DOOM SAGA I - I'll be home tomorrow

Day 238

Argent d'Nur

Io sighed. The empty bed of Perrin in front of her felt wrong, even though all of the ones nearby were also empty. She rubbed her watering eyes and curled her toes as her feet were getting colder while sitting on the side waiting for the Slayer to come to pick her up. But it had been hours. A figure appeared and sat right next to her, tugging on the blanket that hung from her shoulders. With eyebrows risen she looked at the woman questioningly.
"Nobody knows. But he promised to be back today. And I believe it.", said Zila, the nurse, coming back from her chat with a guard. She had been at her side for the last few days after the Slayer hat brought her back here and had left without notice. She was an older woman, hair beginning to grey and her skin was a little darker than most, aged by the sun probably, and she surely had a good hand in keeping the wild demeanour of the men in control.
She brushed Io's hair out of her face and smiled before she frowned.
"You still haven't eaten your breakfast..."
Io turned her head away knowingly and shrugged.
"Is your stomach still feeling sick?", she asked softly and Io nodded. Zila sighed as well.
"I don't think he has forgotten about you. He wouldn't leave in secret for no reason."
Io looked at her for assurance.
"And if he has... I will beat him up myself and then I will bring you home with me and my sisters and my nephew and niece will all be your new family.", Zila joked but it had hit a nerve as Io stared at her devastated.
"Can I leave now, please?", she asked before Zila could react to it.
"Sure sure, I'm sorry...", she answered and got up from the bed.
"Just... promise me to be more careful, Io."
"I will.", she said briefly but as she leaned forward to grab the boots she winced. Her head hammered and before she could say anything Zila had already kneeled down to help her.
Embarrassment flooded her face as she was dressed like a child, and though it wasn't the first time Zila had taken motherly care of her, it was still a terrible feeling.
"Thank you.", she whispered when she was all done.
The woman laid her hands on her shoulders and smiled brightly.
"If all my patients were as kind as you are, I would not have any!", she laughed and peeked at the other young men that were close to brawling at the other end of the room.
"I need to go!", she said and gave her a wink for a goodbye before she hasted to the two who were already grappling each other.

