A/n: I'm gonna plop down a small trigger warning for those who are uncomfortable with attempted suicide.

⚠️SUICIDE ATTEMPT: DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE ABOUT THE SUBJECT OR FIND IT UNCOMFORTABLE⚠️

It's only a small portion, but it's there and just wanted to forewarn you. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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***HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD! PLEASE NOTIFY ME OF ANY ERRORS!!!***

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Prompt: Someone's been stealing supplies from Lost Lake Camp, but no one knows who it could be. Deacon sets out with your help to find who's been stealing from the camp.
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~3rd Person POV~

"Why would someone be stealing supplies?" (Y/n) questioned as she and Deacon stalked towards the cabin where the supplies was stored.

"Don't know, but we're gonna get to the bottom of this. Whoever is behind this better have a good fucking reason," Deacon said.

The cabin seemed undisturbed except for the guns, ammo, food, and blankets missing from the vacant spots on the shelves. (Y/n) examined the boarded up windows while the drifter inspected the shelves for any clues and/or trail left behind by the perp.

"Deek, over here," the woman called out as she easily removed the board that was supposedly nailed into the window to keep people from sneaking in.

Deacon meandered over and patted (Y/n) on the shoulder. "Good find. Now we know how they're getting in and out."

"That's great and all, but they still have to make it out of the camp without being seen. We already asked everyone who has guard duty, but none of them saw anything out of the ordinary these past few days."

"Let's check outside. There's gotta be a trail." Deacon left the cabin with (Y/n) close on his heels. Kneeling down beside the window, he searched the ground for any recent disturbances. "Nothing. Shit..."

"Any luck?" A voice suddenly asked the duo. Looking up, they saw Rikki approaching them.

"Found the way they've been getting in, but besides that, absolutely nothing," (Y/n) replied.

"Whoever it is knows how to hide their tracks," Deacon added.

"Well, I did manage to talk to someone who wasn't on the roster for guard duty. He said he saw someone leaving the camp on foot through the marsh with a large bag in their hands. Must be our guy, right?" Rikki glanced between the two.

"Did he see which direction the person was heading?" Deacon asked.

"Yeah. Apparently they were in a rush while heading south."

The drifter glanced in (Y/n)'s direction. "Grab your gear and meet me at my bike."

"U-Uh, yeah," she nervously responded before dashing off.

Deacon went back to his cabin, which he and Boozer were sharing, to gear up. Once he had all he needed, he headed to his motorcycle. (Y/n) was sitting on the bike patiently waiting for him to arrive. He noticed a nervous fidget in her fingers, but he ignored it. "You know anything about what's south of here?"

"A few people have reported heavy marauder activity near Berley Lake. Besides that, nothing," she responds as he mounts the bike.

"Might be an ambush camp somewhere near the lake. Better wipe it out."

"Or," (Y/n) pipes up. "We could see if they have the missing supplies and grab it without alerting an entire camp of murderers!"

Deacon peered over his shoulder, gazing at her questioningly. "You expect me to waltz into a marauder camp and peacefully grab the missing supplies without firing a single bullet?"

"Uh," (Y/n) gaze drown at the ground for a split second before reconnecting her eyes with his. "Yes?"

"You've got a few screws loose if you think that's gonna happen," he scoffed, starting the bike's engine. The woman wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight as they rode out of camp. They rode up to the highway and made their way south of the Lost Lake Camp.

While Deacon was driving, he could feel (Y/n)'s arms tightening ever so slightly as they made their way to Berley Lake. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he held his tongue as the distance shriek of a Screamer reaches their ears. "Better not bring a goddamn horde down on us."

"Speaking of Freaks..." (Y/n) spoke up. "What the hell are the big ones that look like body builders? I came across a couple when I went on a supply run last week."

"Breakers," Deacon answered. "Try to avoid them if you can. They'll rip your ass in two within seconds."

"Are you doubting my skills to take down a Breaker?" The woman inquired with an arched brow and a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Not that. It's just... forget it."

