Worst Prank Ever [Tag: Kim]

[Sawyer Brooks]

"No no no no no!"

The brunette let out a dry, frustrated groan and threw her head back against the mattress again. She had just woken up for the third time to find herself once more in a completely different room, in a completely unknown environment, and in a completely different situation. On a positive note she wasn't tied up with ropes or duct-tape this time. Thank God! And as a small comfort she wasn't alone either; Kim was with her! But the shock and stress of everything that kept happening in what felt like such a short time was really getting to her―especially when it also involved her being knocked out, scared half to death, and then starved and dehydrated to actual death. She felt angry and exhausted and scared; she was tired of feeling played with. "Just let us go home!"

Sawyer bit her lip in anger, noticing how chapped it was. She hated this damn prank! Or escape room, haunted attraction thing... whatever this sick game was. As she lay on her back, she could still feel the rope burns on her wrist and the lingering shock and terror she had back in that dining room. Even thinking about that guy's face made the brunette angry; she still didn't understand anything that was going on or why Tony Stark kept talking about it like it was some kind of challenge. All she knew was that she was tied up yet again, threatened with a gun, and then freed by the same man who had held that gun. None of that instilled much trust for her in Geoff and whoever else was doing all of this, far as she was concerned... Nor did it make her any less confused or less angry about the situation―if anything it left her more confused and frustrated and scared than before. Why were they being kidnapped and played with like this? And what was with all this weird stuff happening? 

She sighed, feeling upset and lost. Nothing so far helped answer any of the thousands of questions in her head―including one question as to where and why she was in a bedroom that looked like a sepia filter had been added to it.

Rolling onto her side, Sawyer glanced at Kim lying right beside her on the mattress, still unconscious. "Kim? Kim wake up!" she whispered in a croaky voice while gently shaking the redhead's shoulder.

[Kim Anderson]

Kim twitched in her sleep, her back cold from the sweat drenching her singlet. She was having a nightmare. Figures, lots of faces around her. Faces she didn't know. And the voice. That female voice. "Go home!" it said, echoing inside her head, getting louder and louder each second, "No, please, stay. Attention! Go home!" The ginger instinctively squinted her eyes while in her dream she looked around trying to find the source of the voice. And then she heard it again, now calling for her! Kim! Kim!..

"Kim, Kim wake up!"

And with a deep breath, Kim opened her eyes. They darted around the room. A new odd, tiny room. So, she wasn't home and this was not a dream. There were still here, whenever that new "here" was... And the headache was still present and insufferable, her stomach was about to turn into a black hole and swallow itself, that's how hungry she felt and the thirst was agonizing. But at least they were not tied up. And she wasn't alone.

"Sawyer," the girl turned her head towards her friend. She extended her hand and gently touched Sawyer's cheek. The woman tried to whisper more words with her dry lips (where is that moisturizing chapstick when you need it, ha!) but her coarse throat let her down and Kim let out a series of dry coughs. So instead of talking, she just smiled at her, rose on elbows and pulled her dear friend into a hug.

"Sawyer," she whispered her name again, her nose drowning in her hair, "I am so glad you are okay." When the girl released the brunette from her firm embrace, Kim looked around the room again:

"Where are we?"

[Sawyer Brooks]

Sawyer couldn't help but let out a quiet breath of relief when Kim's eyes eventually opened. "Sawyer?" she said as she woke up, her hand moving up towards her face to rest against her cheek. "Hey," Sawyer replied back with a smile―though in an equally parched voice. It was clear Kim was also seriously dehydrated as she started coughing, and it made the brunette's smile lower a little in concern. She was definitely feeling weak in that end too... Please let there be water somewhere in this damn room!

But besides the serious case of hunger and mutual confusion at the weird room they woke up in―plus the very obvious general trauma from their last location―Kim looked fine and physically okay and that was more than a relief! "I'm so glad you are too," Sawyer whispered back as she returned her friend's hug, holding onto her tightly. It felt so nice to have someone so familiar with her that she trusted wholeheartedly in a place that was so strange and anything but familiar... especially after what had just happened in the dining room.

