Chapter 480: She’s been here all along
Kellen checked the area around him before he pulled his bag off of his back and got down onto his knees before Bree. He glanced at the person who had their head in Bree’s lap, still covered in her coat, and he noticed that Bree’s bag was tucked between the two people. Kellen could see that they were still breathing, and that was a relief to Kellen.
He opened his bag, reaching inside for the food rations that he’d brought for this occasion. Bree’s eyes widened as the shakes came out. Stable shakes, lukewarm, but still consumable.
Kellen shoved three into her arms, taking the gun from her in return.
"Drink those, toss the garbage on the ground after. Fuck the forest." Kellen said, his voice serious. "I’ll keep an eye out." Kellen told her, and watched as relief flooded her expression. Bree looked like she wanted to break down, but thanks to the training that she had received from Kellen, she didn’t.
Kellen watched as she hardened herself after a shaky, deep breath. Then, she popped the top on the first of the shakes and Kellen turned his attention back to the forest around them. Kellen made sure that they were safe as Bree got some of her spark back. It was always alarming to Kellen to witness it happen before his eyes.
Watching a Guide get their life back after a few thousand calories was pretty alarming. There was some distance when it was yourself, since Kellen never had any issue when he did it, but others?
It always made a little shiver run down his spine.
Her hollow cheeks filled up before his eyes, and Kellen had to focus on the forest.
"Is there anyone else around?" Kellen asked carefully, watching as Bree finished up her second shake. She looked grim as she tossed the empty container into the foliage.
"There are a few still around. I don’t know where they are. They left us behind to go explore. We’re looking for the core." Bree told him, opening up the lid on the last shake. Kellen was glad that was the case, and that they had followed his advice.
"I saw that the group split up a while back. Who left?" Kellen asked and watched as her jaw tightened.
"A group of fucking idiots. If they die, it’s not on us." Bree muttered. "They were taken by the poison. Had to be. The personality change was too great, and they wouldn’t listen to us." Bree seemed pretty angry about it, and Kellen felt his shoulders tense.