Saorsa

Twenty-Six - Konrad

Konrad didn't know what it felt like to lose someone close, and he hopes he never will. He couldn't imagine how Zeke feels; the whirlwind of emotions he must be constantly going through. Aaliyah had evident resentment for Zeke right now, it was clear. He knew he shouldn't interfere, but if this tension goes on it will soon hatch into something worse.

Subconsciously, his fingers intertwined with Ophelia's, tightly holding her hand in sudden fear that she would be gone. He wanted to feel her warmth one more time, at least. The recent events shoved a sense of uneasiness in his mind, putting him in a constant loop of internal distress. He wasn't sure why the death of Kory was affecting him this way. He didn't know him personally. He might have seen him in the infirmary every now and then, but in general he had never interacted with him one-on-one.

He blinked away tears he never knew had formed, silently clearing his throat. Were his thoughts really getting to him? The more the group walked deeper into the woods, the less Konrad was finding himself present in the moment. He tried reassuring himself that everyone would be okay now but considering what had just happened hours ago; it felt impossible to believe that now.

***

The sun had fallen, the moon taking its time to shine above the Earth. The group had been sitting in a circle, either occasionally falling asleep from heavy fatigue or from how much Raymond had been talking on and on about 'positivity,' and God knows what else. Konrad stopped listening after Raymond's third speech. He leaned against a tree stump, his eyelids feeling heavy from the lack of sleep in the past couple of hours. Despite having a well night's rest since he had met Raymond, he still felt weary from the consistent walking, running, and other things he wasn't able to remember. His mind was too fogged up to realize everything he had done wasn't normal at all for a seventeen-year-old. Though, was he ever normal? He had been hidden from the outside. You will help us soon, E-419. It's all he was told whenever his curiosity strengthened beyond control. He knew what his ability was. He was never able to control it fully. That day he was taken back to the lab, when Raymond was taken. He didn't know what had happened. He just wanted to help Ophelia, he never meant to kill everyone. What puzzled him is how he didn't kill Zeke, Kory and Aaliyah. He didn't know their abilities, except for Aaliyah's. She had healing abilities. One of the other two must have suppressed it that day or put some sort of cancellation when it came to the three. He would figure it out sooner or later.

His bored gaze turned to Zeke, who was sat down next to Raymond, knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was staring at his shoes, his eyes glassy and showing that he was drained of energy from what he had been through mere hours ago. Konrad refrained from asking him if he was okay. He obviously wasn't. Word vomit rose from his throat. "Zeke," he mumbles. Zeke's head perked up as if someone had just aggressively awakened him up from a long nap.

"Yes?" he lowly said as he blinked tears away.

Konrad hesitated from speaking. He wasn't sure how to explain his question. Asking him what Kory's ability seemed insensitive. He felt guilty by just thinking about it. "What was Kory's ability?" He asks, feeling Raymond nudge his shoulder a bit harshly.

"Is this really the right time, kid?" Raymond said in a hushed tone, his stare softening. "We just lost the boy."

Zeke winced, burying his head in between his knees. Konrad had noticed that he hadn't cried during any of this. Not since Kory died. Not since he carried his body all the way to the group who had run for their lives. Zeke lifted his head, looking back up at Konrad. "I don't know. He didn't tell me." He says, his voice suddenly raspy and quieter than before. Konrad stared momentarily; slight guilt hidden in his expression. Zeke stared back, his brows furrowing in confusion and hidden annoyance. "What?" He said, visibly tensing.

Konrad shook his head. "Nothing." He muttered, softly exhaling. Silence swallowed his ability to form rational thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Zeke sniffled, his fingertip tapping his shin lightly. He vaguely nods. "Yes." He whispered, lying through his teeth. He stared at the ground, counting the fallen leaves that engulfed the grass underneath. Aaliyah seemingly found the ability to look up at Zeke, her gaze a mix of emotions; anger, and guilt just like the others. Her head hung low, only lifting it up ever so slightly to look at him. Tears made her eyes look glassy, her lips vaguely quivering.

"Do you remember anything?" She hissed, her voice nearly despondent. Zeke looked at her before averting his stare back to the floor. He didn't utter a word. "Because it seems you can barely remember how Kory died. Did you also forget that you brought the gun after he died?" Her voice seeping from venom, she kept spewing words. "It was your fault that he died. It was you, wasn't it? You killed him!" Aaliyah fumed, inching closer to where Zeke was sat. Zeke looked back up at her, tears forming in his eyes. His lips parted to say something, but nothing came out. He shook his head, gripping the fabric of his pants.

"I didn't kill him." He mutters, his voice shaky as he attempted to hide the fear that lingered in his words. "I promise." He sniffled, backing up slightly. Raymond stared at the two, his eyes focusing mostly on Zeke.

"Both of you need to cut it out. Leave him alone." He said, his voice stern for once. Konrad and Ophelia looked up at him, looking surprised at his change of tone. Aaliyah shifted back to her original place, though bore her eyes into Zeke. She stared at him momentarily, before lowering her head. Zeke wiped the tears from his eyes, occasional hiccups unwillingly escaping his throat. He buried his head between his knees, audibly taking deep, shaky breaths.

"I'm sorry." He murmurs softly.