heavenward | n.scatorccio

Natalie glanced at the door again, her eyes darting back to Julianna and Javi. "We need to get out of here before they come back. There's no way I'm sticking around to find out what 'processing' means."

Julianna looked at her warily, her wrists sore and raw against the ropes. "How? We're tied to a pole in the middle of a room, Natalie."

Natalie gritted her teeth, shifting against her bonds, and shot a glance down at her feet. "Not entirely." She lifted her leg slightly, gesturing with a faint smirk toward her shoe. "I've got my pocket knife hidden in there."

Julianna blinked. "You... had a knife this whole time?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "It's not exactly easy to use when your hands are tied above your head. But maybe I can—hold on." She tilted her foot awkwardly, stretching and contorting until her shoe loosened. With a small huff of effort, the blade clattered to the floor.

Javi's eyes widened. "You really hid that in your shoe?"

"Yeah," Natalie muttered, leaning forward and tilting her head. "If you've got better ideas for a way out, I'm all ears."

"Okay, great," Julianna said softly, her voice still shaking but tinged with determination. "Now what?"

Natalie didn't answer. Instead, she pressed her other foot against the knife, nudging it closer until she could reach it with her teeth. With effort, she carefully grabbed the hilt between her teeth, wincing at the awkward angle. "Gotta—cut my legs loose," she mumbled around the blade.

"Careful," Julianna whispered, her eyes darting between Natalie and the door. The soldiers could return at any moment, and the last thing they needed was for Natalie to drop the knife, or worse, hurt herself in the process.

Natalie slowly leaned down, using her teeth to maneuver the knife. It took effort and precision, but after a few tense minutes, the thin rope binding her ankles finally snapped. Her feet fell free, and she let out a soft breath of relief. She sat up straight again, the knife still clenched in her teeth.

"Okay," she mumbled, looking at Julianna. "Now you."

"Me?" Julianna blinked, the word catching in her throat.

"You're closer. I can't reach my hands, but you can bring your hands down and can cut yourself loose first." Natalie shifted closer, tilting her head to hold the blade toward her.

Julianna's breath caught in her throat as Natalie's words hit her. You're closer.

The air between them thickened, like an invisible force pulling them into a tense orbit. There was something about the way Natalie spoke, so calm and direct, that made her pulse quicken. She was so close—too close.

Julianna's mind scrambled to focus on the task at hand, but it was hard to ignore the way her body seemed to hum at the proximity, at the brush of air between them, the heat radiating off Natalie.
As Natalie shifted slightly, leaning in with the blade clenched between her teeth, the space between them felt smaller.

Natalie's words were clipped, but there was an underlying urgency that Julianna couldn't ignore. She glanced down at the knife, still held with such ease in Natalie's mouth, and swallowed.

Her heart pounded louder now, drowning out everything else, even the sharpness of her breath. The room felt warmer, suffocatingly so, and she was acutely aware of every sensation—the flicker of heat from Natalie's skin, the tension in the air, the thudding of her pulse.

Julianna hesitated. She couldn't help it.
Her gaze flicked from the knife to Natalie's face, where a flicker of impatience shone in her eyes.

"I—uh..." Julianna unintentionally stammered.

Her words barely came out, caught in her throat as her mind tried to process the surreal closeness. She could feel the brush of Natalie's breath against her lips, could see the slight curve of her mouth, the determined set of her jaw. It all felt like something electric, something she shouldn't be feeling in the middle of this madness.

"Julianna, we don't have time for this," Natalie said sharply, her voice low and tense, the blade wobbling slightly when she spoke. It only made Julianna more acutely aware of the fact that time was slipping away. She couldn't afford to be distracted, but with Natalie so close, everything seemed to slow down.

"Right. Sorry, Julianna whispered, her voice almost drowned by the pounding of her heart. She leaned forward, instinctively tilting her head to get closer to the blade. As she did, she could feel the heat radiating from Natalie, like a magnetic pull drawing her in. She hesitated for the briefest of moments, then leaned in, her lips just an inch from Natalie's. The knife was cold against her teeth as she carefully closed them around the handle.

