#channel3.

she shivered, gentle words reaching a part of her she had locked away months ago: the trusting, faithful aspect. she believed she should never trust a soul on the planet again, let alone pledge her loyalty to them. of course, it was unfortunate. mia had always had some sense of allegiance to the company she worked for … until she inevitably didn’t.

❝ that’s a lot of questions, and … ❞ her eyes drifted to the floor, fixating on the lack of pattern, the lack of comfort hidden in a singular floorboard.

she felt she couldn’t answer any of them. fuck, she felt she’d be haunted for the rest of her life if she did.

yet she shook them harsh thoughts away, hands gripping each other, trying to find their own safe haven in such a cruel, unforgiving world.

❝ this … girl. ❞ the one who mauled mia’s body apart, made her nothing but another empty shell for eveline to control and do her bidding. billy wouldn’t understand the circumstances behind her. it seemed supernatural.

❝ she was always there. torturing us all from behind the scenes. ❞

ada is the one to pull away, lips pulling into a smile, eyes full of more than just hope, and whether it was a trick or a move to manipulate would never be known. she had done it before, to others, time and time again, yet ada was never one to consider the consequences of her own actions. not when it came to that sealed envelope and the small gun she wielded.

❝ you seem … surprised. ❞ ada comments, eyes never leaving his. she was bold in her words, as usual:

❝ do you not see it as a compliment? an opportunity? ❞ she dares to add, head tilting to the side, knees bending to crouch down at his side, touch the collar of his shirt.

was physical affection always the right path to go down when it came to situations like these?

❝ you were staring. ❞

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mia’s breathing remained heavy, still unable to comprehend everything that happened. every time she thought of the mold, or the annabelle, or the savage behaviour that was embedded into the bakers, she panicked. repeatedly told herself that it was her fault, and if she sought help, nobody would believe her. but the words that the doctor spoke pricked into mia’s brain, made her feel better about herself.

he believed that such an insane thing happened. she wasn’t viewed as crazy, and just knowing that helped her to calm down.

❝ i’m glad. ❞ she muttered, eyes flickering around the room before she leant forward, fingers digging into her frail skin.

❝ but… you’re not just saying that, are you? ❞ if he did just state that he believed her for the sole purpose of calming her nerves, it worked. but mia didn’t take well to lying, despite how much she did it herself.

mia’s heart ached. to her knowledge, she was the only survivor of the baker household, and not even her husband had survived after sacrificing himself to save her. she wished ethan had never turned up, but she supposed that’s what she deserved after leaving such mixed messages— even though most of them were when she was under eveline’s influence.

she still felt like the virus was with her, even now.

her leg was crossed lazily over her other leg, which was slightly bent. was it for comfort? or easier escape? she wasn’t sure at this time, but she knew one thing for certain: she was too weak to even think. too weak to understand that billy was lying to her, using her for his own gain.

❝ i won’t blame them. ❞ she muttered, eyes fixed to the floor. ❝ if that’s what you’re looking for me to do. ❞

was it wrong of her not to? was she being too forgiving towards the family? even before the infection, they were more than a ‘normal’ family. but they cared for her, didn’t they?

maybe she was disregarding some things.

❝ it was her fault. ❞ eveline. she didn’t dare to mention her— she couldn’t mention her. otherwise, things would start to go wrong again. there was no way ethan had completely gotten rid of her.

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the flustered expression ( if she can dare comment on it ), made the corner of her lips turn up further. what was the word? seduction? was that what ada was doing to get what she wanted … what she really wanted?

ada’s fingers retracted from his collar, seeing how he slapped at them, knowing that perhaps her continued affection was not needed. in fact, maybe it was seen as a threat. perhaps it was a threat to how he felt, a threat to what could end up being his vulnerability … but the truth was simple: it was dangerous.

❝ hm. ❞ the only thing ada did to respond to that was hum, before standing up straight. ❝ watch where your eyes wander then, hm? wouldn’t want this to happen again. ❞

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“But – I don’t know where else to go…? Is there a police station near? Or – I don’t know – I need a phone… Mine has no connection.”

[ hope this is ok! <3 ]

it’s freezing, it’s the middle of nowhere, and mia can accept that getting trapped in the frosty, abandoned village in romania could potentially be the worst day of this woman’s life. she can accept all of that— but she doesn’t want to. she had been told multiple times by chris, by the b.s.a.a that they had to remain there, in hiding, away from the organisation.

this? this would mess up everything that mia worked for. and she couldn’t allow that to happen … she couldn’t let rosemary and ethan disappear on her.

it would have been the worst thing to ever happen to her.

❝ you need to go. now. ❞ mia had kept insisting, over and over again, but kumari wasn’t listening to her.

she wouldn’t find an escape soon enough.

leo wants to shut him up. but he’s changed. he has a wife, a son. acting out in any way could get the police called on him, and he already worked so hard escaping. more years would be added onto his sentence, and he knew that anyone ‘superior’ to him could twist the narrative. make him the evil one.

so leo scoffs, turns his head. ‘vincent didn’t die for this’, he keeps thinking, repeating the thought over and over until it felt like a chant— a ritual.

❝ fuck’s wrong with you? ❞ yet still, leo can’t help it. he’s a standoffish character by nature, from childhood to being roughened up even more in prison.

another thought comes to mind: how does the other know of leo’s criminal behaviour?

but would confessing put him even more into the deep end?

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