heathens

     she could tell right off the bat that something was wrong, bash’s body language giving that away to her. for a moment she thought he wanted to talk about their soulmate bound, a subject she desperately had been trying to avoid. as he spoke though she wished that it was that conversation instead of this. the small smile that was once placed on her lips quickly fell away, her face becoming white as a ghost and a horrified look replacing it. there isn’t much guarantee i’ll make it back in one piece. or even at all , those words just kept repeating in her head. it was astonishing to her one small sentence had the power to turn her day upside down. she stared at him not sure what to even say, horror evident on her face. “no, bash you can’t do that,” her voice was shaky, stepping towards him her body tense, “there has to be someone else that could lead right? I mean there are plenty of people who could lead, just stay here.” she was practically begging him but she knew deep down that no matter what daisy said he wouldn’t stay. if there was one thing she had learned about her soulmate it was that he was extremely loyal to pine creek, doing whatever it took to take care of the people that lived here. there was bound was strong but not even she believed she could change that loyalty. along with that the brunette knew how strong of a soldier her soulmate was, he had proven that to her time and time again. they needed him if there was a chance for them to make it home safe.still though she couldn’t help but stand here in front him and beg him to stay. she had no clue what she wanted from bash or their bond but the thought of him dying was enough to make her feel like there hole in her heart. she just got him and she wasn’t ready to lose him so soon. “ there has to be some way where you could just stay with m-the community.” she stopped herself from saying me, her eyes never leaving his. 

                    with a raised brow, bash opened and closed his mouth about five or six times before eventually thinking some something to say. he truly wasn’t expecting her to react like this. sure they were soulmates, but neither of them had made any effort to explore their bond in a more intimate way, besides the subtle small talk they usually have. “daisy, take a deep breath for me,” he calmly asked, needing her to calm down. part of him could understand the panic, but the other part couldn’t believe she’d actually ask him to stay while his fellow fighters go off to war without him. bash had never missed an important run. he had always been their to lead, help, and assist anyone that needed it. he was dedicated to his home and vowed to do anything to protect it, even if it meant putting his life on the life. “i can’t just not go. they need me. yes, we have some great fighters out there, but only myself and a few others have been trained for any type of battle strategy. we can’t just send them in their with weapons and no plan. they need people who know what their doing -- they need ME,” he emphasized, needing her to understand there’s no way for him to get out of this. he couldn’t stand seeing the clear pain in her eyes, he turned his head away and looked at the ground, having no idea how to even attempt to fix a situation like this. “i’ll be fine. dante and andy are going too. they’re the best fighters we have. there’s no reason i wouldn’t come back alive, i just -- i was just warning you that it’s a possibility. but if i survived twenty-four years of my life, i’m sure i can survive this ... fuck, daisy. i need you to be okay with this,” he mumbled out. he wasn’t sure why he needed her support, but he just knew he needed it. 

   daisy had been adjusting pretty well to her new home, trying her best her personal touches to the apartment. that included fresh flowers on her kitchen counter, a blanket she made out of some old fabric thrown over her sofa and of course a picture of her mom on the counter still in the frame she put it in when she was nine. not only was she good with a gun but she apparently had an eye for design. currently, she was sitting on the floor guitar in hand and song book open. her whole life the one thing she could always use as an escape was music, it was the only constant love she ever had. the brunette sang softly to herself strumming on the guitar, “I’ve pinned each and every hope on you I hope that you don’t bleed with me.” her voice was soft, trying to figure out if she liked the way the line rolled off her tongue. putting her guitar pick in her mouth, she used her now free hand to write down some notes. a knock at the door snapped her to attention, frowning softly as she put down her guitar. quickly daisy made it over to the door, opening it up only to find her soulmate on the other side. as soon as her brown eyes met his she felt her heart begin to race. god the effect he had on her was crazy. “oh hey,” she paused a bit surprised to see him, “whats up?come in.” she stepped back into her home assuming he would close the door behind him. daisy felt a little self-conscious standing there in front of the handsome man in her pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt, hopefully her appearance wasn’t too off-putting. “do you want something to drink or eat? sorry my place is a little messy I’m still trying to settle in.” she chewed on her lips nervously, glancing up at him. 

