Without a Whisper //Danger Days//

18. Redemption Arc

Korse has become quite the hermit. He had made his new home in a tiny shack in the middle of the desert, and for the past months, he had not had anyone to speak to except for himself.

That is, until Lola came around.

The creature appeared out of nowhere one day, and Korse, needless to say, was terrified. This giant pink alien was nothing like he had ever seen before. Somehow, Lola became the only friend Korse had. The creature was a comfort. They would tell him about what was going on in the city or in the Zones. They would leave for days at a time, only to reappear when Korse started to truly feel alone.

He was shocked to find Lola return with a very frightened looking man. The only human he had seen since he first ran from the city.

The man lay on the ground, very much unconscious. His white hair was sticking out at odd angles, as if he just got into a bad fight with a badger.

"Lola, why did you bring him here?" Korse asked, scared to make any sudden movements in case the man moved.

"He needed to be here." The creature responded tenderly, looking over the passed out body.

A real human was in his presence, and Korse was very uncomfortable with that.

He hadn't had good experiences with people in the past. Being a murderer and all. He wondered if this man would recognize him. He hoped that he wouldn't be scared. Korse wasn't like that anymore. He had that revelation a while ago. The man had begun to move, ever so slightly.

"What the fuck?" He mumbled, his voice rough and sandy. When his eyes fluttered open, he appeared very shocked to see Korse and the pink alien waiting for him to function.

Immediately the man shot up, gasping for air.

"You! It's you!" He pointed at Korse, scrambling away from him. This hurt Korse a little.

"Don't be scared. I swear, I'm not that guy." Korse reassured him, stepping closer.

"Not that guy?" The man hissed in shock. "Not that guy?? You murdered people! You kidnapped and tortured my friends! You-"

He froze, his eyes growing wider.

"Maya..."

The man shot to his feet, frantically spinning around. Where was he? This wasn't the Nest, or B.L.I.

"How did I get here?" He wheezes. Lola put their hand on his shoulder, and almost instantly he began to calm down.

"I brought you here, Val. It's alright."

Val turned his head to face the alien, his face very, very still.

"Did you bring Maya."

This was not a question, more of a demand. The creature shook their head.

"It wasn't the time. I wouldn't have been able to."

Val furrowed his brow, stepping away from the creature.

"You're Lola..." he pointed sharply at them. This was the creature that Maya always spoke about. This was the creature that abandoned her and left her in the middle of the desert.

"Where the hell were you? Aren't you supposed to be her guardian or whatever? She waited for you for months! Every single day!" He was astonished, and frankly outraged. "And you just left her with them? You're supposed to look after her!" He began to pace, his hands gripping his head in stress. Lola remained peaceful, their white face was radiating serenity.

"Oh, but you've done such a wonderful job looking after her. Taking her away from BLI has always been out of my control, and it's out of your control too, unless you can get help."

This was too much for Val. He sat down on the rocky terrain, his forehead in the palms of his hand.

"So, you're telling me that I need to go back and get her with backup? Why not bring me to the Nest? I could have gathered a patrol. Instead you brought me to..." Val motioned to Korse, who was standing a small distance away.

"A fucking mass murderer?"

Korse sighed deeply. He know that he couldn't possibly explain himself, or gain any sort of respect from this man, but he could try.

"I don't want to kill anymore. Whatever I did to you and your friends, that wasn't me. That was BLI. I want to change things. Make a difference." The ex soldier explained.

Val was far too distracted to even pay attention to what Korse had to say.

"Just... take me back to the Nest. I can gather a team." He sighed, getting back on his feet.

"I had another idea." Said Lola.

"Freia Clark and her group of Killjoys are currently living in Detroit. I need you to convince them to come back."

At the mention of her name, Val jumped straight to the realization that of course she would have gone home. Where else would she have gone?

"I can bring you there after you get some rest. You need to sleep." Lola told him. Val could only stare at the massive pink entity.

"I can help, if you want." Korse piped up.

"I don't want to hear a word out of you." Val glared at him. Lola didn't like this tension.

"Korse is a good man, Val. He means well, and he has changed his ways."

For some reason, Val bought into what ever this thing was telling him. It was just so welcoming.

"Okay. Tomorrow, we go. I need sleep." Val agreed.

"I've got a couch!" Korse offered, marching into the house. Reluctantly, Val followed.

"I'd fucking assume so." Val muttered under his breath. Lola had disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

Val still wasn't quite sure if it was real to start out with.

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