TRENCH

My Kind - Chapter Nine

Delroy helped Clancy back to camp. Though he was thankful for him showing up, he was also on an astronomical level of mad. But he's gotten alright at hiding emotions, or maybe everybody already knew and saw it better to not speak of it.

"My God, Clancy," the medic chimed. "You better hope that you haven't torn any stitches."

"I'm fine," Clancy denied. "I'm just sore from the walking, that's all."

"Uh-huh, sure..." the medic mumbled before looking to Delroy. "Do the Banditos a favor, kid."

Delroy furrowed his eyebrows at him. "Excuse me?"

"Quit trying to be the hero," the medic hissed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that David is fine and all but good god, you need to see what you're doing with the full picture."

"I know what I was doing," Delroy remarked.

"For you? Yes, you did," the medic shook his head. "For the camp? No way."

Delroy thought for a moment, clenching his jaw in irritance. "David, where is he?"

"He's at the leader's tent," the medic says as he checked over Clancy's arm that still had old blood crusted to it. "You know, where the leader stays?"

"Save me the speech," Delroy hissed.

"And save me the headache," Clancy said. "We don't have enough painkillers here for it."

The medic glared at Clancy, then back to Delroy. "Alright, I'm sure that David will have plenty to say about you anyway."

Delroy didn't give him another moment of his time, everybody seems to be in a bad mood, including himself. Emotions are dangerous. He went to the center of camp where the leader's tent had been erected and without any form of warning or barrier, Delroy stepped in. Sure enough, David was there, looking at pieces of paper.

"David?" Delroy asked, almost startling the man out of his seat.

"Delroy, right?" David asked as he stood up from his spot and outstretched a hand. "You and Valorie are the ones that rescued me, right?"

"Yes," Delroy said, shaking David's hand. "Valorie did more of the work than I did."

"You know that was stupid, right?" David asked. "I didn't know, but you definitely knew that Clancy was injured and unable to lead. If Clancy died, then another leader would've been chosen, and had it been you..."

David points a finger right to Delroy's chest. "Had it been you, I'm sure you would've gotten the entire camp sent back or worse."

"But that didn't happen," Delroy argued. "I had this planned out to the very pebbles we would be stepping on, it was safe."

"Was it really, Delroy?" David replied as he put his hands on his side. "Right now, I should be in Clancy's place and he should be in mine. I've got a broken leg and I'm standing on it while he is covered in wolf bites."

"And I'm sure that the doctor would yell at you if he hasn't already," Delroy said, shrugging. "That's what he did to me before coming to you."

"Well, that's because he's smarter than you," David scolds. "Must I forget that you haven't even been here one full week and you're already causing problems?"

"I'm causing problems?" Delroy remarked. "How many of them? How severe? How do you know that I was the reason they occured?"

"Delroy!" David yelled, silencing him. "If you want to survive out here then the first rule is to never disrespect your leader."

Delroy's face twisted into a disbelieving smile. "You make the entire camp believe that you were dead and now here you are. But you want me to respect you when you've taken away my trust? Forget it."