                  as the door opened and revealed a fresh, casual daisy, bash could feel his chest tighten and his shoulders relax ... it was weird combination of infatuation and comfort. he invited himself in, softly closing the door behind him as his eyes examined her place. he liked how homey it felt, unlike his painfully plain apartment- honestly, you could hardly even tell someone lived there. the tall boy awkwardly stood in the middle of the room as his subconsciously fidgeted with his fingers, unsure whether to sit or stand or lean. “i needed to stop by, talk to you about something for a bit,” he spoke in his usual monotone voice, despite the fact his demeanor was screaming that he was anything but cool, calm, and collected. “um, no i’m alright .. thanks. daisy, you’re place looks great,” he complimented, looking down at her. as she bit down on her lip, bash couldn’t help his mind to drift off, and he quickly found himself wanting to kiss her. she was so beautiful and just so close, it would be so easy to just lean down and steal her breath away. the fighter had never wanted to share the innocent yet intimate experience with anyone else before, and yet, here he was, completely entranced by her -- all from a simple nervous lip bite. shaking his head from his thoughts, he let out a stern cough before squeezing his eyes shut. he remembered why he was there, and getting distracted by his soulmate’s beauty was definitely not part of the plan- sebastian desperately tried to stay focused. “listen, daisy ... dante, y’know, our leader? he called an emergency meeting today and put forth a mission that will be carried out tomorrow morning. we’ll be heading out to an abandoned community for a supply run in hopes of finding food and medicine to keep us alive during the winter ... i’ve -- ” for a split second, bash debated on whether or not to leave it at that, to spare daisy the details of the high risk this mission possesses. but the more he thought about it, the more he knew he couldn’t lie to her, despite how much he wanted to. “i’ve been assigned leader of one of the groups of fighters that are going tomorrow. it’s a very dangerous run, but dante thinks we can pull it off, and i trust his judgement. i just wanted to tell you .. because there isn’t much guarantee i’ll make it back in one piece. or even at all,” he finished, his eyes boring into hers, waiting for any kind of reaction.

    she watched him leave, closing her eyes for a moment. who was andy? was it possible that winnie found her soulmate too? good, she deserved that. once he walked back into the room she moved back to a sitting postion a small groan leaving her as she did. her small hand wrapped around the water bottle, looking over him curiously. ever since they entered pine creek something about bash changed, it seemed that he had become more anxious and uptight. it’s not like the young women had been around him long enough to know his ticks so maybe this was just how he acted all the time but something had definitely shifted in the short time they were in the nurse’s office. daisy’s heart dropped when he mentioned that he had to leave her. it was dumb to think that he would sit with her, whether they were soulmates or not he didn’t know anything about her.  still though a small part of her wanted to ask him to stay and sit with her while she go the stitches, using it as an excuse to be with him for just a little longer. she wouldn’t though as he probably had things to do and daisy didn’t want to stand in the way of that. that and she really didn’t want bash to see how much she already liked being around him.“oh uh alright,” she avoided looking at him her voice slightly shaking at the thought of him leaving. “i guess I’ll be seeing you around then.” she took a sip of the water, wincing a bit from the movement of her arm. the brunette kept her eyes on her lap, praying that winnie would walk in any moment and that when she looked up her soulmate would be gone. 

                    bash hoped she wouldn’t think he wanted to get away from her as soon as possible, he just needed space right now. time to think all of this through. he tried to ignore the guilt that seeped into his chest, but it was too overwhelming not to. reluctantly glancing his eyes up to meet her face, a small frown grew on his lips as he noticed daisy’s eyes were playing the same game his just was, avoiding eye contact to the best of their ability. he couldn’t leave her like that, in pain and hurt from his actions- that’s the last thing he’d ever want. hesitantly lifting his hand, he placed it under her chin, gently forcing her to look up at him. he wasn’t sure what had come over him to do such a thing, but just needed to see her face one last time before he left. “hey,” he mumbled softly, “i’ll see you later tonight, alright? i need to go talk to our leader and do a few other things.” after explaining, he dropped his hand from her face and gave her a small nod. “get some rest ... ” he whispered, giving her one last look before forcing himself to collect his things and walk out the office doors, his heart aching from the distance he was putting in between him and his soulmate.

