(Hiatus) Truce//RedCrackle

Chapter Three

Blood Warning

Graham POV

My chin rested in the palm of my hand as I leaned heavily against my desk. A deep sigh lead to me drooping further onto the wooden surface, my knuckles brushing against the windowpane in front of me. Condensation from the storm outside beaded against my fingers, dampening my skin and cooling the burning flesh of my palm.

The small cut in my hand fit nestled right in the cupped part between my thumb and my fingers, its raw, red edges howling as I continued to ignore it. I hadn't meant to get hurt- the knife in the kitchen sink had slipped as I rinsed the dishes, and I had numbly stared as blood welled up and dripped down the drain. Eventually I had heard Player coming down the hall and quickly ran the cold water over my hand, despite the stinging pain, and wrapped a towel around it.

The sight of blood would've set him off. It would set any of them off.

And now here I sat, alone at my desk, just letting it keep on throbbing with pain as the rain battered the windows, the deep ugly red color stained into my mind like the remnants of a murdered memory I didn't want.

"What happened to your hand?"

I didn't glance up from the paper in front of me as I sat at the kitchen table with Zack. "Little slip-up at work," I lied, my fingers aching as I twirled a pencil between them. A doodle sat before me.

"Are you ok?"

I looked up to him, my face softening at the concern in his eyes. "I'm alright. It's just a little sore."

He was silent for a second, then nodded, the curls on top of his head waving sadly. His voice was frail. "Ok."

I sucked in a deep breath and turned back to look at my paper, then froze. My eyes widened. I hadn't meant to draw that.

The remains of a battle. Broken technology scattered among the bodies. Blood, charred bones, death.

A woman in a coat among it all, wasting away.

I crumpled up the paper and quickly stood to toss it in the trash, hoping Zack hadn't seen it. What was going on in my head? What was happening to me?

"I'm gonna run to get some food. You wanna come?" I asked, throat tight as I leaned heavily over the sink, feeling dizzy.

Silence for a moment, then- "Sure. And drink some water, dude."

I obliged.

"My clock kinda stopped working, Graham." I turned to find Player holding a digital clock in his hand, the black screen blank. "I already tried attaching it to a cable and plugging it in and I switched out the batteries a few times- nothing."

I frowned slightly, taking it in my hand and turning it over a bit. "Well, I mean, we could just get a new one for y-"

"Please don't," he whispered.

I stopped, mouth closing. His face was crumpled up, tears forming in the corners of his brown eyes as his lip trembled. He sniffed, running a hand through his hair. "Player?" I said softly.

"It's- i-it's my clock from m-my room back h-h-h-home." He sucked in a deep breath, lungs catching, and I quickly rushed forward to scoop his small frame into my arms as his legs failed him. Sobbing came from him as he buried his face into my shoulder, and I wrapped a tight embrace around him as my hand went to smooth the hair on the nape of his neck.

"It's ok, kid," I muttered to him. "It's ok. I've got you."

"Please can you just fix it for me I don't want a new one I just want this one please-" he rushed through his tears, a cough forcing from his throat as he struggled to breath. I loosened my hold on him as he started to shake, rubbing his back until he could force air down. "I miss them, I miss them, I miss her," he wailed, his hands forming fists as he clung to me.

I felt my eyes begin to sting, and I quickly blinked the tears away as fast as I could before hugging him back to me, cradling my little broken boy. "It's alright. I'll fix it, don't worry. I'll fix it for you," I whispered. "I'll fix it. It's gonna be ok. I'm here. I've got you."

The ghosts that haunted me insisted on haunting my friends -my family- too, and it was forcing sorrow into my soul.

I miss her, too.