Brave Fear (boyxboy)

Chapter 16

When the others returned, Marcus was devouring a spam sandwich that he had recently retrieved from his pack. Zane sat nearby, trying to find the limitations of his power, what he could do with it. He knew he could transform his physical appearance so he looked like somebody else. He could create moderately large objects, but they used up greater portions of his body to create. He could also completely disperse his body, create a cloud of Zane.

He held in his hands a perfect replica of the sandwich Marcus grasped. His shortened pinkie and a bit of his ring finger had sacrificed themselves to make it. He was contemplating if he would feel anything if he ate it when Daisy, Mallory, and Joseph came into view in the dim light.

They looked a little worse for wear then the last time he'd seen them. Daisy's hair was razzled and caked dirt obstructed the marvelous blue color that was underneath. Her face had a long streak of grime down from her right ear to the corner of her mouth. She was shuffling along at a slight limp and Zane anticipated she had twisted, maybe even sprained, her ankle on the tilted floor.

Mallory and Joseph were on opposite sides of Daisy, ready to support her if need-be. Mallory's hair was in worse shape than Daisy's. It seemed the humidity of the tunnel gave her an afro deserving of a circus act. Her blue nose piercing seemed to be the only spark of color between the three of them.

Joseph, though dirty, managed to look stunning as usual. He appeared to have slipped into a puddle of dirty water for his orange striped shirt was no longer orange but a uniform brown. His cream shorts were split in two, a clean, bright side and a dark, dirty side. His arms were crossed in front of him loosely, ready to dart out if Daisy wobbled. Despite his state, his face broke out in a smile when he saw Zane sitting up, showing off his replica sandwich to Marcus.

Zane rushed forward, and Joseph squeaked, pointing at his leg, and he lurched forward with his hands poised to catch Zane. He watched as Zane lifted up his pants, revealing the closed wound. "It's fine," Zane said, rubbing the newly repaired skin.

"How?" Joseph asked, bewildered. Zane noticed a line of stubble along his chin and jawbone. Coarse, tough hairs that hadn't been shaved in a long time. Joseph ran his fingers over his chin, contemplating Zane's leg.

"Magic," Zane answered, waving his hands through the air, wiggling his fingers.

Marcus was completely behind on the conversation, and Zane was tempted to call him a wombat as Daisy had. "Zane's pregnant," Marcus muttered, chuckling under his breath. Zane glared at him, but he was immensely focused on the last few bites of his sandwich. Joseph gave Zane a quizzical look, cocking his head.

Zane ignored both of them. He looped an arm around Daisy's waist, helping support her weight. She glanced at him thankfully. It was obvious she didn't like admitting she needed help. "Let's get you sat down," he said softly, lowering her to the ground.

He felt her ankle, and she winced. She had definitely sprained it. "Is it bad?" she asked, cringing.

Zane shook his head. "Just a sprain. It should not last very long. Try and keep the weight off of it for a while." She nodded, lifting it up to place it on her nearby backpack. She winced while doing so and rubbed her ankle mournfully.

Mallory and Joseph collapsed next to Zane, Joseph's hand placed protectively on Zane's leg. His palm was warm and gentle through the thin fabric. It seemed to be an involuntary movement, something he was used to, had attuned to part of his everyday life. Zane found this fact comforting.

Mallory was all business. "There's an exit further up," she said, zipping up her own backpack and patting it. "It leads to the outskirts, which you said was the safest spot." Zane nodded, confirming the fact. "As soon as Daisy feels fit to move, we'll go."