Limbo's Dogs

Norah was quickly starting to regret not thinking her words through as Austen worked himself up into a panic attack. She had figured maybe he’d already known about his eyes, the change was hard to miss when you looked directly at the man. She tried to grab and pull at his shirt trying to direct his attention away from his own fright, “Calm down, calm down. Panicking isn’t about to change things!”

The young soldier appeared more like a scared puppy dog than someone that had fought giant beasts and lived to tell about it.  Many times she found it endearing, but now she was finding it hard to deal with.  She tried to rest a hand on his shoulder, doing her best to be a comforting presence while stuck behind bars, “Yeah yeah, maybe that will help. Can’t be a bad thing right? Maybe uh, it thinks you’re starving or something?”  She was grasping at straws to relax the stressed man, however her own voice was starting to reflect her anxiety. 

“I know. You’re a good little soldier boy, calm down, take a breath.  You could always say the eye thing is just contacts. Maybe you need a normal checkup anyway, what if your uh, blood sugar or something is low.  Maybe that’s gettin’ the little bugger upset.”  Her dark eyes stayed steady on him as she tried to rub her fingers into what she could reach of his shoulder.

“Maybe the damn thing’s just getting worked up more because of, you know, you making a big deal out of it.”  She paused, standing up and making her way over to her bunk. She grabbed at her pillow, thin and made of cheap material and squished it towards the bars, “Rest your head on this, it should fit through the bars.”

It was an enigma how this boy was able to swallow his fear or at least hide it enough that he could function on a mission as compared to the normal day-to-day routine. Chances were good he just bottled everything up until he got home then had his anxiety attack in the safety of his own apartment. When Norah yanked his shirt, the young man forced himself to look directly at her. He let what she said soak in as he gave a few bobs of his head. “Ruh-right. Right…duh-don’t panic…don’t…”

Not often did someone ever see the prisoner comforting the guard, but there was always a first time for everything. Austen was trying his best to keep up with his meditative breathing as he rested his head against the bars, askewing his glasses in the process. While he didn’t know for certain what exactly was going on with his body, Norah’s guesses seemed accurate. Loathe as he was to admit it, he was eating for two now. “Muh-maybe…I…I thought I’d ate enough..Guh-guess not.”

As Norah said to breathe, he followed her words, closing his eyes as he tried to ease his anxiety. Panicking would only make this situation worse. He’d read a while back, before he’d gotten infected, about the Las Plagas outbreaks in both Spain and Africa and how it seemed to sense its hosts’ mood. Panic was the last thing he needed to be doing. “Contacts? I..I dunno.” Another long, deep breath in through the mouth then out the nostrils. “It could buh-be that. I just..just need something..something to eat. Yea, you’ve gotta..gotta be ruh-right.”

He was a kid playing adult and trying his best to make the world better. It most likely wouldn’t happen, but it lifted her spirits to see someone trying.  She started to smile when he listened to her, calming him breathing and trying to relax.  She gave him gentle words of encouragement, quietly saying “Good. That’s good.”

She nodded at his agreement, “You just gotta take care of yourself.”  She played with part of his ponytail that had slipped through the bars, making braiding motions with it as they talked, “Yeah, you could go to the doctor and just say it’s contacts from uh, some convention or something. Or at least see a doc here.”  When she moved away to offer the pillow and he refused, she shrugged, “Fine.”  

After years of being in and out of jail, teasing and mocking was something Norah could ignore, but she’d never grown to like it.  For anyone other than Austen, she barely spoke. The other soldiers didn’t exactly want to have a real conversation with her to begin with, they just wanted to see what would rile her up.

She huffed air out through her nose, this job didn’t really seem to suit the young man. He was kind hearted and not the brightest. It was lucky something worse hadn’t happened to him since gaining his ‘little friend.’ “Yeah yeah I get that. But it’s worth a try.”  She rose an eyebrow at his question, “Well, are your pupils normally slits?” 

Norah adjusted her posture, trying to find a comfortable position to sit.  Her stomach twisted when she saw him seemingly getting more upset as time went by.  She tried to reach through the bars and give him a gentle pat with a gloved hand, “Have you uh, thought about eating a fruit. Or something healthy? Maybe that thing in your chest thinks you’re gettin’ poisoned.”  She tried to keep her tone light, but it made her sound unsure of what she was saying.

“Yeah I can’t imagine why people might not want to join this little group you got. You gave it such a great review of you either do fine on a mission or get murdered.”  There was a moment of pause before she finally said, “…Why don’t you get yourself an actual meal and rest while you’re playing guard. I don’t think anyone will mind, you know I can’t go doin’ anything anyways.”

While Austen felt he was “one of the guys”, he never really shared their sense of humor or the machismo that seemed to run rampant in this particular BSAA base. Since most of the people he was with were young like him, they had a sense of immaturity about them. He was sure at the BSAA HQ that sort of attitude wouldn’t fly for a second, especially if Redfield was still around. Of course, he’d been retired for quite some years now and no one had yet to fill those shoes. 

Austen’s brow fretted as he kept his gaze on Norah. She truly seemed worried about him and whenever she was worried about something, he tried to pay extra close attention. When she asked a question, he countered with a panicked one of his own, “My eyes are what?! No, no..they cuh-can’t be..I mean..they shouldn’t be..” He sat back up straight as an arrow, already knowing there wouldn’t be a mirror around to see this unexpected change. He’d never seen his eyes like that and wasn’t sure if it had been happening since infection or if it was a new and unwelcome development. 

The young man, whose heart already raced as fast as a rodent’s, was working himself into a panic. He had been a mild hypochondriac growing up, but considering the stories his stepfather and mother had told him, it was no surprise. How he hadn’t died of absolute panic after getting infected with the parasite was anybody’s guess. “I duh-don’t think..a-an apple a duh-day is going to…to help me now,” he told her weakly. “Muh-maybe…maybe you are onto..to something. Luh-less carbs and muh-more natural stuff?” 

