Chapter Twenty-One
After she was done fixing him up, Adrien got up and left Camila alone once more, taking the bag of supplies with him. She was a little regretful, she wanted to search if there was something sharp in the bag that would come in handy to her someday.
Whatever he’s busy with… should I explore around the house?
It might do her good to know the layout of the farmhouse. She wanted to go to the kitchen especially, to check if there was food for one, and water. She wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, though the bout of nausea from before hadn't come back, but she wanted to check because getting something into her stomach would mean increasing her energy for when it mattered. She was slightly okay for the moment, but she was still weak and would only continue to grow weaker like this. She also wanted to see if there was something there that she could use as a weapon.
It would be a bit risky, though. And besides, who knows how long I’ve been out for. He might have put everything away already.
Adrien was clearly prepared to be around the farmhouse for a long while, he would have thought of that much, and because it was obvious he didn’t trust her, even with the collar on.
Camila had to hurry up and gain his trust so he would relax more, and hopefully make mistakes.
For the moment, though, she didn’t dare go too far, crossing back to the couch and curling on top of it. Not because she was worried about Adrien, either. She was careful to position her eyes so she wouldn’t see, because from where she was, she had a clear view of the old woman’s body.
We can't possibly leave it there…
She felt sorry for the poor old woman, but if they didn’t move the body, it would start to really smell and decompose. Besides, it would only be fair to give her a proper burial, but Camila didn’t know anything about her. If she had family or people that knew her and cared about her, people that would miss her and wonder what happened. She didn’t know how Adrien even knew to come to this farm in particular. It hadn’t seemed as if he’d planned it beforehand.
Her blood curdled at the thought of seeing Tansy’s body lying on the floor, though. She was hoping Adrien would deal with it himself, but she was starting to think that he might not. He couldn’t possibly have forgotten it, right? He was moving around so freely, so he must have at least seen it in his peripheral vision.
Or… maybe he was bothered by what he’d done, and that was why he was ignoring it?
Not long after he’d disappeared, Adrien came back. He had a black t-shirt pulled on that was loose on him. In one of his hands, he held a bottle of what she thought was whiskey from the color of it. Half the bottle was already gone, and as he walked, she watched him raise the bottle and take another gulp.
“Do you want any?” he offered, waving the bottle her way.
Camila shook her head. She’d never been all that great with alcohol to begin with, especially not hard liquors. And really, the last thing she wanted was to be drunk around Adrien. He might try to take advantage of her, and she didn’t think she could hold her tongue well that way.
“Suit yourself,” he muttered, drinking some more as he walked around the living room.
He acted right at home in someone else’s house, moving all over, and she wondered if he was looking for something.
Eventually, he came back to the living room where she was, carrying a shovel in his other hand.
“Get up,” he said, tossing the shovel on the floor in front of her.
It made a loud sound as it crashed to the floor, making her flinch and gasp. Adrien wasn’t asking though, he was demanding. He was clearly drunk and in a bad mood, and she didn’t hesitate. She’d done all sorts of things, gone hiking in a lot of different places, but she’d never tried digging with a shovel before. She wasn’t sure she could handle it, but she didn’t want to know what he would do if she refused, either.
“Go out and dig a grave for the old woman,” he said. “You’ll have to do it out back so it’s not in the way. Not that anyone will be coming by here, but…”
“Where?” she asked quietly, hands clenching hard on the stick of the shovel.
“The way out back is through there,” he said, pointing. “Go. I’m right behind you. I’d do it myself, but…” he shrugged, only to wince when it jostled his still aching wound.
Crap.
Now Camila sort of regretted hurting him before. She wasn’t weak, but she’d never been good at hard labor, and she couldn’t remember the last time she even ate. Couldn’t Adrien have at least fed her first?
She didn’t complain out loud, though, following his instruction. She tried her best, but she still caught sight of Tansy’s body in her peripheral before she quickly looked away. They passed through the kitchen, and she hesitated, thinking to look for food, but Adrien was right behind her so she didn’t dare linger. The door opened with the slightest push, and she stepped onto the back porch.
When she looked around, she realized again just how big the area really was. A bit of a distance away, there was a barn, and further out in the fields, she could see corn stalks swaying in the wind. The sun shone brightly, and if she wasn’t in such a dire situation, she would have enjoyed the view. If she’d had a camera, she would have taken a few pictures.
“Don’t go too far away,” Adrien said, making her jump, because she’d forgotten he was right behind her. “Try and make the hole as deep as possible, and it should be long and wide enough for you to fit your body in. we’re in a bit of a hurry, too, so get to it.”
Camila shivered at his words. Long and wide enough for her to fit her body in? He wasn’t making her dig her own grave, was he?
She stepped off the porch, then walked a bit away from the building. She stopped to look behind her. Adrien had sat down on the edge of the porch with his bottle of whiskey nearby. He waved a hand at her, telling her to move further out, and she did.