Just a dream (I can feel you staring at me)

Chapter 22: war is over

The blood was dripping down his hand, the burning of the wound almost unbearable.
“Why did you just stab your goddamn hand?”, Robin hobbled alongside him, both of their steps slow and uncertain.

Desperately cursing under his breath, he tried to remove his bandana without having the blood or hair ripped out with it.

He and Finn were the last to leave the basement, looking at the unrecognizable body of their former tormentor. They killed him. It was finally over.
They had won his game- no they had won the war. They had won.

They had won the fucking war.

"I had to.. the spirit of him wouldn't have left otherwise. Somehow.. there are things that keep spirits in this world, and only when that's finished can they go." Finn explained, his voice shaky and just tired. His brain felt like thousands and thousands of needles were pocked into it. It felt so tired.

"I didn't mean that! I knew that, idiot." murmured Robin, stopping Finn once they were in the kitchen.

"Give me your hand.. I'll tie- tie something around your hand." he murmured, and no matter how much Finn tried to protest, Robin just grabbed his hand and carefully tied the bandana around it. It was instantly drenched in blood, but Robin seemed content.

It felt surreal like it couldn't be. Robin lived. Robin was alive and beside him, leaning helplessly against him and Finn supporting him. It was so unreal.

They lived. They all lived.

Tears fought their way into Finn's eyes, but they had to move on. They couldn't stay here any longer.

On the one hand it felt like the walls were getting closer and closer, threatening to crush the six boys and on the other hand they had their wounds.

Griffin's hands had been crushed, bleeding and with broken bones. Bruce had taken a good kick and the cut above and below his eye. Paperboy definitely broke something and also had several cuts. Vance and Robin, alongside Griffin of course, had arguably the worst wounds in comparison.

The loud and blond curly haired barely had the strength to walk, the bandages Bruce had put on him were bleeding all over him and his hands didn't look too good, and Robin more than likely had a concussion and the stab wound in his shoulder, which Finn suppose would have been on his neck had the two not dodged, drenching his shirt in copious amounts of blood.
And Finn himself? His throat hurt, his voice was rattling whenever he spoke, and as far as he could tell, a dark ring of blue and red had formed on his neck, where once the hands of the man had been. His head hurt and his whole body was sore. The bite still wasn’t bleeding but hurt like hell, and the stab or cut in his hand bled all through Robin’s bandana.

The house, the few steps they walked in the direction of the living room, felt like hell. The house was dark, suffocating, and yet was the knowledge of having died in those walls the least part of what made it feel like this.

Walls out of cardboard were placed like it was a maze, and yet didn’t fully reach the ceiling.

“This fucking motherfucker..” Vance huffed in pain, and Bruce, who was walking alongside and supporting him, shook his head.

"Shut up, okay? The door is right over there.. no need to stay in this shithole a minute longer." he murmured.

Griffin sniffed, casually helping Paperboy walk. Bruce had managed to bandage his hands temporarily, but it wasn't very good.

And Bruce was right.

As they walked through an opening in one of the cardboard walls, they found themselves in what Finn recognized as the monster's living room.