DeadLocked

Chapter 12- Switch

Chapter 12

Switch

~11 players remaining~

~O~

[ Bradley's POV ]

I couldn't stop playing with my hair, it was so short and it felt strange. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, in more ways than one. I had my sister back and she was trying to understand me. And all those nasty curls were gone. Besides, Viola was always the prettier one. Even now, with her slightly busted up face and ratted curls. We looked awful, but she still managed to be the beautiful older sister I always knew.
It was the next day, and somehow the scabs on my face reopened with a vengeance. I woke up to blood dripping down my face and pooling by my ears. Panicked, I ran into the bathroom, stepping over my sleeping friends. Sure enough, the X had opened and blood was spilling out fast. I quickly raised my hand, commanding the ring to seal the wound again. Which it did, but I felt drained afterwards. It seemed healing wounds took energy from me and I wouldn't be able to heal as much as I'd liked. Once the wound was covered, I washed the remaining blood off my face. Some had already dried in my hair, and I sighed. Seems like a shower was in order. But before I could figure out how the shower worked the door opened to reveal a very tired Kumara.

"Mornin' Bradley." She smiled, her dusty blonde hair falling all over her face and shoulders. She looked like she hadn't slept well. "Morning, you doing alright?" I asked, and she nodded. "Yeah, bad alpha stuff, unfamiliar nightmares, the usual." She hummed as she splashed cold water on her face. She then noticed the blood splatters on the floor and sink, and turned to me. "M-My..this thing. It opened while I was sleeping." I stammered out, and gestured to my face. "Sick dude, not gonna lie, that scar is really cool." Kuma smirked, leaning against the counter. "You think so?"

"I know so." With that, she pulled her hair back and left me in the bathroom. From out in the other room, I heard my friends begin to wake up. Then I decided now probably wasn't a time to shower, especially if there was only going to be more blood coming from my scar.
I walked back into the safe room, and greeted everyone with a smile. "There you are," Alice said, voice gaining strength. "Want some breakfast?"
"You know it." I smiled at the brunette and sat next to her. She handed me a tiny cereal box and I dove in. It had only been a little while, but Alice was starting to act like herself again.

Her face looked brighter and she had a little more strength than before. I leaned against the wall and sighed, "I'm glad you're back with us. You have no idea how much we've missed the real you." I chuckled, earning a soft smile in return. "Likewise. Being alone for so long could've driven me crazy I swear." her eyes flickered in remembrance, thinking back to her time alone. "Now that we're all together, we can finish this game." she breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Whatever finishing it entails, I'm sure we can do it. Now that I have these powers," I looked down at the ring and studied it. "whatever they are, I'll try and figure out how to use them properly."

The rest of the morning was spent just trying to enjoy our breakfast, Viola and I talking about how different things would be and her trying to understand more. She slipped up, a lot. But I saw how hard she tried to correct herself. It made me happy.
About an hour or so had passed since we'd gotten up for the day, and like the days before, we wanted to explore more in depth. Kumara, Finn, Viola, Alice and I went down onto the first floor to explore the remainder of the house. What we didn't expect to find was Abigail, lying unconscious in the middle of the entry way. Cautiously we approached, but it seemed like she was out cold. I knelt beside her and flipped her over, only to see her skin was clear. No bloody cheeks or rotting flesh. She looked...normal. "Guys.." I motioned for my group to look at what was supposed to be our tormentor. "What do you think happened to her?" I asked, pressing my hand gently against her chest. Strange enough there was a pulse. "I have no idea." Finn looked over her and scratched his head. "This could be a trap, we should leave this area while we can." He said, my sister nodding in agreement. "He's right. If she's still here when we come back we can-"