as they walked through pine creek daisy could feel the lingering eyes of the other memebers of the community, watching the pair as they walked. why were they staring? did they not want her here? the young women would never say it afraid of sounding weak but she was scared that this place might reject her, if they did she had no idea where she would end up. the feeling of of his arm around her waist soothed those thoughts, at least for now. she liked bash, it was kind of hard for her not to with the whole desitny and soulmare bit. that being said she always knew she didn’t want a soulmate for that very reason. in her eyes this bound was something forced on her, a tie that she never wanted to have in her life. this world was not a world where you wanted to love someone more than you love yourself.  along with that she had to wonder if the taller man even  would have noticed her if it weren’t for their soulmate connection. as much as she wanted to say that she was above all this and could move on without this connection in her life, now that she met him daisy knew that she be lying. leaning a bit more into him she closed her eyes letting him lead her, the exhaustion and pain starting to take a toll on her small frame.  the brunette nodded at his words trusting that her soulmate would take care of her. a small sigh of relief escaped her when they walked into the nurse’s office, glad to be somewhere safe.  she instantly  laid on the bed once he had put her down her muscles aching from her journey. her eyes scanned his worried features, pulling at her heart. she sent him a soft smile, “water would be nice, thank you bash.”

                 “yeah, alright .. i’ll go find you a water bottle real fast. i’m sure winona is somewhere around here i’m sure. unless she’s distracting andy, again,” he grumbled under his breath, giving one last look over daisy’s frame. “i’ll be back. don’t hurt yourself while i’m gone,” he said in a serious manner, but hoped it came on off as a joke. giving her a nod, he walked out of the room and the corridor in hopes of finding some water for the girl. the tall boy wasn’t really familiar with this building, since anything relating to medical attention wasn’t exactly his forfeit, so he resorted to quickly going in and out of every room. it wasn’t until the fifth door he entered, he had found winona sitting on a table drinking some tea. “hey,” he muttered in his usual bored tone, earning the girl’s attention. greeting him with a smile, winnie stood up and brushed off nonexistent dirt off her pants. “sebastian! how nice to see you! what brings you to this neck of the woods?” she grinned. shifting uneasily on his feet, bash decided to say the first thing that popped into his head. “ -- i met my soulmate! ” he blurted out abruptly, making winnie’s eyes grow two times in size. “WHAT? that’s amazing! who is sh--”   “your friend. daisy. she’s hurt. we ran into silas. you should probably look at her shoulder. she’s in the front waiting room. waiting. this is her home now. i mean, that’s what she said. she wants to live here now. not with me!! but, y’know, just here ... in pine creek. you should go check on her. she’s lost a lot of blood. i- i gotta go. i gotta go give her water. i’m gonna, yeah. bye.” bash was such a mess, his short, choppy sentences was proof. he never realized how awkward he could be, and god did he hate it. grabbing a random water bottle sitting on the counter top of the small room, he rushed back to daisy, needing to get away from winona as fast as possible. “here’s some water. i uh, i need to go,” he muttered, his eyes avoiding the girl as his arm reached out to hand her the bottle.

    stepping out of the tree line she couldn’t help her eyes starting to water up. maybe she was just in pain but she was so relieved to finally be at pine creek. she was finally done running, daisy was home. looking away she took a deep breath not wanting the dark headed man to see her get emotional again today.at the mention of winnie’s name she couldn’t help but get excited, her face lighting up. winona was her best friend in this world, the one person she knew she could confide in. to the brunette the young nurse wasn’t just her friend, she was her family.  meeting her on her travels was one of the best things to ever happen to her, not only did it lead her to a new home but it lead her to her soulmate. oh god she was totally whipped by him already, fuck. she giggled at the guard’s reactions to the guards, wincing a bit when she did. “I think you made them piss themselves bash,” she mused, trying to suppress the smile she was wearing. it was obvious that he held power here which honestly was kinda attractive. as the gate opened, she leaned on bash’s arm feeling a little dizzy. not only was she hurt but the young women hadn’t rested since before sunrise this morning and had not paused to eat. all she wanted to do was see her best friend and sleep.  in a moment of weakness she whispered to herself before walking in the gates, “I’m home now.”  