In that instant, their noses brushed. The world seemed to hold its breath, and Julianna mentally froze, her skin tingling where the warmth of Natalie's body pressed against hers. Time hung suspended as she became acutely aware of every small shift in the air around them and the thrum of Natalie's pulse that felt just as real as her own.

For a fraction of a second, she swore she saw something in Natalie's eyes, something softer, something unspoken, flickering behind the sharp edges. But before she could fully grasp it, Natalie's eyes darted away, and the moment slipped through her fingers.

Julianna pulled the knife from Natalie's teeth, her hands trembling slightly as she straightened back, her heart still racing in her chest. She hadn't expected the way her body seemed to react so violently to the smallest of touches.

"Got it," she whispered, her voice barely audible, not trusting herself to say more.

Natalie cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably, her eyes avoiding Julianna's.

"Good. Now, cut your legs free."  Her tone was back to its usual resoluteness, as if the moment had never happened, but Julianna could still feel the heat of it, lingering like a forgotten kiss on the edge of her skin.

Julianna nodded, forcing herself to focus as she bent down, gripping the knife between her teeth and awkwardly sawing at the rope binding her ankles. It wasn't easy, the angle was awkward, and her heart was still racing for reasons she didn't fully understand, but eventually, the fraying rope gave way, and her feet were free.
She sat up straight, spitting the knife into her hand as she let out a shaky breath.

She shifted the knife, gripping it tightly as she brought it up to the ropes binding her wrists above her. Now that her legs were free, she could stretch just enough to work the blade at an angle against the fibers.

The rope was old and frayed, and the knife's edge, though it was not particularly sharp, was enough to start cutting through the tension. Every stroke sent a sharp pang through her wrists as the rope resisted, digging into her already raw skin. She winced but kept at it, determined.

"Come on, come on," Julianna whispered under her breath.

"Almost there?" Natalie asked, her voice low, but her eyes darted nervously toward the door.

"Almost," Julianna replied, biting her lip in concentration. After a few more tense moments, she felt the rope give way and finally snap loose. Her arms dropped forward, and she hissed softly at the feeling of blood rushing back into her fingers.

Without wasting a second, Julianna turned to Javi. He was sitting cross-legged now, watching her with wide, nervous eyes. "Stay still," she told him softly. The boy nodded, holding his bound wrists out toward her.

Javi's wide eyes darted between the two girls, clearly sensing the odd tension but saying nothing.

Julianna glanced at Natalie briefly before turning back to Javi, her voice soft. "We're getting out of this. Just hold tight."

The knot on Javi's ropes was tighter, and it took longer to work the knife into the right position. Julianna was hyper-aware of the ticking seconds, her heart thundering as she kept glancing toward the door, waiting for the soldiers to return.

"You okay?" she asked him as she sawed at the ropes.

Javi nodded quickly, but his small voice cracked when he said, "You're sure they're not coming back?"

Julianna hesitated, her throat tightening. She wasn't sure at all. "Not yet," she said softly. "But we need to be fast, just incase."

Finally, the ropes snapped. Javi's hands and legs flew free, and he instinctively rubbed at his wrists, his expression brightening with relief. "Thanks," he whispered.

Julianna moved over to Natalie without hesitation, crouching and gripping the knife tightly. She reached up, angling the blade at Natalie's wrists. "I'll try not to nick you," she murmured, her brow furrowed in focus.

Natalie smirked faintly despite their circumstances. "I'll be fine."

Julianna let out a soft exhale through her nose but didn't reply. She worked quickly, slicing through the rope with the same determination she had before. The tautness in the room was palpable; Javi stayed huddled close, his wide eyes flickering between the door and Julianna's hands.

Finally, with a snap, Natalie's rope fell away. Her hands dropped forward, and she immediately flexed her fingers to get the feeling back. "Nice," Natalie said, rubbing at her wrists.

"Okay," Julianna breathed, sitting back on her heels and looking between the two of them. "We're free."

Natalie crouched slightly, reaching for the knife and taking it from Julianna's hands. "Good. Now, we need to figure out how to get out of here before those bastards come back."

Julianna nodded, but her chest felt tight. As much as she wanted to feel relief at finally being untied, she couldn't shake the image of the soldiers' faces, their threats still pressing against her. She cast a glance at Javi, who was sitting as still as he could, but she could see the way his shoulders shook slightly.