The young soldier appeared more like a scared puppy dog than someone that had fought giant beasts and lived to tell about it.  Many times she found it endearing, but now she was finding it hard to deal with.  She tried to rest a hand on his shoulder, doing her best to be a comforting presence while stuck behind bars, “Yeah yeah, maybe that will help. Can’t be a bad thing right? Maybe uh, it thinks you’re starving or something?”  She was grasping at straws to relax the stressed man, however her own voice was starting to reflect her anxiety. 

“I know. You’re a good little soldier boy, calm down, take a breath.  You could always say the eye thing is just contacts. Maybe you need a normal checkup anyway, what if your uh, blood sugar or something is low.  Maybe that’s gettin’ the little bugger upset.”  Her dark eyes stayed steady on him as she tried to rub her fingers into what she could reach of his shoulder.

There wasn’t much space to Norah’s cell and even less to do. She looked forward to Austen’s visits, he was the only soldier that treated her like a person. Even though the BSAA was essentially stuck with her, most tried to ignore her as best they could, except for Austen. Now he looked like he was coming down with something serious and he was doing an awful job at pretending to be fine.

“I don’t know!  But come on, there’s been plenty of attacks, you’re sure there’s no normal doctors that could look into this and keep quiet?”  His final question had her walk to as close as she could to him and sit down near him, propping herself against the cell, “You don’t look good. Have you checked your eyes lately?” Of course he didn’t look ready to turn into a full blown B.O.W. but he also didn’t look healthy.

“Maybe it’s the missions, have you been like, on a good diet?”  She paused, looking up an shifting her position, her brow furrowing, “…Have you thought about requesting some time off.”  For selfish reasons, she didn’t want the young man to leave her for an extended period of time, however she didn’t want him keeling over just to avoid going stir crazy. Out of everyone in the BSAA, he was the only one she didn’t want something bad to happen to.

While Austen considered himself a person that knew the difference between good and bad and that there were some truly awful people in the world, he didn’t view Norah as such, even if she was thief. True, she didn’t uphold the beacon of moral righteousness like he did, but she didn’t deserve to be ignored or even made fun of by his colleagues. Then again, everyone was fair game where teasing was concerned. Austen seemed to get the most of it being the “rookie.”

The young man was quiet as he listened to Norah, anxiously rubbing his hands together as she spoke. “I-I duh-don’t…know. In muh-most..uh..most missions, there’s nuh-not really people in muh-my situation.You either return home alive or..or in a casket,” he said, diverting his gaze to the floor for a moment until Norah mentioned his eyes, soon getting his attention back on her. “What’s..what’s wrong with them? They luh-looked fine b-before I left for work this..this muh-morning.”

Austen put his head in his hands. Maybe it was all the worrying he did that was making everything worse for him. He seemed to have the perpetual deer-in-the-headlights look to him and with how Norah was going on, he was probably the aftermath of said deer after getting hit by a car going eighty miles per hour. “Muh-maybe,” Austen said slowly, “I’ve..uh…I’ve been having a..a few MREs. Those..uh..those will..stop you up, i-if you get my drift.” He looked at Norah like she was crazy when she mentioned time off. “We’re spread then enough as it is. I..I’d luh-like to..buh-but I..I can’t. The BSAA isn’t exactly guh-getting a lot of members these days…”

She huffed air out through her nose, this job didn’t really seem to suit the young man. He was kind hearted and not the brightest. It was lucky something worse hadn’t happened to him since gaining his ‘little friend.’ “Yeah yeah I get that. But it’s worth a try.”  She rose an eyebrow at his question, “Well, are your pupils normally slits?” 

Norah adjusted her posture, trying to find a comfortable position to sit.  Her stomach twisted when she saw him seemingly getting more upset as time went by.  She tried to reach through the bars and give him a gentle pat with a gloved hand, “Have you uh, thought about eating a fruit. Or something healthy? Maybe that thing in your chest thinks you’re gettin’ poisoned.”  She tried to keep her tone light, but it made her sound unsure of what she was saying.

Unlike many of Austen’s friends, the boy was neither intimidating nor all too bright.  Sure he understood the military jargon that had Norah blanking, but other than that, he seemed to wander into bad situations without knowing it and shaking hands with danger.

Norah pinched the bridge of her nose, slowly starting to become frustrated with the young man. It wasn’t often she worried for someone else, even when she was among other criminals, you fended for yourself.  With Austen though, he was like a puppy that seemed unaware that mothballs weren’t food. She felt bad for him, she couldn’t help but worry herself sick.

His quick answer had her dark eyes shooting daggers his way, “That is. The worst comparison you could have made!  If you have diabetes you go to the doctor and sometimes a limb falls off if you don’t!  You’re telling me you’ve told no one with medical experience about this? What if you get another disease, or your blood starts thinning? You look like damn shit right now!”

Of course there was no way to force Austen to do anything, not with the situation Norah was in. She could only pace and yell at him, but she had no standing with anyone else. Hell, even Austen barely seemed to care for her.

Austen was a special kind of individual that if he didn’t have bad luck he’d have no luck at all. His luck was like a boomerang; it’d leave him at the most inopportune time and he’d catch it just before things went to hell. It truly was a kind of enigma that needed to be studied by scientists with how he’d managed to be the unluckiest individual in the BSAA yet was able to survive situations that even the most seasoned veterans couldn’t make it through.

 He was perceptive to Norah’s frustration and his worry only seemed to accumulate. He watched as the woman paced her cell as he slowly slid down next to it, not feeling much in the mood to stand. He’d been on his feet enough that day and it was his time to play guard anyways. There wasn’t much in the way of criminals to guard at this particular base. Occasionally they’d have a few lower level bio-terrorist criminals interred here until they were shipped off to a more secure location. Norah was the only long term resident they had for the time being. 

“It was the buh-best thing I could think up in a muh-moment’s notice!” he shot back, “Just /who/ do you think could..could help with this? There’s nuh-no specialists for this luh-last I checked.” The boy had a look of momentary fright as he asked in a much smaller voice, “Do I really luh-look that bad?”

“I don’t know!  But come on, there’s been plenty of attacks, you’re sure there’s no normal doctors that could look into this and keep quiet?”  His final question had her walk to as close as she could to him and sit down near him, propping herself against the cell, “You don’t look good. Have you checked your eyes lately?” Of course he didn’t look ready to turn into a full blown B.O.W. but he also didn’t look healthy.

