Jay stared at the broken man in front of him, watching the blood run steadily from his hand and drip silently in the floor. Startlingly blue eyes pieced into his own, wide and unflinching. Jay stepped backwards slightly as Hosuh tilted his head, expression blank.
"Hosuh." Jay was suddenly speechless, only able to repeat his friend's name dumbly. Hosuh blinked at him slowly, his hands moving to wrap his arms around himself. They were trembling.
"Jay?" Hosuh sounded unsure. Jay nodded.
"It's me." He confirmed. The wood slipped from his hands as his gaze locked onto the dead woman lying spread eagled next to Hosuh, her blank eyes staring at the ceiling. The blood that coated Hosuh's hands was as scarlet as the pool on the floor, still dripping from his hand, and Jay stepped back in horror at the realisation.
In silence he watched Hosuh crouch to the ground, pressing his head against the wall.
"You can go, you know." He whispered brokenly. Jay didn't even realise he was being addressed until Hosuh looked at him slowly. "I won't mind."
Fear coursed through Jay's veins, and he couldn't move if he wanted to. Hosuh was frightening.
That was what made him so terrified; not the blood staining the floor, or the dead corpse, or the screams and shrieks and shouts that echoed through the halls around him like the wind's gale.
Hosuh, the one who laughed at his jokes, was squeamish at the mere mention of violence, who was always the most sensible of them all – had fell apart like rainfall. In replacement was an almost shadow of Hosuh who was standing with blood dripping from his fingertips.
But Jay found himself shaking his head slowly. His feet were no longer rooted to the spot out of fear, but out of loyalty and the remembrance of who Hosuh had been – who still was, somewhere deep inside his tortured self. He had been wounded deeply, the scar ripping across his heart under his rib cage, his eyes the only window to the cruelty and abuse he had experienced in the short years that had passed.
"No." Jay didn't move, but didn't back away anymore. The hallway was long, bleak and the two figures cast silhouettes with their shadows as an act of defiance. Jay refused to leave Hosuh alone again, not when he needed him most. "I'm going to get you out of here, away from all this."
Hosuh was silent, a hand dragging through his untidy locks. He let out a low moan.
"That's what that woman said." His whisper was broken but Jay heard it. He looked over at the corpse Jay had carefully avoided glancing at, his eyes void of any emotion. The lack of empathy was strange, not right. "But..." Hosuh never finished the sentence, staring at the wall towering over him.
"I'm not one of them." Jay dared to move forward slowly. "I never knew you were here...I never wanted you here, either. I only knew today...and then this happened." Closer to Hosuh now, he could see the specks of blood that littered his friend's face, and the hollow look in his eyes that took over his features. A knife was clutched in his hand, the blade an inch from his pale wrist.
"And I'm sorry." Jay said louder. Hosuh didn't react to him, but pressed his head into his knees, letting out a low groan. His body shook with tremors and his feet tapped against the cold floor.
"Do you want to come with me?" Jay asked. His hand moved to touch his shoulder. All it took was the fingers to brush the fabric and Hosuh sprang up with surprising agility, pinning him to the bloody wall.
Wild eyes pierced into his own, flaming with fear and insanity. Jay struggled under Hosuh's grip, feeling a hand close over his throat. He clawed at it frantically, kicking his legs. Something flashed in the half light. A glinting blade, clutched in Hosuh's hand.
"H-Hosuh..." Jay wrestled against his grip and Hosuh let out a small noise, shakily pressing the knife against his cheek. His twisted features flickered between confusion and fear and Jay clung onto the latter.
"I know you're scared." Jay wasn't used to talking people down, certainly not someone who was unstable with a knife, but he felt the grip slacken on his throat. "But I'm never going to hurt you, or lock you up, ever." Hosuh dropped the blade and stumbled away, hugging himself.
"No...no he was my friend...what am I doing?" Hosuh was mumbling as Jay peeled himself from the wall, shuddering at the dampness of blood clinging to his skin. He turned his attention back to his friend. He was crouched on the floor, shaking.
"He was sorry, but how far does that go?" His whisper grew louder, apparently unaware that Jay was next to him. "I wouldn't stay close to me for long? Would you? I mean..." insane laughter broke out from his lips, twisting through the halls. Jay felt himself shiver, the laugh cutting through his bones.
"I wouldn't." The laughter died abruptly. "I wouldn't."
Frozen, Jay could watched as Hosuh drew on the ground with the last of the blood on his fingers. The drawing was a crude sad face, the frown long and clown-like. Hosuh hummed gently, nails digging into the floor. In some kind of horrible, unnatural way the image in front of Jay was beautiful, yet unsettling, frightening.
