HEARING DAMAGE
TEEN NOLA - CHAPTER FORTY-ONE !

THE AIR WAS SUFFOCATING. Nobody would meet another's eye, choosing instead to follow along with Nola's suggestion. They knew it was depraved, wicked even but they also knew it made sense. Lottie wasn't an option, they wouldn't let her be one, but that didn't mean one of them couldn't be. They had initially been against it, had looked at the brunette like she'd lost her fucking mind but the more they thought about it and the more they realised they had no real option apart from that, they each conceded until they all were in agreement.

Their stomaches rumbled occasionally, twinging from hunger as the thought of eating again invaded their minds, despite that meal being one of them by the days end.

The cards made the most sense. If they chose to vote on it, it would get messy. Vicious words would be thrown, accusations of ganging up would be hurled. If they left it up to the cards, they'd be leaving it up to fate. They'd be leaving up to the Wilderness. Ever since Javi's return and with him the Queen card, they now had a full deck once again. They would go around the group, each pulling a card from the deck over and over as many times as necessary until someone finally received that fateful card.

"I really think this is the best way." Nola attempted to comfortingly mutter as they all gathered together in the main part of the cabin, having moved the furniture and their sleeping supplies off to the side and out of the way.

Like before, when they had gathered to plead with the Wilderness to spare Shauna's life, that very same deer skull set atop a small stool and decorated with different forms of offerings and a single lit candle, courtesy of Shauna.

            Van took lead, standing strong in front of the roaring fire, the deck of cards held firm in her hand. Wordlessly she suddenly brandished the Queen card, letting them all catch a glimpse to familiarise themselves with what it looked like before placing it back into the deck and beginning to shuffle. Misty stepped forward, holding her breath as she reached for a card, only for her to release a short gasp of relief once she caught a glimpse. She spun on her heel, the card held in her hands.

           The Eight of Diamonds.

            The blonde then tucked the card away in her pocket then took hold of the deck from Van, taking over the responsibility of offering up the cards for the others to pick from. Barely shifting in place, she turned to Akilah, who took less then five seconds to gather the courage before she reached out, picked a card, stared for even less time before holding it up for the others.

            The Seven of Spades.

            Then it was Van. She seemed almost fearless as she grabbed her card, flipping it instantly once it gripped firmly enough between her fingers. Yet again, she held it up and brandished her card, though this one was far less ominous.

            The Jack of Hearts.

            Nola watched with bated breath as Misty moved towards Shauna. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be her. Despite everything they had gone through, the thought of living without Shauna caused her stomach to churn. She couldn't bear thinking about it. Shauna had to live. Thankfully, as though the Wilderness has heard her pleas, the card designated for the Shipman girl was not the now cursed Queen of Hearts. Shauna stared down at the card, the fear in her doe brown eyes fading as she held up the card.

            The Four of Diamonds.

            The two girls met one another's eyes briefly as Shauna looked up. Their love for one another was unspoken. They need only to met the other's eye to understand that they were far from over. Though one ugly truth loomed over them. Shauna was safe, but would Nola be?

            Travis was next. The bespectacled blonde shuffled past Shauna towards the towering boy. Both of her hands cupped the cards, offering the deck up to him as though it was a precious commodity, needing to handled delicately and with respect. Which in many ways it did. It was after all the deciding factor in who lived and who died.

             The Ace of Clubs.

             Travis couldn't even be too happy about his achievement. He had no real reason to be happy yet. Until he knew of the card his little brother, the one who he'd been searching for for over two whole months only for the young boy to return back into his life out of nowhere, chose, Travis couldn't be freed from the ball of anxiety that nestled within his gut.

             Misty was quick to move toward Taissa, who like Van was braver than most. She tugged a card from the deck as though ripping off a bandaid. She allowed her eyes to scan the card for mere seconds before holding it up.

            The Six of Spades.