(Y/n) pursed her lips. "You've got a lot of nerves to just blow it off like that without an explanation. Is it because I'm a woman and you think we break like glass?"

"Drop it, (Y/n)," Deacon sighed.

"Fine, fine. I'll drop it... for now."

<——————————<<<<<<<<<<<<

"Not exactly well hidden, are they?" Deacon sneered as he used his binoculars to survey the ambush camp from afar.

(Y/n) felt her hands shaking and she quickly clamped them together to stop them before Deacon noticed. "I still don't think is a good idea. Look how many of them there are. The second they spot us, we'll be barraged by bullets and turned it o human pincushions."

"That's why the both of us are gonna take them out quietly, one by one." Deacon pulled the knife from his boot, waving it back and forth with a smirk.

"Deek, I don't think—"

"Just trust me."

"You've done a lot of crazy shit from the time we met a few months ago 'til now. This is a dangerous situation where we can't afford a half-assed, crazy plan," (Y/n) said, expressing her doubt.

"You've got a better idea? I'm all ears." Deacon waited for her to come up with a better idea, but all he received was silence and a scornful look. The drifter ignored her fierce gaze and focused on the marauders wandering around the camp. "Let's go."

Reluctantly, (Y/n) drew the knife strapped to her hip and followed Deacon as he snuck into the ambush camp. They avoided the snipers and used the shrubbery to their advantage as they infiltrated the encampment.

(Y/n) separates herself from Deacon to take out the marauders on the other side of the camp. The drifter continued to sneak around, taking our enemies left and right with his boot knife and his crossbow. The duo went unspotted as they took out the entire camp without alerting a single soul.

While searching the camp once all the men and women were dead, Deacon found a rotting corpse of a young boy whose arms and legs were still tied together located near the entrance to the underground bunker. By the smell and the decay, he knew the poor boy had been here for a few months. Kneeling beside the body, he saw something crumpled up in the corpse's hand. With a narrowed gaze, Deacon pried the stiff fingers from around the object and plucked it out of the dead boy's hand. He uncrumpled it and saw something written on the back.

The (L/n) siblings

Deacon flipped the object over and realized it was a picture. His eyes widened when he recognized the (h/c)-haired girl hugging the smaller boy in the picture. In his mind, he was able to piece together the entire puzzle. "Jesus..."

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was frantically searching around the camp when Deacon regrouped with her. The expression on his face wasn't anger but sorrow. The woman was confused at his expression, brows knitted together. "What's with the look?" Without muttering a single syllable, Deacon showed her the picture he found. She was utterly speechless as she recognized the photo her brother managed to snatch before their house was overrun by Freaks. She tried to control her voice as she spoke, but failed. "W-Where did you find that?"

"(Y/n), I don't—"

"Where, Deacon?" She begged.

"Over there," he nodded in the direction he discovered her brother's corpse. When she went to see for herself, he grabbed her arm the moment she walked by him. "You don't—"

She yanked her arm from his grip and rushed over to her dead brother. Deacon quickly followed, knowing she would be a complete mess after seeing his body. He stopped a few feet away, watching (Y/n) collapse to her knees beside her brother's corpse. He could see her whole body shaking and heard her sobs from where he stood.

Suddenly, (Y/n) got to her feet and turned to face Deacon. Her tear-streaked face caused a small pang to reverberate in his chest. The moment she spoke, her voice was weak and shaky. "So, I guess you figured it all out. That I've been the one stealing from the camp.

"They had your brother and you were keeping him alive by bringing what they wanted. By the looks of it, he's been dead for a few months."

"Yeah... Now I know why they wouldn't let me see him. They... They killed him someone after I was taken in by the people of Lost Lake. I did all that shit for them to keep him alive, but none of it fucking mattered..." More tears streamed down (Y/n)'s face. "He was all I had in this fucked up world. And now, he's gone. What's the damn point in living anymore?"

