The pain returns for vengeance once I wake up, causing me to whimper. Rolling my head to the side, I feel nothing but a bitter cold against my cheek. I'm not in the bunker... I'm outside. Quickly sitting up sends me into more pain, forcing me to the ground once again.
"Your safe, Erin." T'challa says from behind me. Slowly turning around while still on the ground, my face meets his.
"Why did you follow us?" I ask weakly, the pain in my head steadily growing.
"Because I still wanted revenge on the wrong person." he answers softly.
Shakily sitting up, I lean against T'Challa in an attempt to comfort him.
"Everything is gone." I croak. "What little family I had left has split up. I don't know what I'm gonna do."
T'Challa wraps an arm around me, the vibranium suit making the uncomfortable tingling return. But I don't feel it. My body is too numb.
"You will always have a family with me, Erin." T'Challa comforts.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"Despite our opposing sides you fought to keep me safe. Only family does that." T'Challa explains.
"But I was protecting who you thought was your father's killer." I say.
"Even then, you still stuck with your morals. You didn't let a higher power pressure you into giving up what you thought was right. That is a sign of great courage. And I respect that greatly." T'Challa reassures.
"Thank you, T'Challa." I barely whisper.
I shiver from both the cold and another onset attack but I choose to try and fight it. Unfortunately, it wins. Gritting my teeth, I grab onto my arms with my bare hands only to be burnt by them. Looking down, I see that my hands are encased in their usual purple spheres but my hands feel like they are on fire.
Before the rest of my body could try and hurt me further, I feel a sharp claw cut through my neck. Then a cold sphere enters the hole and silences the attack but it comes with a horrible price. The familiar burn of vibranium spreads throughout my neck, but it more bearable than the pain from beforehand.
"Don't move your neck. Just rest." I hear T'Challa say.
Listening to his orders, my cheek greets the cold ground once again, my surroundings soon beginning to spin. But at that moment, I notice something.
My thoughts weren't as loud. The emotions I had been feeling had died down. Even though everything had gone to crap, I felt at peace. I don't know if I was hallucinating or if the pain had gotten to my head somehow. But I enjoyed it. There weren't demons running around my head, setting fire to anything they saw. The torturous memories had returned to the cavern they came from.
I had finally started to find my peace.