Norah hadn’t known Austen for too long, but she’d found she needed him and for the most part, he was harmless. However what he was wasn’t something she could overlook anymore, not when he was looking like death from it. “Not a big deal? Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

Though other BSAA members seemed dead set on ignoring Austen’s more peculiar features, Norah wasn’t the best at being tactful about it. He was the only person she could confide in and trust, and she wasn’t about to lose him over something silly.

“Have you told a doctor about any of this?”

His brow continued to fret, the young man’s eyes reflecting just how nervous he was. If anyone could make assumptions on Austen based on looks alone, “soldier” wouldn’t be one of them. Sure, he’d gained muscle since joining the BSAA but he looked like he was more suited to sitting behind a computer with a controller in hand as opposed to out in the field with a semi-automatic in his hands. 

“It’s..I muh-mean..I’m fine,” Austen told her. “Really.” 

While it was true he had some peculiar features, the young man from South Carolina felt he was pretty good at hiding them. Maybe his teammates knew it from day one but didn’t give a shit whether or not he was infected. The superiors that found him was sure to have briefed them after he’d returned from recovery. After all, it was hard to ignore the way his eyes glowed like an animal’s in the darkness. 

Norah pinched the bridge of her nose, slowly starting to become frustrated with the young man. It wasn’t often she worried for someone else, even when she was among other criminals, you fended for yourself.  With Austen though, he was like a puppy that seemed unaware that mothballs weren’t food. She felt bad for him, she couldn’t help but worry herself sick.

His quick answer had her dark eyes shooting daggers his way, “That is. The worst comparison you could have made!  If you have diabetes you go to the doctor and sometimes a limb falls off if you don’t!  You’re telling me you’ve told no one with medical experience about this? What if you get another disease, or your blood starts thinning? You look like damn shit right now!”

@streethound

“Nuh-not for very long,” he said, rubbing his hands together. They were clammy and wet with perspiration. He never really liked talking about his condition, even with someone he was familiar with. Only a few people were aware of it and it was a secret that if the majority of his team knew, he could be in the very same position as his friend.

Though other BSAA members seemed dead set on ignoring Austen’s more peculiar features, Norah wasn’t the best at being tactful about it. He was the only person she could confide in and trust, and she wasn’t about to lose him over something silly.

Though Gem was at this point, quite aware of both Ricardo’s intense work schedule and his stubbornness, this didn’t seem to be stopping her this time.  The man was sputtering blood like a leaking fountain and was shaking around like a nervous mouse.  The site worried and upset her.  How long could he do this to himself before the parasite finally had enough and started up a mutation?

She kept her hand firm on his arm and grabbed for the drink, pulling out out of his hand, “At this rate your work is going to be illegible from all the damn blood everywhere!”  There was a growl to her voice, “You need rest, a nap isn’t going to make you miss the deadline, but it might stop you from falling into a coma!”

The mention of Wagner had Gem thinking about the Texan bastard.  Of course Ricardo would be doing everything to try to get ahead of him.  The two had a deep hatred for one another, and at this point Gem couldn’t stand Wagner either.  However, “Wagner sure as hell would be pleased as a peach if he found you passed out in a pool of blood, ya know! This ain’t going to help. All  you’re doing is working yourself sick. Come one.”  She started to pull him up by the arm, away from his chair like one would do with a child throwing a tantrum.

There was a driving desire to get ahead, to prove his worth for a company that only saw him as a bio-weapon. Oh, he helped pad their pockets alright and provided plenty of data on Control Plagas, but they had Wagner to prod and poke now. Ricardo wanted to show he was more than just some asset and was actually important enough in the company to be so much more important. While he was technically owned by Nautilus, there was still that driving need to prove himself. 

Bloodshot eyes leveled on Gem’s as she refused to let go of his arm. When she took the energy drink from he glowered at her. “With research this important they can ovahlook a few bloodstains!” Ricardo said before snapping at her. “Were you not listenin’?! I toldja once this is done I’ll take a nap. I don’t have time for it now. I’ll just take a suppressant, shut the bug up an’ finish this. You’re not the one with your neck on the line, Gem. I am.”

Ricardo used a sleeve to dab at a few splotches of blood on one of the sheets of paper, but with how shaky he was it seemed to only be making it worse. There was no time to take a break, not with him being so close to finishing. “I’m sure he’d pop a boner ovah that but he’s gonna keep dreamin’ because I. am. FINE!” When Gem started to pull him up from the chair was when the man finally broke. “Do you see anyone else heyah that can do this, Gem?! I have spent two goin’ on three nonstop days woith of woik into all of this research ta make sure that these products go off without a hitch! Not that bahstahd Texan, not that little baby-faced schmuck, but me! Someone that has spent well ovah a fuckin’ decade doin’ this shit an’ has nothin’ ta show for it besides hiyah ups who see me as subhuman an’ a souvenir from a prior employah that keeps remindin’ me what a goddamn fuck up I am!” 

She snapped when he mentioned her, “I know!  But you wont be saving yourself from them if your heart ends up exploding from all this! You need a break.”  Then he had completely broken down when she pulled him and she looked stunned.

People in other rooms could probably hear him shout as Ricardo went on about how much he hated all of this.  He was essentially an old toy that the company didn’t need anymore but still kept around.  He took pride in his work, in feeling human, and it felt like it was constantly on the line.  If he didn’t do well enough, didn’t impress them, then he was worse than dirt.  He was cornered in every way and could only try to make the best of it. To work with it.

Gem was silent, seemingly stunned by the outburst.  She had let him go when he started to yell.   When he calmed down, it reminded her that he wasn’t mad at her, he was mad at the situation, the company, parasite.   

There was a pause between them, silence.  Then she pulled him slowly and gently to the couch before making her way over to grab him a suppressant.  She held out the syringe for him to take and finally spoke, “Feel better?” 

Over time, Gem had come to understand Ricardo’s habits better.  He was stuck in a hellish situation where being treated with basic decency was something you needed to work for. Though he had worked hard years after becoming plagued with the parasite, it never appeared to Gem as though anyone treated him better than a worm.  

