[032] wilderness themed baby shower

                                          
                                           "I guess... no one wants breakfast," Mari remarked, the first to interrupt the tense silence inside of the cabin.

                                           Everyone was still trying to grapple with what they had done. Although it was messed up, they were no longer hungry because of it. Part of their silence was possibly due to the fact that they didn't feel guilty at all, but they knew it'd be fucked up to say it out loud.

                                           "I don't think anyone's hungry," Lottie said with a sigh, her hands resting on a folded blanket.

                                           Natalie kept pacing back and forth as she said, "We should move her."

                                           "Where? We still can't bury her," Travis questioned, his hands snug in his pockets.

                                           "I'll take her body, or her remains, or whatever to the plane and... she can be buried with the others when the ground thaws," Natalie offered, her voice low. She then looked over at Shauna who was hunched over. In fact, the girl hadn't moved ever since - frozen by her own grief and horror over what she had done. "Shauna?"

                                           Shauna looked away from the floor and up at Natalie for a moment. "Whatever you think."

                                           "Well, at least if you bury her out there, it'll look like she died with the rest of them," Coach Scott sighed.

                                           He hadn't eaten with them, repulsed by thr idea. He didn't have to say it out loud - his tone and actions were clear as day. Courtney knew he wouldn't last much longer if he kept on with his holier than thou attitude. But perhaps that was for the better.

                                           They'd have to get hungry sometime.

( 🌲🔪🦌 )

                                           When Lottie suggested that they all have a baby shower for Shauna, Suki was the first one on board. And once Suki agreed, the other ones were which to follow. Seeing as Suki's prophecies of food had come true, they were completely agreeing with everything she said. Whatever Lottie and Suki said, simply went.

                                           Suki had decided to make the baby a necklace of protection, one that Courtney helped with since she didn't know what else to do. She hated kids and she didn't see herself having them. But she could help and make a necklace, one composed of a string (which was really just a loose hem of one of Suki's shirts) and a sharp rock she had found buried within the snow one day.

                                           With everything that was going on out here, Suki wanted to protect the baby as much as she could.

                                           "I don't think I've ever seen you this excited for a baby before," Courtney chuckles, glancing at Suki as she finished with the necklace.

                                           "He's probably going to be the one good thing about this place," Suki shrugged.

                                           Courtney raised a brow. "How do you know the baby is a he?"

                                           "I can just feel it. Do you think I'd be a good mom?" Suki asks, glancing at Courtney as she paused for a moment.

                                           "Well, yeah. You'd certainly be better than me. I'd be terrible at it," Courtney nods.

                                           "Maybe you'd be good at it," Suki tried to assure her.

                                           "Are you serious? Nancy's going to be a mom, not me. She'll probably have a kid or two and live a boring life as someone's housewife. That's not meant for me," Courtney shakes her head.

                                           "So what is meant for you then?" Suki inquired.

                                           "We'll be together, duh," Courtney says, making Suki smile. "We'll get married and be rich somewhere. I don't know how we'll get rich but we'll figure it out."

                                           "Sounds like a wonderful dream," Suki says with a chuckle.

                                           "That's good, Mari. The baby can dream it's being stabbed to death every night," Van says, her tone laced with sarcasm.

                                           Mari's gift happened to be a baby mobile made out of sharp sticks. Even Suki had to admit that it looked a little scary.

                                           "Oh, whatever, it's abstract," Mari argued. "You think it looks nice, right, Suki?"

                                           "What do you think you're doing?" Courtney frowned.

                                           "What does it look like? I'm talking to Suki," Mari responded.

                                           "You wouldn't stop bullying her before and now you're talking to her like you're best friends?" Courtney scoffed.

                                           "Courtney," Suki frowned.

                                           "That was before I figured out how amazing she was," Mari reasoned. "You've helped us out so much, Suki. I owe you everything, seriously."

                                           "I... It's fine, Mari. I've already forgiven you for that," Suki reasoned.

                                           Courtney huffed. She didn't get how Suki could be so nice and forgiving. But Suki hated conflict. She'd cry at the first fight which was how Courtney was able to do what she wanted without Suki really confronting her. But people like Mari didn't really deserve it.

                                           "Okay, there it is again... you guys really don't hear dripping?" Mari suddenly asked, frowning as she looked up at the roof.