At her next question, Sawyer sat up and frowned, looking around the room too. "I'm not sure," she replied in a hoarse voice as her brown eyes tried to adjust to the dim lighting. "Wherever we are, the owners apparently don't like sunlight." She gestured towards the only window in the room: one that was dark and looked like it was weirdly painted black―kinda like tinted windows on a car except much more efficient at blocking whatever view they could've seen outside of it. Which might've been helpful for getting an idea of where they were... if it worked still. Damn. Well that's convenient... and weird, she thought with a frustrated frown. This place gave her the creeps... "Maybe the door's unlocked?"

Sitting up from her spot on the bed, Sawyer walked slowly over to it and tried the handle... to quickly find out it was locked. "Figures," the brunette muttered under her breath before letting out a tired cough. All of this gassing couldn't be good for her lungs... and the lack of water and food―not to mention the sensitive bump on her head―definitely wasn't helping that. Or her angry mood.

However as she bent over from coughing, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye on the floor not too far away from her foot. And after taking a step back, she almost had a miniature heart attack when she realized what it was. "Wait... Kim! There's food here!" she croaked over towards the redhead, pointing towards the tray next to her.

[Kim Anderson]

"I'm not sure," Kim listened to Sawyer's voice while standing up from the bed and looking around the room herself. Not too shabby, but not an A+ business-class apartment. And this color! Ugh, brown. What the hell of a building it was? Perhaps it was some kind of cheap motel, or...

"Wherever we are, the owners apparently don't like sunlight," her friend noticed and Kim looked behind her back to see that the windows were painted solid black. Yikes. This didn't look good. So they don't even know if they are still in Maidefield... Fuck, they didn't know if they are even all alone here or there are still 30+ people from that basement sitting in their rooms like their somewhere nearby!!.. Last time there were eleven of them. There was the woman that got shot, Geoff, Freya, Kei...

"Jess," a name so familiar and so close sied through her memory. The ginger looked down at her still red burn-marks on her wrists. Huh. It gonna take a day or two for the rash to go away, perhaps she wiggled way too much on that damn night they got "pranked" with a fake gun.

Pranked, huh. What a crude joke. Poor Geoff. And Jessica. Where would they be at this second?

"I hope you are okay," Kim thought and walked towards the window, now examining and touching its surface. Seemed like whoever painted those did it from the outside. Interesting. Interesting... Kim looked up at the ceiling, and then to her side, her hand still resting on the window glass. She wanted to come up with whatever her next step should be, but her thought process was slowing down each second. Memories of her last lucid dream and the past mixing together...

"Maybe the door's unlocked?" her brunette companion noticed, left her spot and walked towards the named object. But Kim kept standing with her back to her, silent, looking at the window. Her mind was fizzy, her body was going numb again... How could this be real?

Her hands were shaking again. She heard distant sounds of Sawyer trying to do something with the door. Figures, she said. Figures? Lots of figures in the dark, tired up, alone in the basement. A lean figure of Geoff, aiming the gun, his piercing blue eyes looking back at her, she wants to scream his name, ask him to stop but she can't!

Kim's hand clenched into a tight fist, her heartbeat rapidly speeds up. She just wanted to scream. She wanted to break through this fucking black glass and scream on top of her lungs. This can't be real! This is all a FUCKING JOKE!! And then she heard: "Wait... Kim! There's food here!"

The girl unclenched her first and her palm once again rested on top of the window glass. Food. Yes. She needed to eat. They both need to eat to survive! "Food?" Kim asked Sawyer again coming back to her senses, "Wait a second... are u- are u sure it's not another... "trick"?"

The ginger didn't trust that tray one bit, but she was hungry. And she needed to drink something or else her body will collapse from "malfunction". "I guess we don't have any other choice," the ginger said and sat right there on the floor near the tray of food and poured herself... apparently milk?