Seeing Ricardo work himself to the bone for awhile now was not something the woman enjoyed.  Days like this were why she tried to have the man pace himself, as every cough created a small splatter of blood on his desk.  

“Choked up?  Ric, you’ve been hacking all day and you look ready to pass out!”  Seeing him raise up yet another energy drink made her grab for his arm.  She’d seen him chugging the drinks all day, if there wasn’t coffee in his hand, there was another energy drink.  At this point it was making her worry deeply.

“How many of those have you had?  I know you got your uh, little friend, but you’ve been hacking all day and I… I see the blood Ric!  Something ain’t right here.  When was the last time you slept?”  Her face was laced with concern as she held his arm tight, not letting him ignore her.

In his line of work seniority meant nothing. His old “pal” Wagner was just a fledgling compared to him and that man had been getting the star treatment until he’d come down with a bug himself. Ricardo hadn’t seen the bastard leave the laboratories since. As a result even with the businessman shouldering the Texan’s work on top of his own it meant little to the corporation. They’d acquired a fresh-faced dealer straight out of college and had been slowly getting his feet wet in the bio-weapons dealing. Ricardo gave the man six months, if that.

Even with blurry vision and shaking extremities, Ricardo was still doing what he could to go over the details of a few upcoming deals. He’d be damned if there was interference or meddling and, yes, he’d eventually be sending the newbie in his stead. This excess work made him feel alive, made him feel normal, but by god was it killing him. He gave another loud cough and this time he could practically hear the blood hitting the papers on his desk. The parasite was pissed and wanted its host to take a good twenty-four hour nap. Unfortunately for it, its host was as stubborn as they come. 

“I’ve just hit the wall, Gem,” Ricardo said, “All I’ve gotta do is climb ovah it. You can’t get shit finished when you’re countin’ sheep an’ this shithole of a corporation can’t expect the newbie ta know the foist thing about handlin’ this sort of job. You need an–” He wheezed again. “–an expert!”

She kept her hand firm on his arm and grabbed for the drink, pulling out out of his hand, “At this rate your work is going to be illegible from all the damn blood everywhere!”  There was a growl to her voice, “You need rest, a nap isn’t going to make you miss the deadline, but it might stop you from falling into a coma!”

@streethound

He’d been going nonstop since the day before. Contrary to popular belief, Ricardo actually did work and despite the fact Nautilus viewed him as little more than an asset, he always found himself wanting to prove he was something more. He wasn’t some B.O.W. that’d been acquired when TriCell had went under but was a legitimately important member of the corporation. It gave Ricardo a sense of humanity, a sense of normalcy, but it was also a quick way to get the parasite in him agitated when its host didn’t take the time to rest and recuperate after a long day.

The Brooklynite had been coughing for a while now and only now did he notice the flecks of blood that were spattered across his desk. Ricardo was exhausted mentally and physically but didn’t want to admit it. Even with the research he’d done into this new project, it wouldn’t change how the company felt about him. He was just a B.O.W. to them even if he was very much one with its own free will.

Seeing Ricardo work himself to the bone for awhile now was not something the woman enjoyed.  Days like this were why she tried to have the man pace himself, as every cough created a small splatter of blood on his desk. 

“Choked up?  Ric, you’ve been hacking all day and you look ready to pass out!”  Seeing him raise up yet another energy drink made her grab for his arm.  She’d seen him chugging the drinks all day, if there wasn’t coffee in his hand, there was another energy drink.  At this point it was making her worry deeply.

It was hard to keep a steady gaze on anything, let alone Ricardo. However she did meet his eyes at one point, his red gaze meeting her bloodshot one.  There was no way of putting up a good argument with the man, not now when she could barely keep breathing.  Even if she was completely healthy, he still would most likely argue with her.  Unless she somehow showed him her work, the pressure there was, he’d never truly know her thought process.

“Don’t you see, I AM trying to save your ass!”  She spat out her words, “If you understand, t-then you know things aren’t always so simple.”  It was easy to see that the more she spoke, the weaker she was becoming, barely able to hold herself up.  She had stopped trying to open the door, now she was just sitting, trying to breath.  The swipe was more like a pitiful push at his face, all it ended up doing was dragging some blood across it.  Her eyes fluttered, glazed over as he talked.  The man’s laugh was like nails on a chalkboard to her right now.

When there was silence at her question, she finally was able to steady herself for a moment, given some time to calm down.  However, the pause wasn’t a good thing.  Her heart sank, neither of them knew if there was a trail leading right to them or not.  The quiet in the room felt like it was creating pressure, barring down on the both of them.  

“…If you did, then you need to go.” Gem shook her head weakly and let it drop along with her gaze, “I am trying to save you, Ric,”  Her voice softened, though it was full of pain as she repeated the phrase, “You can’t stay here if t-they followed us. If it has to be you or me that they find… It has to be me.”  There was a look of defeat to her as she sunk down on the ground. 

“By gettin’ yourself nearly killed in the process?!” he snapped back. Even though he still had the anger, the volition, to keep up the argument, it was obvious that Gem didn’t and his pity over her mangled form was growing. Their situation was desperate with the two of them holed up in a stifling little garage, and both of them having different viewpoints of what had just occurred. Both were stubborn and both were unbudging but there was absolutely no doubt that there was concern under the arguing for one another.

She’d set up a true worry in him, a newer one, that this little refuge, if you could even call it that, wasn’t so safe. Both of them were practically dripping from the woman’s blood and even if they didn’t leave a physical trail of the stuff, any person with a pair of eyes could have told anyone after them where they’d run off to. On a good day Ricardo stuck out like a sore thumb, let alone on an occasion like this. His familiar orange shirt was now more red in color than anything else, the same went for his cream blazer. A  person could easily pick him–or Gem–out from a crowd.

Gem felt her eyes burn with tears as Ricardo’s tone changed.  He was firm in his choice, and so was she.  She’d accepted that right now they were just going to have to hope that luck was on their side.  There was no more running to do, nowhere else to go, they just had each other. 

With one hand, Gem rubbed at her eyes and then clawed through her hair, frustrated by the situation.  Then her eyes settled back on Ricardo, steadying on his.  It all meant more to her than she could easy put words to, even if it did upset her, she was glad Irving had decided to stay.  She didn’t want him to die, or herself for that matter, but if she did then she didn’t want to go through it alone.  