                                           Mari had been suffering with hearing a strange dripping sound that only she could hear for weeks now. It seemed to be on and off but Mari could never get a break for long. She'd even ask Suki about it, desperate for an answer. But Suki hasn't heard anything and she wondered if the sound was meant for Mari to hear for a reason.

                                           Nonetheless, no one answered her and Mari simply gave up in trying to convince the others. She went back to go and fix her crazy looking mobile. Suki bit her lower lip, finally finishing the necklace and holding it up for Courtney to see.

                                           "What do you think?" Suki questioned.

                                           "Yeah, it's cool. But I don't think a baby can really wear a necklace," Courtney pointed out.

                                           "Right. Uh, I guess Shauna could wear it for now and the baby can have it when he gets older," Suki reasoned.

                                           Courtney nods. "Yeah, sure."

                                           Suki then got up, deciding to sit by the window and watch the snow fall. As she did so, she could see her mom standing in the woods. Suki couldn't see much at first but when she kept looking, it appeared as though her mom was wearing the same dress as the antler queen. Before Suki could try and see more, the front door swung open and Coach Scott made his way inside.

                                           Closing the door behind him, he just stood there for a moment while staring off into space. Courtney looked over at Coach Scott, wondering what was up with him. Gen also looked at him, equally as confused.

                                           "Hungry?" she asks him.

                                           He seemed to snap out it, looking at her in fear. He even stumbled back, his back hitting the door hard. Closing his eyes, he shook his head over and over again and took a deep breath. After he had somewhat calmed down, Coach Scott opened his eyes and looked over at Gen once more.

                                           "What?" Gen questioned, scowling.

                                           Wheezing, he made his way inside of the bedroom where he'd close the door and continue to hide away. Everyone went back to what they were doing without second thought and Suki continued to look out of the window, only for her mom to disappear.

                                           Soon enough, the baby shower would start and they'd all gather around to give their gifts to Shauna. Van was the next one in line, although her gift wouldn't be so easy to figure out.

                                           "What is it?" Shauna questioned, holding onto Van's gift.

                                           "It's a changing Teepee. To catch the pee, if it's a boy. I saw one at a Party Emporium once," Van tried to explain, her cheeks quickly turning red with embarrassment.

                                           "I don't get it," Mari chimed in, looking absolutely puzzled.

                                           "Uh, no, yeah, it's good thinking. Thanks, Van," Shauna cleared her throat, sending Van a small smile.

                                           Suki and Courtney were next and Suki immediately held out the necklace of protection which Shauna gingerly took.

                                           "Courtney and I both made it. It's a necklace of protection for him. As Courtney quickly reminded me, babies can't really wear necklaces because of choking hazards... and stuff. But I figured you could wear it in the meantime and it can keep you and the baby covered," Suki explained.

                                           Shauna's features soften as she holds onto the necklace for a moment, putting it on shortly after. "Thank you, Suki. And Courtney."

                                           The two of them smile at Shauna before they move on. Next in line was Misty who was talking with Crystal for a bit before she made her way towards the front. "For my gift, I would like to perform a monologue from Steel Magnolias."

                                           Courtney lets out a whistle which makes Misty smile before she tried to get into character.

                                           "We turned off the machines. Drum left, he couldn't take. Jackson left. I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something," Misty says, engrossed in her role now, clenching her fists while excitedly performing her monologue. "I was there when that wonderful creature decided into my life. And I was there when she drifted out. It was the most precious moment of my life."

                                           Taissa stared up at Misty,  her brows furrowing in confusion. "Did she really choose a scene about a dead daughter?"

                                           "Are you surprised?" Natalie scoffed.

                                           But nonetheless, Misty was completely undeterred as she kept going with her performance. And although Misty was still the strangest girl that Suki had ever met, she was absolutely captivating. It was to the point where Misty grew emotional, fat tears rolling down her cheeks and she'd get so choked up that snot also began falling.

                                           "I wanna hit somebody until they feel as bad as I do. I just - God. I wanna hit them. I wanna hit something, I wanna hit it hard!" Misty concluded.

                                           Everyone burst into applause after that, even cheering for Misty. She just smiled at everyone, making her way back over to Crystal who hugged her. But Misty looked over at Courtney for approval, feeling truly happy when she saw the girl looking proud of her.

