Chalice of Revenge (Ghost X Ruby Laswell)

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My eyes suddenly snap open, my side bringing a burning pain to my whole body.

"Shit!" I lean forward, grasping the bandage and pressing in.

"Everything alright?" I see Ghost stand above me, his gun armed. He must have been on watch.

"Yeah, fine.. is Soap okay?" I put my hand against the wall, trying to stand.

"He's fine- Red, just stay resting." He demands.

I look to him, looking down at my exposed figure as I stand up with wobbling legs. "I think I'm good. Maybe I'll give the Shadows a show, eh?" I manage to laugh as I refer to my exposed cleavage. They definitely weren't able to be concealed, that much I could say.

"Damn it, Laswell." Ghost groans.

"What?" I look down, seeing the bandage slowly turn red.

"You need to change those." He looks away, facing the door.

"Ghost, I can't even stand. What makes you think I can do that." I lean against the wall, sighing. "I can't take anymore of this. I'm going to fucking kill Graves myself,"

"Let's focus on getting out of here first," Ghost walks over to me. "There's a bathroom around the corner. Let's go, we need to hurry."

I nod as he takes my right arm and grabs the left side of my waist, guiding me into the bathroom.

"A church, huh?" I joke looking around. "You a religious man?"

"Far from it." Ghost murmurs as he helps hoist me up onto the counter.

"Same here." I sigh. I wanted to believe there was some sort of presence out there; but with the fucked up shit I've seen, I can almost positively say it doesn't exist and never has. Political scare tactics and religion go hand in hand nowadays.

Ghost rips the old bandage, taking the layers off along with the soaked gauze.

"You're going to need medical as soon as we get out of here." He says short.

"A few stitches, yes. Then we're back out again," I agree.

Ghost looks to me, shaking his head. "You're going to rest."

"What?" I ask angrily. "You can't just put me on bed rest! We have a few days before we go back out anyways!" I swing my arm around, wincing in pain.

"A stab wound isn't a bug bite, Red." He wraps the bandages around again.

"And I refuse to not finish this goddamn mission." I retort as I cross my arms.

"Red," he sighs disapprovingly.

"Please, Ghost. It's your call but it's also mine too. What if it was you?"

"I-" he was about to answer, but the sound of a door opening causes us to freeze. Ghost looks at me urgently, lifting me off of the counter and opening a closet. He drags me in with him, his arm snaked around my stomach with my back against him, and my mouth covered yet again.

I feel my face and body get hot from his touch, unsure if I should feel this way at all. Whether it be the circumstances or just Ghost himself. His grip slowly tightens around me as a guard enters the room, waving a gun around.

"Clear." The guard says.

"Graves said we need to find and kill them- there is no way that girl is alive." Another says.

"Yeah well there's a good chance she's dead- look at this blood. They must have left the building."

That's me, mother fuckers.

"Let's go, we're wasting fucking time." The heavy church door seems to close behind them, and Ghost opens the closet door immediately releasing me without a word.

"Soap, hurry your ass. They're closing in," Ghost says into his walkie.

"I'm about a block away; be outside, we got some walking to do. How's Ruby?"

"Alive and well, Moron. I feel like I can run a goddamn mile," I joke.

Ghost looks down to me then out the window, gathering his gun. "You good to walk, Laswell?" He asks.

"I'm fine. I'll show you." The truth was, I wasn't fine. But I knew in a few days time I would be. I had to work a mission in Iran where I had to survive with three untreated stab wounds. A stick, bedsheet, and lake water. A homemade tournaqnuette and a makeshift wrap around bandage. Worked like a charm; and I wasn't going to pussy out now.

Ghost and I walk outside, immediately met with Soap limping towards us, waving. Soap points to a building, and we follow suit behind an alley way and keeping our cover.

"Alejandro and Rodolfo are meeting us at the security building over there, I already radioed them under the radar. Price and Gaz are flying the chopper over here." Soap says.

"Copy," Ghost responds.

"Thank God," I sigh. I look to Soap, who looks to me with a baffled expression.

"Glad to see you alive and.. uh.. half naked.. Laswell." Soap says nervously. I notice where his eyes were.

"Soap." I say with a stern look.

"Right, sorry. Onward." 

I look to Ghost who gives me and Soap a specific look I couldn't put my finger on. Ghost was the definition of unreadable, and I didn't know if he came with a manual but it damn sure would be nice to have a travel size pocket book.