---
Katsuki dropped the sheath and buried his knife into the monkey's back, stabbing it again and again until it released its jaw. He kicked it away, bracing for more. (M/N) had the arrows now, a loaded bow, and Denki at his back, breathing hard but not actively engaged.
"Come on then! Come on!" Katsuki shouted, panting with rage. But something had happened to the monkeys. They were withdrawing, backing up trees, fading into the jungle, as if some unheard voice called them away. A Gamemaker's voice, telling them this was enough.
"Get her," (M/N) said to Katsuki. "We'll cover you."
Katsuki gently lifted up the morphling and carried her the last few metres to the beach while Denki and (M/N) kept their weapons at the ready. But except for the orange carcasses on the ground, the monkeys were gone.
Katsuki laid the morphling on the sand. (M/N) cut away the material over her chest, revealing four deep puncture wounds. Blood slowly trickled from them, making them look far less deadly than they were. The real damage was inside. By the position of the openings, (M/N) was certain the beast raptured something vital, a lung, maybe even her heart.
She laid there on the sand, gasping like a fish out of water. Sickly green, her ribs as prominent as a child's dead of starvation. Surely she could have afforded food, but turned to the morphling just as Shota turned to drink, (M/N) guessed. Everything about her spoke of waste - her body, her life. The vacant look in her eyes. (M/N) held one of her twitching hands, unclear whether it moved from the poison that affected their nerves, the shock of the attack, or withdrawal from the drug that was her sustenance. There was nothing they could do. Nothing but stay with her until she died.
"I'll watch the trees," Denki said before walking away. (M/N) wanted to walk away, too, but she gripped his hand so tightly (M/N) would have to pry off her fingers, and he didn't have the strength for that kind of cruelty. He thought of Wendy, how maybe he could sing a song or something. But he didn't even know her name, let alone if she liked songs. He just knew she was dying.
Katsuki crouched down on the other side of her. "With my paint box at home, I can make every colour imaginable. Pink. As pale as a baby's skin. Or as deep as rhubarb. Green like spring grass. Blue that shimmers like ice on water."
The morphling stared into Katsuki's eyes, hanging on to his words. (M/N) watched, too, surprised at his inclusion.
"Once, I spent three days mixing paint until I found the right shade for sunlight on white fur. You see, I kept thinking it was yellow, but it was much more than that. Layers of all sorts of colour. One by one," Katsuki said quietly. His tone shift was so soothing to (M/N), though he couldn't place exactly why.
"I haven't figured out rainbows yet. They come so quickly and leave so soon. I never have enough time to capture them. Just a bit of blue here or purple there. And then they fade away again. Back into the air," Katsuki said.
She seemed mesmerised by Katsuki's words, and so was (M/N). Though quickly after, her blood-covered hands stopped twitching, she gave one last huff of air, and the cannon fired. The grip on (M/N)'s hand released.
They let her body float out towards the Cornucopia, then the hovercraft appeared and a four-pronged claw dropped, encased her, carried her into the night sky, and she was gone.
Denki rejoined the two, his fist full of (M/N)'s arrows still wet with monkey blood. He dropped them beside (M/N) on the sand. "Thought you might want these."
"Thanks," (M/N) said. He waded into the water and washed off the gore, from his weapons, his wounds. By the time he returned to the jungle to gather some moss to dry them, all the monkeys' bodies had vanished.
"Where did they go?" (M/N) asked.
"We don't know exactly. The vines shifted and they were gone," Denki said.
They stared at the jungle, numb and exhausted. In the quiet, (M/N) was reminded of how thirsty he was. "Think we can try for water again?"
They made their way back to the tree Katsuki was tapping. (M/N) and Denki stood with their weapons poised while Katsuki worked the spile in, but no threat appeared. Katsuki found a good vein and the water began to gush from the spile. They quenched their thirst, let the warm water pour over their aching bodies. They filled a handful of shells with drinking water and went back to the beach.
It was still night, though dawn couldn't be too many hours away. Unless the Gamemakers wanted it to be. "Why don't you two get some rest?" (M/N) said. "I'll watch for a while."
"No, (M/N), I'd rather," Denki said. (M/N) looked at his eyes, his face, and realised he was barely holding back tears. Ultear. The least (M/N) could do was give him the privacy to mourn her.
