Man in the Wall (Who is he?)

Chapter 24 - Filled with panic

Steven's POV:

My breath catches in my throat and I try not to retch at the sight. I want to turn and look away, to yell to Frank to come instead, but I can't.

I run in and crutch down next to her pale, corpse-like body. She reeks of sweat and dry blood while another sour stench of urine, feces, and cement causes me to become bilious. I place my fingers against the sticky skin on the side of her neck to check for her throbbing pulse. An indication that she's still alive, but my insides twist at my discovery.

There's none. Not a single pulse.

"Hell cat?... Hell cat!... Enough with your damn games now, come on! Wake up! Hey, wake up!" I shout while shaking her lifeless body uncontrollably, lightly smacking her a few times against her cheek to get a reaction from her.

She doesn't respond.

I have no idea why, but for some or other reason I actually find myself caring if she's dead or alive. Which is completely unlike me. I don't care for or about anyone. I never have... well at least not anymore.

Not after what happened when I was 18. I was fucking 18 years old and stripped of my-... screw that. I'm not about to pity myself. What happened, happened. It cannot be changed, it cannot be fixed, it's broken, it's dead, and so it will remain forever.

"What's going on here? What are you doing? How is she?" Frank frantically questions from behind me as he runs into the room. As soon as he's next to me, he gasps at Vivian's state and current profile. "Dude, what the- She's not breathing!" His eyes widen at this realization.

Before I get the chance to react, he shoves me out the way and crutches down. I feel like throwing a swing at his face. The damn nerve he has to touch me. But I soon realize that he did it without thinking as he begins to panic and quickly lifts hell cat off of the bloodstained floor. He speeds towards the exit of the room while carrying her bridal style.

"Where are you going with her?" I yell out as I quickly get back up on my own two feet and start to follow him after locking the door and placing the key back in my pocket. 

"Where do you think you fucking idiot!" He yells back already halfway up the staircase. It's clear that he's heavily pissed off at me. He's not saying it now, but as soon as he drops hell cat off in the evaluation room, he's going to lose his damn mind.

I decide to let it go and mentally prepare myself for the speech that's soon about to be bestowed upon me. Not from Frank, I couldn't be bothered less with what he had to say. I prepare myself for Peggy's wrath. As petite as she is, I have seen her deeply infuriated before and trust me when I say that it's not a side of Peggy anyone would ever wish to encounter. However, since it's me, her revolting anger has no effect on me whatsoever.

"You better pray that she wakes up," Frank announces, breaking the soothing silence that existed mere seconds ago. He races through the main doors towards the evaluation room, nearly tripping on the way. I can't help but smirk at the idiot even though he cannot see me. Two left feet, what a shame.

His close fall makes me completely forget why we came all the way here in the first place. Just then my eyes latch onto hell cat's pallid complexion. She looks drained of life. Her deathly white skin pulled tight against her bones. Maybe I should have fed her at some or other point or at least given her water.

Shit.

What have I done? I think for a few seconds before realizing that I'm questioning my own actions. I have always known when to do what it is that I am supposed to do. I never question my decisions or my actions. I am precise and coherent. So why the sudden feeling of... Regret?