry were safely out of the way. She watched in awe as he approached that final man, wondering just how he'd manage to take out an entire town such as this one. The odds had been... impossible. Yet... he'd done it. He'd... done it. Swallowing, Cordy moved to stand up. Her legs were wobbly, shaky. She had all she could do not to fall over as she willed her legs to move as she walked toward her rescuer, moving a bit closer to where he stood. Her tummy still ached, her body sore from how tense her muscles were, not to mention her earlier run. She glanced over at Ellen, Gordon and Harry. The three looked angry, though Ellen also looked mortified. Gordon placed an arm about his sister in a protective manner, a gesture letting her know it was all right to feel as she did, but that things were finally okay now. Cordy hung her head a bit, though her eyes shifted to the man her rescuer was toying with. Suddenly, there was a loud shot and the man's head was... gone. Immediately, she let out a tiny shriek, her hand moving up to cover her mouth to stifle the sound. She gave her rescuer a nod. Th-thank you, Cordy stated. She then turned toward Harry whom she saw was starting to walk toward the mystery man. No, Harry! she exclaimed moving forward. Wait! Harry stopped mid-stride and eyed Cordy. You've done enough damage, he spoke. Cordy just hung her head and choked on a sob. I'll say, Gordon muttered, his arm pulling Ellen closer to his body. Cordy looked over at the siblings. It was unlike Gordon to be the one to grumble the sarcastic remarks. Yes, the guy had attitude, but the remarks were typically reserved for Ellen. The fact that he was doing the talking was evidence enough that she was in a bad way and as she looked at her... it was plain enough that she was. It should've been her that had been attacked in that fashion... her. Not Ellen. I... I'm sorry, Cordy began. I had no idea. No idea? Harry stated with an angry laugh. I knew you shouldn't have come. But I went along with it since Rick allowed it. I voiced my concerns, but he wanted you to come along. God only knows why... He wiped a hand over his face, his eyes darting over to look at the mysterious man who'd saved them all. Sorry you have to witness my scolding of our resident brat. Gordon just snorted as he hugged Ellen who was sobbing against his shoulder. More like resident bitch. Cordy could feel more tears filling her eyes in that moment. Harry, I'm sorry. I... She looked over at the mystery man. I didn't know... I didn't know... Her voice became a whisper as she buried her face in her hands and ran back toward the bike. Harry just shook his head. Jesus, he stated with a sigh. Fine, let her cry. He then looked over at Gordon and Ellen. You two hang tight here. I'm going to go get some water and load up. He then looked back at the man who'd saved them. Again, thank you for what you did. We owe you. Take any of the oranges you want. They're in our jeep. As Cordy approached the bike she rested her hands upon it and leaned against it. Her entire body was shaking. Rick was dead, Ellen defiled and both Harry and Gordon were beyond furious with her... and all because she'd screwed up. Swallowing hard, she glanced over her shoulder at everyone talking across the way. It was in that moment that she realized just how much of an outsider she was, just how much she didn't belong, didn't fit in. She wondered if she ever would.