Games Seem So Easy

Ch. 22

::Cry's POV::

I'm in a field, staring at a house. It's burning, burning to the ground. My arm is on fire. It hurts. I reach to try to put it out, but all that happens when I do-

"Shit!" I moaned, waking up from my dream. I pulled my hand off my wound, wiping the blood on my pants. I guessed my numbness was gone, as I was suddenly feeling a painful throbbing where I'd been attacked.

Toby knelt down and waved a hand in front of my eyes, which I swatted at. He turned to Pewdie.

"Go get Delilah!" Felix ran out into the hall, passing an ashen looking Dan. When my eyes flitted over Dan, he shot me a hateful glare. I knitted my brows, not understanding why he could possibly be mad at me.

Stephano sat in the corner, rubbing his temples. He looked like he was trying to decide how he felt. Piggy and Jennifer were nowhere to be seen, but that probably meant they were busy making out.

Delilah came back through the door, looking even more worn out than she had been before the zombie fiasco. But when she saw me struggling to sit up, she smiled huge.

"Ryan! Fuck yes, you're okay!" She cheered, sitting down beside me. I patted her knee.

"I'm not so sure that's true, but I'm alive. How're you doing?" I responded, coughing a little. Delilah rolled her eyes. Then she noticed that I'd accidentally picked at my bite, and she began to redress it.

"Oh, I'm just lovely. Went shopping, got a massage, ate the most delicious chicken. You really missed out." She teased, fixing me up. I winced when she knotted the fabric tight. I managed to sit up, cracking my knuckles and rolling my shoulders.

"Better make a haul vlog of your purchases for when we get home." I shot back, flexing my hands and testing everything out. Delilah laughed. I saw Dan walk out into the hall, scowling.

"But really, what all did I miss?" Delilah sighed, dropping her hands into her lap.

"Well, what do you remember?" She asked, picking at a string on the bottom of her shirt. I tilted her chin up with the hand on my good arm, causing her to force another smile.

"I remember the zombie, being bitten, and passing out. That's it." I told her. She nodded like she'd rehearsed, like she'd expected my response to be the way it was.

"Cry, Phil was also bitten. I found a cure, and that's why your still here with me, but there wasn't enough for two people." I slumped, pressing a hand to my forehead. Delilah reached for my arm, but I leaned away.

"He died, and I got to live?" Eyes beginning to rim with tears, Delilah bobbed her head. Her lips were quivering, like an earthquake was happening on her face.

"I didn't want someone to have to die but I just did what I did because... I don't know! You were closer? Maybe I subconsciously thought you were more deserving... I have no clue why I picked you, so don't even ask. Don't. And Dan, who was pretty much the only person I was really talking to, hates me for letting Phil die. In his eyes, I killed him. I'm so sorry, Ryan. I'm even such a selfish bitch that I wanted you awake so I could have someone to tell all this too. You know who talked to me while you were gone? The fucking cat. The god damn black 'save-your-game' cat." She sputtered, a few tears brimming her eyes and splashing down. I used one hand and scooted myself next to her, easing my fucked up arm around her. She crossed her arms and buried her face between her elbows, leaning into me.

"Thank you for saving my life, D. You didn't kill Phil, the zombie did. I'm here for you, even if Dan isn't. We'll figure everything out, and we'll solve every last puzzle in this house. How about you get some sleep, since I noticed you didn't sleep well that other night, okay?" She cry-laughed a little, pulling a cushion over and knocking me onto my back. She threw the cushion onto my stomach and buried her face in it.

"Careful with the cripple, okay?" She laughed, face still sunk into the fabric of the cushion she was using as a pillow.

"Nighty-poo." I raised an eyebrow. Whatever.

"Nighty."

• • • • •

::Delilah's POV::

When I woke up, still half on top of Ryan, I finally felt awake. I'd been so tired, but I'd actually got a good nights sleep.

I got everyone else up, everyone nibbling on what food was left over as the crawled out of their makeshift beds. We went to the door in the kitchen, the one that unlocks when you solve the poison puzzle, and opened it. The stairway was spotless, crystal clean. We clomped up the steps, walking up to the second floor.

Once there, I turned to face the mob I was leading. They all looked at me, each face with different emotion. Hate, faith, pride, hope. I swallowed.

"The next puzzle is the one where we have to get the rope from the spider room, to give it to that person in the library, I think. And I can't remember how it ties in, but the one after that has to do with saving the butterfly from the spiders web." I told the waiting group, scratching the back of my head. Stephano nodded, smiling.

"Let's go, then." He said, hurrying me along. We did.

In the spider room, I began to peer into barrels to try to find the rope. Pewds looked quite irritated. Cry helped me look.

"See, it's always the barrels fault." Muttered Pewdie, hesitantly approaching one to aid in our search.

"Found it!" Ryan yelled, holding the rope up. I snatched it from him, and motioned for everyone to follow me.

We went to the library, where I handed over the rope. The invisible person placed the 'Book of Death' in my palm. I thanked the ghost-thing, and walked back to the boys.

"I remember the next part." Toby announced. Dan was glaring from by the bookshelves. Cry was looking a little sad.

"You mean putting that murderer book onto the shelf in that butterfly model room?" I asked, making sure he actually did know. He nodded, sharing a look with Felix.

"You've put your neck out for us a lot, lately, and Cry's injured, and Dan is... Dan, so me and Pewdiepie figured we'd take care of this one." It was nice, what Toby was offering to do, but I noted untold motives. I smiled unenthusiastically, and told them they could do it if that's what they really wanted. So they left, the rest of us just milling about in the library. Ryan clearly needed painkillers, but since we didn't have any I put him down for a nap. At least it'd be a little better for him, that way.

Dan and Stephano sat reading books, and Piggy and Jennifer had left the room a while ago. I twiddled my thumbs, bored, hoping things we're gonna be okay.