Slowly the woman managed to push herself closer to Ricardo, sliding herself over to him before hugging him tightly, hiding her face in his bloodied shirt, “We...We’ll get through this.” Her voice wavered and her tense body slowly relaxed.  It was most likely hard for Irving to tell what was blood or sweat at this point, but a few tears dripped down onto him from the woman.  

If there was one common trait between the pair other than a bad taste in fashion, it was stubbornness. Even if Ricardo had good intentions at heart, trying to stop her, to Gem it sounded like mockery, like she was being treated like a child. 

“You don’t understand!” She snapped again, causing another dizzy spell to hit her.  Her hands gripped the floor as the room felt like it was spinning, “Brea-break the rules to save myself, go home, get tortured or killed for doin’ that. You have no fuckin’ clue.”

The woman gave a pitiful swipe to try to push him away when he crouched down near her, it felt like he was silently laughing at her.  Even though his intentions were far from that, she couldn’t stand to show weakness like this, and his anger was only pissing her off more.  He could see her bloodied teeth through her snarl, “Shut u-up…. I fucked this u-up, do you think I’m fucking happy?  You think I’m fucking enjoying being taunted by you?  I know what they’ll… They’ll do, but if you died or those bastards died, I’d have the same fucking thing happen when I get home… I can’t stand this.”

Ricardo was right though, she wouldn’t get far, she could barely stand for more than a few seconds, let alone run.  However, in her blurry mind, a thought hit her, a thought that sent a chill down her fractured spine.

“Did you… Did you leave a blood trail?”

He tapped his hand on his chin, watching as the woman made a valiant attempt to drag herself across the floor. Ricardo was angry at her–furious even–but seeing her in such a state so desperate to get away from him had him feeling bad. Not enough to apologize, but bad.

“Oh yea? You don’t think I undahstand? You think that I, of all fuckin’ people out there, don’t undahstand consequences?” He tilted his head to the left and rose his eyebrows at her, hoping she’d be getting a good look into his eyes which were currently showing the consequence of former actions. “I also undahstand self-preservation. So who were ya gonna fuckin’ save; me or them? One of the choices actually gives a shit about cha while the othah was doin’ their best to toin ya into Swiss cheese.” 

Ricardo didn’t react when the woman swiped at him.It wasn’t enough to get him to move and he figured that alone took some energy for her to do that; energy that it looked like the woman didn’t currently possess. When she mentioned taunting, the Brooklynite couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh. “If I wanted ta taunt ya, I would. I haven’t even begun ta taunt ya. No, what I’m doin’ is tellin’ you how fuckin’ stupid that was an’ how you right now are bettah off not makin’ a run for it.” His crimson gaze lingered over to the garage door that she was still trying to open. “I don’t think you can stand period.”

Then that question came and the businessman felt his stomach drop. Had he left a trail? Gem had been bleeding profusely and still had it all over her. For once since he’d started ranting, Ricardo was silent as he tried to recall his steps. Had he brushed up against anything? Had Gem’s blood dripped to the ground? Had it gotten on his boots? 

“Don’t you see, I AM trying to save your ass!”  She spat out her words, “If you understand, t-then you know things aren’t always so simple.”  It was easy to see that the more she spoke, the weaker she was becoming, barely able to hold herself up.  She had stopped trying to open the door, now she was just sitting, trying to breath.  The swipe was more like a pitiful push at his face, all it ended up doing was dragging some blood across it.  Her eyes fluttered, glazed over as he talked.  The man’s laugh was like nails on a chalkboard to her right now.

When there was silence at her question, she finally was able to steady herself for a moment, given some time to calm down.  However, the pause wasn’t a good thing.  Her heart sank, neither of them knew if there was a trail leading right to them or not.  The quiet in the room felt like it was creating pressure, barring down on the both of them.  

Inside the garage it felt as quiet as a tomb until Ricardo’s voice came through like scraping on glass.  It took so much energy to yell, that she barely heard Ricardo try to, once again, say this whole thing was his fault.  In reality, it was bad luck on both of them.  The BSAA members that could have been sent could have been an entirely different group, one she could have killed, that was what she hoped for.  Instead they sent members she didn’t expect at a time she was unready for. 

Then in an instant, the man’s mood changed.  Gem was too exhausted to think her words out, she just wanted him to understand. Which in turn made it much more clear that this was indeed a burden that rested on her shoulders.  The silent daze she’d been in while he had tried to comfort her was replaced by a sinking guilt and self loathing.  She couldn’t normally word out an explanation for her job when she was fully cognitive, let alone now when she was on the edge of a coma.

Her sickened bleeding state made Irving’s words cut far deeper than he probably expected they would.  This was a Reaper’s job, whether or not you enjoyed the outcome or not.  You had to do it and had to follow the rules. There were loopholes of course, but if she had killed those BSAA soldiers it would have put enormous pressure on the timeline, pressure that she may or may not have been able to fix.  Her boss couldn’t protect her from something that extreme and obvious. 

Gem felt a mounting pain in her chest as her friend yelled.  Along with the pain, came an emptiness. Did he believe she really had a choice in this matter?  The dull ache in her bones, the blood in her lungs, her missing fingers and flesh, it all felt far more obvious now, harder to ignore. 

“It… It doesn’t matter w-what I want or think. You don’t understand… I’m. I’m t-too tired to explain…”  She let out a cough and took in a labored breath,  “It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, Ric… There are rules and conci…Consequences for not following them. Se…Severe beatings, death…”  There was a sound of bones popping and liquid being pushed around on the ground as Gem tried to get herself to move, tried to stand up, “I know it’s my fault! So shut the FUCK UP and hide like I told you to!”  There was a beastly tone to her voice as it burst out, she was pained and upset and now on top of it she was angry.  

Slowly she made a staggered walk towards the garage door, blood still flowing out of her, but at a much slower pace.  Just standing had her head swimming and it took everything in her to not fall to the floor and let darkness take her, “I told you. I TOLD YOU ALREADY why I did it. So if you’re so mad, just fucking…. Fucking sit there and stay quiet while I go. All this time and you still don’t understand a damn… A damn thing.” Crouching down to slip under the door instead had her fall to her knees and lean against  the metal.  For a moment she forgot what she was even doing and it was hard for her to even remember how a garage door worked as she dragged her claws uselessly down it.

