Puppet {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 16

"I don't know how many times I have to ask this," Kailas growled, "What. Happened?"

"Man, just... I have a headache, I have a doctor's note, I'm allowed to not tell you," Cass whined, "I got pistol whipped twice, there are cracks in my skull, man, leave me alone."

They were the first voices I heard when I woke up, but I didn't move from where I was lying on my back. I was probably back in the single bed infirmary room, far away from everyone else. Sometimes waking up you need to take a moment to remember things, but I didn't need a moment, I knew, and although I felt ill because of everyone who saw me, I also felt somewhat... at ease. Rupert was dead. One of my tormentors was dead. I deserved to just lie there for a few more minutes.

Besides, everything was hurting. My throat was dry, I could feel how chapped my lips were, probably from how I was screaming and crying. In fact, even my eyes were hurting. My right leg was numb, my wrist was stiff for some reason, like something was wrapped around it keeping it from bending, and I could tell my arms were folded over my stomach on top of the blankets. My head hurt as well, where Rupert had been holding my hair in a death grip.

"Malachi," Kailas said the name calmly, but I could hear the silent demand, "What happened?"

Malachi was quiet for such a long time I thought Kailas was going to scream, "He's fine," he finally replied, "He... will be fine."

"That doesn't answer me!"

Well there's the screaming...

"Kailas, I want to know what happened as much as you do, but if you continue to yell I will kick you out," Arthur hissed, and if I had been on the receiving end of that unspoken threat I'd probably curl into a ball, "Don't you dare wake him up."

"I'm sorry," Kailas mumbled, "I just..."

"We know," Cass said, "Trust me, Kai, we get it," he sighed in exasperation, "We had to fight to get out, okay? We... saw the Bakunawa. The Demitri Inou Con Rồng spent ten years creating."

"He was scared...," someone muttered from beside the bed, "He saved us..."

"You need to rest as well," Arthur chided, but the reply was a hum.

"I'm fine. I'm going to wait for him to wake up."

"Do you really think he'll want to see us after... after that?" Cass asked, "I want to stay too, but I get the feeling he'd want to be alone."

"Well he'll have to deal with it," came the haughty, self-entitled reply, and I almost snorted, realizing it was Dakota.

Funny how he has to sound like a rebellious teenage douche bag for me to recognize his voice.

Cass sighed, "Arthur?"

"What do you want me to do, I don't even know what happened," Arthur said simply, "I don't know why you want everyone out."

"Not everyone, just most of us. Kai can stay."

"I don't know what happened either, what good would me being here do?"

"See now, that is quitter talk right there."

"Shut up, Worm," Dakota slurred, and Cass let out the most defeated, aggravated, frustrated and angry groan I'd ever heard.

"You told him your nickname?" Arthur asked.

"No! Demi kept muttering it in his weird post assassin breakdown! God I am going to kill him!"

"Worm."

"You shut up! It was... it was just a stupid nickname I had when I was like, ten!"

There was a pause, "So you knew Demi back then?" Dakota asked, "I was thinking maybe you must have. Even Ian knew him... what happened back then?"