tired of hearing sorry

“You’re assuming ‘those things’ haven’t eaten your wrangler already,” Aiden answered, putting away the last of the gardening supplies in their place. He had just finished tending to a local’s garden — what was left of it — when he found himself with company. Her offer now was generous, but something still didn’t feel right. One palm slid down one of the shed’s counters as he turned to face Winona. “What makes you think you can outrun the worms?”

“Well, I have the door open and it’s literally right there,” she said, pointing over in the direction it was. “Unless they eat it in the next couple seconds.” She grumbled and looked back back at him. “I mean, isn’t it better than sitting here, waiting to get eaten? I’d rather try to do something to save myself rather than sit here and wait.” 

“Don’t you think you may be acting a bit…Overdramatic?” Bridgit raised her eyebrows as she suggested. She hoped she wasn’t coming off too harsh in asking the girl this, but she had felt her big sister urges instincts kick in with the current situation. She tilted her head before following it up with, “I mean, I get the fear. Giant worms. But they have to be aware and attempting to get this under control right? I’ll come with if you do want to leave, I’d never pass on a free ride and someone should be there with some knowledge on what to do if you get hurt trying to leave. But it might be best to stay. You know, safety wise.”

“Overdramatic?! Overdramatic?!” she exclaimed, staring at Bridgit in shock. Perhaps she was being a bit overdramatic, but none of this felt right and she wanted to get far away. She wanted to make sure they didn’t end up dead, but she also wasn’t sure what to do to save themselves. “I mean, yeah, they’re probably aware, but let’s be real, do they care? The town has like no citizens and if we all disappeared off the map, no one would probably notice.” Winona opened the door and glanced outside, looking to see if there was any movement under the ground. “I just don’t want to stay in this little shed and wait for them to get in here and eat us. I feel like a sitting duck.”

“Right? Fucking Gary thinks chasing us around is hard work but I once saw a snot goblin throw his plate of fries onto the table, climb out of his high chair and run straight into a wall so Susan’s deffo the one in need of a break,” she continued freely since the girl had spun it on further thus giving Pen the chance to embrace all the crazy. “Do you think it was his idea? Or is he stressing out that some asshole popped up? Is he slithering around down there all ‘how dare you visit the upstairs people? They’re full of germs.’”

“We need to find Susan and tell her we support her and want only good things for her. Gary needs to chill out and grow up,” she said with a laugh. “Oh, the whole worm thing? I don’t think it was Gary’s idea to come out into the world. I think he wanted to stay and mind his own business, but the oil rig was interrupting his sleep so he decided to check out what the hell was happening and stop it. That’s why he’s so mad right now.” 

“I’m sure that’s not true! I’d eat that, and compliments to the chef. He makes something drab look so good. I peeped at the ingredients in the kitchen once, and I still don’t get how they come out looking like that.” Noah pointed at the dish. “People need to enunciate better.” 

“I’m not from her’ at all and frankly this service this is such bull… ‘specially with that shit happening!” She gestured to the disturbed ground outside the window where the worm things had decided to take up residence. “I don’t even think we can leave the building right now…”

“Bring it up with someone important and maybe they’ll give a shit,” she said, not really caring much about the cell issue. She’d gotten used to living off the grid in Perfection, but sometimes she wanted something different. “Well, if we can’t leave the building and there’s no cell service, we can always see if the phone in the back works? It’s a landline and more reliable than your cell.” 

“I like to pretend it’s not happening until I have to actually face them.” Gwen says, giving a half hearted smile. If she was referring to their friends in town, or her older brothers and their attempts to contact the youngest Scotts. 

“No matter, how’s life?” She asks casually. 

“Oh, you know, the usual,” Winona said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Just trying to not get eaten alive at the moment and also go to work and pretend there’s not monsters in town. An average day in Perfection, it seems.” 

      ❛❛  I lost my last pair of contacts to the worms… and I’m guessing there’s no way to get a replacement here…  right  ?  ❜❜ Miles’ eyes are very wide, but that’s probably from the blinding blur all around him as he tries not to make himself sick. He tries his best to squint and make sure that he isn’t talking to a worm or a cacti.

“I don’t really think there’s any options for that right now,” Winona answered. “I think you’ll have to drive to Bixby if you want new contacts. Or just wear your glasses?” She shrugged her shoulders. She’d gotten used to having to drive forever to get prescriptions, and she was certainly going to keep her glasses around just in case she ended up in a similar situation to him. 

“Don’t you just love that there’s absolutely NO service in this damn town? First, the damn worms and now my cell is acting up.”

“I mean, there’s really never been service in town. Trust me, I’ve complained about it many, many times. I’d suggest going to the inn and you’ll have better service there.”

“So…what’s cooking, good looking? I mean, I’m just asking because that looks really good and I’m a curious guy. Got the nose of a bloodhound, if you know what I mean!”

“I was thinking,” she started after the noise of pitter patter had reached through her earbuds in between a song, “do you think they have names? Our worms, y’know like — ‘don’t start with me today, Susan. I had a long day terrorising the upstairs people.’” 

“Oh, I’m fucking sure they do. Then Susan gets all mad at Gary for sassing her, and she starts going off about how she’s trying to keep their nest clean and take care of the baby worms while he’s able to at least love the nest,” Winona said with a laugh. “I bet the worm mayor has a lot on his hands right now too.” 

     It’s only been a few weeks but Charlie already knows the in-and-outs of Walter’s. Not that there was much selection. This time something catches her off guard on her journey through town. Just down the road had been a small gathering of people alongside a police car. Efforts to hear what they were talking about from a distance had been futile so she nears the other person upon entering the store, grabbing something from a stall beside them - chowder? Gross. She’ll glance at the ingredients and pretend to be interested purely for the sake of striking conversation though. 

       “So what’s all the commotion about?”

Winona walked past a crowd around a police car, glancing over at them, and then quickly continuing her way to Walter Chang’s. She didn’t want to spend too much time around them as all she wanted was to get a snack during her lunch break. She walked into the store and grabbed herself a bag of chips when she noticed the other woman speaking to her. She glanced up at her, and then out the window where the people were. “Don’t know,” Winona answered. “I didn’t really pay much attention when I walked by, but I think something weird was going on? Not entirely sure. I’m sure they’ll make some town announcement about how we’re getting a brand spankin’ new police car so it can sit in a parking lot while the cops eat food and gossip.” 

At first chance I'd take the bed warmed by the body. I once warmed my hands over a burning Maserati

► GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Winona Rios

NICKNAME(S): N/A

AGE: Twenty

GENDER: Cis Female

PRONOUNS: She/Her

OCCUPATION: Waitress

SEXUALITY: Lesbian

LANGUAGES: English