"Hey uh... Zachary?" The wolf cautiously said, peeking through the door. He heard the fox mumble a reply, though he couldn't quite make it out.
"Uh... I'm coming in!" He announced, before opening the door fully. The light was off, and the fox was fast asleep on the bed. Perhaps they didn't have to go now...
The wolf sighed. The fox was young, in his early 20's. How could he have lost it all so quick? What happened to Zachary that caused him to end up there? The fox didn't even have proper clothing, and after looking closer, the fox was dirty beyond comprehension. Luckily, the hospital was able to clean him up, and brush his teeth surprisingly.
Evan honestly found it surprising that the fox still had all his teeth. They looked almost black. He's gonna have to schedule a dentist appointment for the poor fox.
He sat down, continuing to swim through his thoughts.
Then, the wolf opened his eyes and jumped. The room was bright now, and the fox was staring at him.
"...I fell asleep didn't I? I don't remember falling asleep."
"I think so? I woke up and you were there so..."
Evan sighed, then looked closer at the fox. He had noticed this earlier, but never said anything.
The fox's eyes were grey. Pure grey. No pupil. Was the fox blind? No, because the fox had seen the wolf, and described Evan so there's no way. But why were they so dark?
"Uh... hey, Zach-"
"Zachary." The fox said sternly, cutting off the wolf.
"R-right... well... uh... n-nevermind, we should be getting ready to go. I was supposed to sign you out yesterday, and hospitals are expensive."
"Surprised they're letting me out so early..." the fox said.
"Same here, but I'm pretty sure it's because you're coming with me, and I have a lot of work here so..."
"Oh? Like what?" The fox questioned.
"Well, kinda like social services... I help kids who are victims of abuse or if their parents died, I have to comfort them and so on..."
"...oh... when did you start working here?"
"Well, I just started working this year. I came into here right after college. I'm honestly wondering why they gave an inexperienced 25 year old a job at helping kids. I don't really know much, I just play games with them and make sure they're comfortable. I don't even know why I had to go to college for that. I did that with my... well, nevermind. That's another story." The wolf sighed, thinking to see if he missed anything.
The fox just nodded, taking in the information.
"So uh... what about you? Why aren't your parents here?"
The fox stayed silent, turning his head away from the wolf.
"H-hey I didn't mean to pry I was just-"
"Leave me alone..." the fox whispered, barely audible to the wolf. Evan surrendered, sighing as he stood up and exited.
The wolf went to the main desk, and asked the nurse for the form he had to sign.
The nurse handed him it, and Evan took a second to study it. The page was simple, saying the hospital had no more liability for the patient and blah blah, but Evan noticed something. There was an extra page, stating that Evan would now be liable for any damages or mistakes caused by Zachary. That was strange to the wolf, as he had seen that form only for patients who tended to be psychopaths, or suicidal. Was this what the fox was hiding?
Was the fox trying to kill himself that night...?
The wolf shook the thought. He was stabbed in the back, not his wrists or perhaps his heart. And if he was a psychopath... well, he'd deal with that later.
He signed the form, all 100 pages it seemed, and walked back to the room.
The room was dark, and there were no sounds.
"Hello? Zachary?"
No response.
The wolf searched in the pitch black, looking for a light. He hadn't brought his phone, so he couldn't use that as a flashlight.
Finally, he found one. He flipped it, and the lights flickered, then stayed on. Zachary examined the room, hoping for a sign of what was happening.
All he found was an empty bed, and a blood trail.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
His hands were bloody.
His clothes were red.
His wrists... his back... open.
The glass was shattered. Red droplets covered the shards.
Who did this to you?
~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Evan was tired. He had finally returned home, after hearing Zachary would be okay.
He fell onto the couch, sighing. The familiar sinking feeling of the couch sucked Evan in, attempting to replace his bed. He knew he couldn't sleep here though.
He got up, the couch creaking under him. On wobbly legs, he walked towards his room.
Across his room were 2 doors. The bathroom... and the other.
He hasn't opened the other door. Not in 3 years.
Not since that night.
The way he found the poor fox reminded him of it. He didn't want to relive it.
But he had to face it.
Walking in, Evan took a breath. The bed in the guest room was littered with clothes, and boxes were stacked around the room.
Evan knew he'd have to clean it up. After all, the fox would be living here.
He sighed, getting to work. He picked up all the clothes that were hung around, putting them in different boxes, or throwing them away entirely. Then, he put the boxes in closets around the apartment, and some in his room.
Finally, he decided to dust. The room after all, had never been touched since the incident. And it was dirty.
It took him a while, but the room finally looked clean. The rug in front of the bed wasn't greyed out, the dust on all the furniture was gone, and the sheets were replaced.
Now, the fox could come. And he would be welcomed.
The wolf sighed, closing the door.
He wasn't sure if he wanted the fox to see him like this. He also doubted having a place like this would help the fox. Sure, he needed a home, but... the fact that he almost killed himself in the bathroom of that hospital, and the added affect of this being a new place, would not be good for the poor fox.
Evan would just have to try.
YOU ARE READING
Not Everything is Cold
RandomEverything was perfect for Zachary. His family loved him. He had friends that cared about him. He had good grades. Even had a lot of money. And now, Zachary is running through the streets just trying to get by. And even worse, he's now bleeding to...