The Watchers' Call

Chapter 12

TW: Gore, blood, this actually is worse than before. Also: panic attacks, and flashbacks to torture, abuse, and violence. Oh, and actual violence and blood and near-death. 

also i just realized that there are exactly 24 active hermits and 24 participants in the hunger games...
no, i'm totally not going to put the hermits through the hunger games why would you think that?

----| Rendog's POV |----

"Grian, come on, it's us," Xisuma said.

Ren, along with Stress, Mumbo, and Xisuma, were trying to convince Grian that this was real. They were having no luck. The tiny, winged builder still barely responded to them and went limp at any touch. 

"Grian, luv, just come outside wi' us!" Stress pleaded.

"W-w-wha-at i-i-is t-thi-is?" Grian's voice was still sore and broken.

"It's your friends, Grian," Mumbo said. "Please, just look at us and talk to us." Ren saw a tear run down Mumbo's cheek, a familiar sight now.

"W-w-why a-are yo-ou s-sh-sho-owi-ing m-me the-em?" Grian asked.

"Grian," Ren said, reverting to Renbob in hopes of shaking Grian loose of his paranoia "I'm tired of this, man. Come on, it's me, Renbob. They don't know about me, man, they can't imitate me."

"R-r-ren? R-r-real? I-is i-it?" Grian stammered.

"Yeah, man, I'm real. Come back, man, we need you," Ren replied.

"E-e-ex-eye-s-suma? S-stress? R-Ren? S-spoon?" Grian looked at each of them.

"Yeah, man, it's us," Ren said.

"I-it's r-rea-al..." Grian murmured before curling into a ball and falling asleep again.

"That's progress," Xisuma said after a minute of silence.

"How'd ya do tha' Ren?" Stress asked.

"Well, I haven't used Renbob in a while now, figured the Watchers wouldn't know about him. Looks like I was right," Ren replied.

"I think the best thing to do is leave Grian to sleep. Stress, are you still okay looking after him?" Xisuma said.

"It'll be no problem," Stress answered.

Ren, Mumbo, and Xisuma left the building.

"I'll see you tommorrow then," Mumbo said before flying off.

"Tommorrow," Xisuma affirmed before following suit.

Ren nodded before taking off after them.

----| Grian's POV |----

Could they be real?

The Watchers didn't know about Renbob...

And no one had been hurting him. He should have been able to feel the pain, shouldn't he?

But he felt better. His wings were broken, but his cuts and bruises were healing.

Maybe... maybe he actually was in the real world.

Grian opened his eyes.

"Luv?" he heard Stress ask.

"S-Stress?" he replied.

"It's me, luv, it's me," she assured him.

"Oh, Stress," he responded, letting himself fall into her arms, but normally this time. Like... a hug. "Is- is this re-eally real?" His voice was getting better, he noticed. He couldn't still be with the Watchers. Could he?