The Sixth | Ekko

Chapter Seventeen

Six sat in the chair next to Ekko's bed, one of her feet propped up on the edge of the cot while she leaned back. Not much had changed in the coming hours. His vitals remained about the same. But at least he was stable.

Now that her adrenaline had subsided, the hunger from having not eaten for multiple days became much more obvious. Her stomach cried out, leaving a constant pain in its wake. The movements she made were shaky, and her mood remained unstable.

In the meantime, she got Honey to start organizing the infirmary. She kept an eye on her as she did so, making sure the blonde didn't half-ass it. She didn't care how sweet and gentle Honey could be. There was no amount of kindness that could make up for misplaced medical supplies during critical situations. Everything needed a set place so that they knew exactly where to go to get them and not have to waste time searching.

She couldn't help but allow worry to fester, new anxieties clumping together to form towers so high that they were sure to topple over soon. They were broke, about to run out of food, there was quite possibly a traitor amongst their ranks that had leaked the accidental shimmer variant she created, and now she wasn't sure if Ekko was going to survive. Not only was he someone important from her past, but he was also the solution to two of her problems—their need for an inventor, and their need for food. If he died, there would be no one to teach her, and their agreement about food scavenging with the Firelights would cease to exist.

Oh shit.

He was the leader of the Firelights. His absence surely must've been realized by now. It had been a good twelve hours since he first woke her up in the safehouse. They were probably worried and looking for him.

She looked at his face. His eyes were closed, the NG tube still running up his nostril. His face paint was smudged, she just noticed. She stood and got a cloth, wetting it and wringing the excess water from it. Gently, she removed the paint from his face.

She was just about to pull away when his hand shot upwards, gripping her wrist with a painful hold. She shrieked and noticed his eyes were open and he was glaring up at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, his voice husky.

She attempted to pull her arm away, but his grip only intensified. She let out a whimper, which seemed to snap him out of the aggressive trance he was in.

He released her wrist, and she brought it close to her chest to caress it with her other hand to try and rub the pain away.

"Do you remember what happened?" she questioned him.

Ekko's gaze, which had been set on her reddened arm, flickered upwards to meet hers. He took some time to think, but soon his memories came back. He began to look around the room frantically, taking in every detail. He could see again, and he was alive.

"I'm—I'm going to be okay?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at Six's lips. "Seems like it."

He released the breath he'd been holding and closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax with the relief of her confirmation. He wanted to ask about the tube in his nose but couldn't bring himself to do so yet.

Six moved over to the counter to get a flashlight, where Honey stood still, having been silently observing the brief exchange. She hadn't been in the presence of a man in a long while and wasn't sure how to behave.

As if sensing Honey's tension, Six dismissed her.

"Go. You can pick it back up later."

Honey made no verbal response, but instead nodded mechanically before sprint-walking out of the room.