"Here goes nothing!" Kim said inwardly to calm her inner 'voice of reason' and gulped the milk down. "Oh my god, so cold!" she coughed out the words after finishing her drink and took a few breaths in and out... seemed like she was still alive and breathing.

"I am alive, don't worry!" she tried to make a lame joke, while still coughing from the unexpected cold beverage, "Join me!" when she finally stopped coughing she gestured towards the food and drinks. Maybe it wasn't much, but it's better than nothing. And hey, at least the carpet felt nice.

[Sawyer Brooks]

Oblivious to her friend's panic, Sawyer turned her head towards Kim where she was still standing by the window, motioning her over with her hand as she began to sit down. However Kim's next comment made the brunette pause right in her tracks with her body crouched halfway down and her hand hovering over the tray. "Oh... right. Good point," she replied as she slowly backed her hand away from the food. It looked safe as far as she could tell―albeit a little cold, but with how hungry she was, that was as good as a five course meal! "It doesn't really look suspicious at least..."

Scrunching her nose up, she stood back up and eyed the food as Kim came over to stand next to her. The brunette felt like she was in a standoff; to eat or not to eat. That is the question, she finished silently in her head. As if answering for itself, her stomach let out a growl of protest. How cruel would a person be to leave a tray like that out in front of two starving girls just to give them food poisoning!

She turned towards Kim, seeming to mirror the redhead's own thoughts. It really did look so good... And in truth Sawyer really didn't have any trouble with the idea of just eating the food anyway; she was hungry. Starved even! If the food was poisoned, it would suck but hey― "We are already starving anyway," the brunette added out loud with a wry smile, shrugging her shoulders as if in emphasis of their predicament. "Might as well, right?"

Coming to the same conclusion, Kim sat down and grabbed a glass of milk from the jug. From her coughing fit, it was clear it was ice cold. But otherwise, nothing seemed wrong so far, much to both of the girls' reliefs. "Oh thank god!" Sawyer replied with a smile as she reached over to gently pat her friend's back as both moral and physical support, plopping herself down on the ground next to her. "I feel so dehydrated I might as well be a beached whale."

She immediately reached over and grabbed the last glass on the tray, filling it up with milk too before instantly bringing it to her lips. The granola could wait; nothing was gonna get between the brunette's unruly stomach and her milk and coffee now, prank or not; she was far too parched for that! Though Kim was definitely right about the milk being cold. Damn!

Repressing a shiver, Sawyer took little sips at a time, savoring the way it quenched her parched throat. Just the mere fact of having a beverage anywhere within reaching distance was a luxury the brunette never thought she'd be this damn grateful to have. And in between a few coughing fits here and there, Sawyer became a little more bold to try the rest of the stuff on the tray. "Carpe Diem and Yolo and all that stuff," she muttered with a strained chuckle as she raised one of the pieces of food out before popping it into her mouth. After taking a few seconds to test it before swallowing, she was glad to note she didn't feel any different, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary there either. "Tastes fine to me," she relayed with a raised eyebrow before continuing on to eat and drink.

However after a moment, she paused to glance over at Kim, her brown eyes studying the redhead's face. Now with the threat of poisoning to death seemingly out of the way, she was able to focus more on her friend. And the more she searched, the more she noticed the tiny hints that the brunette had come to know so well throughout all their years of being friends together and telling each other everything on their minds...which of course made Sawyer's current priorities switch a little.

"Hey," Sawyer whispered gently as she put aside her breakfast, her gaze still searching Kim's blue eyes with an open, sympathetic expression. "You doing okay?"

[Kim Anderson]

The ginger eagerly chewed on her granola now with no milk, since she was an idiot and grabbed the cartoon before checking the rest of the food tray and noticing a warm cup of coffee standing next to it... Now she has to wait for at least some time before drinking it because, as her mom loves to say, you can't mix cold and hot beverages or else next day you will end up with a sore throat or even worse your voice is gonna go - POOF, gone!.. Kim's munches slowed down as her train of thought came back again to one of her friends, who actually suffered from laryngitis in the past... and she was here. Somewhere within these walls. Or maybe...

