Star-gazing: Eric Coulter

Chapter 6

TW- swearing, violence

Song: Home II
Artist: Dotan

Layla's pov:

"How's the leg?" Zeke asked me, pushing the wheelchair (that I hated so much) up to the control room. I was doing a few shifts up there and covering for the staff that were off ill or on leave. I rolled my eyes and sat back, crossing my arms as I did so. I was weak.
"How do you think?" I rhetorically answered him, "The mission was a failure and we ended up loosing nine men to the fucking factionless!" I whisper-shouted at Zeke.
He stopped pushing me and walked around to the front of me, "What now, Ezekiel?" I huffed.
"Why is it so hard for you to stop blaming yourself?"
Because my team, my responsibility.
When I ignored him, he sighed and gave up on me. "We should get there before we're late." He told me, I nodded.

Four was there with a team of initiates, I ordered Zeke to put me at the back of the room- so there was a less likely chance of any of them noticing me. They couldn't see me weak and injured or even in this state. I was there leader, I needed to act powerful and strong. But right now, I was neither one of them.
"Thanks Zeke." He smiled, sitting at his desk which was surprisingly next to mine. I hadn't been in the control room in so long that I had forgotten where everyone sits and even who works here. "Sorry about before, I think it's the meds making me a bit more irritated than usual." I apologised, he laughed it off and I sent him a scowl.
"It doesn't matter, Layla. It's fine." He said, typing his password into his computer, "Erudite have installed new PC's so if you need help turning them on just ask someone." He smirked at me. I wasn't that stupid.
"Oh come on, Zeke. I'm not that much of a grandma." I chuckled, as he burst out laughing causing Four to notice. And approach the two of us.

It had been just under a month since the incident and my team still hadn't been found yet. This was probably the first time I had seen Four since then- I felt like he'd been avoiding me. Good, he better. Jeanine had taught me how to inject my meds myself, so that my father could finally leave and never bother me again. This meant that my leg had partially healed: the bone in my shin had begun to reform itself, but unfortunately my raw, teared-up skin was still an eyesore without any gauze on it.
Four approached us, walking at a faster pace than he usually did. He stood in between Zeke and I with his arms folded. "Traitor." I muttered under my breath. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zeke look at me with utter confusion and the rage behind Four's eyes.
'What did you just call me?" He abruptly called me out. This made me snap, HE was the reason that nine members of my team had been captured and taken hostage by Factionless, whilst the other three fought for their lives in the infirmary. He was the reason. He was the rat.

Before I could comprehend what he was saying to me, I leaped up from the chair and pushed Four's body against the cold wall, "Traitor! How fucking dare you?" I yelled in his face, pushing myself on as intense pain shot through my leg like lightning in a stormy sky. He tried to push me off, but I was stronger than the former stiff- I always had been.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Layla, I think your medication is messing with your head." I threw him towards the direction of the floor and fell on top of him. Landing punch after punch onto his face, as everyone else in the room froze and watched in horror at the scene unfolding in front of them. Blood oozed from his: chin, mouth, nose and the rest of his face, I heard the fast pace of footsteps increasing outside of the door.
"Layla, hands up! Stop what you're doing right now!" Max's voice boomed through the room, causing me to pause and rethink my actions. As I placed my hands above my head, Max put down his gun that I hadn't noticed he was holding and came closer to the two of us. I visually cringed at the pain as I felt myself being shoved harmfully against the floor.
"Fuck." I moaned, as the figure above me dug their fingers into my throat- not allowing me to breathe. I gasped and hit the hand holding me down, but it was too late. I was already incredibly weaker than I had started out being and I was convinced that someone had ripped off the skin of my leg again. The pain was excruciating now.
"Someone get Eric into the control room asap!" Max yelled through his radio, pulling Four off of my body.
"What did Four do?" Zeke asked me, taking a place next to me on the floor- and checking my leg which was bleeding out back into the clean floor. "I mean, come in it's Four! He couldn't harm a fly."
"I'm going to kill him." I muttered, trying to stand back up without help.
"Layla no. Stay down." Max said approaching us again. I rolled my head back, finding it difficult to stay awake from the agonising pain that was engulfing my leg like fire to gasoline.