When The Dead Arise

Chapter 52

You didn't mind it that much. What hurt was having to leave your friends, but you could pull through it. You had dealt with being pulled away from your friends before, and had sadly gotten used to.

You sat in the couch that had belonged only to you for the past four months. You gazed blankly at the coffee table, not touching the sushi on a silver plate before you. You began to think back to the interrogation room.

What happened to your arm?" You gasped.
He shook his head and gave the simple sign for 'no'. You held your tongue and turned back to your friends.

"Don't worry Fire," Lady Jaye stepped out from behind Snake, "I'll make sure you can talk to them again at least once."

You turned away from the hurt looks on their faces and gazed at the floor. You have a single nod as a response and closed your eyes. You felt one strong broad amr wrap around you. You didn't fight it, and let it engulf you in warmth and love.

"Fire," Rip Cord pushed himself of from leaning against the wall, "I'm sorry, but it's time for you to go."

Snake released you and patted your shoulder hesitantly.

"How long do I have to wait before I can speak to them again?" You asked, not once looking up from the table.

"One month," Lady Jaye responded, not drinking the coffee in her hand.

You gave a low growl in your throat. You felt Snake's hand rest on your shoulder from behind you, but you shook it off.

"I just dont get why it bothers you so much," Jinx spoke up from beside you.

You turned your head just slightly to look at her.

"After all," she said, "You've been seperated from your friends before. And even when you didn't know the next time you would see them, you were fine."

"And the streets," Rip Cord added, "You were seperated from people for days, not knowing with they would come back, weren't you?"

You didn't bother to try and figure out how he knew that. In fact, you felt your head about to split open just trying to think about it. All you cared about was having all of your duty ripped away from you.

"What's going on?" Jinx asked you. You ignored her. Snake tapped your shoulder, but you ignored him. Jinx kicked your old boots, but you simply kicked her back.

"What else is bothering you?"

"Just!" You wanted to walk away and slam a door, but the only door to slam is the exit, "Leave me alone."

Rip cord gave a long and heavy sigh, "Fire."

"What?" You realized all too late how sharp your voice came out. "Sorry." You mumbled more quietly.

"Is what this job requires from you," he hesitated, and everyone but you seemed to know what he was thinking, "finally breaking you apart?"

You didnt answer. For an entire hour you didn't answer. You didn't know how. You didn't know what to answer with. So, for the next month, they left you alone.

For an entire month no one talked to you. For an entire month you laid in bed all day. You got up to eat or use the bathroom, but other than that you never left. Jinx would bring you food every three days. Sinple things. Sometimes she would even cook you a meal and leave a bowl or plate for you on the coffee table.

Snake visited for the first week. He kept trying to get your attention by shaking you with his good arm. But he stopped coming after he realized that you weren't going to respond.
You had nightmares, several of them. Each was about someone dying. Your friends, Snake, Jinx, Rip, all of them. All in different ways. Gun shot, cliff, sword, wild animal. And each ended with you screaming awake and crying yourself to sleep.

On the twentyith day of the month Professor Ackerman visited. When you didn't open the door he simply kicked it down.

"At least it's neat," he mumbled after examining your room. You sat up on your bed and gazed back at him.

"Straighten your back solider!" He snapped at you. At first, you didnt want to straighten your back. You felt a weight inside of you pulling you down. It was the word 'solider' that convinced you. You were a solider. You had watched your friend die and others become endangered for you. You didn't do that for nothing.

So you straightened your back.

"Tch," Proffessor clicked his tongue, "Whatever you feel sorry for forget it."

You blinked.

"Answer me idiot!"

You inhaled and exhaled.

"Merde!" Professor snapped at you.

You lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Tch, look, you're fired from the school. Got it?"

You didn't move for several seconds before giving one single nod.

Professor gave a sigh and remained silent for what seemed an hour before speaking again, "Teresa says she still loves you."

At that you laid back down in bed and rolled so that your back faced him.

"Brat," he walked to the door with his hands in his pockets and stopped at the broken door, "I'll be back with my cleaning supplies."

He wasn't joking. He spent the next two hours cleaning up the wooden chips from the floor and replacing the door. Two whole hours. You didnt speak, or even roll to look at him. When he finally fixed the door he left witbout a word.
The next day Jinx came in and made you some rice pudding. You ate it the next day. The following day you went to the bathroom. Next day you were left alone until noon.

A bald Joe stepped into your room holding a tablet. It took you several minutes to realize that it was LGK. he gave you a dead smile.
"Please sit up, I need to do some things."

You didn't move, but instead stared at his now gone hair.

"Look," he sighed, "I know you don't want to do anything, but I have to do this. If I don't some terrible things could hapoen to you."

You sat up.

LGK poked your leg, "Can you feel that?"

Determined not to stop your temporary vow of silence you gave a simple nod.

LGK examined you for a quick thirty minutes. He did a full check up plus some. He knew the sign language alphebet so you could tell him what letters you were reading from the poster far away.

When he left you laid back down. The next day Jinx came and didn't cook you anything. The following day you fried some quick dumplings and ate them swiftly. You went to the bathroom the next day. The next day you were alone. Next day Jinx didn't come. You ate an apple the following day, using the bathroom the next. But the next day was surprising. Snake visited you.

You looked at him, and rolled away from him. You felt the edge of your bed sink in as he sat by your feet. You pulled your knees to your chest and closed your eyes.

Then you heard metal clanging on the floor. You turned towards the sound and saw that Snake's mask was thrown to the floor, discarded.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" You finally looked at Snake. You looked at him out of shock. You looked at him because, as far as you knew, this was the firat time in at least 20 years that he had said anything.

His voice was raspy yet strong. He cleared his throat and lifted his good gloved hand to his neck and rubbed it.

"Why wont you talk to me?" He slouched his shoulders. For the first time in months he slouched his shoulders. He still wasn't facing you.

"Look at you!" He gestured to you and looked at you with red eyes.

"You're so thin! Why arent you taking care of yourself?" He seemed broken. And it broke you.

"Why are you so done with yourself? Do you want to stop living? Do you want to leave me? You can't, please, I've already lost so many." That's when you saw the tear. That one single tear rolled down his cheek. And all you wanted was to put it back. All you wanted was to make it so that it had never left Snake's eyes.

"I love you, ok? Its probably not enough, but for what its worth I love you (Y/N)! So please," he opened his now teared up eyes at you, "Stay alive and be with me!"