                hearing the soothing sound of her laugh, bash turned his chin to look down at her, a small snicker escaped his lips at the thoughts of her fellow community members flipping out about him getting upset. he was not a violent person, but people around pine creek knew better than to get on his bad side. as daisy leaned into his side, his arm instinctively snaked around her waist, more than willing to be a crutch for her to use as he helped her walk through the threshold of the makeshift town. he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he overheard her call pine creek HOME. images of him and her growing closer together, in the one place ( and really the only thing ) that has been able to successfully capture his heart, raced through bash’s mind. his mind thought up a dangerous, hopeful storm of the two being able to really fall for one another, the way soulmates are always meant to. but before he got too excited, he had to remember that for the longest time, a life partner was something he never really wanted. and daisy -- he had no idea where the girl’s head was at when it came to them as a pair. letting out a deep sigh, he ignored the anxious thoughts in his head, trying to focus on the task at hand. as bash lead them  both to pine creek’s infirmary, he couldn’t help but notice all the people they passed. all he saw were confused faces, with eyes darting back and forth between him and daisy -- word gets around fast here, so by the time he pays a visit to his parents, they will have already heard about him and his mystery guest walking. he was already dreading that conversation. “we’re gonna have that gashed looked at, alright?” he mumbled, as they walked through the doors of the small nurses office. “do you need water? or food? or both?” he asked in concern, his eyes trailing over her features as he helped sit her down on the hospital bed. “just -- uh, tell me what you need and i’ll get it for you ... ”

     she listened to his story, a small frown appearing on her lips. she understood why someone would want bash to be on their side. he was not only strong but skilled, resourceful and obviously quick, he would make a great asset to anyone’s community. she just hated the fact that her soulmate was basically being punished for choosing his home over a stranger with cruel intentions . she couldn’t help but wonder if he would come after daisy if he ever was able to piece together her being bash’s soulmate. daisy knew she could take care of herself but if silas was able to get his hands on her there’s no telling what he would do to get back at her soulmate. hopfully he got the message from the arrows in his shoulder and finally would back off. she still couldn’t shake a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something bad was going to happen. the brunette chose to ignore it, looking back at bash.“wow so he’s just a huge dick, I’m sorry that has to be a pain in the ass to deal with.” she gave him a sympathetic look, trying to ignore the stinging from the gash in her arm. at first, the wound just stung a small amount but with the adrenaline wearing off the pain of the gash was becoming much more apparent.  her expression softened at his words, she could tell he was genuine in his apology. “it’s not your fault you don’t have to apologize, I’ve been through worse trust me. thank you for uh saving me,” she mumbled the last part of her sentence looking away bashfully. she really wasn’t one for thank yous but bash had definitely earned it. 

                  a small chuckle escaped, making bash look at the ground in attempt to hide his smile. “yeah, he’s a real piece of shit,” he agreed. “it is what it is,” he shrugged it off, wanting to drop the subject of silas all together. it only reminded him of how he hurt daisy, and how he wasn’t able to prevent the situation from happening at all. deep down, bash knew it wasn’t really his fault, but he couldn’t help but blame himself for everything. turning his chin to look down at her, soaking up her comforting words, he just let his eyes study her exterior- mesmerized by her beauty. though there was no smile on his face, his brown eyes glowed with nothing but adoration for the girl. you could tell she’s been through some shit, but still faced the world with strength and perseverance -- sebastian admired the hell out of that. “you’re welcome,” he mumbled back, tearing his eyes from her to look around the environment. he noticed the tall walls of the community peek through bodies of trees as they approached the main gate. “we’re here,” he sighed out, giving daisy a nod before stepping out of the edges of the woods, putting them both in plain sight. “don’t shoot!” he yelled, holding his hands up, showing the people on gate watch that it was just him. “she’s with me. she needs to see a nurse -- preferably winona,” he explained as he continued to walk closer to the gate. making no movements, the people above the gates just stared at them, making sebastian grow irritated with their lack of urgency. “open the goddamn gates!! she’s hurt, you idiots,” he barked, making the watchers jump in surprise before rushing to open the gates. he wasn’t surprised by their actions, rarely did he ever show any emotion.

