Alice Munroe (ex_barebones985) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-12-21 15:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 24, alice munroe, bridget mackenzie, derek miller, holland sharpe, thomas galloway, | alice and derek, | bridget and holly, | holly and tom |
Week 24: Tuesday, Early AM
Characters: Alice Munroe and Derek Miller; then Tom Galloway, Bridget MacKenzie, and Holly Sharpe.
Summary: Alice attempts to run away from home, but doesn't get very far before turning back. Tom finds her passed out from exhaustion where she's parked, then brings her upstairs to Bridget's room while Holly observes.
Rating: PG-13
The whole thing felt like suicide watch or worse.
Alice had barely been able to find a moment alone since everything had happened. All she wanted was to be alone, but clearly Tom had been fearful for her. And why wouldn’t he have been? He’d seen her at her lowest, back in Vegas, and she had remembered how she’d felt. Empty, betrayed, broken, but calm. She’d been ready, but he’d stopped her, and that apparently wasn’t about to change.
She couldn’t do that to him, or anyone else in the house. She had become a liability, a drain on their resources. Dead weight. It was no wonder she hadn’t been chosen to continue keeping them all afloat; she could barely manage to keep her own head above the water.
That wasn’t going to happen anymore. The whole thing had taken planning, and a certain amount of cunning. She’d managed to get up into the attic alone long enough to get the bag containing the last remnants of her home, which mostly contained pictures and other memories of her husband and child. Clothes were unimportant and could be replenished, but those would come with her. She deposited them in one of the cars a little further up their drive, along with three heavy blankets. She wouldn’t take their food; she remembered how Tom had reacted when Leo had taken their things. At the end of her notebook, which she left on the kitchen table, was a note with a short explanation that she’d had to go, and an apology to Bridget.
When Bridget had woken up that night at her opening the door, she’d said she was merely going to go to the bathroom. Greg, however, wasn’t waiting on the other side, which she was thankful for. Careful to avoid the creaky patches of floor boards and stairs, she quickly made her way down them and out through the parlor door. Tom had confiscated her guns, but they meant little to her. Even the bikes meant nothing now.
Always have a ‘GTFO’ bag, that had been her motto. Everything she needed was in the duffel in the car, with the keys tucked into the visor. She was ready to go. The moon left just enough light to walk by, and Alice wasted no time racing for where the car was parked.
“Hey! Hey!”
Maybe shouting at whoever was walking around out here in the middle of the night wasn’t a great idea, but it was the only thing Derek could think to do. Greg was back in the house as far as he knew and besides his watch partner, no one else should be awake at this hour.
He’d heard somebody out walking around before he’d seen them. Derek’s flashlight only illuminated so far, even with the light reflecting off the snow. But out here sounds carried more. The cold air was still, magnifying the slightest noise and making it grow. A tree branch falling was a gunshot, an animal walking was a stampede. He could hear footsteps breaking though the snow when he came around the side of the house. This was the first time (besides his night with Meg) anything had actually happened during one of his shifts.
The shout had her stop in her tracks, turning in the direction of the voice like a deer caught in the headlights. It took her a few seconds before she recognized it, and the briefest flicker of a scowl crossed her forehead.
“Shh! Keep it down,” she whispered loudly. “You’ll wake up the whole house, Christ.”
The voice was female and familiar. Alice? She was upset at him waking people up? What the hell did she think was going to happen if she went sneaking around in the dark? “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, catching up to her.
The words ‘what’s it matter to you?’ almost made it to her lips before dying. Arguing with him in the middle of the cold, dark yard wouldn’t get anything done, nor would trying to outrun him. If he wanted to know, she’d tell him.
“Figured you’d’ve guessed,” she answered, her voice low and empty. She tossed her head back. “Just do everyone a favor and look the other way. Nobody has to know.”
The question answered itself: Alice was leaving. “It’s mine and Greg’s asses when you’re not there in the morning and I don’t think Greg’s honor can take getting chewed out by Tom tomorrow.” His voice softened, remembering Meg and the Doc trying desperately to talk him into staying when he’d been ready to run.
“Look, it’s cold out here. Don’t do it like this. Go back inside, leave in the morning.”
“Don’t wanna leave in the morning,” she replied swiftly. “Wanna leave now. Guard duty means watching over the house and makin’ sure nobody invades or steals. All I’ve got is the clothes on my back, a couple blankets, and the personal things I brought from my house. No food, no water, no gas.” She took a deeper breath and let it out, the deep white tendrils curling upward before dissipating in the cold. “Use that if you need to. Nobody’ll blame you.”
“Then why run away like a thief in the night?” he asked. “You want to leave, fine, but go in the morning and all anyone will remember is that you snuck out.”
Alice straightened where she stood, her jaw visibly tightening. “Leaving is leaving; won’t matter when I go. It’s better this way.” She paused, frowning. “Why do you care one way or the other?”
