Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 18

More and more survivors came into the camp over the next few months. Rufioh had to witness the awful things they would do to themselves. He never let Karkat see, not matter how much he begged. Rufioh tried to keep as many people as he could calm, with the help of others, but sometimes it didn't work. When the next year's February rolled around the people stopped flooding in. Some would wander in and out, but for the most part it had slowed down. Rufioh continuously had nightmares about all of the people. He couldn't sleep one night, so he wandered out of the tent and sat just outside of base. He stole a flask from jones and drank all of the contents, which was something he'd never done before. He hoped that making himself drunk and forgetting for just a bit would help. He didn't get drunk, unluckily for him.

Karkat noticed Rufioh's disappearance and ran around looking for him. When he finally found him again he ran over and hugged his back. "Rufioh! D-don't run away!" Karkat shouted.

"Hey, hey..." Rufioh pulled Karkat into his lap. "What's wrong? Why did you wake up?" He didn't know that Karkat had constant night terrors.

"Bad dream..." Karkat answered, burning his face in the soldier's chest. "I don't know where you were."

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you. I'm fine, just looking at the stars is all..." Rufioh lied, laying down on the grass with Karkat on his chest.

"What that?" Karkat pointed to the flask, sitting up and grabbing it.

"Nothing...it's empty anyway..." Rufioh shrugged, sort of glad he wasn't drunk now.

"You drink it?" Karkat asked, picking it up and looking inside the dark bottle.

"Yeah, I did. It's fine..." Rufioh sat up and looked over at Karkat. "Hey, kid, what's your family like? I've never asked...if you're okay with it..."

Karkat looked over and nodded. He sat in front of Rufioh and stared at the sky. "I have three kid. Meulin, Kankri, and nepeta. Nepeta eight now. Meulin seventeen. Kankri would be sixteen..." He looked to his lap and sighed. "Silas is good, nice, kind person...always loved persons... He never say that they were bad without knowing first. Dessie is sweet...she always keep me safe... Meulin have boyfriend name Kurloz. Have not seen him in while... Gamzee not too. He is my best friend, Gamzee. We tried to go to makara's, Gamzee, Kurloz, and Haakon house. We go to ampora's anyway. Cronus' dad say we were bad! Me and Kankri! Say he is at concentration camp! He want us dead. Say we aren't persons. Say we aren't friends. Say bad things..." Karkat covered his ears and leaned over. "That's what dream is about! Every time!"

"Karkat..." Rufioh pulled him back, trying to comfort him again. Karkat, instead, pushed Rufioh away and hugged himself.

"Fine!" Karkat shook his head, continuing what he was saying. "Uh, rosa, porrim, and kanaya uh... Rosa sister of Silas. They er family. They take care of all when Silas and Dessie work. She really nice! I don't know where she go... I'm scared... She and them made me feel safe like Kankri... I not seen any for three years. Psiiya, Sollux, and Mituna just saw me for now! They er the first I have seen! Psiiya friends with Silas for long time!! Really nice, but scary sometimes. He take care of us too! Lot of kids! Fun though! ...I miss it..." This was the first time he had opened up to anyone about his family. He was kind of happy to talk about them. "Silas is teacher, Dessie too. When hitler rule, they only taught Jewish kids. Not a lot of money. We had not a lot of food...Rosa lost her job as nurse and left. Psiiya arrested and we take Sollux and Mituna. Less food... Less things... We moved to place called ghetto. Lot of persons died there. Lot of sick and hurt... It was scary... Then, government persons come in and put stars on us." Karkat drew the Star of David in the dirt. "Made most walk down the main roads with things they had. Never saw again... Everyone say they died in place called gas Kammer. Don't think it was thing until we go. Almost get put in one, but Haakon saved us. We saw persons die in that place. Heard them scream and cry... Beg to live, let kids go. No one cared. Babies died... Death camps..." Karkat said the last words quietly, hugging his knees. "Stay with Cronus and got food. Now here. I like it here... I like it with you..."

Rufioh looked over at the child, thinking that he might actually need to take him back to America. He didn't want to force Karkat to leave his country, his continent even, but that might be the only thing he could do. He wondered if Karkat had ever thought of it. He hoped that Karkat wasn't scared with him. "Well, you can stay with me for as long as you want. I won't let you see anymore of that stuff."

"You won't let me see anyone!" Karkat argued.

"I have a reason to! You don't need to talk to them!" Rufioh argued back, not wanting to have this conversation right now. "Let's get back to the tent and get some sleep."

"No! Why not? I want to talk to them!" Karkat argued back, crossing his arms.

"Because I just don't want you to! Okay?" Rufioh didn't want to tell Karkat his reason, but he knew he would have to.

"No!! Not okay! Why? Why? Why? Why???" Karkat continued yelling why, getting louder and louder.

"FINE!" Rufioh finally yelled. "Because they kill themselves! They come in with wounds and all of them tell me things I don't want you to hear! They say things to me and about other people, what they've seen or heard of experienced! They claw at themselves, slowly losing their minds! I've seen them lose their minds and tried to kill either me or themselves! I don't want you to see that!!" He was shaking, trying so hard to stay strong and calm. It wasn't working well and he wanted to break, but he had to stay strong.

"I've seen that." Karkat said bluntly. "I've seen more things you think! Lose minds! Mituna! He lose his mind! I see my dad die!! HIS THROAT WAS CUT OPEN!!!" He screamed at Rufioh, eyes filling with tears. "My eye was cut out!! I have thing on my chest that say that I'm bad!!"

"Karkat, Karkat, please!" Rufioh tried to grab him. "Please! I shouldn't have said anything!" He held Karkat close, pressing him against his chest.

"My bad dreams that! I have them before too! Now they er worse!!" Karkat sobbed into Rufioh's chest. He was slightly hitting Rufioh, but the blows got less and less. He finally let all of his weight fall onto Rufioh as he hiccuped and sobbed.

"Shh...shh...there there..." Rufioh gently rocked Karkat back and forth, keeping him close. "I've got you...shh...no more bad dreams..." He did this until Karkat fell asleep, tightly curled on his chest. Rufioh sighed, laying down on the grass. He stared up at the stars, listening to Karkat's soft breaths. They weren't disturbed by nightmares or injury, they were calm and relaxed. Finally at peace in his sleep. Rufioh soon fell asleep to the soft light of the moon and the calm breathing of Karkat.