       daisy looked over at the man, hate filling her eyes. she walked over to him, kicking his shoulder. “well we could do anything we want really, you knocked him the fuck out. you’ve got a good punch by the way.” she glanced over at bash smiling a bit, trying to make light of the shitty situation. “we should just leave him, I mean between the arrows and you knocking him out it’s going to be awhile before he makes it home. besides people will know not to mess with pine creek people anymore or you get arrows in your shoulder.” she shurrged, reaching down to grab his gun once more holding it in her good hand. she hoped that he trusted her enough now to let her handle the weapon.  it was apparent to her that she couldn’t ignore this bond that they had between them, as much as she wanted to. when she thought she was going to die the first thing she thought of was bash, which had to mean something. daisy shook her head trying to push away the feelings that were clouding her usually perfect judgment. “how do you know this jackass anyways?” she asked, starting to walk back on the path they were on before.

                 when it came to his enemies, killing was never the man’s first instinct. in fact, taking someone’s life was always a last resort for him. but with silas, he had physically hurt his soulmate, almost taking her precious life away from him way too soon ... and that was unforgivable. as much as bash wanted to see the idiot left for dead -- or even better, DEAD; he was going to respect daisy’s wishes and just leave him as he was. “thanks, so do you,” he complimented, glancing down at her slightly bruised knuckles before looking down at his own, he didn’t even realize his knuckles were busted open- he must’ve hit his face harder than he thought. good, i hope his nose is broken too bash thought to himself. “yeah, you’d think a community would be smart enough to realize they’re no match for pine creek. and yet, they keep trying, and end up failing miserably,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes at all the weak attempt silas’ cult of a community has tried to pull. walking over to the silent body, bash yanked out the arrow that lodged into the man’s hand, before wiping the blood on his jeans and placing it back into the container. “wasn’t gonna let this bastard take two of my arrows,” he muttered under his breath before resuming their walk back to pine creek. “long story short, we accidentally met on a run. he liked me, saw i was strong- could bring something to the table, and invited me to join his community. i was uninterested and could practically smell bad intentions from him, and turned him down -- he took it personally. he thought i thought i was too good for his community or some shit like that. made it his life’s mission to destroy the place i called home by having him and his people take it over. they’ve been incredibly unsuccessful, obviously,” he explained in his monotone voice, shrugging as he finished. “i’m ... sorry that all of this happened to you,” bash mumbled in a genuine tone.

   she let a few soft chuckles escape her lips at his words, clinging onto him tighter. growing up her father always told her tears were a form of weakness, so for bash to say that it was okay made he feel like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. closing her eyes, she let the electricity from his touch sooth her. “thank you,” she sniffled out the words melting into his arms. these last seven years she had been on her own, no one to hold her and tell her it’s okay. up until this moment, she thought he had been okay with that lifestyle but having her soulmate hold her like this it was a wonder to her how she ever made it through without him. that thought scared the shit out of her, a mix of worry and anxiety that someone had this affect on her in such a short amount of time. for the time being though she decided to not think about that and just enjoy being close to him for the first time. she loved the feeling of his hands combing out her hair, she never wanted this moment to end. daisy shifted in his arms, moving her face into the crook of his neck trying her best to make this moment last. though as her breath started to return to normal, her mind started to come back to her. after a few more long moments she pulled away wiping her face, a small blush painted on her cheeks. the brunette was embarrassed she was so vulnerable in front of someone. “we should probably head back, get my arm checked out.” clearing her throat she struggled to stand up, holding her injured arm.  