Derek shrugged. “I don’t particularly give a shit, but I got talked out of leaving so I have a pretty good idea what people are going to think. Nobody will like it, I don’t care what your drama is right now.”
It was an interesting position to be in, trying to talk Alice into waiting. They hadn’t gotten off on the right foot but besides her freak out back in Vegas, she’d never done anything to him. Derek felt almost as if he owed Meg and Louisa May into getting Alice to stay as a payment for what they’d done for him at Christmas.
“Good to know,” she said, her voice empty and flat. She shifted on her feet. “I’m going now. I’m not going to be a prisoner here, and I’m leaving both my bikes. It’s a fair trade.”
Derek sighed, exhaling a puff of pure white steam. “I can’t stop you if that’s what you want to do. But... look, you got a gun at least?”
Alice shook her head. “They thought I’d try and off myself again,” she said, hardly caring anymore what anyone thought, let alone Derek. “Something’ll turn up. I’m resourceful.”
He almost left it at that but something stopped him. “Here.” He pulled out his handgun and offered her the butt. “Only an idiot goes traveling alone unarmed. I’d really prefer it if you not use that to blow your brains out.”
Again, Alice shook her head and shifted on her feet. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Really. You’ll get in a lot more trouble givin’ me your gun than letting me slip by.”
“I can handle it. It’s Galahad in there who can’t get in trouble. It’s just any other day for me. Take it.” Hopefully she wouldn’t kill herself but who knew how long it would take Alice to find a weapon.
The back-and-forth felt suspiciously too much like a stall to keep her from running off straight away, as though he knew she’d argue him on it, so with great reluctance Alice stepped forward and took the gun, double-checking the safety before shoving it into the back of her pants against the small of her back. The brief exposure to the cold air gave her an involuntary shiver.
“Please don’t go running off and tellin’ right away,” she asked quietly. “At least let me get off the property.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “Get going before I change my mind.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She managed about three steps before turning back again.
“Thank you,” she said. Then she was off at a jog toward the garage, intent on making up lost time. She just hoped she was far enough away to avoid making too much noise.
Derek watched her go, not moving even as the cold began to seep through his layers. Fuck. What the hell was he going to tell Tom and Jed about this? He hoped that he hadn’t made a mistake giving Alice his gun. Reluctantly, he started walking again. He’d make one more round of the perimeter to give Alice time and figure out what to do.
Paranoia and the late night still made the sound of the engine turning over louder than she cared for. Her heart leapt up into her throat, but Alice refused to back down now. Pausing just long enough to flip on the headlights and check behind her, she did a hard y-point turn, then sped up the driveway as quickly as she could. Within moments, the house was rapidly shrinking in the rearview mirror.
Ten minutes later, she was still anxious and expectant that someone would be following her. She didn’t calm down until she’d merged onto Pacific Highway/Interstate Five, heading towards Medford and beyond.
It was completely dark out, on all sides of her save for the light from the high beams and even then. It was almost terrifying. Driving in Vegas it had never been so dark, and even then she’d never been much of a night driver. Out of instinct she flipped on the CD player, but it remained empty and noiseless. Only the sound of the car’s engine filled the silence.
Medford came and went much faster than she anticipated, and then there was nothing but the long stretch of highway leading into California. Alice drove on without stopping, pressing the pedal into the floor until the engine moaned with effort. Then, without even realizing it, she just stopped. She didn’t press the brake but she lifted her foot off the gas and let the car slowly coast to a standstill. Her hand eventually moved the gearshaft into park, turned off the light, and killed the engine. The sudden lack of noise felt even louder, so she did the only thing she could think to do.
She screamed.
She screamed until she ran out of breath, and then she screamed until her throat went hoarse. Then she screamed until the tears stopped her. She leaned her head against the steering wheel, banging her hands against it, kicking her legs until her knees hit the under-dash and she could feel pain shooting up her legs.
When she finally came back to herself, feeling exhausted and empty, she flipped the car into a U-turn and followed the tracks left in the thin layer of slush and dirt still prevalent on the highway. The sun was just coming over the horizon when she drove through Grant’s Pass and turned onto the road leading back to the farmhouse, but she didn’t make it all the way onto the drive. If they hadn’t heard her leave, they would certainly hear her approaching. Turning off the car, she climbed awkwardly into the back seat, wrapped herself in the blankets, pulled the duffel bag against her chest and closed her eyes. After two sleepless nights, she finally fell asleep.
****
Bridget had been the first to raise the alarm, after waking up that morning needing to pee and finding Alice’s bed empty. She’d gotten the attention of Tom, who’d been on guard duty at that point. After a quick search of the public areas of the house turned up nothing he’d ended up having to take precious time convincing the expectant mother to go back to bed and let him worry about finding Alice.
Once he was satisfied she wasn’t anywhere in the house Tom threw on his heavy coat and made his way outside, flashlight sweeping the ground as he tried to see where she might have gone.