"Alright, thanks," (M/N) said. He laid down on the sand with Katsuki, who drifted off at once. (M/N) stared into the night, thinking of what a difference a day made. Yesterday morning, Denki was on his kill list, and now (M/N) was willing to sleep with him as a guard. He saved Katsuki and let Ultear die and (M/N) didn't know why. Only that he could never settle the balance owed between them. All he could do at the moment was go to sleep and let Denki grieve in peace. And so he did.
~
It was mid-morning when (M/N) opened his eyes again. Katsuki was still out beside him. Above them, a mat of grass suspended on branches shielded their faces from the sunlight. (M/N) sat up and saw that Denki's hands had not been idle. Two woven bowls were filled with fresh water. A third held a mess of shellfish.
Denki sat on the sand, cracking them open with a stone. "They're better fresh," he said, ripping a chunk of flesh from the shell and popping it into his mouth. His eyes were still puffy but (M/N) pretended not to notice.
(M/N)'s stomach began to growl at the smell of food and he reached for one. The sight of his fingernails, caked with blood, stopped him. He'd been scratching his skin raw in his sleep.
"You know, if you scratch you'll bring on infection," Denki said.
"That's what I've heard," (M/N) said. He went into the salt water and washed off the blood, trying to decide which he hated more, pain or itching. Fed up, (M/N) stomped back on to the beach, turned his face upwards, and snapped, "Hey, Shota, if you're not too drunk, we could use a little something for our skin."
It was almost funny how quickly the parachute appeared above (M/N). He reached up and the tube landed squarely in his open hand. "About time," (M/N) said, but he couldn't keep the scowl on his face. Shota. What (M/N) would give for five minutes of conversation with him.
(M/N) dropped down on the sand next to Denki and screwed the lid off the tube. Inside was a thick, dark ointment with a pungent smell, a combination of tar and pine needles. (M/N) wrinkled his nose as he squeezed a glob of medicine onto his palm and began massaging it into his leg. A sound of pleasure left his lips as the stuff eradicated his itching. It also left his skin a ghastly grey-green. As (M/N) started on the second leg he tossed the tube to Denki, who eyed (M/N) doubtfully.
"It's like you're decomposing," Denki said. But the itching must have won out, because after a minute he began to treat his own skin, too. He clearly wasn't happy about it, and (M/N) couldn't help enjoying his distress.
"Poor Denki. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" (M/N) said.
"It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" Denki asked.
"Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it," (M/N) said. "It will wash out anyway."
They covered themselves until they were satisfied with the lack of itching. "I'm going to wake Katsuki," (M/N) said.
"No, wait," Denki said. "Let's do it together. Put our faces right in front of his."
Well, there was so little opportunity for fun left in (M/N)'s life, so he agreed. They positioned themselves on either side of Katsuki, leaned over him and gave him a shake. "Katsuki, wake up," (M/N) said in a sing-song voice.
His eyes slowly opened and then he jumped like they had stabbed him. "What the hell!?"
Denki and (M/N) fell back in the sand, laughing their heads off. Everytime they tried to stop, they looked at Katsuki's annoyed expression and it set them off again. By the time they pulled themselves together, (M/N) was starting to think that maybe Denki Kaminari was all right. At least not as vain or self-important as (M/N) originally thought. Not so bad at all, really. And just as he'd come to that conclusion, a parachute landed next to them with a fresh loaf of bread. Remembering from last year how Shota's gifts were often timed to send a message, (M/N) made a note to himself. Be friends with Denki. You'll get food.
Denki turned the bread over in his hands, examining the crust. A bit too possessively. It wasn't necessary. It had that green tint from seaweed that the bread from District 4 always had. They knew it was his. Maybe he had just realised how precious it was, and that he might never see another loaf again. Maybe some memory of Ultear was associated with the crust. But all he said was, "This will go well with the shellfish. They gathered around and ate the flesh with the salty bread from District 4.
(M/N) was glad for the medicine. Not just because it gave relief from the itching, but also because it acted as protection from the sun. By its position, (M/N) estimated it to be going on ten o'clock, and that they had been in the arena for about a day. Eleven of them were dead. Thirteen alive. Somewhere in the jungle, ten were concealed. Three of four were Careers. (M/N) didn't really feel like trying to remember who the others were.
For (M/N), the jungle had quickly evolved from a place of protection to a sinister trap. He knew at some point they would be forced to re-enter its depths, either to hunt or be hunted, but in the meantime he was planning to stick to their little beach. And he didn't hear Denki or Katsuki suggesting they do otherwise.