                it became evident that it’d be virtually impossible to ignore this soulmate bond they shared, especially since they’ve already experienced nearly losing each other before even getting a chance to explore their relationship with one another. he wasn’t sure how, but he knew they’d have to talk about it soon than later. and even if daisy wanted nothing to do with him, he’d live without the dreaded what if scenarios his mind would come up with if he didn’t at least try. ---- a shiver ran down his back as he felt her warm breath against his neck. bash had never been this close or intimate to any other girl before, he hoped it wasn’t too obvious to daisy. as she pulled away from his embrace, he noticed how empty he felt, but ignored it and focused on getting his soulmate home safely. with a small nod, he hesitantly helped her stand up, assuming they’re not back into stranger mode. “what ‘bout him?” he asked in his usual bored tone, nodding his chin to the knocked out bastard. “wanna tie him to a tree and leave him for the biters? or should we take him back to pine creek and let him rot in the prison there?” bash was game for whatever daisy wanted to do with the idiot, he just wanted to make sure she got the justice she deserved.

  daisy watched as the arrow flew into silas’ hand, her body shaking slightly in relief. she quickly grabbed the gun that fell next to her body, holding it close to her watching her soulmate. if silas made any attempt to attack , she would shoot him right between the eyes. she was startled by his rage, not expecting for him to get so worked up about her being in danger. to be fair though she knew that if anyone did anything to hurt him she would be filled with that exact same anger. she wanted to move but she was frozen watching as bash punched the man, flinching with each hit. she closed her eyes trying to tune out the world around her, her arm starting to throb from the gash on her shoulder. the young women was brave , she had fought her way through life but no one could just brush off having a gun pointed at their head. she looked over at bash already feeling better having him next to her. she wiped away her tears hoping that he wouldn’t notice them. “I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. I’ll need a few stitches tops.” she tried her best to put on a fake smile, looking up at him but it soon melted away more tears falling down her cheeks. “fuck, sorry I’m just a little shaken up.”  without even thinking she reached out for him hiding her face in his chest.  she needed to be close to him for just a few minutes, then she could go back to normal. “can we just sit here for a minute, please?”  

              his heart broke as he watched tears stream down her face, he didn’t like seeing her like this. the last thing he wanted was his soulmate in pain -- emotional or physical pain. but if anything good came from this shitty walk back home, it’s the face bash got to see what a great goddamn fighter she was. not just with her actual combat techniques, but here she was, not even fazed by the fact she had a good sized gash on her shoulder. anyone else would’ve been screaming bloody murder from the pain. furrowing his brows in confusion, he gave her an incredulous look, “sorry? you have nothing to be sorry for. you just looked death in the eyes and said fuck you, not today. i think you’re allowed to let out a few victory tears.” times like this, bash was thankful for having two little sisters. they definitely thought him how to be soft and sympathetic in a situation like their’s. his frame went ragged as daisy clung to his chest, his arms awkwardly up in the air by her sides, not entirely sure what to do. but after hearing her small pleas, he nodded and felt his tense muscles relax. “yeah, of course. take as much time as you need,” he mumbled gently, letting one arm rest rest comfortably on the middle of her back, while the other combed through her short hair, trying to be as comforting as possible. the electrifying sparks he felt course through his entire body was so energizing ... he never wanted to let go of her.

she wanted to cry, she wanted to break down and scream for bash to help her but she wouldn’t give this creep that satisfaction. instead, she kept her eyes locked on her soulmate, watching as rage filled his body. she had never had someone care about what happened to her so much and while she was terrified, she was weirdly comforted by his words. he would fight for her, she knew he would. silas chuckled at his words, digging the gun deeper into her skin, making daisy flinch just the slightest. “quite a threat you’re throwing around, what’s so special about her? you gotta a little crush bash?” daisy didn’t know how her soulmate knew the man, but it was evident they were enemies so if he found out what they were to each other it could be a disaster. there was no telling what he would do to daisy to get back at his enemy. a taking a deep breath she locked eyes with bash, nodding a bit. she was going to try and break free hopefully he would have her back. if she could just get the gun from silas hey would be free of this situation. she closed her eyes trying to focus, her heart beating so loud she was worried her captor could hear it.  opening her eyes, she nodded at bash before jamming her foot onto the mans knee cap. this took him by surprise making him loosen his grip on her, allowing her to jam her elbow into his stomach. the next few moments felt like they were going in slow motion, daisy lunged for the gun but he was too fast making her thud on the ground. she landed hard on her arm, cutting her shoulder in the process. silas sent a death glare at pointing the gun at her, “that was the wrong move bitch.” she looked over at bash desperately a few tears falling down her tanned skin, closing her eyes to brace for the shot. this was it, this was the end. 