There were tracks in the slush on the ground leading away from the garage. It was like discovering Quinn’s disappearance all over again, but he followed the tracks anyway. There was no telling how long ago she left. There was still hope.
Finding the car at the entrance leading toward the driveway -- a car that certainly was not there the night before -- was enough to stop Tom in his tracks. Alice was asleep in the back seat, just her forehead and long dark hair visible from beneath the blankets.
The veteran sighed and debated just leaving her in there to get the sleep she obviously needed, but it would be better if she came back inside. Never a dull moment around here lately. Sometimes he wondered if he wouldn’t have been better off staying put in his cabin in the mountains outside of Vegas rather than joining the group, but the vast majority of the time he felt he’d made the right decision.
After driving the car closer to the house, Tom finally opened the door and worked to gather Alice up in his arms -- blanket and all -- to carry her into the house. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” he muttered to himself, echoing Louisa May’s comment from the other day.
If anything, the bag and blanket were the only real weight in his arms. Alice herself seemed almost too light, her head rolling bonelessly against his arm before resettling against his shoulder. She made a mumbled noise in her sleep, gripping the bag tighter for a moment before loosening up again.
Tom made his way up the drive toward the farmhouse with his charge, and started wondering how he was going to get her into the building without setting her down to get the door open. Maybe he could knock somehow without putting her on the cold ground.
Tom’s dilemma was solved for him as the door opened as he approached, revealing Holly looking both puzzled and sleep-tousled. He had wandered out of his room in the morning for a glass of water and happened to notice Tom with a large bundle in his arms.
“Thanks.” Tom told the younger man as he carried Alice into the warmth of the house.
“Tom, I didn’t know you were that kinda guy,” he said, but on a more serious note asked, “What the hell happened?”
Tom wasn’t really in the mood to answer questions, but Holly had opened the door for him and helped him out, so... “Alice decided she didn’t want to stay in the house after everything that happened last night it seems.” He didn’t need to go into detail over the previous night’s events, the entire house had heard the argument. “I’m taking her back up to Bridget’s room.” He paused and glanced over at Holly. “I’d appreciate it if you kept this under your hat, Holly.”
“Will do.” Holly closed the door after Tom stepped over the threshold, eying the unconscious Alice critically.
Tom nodded at the younger man and continued his trek up to Bridget’s room, Holly trailing behind. Thankfully most everyone was still asleep and he arrived at the slightly ajar door without anyone else noticing them.
Bridget woke at the sound of the door creaking open and opened her eyes to see Tom carrying a human-shaped bundle of blankets into her room, Holly following behind. “Where was she?” She asked, grunting as she pushed herself upright.
“In one of the cars. It looks like she left and then thought better of it and came back.” Tom told her as he laid the woman down on the spare bed. Alice resettled almost instantly, her body curling inward against the duffel bag she was still clutching. There was a moment when her breathing turned unsteady, but then it evened out again.
“She’s lucky she didn’t freeze out there,” Holly said disapprovingly. “What kind of a dumbass sleeps in a car when it’s, like, 2 degrees outside?”
Bridget wasn’t going to argue with her friend, in part because she agreed with Holly and in part because it wasn’t worth the effort. She lurched to her feet and waddled the short distance over to the bed Alice now slept in and pulled the covers up around her friend to make sure she was warm enough. “She’s had a rough night.”
“That’s something of an understatement,” Tom drawled, glancing at Bridget’s actions with amusement before turning back to Holly. Clearly the expectant mother’s maternal instincts were kicked into overdrive at the moment.
“At least she had the good sense to turn around and come back.”
Holly rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment on Tom’s words aloud. Instead, he walked around Bridget’s bed to Alice’s, though he did stop short a couple feet away. “She’s holding that bag pretty tightly. I wonder what she stole from us before hitting the road.”
“It isn’t stealing if you come back before anyone knows you were even gone.” Bridget defended her friend. “And she’s done more for this group than anyone. If it weren’t for her there wouldn’t be a group, she’s entitled to take a few things if she wanted as far as I’m concerned.” She stared evenly at the two men. “You’ve brought her back, that’s all that matters. Now get out and let her sleep, that’s the best thing for her now.”
Tom’s eyebrows went up and he snapped to attention, hand going up to his temple in a flippant salute. “Ja, herr Reich Marshall, ” he intoned with a fake German accent and more than a bit of affectionate sarcasm in his voice before turning to Holly. “Let’s go Holly, we’ve got our marching orders.”
“Fine, but don’t think I won’t be back,” Holly promised, but he would give Alice her space for now. He slipped past Tom and exited the room first, heading for the stairs. If Bridget hadn’t been involved they might have had to worry about him gossiping, but as it was there wasn’t anyone else he would feel the need to tell.
Bridget sighed as the door closed behind the two men and she looked back down at her friend, more than a little hurt that Alice had decided to leave without saying goodbye. Probably because she knew Bridget would have tried to talk her out of it. “You and I are gonna have a talk when you wake up, Alice,” she murmured to the sleeping woman.