And the next moment Kim's appetite vanished. Of course, she realized that she needed to eat but granola can wait. She ate and drank at least something so now she won't collapse from hunger. The girl let out a little sigh and put her bowl down on the tray.

"Hey," Saywer grabbed the girl's attention and made her look up from the floor, "You doing okay?"

Kim paused for a second.

"No," she finally replied and shook her head from side to side, "I am not okay." Kim let out another sigh and laid back on the carpet, now her eyes scanning the ceiling. So many cracks, so many lines.

"Nothing... is okay about this," Kim pressed both of her hands on her forehead and then she gestured her right hand around the room, encompassing the walls, the bed, the window, everything!

"This! This place! It's- It's a fucking joke!" she said loudly, she didn't yell, but the tone of her voice was definitely higher than at the beginning of their conversation; she let her hand fall onto the carpet beside her and the girl took a short pause. The ginger kept looking at the lines, her eyes moving along with them. Some were intertwining with each other, some abruptly ended, some fused and continued their way from one wall to another together.

"Somebody- ", she chocked on her own words, from accepting their reality, "Somebody fucking kidnapped us!" she rose from her seat and walked back to the annoying window again. Fuck. This. Window. They didn't even have such simple information as what time of day it actually was! Fuck it! FUCK THIS PLACE!

"And now we are stuck in a middle of nowhere with some psychopath playing riddles with us, perhaps for their own amusement or I don't fucking know what! And we don't even know where we or our friends are and if they are even fucking fine!" Kim said now while walking back and forth in front of the window from one wall to another.

"And I don't fucking know what we can FUCKING DO about it!" she finally faced Sawyer once again, waving her arms helplessly, gesturing towards oneself, looking right into her chocolate doe eyes.

"I-" and the realization that she is not helping the situation hit her. "I am sorry," she mumbled her apology and fell silent, her eyes darting to the left. She sat on the bed again, fiddling with her messy hair.

[Sawyer Brooks]

At Kim's answer, Sawyer felt her own feelings well up and she watched as the redhead lay back against the carpet, looking and sounding as defeated as she felt herself. "Nothing... is okay about this," Kim said as she waved her arms at the room. "This! This place! It's- It's a fucking joke!"

Her voice started to choke up and immediately the brunette bit her lip at the sound. Her chest hurt hearing Kim so upset. She didn't know what to say in this situation that could make things a little better, and in all honesty there probably wasn't anything to say. Hell she was just as lost and angry about it all too. Kim was right; none of this was okay. And as she listened to every word her best friend poured out to her, the more Sawyer felt her own emotions mirroring hers. The fact they were kidnapped, the fact they were basically prisoners at this point... the uncertainty of where everyone was and if they were alright... She hoped their friends were alright. Jess, Maya, Aoi, Keiari, Freya... Each name read off in the brunette's head. After experiencing what all had happened the last time she woke up, it scared her to think what they might be going through or where they might be. Are they safe?

She wished she knew more so she could try and comfort Kim's nerves, but unfortunately none of this made sense. And just like Kim continued to say: there was no way to even tell what time it was, let alone who the fuck was doing this and where they'd taken them... What do they even want with us? the brunette wondered as she listened to Kim vent all her emotions, her brown eyes following her with mutual concern and worry. There were a lot of unknowns, and little to no certainties. All they knew was that things were out of their control right now. Being kidnapped, trapped, and not having any idea as to why while they were starved and scared senseless all for some kind of prank...

It was nothing but fucked up.

"I― I am sorry," Kim mumbled before growing quiet, her blue eyes darting towards the left while she went and sat on the bed. Sawyer's eyes followed her, giving away their own look of sadness.

"No, don't apologize," the brunette said with a regretful smile, shaking her head as her own emotions welled up. "I'm so mad about all of this too that I just wanna scream!" She sighed in frustration, her feelings shown clear on her face. But after a second she paused. "Actually you know what? I think I'm gonna do just that."