                sebastian’s blood was boiling, he’s never been so furious in his entire life. he could see the fear in daisy’s precious eyes, only making adrenaline pumped even faster through his veins. “DONT,” he screamed as he helplessly watched silas pressed the gun further into her skin. “the more you talk, the more you piss me off, and the more you’ll regret it,” he spat. with a clenched jaw, bash’s hands tightened on the bow as he hastily tried to think of a way to knock silas on his ass ... he just needed a window -- and just like that, it was as if daisy read his mind. she was going to try to break free, giving him a chance to try and take a shot at the bastard. giving her a sly nod, he waited was the girl to make a move. with tensions high, it seemed like time was moving painfully slow, but the moment she lifted her leg, bash raised the bow closer to the cheek and focused hard, attempting to look for a good shot without hitting daisy. seconds after she elbowed him in the stomach, bash let his arrow fly through the air, aiming for silas’ head but the lowlife moved an inch less than bash had predicted- resulting in only grazing the tops of his cheeks. “fuck!!” he yelled at himself, drawing another bow to shoot. by the time he looked up, daisy was now on the floor and silas was raising the gun to her head. without wasting a second on thoughts, bash fired another arrow, hitting directly in the center of the back of his hand that held the gun, making silas scream in shock before pathetically holding his hand, completely forgetting about the gun that now laid near daisy. grabbing another arrow, he fired it deep into silas’ shoulder, forcing the bloodied man to stumbled back until falling down in agony. still only seeing red, bash angrily stalked over to the asshole, kneeling down on his chest before punching him in the face. “if she’s hurt in any goddamn way, you’re gonna regret it silas, i swear to fucking god,” he growled, giving the son of a bitch one last punch to the face before successfully knocking him out. after a few deep breathes, bash could feel himself calm down, his blood thirst disappearing and instead being replaced by thoughts of daisy. jumping on his feet, he ran over to her side as panic and concern started to set in. “shit, daisy! are you alright?? oh fuck, you’re bleeding!” he yelled, unsure of what to do or how to help.

  she nodded, falling behind bash still keeping close. she had been traveling alone for so long she sometimes forgot that it’s not just zombies lurking in the shadows but people who might be peaceful as well.  her body was tense, her breath shallow as they approached the source of the sound. it seemed that the source of the sound was gone, a sense of relief welling up inside her small frame. it was at this moment she realized that not only was she was trying to protect herself but bash as well. she would do anything to keep him safe even if that meant getting hurt in the process, making her fully understand how deep the bond between two soulmates. before she could even blink a man popped out of the bushes, coming at them with a gun. before he could even speak daisy took a breath to steady her aim. the brunttee threw her knife at the man’s hand, cutting it the tip of his finger. the man yelled dropping the gun allowing a window of opportunity to attack,  "don’t shoot I’ve got this.“ she lunged for his legs tackling him to the ground. the stranger fought back grabbing at her hair and punching her in the gut, making daisy groan in pain. luckily though she took her knee, jamming it into the groan. he screamed in pain letting go of her hair, allowing the small girl to punch him square in the jaw not once but twice. the larger man was knocked out quickly, not being as much of a struggle as she thought he would be. her breath heavy she got off the ground, looking over at her soulmate. "who the fu-”, before she could even finish her sentence she was grabbed from behind a small scream escaping her. she tried to kick and bite him but it was no use as she soon felt the cold metal of a gun held to her temple. “nice to see you again bash”, the man spoke hoarsely his warm breath on daisy’s cheek making her want to puke.  she looked at her soulmate, eyes wide in terror. for once in her life she needed someone else to save her.