            After the Turner girl came Nola. The daunting awareness of the decks existence left the brunette wishing that she'd never offered it up as a suggestion in the first place. Her heart raced wildly in chest while her head pounded as she shakily reached out and swiped at the top card, weakly pulling it into her grip. Her fingers fell incredibly weak as she tried to flimsily turn it around. The pounding in her head ceased in that moment as she sucked in a short breath of air.

            The Four of Clubs.

When Misty moved away from her, Nola's shoulders relaxed slightly as the tension that had caused them to hunch, faded just a little. Melissa was right after her. The backwards cap sat messily atop her head, clearly from her frantic attempts to settle it. The girl had taken it off and on multiple times in the last ten minutes, unable to calm herself as they inched closer to where they were now. Her eyes darted back and forth between the cards and rest of the group as she reached out.

The Three of Hearts.

Stevie couldn't help the feeling of incredible jealous that rushed through her at the sight. She knew it didn't bode well for her to be near the end of the run. She knew she was inching closer to getting that fucking card. Her heart was in her throat as the Quigley girl appeared before her, the deck of cards held tightly in her hands. Her eyes became locked with Misty's as she slowly turned the card around, refusing to looking away and seem weak. An obnoxiously loud sigh of relief filled the air as she spun the card around for the others.

The Two of Diamonds.

         Then suddenly it was Javi's turn. All eyes fell to the young boy, their hearts pounding, as they watched him reached for the deck held in his direction.

Relief was awash upon Travis' face as his little brother plucked the King of Spades card from the deck. Javi rushed across the circle, throwing himself into Travis' arms, burying his face in the crevice of his brother's neck. "It's okay. It's okay, we're okay." Travis breathed out, cupping the back of Javi's head as his own eyes fell shut out of relief.

Though it was good that the youngest of them was going to live another day, there was no time to truly celebrate. The Queen card had still yet to picked out, leaving everyone mutely staring at the deck of cards as it sat in Misty's hands. She sidestepped from Javi over to Natalie, who let out a short breath past her quivering lips. The bleached blonde pulled out a card from the top of the deck before turning it round to get a look at which one she'd gotten.

            Her heart dropped to her stomach. Her pupils shook violently in panic as she then twisted the card around, letting the others see for themselves.

            The Queen of Hearts.

            The group was in shock. They stared over at the blonde in absolute horror, watching wordlessly as she shakily held the card. Not once had any of them believed that Natalie, out of all of them,  Natalie would be the first to draw the Queen card. But there it was, as plain as day right in front of them, trembling like a leaf trapped between her fingers. They all physically revealed their feelings, whether it was low gasps of 'no' or recoiling back out of the circle, it was clear none of them wanted this.

            But would they have wanted it for any of them? No matter who had gotten that card, they would have reacted the very same way. No, what really got them was the reality that they were one step closer to killing her, one step closer to eating once again. No more hot water disguised as soup and no more broth made from a belt. It hurt to know it was Natalie, their friend and the groups hunter, but if not her, then it would have been one of them.

            Nola's tongue felt heavy. Her mouth grew dry until she got that unmistakable cotton mouth sensation. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Jesus." She exhaled out, low and slow. Her voice was filled with disbelief at the sight. Not Natalie.

            Still distraught by the unlucky draw, Shauna staggered her way forward into the middle. Her gaze remained downcast, the girl unable to bring herself to look Natalie in the eyes. Her palms were wet with sweat, her cheeks awash with tears. Finally she met Natalie's panicked eyes for just a second before demanding, "Turn around."

             With fear in abundance, the Scatorccio girl lifted up her feet and turned around, facing the back wall. All the while, she struggled to keep her calm facade from faltering. She was fucking terrified and it showed.

            Out of nowhere, there was a shimmer of silver as Shauna pulled Jackie's heart necklace from her pocket, the clasp already undone before extending out her arms and wrapping the chain around Natalie's neck. This necklace that was once a source of comfort was now a harbinger of death. The cold metal brushed along the hot skin of the blondes neck causing her to sharply inhale. After flimsy fixing the back of Natalie's hair, as though trying to stall for time, Shauna eventually was forced to reach out and grasp at the knife that sat atop the deer skull.