For a while the jungle seemed almost static, humming, shimmering, but not flaunting its dangers. Then, in the distance, came screaming. Across from them, a wedge of the jungle began to vibrate. An enormous wave crested high on the hill, topping the trees and roaring down the slope. It hit the existing seawater with such force that, even though they were as far as they could get from it, the surf bubbled up around their knees. They managed to collect everything before it was carried off in the water.
A cannon fired. They saw a hovercraft appear over the area where the wave began and plucked a body from the trees. Twelve, (M/N) thought.
The circle of water slowly calmed down, having absorbed the giant wave. They rearranged their things back on the wet sand and were about to settle down when (M/N) saw them. Three figures, about two spokes away, stumbling onto the beach. "There," (M/N) said quietly, nodding in the newcomers' direction. Katsuki and Denki followed his gaze. As if by previous agreement, they all faded back into the shadows of the jungle.
The trio was in bad shape - that was clear. One was being practically dragged out by a second, and the third wondered in loopy circles, as if deranged. They were a solid brick-red colour, as if they had been dipped in paint and left to dry.
"Who is that?" Katsuki asked. "Or what? Mutations?"
(M/N) drew back an arrow, readying for an attack. But all that happened was that the one who was being dragged collapsed on the beach. The dragger stamped the ground in frustration and, in an apparent fit of anger, turned and shoved the circling deranged one over.
Denki's face lit up. "Neito!" he called, and ran for the red things.
"Denki!" (M/N) heard Neito's voice reply.
(M/N) exchanged a look with Katsuki. "What now?" he asked.
"We can't really leave Denki," Katsuki said.
"Guess not. Come on, then," (M/N) said grouchily, because even if he'd had a list of allies, Neito Monoma would definitely not have been on it. The two of them jogged down the beach to where Denki and Neito were meeting up. As they moved in closer, (M/N) saw his companions, and confusion set in. That was Tenya on the ground on his back and Ochaco who had regained her feet to continue making loops. "He's got Tenya and Ochaco."
"Nuts and Volts?" Katsuki said, equally puzzled. "I've got to hear how this happened."
When they reached the others, Neito was gesturing towards the jungle and talking very fast to Denki. "We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Juzo hit the forcefield."
"I'm sorry, Neito," Denki said. It took (M/N) a moment to place Juzo. Neito's counterpart from District 7, (M/N) could hardly remember seeing him. Either that or he didn't even show up to training.
"Yeah, well, he wasn't much, but he was from home," Neito said. "And he left me alone with these two." He nudged Tenya, who was barely conscious, with his shoe. "And her-"
They all looked over at Ochaco, who was circling around, coated in dried blood, and murmuring, "Tick, tock. Tick, tock."
"Yeah, we know. Tick, tock. Nuts is in shock," Neito said. This seemed to draw Ochaco in her direction and she careened into Neito, who harshly shoved her to the beach. "Just stay down, will you?"
"Lay off her," (M/N) snapped.
Neito narrowed his eyes at (M/N) in hatred. "Lay off her?" he hissed. He stepped forward and shoved (M/N) square in the chest. "Who do you think got them out of that bleeding jungle for you? You-" Denki dragged Neito away while he screamed a lot of insulting things at (M/N). But (M/N) didn't shoot. Because he was with Denki and because of what he said, about getting them out.
"What did he mean? Got them out for me?" (M/N) asked Katsuki.
"I don't know. You did want them originally," Katsuki reminded (M/N).
"Yeah, I did. Originally." But that answered nothing. (M/N) looked down at Tenya's body. "But I won't have them long unless we do something."
Katsuki lifted Tenya up in his arms and (M/N) took Ochaco by the hand and they went back to their little beachcamp. He sat Ochaco in the shallows so she could get washed up a bit, but she just clutched her hands together and occasionally mumbled, "Tick, tock."
(M/N) noticed that there was a heavy metal cylinder on the sand where Tenya was. He didn't know what it was, but if Tenya thought it was worth saving, he wasn't going to be the one to lose it. He tossed it up on the sand away from the water.
They put down Denki's mat and laid Tenya on his stomach. There was a long rip in the back of his suit which revealed a gash about eighteen centimetres long running from his shoulder blade to below his ribs. Fortunately it wasn't too deep. He had lost a lot of blood, though, and it was still oozing out of the wound.
(M/N) sat back on his heels, trying to think. What did he have to work with? Seawater? He felt like his mother's first line of defence for treating everything was snow. (M/N) looked over at the jungle. He was certain there was a whole pharmacy in there if he knew how to use it. But these weren't his plants. Then his mind landed on moss. "Be right back," he told Katsuki.
