Resident Evil: Nights 2 R3member

Chapter 7: Your Worth

                Chapter 7: Your Worth

   You scream out to the horror born in your dreams. Heavily breathing and frantically shuffling your body. You feel a rush of heat move through your nose. Blood drops from your left nostril and stain your blanket. The white milk sheet covered by maroon red. You cover your nose and quickly make your way to the bathroom. Turning the faucet to let the rushing cold water meet your hand. Quickly cupping your hands to catch the water forming a pool in your hands. Dousing yourself with water and wiping away the blood and sweat. Three splashes of water to the face and you take a moment to calm yourself. The blood isn't stopping so you grab tissue to plug your nose. As you do so you grab some tissue paper and roll it to put in your nose. The shock of the dream was so strong that your hands are still shaking. Haunted by the vision of what might happen should you let someone into your heart. How they would be horrified to what beholds deep within. The smattering of walls, locks, and chains. All to protect everyone and anyone from seeing what's deep within. You look up to the mirror and see tears still coming from your eyes. Bloodshot and scared. Words to describe the look of pure fear. You quickly wipe your eyes and turn the faucet off. You leave the bathroom to grab the blanket stained with your blood and take it to the washers downstairs. Grabbing your basket and taking the blanket and other bundles of laundry downstairs. Taking your detergent, softener, and dryer sheets. Leaving the apartment you walk down the halls towards the elevator. When you finally make it to the laundromat no one is here. The vacant room is tranquil and only the shimmer of light peeking through the blinders is seen. It's 6 am. You know not a lot of the tenants are awake at his time, not even Barry. Taking your load to the washer you put everything in and await for the process to be done. Sitting on the bench by the window. You sit there contemplating your dream and what it means.
This isn't the first time your nightmares got so real you couldn't bear it. The feeling of helplessness enveloping your body and mind. Clasping the sides of your head you lean deeper almost into a fetal position.

  The sound of a loud buzzer goes off before you drifted away. The blanket is done washing. You go to take it out and put it in the dryer with a few sheets. You feel the wet fabric coming on to you and it freaks you out. For the feeling itself reminds you of the dark black nothingness consuming you. A feeling all to familiar. You just back as when you blink you see the nightmarish goo. Stumbling backwards you hit your head against a washer. The stinging pain making you exclaim in turn. Barry walks into the laundromat. "Who's there?" "Are you hurt?" Barry sounding concerned. You tell him it's only you and he gasps rushing to you. "Are you alright lass?" Barry then explains. "I heard a shouting earlier and went to investigate." "Didn't take you to be clumsy ayy?" You chuckle but still ache from your blunt trauma. He tells you to sit back in the bench as he goes to get some ice. Upon returning he also brings you a cup of coffee. Sitting beside you he gives you the ice pack and hands you a cup. "Barry Special." You look down and see a milky brown with swirls. "Me mother taught me how to do a lil art on the cup, but I can only make swirls." Barry chuckles as he sips his cup. "Alright, what's the matter witcha?" Barry asks. You tell him your fine, but he gives you the stink eye as you lie to his face. "Now listen here." Barry begins to explain. "I've known ya for quite some time now." "I don't go prying least I have to." "So you either tell it to me now, or I'ma give you an earful." Looking to him with disbelief, he also gives you the look of I know what's bothering you. Begrudged you tell him about how you have a hard time opening up to people. He listens to your tale of your hardships at home, with your family, your relationships. How everytime you open up, the others would either not reciprocate or use it for their own gains. And how you've gotten your heart broken by your family time and time again. The throes of agony in a tide of sadness and pity. Barry looks out to the distance as he listens to you. As if cobbling the right words to not dismaye you. When you finish he takes a deep breath and exhales with a groan. "Jesus." He says. "Well, I've not the understanding of your problems let alone your trauma." "Frankly i don't know what to feel given your circumstances. Hell if I was in your situation I would've left too. Frankly though lass. Life ain't all that bad. Don't get me wrong, it's about as hard as can be. But that's why you gotta fight to survive and live the way you want. I had a nice upbringing in me life. And the only amount of beatings i would get were from me pops." Barry cracks a smile upon remembering his childhood. "Me mother was kind and forgiving, whilst me father was rough as sandpaper. But deep down I knew they loved me no matter the hardships. I had a stereotypical life. And that's not bad. You though, your still young. You've got your whole life ahead a ya." You look at his face as he only has sincerity. "You've been through the ringer, and paved through hell. But what's stopping you from really climbing up to the top is you." Barry looks at you. "Listen, the pasts the past. And it ain't coming back. But if ya keep allowing it to and try to ignore it. Just gets worse and worse. Instead do what I've learned about it and just learn from it. Let it come back and let yourself be free from it by acceptance." "It'll be hard for sure, but you already know that. I have faith in you and your strength. Hell you made it this far right? Why not let yourself have a win and be happy where you are." Barry stands up, takes your cup and holds his hand out to you. Hesitant you take it and he lifts you up. Taking you to his office he rummages through an old box. "When I met my wife, she was but a barmaid back in Ireland. I was a busking street performer and had gigs at that same bar. When I met her I felt me-self get whisked away by whimsy and love." Barry lifts the box and opens it on the desk. "For weeks I've been tripping an falling over me-self trying to court her. And after a couple of tries and alot of dedication, she finally said yes." Barry pulls out old movie Stubbs for a theater movie and a crimped letter of love. "From then on we lived a happy life and moved here. We ran this place like a well oiled machine me and her." Barry's voice begins to break as he lifts a photo of her and him at their wedding. "Then..." Barry pauses holding back the tears. "Then she left without me. I thought we were gonna be together till the end but life had other plans. When she died I died along with her." Barry rubs the side of his wife's photo and smiles. "I would've been a grumpy old fart glaring at tenants and shouting at kids till you showed up." You then go back to the past, when you were just staying here for a while. Barry was rough and angry like usual and wasn't feeling to good. You ask him what's wrong and he only grumbles as he glares at his computer screen. Leaning on the desk you see he is obviously exhausted and looks pale. You try again to ask him what's wrong and as he was about to tell you to scram. He coughs hard and begins to sway. You see him leaning off to the side and he almost hit his head on the table. You caught him and immediately take him to his office. Laying him on the couch you go to the shelves to find some medicine, strangely enough you barely find any. Barry wakes up groggy and realizes he's in his office laying on the couch. Before he gets up you come back with medicine and a cold pack. Barry tries to get up but you just push him back down and sit next to him. You give him medicine and the cold pack. As much as he grumbles at you, he can't do much. You tell him to relax and that you'll take care of the front for now. After that you managed the apartments for a little while and thankfully it wasn't hard. Every so often you'd come back in and check on him. Fading back from that time you come back to Barry holding the photo still. "Listen lass, if you could get a crabby old man to give life another chance then you can at least do it for yourself." He holds your hand and says this to you. You can feel his words wrap around your heart and only slightly hurts to hear him say this. Though you've managed to understand exactly what he means. If you could so easily help others then why not help yourself for once.

   After your little trips down memory lane. You both go back and get finished up with your laundry. Barry then goes back to his front desk and tells you to let yourself be. Smiling you go back upstairs and go about your day preparing more intel and info gathering on Umbrella.

  Thus ends Chapter 7: Your Worth.