Natalie glanced at them both, her expression softening for a moment before she stood and crept toward the door to listen. "We'll figure it out, but we've gotta move fast. They're not gonna leave us alone for long."

Julianna sat there for a moment longer, looking at Javi. She reached out and gave his hand a small squeeze. "We're gonna get out of here, okay? Just stay close to me."

He nodded again, this time more firmly, and Julianna felt a flicker of determination swell in her chest.

She looked over at Natalie, who was already strategizing their next move, knife in hand.

They heard footsteps down the hall, sharp and quick, and without a moment's hesitation, they scrambled back into position by the pole. Their hearts hammered in their chests as they quickly wrapped the broken rope around their wrists again, doing their best to make it look like they hadn't moved at all. The faint sound of approaching footsteps sent a rush of adrenaline through their veins, every muscle on high alert.

The door creaked open, and Julianna froze, the touchy soldier strolled in, shutting the door behind him with an ominous clunk. His smirk was back, the same one that had set her on edge before. He didn't seem to notice the frayed ropes around their wrists as he moved closer, his hands resting casually on his belt.

"Well, look at you three," he sneered, his voice low and taunting. "Nice and quiet now, huh?"

She could feel Natalie tense beside her, and though Javi kept his head down, his hands were jittering slightly in his lap.

The soldier stepped closer, looming over Julianna, his gaze flicking between them. "You know," he began, "I've been thinking. Maybe I didn't make myself clear earlier. See, when we ask questions, we expect answers."

He leaned down, too close for comfort, his hand brushing against her arm as he grinned. "And if we don't get 'em—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Julianna acted. Her body moved on instinct, fueled by the simmering anger and fear that had been bubbling inside her since they'd first been captured. She swung her legs out, hooking her foot around his ankle and yanking as hard as she could.

The soldier let out a startled yelp as he lost his balance and crashed to the floor. His head smacked against the concrete, and he groaned, a thin trickle of blood running from his nose.

Natalie's head snapped toward Julianna, her eyes wide with surprise, a flicker of something close to admiration flashing in them. Even Javi, who had been tense and on edge this whole time, couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp, his breath catching at the unexpected move.

The soldier sat up slowly, his face twisted in a mixture of pain and rage. He wiped at his nose with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his cheek. "You little—"

He scrambled to his feet, his fists clenched, and for a terrifying moment, Julianna thought he was going to hit her. She pressed herself back against the pole, her chest heaving, her mind racing.

But then, he stopped. His eyes darted to her wrist, where her sleeve had slipped down slightly during the scuffle, revealing the faint, circular scar of a not bandaged bite.

His expression shifted instantly. The anger drained from his face, replaced by something else, something very close to fear. He staggered back, his hand going to the gun at his hip, though he didn't draw it.

"You—" His voice cracked, and he pointed a shaking finger at her. "You're infected."

Julianna's breath caught in her throat. She instinctively pulled her sleeve down, covering the mark, but it was too late. The soldier's reaction was instant and visceral, his face pale as he stumbled toward the door.

"Holy shit," he muttered under his breath, his panic growing. "There's an infected in the building!"

He turned and bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind him and shouting for backup as his voice faded down the hall.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Natalie was the first to speak, her voice low and steady despite the tension in the air. "What the hell was that?"

Julianna didn't respond right away. She stared at the closed door, her mind racing. Her sleeve was still pulled down tightly over her wrist, her hand trembling slightly.

Javi's voice was small, almost a whisper. "Julianna... are you okay?"

She turned to look at him, her heart aching at the concern in his wide, innocent eyes. "I'm fine," she said quickly, though her voice wavered.

Natalie's sharp gaze was fixed on her, a thousand questions swirling behind her eyes. But she didn't ask any of them, not yet. She glanced at the door, then back at Julianna. "We don't have time for this right now. He's coming back with more of them. We need to get the hell out of here."

Julianna nodded, swallowing hard as she pushed the fear down and focused on the task at hand. Whatever questions Natalie and Javi had, whatever explanations she owed them, would have to wait.