The Peacekeeper

Chapter 16

"Dave? Dave can you hear me? Dave, it's me Karkat. Over."

"Answer me! I know you're just sitting there in your respiteblock. You're listening to everything I say aren't you? This is most likely the shittiest prank you've ever attempted to pull. I thought John was supposed to be the juvenile one."

"I know you're there. I know you're just ignoring me. Answer me Dave!! Please. Just answer me. I need to know you're there, if you are then I have some small sliver of hope! Just...give me a sign...anything...please...I love you."

Dave's heart was breaking. The communicator was fixed and honestly, he didn't know if this was the best or worst decision he's ever made.

"Dave? Dave fuck I feel so goddamn pathetic saying this but I am terrified. I have no clue where I am. Can you even hear me at all?? Does this piece of shit communicator even work anymore??"

"Dave? I know you aren't there. I just like pretending you are. Maybe you're just asleep and then when you wake up you're going to have that shit eating grin plastered on your face as you message me back with that cliche-ass "did ya miss me?" line. Not that I don't like your overused romantic lines or that I don't miss you. ...I miss you a lot. But if you tell anyone I said that I'll...do nothing and probably just cry. Fuck, fuck this. I want to go home."

"Dave? Dave i'm way in over my goddamn head here. I'm just a weak low blood but for some reason or another they think I'm som kind of heroic troll. Like that one fictional human with all those amazing abilities. Superman? They think I'm superman or some inane shit like that. I'm so frustrated."

"There was so much blood today, well there's always a lot of blood but today...I don't know. I nearly passed out. The smell and the colors. It's all over me. But you know...thinking back to the first time I've had to do this...it's easier. And I'm scared of it being easier Dave. I don't want to be like this."

"I had a dream...you would never do that to me right? Dave. Dave answer me! You'd never kill me right? It was just that bastard clown making me see things. Fuck. Fuck Dave ANSWER ME. TELL ME YOU BASTARD."

"You're disgusting. You're a filthy murderer. ...No. No, no wait. No you're not! Fuck. My thinkpan is so messed up. I can't remember...how you were. All the thoughts of you are...horrible. Just tell me you aren't that monster I'm forced to think of. Dave, please."

He was crying again. Dave didn't know how else to react. It hurt him hearing these messages but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to stop listening. He was hearing the exact words Karkat was saying while he was slowly losing the already weak grip he had on himself. He supposed he should've expected this, Karkat did say that he attempted to contact him everyday. And he should've expected something remotely heartbreaking. It was his own fault for choosing to listen to the messages right away. Oh well, Dave was now trying his very best to stop the flow of tears. What's done is done.

The albino sniffled and set the little communicator to the side. Hearing Karkat's desperate and terrified voice made this all so much more real. It made him being gone for six years and finally coming back seem like something more than just a shitty nightmare. Karkat had legitimately been gone and flung into some other universe. He had actually been branded and had the shit kicked out of him. He actually had children and he actually had to kill off his own quadrantmates. Karkat had to go through all that while the hardest thing Dave has been through was simply losing him.

He was way in over his head here.

~

"Are you ready to run? I've been waiting patiently for this." Karkat shot up, his eyes scanning the room desperately. "Are you ready to run?" Where was he? God, he couldn't see him. The troll slowly slid off the bed, and kept himself in a crouching position. He couldn't find the source of the voice and he couldn't find his sickle. "I've been waiting patiently for this." Goddamn it. The sickle was in the living room. Why did he let himself get convinced by Dave to leave his weapon out there? Karkat's heart was beating fast, he needed those sickles. He needed that one weapon. One more quick scan of the dark room and he raced into the living room, however he skidded to a halt upon seeing a certain albino who has been haunting him recently."Hello, Karkat." Dave smiled sweetly. Karkat tensed up and took a step back.