Ricardo had been so worried for Gem; for the both of them. He was about positive that this was going to be the time that they’d both die and that it had been his fault all along that had gotten them into this horrible mess. When Gem had let loose the reason that she had let those BSAA soldiers live had ran all over him. He had been so afraid–legitimately afraid–that he’d lose her and seeing the woman had put him through so much stress and panic it was a goddamn miracle that he hadn’t started mutating. Even through his anger that true fear he’d had for the woman hadn’t faded.

He was angry at her, furious that she had put his emotions through the ringer, but even then seeing her trying to move her broken and badly injured body had that twinge of pity hit him. It was like watching an animal that had gotten hit by a car try to drag itself across the road to die. Ricardo still wasn’t willing to let his frustration in the situation fade, though, despite feeling that all-too familiar twitch in his chest. 

“Rules, Gem, are made ta be broken if it’s your fuckin’ life on the line! Yea, yea, I get it, you’re ‘immortal’,” the Brooklynite said with a dismissive wave of a bloodied hand. “But you’re not lookin’ so hot now.” Then hearing her snap at him in return made him give a short, angry laugh. “What the fuck do ya think we’re doin’?! I’m not in this stiflin’ little garage in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere India because I want ta be found! We’re in here because I thought you needed some time ta recovah!”

Ricardo watched her as Gem painfully made her way to the door. Even from where he was at he could swear he heard her bones popping. Upon seeing what she was trying to do he got up to make his way back over to her. “Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’? What do ya think you’ll even do like that? Are you gonna welcome them with open fuckin’ arms–” and this was where he did the gesture himself”–an’ tell the BSAA it was one big mistake?!” He lowered his red-eyed gaze to her. “Just look at ya. You can’t even get the door open. Go back ta that pallet. You’re not doin’ shit right now. You can’t do shit right now.”

“You don’t understand!” She snapped again, causing another dizzy spell to hit her.  Her hands gripped the floor as the room felt like it was spinning, “Brea-break the rules to save myself, go home, get tortured or killed for doin’ that. You have no fuckin’ clue.”

The woman gave a pitiful swipe to try to push him away when he crouched down near her, it felt like he was silently laughing at her.  Even though his intentions were far from that, she couldn’t stand to show weakness like this, and his anger was only pissing her off more.  He could see her bloodied teeth through her snarl, “Shut u-up.... I fucked this u-up, do you think I’m fucking happy?  You think I’m fucking enjoying being taunted by you?  I know what they’ll... They’ll do, but if you died or those bastards died, I’d have the same fucking thing happen when I get home... I can’t stand this.”

Ricardo was right though, she wouldn’t get far, she could barely stand for more than a few seconds, let alone run.  However, in her blurry mind, a thought hit her, a thought that sent a chill down her fractured spine.

Time felt like it was moving on fast forward, every time Gem managed to glance around as Ricardo ran, the surroundings were a blur.  She felt dizzy and light headed, trying to stay conscious was becoming harder and harder.  The smells in the air briefly roused her, spices mixed with the scent of her own blood, and the many people milling about.

Ricardo’s words managed to get a clear thought out of her, as his answer managed to make her annoyed, “NO, no, you are important… To me, to others… You are. Don’t say that.” She didn’t believe him for a second about being in control, she could hear his heart, and the parasite in his chest clear as day.  However her strength to talk was limited and she couldn’t push herself to argue right now, instead all Ricardo heard in response was an angry growl as she gripped at him, letting him know she was still awake. 

As warm as it was around them, Gem still felt cold, still felt at the edge of sleep at every moment.  Ricardo’s running managed to jostle her enough to keep her present, but she could feel her mind slipping constantly.  It felt like time skipped once they were in the garage. All of the sudden the light was gone and things were calm. 

If Ricardo hadn’t suddenly started nearly yelling his frustrations, Gem would have finally passed out.  Instead she heard how furious he was and saw his control slipping.  Her eyes blinked and stared at him, her shoulders tensing, “Ric, it was my fault!”  She shook her head, “Stop STOP.”  It was so hard for her to concentrate on creating words and an argument. Just that moment of yelling had her head swimming. 

After a few seconds, she finally managed to speak again, “We can’t!  I know you’re pissed, I’m pissed too, but we can’t.  A-all that will do is make more problems. I didn’t kill them because I’m not allowed!  We just. We… We need to let it go. If you try fighting them you’ll make things worse.”  Her head bobbed and she hid her eyes with one hand, as if she was going through some strange hangover.

There was a few coughs from the woman and her voice seemed weaker now, “T-this mess was my fault, I didn’t… Didn’t think. Ugh. Ric. Just sit with me. Please…”  She outstretched a hand to him, wanting him to take it and sit down.  Her ring finger was missing, but at least the bleeding from it had slowed.

The air was stifling in the humid little garage and the dust was thick in the air, but at least there was a sense of safety for their little hiding place for the time being. It was a location that could easily be overlooked, as Ricardo had nearly done that if not for the door being half-open. Better yet was how untouched stuff seemed in it so they didn’t have to worry about some local yelling at them and shooing them out, risking them getting caught as they sought out another location. It wasn’t great, but it would do.

Ricardo was still pacing, his body bathed in his own sweat as well as Gem’s blood. He didn’t care that he’d gotten some of it on his cheek, how it had stained the front of his bright orange shirt, nor that he now had the woman’s blood drying in his hair. He wanted Gem safe, he wanted her to heal. The man felt sick with guilt and was absolutely livid that the people that had hurt her so grievously were still alive and intent on finishing them off. He couldn’t have that and the only thing that could be seen in his eyes was revenge. 

His attention was immediately brought to Gem as she yelled at him, claimed it was her fault. While hearing her say it was her fault and not his, brought some relief off his shoulders, he was still unwilling to believe it. “Gem, this wasn’t your fault! I was the one that fucked up here an’ you were the one ta take the bullets for me!” If it was any other person, Ricardo would have been happy for them to take the blame. If it was any other person, Ricardo would have been more than happy to leave them to die. Gem wasn’t some common bodyguard. He cared for her, loved her even, so he wasn’t going to let her think for a moment it was her fault she’d gotten hurt. “They were waitin’…I should have known bettah, encrypted my messages before sendin’ them out ta the contact.”

