Death Stranding: Higgs

Chapter Fifty-Two: No Time For Caution

-Higgs' POV- Amelie's Beach is dark and cold. Wet sand clings to our boots as we look around. Sam is cold with me now, not even letting me explain why I love him. He called my love a lie, said it was Stockholm Syndrome. But why? I love him! I'm sure of it. But if I even try to talk to him, he shuts down, stares at me, then walks off.

How and why did he decide that my love—our love—was all fake? Because I flinched? I did so because I was scared at his accusing tone. "Sam, please." I plead, walking after him. "Let's just talk..."
It doesn't register in my head that Sam cracking his knuckles is a warning for me to back away.
Too late.

I hear my own neck crack as my vision blurs and is jerked to the right abruptly. I blink in shock, my cheek burning at the punch to the face. Blood seeps down my nose and gets in my open mouth. The metallic taste snaps me out of my shock enough to look at Sam.
His enraged face immediately turns into one of pure shock and horror. He lets out a choked gasp as I begin to sob.

"Oh...oh my God...Troy..." He uncurls his fist, his hand trembling as he reaches out to touch my face.
I back away, feeling the thick blood dripping down my chin now. The taste of metal is choking me.
I simply shake my head, backing away as tears mix with the blood.

"I...didn't mean to do that!" Sam's voice is hysterical. "Troy, I never meant to hurt you!"
"Y-you just did..." I say, my voice low and weak.
"Troy—"
"Stop!" I shout, then spit a blood clot out of my mouth onto the wet sand. "Just...stop. Please. You made your feelings clear, Sam. I'll leave you alone."

I shakily turn around and walk away, letting the blood drops leave a trail. I hear Sam frantically try to run up to me. "Higgs!" He screams. "Hold on. Don't leave!"
I yell as he wraps his arms around my waist, forcing me on my knees in the sand. "Sam, leave me alone!" I cry.

"No, no!" He claws at my Porter uniform, my arms forced to my sides as he holds me. I weakly try to break free. I don't say anything, just sob, my breathing labored and nearly gagging on blood.
We're both down on our knees. I curl into a ball, my forehead pressed into the cold sand.

Sam is on top of me, his apologies blurring together as I zone him out. Nava is crying as well, sensing how distressed I am.
"Higgs, I'm so sorry!" His voice cracks, his arms around my stomach, making my breathing difficult.
"I couldn't control myself. Higgs, baby, I'm so sorry." Now he's crying.

I feel his breath on the back of my neck, his breathing broken into fragments as he tries to compose himself.
"Let me go, Sam." I say, my voice watery.
He reluctantly does so, and I crawl away from him. I cough, my chest burning as bad as my cheek is.
Jesus, Sam can pack a punch to rattle your jaw.

I lean back against the carcass of a beached whale, it's skin slowly decaying. A few feet away, Sam is still crying, clawing at the wet sand in an aggressive way.
I feel the blood on my skin begin to dry. My nostril is clogged with a blood clot, limiting my breathing into shaky rasping.

"What do you view me as, Higgs?" Sam looks up, mascara running down in long lines. "Your enemy or your lover?"
Despite the circumstance, I choke out a strangled laugh more akin to a cough. "How am I supposed to answer that? I view you as both, Sam." I lean back, my head beginning to hurt.
"You're both to me. I care about you. I really love you, Sam Monaghan. You're crazy and unstable, but I love you. I thought we were going to face Amelie together. As a team. Fighting now would be stupid."

Sam blinks his milky eyes, more tears mixing with his mascara. "I was wrong, then." He whispers. "I was wrong about everything. Those deep conversations...you really meant everything you said to me: about how life is beautiful and worth living."
I nod, my nose having stopped bleeding minutes ago.

"I really am a villain, aren't I?"
"You can change that, Sam. Yes, your wife and child are dead, but you are still alive. You have me. I can help you however you need it, Sam. If you wanna cuddle when all of this is over, then so be it."
Sam looks me over, sniffing. "What did I do to deserve you, my dearest Porter?"
"You're a lot like me, Sam. We both need to vent out our problems. Not to each other...no, that would only worsen things. But to other people, preferably to Bridges." I look down at Nava.

She looks up at me. I smile down at her before returning my focus back to Sam. "How?" He cries. "How can you be so hopeful about everything? To see the bright side even on the darkest days?"
"Because I'm alive. And so are you. We can change things for the better. But I will need your help."
Sam hiccups, nodding. He lets out a shuttered breath, wiping his eyes.

"I've been broken for so long." Sam says. "I viewed all of my cracks in my mind as big flaws."
"Even a fractured mind can be put back together." I murmur. I watch Sam collapse into tears again. "You're such a good person!" He weeps. "I'm still so sorry I punched you."
"Your apology is accepted." I smile.

"It seems you two are off to a rocky start," Amelie's voice makes us both look out towards the ocean. She walks in calmly, looking between the both of us.
"Has Samuel told you the plan?" She asks.
I nod, staring at her.
"And will you be able to listen to my story? Why I am the way I am? Will you be able to convince me to change my mind, son of Clifford Unger?"
I take in a deep breath, feeling blood stick to my face in sticky clumps. "Yes, Amelie. Let me hear your story."

For the first time, I see her smile slightly. "Very well. Both of you get comfortable, this may take a while to register in your heads."