The Defective Soldier || Newt

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟐

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕞𝕓𝕦𝕤𝕙

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Just as they entered the building, they all got separated into groups. George, Henry, and Jorge took care of Marcus; tying him up and interrogating him in the centre of the room. William and Minho got Thomas and laid him on a few sheets Newt and Flor had laid at the side for him and Mae, who was being carried between Bea and Rowan. Leen and Chuck checked on Brenda, the only one of the three who had disappeared that wasn't passed out.

"They don't look too good," said William, crouching down by Mae's side to take some strands of her hair off her eyelids. "Just what was in that darn drink?"

"They'll be fine." Minho patted his back, crouching down next to him as they stared at their sleeping friends, being joined by Teresa, whose eyes wouldn't leave Thomas for a second.

'You're worried about him, aren't you?' William asked in his mind, his eyes staring at Teresa, who remained still, not answering in any way. 'Teresa?'

Minho got up, walking over to the two armchairs that had been put together across from where Marcus was being interrogated. Strangely enough, only one had been occupied. Aris sat on the right armchair, his eyes constantly glancing in William's direction as if worried about something more than just Thomas's or Mae's state.

Not knowing exactly why, William began taking shallow breaths. He didn't feel like he was suffocating, nor like he couldn't breathe; it was just that his lungs demanded way more air than what slow breaths could give. His sight blurred, not letting him see where he was stepping. Only the trace he had formed in the past five minutes allowed him to know that he wouldn't walk straight into a chair or wall.

To reassure part of his mind, William kept checking his holster, making sure he still had the three guns: Winston's, Jorge's, and the woman's. He didn't need the three of them, but, somehow, giving one to someone didn't sit right with him. He wanted, or rather, needed, to have them close to him.

Just in case. He kept repeating like a prayer, not letting him notice that Thomas and Mae had woken up.

"Liam." Newt approached carefully, placing a hand on William's shoulder to stop his pacing. William flinched at the touch, making Newt take the hand off immediately. "You OK?"

William's thoughts cleared as he blinked a couple of times to take in what was happening. He brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it confusedly before muttering, "Yeah, sorry. I guess I'm just tired." He forced himself to chuckle. "How come you're alright? You haven't slept all that much either."

"I'm one lucky shank," said Newt, reaching out delicately to hold William's hand. "Just go sit down for a while, alright? You'll get better."

"OK." William nodded, letting himself be guided back to the centre of the room to the two armchairs.

Newt forced William to sit on the empty one beside Aris's. Not surprisingly, everyone else had left it like that on purpose; to let him sit down. Even Chuck, who stood between Thomas and Mae, didn't seem any bit interested in sitting down.

The shouts and yells from Marcus's interrogation got louder, but William couldn't hear a second of it. Closing his eyes for what felt like a second, he rested his head on Newt's arm, since the boy had sat on the arm of the armchair.

"Dad, why can't I see mum?" He had once asked his father.

It was days after his mother had been locked in the basement, but he didn't know anything about it. He just knew that his mother had started to act weird, and then she was sent to live in the basement, away from him and his brother. Although contrary to him, Aris could leave his room whenever he pleased and stay around the kitchen, even with the door to the basement open.