Human Untouched

5

After a while of heaving food I'd probably had a week ago by this point, I heard more footsteps behind me. My head turned a bit as I heard the Peacekeeper speak.

"What's going on... oh..." He sounded disgusted, as he should.

I vaguely wondered if he could smell something through the filters on his face.

"Yea." Marcus answered softly. "Is it too much to ask if you can close the door? I'm pretty sure you could hear her yelling swear words all the way down to the canteen."

The Peacekeeper didn't respond to the joke but I heard his heavy boots stomp away followed by the door clicking shut.

"You're not funny, Marcus." I mumbled dryly as I started to feel a spasm come on.

"Shut up." He mumbled, sounding slightly disheartened. "I'm pretty sure he was laughing underneath the mask."

"Whatever... ah... Whatever you say..." My voice dwindled down to a whisper as I tried to speak through the pain before more vomit spewed out of me.

It stopped not long after that. I stayed slumped against the fibre cubicle wall, my face a mess and the smell emanating from my shirt making my stomach turn in disgust. I groaned, turning my head away as I tried to force myself to my feet.

Marcus moved away from me as he straightened from his crouched position, worry in his eyes. "You're done?"

"Hopefully." I twisted to flush the commode, avoiding looking at it. "I have nothing left in me, the next thing to come will be my stomach itself."

The reflective metal showed a reflection in all my glory. Green hair dishevelled, eyes bloodshot, cheeks hollow, and the neck of my shirt spattered with something I didn't want to know about. Turning the tap on full, I put my head under it, sighing as I felt the cool water flow around me and drip from my nose. Cleaning up as much as I could, I started to feel the telltale chill before a fever set in.

"It's going to get worse." Marcus said softly from the side.

I turned to look at him, refraining from using the wet, but hopefully clean now, collar of my shirt to wipe my face. My legs wobbled a bit as I walked over to use the towel hung on the shower door. "Thanks, Marcus. You can leave now."

"You'll need my help." He replied immediately, obviously expecting this. "It'll get worse." He repeated.

"Yea, I heard you the first time." I turned to face him, face now dry. He was seated at the edge of my bed watching me with concern. "But I can handle myself."

"You almost died, Terra. Hell, you did die. I can't lose you."

I grimaced as he said that. "That's not up to you, Marcus. Please leave."

"Terra-"

"Marcus," I met his eyes with the rising irritation in mine "I'll not ask again before calling the Peacekeeper."

I hated using the Peacekeepers against him. Section D kid to another Section D kid, it was a low blow.

Surprise passed through his eyes, obviously not having expected this from me. He looked down, standing up and walking towards the door, pain in his eyes. "Do... Do you hate me?"

I sighed as I shook my head. "No. No, I don't, Marcus. I understand how you feel, seeing me here after one month of whatever they did to you. But please, we have to set some boundaries."

"Right, I'm being overbearing."

"Yes. Yes, you are. You have to understand that I just lost... Tristan. I am not in a state of mind to even get out of bed unless there's a gun pointed at me."