Deacon went to reply, but his entire body froze as he watched (Y/n) reach for the handgun attached to her thigh. She whipped the firearm out of its holster and aimed it at her head. He fought against the paralysis and sprinted towards her before she could pull the trigger.

Deacon's ears rang as a single gunshot echoed all around. He had managed to grab (Y/n)'s wrist and point the barrel of the gun to the sky right as she pulled the trigger. She fought against his strong grip, using her other hand to pry his own that was latched around her wrist. She continued to cry as she felt the strength drain from her body as she desperately tried to free herself from Deacon's grip to end her life. "Why won't you let me?"

Deacon didn't respond and used his other hand to pluck the gun out of (Y/n)'s grip. He tossed it as far as he could so she wouldn't be able to claim. Then, he took out his own handgun and threw it in he same direction. Silently, he pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly.

No strength was left in her limbs, her tears seemingly to be endless. She wanted to push him away but bask in the warmth of his embrace at the same time. Her emotions were tugging her in opposite directions, but she decided to let her mind go numb and wrap her arms around his torso. (Y/n) gripped the back of Deacon's cut, clutching the fabric in her fists as if he were her only life preserver in the deep sea of sorrow.

The drifter Combe this fingers through her (h/c) hair, hoping he could provide comfort. Even after her tears ceased, he kept his arms wrapped around her smaller frame. "What we're gonna do is find the supplies and return it to Lost Lake. We'll blame one of these bastards for the thefts, alright?"

(Y/n) nodded in agreement. "Alright."

<———————————<<<<<<<<<<<

Back at Lost Lake, Deacon and (Y/n) were restocking the shelves in the cabin with the stolen supplies. They had snagged other supplies that hadn't belonged to the camp since the marauders would not linger be needing it. All the shelves were stocked and the entire cabin was bountiful with food, guns, ammo, and other necessary supply to keep the camp running for years to come.

As the duo was admiring their successful mission, the door to the cabin flew open. Skizzo and two other men entered and set their sights on (Y/n). Deacon senses the hostility in their glares and grabs the woman by her arm, pulling her behind him. "The hell do you want, Skizzo?"

"Hey," said man placed his hands in the air, revealing the pistol he was carrying."I've got nothing against you, brother. It's her we're here for."

"Listen, frat boy, you're not touching her," Deacon growled threateningly.

"I know she's been the one stealing supplies," Skizzo retorts. "Just step aside and make this easy, Deek. I really don't wanna have to use this." He waved the gun around carelessly. The two men accompanying him circled around the drifter, but they didn't make it far as he grab each man by the arm and pushed them away. They tumbled over one another, collapsing to the floor.

"You followed us?" (Y/n) questioned, her tone of voice sharp and livid.

"New girl in the camp shows up at the exact same   time our supplies starts disappearing. Couldn't trust you with Deek 'cause of his little crush on ya. I knew he'd try to cover it up with some shitty story," Skizzo retaliates.

Deacon quickly continued to voice his hatred for the man. "How 'bout you turn your ass around and—"

"Enough!" Iron Mike yelled as he arrived. Pushing past Skizzo, he entered the cabin and eyed (Y/n). "For now, you'll be locked in your cabin until we come to a decision."

"Mike—!" Deacon tried to protest.

"She will have a fair trial!"

Everyone fell silent after the declaration. (Y/n) placed a hand on the drifter's back with a small sigh. "I'll be fine."

"I'll take (Y/n) to her cabin. You both get your asses to the lodge immediately," Iron Mike's fiery gaze bounced between the two men. "We need to discuss this without waving guns around." The last sentence was directed towards Skizzo and his lackeys.

(Y/n) walked past Deacon, feeling the man's eyes burning into her back as she left with Mike. He and Skizzo headed to the lodge, throwing insults back and forth without a care for who heard their childish bickering.

In the lodge, a few other people from around the camp had been gathered. Rikki and Addy were among the few who seemed already convinced of (Y/n)'s innocence. Deacon stood beside the couple and crossed her arms with knitted brows and a deep frown etched on his face. "Fucking Skizzo..."

