[ more than anything, he remembers the fear. the all consuming terror that clung to the inside of his throat. it’d been overwhelming, trying to process what was going on and how, dust and dirt and silence pressing down from every direction.
it’s why he tends to try and step out when he notices new people coming through. he’s not exactly outstanding when it comes to being encouraging, or calming, or really any of that at all - but he can empathize. and for steve, maybe that can be enough. maybe, for those who don’t have the luxury of showing up to people from home knowing what was going on, he could give them something.
except this time around, there’s something off. the way they’re showing up, the violence with it, but also the way that some of these people seem to be attacking the other newcomers. there isn’t a whole lot of time to try and process what is going on, because when he notices a woman reaching down to help another, only to be thrown back, and steve is running, tightening his grip on the handle of his bat. it’s indescribable, how much just having this piece of wood with iron nails makes him feel better, but if anything, it’s a feeling of comfort. of knowing that he could actually, every now and then, fight back.
that’s what he does here, running up behind the feral woman with his grip tight, setting his feet for the half second before he brings the bat down against her back, shoving her into the ground before she’s able to complete the lunge towards the other. the shock earns a second or two of relief, which steve shifts his grip and glances over to the other girl. ]
Let’s go! [ even now, his voice feels a bit foreign and rough, and softer than it probably could be out of habit. but he jerks his head back towards the direction he came, trying to tell the other girl to start, as he keeps his eyes to the body on the ground, bat out and ready, stepping defensively around her.
again, the odd sense of familiarity - as if it was a demagorgon writhing on the ground instead of a woman - almost catches steve off-guard, but he swallows it back, stepping forward just as the woman tries to lunge for the other girl again, this time the nails driving into her shoulder with a sickening punctured noise. ]
arrival #1!!!
it’s why he tends to try and step out when he notices new people coming through. he’s not exactly outstanding when it comes to being encouraging, or calming, or really any of that at all - but he can empathize. and for steve, maybe that can be enough. maybe, for those who don’t have the luxury of showing up to people from home knowing what was going on, he could give them something.
except this time around, there’s something off. the way they’re showing up, the violence with it, but also the way that some of these people seem to be attacking the other newcomers. there isn’t a whole lot of time to try and process what is going on, because when he notices a woman reaching down to help another, only to be thrown back, and steve is running, tightening his grip on the handle of his bat. it’s indescribable, how much just having this piece of wood with iron nails makes him feel better, but if anything, it’s a feeling of comfort. of knowing that he could actually, every now and then, fight back.
that’s what he does here, running up behind the feral woman with his grip tight, setting his feet for the half second before he brings the bat down against her back, shoving her into the ground before she’s able to complete the lunge towards the other. the shock earns a second or two of relief, which steve shifts his grip and glances over to the other girl. ]
Let’s go! [ even now, his voice feels a bit foreign and rough, and softer than it probably could be out of habit. but he jerks his head back towards the direction he came, trying to tell the other girl to start, as he keeps his eyes to the body on the ground, bat out and ready, stepping defensively around her.
again, the odd sense of familiarity - as if it was a demagorgon writhing on the ground instead of a woman - almost catches steve off-guard, but he swallows it back, stepping forward just as the woman tries to lunge for the other girl again, this time the nails driving into her shoulder with a sickening punctured noise. ]