Moving to stand up now, Sawyer leaned her head back and opened her mouth towards the ceiling, her arms stretched out wide. "I FUCKING HATE THIS!" she yelled as much as her poor exhausted lungs and sore throat would allow. "I'M TIRED OF FEELING SCARED AND FUCKING CONFUSED!"

Her words echoed in the small room for a split second, filling the quiet. Sawyer had no idea if anyone would even be able to hear her outside of where her and Kim were with her voice still broken (not that her parched throat would have even allowed that). But already she could feel the negative energy in her limbs start to ease up in a therapeutic way. "Fuck this place. Fuck these people putting us through this shit. And fuck whoever painted this room!" the brunette continued to yell in a quieter voice as she let her emotions hang open in the confined space. Voicing her frustrations wasn't gonna do much to fix the situation―or change her emotions much in all honesty. But it sure as hell felt good to just yell it all out loud at least!

Looking over at Kim, the brunette let out an exhausted, slightly more relieved breath and came over towards the bed to sit down next to her, her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm scared," she repeated again in a gentle, hushed voice as she settled onto the mattress, her brown eyes meeting the redhead's. "I hate feeling like I have no control over anything and being scared out of my mind... Like that stuff in that room? God..." She lowered her eyes towards the floor as she continued, reliving the experience for a moment. Though after a second she sighed. "After everything that happened... Ugh, I don't know what's going on. There's so much fucked up shit."

She sat there for a second, just quietly processing it all. The room felt heavy with the weight of two days hanging over them. Glancing over at Kim, she could see the pain in her face as well; they both felt lost and anxious. It was too much to go through alone. And so without another word, Sawyer reached over and wrapped her arms tightly around the redhead and pulled her into a giant hug, clinging onto her for a minute. Nothing was okay; Kim was right about that. It was hard to feel safe at all. But at least through all the shit, they had each other to lean on, and that was definitely a comfort the brunette needed too.

"We'll figure something out. Together," Sawyer whispered gently in a promise as she hugged Kim, hoping she might be able to help comfort her―even if it was just a little. And after a moment, she eased up to quickly wipe at her eyes and take a few deep breaths. "Who knows, maybe there's something here we can find that might have some clue as to where we are..?" It was a pretty big hope to wish for looking around the plain, near-bare room but... there wasn't much else to do. And at least it was something left that they could do when everything else was pretty much out of their control.

Getting off the bed, Sawyer walked around the room and opened up the dresser, her brown eyes searching for something that stood out to her. There weren't any clothes in here, unsurprisingly. But maybe there was something else here that could be of use..?


[Perception Check: Sawyer and Kim work together to search the room for some answers.]

[Madge Baker]

PERCEPTION CHECK: Sawyer and Kim work together to search the room for some answers.

RESULT: 5 - Unfortunately Sawyer didn't find anything useful.

[Kim Anderson]

Sawyer told her not to apologize, but Kim couldn't help it. She was always there for her to listen, to support. Heck even that fucking night when she called her, she agreed to join her without a second thought to look for Jess! In the middle of the FUCKING NIGHT!! Just like that. She didn't deserve to witness her temper tantrums. She-

"Actually you know what?" as she said it the ginger looked at her friend once again, her hands now resting in her lap. She let out a sigh, ready to listen to her friend's point of view. "I'm so mad about all of this too that I just wanna scream!" she continued and Kim didn't get a chance to think if she meant figuratively or literally. In a matter of seconds, she got her point.

Literally it is!

"Sawyer!" she jumped in her seat when her friend started yelling on top of her lungs. She instinctively stood up and as soon as the brunette was done with her passionate speech Kim rushed towards her to lock her in a tight embrace. "Sawyer! Sawyer, it's okay! It's fine," she whispered, patting her hair and her back gently, her own voice choking as if she was about to cry, but pesky tears didn't want to come like they lost their way to her eyes. There was nothing left. Nothing but fear of uncertainty what's going to happen to them all.