"Is what he said true?" Rikki inquired.

"Depends on what all he's told you."

"That (Y/n)'s been stealing supplies to help a group of marauders take over the camp," Addy replies. "But she doesn't strike me as someone who'd help a lot like them."

"That's because—" Deacon started but was interrupted when Iron Mike returned.

"I've gathered you all here to decide what we should do with (Y/n). It has been brought to all our attention that she's been behind the thefts these past few months," the leader of the camp stated. "I would like to hear your opinions on the matter."

Deacon immediately stepped forward before anyone could speak up. "Hold on for one damn second, Mike."

"What is it, Deek?" Mike responded in annoyance.

"It's come to my attention that a certain asshole hasn't given all the details of the story. You think it's a fair trial of crucial details are missing?" The drifter question, eyeing the small crowd before him.

"Oh, c'mon! I gave you everything I heard!" Skizzo protested.

"You didn't hear the entire story, shitface," Deacon rebuttals.

Rikki stepped forward with a stoic expression. "I'm not convinced by Skizzo's story. Just tell me (Y/n) didn't do it so they could ambush Lost Lake."

Deacon pulled out the picture of (Y/n) and her brother. "She was stealing supplies to protect her brother. Marauders captured him a few months ago and (Y/n) made a deal with them to keep him alive. We went up to their camp and found out he'd been dead for a while. She didn't know until today that he was dead."

"What if she's lying?" A woman asked angrily.

"Yeah, Deek. What if she is lying?" Skizzo reiterated the question. "She could've planted that picture herself on any dead body and claim they were her brother."

"Fuck you, Skizzo," the drifter snarled. "You didn't see how broken she was after finding his body. She tried to kill herself!"

Everyone fell silent, all except for Skizzo. "You should've let her," he sneered.

Action speaks louder than words. A fist connected with Skizzo's jaw, sending him to the floor with a heavy 'thud.' He groaned while Deacon grabbed the front of his jersey and hoisted him back onto his feet. Blood trickled down the side of his mouth as he moaned painfully. "I should knock every goddamn tooth out of your skull."

"Deacon, enough!" Mike yelled, inserting himself between the two men and forcing the drifter to release Skizzo. The leader of the encampment met his gaze, wanting to verify the information with him once more. "All of what you said is the truth?"

"Jesus, Mike," Deacon leered. "Why would I make shit like this up?! Would you try to shoot yourself over a corpse that's meaningless?"

Addy was the next to speak up. "(Y/n) doesn't deserve punishment. She did it to protect her own family. Not to mention, she and Deacon retrieved everything that was stolen and even brought back extra."

"I'm with Addy on this one," Rikki said.

"What about everyone else?" Mike asked, glancing around the room.

The majority were against punishing (Y/n) and the decision was decided. She wouldn't be punished for stealing supplies. Iron Mike adjourned the meeting and gave Deacon the key to her cabin. He left the lodge without sparing the old man a second glance.

Shoving the key into the lock, Deacon unlocked the door and pushed it open. By the bed, he saw (Y/n) with her head buried in her knees as she hugged them against her chest. He closed the door and sat beside her, reclining against the bed.

(Y/n) raised her head slightly, revealing her (e/c) eyes. "So, what's my punishment? Exile? Death?"

"None of that shit. You're not getting punished. That frat boy left out a few important details. You're free to go." Deacon glanced at her, resting his arms against his knees.

"All thanks to you, I bet?" She smiled warmly, raising her head off her knees completely.

"Maybe just a little bit."

His cheeky response caused her smile to blossom further. "Guess I owe you."

"You owe me nothing. All I did was tell them the truth," Deacon said. He took her hand in his, threading their fingers together.

"So," (Y/n) began, remembering what Skizzo said earlier. "You've got a crush on me?"

Deacon threw his head back with a heavy sigh. "Fucking Skizzo..."