Then he stopped when he heard her say why she didn’t kill the BSAA soldiers and he found himself grow angry. The worry on his face started to fade to fury as he snapped at her. “The reason they’re still alive an’ aftah us is because of that bullshit that you’re not allowed ta kill them?! You don’t see them havin’ a shred of moicy for you because they sure as FUCK don’t care about whethah or not WE die!” There was a new tone in his voice, one that implied that the Brooklynite was more than human and, furthermore, he was pissed. “You would have soonah let them kill you than fuck up a future that might not even happen?! Let me tell ya somethin’, dawl, they don’t mattah. That whole buttahfly effect you hear about? It made a great movie idea but it sure as HELL doesn’t mean shit in the real woild! Humans die all the damn time–I should know–I’ve made a fuckin’ livin’ out of helpin’ that goddamn process along!”

Then in an instant, the man’s mood changed.  Gem was too exhausted to think her words out, she just wanted him to understand. Which in turn made it much more clear that this was indeed a burden that rested on her shoulders.  The silent daze she’d been in while he had tried to comfort her was replaced by a sinking guilt and self loathing.  She couldn’t normally word out an explanation for her job when she was fully cognitive, let alone now when she was on the edge of a coma.

Her sickened bleeding state made Irving’s words cut far deeper than he probably expected they would.  This was a Reaper’s job, whether or not you enjoyed the outcome or not.  You had to do it and had to follow the rules. There were loopholes of course, but if she had killed those BSAA soldiers it would have put enormous pressure on the timeline, pressure that she may or may not have been able to fix.  Her boss couldn’t protect her from something that extreme and obvious. 

Gem felt a mounting pain in her chest as her friend yelled.  Along with the pain, came an emptiness. Did he believe she really had a choice in this matter?  The dull ache in her bones, the blood in her lungs, her missing fingers and flesh, it all felt far more obvious now, harder to ignore. 

“It... It doesn’t matter w-what I want or think. You don’t understand... I’m. I’m t-too tired to explain...”  She let out a cough and took in a labored breath,  “It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, Ric... There are rules and conci...Consequences for not following them. Se...Severe beatings, death...”  There was a sound of bones popping and liquid being pushed around on the ground as Gem tried to get herself to move, tried to stand up, “I know it’s my fault! So shut the FUCK UP and hide like I told you to!”  There was a beastly tone to her voice as it burst out, she was pained and upset and now on top of it she was angry.  

The woman’s eyes twitched.  Something about how cutting Ricardo was being hit her hard.  He cared about her, enough that there’d be no arguing over leaving her.  Ricardo was going to stay with her, even if it meant his own end.  She swallowed hard, feeling a burning in her chest.  The man could see a rush of emotion pass through her, her tired features lighting up for a moment at his anger, tears at the edges of her eyes.

It was surprisingly obvious how Gem was trying to lie to both Ricardo and herself about the situation.  She wouldn’t be fine if she was left behind.  He was right, if the soldiers found her, they’d be wanting more than just a little more blood.  They’d see her as nothing but another B.O.W., it wouldn’t matter if she hadn’t actually killed anyone, she was a danger just like Ricardo.  They didn’t have to see the full picture, there’d be no questions.  Even if they did interrogate her, they wouldn’t believe a word she’d say. 

As Irving tried picking her up, Gem did her best to help push herself towards him and off the ground.  Her legs felt like jelly, almost numb from the lack of blood.  She grunted and coughed as fluid in her lungs shifted, “I. I know.”  She finally relented, agreeing with him, “But we need to go. No w-waiting around.”  His heart beat so loudly in her ears, it made her realize how weak her own pulse was.  His warmth felt good against her much colder body.  So good she could fall asleep. 

Then there was that odd noise, under it all, the bug writhing inside him.  It made Gem snap awake for a moment as Ricardo carried her, “You need to calm down. I’m… I-I ain’t gunna die as long as you got me here, but you need to stay in control.”  It was easy to forget herself, but Ricardo was something she wouldn’t just let suffer for her own mistakes.  As much as he was no doubt chastising himself, Gem had fully taken the blame for the situation herself.  If she hadn’t been so quick to jump in without a plan, this could have gone smoother.  If she had paid better attention, fought better, she wouldn’t be bleeding out.

“Stay focused,”  It was hard to tell if the woman was saying it to Ricardo or herself.  Right now they just needed to run and hide, to recover.

He didn’t need her to say it a second time as he was already making distance from where they’d been. They both knew that staying in one place for too long would only make it easier for whatever remaining units there were–and there were bound to be a few–to find them. It was a relatively large town in the hot, dusty middle of India. Ricardo’s forehead was already wet with sweat, Gem’s own blood mixing with it as it dripped off his nose. The large town was brimming with narrow alleyways, busy streets, and the heavy smell of spices. 

Already people–locals–were trying to stop Ricardo when they saw the injured woman in his hands as he burst out from one alleyway to dart down another. People unaware of what had happened were only trying to show concern, but an already paranoid man was simply shoving past them until he could find somewhere away from the hustle and bustle and the BSAA that were undoubtedly hot on their heels. 

Ricardo listened to Gem’s concern, but he shook his head. “Fuhgeddaboud me. I ain’t important. I don’t mattah,” he said, stealing a quick glance down at the woman he was desperate to protect. Then came the lie, “I’m in poifect control. Just concentrate on stayin’ awake.”

While it wasn’t any issue for the man to carry Gem, Ricardo was desperate to find a place for them to hunker down out of the oppressive heat. It was hard enough to breath with how fast his heart was hammering and the panic attack that he was on the edge of. They wouldn’t be safe until they were out of this locale, but they already stuck out like a sore thumb. Most people could pinpoint a person hauling ass with someone gravely injured in their hands. 