She let go of Sawyer, now only holding her hands and tried to take a look at her face, her own eyes darting from the floor back to her in anxiety. She didn't know what else she could add to the conversation but she wanted her friend to feel better, even though Sawyer denied it... it was her fault after all.

And so they stood there in the middle of the room for a moment, just looking at each other... until Sawyer let out an exhausted sigh. The ginger let go of her friend's palms and sat back on the bed with her. "I'm scared," as Sawyer continued her monologue - Kim pouted her lips and gave her a tiny nod of reassurance. "Me too," the girl agreed inwardly, hugging now Sawyer by her shoulders while sitting on the bed beside her. "After everything that happened... Ugh, I don't know what's going on. There's so much fucked up shit," she concluded and Kim could not agree more. This was so fucked up. And, sadly, they still had no idea where they can even begin to untie this knot of "misfortunate events".

Kim pulled Sawyer into another hug. No words, no anything. "Just stay close," she thought, burying her head in Sawyer's mane of chocolate curls. Nothing was okay. But at least they still had each other.

"We'll figure something out. Together," she heard Sawyer's voice whispering to her and the girl gave her a series of light affirmative nods. Then her friend suggested looking around the room to maybe find something useful and Kim nodded once again adding now a light "a-ha" sound in agreement. Maybe they don't have a plan yet, but it was a good start.

"I will check out the second door!" Kim said as she stood up again and walked towards the door they didn't try out yet which wasn't locked. Oh! NICE! The gingers heart even skipped a beat when she opened it... Until the next moment, she realized it was just a fucking bathroom. And there were no vents, no windows, no nothing but a toilet and a shower in there. Great. This was definitely some cheap-ass motel...

"Nothing in the bathroom,.. the toilet is working though! And so does the shower," she nodded back to the bathroom door entering the main room again after looking for clues and satisfying her "natural needs".

"How is it on your end?" she asked ready to snoop around and help with whatever Sawyer her needed for.

[Sawyer Brooks]

Kim really was the best friend anyone could ever ask for, and it was all Sawyer could do not to bawl into the redhead's shoulder as the girl tried so thoroughly to comfort her back with nothing more than simple, comforting touches. She didn't even need to speak or say much else than what she had, since everything was already said in those warm hugs the brunette had come to learn and trust in so well. They could do this; they'd be okay.

Giving her a genuine, gentle smile, Sawyer shared her gratitude in the form of another tight hug and a gentle nod before they each got up to begin searching. It wasn't a very large room, so it didn't seem like it would take much time... In fact, it was extremely―well―plain, in all honesty. From a quick glance all she could really note was a desk, a plant on the windowsill, a few more blankets, and a couple light fixtures (one of which seemed to be broken). But there had to be something around here that could help them figure out where they were, right?

Sawyer immediately began rummaging around in the drawers while Kim called that she'd search the other door in the room. The brunette gave her a grin when she heard the click of the door open―that had to be a good sign! But the equal disappointment she felt at it being a bathroom was a little less adventurous than they had hoped. Although the mention of a bathroom and working toilet instantly got the brunette's attention. "Oh my god! It's my turn after you're done!" she called over at Kim's vanishing figure that was speedily disappearing into the bathroom. She heard the door close shut behind the head of orange and purple hair as she continued pulling out drawer after drawer―all while doing her very best to ignore her full bladder. God, now she reaaaally remembered how much she needed to go!

Pushing aside any thoughts of waterfalls, however, she focused her attention on the drawers she was searching earlier and continued rummaging around in them, as well as looking behind and underneath the commode. There wasn't anything to really note unfortunately; no clothes, no key to the door, and no tourist pamphlets either... Damn. "Nope. Nothing useful in here," she called back over her shoulder as soon as Kim had rejoined her from the bathroom. As much as she rummaged, she couldn't find anything that looked really useful in there... And from the sound of it, Kim hadn't found much on her end in the bathroom either. But speaking of bathroom― "Be right back!"

