Nuclear

Chapter 15: Crash

"Ren? Ren! Wake up!" Cass whisper-screams as she shakes Ren.

"Ren, you gotta wake up! You're having a nightmare. Ren..."

Ren keeps staring at the ceiling, tears rolling down her face. "No... I don't want to... " she whispers. "Please, just let me go."

Her words make me wonder what horror the Wendigos made her relive, what they made her see in that cave. What traumatic memory she has to recover from all over again. I can't do much except sit here helplessly, and I hate myself for it.

"Can you wake her up Cass? More effectively?"

Cass sighs. "I can try. It might hurt though." Nevertheless, she shuts her eyes and sits down. "Come on, wake up you stupid Birdie," she mutters under her breath.

A moment later, Ren bolts up gasping. She blinks, looking like she'd just been punched. "There's..."

"You're okay Ren," I whisper. "You're okay."

"Those things, they're..."

"It was a nightmare Ren," Cass soothes. "You're awake now. They can't get to you."

"Yeah... yeah," Ren trails off, still trembling. "They can't get to me."

"Are you okay?" I ask.

Ren doesn't look at me. "Yeah, I'm fine," she says a little too quickly, rubbing her arms. She shifts her weight and winces as she moves her injured leg. She wipes her face. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Cass asks, her casual tone not masking her concern in the least.

"Yes Cass," she hisses.

"Do you want to go back to sleep or..."

Ren glares at me. "I'll stay up. I'm not tired anyway." She clearly is, but I don't really want to argue with her now. "And both of you, stop treating me like I'm gonna break. It's just a nightmare, I'll be fine."

Cass, apparently, is ready to argue with Ren anytime for her well-being. "Ren. in case you haven't noticed, you are injured and drained. That would make you very tired. You're either going to go to sleep, or you're going to end up like Harley; in bed for a week."

I elbow Cass. "Hey, don't use me as an example," I hiss.

"If you're you're going to stop babying me, I'll lie down, okay? But that's it, I don't want any special treatment. From anyone."

"Fair," I mutter.

"Just don't tell anyone about this. I don't want them fussing over me."

"Don't worry about it, Ren. You need to rest right now."

"Trust me, Dani will drug you if she has to. It's not fun, trust me."

Ren cracks a smile. "Okay, I get it. now go."

Cass and I leave Ren and go outside. " You wanna tell me about that incident?"

I sigh, hiding a smile spreading on my face. I run my tongue over my teeth. "Only if you tell me what's up with you, Ren and Jake."

Cass huffs. "Fine. You first, though."

I laugh. "Dani must've done it at least five times. Last time was maybe a few months ago." That was a lifetime ago. Before Tachyon. Before paying off Raymond. "I was supposed to pay this guy for keeping me hidden from social services and keeping me safe, which isn't cheap. I worked my butt off trying to get money legally."

"So you, an unregistered teen, got a job?"

"Yeah, thank the guy I had to pay. Anyway, the payment had a deadline, so I hadn't slept in a few days. Child labour laws couldn't stop me. Don't ask me how Dani found out because one day she showed up after my shift to give me some food."