This was when he found the place. It was a half-opened garage, looking like the dusty stuff inside it hadn’t been touched for years. There were high, narrow windows that nearly touched the ceiling, allowing the place some of the bright sun in. Ricardo ducked into the garage and closed the door behind them. It wasn’t a perfect spot but it was good enough for now. He kicked a few cardboard boxes off of a pallet and eased Gem onto it while he paced, running his bloodied hands through his hair. 

Ricardo’s words managed to get a clear thought out of her, as his answer managed to make her annoyed, “NO, no, you are important... To me, to others... You are. Don’t say that.” She didn’t believe him for a second about being in control, she could hear his heart, and the parasite in his chest clear as day.  However her strength to talk was limited and she couldn’t push herself to argue right now, instead all Ricardo heard in response was an angry growl as she gripped at him, letting him know she was still awake. 

As warm as it was around them, Gem still felt cold, still felt at the edge of sleep at every moment.  Ricardo’s running managed to jostle her enough to keep her present, but she could feel her mind slipping constantly.  It felt like time skipped once they were in the garage. All of the sudden the light was gone and things were calm. 

If Ricardo hadn’t suddenly started nearly yelling his frustrations, Gem would have finally passed out.  Instead she heard how furious he was and saw his control slipping.  Her eyes blinked and stared at him, her shoulders tensing, “Ric, it was my fault!”  She shook her head, “Stop STOP.”  It was so hard for her to concentrate on creating words and an argument. Just that moment of yelling had her head swimming. 

After a few seconds, she finally managed to speak again, “We can’t!  I know you’re pissed, I’m pissed too, but we can’t.  A-all that will do is make more problems. I didn’t kill them because I’m not allowed!  We just. We... We need to let it go. If you try fighting them you’ll make things worse.”  Her head bobbed and she hid her eyes with one hand, as if she was going through some strange hangover.

Compared to Ricardo, Gem looked positively relaxed as her blood quickly stained the man’s jacket.  Without pain to keep you awake and cognitive, it turned out that not passing out from blood loss was quite hard to do.  A normal person would have been dead a few times over by now, the scene made it seem as though she had killed all those men instead of simply getting the shit kicked out of her.  No, it was mainly her blood that no doubt was creating a scent in their air. 

Ricardo was keeping her present for now.  His pats and shakes made her feel dizzy and did little to help her focus, but his expression. His fear, dread, the guilt, it made her stomach twist.  She didn’t want him to be so afraid, she’d be ok, didn’t he know that?  Of course he wouldn’t, even if her biology was perfectly explained to him, seeing someone you care about chopped into bits and barely conscious would make any person panic.

God she was tired though. Every moment her eyelids closed she felt herself slip, only to have Ricardo yell and bring her back with a pat.  If he wasn’t there, if it was anyone else, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to stay awake. 

Then he brought up a real problem and the cogs in her brain finally started working again.  They couldn’t stay here.  Well at least Ricardo couldn’t.  The soldiers would find them eventually and she couldn’t have him in danger.  Then a shock of panic ran through her.  If she stayed, passed out and woke up to being surrounded by soldiers ready to put just one bullet in her head, she’d be done.  The most boring end she could have to her life would happen then and there.  She’d wake up mortal and be struck down. 

But what to do then?  Her mind was in no state to fully think of any plan, and she let out a groan of annoyance, “I… We gotta move. E-Either you move me or leave me. We can’t stay here… You can’t stay here. They’ll shoot you on sight.”   She suddenly let out a growl of frustrating “FUCK.“  She ran a bloodied hand through her hair.  Could Ricardo even carry her? Would she be a burden? What if she left a trail right to them?  Until she healed, she couldn’t do much about the situation other than hope time would be on their side.

“If you hear anyone coming, I don’t want you staying here. You’ll need to go. No excuses, I’ll be fine.”

The longer he looked at Gem, though he’d refuse to tear his eyes off her lest she started dozing, the guiltier he felt. If it wasn’t for him and not being more on top of things she’d be alright. Even if there were some BSAA or any equivalent anti-bio-terrorist group, they would have been able to handle them. Gem was paying for his mistake but even if she was immortal, the Brooklynite had a hard time remembering it when he looked at how bloodied and injured she was now.

Oh, there’d be more of those bastards coming, Ricardo could put money on it, but he felt hesitant about moving with Gem in the condition she was in now. “It’s all my fault,” he thought miserably to himself, “I should have planned bettah, taken care of the problem before it was a problem!” Maybe after this he’d learn his lesson and just stay around the facility more, allow himself to be their little guinea pig if it meant that this wouldn’t occur again. 

He looked down at Gem incredulously as she suggested him going off without her. “What are ya? Stupid?! I’m not leavin’ you. I don’t care how far that I’ll have ta carry you, I’m not going off without you,” he said, perhaps a bit too sharply. “They’re not gonna find us. Not again.” 

It was surprisingly obvious how Gem was trying to lie to both Ricardo and herself about the situation.  She wouldn’t be fine if she was left behind.  He was right, if the soldiers found her, they’d be wanting more than just a little more blood.  They’d see her as nothing but another B.O.W., it wouldn’t matter if she hadn’t actually killed anyone, she was a danger just like Ricardo.  They didn’t have to see the full picture, there’d be no questions.  Even if they did interrogate her, they wouldn’t believe a word she’d say. 

As Irving tried picking her up, Gem did her best to help push herself towards him and off the ground.  Her legs felt like jelly, almost numb from the lack of blood.  She grunted and coughed as fluid in her lungs shifted, “I. I know.”  She finally relented, agreeing with him, “But we need to go. No w-waiting around.”  His heart beat so loudly in her ears, it made her realize how weak her own pulse was.  His warmth felt good against her much colder body.  So good she could fall asleep. 

Then there was that odd noise, under it all, the bug writhing inside him.  It made Gem snap awake for a moment as Ricardo carried her, “You need to calm down. I’m... I-I ain’t gunna die as long as you got me here, but you need to stay in control.”  It was easy to forget herself, but Ricardo was something she wouldn’t just let suffer for her own mistakes.  As much as he was no doubt chastising himself, Gem had fully taken the blame for the situation herself.  If she hadn’t been so quick to jump in without a plan, this could have gone smoother.  If she had paid better attention, fought better, she wouldn’t be bleeding out.