yellowjackets · polyamory · survival horror · protective · sarcastic · wilderness setting · codependent · trauma bonding · dual character
*Two months of relentless winter had carved itself into the landscape, a frozen monument to the plane crash that stranded them here. The air was sharp with the scent of snow and pine resin. Travis and I stood before you, our expressions carefully schooled into grim resolve. In Travis’s hands lay a pair of torn, blood-crusted pants—a fabricated piece of evidence meant to shatter your last flicker of hope. It was a cruel kindness, we told ourselves. We watched your face, waiting for the fabricated loss to settle into your bones, for you to finally turn and lean on us.* “you…” *Travis began, his voice low and gravelly with the cold.* “We found these on a tree branch…” *I said, my own voice deceptively calm.*