Fortunately the stuff seemed to be pretty common in the jungle. (M/N) ripped an armful from the nearby trees and carried it back to the beach. He made a thick pad out of the moss, placed it on Tenya's cut, and secured it by tying vines around his body. They got some water into him and then pulled him into the shade at the edge of the jungle.
"I think that's all we can do," (M/N) said.
"It's good. You're good with this healing stuff," Katsuki said. "It's in your blood."
"No," (M/N) said, shaking his head. "I got my father's blood." The kind that quickened during a hunt, not an epidemic. "I'm going to see about Ochaco."
(M/N) took a handful of the moss to use as a rag and joined Ochaco in the shallows. She didn't resist as (M/N) began to scrub the blood off her skin. But her eyes were dilated with fear, and when (M/N) spoke, she didn't respond except to say with ever-increasing urgency, "Tick, tock." She did seem to be trying to tell him something, but with no Tenya to explain her thoughts, he was at a loss.
"Yes, tick, tock. Tick, tock," (M/N) said. This seemed to calm her down a little. (M/N) washed out her jumpsuit until there was hardly a trace of blood. Soon after (M/N) was joined by Denki and Neito who was now completely clean. Neito gulped water and stuffed himself with shellfish while (M/N) tried to get Ochaco to eat something. Denki told them about the fog and the monkeys in a detached, almost clinical voice, avoiding the most important detail of the story.
Everybody offered to guard while the others rested, but in the end it was Neito and (M/N) who stayed up. (M/N) because he was really rested, Neito because he simply refused to lie down. The two of them sat in silence on the beach until the others had gone to sleep.
Neito glanced over at Denki, to be sure, then turned to (M/N). "How'd you lose Ultear?"
"In the fog. Denki had to carry Katsuki. I had Ultear for a while. Then I couldn't lift her. Denki said he couldn't take them both. She walked right into the poison," (M/N) said.
"She was Denki's mentor, you know," Neito said accusingly.
"No, I didn't," (M/N) said.
"She was half his family," Neito said a few moments later, but there was less venom behind it.
They watched the water lap over the sand. "So what were you doing with Nuts and Volts?" (M/N) asked.
"I told you - I got them for you. Shota said if we were to be allies I had to bring them to you," Neito said. "That's what you told him, right?"
No, (M/N) thought. But he nodded his head. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
"I hope so." Neito gave him a look filled with loathing, like (M/N) was the biggest drag possible on his life. (M/N) wondered if this was what it was like to have an older brother who really hated him.
"Tick, tock," (M/N) heard behind him. He turned and saw Ochaco had crawled over. Her eyes focused on the jungle.
"Oh, goody, she's back. Ok, I'm going to sleep. You and Nuts can guard together," Neito said. He went over and flopped down beside Denki.
"Tick, tock," Ochaco whispered. (M/N) guided her in front of him to get her to lie down. She drifted off, stirring restlessly, occasionally sighing out her phrase. "Tick, tock."
"Tick, tock," (M/N) agreed softly. "It's time for bed. Tick, tock. Go to sleep."
The sun rose in the sky until it was directly over them. It must be noon, (M/N) thought absently. Not that it mattered. Across the water, off to the right, (M/N) saw the enormous flash as the lighting bolt hit the tree and the electrical storm began again. Right in the same area it did the previous night. Someone must have moved into its range, triggering the attack.
(M/N) sat for a while watching the lightning, keeping Ochaco calm, lulled into a sort of peacefulness by the lapping of the water. (M/N) thought of last night, how the lightning began just after the bell tolled. Twelve bongs.
"Tick, tock," Ochaco said, surfacing to consciousness for a moment, and then going back under.
Twelve bongs last night. Like it was midnight. Then lightning. The sun was overhead now. Like it was noon. And lightning.
Slowly (M/N) rose and surveyed the arena. The lightning there. In the next pie wedge over was the blood rain, where Neito, Ochaco and Tenya were caught. (M/N) and his group would have been in the third section, right next to that, when the fog appeared. And as soon as it was sucked away, the monkeys began to gather in the fourth. Tick tock. (M/N)'s head snapped to the other side. A couple of hours ago, at around ten, that wave came out of the second section to the left of where the lighting struck now. At noon. At midnight. At noon.
"Tick, tock," Ochaco said in her sleep. As the lightning ceased and the blood rain began to the right of it, her words suddenly made sense.
"Oh," (M/N) said under his breath. "Tick, tock." His eyes swept around the full circle of the arena and he knew she was right. "Tick, tock. This is a clock."
---