"You're Next!"

- Chapter 29 -

TRIGGER WARNING: SLIGHT MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND DEATH

Gem barely heard or felt anything. She just lay there, covered in blood, crouched over Grian's body. This was all her fault. All of it. ALL OF IT. It was her fault that everyone here had died. Her fault. Her fault. 

At some point in time, she heard the distant voice of Pearl, but Gem must've imagined it. Her thoughts were repeating in her head. Whenever she opened her eyes, it would be all blurry and dizzy. Was that normal?

Gem woke up, feeling well-rested, confused, and... angry? Why was she angry? Sure, the last few hours had been bloody and chaotic... but angry? What was happening to her?

"You're sure? You're absolutely sure?" Pearl. It sounded like Pearl. All of the anger seemed to lift from her body.

"I can't say I know completely, but otherwise yes." Came a different voice.

Gem's eyes fluttered open. She saw the grey roof of the attic. After a few moments of staring at the ceiling, she realized she couldn't see out of her injured eye. She tried touching it, but the eye was covered in a bandage, she supposed. So she decided to sit up in her bed. Her forest-green eyes darted around the room, widening when she was embraced in a sudden large hug.

"Gem! Oh my gosh! You're alive- you're okay!" Pearl happily cried out.

Gem stayed silent, still a bit shocked. She hugged her friend back, smiling. When Pearl pulled out of the hug, Gem asked quietly, "What happened?"

Pearl fidgeted with her hands. "Um. So. Don't freak out, but you might've almost died?" She said with an awkward smile. 

The girl with the blue-and-white striped shirt stepped up. "You lost a lot of blood. Like, a lot." She said, frowning.

Gem looked down at her arms that had been covered in scratches and bruises. Each scratch was now covered in a band-aid and plastered with some stuff, healing potion, she guessed. 

She looked around the room. There were now four beds on one side of the room, while there were four others on the other side. Gem saw Cleo in the bed next to hers, a large bandage wrapped around one of her feet.

"It's a hospital, now, huh?" Gem joked. Pearl nodded and the two laughed.

The doors to the attic opened with a creak. Gem looked over to see three dogs had appeared, one with a rust-dusted coat carrying a few towels on her back, another with yellow eyes and a long jagged scar across her side carrying a basket in her mouth, and the third a half-silver coated male with equally pale eyes carrying nothing, but offering to help carry the towels. 

Gem snapped back to reality when a cold, wet nose touched her arm and she looked to see a fluffy male wolf examining her wounds. With a nod, he headed off. Pearl smiled at her friend. "It's amazing how well Stacy has trained them, huh?" 

Gem nodded. She heard Stacy snicker, amused. 

Gem felt a sudden loneliness drag at her heart, even though Pearl was right there. She missed her twin brother. 

Pearl must've noticed her drop of emotion and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, what's up?" She murmured, rubbing her friend's back.

Gem shook her head. She pulled her knees up to her chest and held them there. A sudden cold presence made her shiver. She looked around, but saw nothing. She didn't know it, but her brother's spirit was right beside her.