"I would." Jay didn't know he spoke the words, it was more of an instinct. Hosuh looked up at him in disbelief.
"You will get me out of here? Away?" He whispered. "Away from them all?"
"Yes." Jay held out his hand, ignoring the blood stained on Hosuh's fingers. Time paused.
"Ok." Hosuh blinked, taking his hand. It was cold against his own. "Ok." He repeated.
And so they began to walk down the corridor, Jay carefully leading his friend the way he came. Hosuh moved twitchily, pausing for minutes at a time, but Jay was patient. He was getting Hosuh away from here, and that was what mattered.
"Go away...birds...look away..." he murmured, his eyes widening. Jay held his hand harder, heart clenching at the lost look in his eyes.
"Come on. It's fine." Jay tugged gently, but Hosuh pulled back, shaking his head.
"They're there! All staring...coming for me!" Hosuh suddenly screamed, pressing himself against the wall. Trembling, his hand pointed to empty space, eye flinching. "They're coming...so many..." Hosuh suddenly clamped his hands over his ears, screaming "shut up! Shut up!"
"Hosuh!" Jay felt fear spark within him - they were so close, only a flight of stairs away. Hosuh shook his head, stumbling backwards.
"Get them away!" Hosuh clung onto his clothes, falling to the floor. Jay, after some hesitation, placed a hand on his back, rubbing circles. He felt Hosuh freeze.
"I'll keep them away, alright?" Jay told him, forcing his voice to stay even and calm. There were echoing footsteps coming towards them but Jay ignored them, focusing on the trembling form in front of him. At first he thought he was shaking with fear, but when Hosuh looked up his eyes were full of laughter, mouth stretching into a large smile. Jay wanted to run away from the piercing blue gaze, but rooted himself to the ground. If he ran, he would leave Hosuh in the dust again. He would be just as bad as –
"Hosuh? Jay?"
Hosuh's laugh, which had been steadily growing in volume, ceased immediately. Jay turned around with a slight snarl, eyes blazing. The broken friend at his side served as a catalyst to his anger, lighting it to an undying flame.
"What are you doing here?" He asked Daniel and Stephen. Stephen didn't answer, just staring with wide eyes at Hosuh, and the blood that covered him. Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a loud wail from Hosuh. It was a broken, fearful noise that struck a chord in them all.
"They're going to take me back..." Hosuh whispered. He buried his head into Jay's shoulder, only talking at a volume that he could hear. Still, he kept one glassy eye on them both, full of distrust. Jay shushed him, helping him get to his feet.
"Oh God..." Stephen murmured. "Hosuh...I –"
"Save it." Jay cut him off. Hosuh shifted until he hid himself behind Jay, burying his head in his neck. Daniel took a step forward but Jay moved back, towards the stairs, towards the final door to freedom.
"What do you think you are doing?" Daniel shouted, making Hosuh flinch. Jay narrowed his eyes.
"I'm taking him to a safer place."
"He's getting help here –"
"Help?" Jay gestured the chaos surrounding them with a small laugh. "You really think this is help? Tell me Daniel, does he really look better? Does he look like he's happy, like he's cured, like he fucking free?!" Jay let out a frustrated yell, pointing to the blood on his clothes. "Tell me that this is okay, that this is what helps everyone! Let's just lock everyone up, shall we? Who knows, if they are fucking broken enough, we might get a refund! One less fucking problem to worry about!" Jay snarled. Daniel shook his head, but Jay didn't want to hear it.
"Well done." Jay hissed, glaring at Daniel and Stephen. "I hope you're happy with yourselves. In making your life that bit easier, you have left another's in ruins, in destruction and in blood."
Jay watched as Stephen brought a hand to his mouth, shaking. His eyes weren't leaving Hosuh. Daniel was staring at Jay, but any fight or confidence had melted out of his expression, replaced with despair.
With a small smile at Hosuh, he began to lead him to the exit. With satisfaction, he didn't hear any following footsteps.
Hosuh's eyes lost some of their haunted look once Daniel and Stephen weren't so close, his grip lessening. He knew Hosuh had seen the sunlight leaking through the windows; bright and hopeful, creating a crossed path.
"Oh, and if you dare come near us again," Jay turned to Stephen and Daniel for one last time. "I'll kill you both."
And he meant it.
Nothing would stand in his way anymore, not when Hosuh's mind was on the edge of being shattered altogether. Because, as they stepped into the fresh sunlight, the hopeful smile Hosuh gave, as he stared at the sky in awe, was free. Jay would do anything to keep it that way. And if anyone – anyone at all – dared take that away?
He'd kill them gladly.
Because Hosuh was worth every single drop of blood spilt along the way.