The Son and the Sparrow

Chapter Fourteen(v3)

Chapter Fourteen

Daniel opened his eyes groaning. He must have blacked out at some point, though he couldn't remember when. His body pumped with pain, and he felt trails of dry rusted blood mask his face. He looked upward, toward the barn's ceiling, and watched the black night cascade in through the rotted roof. Daniel could see the outline of the moon, plump and bright. Daniel wondered how long he had been unconscious. He wondered how long it would be until Dante returned. He wondered if he would die when Dante returned.

To think a few days ago Leon had been the worst of his problems.

He listened to the crickets and the cicadas chirping, feeling oddly peaceful. Although he knew another, worse storm was coming, the current one had passed. He was alive, at least for now. Daniel's arms complained from being held in the same position for so long. He stretched them in their bindings, moving them as much as he was allowed, then did the same for his feet before relaxing again. The cool night air tickled his injured face, providing soothing relief. He stared at the night sky for a few more moments before turning his attention to Leon. Daniel winced, scrutinizing Leon's condition. He had been beat a magnitude more than Daniel had. His face hardly resembled a human's anymore. Why had they hurt Leon so much more than they had hurt him? Was it because Leon was the leader of the flock, so they had taken more revenge against him? Or was it because his will was stronger? Daniel looked down, feeling shame. He wished he could be as brave as Leon, but it was something he didn't possess. He was a coward.

Leon's face was a maw of bloody red meat with two closed eyes. Was he even alive?

"Leon." Daniel called.

Leon's head was slung forward, over his chest. It didn't move in response to Daniel's voice.

Daniel began to sense fear rising up his throat. "Leon?" Please, please don't let him be dead. Daniel didn't want to be alone in this place.

Leon's head twitched a fraction, proof he still breathed.

"Thank God." Daniel murmured to himself. "Leon," he hissed. "Wake up." If he had a concussion, it was probably bad for him to be sleeping. "Leon!"

Leon gasped, and bolted upright. His eyes opened and he looked around in confusion. "Wh...where am I?"

"You're in Dante's barn, remember?"

Leon's dazed eyes cleared as he recalled what had happened. Then he groaned. "Hell, everything hurts. How bad am I?"

"Pretty bad." Daniel admitted.

Leon sighed, and Daniel could hear him mutter, "how could this happen?" under his breath. Of course Leon knew that answer to that question. A trap was set for him and he had been ambushed. However, the fault could not be laid at one person's feet. Leon had fallen for the trap, but Daniel had not bothered to warn him. And Philip had set it in the first place. Philip.

Daniel grinded his teeth at the mention of him. Then, immediately after his heart gave a soft pang. He loved Philip. He loved Philip so much. How could Philip repay all that love with this? How could he be so heartless? He thought he knew the bluebird, even through his thick shell. Yet Philip had turned his back in favor of Cale. Cale, that insane emotionless bastard. Yes, Cale was Philip's brother. Yes, Cale had saved Philip once, had protected him. But that was before he became insane. Didn't Philip remember what Cale had done to him? When he looked down at that scar on his arm, what did he see? A mistake? Philip always used excuses to cover the truth. It wasn't Cale's fault. He doesn't know. He wasn't himself. He's not in his right mind. What bullshit! Cale didn't deserve Philip's kindness. He was insane. He should be in an asylum. He was a danger to everyone around him, especially Philip. And what infuriated him even more was that Philip knew that, even if he refused to admit it.