Chapter 23 Indy
Indy
Ispend the rest of the night with The Doctor, watching as he rids the festival of infection. He moves through the crowds like a shadow, bodies dropping around him like flies.
I always knew this world was corrupted, but I never knew how deep the infection ran. It’s tangled in society, roots running deep, spreading its reach further and further.
Never stopping.
Never waiting.
We toss the last body in its final resting place. I grab the shovel and start packing the wet earth back into the hole. After a few minutes, my arms begin to give out. The adrenaline did a good job of hiding how much hard work burying bodies is.
A warm hand grips my shoulder, squeezing slightly. I look down and see the familiar worn leather glove of The Doctor. Dropping the shovel, I turn around until I’m facing him.
The familiar scent of myrrh and lavender penetrates my nostrils as I lay my head against his chest. He stands there for a second, arms wide like he doesn’t know how to react to the embrace.
I feel his arms wrap around me moments later, pulling my body into him. I breathe deeply, trying to ingrain the scent of him in my memory. We have only one more night left together, and I’m not ready to leave him.
The few days we’ve been together have been electric.
And I know it’s crazy as fuck to think, but I’m pretty sure I’m falling for him.
He’s shown me a side of the world I wasn’t prepared to see, but seeing it with him at my side makes it a lot less scary.
Like nothing can hurt me as long as he’s here.
I’m not ready to go back to my mundane life, working at a job for people who don’t even care about me. Living in a world filled with so much hatred and violence. So much greed and inhumanity.
At least, with him, I feel like I’m changing something; making an impact. Doing something to fix this disaster of a world we call home.
At least here I’m needed.
I pull away from the hug, not ready for it to end, and sigh deeply. My heart breaks at the thought of a future without him, and I don’t know how to process it.
“You could st-stay… here. With me.”
His muffled voice stops my heart, wrapping around me like a secret meant only for me. I look at him as he stands there in the darkness, towering above me like a fortress. Strong and sturdy, waiting for something to hit.
Thoughts race around my head. Me, back at home. Me, here with him. My best friend, my job, my life. How would it feel to just quit it all? Would it be worth it? Can I even do it?
“Y-you don’t have to decide tonight,” he stutters, voice shaking like a crumbling building. Placing his finger under my jaw, he pulls my chin up until our gazes meet. “If you want to s-stay, meet me at my tent tomorrow night, before the f-final set.”
“I-I uh.” I try to speak, but my mind is racing. He’s talking to me. I don’t know the reason, and I don’t need one. He’s whispering a promise to only me, for only my ears.
He releases me seconds later. I forgot that he can hear my thoughts.
It’s kind of creepy but also nice. I don’t need to explain everything to him; he just knows.
But, at the same time, it leaves every thought laid out before him like I’m an open book.
At least in that way, our vulnerability is mirrored, fractures of it showing through.
He shakes his head and reaches into his pocket, and I know what it means instinctually. I open my mouth before he pulls the bottle from his suit, laying my tongue flat for him.
I can’t see him smile, but I swear I can feel it, as he breaks the top off and pours the pink liquid into my mouth. I swallow every drop, greedy for it. I know it may be one of the last times I get to taste it, feel its effects. And fuck, I’m really not ready for it to end.
My eyes grow heavy instantly, the exhaustion finally taking its toll on my body. I feel The Doctor sweeping me into his arms, my heavy-set body seemingly weightless to him.
The sounds of bass and singing lull me to sleep in his arms until I hear the sound of my tent zipping and his warmth leaving my body.
I groan in response, hoping he’s still here, watching, waiting. But there’s nothing. Just silence.
The slow thumps of Hallow Lands beat like a heart, bringing me closer to the edge of sleep, until I’m falling.