Rushing to the door, Sawyer shut it immediately behind her and went on to complete her business (much to her massive relief). It definitely was a plain bathroom but it got the job done. And as she went to the sink and washed her hands, it was only then that she happened to glance up to see a crazy, bedheaded mess of brown hair and dirt in the mirror reminiscent of an 80s metal band. "Oh My God!" she couldn't help but exclaim in between laughs as she glanced at her reflection in disbelief. "I look like Scotti Hill!"

Still laughing, she raised a hand towards her face and wiped at an area of her cheek. Instantly her fingers smudged a bit of the dirt that was on it, creating a streak that ran near her nose towards her left ear. And as she finished washing her hands using the hand soaps left by the sink, it became even more glaringly obvious how awful she looked.

And how much her body smelled right now.

"Ugh... Actually," Sawyer went on to add as she reopened the bathroom door and stood in the entryway, fanning the area around one of her pits for emphasis (and necessity), "I think a shower sounds real nice right about now." She turned her head to look back into the bathroom, her eyes scanning for what they had to use. Aside from the hand soaps, there wasn't much in there: a few lotions, some more soaps, a towel... No bathtub or a curtain, which was odd. But could be worse, she muttered inwardly to herself as she scrunched her face up in a hesitant frown. This was deaf-con one at this point; no shower and she'd be knocking people out herself with sewage-scented B.O.

"Do you wanna go first or me?" she asked Kim from her spot by the door, her gaze shifting over to the redhead. She was more than fine with waiting if she wanted to go first; while one of them showered, the other one could even keep looking for clues. There had to be something in this room, right?

[Kim Anderson]

"Nope. Nothing useful in here," the girl heard and shrugged her shoulders, straightening up and stretched out her arms in the air pushing out her chest. As expected, this place was a shit hole with nothing that c-

"Be right back!" with this exclamation Kim barely moved out of the way of Sonic the Hedgehog running inside the bathroom. "She's all yours!" she yelled from behind the door with a small, faint smile and kept stretching her stiff arms, back and neck. Oh, the neck felt the worst of all of them. The ginger ran her hands through her hair behind her head and let out a big sigh, waiting, now looking once again at the cracks on the ceiling. So many lines, so many directions. Some short, some long, some abrupt suddenly, some merge with one another and follow their path together, intertwined... Almost just like them.

"Oh My God! I look like Scotti Hill!" she heard her friend exclaim from the bathroom and Kim's lips curled up into a smirk. Sawyer. Oh, Sawyer, why did I call you? You shouldn't be here. If only she could close her eyes and pretended that everything that happened was just a bad dream it almost felt like she was at home, or maybe it's just her and Sawyer were traveling again and they just ran out of money, so they have to stay for tonight in some creepy smelly motel, but as long they have each other - there is nothing that can stop them. If only it was true. If only this was just a dream...

"Ugh... Actually," the brunette took Kim's attention from the ceiling again and the ginger turned around to face her friend, her arms now on her hips. "I think a shower sounds real nice right about now," Kim pursed her lips and nodded lightly. Oh, so true. Not only her but her clothes also needed a wash. Maybe later she could at least clean her white singlet when Sawyer's going to be asleep.

"You go, I will be right behind you," she nodded with a small smile but before she would leave to lay down - she wanted to say something it just was so hard to grasp. The girl had that gut feeling and she knew wanted to tell Sawyer something important while they still had a chance because... who knows what's gonna happen the next time they fall asleep.

"Hey, Sawyer!" she started gently, her hand reaching behind her own neck in uncertainty, her fingers running through her messy ginger hair again. "Sawyer, I-" she looked back at her, taking a few steps forward, taking Sawyer's hands in hers and looking down at her into her doe eyes. "Promise me no matter what happens - we will stick, together, okay?" she finally squeezed the words out of her putting all of her fear, all of her emotions into them and right after pulling the girl into another hug, "Friends for forever and ever?"

"I love you, Sawyer," she thought and finally let her go. "Okay, now, go! I can't wait to get all this filth off me too!" she smiled and jokingly pushed the brunette towards the bathroom door.