                 with his strong arm pulling the arrow back, he squinted his eyes and aimed at the stranger with a gun, almost letting the sharp piece of metal fly through the air, but stopped himself from releasing when the girl stepped into action. the urge to jump in and help daisy was unbelievably strong, but he respected her wish and stayed back, watching her fight her way out of this. she was quick on her feet, taking every strike like a champ, while of course, making sure to throw in a few of her own punches for good measure. before bash knew it, the bloodied man was knocked out, laying pathetically on the ground. lowering his bow, he quickly began to move towards daisy, before his eyes caught sight of another attacker, but by the time his arrow was drawn and ready to fire, the man had already gotten his disgusting hands on daisy. if it were any other random asshole stranger, sebastian would’ve been able to keep calm and think of a plan to get his soulmate out of this mess – but instead, the assailant turned out to be no other than silas. besides being an obsessive dick, silas was also capable of some really horrific things … and the fact that he had his hands on daisy was making bash see red. “let go of her,” he seethed, narrowing his eyes in on the target. “i swear to fucking god, if you hurt one hair on her head i will END you,” he barked, pulling further back on his arrow, desperately trying to ignore the trigger-happy thoughts that currently consumed his mind. “how ‘bout this, silas? you let her go right now, and i’ll let you leave with all of your limbs still attached to your body,” bash growled lowly, 

      the brunette almost missed it but she heard the stumble over his phrasing as he tried to cover the word soulmate. her stomach twisted up in disappointment, was he ashamed of her? she knew that she was much when it came to looks but she didn’t think she was anything to be embarrassed about.  she tried to convince herself that it was stupid to be disappointed as she didn’t even want this bond herself but she couldn’t ignore the ache he felt. “ well if anything wouldn’t it make more sense if it was em, I mean I’ve had hand to hand combat with zombies since I was fourteen I think that qualifies me to take your title?” she questioned him sending a curious look his way. the young women didn’t mean it in a rude way, to her it just made sense that she be better at combat than him. that and she was trying to show off a little in front of her soulmate. at the sight of his small grin her heart lurched in her chest, was it possible for this guy to get more attractive? “I’m not a quitter, quitters don’t survive,” she responded without missing a beat her features serious. the walked a few more minutes until a nose a few meters in front of them caught her attention, her brown eyes locked on the forest in front of them looking for the source. without saying a word she tapped his shoulder, ignoring the burning feeling on her fingertips, she pointed ahead hoping that bash was smart enough to know what she was hinting at. without waiting for his response, daisy set out in front of him taking slow steps forward clenching the knife. 

               raising his brows, he thought over her words, coming to the conclusion that it would make perfect sense that she of all people would be the one to steal his crown -- not that he cared, if anything he’d love to hand the title over to it’s rightful owner. bash was incredibly impressed by everything she claimed. anyone else would’ve been skeptical of the game she was talking up about herself, but bash knew she was being honest. he couldn’t help but think if things were different, if HE was different, they’d be a very strong power couple. a true force to be reckoned with. the mere thought of that made him incredibly happy. “i guess you’re right. i look forward to see these talents in action. we’re always in need of good fighters,” he mused. i’m not a quitter, quitters don’t survive. god, he wished he could shout it out at the top of his lungs, his soulmate was bad-fucking-ass. she was perfect, his dream girl, someone who could actually keep up with him for once. daisy was everything he had ever hoped his soulmate would be, and the realization that he wasn’t going to allow himself to go soft for a girl he had just met was only becoming more painful by the minute. pulling himself out of his thoughts, all his attention was now focused on the general direction of the faint noise daisy had picked up on. giving the brunette a nod, he removed his bow from his chest, arming it with an arrow before moving walking a little faster to catch up with her. “it could possibly be someone from the community, just don’t go for the kill straight away, alright?” he whispered as they got closer to the sound.