LiS: All Wounds

Rest

–

["Now you remember, Max: you're in charge."]

"Yes, Ma'am."

Max couldn't help but crack a smile at Joyce's remark. It was so relieving, just to...hear the woman's voice again after everything. It was a...bit more broken than she remembered, though, but...-

["I'm sure you mustn't be feeling too well, so I won't keep ya'll."]

"Oh, no, no, not at all, it's...fine."

["You sound so tired, Hon."]

"Y-yeah..." Max sniffed. She could still taste a bit of blood that had back-trickled down her throat. "I've, um...had it easier than you, though. I bet."

Joyce sounded pretty ragged. Max could tell, just from the sound in her voice, that she'd been to a hospital. Still was at a hospital. There was just that...hospital...vibe to her tone. That sort of, 'grateful-to-be-alive' kind of thing. Yea, Max could relate.

["Well, I won't lie...I have seen better days."]

Max had to ask.

She didn't want to ask. But she had to.

"H-...How did you make it out? I, um-...I heard the Two Whales...-"

["It held up longer n' I thought it would, I can tell you that. Ironic, ain't it? I'd started dreading that place, feeling like it was stealing my life away, trapping me, and...it ended up giving me more time on this earth."] A heavy sigh. ["I only wish I could say that for everyone inside..."]

"Warren..."

["Ah. So you read about what happened?"]

"Um, I-...S-sort of, only that...he...-"

["I'm so sorry, Max. I know that boy was a good friend of yours."]

"He was."

["There was some kind of...gas leak...ignited. Nothing anyone could do."]

I could've done something about it...I did do something about it...but then I...-

["He was...gathering supplies for us old folks. I told him he shoulda...-"] Coughing, followed by another heavy sigh.

Joyce didn't sound quite as...broken as Max might've thought, actually. More, like...tired of it. Tired from it. Because of it. There came a point where you just...ran out of energy to care for a while.

Max knew the feeling. Reading those names...and still not knowing if that list would grow as more bodies were discovered in the wreckage...that was a bitch. She had to keep convincing herself there was nothing she could do now, lest she start slipping back into...-