Melanie & Ruth, Rated T
“This, this makes it all worth it,” Ruth snapped sarcastically.
“For fuck’s sake,” Melanie snapped back, “It’s not Layton’s fault.”
The other woman snorted in disbelief, “His rebellion led to this anarchy. We had order, when you were in charge-and when Wilford was.”
“Listen to me,” Melanie got up from where she’d been fixing something in the trashed hospitality office to stand in front of Ruth, “The only person besides me on this train who has the ability to lead and is driven by keeping us all alive is Layton. Most people have one or the other.”
Ruth rolled her eyes, “Just fix this.”
Melanie deflated a little as she realized that the other woman was shaken, and nodded reassuringly, “I will, okay? If you want to go somewhere else, the engine is safe. I trust you.”
Ruth nodded shortly, “I think I will then.”
Melanie smiled tightly, “This won’t last forever.”
“I sure hope not,” the other woman muttered, exhaling shakily.
Ruth left, and Melanie went back to the task at hand. It turned out that even though Ruth had done the right thing in the end, that wasn’t quite enough for some people-and those people had decided to send a message to her. Melanie knew the feeling well, and it was why she’d volunteered for the job.
She just hoped that she never had to do it again.