With one hand balanced on Natalie's shoulders, she brought the other round until the knife's sharp blade shook mere inches from the soft, supple flesh of the blondes neck.

The groups relief of being free from death was mixed with the horror they felt at idea of watching the blood drain from her face as she passed under Shauna's knife. The Shipman girl snivelled and sobbed, coughing up cries and sniffing back snot that threatened to drip from her nose as she continued to hold the blade near Natalie's neck, unable to commit.

Natalie let out shuddering breaths, the terrified girl unable to catch them and calm them down in the wake of her demise. She knew it was coming. They all knew it was coming. From her eyes twitching to her bottom lip trembling, Natalie was the picture of terror.

            "Wait, wait." Natalie exclaimed, gasping for what she believed was her last few breaths of air before it all ended. Before Shauna could carry it through, Natalie spun on her heel to face the brunette once again. Gathering her strength, she breathed out, "You're gonna have to look me in the eye."

     Though it pained her greatly, Shauna nodded in agreement, knowing she owed Natalie this as she willing sacrificed herself for them. Slowly the raised the blade back up to Natalie's neck. Natalie held back tears while staring Shauna down, gritting her teeth and holding her mouth closed to refrain from letting a weak sob from escaping.

            Time stood still in that cabin. No one could tear their wet eyes away from the two girls. They waited breathlessly for the moment the blade slid across the blondes neck, breaking open skin and allowing blood to ooze. Before that could happen however, Shauna was suddenly bulldozed to the floor as Travis rushed towards her, knocking into her to put distance between her and Natalie. Many recoiled back in shock though not Van and Mari who both jumped into action in an instant, tackling the boy and ripping him away from Shauna. He struggled with all his might against their hold, using his strength against the two, knocking Mari off before pushing Van to the ground. When Mari wailed as she headed for him again, Travis backhanded the girl, knocking her off course.

With wide eyes, he managed to turn his gaze towards the freaked out blonde. With just a single word, he warned, "Run!"

Natalie took no time at all to heed his word, smacking aside anyone who stood in her way as she headed for the door, tugged it open and disappeared out into the vast, snow blanketed forest.

"No, she's getting away!" Misty screeched just as Travis stepped in the way of the door, attempting to block them from pursuing the blonde. Like a wild animal, Shauna quickly hopped on his back and wrapped her hands around his neck.

Nola ran to the pair, swiping her leg under Travis', forcing him to his knees. "Travis, stop!" She demanded of the boy as Shauna crashed back down to her feet beside her.

Everyone else quickly wrapped up. With weapons in hand and Travis now subdued by some of the girls, the rest practically ripped the cabin door off its hinges and raced out into the snow, their eyes wild as they grunted from frustration. Following the tracks in the snow, they headed in the direction they last saw the blonde head in.

"Natalie!" Misty yelled out, her voice echoing throughout the woods.

Like all those nights ago, when they chased after Travis in the woods while completely high out of their minds, animalistic howls crawled out from their throats. Their haggard breaths grew visible as they continued their pursuit, the deep ravenous hunger that tore and scratched at their insides fuelling them. It brought them purpose as they raced after the bleached blonde.

They abruptly came to a halt, kicking up the snow beneath their shoes as they skidded to a stop. They were like a pack of wild animals, like wolves smelling the air to catch a scent of prey. Only their sense was sound and that was the very thing they weren't hearing. There was nothing. They should have been able to hear Natalie. Hear her fear filled pants as they leapt past her lips, hear the loud thumps of her feet colliding with the ground as she ran for her life.

But there was nothing.

"I don't hear her." Melissa commented.

"Shh." Shauna lowly muttered. Her ears were turned now for the Wilderness. She no longer found it ridiculous nonsense. Not anymore. Not when the prospect of satiating her hunger was somewhere in that forest. "Listen."

The group fell silent. Each of them settled their beating hearts to better hear for the blonde. Just as quickly as they grew quietly, Taissa suddenly claimed, "This way." Rushing ahead to lead the group.