She herself headed back towards the bed. The young woman didn't want to fall asleep, but alas she still did. Emotional exhaustion from the nightmares and events of the past few days took over and shut down Kim for good. At least for a couple of hours. Shower can wait, she needed some proper rest to think straight. And to protect her friends.

One way or another - they are getting out of here.

[Sawyer Brooks]

Sawyer smiled at Kim's response. "If you're sure then," she replied with a laugh as she prepared to go back inside the bathroom. She was more than ready to finally get rid of all this sweat and grime off of her! And hopefully her clothes too, though that might have to wait another day; after all, she wanted to give Kim a chance too!

However she was interrupted at the entrance by her friend's familiar voice calling her name. "Yeah? What's up?" Sawyer asked gently as she stopped and turned around to face her again. At first she wondered if maybe she had forgotten something, but as she noticed the expression on the redhead's face, any concern for her shower went on pause as her full focus shifted to her friend.

"Sawyer, I-" Kim started again, rubbing her hand behind her neck. The brunette noticed her messing with her hair, and her brown eyes softened into a gentle, somewhat concerned look. Is something wrong? She wasn't sure if her best friend was nervous or afraid or feeling guilty about something, but before she could ask her what was wrong, Kim had closed the distance between the two of them and grabbed her hands, her blue eyes meeting Sawyer's brown ones. "Promise me no matter what happens - we will stick, together, okay?" she asked, her voice filled with emotion.

Her words immediately caused Sawyer's heart to swell, her chest tightening. She didn't really need to say more as to what she was thinking; the brunette already knew too well what her worries were in that regard... In a lot of ways it scared her too how uncertain everything was right now―even more than what she had already become well-acquainted with screaming out at the top of her lungs. They had no idea what to expect or what might happen next, and given the matter of events so far and their current situation? Well... it didn't really give them a lot of assurance about anything. Especially how that event they'd just been through had scared her more than she had ever felt in her life. She had been so terrified to lose Kim back there... She couldn't imagine not having her friend in her life anymore. She wanted her to be safe and okay and so far away from here―so much that she was willing to put her life on the line to try and help her. More than anything she hoped that the redhead knew that too.

Smiling kindly, she met Kim's blue eyes and gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. She had meant it earlier when she said they'd do it together; there was no way she was going to do this without her. She only hoped her own emotions and genuine care and love for her could be felt in her words and her gestures too. "I promise," she replied warmly before they pulled each other into another emotional hug. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Friends for forever and ever?"

Sawyer laughed lightly into her strands of ginger hair, the sound of her voice soft and honest. "And even longer than that," she responded warmly as her arms tightened around Kim. "To infinity and beyond!" However her voice grew calmer and quieter as she continued, the corners of her mouth turning upwards into a reassuring smile. "We'll be okay, Kim. We'll make it through, as long as we're together. Just like always." She whispered the words with as much hope and honest feelings that she could, hoping beyond hope that her promise would remain true. Even despite the uncertainty of the future, she believed they would; she had too. I promise Kim, I'm gonna do whatever I can to get us out of her, she added in an unspoken promise, holding her close. She would do everything she could to protect her friends―especially those she held dearest to her.

And with one final hug, she felt Kim's hand push her towards the door, causing the brunette's mood to lighten as she let out a giggle at the redhead's insistence. "Alright alright, I'm going!" she teasingly replied back before heading once again towards the bathroom door. "Save me a blanket for later!"

She smiled over her shoulder at the head of red hair moving towards the bed, then shut the door behind her. Now alone in the bathroom, she proceeded to strip down and prep the water, though while waiting for it to warm up, her mind wandered towards her friend in the other room, hoping she would be okay. I love you too, Kim, she thought as her lips pulled upwards into a small smile. If only they were back home again or going on yet another one of their crazy travel adventures...

Trying to focus on those happier thoughts, she let out a quiet sigh and slipped into the shower, allowing the water to help soothe her worries and frustrations. Why did this have to be so fucked up...

~ End of Thread ~