Fragile Hearts [DANGEROUS FELLOWS]

⚠️THIRTY-SIX: JUST A CHEAP, OLD PEN⚠️

"Damn... this is brutal."

Zion shook his head as he stepped over the shards of glass, looking around the room in disgust.

"Who could've done this?" Ethan asked, prodding the fallen television with the end of his baseball bat. With a crackle, a handful of sparks flew from the shattered screen and danced across the carpet, making you yelp.

"Careful," Lawrence said warningly. He leaned over the television stand, reaching behind it to unplug the cord. The broken TV flashed, electricity zapping out from the raw wires before it went dead, a quiet hissing sound and the familiar smell of burnt chemicals filling the room.

"Lucky that thing didn't explode," Zion muttered, waving a hand in front of his face. You coughed, your eyes starting to water.

"Let's check the bathroom," Lawrence suggested, probably to escape the smell. "That's where the blood was, right?"

Your throat stuck at his words and you nodded quickly, not sure if you could bear to go back in the bathroom.

"Ladies first," Zion said, prodding you towards the door rudely. You froze in the doorway, seeing the smear of blood against the shining white tiles. Swallowing hard, you took a step inside to make room for the others to come.

"The bathroom's pretty normal looking," Zion commented, and you realized he was right. Unlike the mess in the other room, in here everything was still in order.

Except for the bloodstain.

"Then maybe this is where Judy was knocked unconscious," Ethan said thoughtfully. You imagined the attacker chasing Judy to the bathroom, where she'd have nowhere else to go.

"That bastard must've had her cornered," Zion realized. "A dead-end."

"She put up a fight," you said, looking back at the disarray of the other room. "But there's no way she could've stopped them in here."

"Man, when I get my hands on that guy I'll-" Zion began, but then stopped. "Lawrence? What are you doing?"

Lawrence was leaning over the edge of the bathtub, something small and black in his hands. You walked closer, peering over his shoulder to see it was an average ballpoint pen.

"I've seen that pen before," Ethan said suddenly. "It's Felix's."

"Felix?" you repeated, your throat feeling like sandpaper. "His pen? Here?"

"I had my suspicions," Lawrence said with a sigh. "He was the only one out in the hallway last night. He could've done anything he wanted."

"But why would he do this?" you asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"I don't need any reasoning," Zion said. "I'm about to go murder that guy. And I'm not joking around."

"Wait, please wait," you begged. "One pen doesn't mean anything. It's just a cheap old pen, there could be dozens of them around here."

"Are you seriously defending him?" Zion asked in shock. "He might've killed one of your friends."

"I..." you began, but then trailed off, feeling your eyes well with tears. You turned away, letting them fall, your arms hanging at your sides helplessly.

"That wasn't very nice, Zion," Lawrence scolded, putting a hand on your shoulder.

"Wait, I didn't- I wasn't-" Zion sputtered, before giving up and heaving out a breath. "Well, I'm just some asshole who doesn't understand people's feelings."

"Zion-" Ethan called, but he ignored him, storming out of the bathroom. You felt guilt wash over you and you started to go after him before Lawrence stopped you.

"Don't bother," he told you, shaking his head. "He'll be alright."

"This... everything... it's all my fault," you sniffled, wiping your eyes. "We should've never come here. It's all my fault."

"No, no, don't do that," Lawrence said. "It's not your fault. These-"

"Whatever happens, happens," Ethan interrupted. "We can't change that. We just have to keep going on."

You nodded, drying your face.

"And as far as we know, Judy's just missing," Lawrence added after clearing his throat.

Judy. You had to be strong for Judy.

"Let's go," you said, all of your tears gone. "Let's find out what happened to her."

"Then we've got some questioning to do," Lawrence said, holding up the pen.

"Answers to get," Ethan piped in, leading the way out the door. You spirits were lifted, and you followed him out back into the room just in time to see the door to the hallway close.

"W-who was that?" you asked, starting to feel uneasy. "Zion?"

"He left already," Ethan said, and Lawrence pushed past the two of you, throwing the door open and looking out into the hall.

"They're nowhere in sight," he said. "But I have a feeling whoever it was, they were listening in on us."

A shiver crawled down your spine and you looked over your shoulder in paranoia. Could there really be someone here who attacked Judy? And was it someone you knew?

"Let's go," Lawrence said. "We'll check on Sue's group and see how they're doing, and then we'll go ask Felix some questions."

Your stomach started to churn and your heart race, and suddenly you had an intense urge.

"Can I split up with you guys? I want to go check on something," you said.

"What is it?" Lawrence asked, looking reluctant.

"It'll only be a few minutes," you pleaded, and you saw him give in.

"Alright. But if anything happens, anything at all, scream." he told you.

"I'll be okay," you assured Lawrence, hurrying off to the stairs while they boarded the elevator. After what happened to Judy, you had to know if he was still okay. Because the thought of losing two friends was just too much to bear.

You reached the first floor before the elevator and you went outside, where the sun hung high in the sky, late afternoon. It didn't take long to spot the place you were looking for, and you hurried over to it, your heart pounding.

Across the enclosure of the Safe Zone you saw Sue's group in front of the supply shed. That was the least of your worries right now. None of them seemed to notice you, too preoccupied with what they were doing.

You got to the building quicker than you expected, standing in front of the double glass doors, not sure whether to knock or just walk in. Luckily a woman at a front desk saw you and swung open the door with a smile.

"Welcome to the Infirmary, what can I help you with?"

You took a deep breath, almost not wanting to go inside in case you saw something you didn't like. But you told her anyways, with a steady voice.

"Eugene," you said. "I want to see Eugene."