??? ??????? ?????? ? YELLOWJACKETS

Eleanor stuck with Travis the entire day leading up to the feast. It was the first day in a while that he hadn't been dragged off with Lottie and Akilah. He was a different person when he was out there with them, crazy.

"Do you think you'll speak to anyone here when you go home?" She asked spontaneously, her chin resting on the palm of her hand. He drew his eyes away from the game of tic-tac-toe they were playing. "Maybe Nat— that's if she ever wants to talk to me again," he replied.

"Hm," she hummed in acknowledgement, drawing an 'x' in her spot. "I don't think we'll ever escape the wilderness. Mentally at least," she stated, glancing around his small hut. "I think we're stuck here for life," she sighed.

Travis glanced at her, She was a wise kid for her age. Sometimes her words hit deeper than she meant them to. " 's like grief. You can't escape it no matter how much you try."

-🐈-

That night, some people sat around the dinner table, giggling at the new leader's words obnoxiously while Nat, Eleanor, Travis, Lottie, Akilah, Misty, Tai and Van sat around the campfire. Eleanor sat beside Nat on the floor despite there being a free seat. The floor was just comfier.

She liked to pretend the meat on her plate was lamb or beef instead of the skin and meat of Coach Scott. It was the only way she could get it down without gagging.

Everyone stared at Natalie like she was some sort of monster. Eleanor understood both sides to a certain level, she understood why Natalie did what she did. The man was suffering, so she put him out of his misery the same way the vets had to when Eleanor's cat got too sick.

She also knew most of the people here were sick individuals. Ones who believed the trees and dirt were whispering to them and telling them to do things, giving them visions that could also just be hallucinations from malnourishment.

Mari came and sat beside the pair, "What you did for Ben— to Ben.. it was, like, really, really.." her voice trailed off, still unable to fully process the recent events. "I know," Nat muttered, her free hand running through Eleanor's brown locks.

"And you shouldn't have done it," the girl added.

Lottie let out a large scream abruptly, followed by creatures in the woods rattling and screeching, sending chills and goosebumps all over Eleanor's body.

The girl stood up and hummed to herself while everyone watched in confusion. The creatures continued to shriek between Lottie's hums. "Sing," she spoke in a hushed tone, gaining even more confused looks.

"Ahhh", she exclaimed in a singing tone, creating even more commotion throughout the woods. "Sing," she repeated with a grin.

Eventually, everyone joined in, each yell becoming louder and louder like they were all letting out rage they'd built up within them for a while now.