                                           Lottie walked over to Shauna afterwards, holding onto the blanket she had made for her. It was really composed of fabric from discarded clothes, and she handed it over to Shauna. "So he doesn't get cold."

                                           "Thank you, Lottie. I love it," Shauna responded, smiling at Lottie afterwards.

                                           But then, Natalie couldn't help but notice something that she'd find both off and disturbing. "Is this supposed to be funny or something? I - I mean..."

                                           She was talking about the symbol Lottie had stitched onto the blanket. The same symbol Suki had seen in her dreams and carved into the trees. The same symbol that Suki followed yet failed to truly understand.

                                           "What? No," Lottie quickly denied.

                                           Natalie stood up, growing angrier by the second. "Then why would you put that creepy symbol on a baby blanket? Or don't you remember how we found it round a dead guy's fucking corpse?"

                                           "Yeah, I remember, but... I think he was using it for protection," Lottie reasoned.

                                           "He died, Lottie," Nat was quick to remind her.

                                           "Just because you don't understand something doesnt mean it's evil," Lottie argued, her eyes wide.

                                           "Give that!" Natalie shouts, reaching out for the blanket.

                                           Courtney quickly shoved Natalie down onto the floor, glaring down at her. "Don't you dare touch it."

                                           "No, Shauna don't. It was a gift," Mari reasoned as she pushed the blanket back onto Shauna's lap.

                                           Misty stepped forward, folding her arms across her chest, as she tried to put her input and even be the voice of reason. "We still don't know exactly what it is."

                                           "But either way, It has helped us. It's blessed us and continued to protect us. And now we're asking It to protect Shauna's baby. Doesn't her baby deserve protection, Natalie?" Suki replied, glaring at Natalie who slowly rose up to her feet.

                                           "Well, I trust Lottie and Suki," Mari spoke up.

                                           "Oh, yeah. Newsflash!" Natalie snickered, throwing her hands up in frustration.

                                           "So do I," Misty quickly agreed.

                                           "I do too. After all, if it wasn't for them, who knows where we'd be?" Courtney argued.

                                           "Me too. They know things, we've all seen it," Akilah agreed.

                                           "Neither of them are God, you guys," Taissa replied, not bothering to hide her own disdain for the way everyone put both Suki and Lottie on a pedestal.

                                           "No one is saying she is," Van sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

                                           "Oh my God. Shauna!" Misty remarked.

                                           Everyone looks at Shauna, her nose suddenly bleeding out of nowhere. The others rushed to the pregnant girl's aid and Taissa pressed a handkerchief to Shauna's nose to try and stop the nosebleed.

                                           But Suki suddenly felt drawn to the window. She slowly crept towards the window, the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up. Something was coming and it was coming right now.

                                           Just as Suki made her way to the window and pressed her hand against the glass, something dark flew to the window at high speed and a loud banging noise. Suki screamed, stumbling back and falling down to the floor. The others jumped and gasped in surprise as the bangs continue, hitting the cabin and terrifying them all.

                                           But eventually, it'd grow quiet and then rhe only sound was their heavy breaths.

                                           Everyone made their way outside where they'd see a bunch of dead birds lying down on the snow. It was like something out of a horror movie and yet it was playing out before their very eyes.

                                           "Holy crap. Did these guys just suicide on our roof?"

                                           Natalie stepped forward, determined to try and take some sort of control. "Don't touch them, they might be diseased."

                                           "We know that there's a lot of iron in the ground, so maybe that messed with the bird's navigation," Misty reasoned.

                                           "That's not it," Suki shakes her head.

                                           "So what is it then? Since you and Lottie know it all?" Natalie scoffed.

                                           "Despite your disbelief, It still finds favor in you. In all of us. It's another gift," Suki responded.

                                           "Suki's right," Lottie agreed, "We should gather its blessings."

                                           For a moment, they felt a little hesitant but Courtney made the first step in grabbing the birds. Seeing Courtney doing it and remembering Suki's words, the others started picking them up and collecting them - laying them at the feet of the two prophets who had led them in the right direction this far.

                                           Suki and Lottie share a look, wondering what was next for them.

(🌲🔪🦌)

word count: 2418
notes: we are going back to the adult storyline in the next chapter and it's going to be... inch-resting 😏