The halls near the centre of the complex were bustling at this time of the day, council meetings were held and many other important decisions were being made, as she wandered aimlessly. There was nothing to do for her; reading was boring and did not help her in her goals as there was no useful information,  and after sitting in the infirmary day-in day-out she needed the movement.
Everything felt strange today, stranger than usual at least, as she walked through the groups of men, all taller and muscly, looking down at her as she passed by. And like always, she heard their whispers. She stopped when a feeling crept into her neck. It made her gulp uncomfortably and shut her eyes.
She was alone.
An alarmed shiver ran down her spine. Sure there were the ones that knew her name, and the few she knew the name of. But in the end, what did she mean to any of them? Perrin and Tobin weren't here anymore, Sadex and Amal were on their duty at the moment and the Slayer... God know where the hell he was right now.
A shoulder suddenly bumped her and shook her awake again. A group had passed her and all she saw was an apologetic gesture of a hand as she had caught herself again.
She was alone.
The mass of people around her suddenly felt much tighter and she instinctively began to snake her way to another exit. She battled through shoulders and backs, her mind remembering the chaos in town made her heart race unwillingly, and when she finally reached the corner to the next hallway she let herself fall and breathe through.
Maybe quiet and rest would have been the better decision?
She growled frustrated into her arms slung around her head.
I want home, she thought, and wiped her runny nose. But there was no way yet. She struggled onto her feet and began her path back to the quarters, her eyes scanning every guard and priest and whoever was in her way.
Where is he, she thought and her pace quickened. Where is he, and why did he not tell her? He had promised, and she had believed him.
Where is he?!
Her feet staggered as she stopped and stared at the entrance to the training hall. If he was not here to protect her, she needed to--
"Io...!", a voice hissed and yanked her back on her arm. Her chest still heaved as she glared at the Slayer's narrow eyes.
"What are you doing here?!", he whispered seemingly upset. She tried to free her arm, but he did not let her, even tightening his grip so that it began to hurt.
"Let me go! Let me fucking go!"
She punched his arm with her fist in vain as he bent even lower and repeated.
"What are you doing here...?!"
"What I am doing here?!", it burst out of her.
"Where the fuck have you been?! I was looking for you all day! You left without a word and if you are not here then who is?! You left me alone! Again! Like--! Argh, let me go!!"
She ripped herself from his hold and began angrily hitting his chest and snarled.
"I was going to tell you! King Novik sent me to escort them!", he stated heatedly.
"And you were already knocked out by the medication when I was leaving...!", he said and grabbed her shoulders to keep her still. Already, men had gathered around them to see what was going on.
"So tell me, Io, what the fuck do you think you are doing?"
Io was sniffling overwhelmed and tried her best to keep his eye contact.
"I wanted to go train again. Because if you are not here... Nobody knew...! I don't want to-- I need to-- not again-- I want to... to fight--", she hiccuped but her brows were still furrowed angered.
"To fight?!", he barked maddened as he shook her.
"Can't you fucking see where this got you?! You are risking your life like a fool over and over and I have to fucking save you, is that what you want?!"
With her eyes shut she shrank at his loud tone.
"Yes.", she managed out of her tense throat.
"I see.", he growled and dragged her along harshly into the larger fighter's hall. He placed her in the middle of a sandy pit and quickly the other men rushed out of their path.
"Then fight."
He readied his stance, though it was less than necessary for him.
"What--", she mumbled confused as a fist launched at her. She bent backwards and just out of its reach as her legs were pulled from under her and her back met the still hard floor. She coughed and scrambled to her feet as he waited for her.
"Why do you want to fight?", he growled before launching more fists at her. Luckily she managed to dodge them as they were wide swings, but she got the feeling that he was just holding back.
For now.
Her feet struggled as her legs were yet too weak to follow what she had already learned, and she met the sandy ground once more. The crowd that surrounded them spaciously murmured.
"Why do you want to fight?!", he asked even louder before going at her again.
He was getting faster and Io felt the sweat build on her neck as the punches missed her just by a centimetre.
"Because--", she exhaled.
The first hit her shoulder painfully and shook her out of balance for a moment.
"Because--!", she yelled and her own fist clenched as she shut her eyes in fury.
His knuckles found their target in her face when she had suddenly stopped. Silence came down in the hall after a collective sound of hurt had echoed. The Slayer's eyes widened and he froze in place and gaped at her shocked.
"Because...", she mumbled.
"I want to stop people like you!", she hissed and as she raised her head he needed to dodge a few of her wild blows before he caught both of her hands. His eyes were still fixed on her face, unscathed by his blow, her eyes... shined brightly.
"Io...", he began in disbelief but his focus was fast taken by the enormous strength with which she pushed against his hold. His breathing quickened as he understood that this was not easy to end. He growled as he felt a rush he hadn't felt in forever, carefully watching as lines began to grow over her cheeks, like cracks of light inside her, and with it grew her strength.
"Io...!", he tried desperately through gnashed teeth.
"Shut up!", she barked.
"People like you think that every problem can be solved by hitting it, don't you?! Everything can be smashed, punished or thrown into a pit and you don't even care what it does to others! I know everything you did that night! I know you are not much better than them! You are all the same and I finally understood what I need to do to stop this madness!"
He dug his feet into the sand and leaned even more into it as she began pushing him backwards.
"Everything that has happened did happen right in front of you, and none of you saw it! You think you are better than the rest and better than the people of earth but you are just like them! Blind and deaf for every atrocity as long as it doesn't shit in your own bed!"
Tears began filling her eyes and her voice was shaking even though she kept pushing.
"You left me alone! You promised! But you left me again! Now I need to fight because I have nobody to fight for me! I am alone! And I need to fight for all those that can't! Because you won't! You only care about yourself! Your own revenge! Your own fucking fun!"
Strenuously he held against her, and his own anger was long gone as he looked at her.
"Io..."
"FUCK YOU!", she spat and ripped their arms downwards, the sudden end of pressure making him stumble towards her as he caught a chin hook that lifted him off the ground for a heartbeat before she spun around and kicked his chest.
He vanished in a cloud of dust as he hit the outer barrier that was a couple of metres behind. The crowd already began running out of the whole pit, and even the brave last men turned on their heels as he climbed out of the rubble and growled.
"Go!"
He staggered for a few seconds, his eyes locked on her as she waited.
"You said you will protect me! You said you want to protect them! You promised me I should not worry about what's to come and to believe in you, but you failed, Slayer! You failed!"
Cautiously he stepped closer, his muscles tense and ready for anything.
"Do you really think I do this because I'm a fool?! How should I rest, when I know others are being abused, tortured and killed and nobody seems to care much?! How should I find peace while waiting for YOU to take care of everything just like you PROMISED!? And now it's MY FAULT?!"
She rushed at him, her shoulder digging into his stomach but he grabbed her waist, yet with the acceleration and his unintentional help she swung her legs over his shoulder, knotted her arms around his throat and dug her knees into his back. With the additional weight, he stooped and fell to his knee before her would fall over. His mind raced as he got slowly strangled but did not want to hurt her. Grabbing onto her shirt he got some leverage and with a quick pull, she landed in front of him from where she hastily widened the gap between them. The ripped shirt still in his hand he held her glare and breathed.
"Io... please, stop."