Wails befitting the legendary Banshee echoed through the freezing air that enveloped them as they became one with nature, tapping into their innate thirst for blood. They sounded like a stampede of elephants as they thundered through the forest, heading right for the cowardly Natalie, who had chickened out at the last second despite knowing exactly what would happen.

An out of place squeak of shoes against ice bounded off of Nola's eardrums. Without missing a beat, she knew what it was. What she was hearing. "She's at the lake!" She bellowed to the group, causing them to steer towards the left and towards the large, frozen over lake.

They were at the lake in no time at all, now hot on Natalie's heels as she slid across the frozen surface alongside Javi, who appeared to be leading her somewhere. Their weapons were raised up high, gripped tight and at the ready.

This was Natalie no more. It was now just food and they weren't for letting it get away. Not a chance in hell.

           With their lips curled up in maniacal grins and teeth bared like a Lion approaching a Gazelle, the group of voracious teenage girls charged toward the two just as Natalie slipped and looked back at them all with terror in her eyes. She struggled back to feet with the help of Javi before the two continued to run in fear of the girls.

           The unmistakable cracking of ice beneath of his feet caused the young Martinez boy to come a sudden stop. His gaze shot down to his feet to see the thin sheet of ice fracturing under his weight. Before he could even consider running to safely, the ice snapped and sent him plummeting to the frozen depths of the lake.

            "Javi!" Natalie cried out as she helplessly watched while the boy vanished beneath the surface.

            "Stop!" Mari yelled out. Her hands immediately flew out to level herself atop the ice as she continued to call out instructions. "Spread out so the ice doesn't break."

            The group was careful as they moved about the ice, taking the girls warning to heart while distributing their weight across the frozen expanse to ensure their safety as they inched their way closer. Javi's head bobbed in and out of the water as he struggled to grasp onto the sides. The ice proved too slippery for his frozen finger tips to dig in to.

            He sounded so young and childlike as he pleaded, "Help me!" He needed their help to escape the icy depths.

            "Go around. We can still get her." Stevie suggested as her grip on her small screwdriver tightened. She was now nearing the front of the group, leading the charge for just a moment before falling back in line behind the others.

            The distance between themselves and their target was decreasing by the second as she struggled and failed to pull the young boy from the water. Misty picked up her pace faster than the rest, racing forward and grabbing hold of Natalie before they could reach her. Soon they all made it to the hole in which Javi still desperately tried to climb out of despite how heavy the water was making his clothes and therefore his body. It was a pointless battle.

            "We can still get him out of there." Akilah insisted as the rest of the group gathered around, her eyes wide as she watched the boy's flailing figure struggle in the water.

"Wait! Wait." Shauna snapped once she caught sight of the girl stepping forward to help him just like she said.

The silence that followed was deafening. Nola had to blink back her tears as they threatened to flood her eyes. Guilt swirled violently within all of their gut as they stood side by side, all of them willing bystanders watching on while the young boy thrashed in and out of the water, trying desperately to grab hold of the ice though failing miserably. After a while, his struggling and pleas for rescue ceased, with his hand cupping one last ball of snow and dragging it below the surface with him.

            "Grab him." Taissa ordered, pushing many of the girls to rush to their knees, pressing them deep into the snow as they sunk their hands deep into the water to grab hold of Javi and tug him free from a watery grave.

            Misty held onto him with all the strength she could muster, crying out, "Pull!" as she did. With the help of the others, they managed to heave the soaking wet boy to the lakes surface, laying him flat against the ice. The curly haired blonde breathlessly pressed her ear to his chest, searching for any sign of a beating heart. When there was no such sign, she peered back up then mutely shook her head.

           Mixed expressions were worn by the girls. Some looked pleased while others appeared bothered. But the only thing that they all had in common was the hunger that grew bigger and more intense in their eyes.

            "The Wilderness chose!"

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jamielee's thoughts
chapter forty one, not proofread
rip javi. the sweetest character on the show who didn't deserve to die so horribly. anyone yeah they are literally so insane lol it's so fun to write my ocs acting so feral. anyway I hope you enjoyed :)