Nari gasped, scalding tears running down her pale cheeks into her tangled, wet auburn hair as she lay in the dark bowels of East Base. Her heart had never been wounded so badly. She couldn’t contact Andrew, couldn’t see anyone. She was all alone.
Her body heaved as her cheek pressed against the cold, damp stone. Algae and lichen grew in the cracks, and she could feel the slime against her bare arms and cheek. Darkness covered her, and she could see nothing.
No light anywhere.
Hopelessness her only companion.
Her thoughts were so bleak, so dark.
She was frozen. Where was she?
What time was it?
She turned and turned in her mind, trying to find her bearings, to find any sliver of light. But there wasn’t any. Everything was inky black. Was she still alive even? Was she dead? Was this hell? If so, where were the flames? She felt as though she was burning up, but the fire itself was missing.
A door banged open somewhere. Echoic steps rang through the dungeon from far away. It was everywhere. Her ears were ringing. Everywhere? This wasn’t right. What was going on?
A few moments later, someone knelt beside her, and a brilliant, eye-searing light struck her face. She blinked, gasping in pain, eyes watering.
A hand rubbed her back, and a voice floated to her ears. She flinched away from the hand, pain lancing through her as previously ignored cuts flared into life. Was she feverish? Why? What had happened? She couldn’t figure this out.
“Have they even been feeding you? What happened?”
It all seemed like it was a dream. It was reaching her ears, but in fuzzy waves. She couldn’t see who it was. Their face wasn’t quite in focus. She just stared at them, trying to make out who it was. Her head spun in pain, and her vision was blurry. The person before her looked like a big blob.
“What?” She whispered, her voice cracking from lack of water.
How long had she been down here? She’d grown desperate for water a long time ago, and started drinking from the stagnant pools formed from water dripping down the walls. Was she sick?
“Nari?”
The light was making her head throb even worse. She tried to lift herself up into a sitting position, but her arms weren’t obeying. Tears were streaming down her face as she squinted in the light.
“Oh, Nari... What did they do to you?”
“What?” It seemed like the only word she knew how to say now.
Everything else just fled out of her mind.
She tried to collect herself, force her mind to work, but it wasn’t where it normally was. She was so cold, and she couldn’t think. Was she shivering? Yes. Something wasn’t right.
She managed to find a few words, stringing them together to try to make sense. “Who are you?”
“You don’t recognize me?” The blob seemed worried, its expression looking vaguely disturbed.
“Who?” She was so tired.
She wanted so badly for the light to go away and just leave her be. Let me die in peace. Wait. Was she dying? Maybe? She couldn’t figure it out.
The blob’s hand rested against her forehead for a moment or two. “You’re burning up.” Words jumbled in a confused mess.
She couldn’t make sense of them. Burning up? She was sick. Was that it? She didn’t feel good at all. She just stayed there, lying in the damp mess on the floor.
Strong arms picked her up, cradling her in their strong embrace. She only wanted to be left alone to die. She was so miserable. Please let me be. I just want to die. She wanted to say, but she couldn’t. She just lay in the embrace of whoever had come to help her, and didn’t move.
“Amory is going to pay if you die because of his mistreatment and improper care for you.”
“Who are you?” She managed once more through her cracking, pained throat.
“It’s me, Nari. Chenn. Don’t you remember me?”
His name was familiar. Somehow it was coming through to her foggy mind.
“We? You… put me here?”
“Yeah. And I’m really sorry.” There was a sharp intake of breath.
He was crying. She felt his tears dripping on her face, but it wasn’t connecting what it meant.
She shivered uncontrollably in his arms.
“We…” Her voice broke. She couldn’t make any more sounds without water.
Water?
What was that?
She hadn’t had any of it since she’d been thrown here.
“I’m taking you to the doctor, Nari.” His voice trembled.
She closed her eyes, unable to bear the light bursting on her sight.
She couldn’t respond. She was fading. It was a peaceful feeling. It didn’t really hurt. She just wasn’t able to find herself anymore. She was going, and it was a relief.
***
The words weren’t reaching her. Chenn could see that. What had they done to her? She was all bruised and beaten. Her hair was sticking to her face, and her skin was coated in algae and sludge. Her eyes were watery, and they wept a nasty, clear liquid.
“Nari, I’m going to get you water. Please, hold on. Don’t die yet. I still need you. You just have to hold out until this war is over. Things are getting worse, but Amory says we’ll win soon. Please. As soon as it’s done, I promise I’ll get you out, and we’ll leave. We’ll run away together. Away from all this.” His voice broke, and there was another sharp gasp as he took in a breath. "Please don't die. I love you. I was going to ask you to marry me before all this, but I guess now you won't want that. This is my fault. And I'm sorry. So sorry." He whispered brokenly.
He cradled her in his arms, weeping at what had happened to her. He’d done it to her. He never should’ve left her or given her to Amory. But he’d had to. She couldn’t be allowed to stop Amory, who was going to save the world from Andrew’s atrocities. If he hadn’t turned her in, she would’ve ruined it all, and the world would die.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nari!” He whispered, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
He reached the top of the stairway. The warden started to stop him, but got out of the way when Chenn gave him a hard, angry glare. “I'm taking her to see the doctor. You weren’t feeding her or giving her anything to drink. She’ll die without immediate medical attention, you moron. So get out of the way!” He felt his anger bubbling to the surface as he saw the man who had done this to the woman he loved.
The warden gave him an astonished look. "I can't. She's not to leave the dungeon."
"I don't care whether she's supposed to leave the dungeon or not. Do you seriously think that she'll run off in this condition? I'll only say it once more! Get out of my way, or I will kill you where you stand." Chenn wasn't sure he meant it, but if the man didn't move, he wouldn't be responsible for what happened to the warden. The warden deserved to die for this anyway.
The warden stepped out of the way, dazed.
Chenn walked past him, his anger melting away to be replaced by pain and guilt. Nari was fading fast. He could see it. She had been down there for nearly a week with no food. She had probably only had water because there were stagnant pools of it everywhere. But it wasn’t clean, and it was the most likely cause of her illness. Well, that and the lack of food.
She couldn’t die. His heart still burned with the ache of seeing her like she was, and his tears were still damp on his cheeks. He no longer wept because he felt he had no tears left to cry. But he had to save her.
If she dies, it will be my fault. I hate myself. First her sister, now her. I'm bad luck. I should just die and keep everyone around me safer. He thought bitterly.
His heart was breaking.
Breaking and never stopping.
He hadn't thought he had any tears left, but they were streaming down his cheeks again and he could hardly see where he was going as he carried Nari to the doctor.
If only he could die.
Death. A sweet release from all this pain.
This torment.
The guilt.
It all melded together inside him into one torrent of emotion and torture.
Yes, if only he could just die and end all his pain and confusion.
But he couldn't. Nari still needed him, and as long as she continued needing him, he'd be there.
Even if she hated him after this, he would be there for her. So long as he felt there was some hope of winning her back or being able to live near her, he would keep living. Until he lost all hope of ever being with her, he would fight to survive.
"I'm sorry for all this, Nari." He whispered into her matted hair. "I promise you that from now on, I will always be there for you when you need me. You can hate me all you want after this, but I'll never abandon you like that again." He cradled her gently in his arms, tears still trickling into her hair.
She didn't respond. But he didn't expect her too. She was unconscious after all.
And if he didn't hurry, she wouldn't wake up again.