Evolved

42. Friends.

The fighters at the settlement were having some issues of their own. 

The low-level Evolved was easy enough to break. Arlo and Ivy healed their minds, and they quickly joined the community's side, but the companions Jean brought were too far gone. They fought against the fighters as soon as Jean stopped for a breath. 

One evolved with bear claws for hands, broke free from the fighter's grips, and ran directly for Arlo. Ivy quickly sprinted and shoved Arlo's body out of the way, getting the full brunt of the enraged Evolved. 

She grasped his head between her palms, praying that she could heal him. Anything to calm his animal mind. But it was no use. Arlo tried to pull him off her as Ivy's agonizing screams pierced the air. "Help!" Arlo screamed and Jean ran over, but it was too late.

Bloody gurgles cut off Ivy's screams as the Evolved disembowelled her. Her friends screamed in fury and went to kill him when Joel shouted for them to stop and turned his visage into a hideous-looking Azrail. 

The Evolved stopped to look at their master, but when no control exuded from him and they received no change in message, they turned on the community again. Jean ran over and pushed him out of the way of the same damned bear's claw before screaming at him. "What are you doing?"

He stood, still in Azrail form, and asked her to sing one more time while shoving in the earplugs from his pocket. She was exhausted, but she let her voice ring out, stilling everyone in the square. 

"Let's try the power of suggestion." Joel smiled crookedly at Jean and rubbed his massive hands together. He was truthfully nervous and didn't want to give Jean another reason to think him a fool. Clearing his throat, which was scratchy and insanely raspy, Joel shouted, "Everyone, sit down!" 

They obliged and his excitement started to peek through. He looked at Jean but her eyes were focused on the crowd. She appeared to be looking through them. She was tired, he realized in surprise. He had never seen her in a weakened state, Jean was always a force to be reckoned with. 

He turned on the defiant group again. "No one is going to hurt anyone else. So just stay put!" He growled the last words alongside Jean's beautiful song and when she stopped they all remained still. Joel's smile returned as did his normal form, as he looked at all the passive Evolved from both sides. 

He pulled out the earplugs stuffed in his reddening ears. "We make a good team Jean!"

She was shocked to see his half-baked plan worked and patted his shoulder with a small laugh when a bloodstain grew across Joel's belly. He looked down confused and touched the wound, his hands quickly becoming drenched in his blood. "What?" He couldn't understand what he was seeing or feeling. 

His back was on fire.

Jean screamed in fury, her canines elongated as she grabbed the throat of the Evolved behind him. She vaguely saw the heinously long blade in his hand as she buried her teeth into his neck and ripped his throat out. 

His mouth gaped open and his hands clawed at the exposed windpipe before he became paralyzed by her venom. She threw his limp body into the dirt and crouched by the crumpled body of Joel.

"Hey, wake up. You are not dying on me kid. Not you too dammit" She shook him and his eyes fluttered open barely. His organs must have been perforated, she thought worriedly.
"Arlo? Arlo, I need you." She was still weeping over Ivy's dead body and a sob tore through Jean's own gravelly throat.

"Hey, don't cry over me Jean. You'll give me an infection." He coughed feebly still holding onto his classic humour. 

Jean huffed and pulled his head onto her lap.  "You're gonna be okay, Joel. Hera will break Azrail's mind control soon and then everyone will go back to normal and you will heal up fine. You're fine. Just a scratch. Arlo!" 

The other healer crawled over still shaking and snivelling, doing a quick once over. Her hands shook as she hovered over his wounds.

"Tell Hera, I'm sorry."

"Shut up, you tell H.." 

Joel interrupted her with a cough. "And I'm sorry to you too Jean. We got off on the wrong foot." He was so, so pale. Jean was covered in his blood. "I wish I could have been your friend."

"You are my friend. I'm sorry for how I treated you. I'm sorry." She could see his wound was closed but his light was flickering out. "Stay with me, Joel." She stroked his head and her tears fell freely. She screamed when Arlo's head shook sadly. "Help him. What good are you, Healer?" She sneered at Arlo who broke down, her howls started to sound like a dying animal. Jean pushed her away from Joel's ashen body.

"Sing for me." She heard him whisper before he sang a tune she knew well. His voice was weak but his humour clung to the very end. "Don't let the sun go down on me..."

More involuntary tremors shook through her before she crooned back, "Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see." His breathing hitched on the next line and she saw through tears his smile as her voice brought him solace. She finished the song, sniffling all the while, "But losing everything is like the sun going down on me..."

There was silence in the clearing. She didn't need to look down to know what had happened but it was still wrong. 

She couldn't comprehend it. Didn't want to. Why is he cold? "Joel?"

She vaguely heard Arlo say something about blood. Too much blood. "He's lost too much blood, Jean". And "He's gone, Jean". She vehemently refused to believe any of it as she finally looked into his unseeing eyes.

"Stupid boy." She kissed his cheek. Only the second boy she'd ever kissed. She pulled his limp form into her arms and carried him to the small clearing by the forest's edge. Wildflowers were fighting with the snow, aching to see the sun. 

She pressed her lips onto his head one last time before laying him down to rest. 

Jean helped carry Ivy to lay next to him and she cried, waiting for it to be over.