Beneath The Lies (bxb)

What They Did

-Oliver-

Waking up from an uncomfortable feeling in my gut was unpleasant, yet not quite as unpleasant as what I saw when my eyes blinked open.

Alright. Who gave Hice a gun?

Since he didn't seem interested in shooting me, yet, I pushed myself up with my arms and rolled my shoulders a little. They were stiff from the position I'd slept in, and as I looked behind Hice, I realized that Ocar had gotten up, likely when the other mer either broke in or was allowed inside. Most likely the latter.

"Good morning, Hice. What can I do for you today?" I mumbled, my attitude shining through my sleepy mind perfectly. He seemed to ignore it, though, which was probably for the best, and instead just began speaking.

"I can't fix him. They said you can, but so did they and it did not help."

His voice was stern at first, but as his words wound down, so did the volume and strength. His eyes lowered, but then refocused on me, as if I would attack him and he had to be wary. If I had a gun, I probably would have tried to get in a shot at first, but now that I knew why he was here in the first place, I also knew that he didn't want me dead.

He wants me to save his friend.

"I would be glad to help your friend, Hice," I stated calmly, trying to ignore the gun still pointed at me.

Even though I had told him that, he remained still for several seconds and I could tell something else was going on inside his mind. When he didn't say anything a full minute later, I tried again, smiling softly to try to get him to relax a small amount.

"It's okay. I don't want to study him or move him from where he is right now. I'd be glad to come with you, and I'll only bring my basic bag of things I use to help others. I'll just check him and try to figure out what's going on, then we can maybe go from there if you'd like?"

He seemed to still be warring with himself on letting me anywhere near his friend, but soon after I had spoken, he finally managed a small nod. Instead of returning the gesture, I carefully got myself to the edge of the bed and allowed Ocar, who had walked over, to lift me into his arms. Hice probably didn't want him coming, but he clearly knew that he best just keep his mouth shut on that idea, because I wouldn't be going anywhere with just him. I was crazy, but suicide wasn't something on my to-do list.

We followed Hice as he ran out the back door, which, surprise, was shattered as if a car had driven through it... or a mer. Now that I actually looked closely at him, his hands were cut up, along with a few marks on his arms that were all steadily losing blood. My instincts told me to get them treated and wrapped up, but my other, smarter instincts said to wait. Ocar's injuries had already begun to heal so I didn't doubt that Hice's would also be okay. His friend was the most urgent, so I would tend to him first and then perhaps Hice would be more open to having his own injuries treated if necessary.

On our way out, Ocar grabbed my medical bag from where it had been placed next to the sofa. It was misting outside and the sun was nearly down, but I had just enough light to be able to see for at least another fifteen or twenty minutes. Hopefully that was enough time because I doubted Hice would let me move his friend inside.

At least my bag has a small flashlight in it if I end up needing some light.

I wasn't too surprised when Hice took us over toward my own home and the river in the back. He had probably checked to see if I was home before trying Jayson and Parker's. At least he hadn't broken the glass at my house, likely because I had obviously not been home. When he finally stopped, Ocar walked until we were about a yard away and gently set me down on my foot. He then handed me my bag as I used his help to stay upright and keep an eye on Hice. After looking around for a few moments, he seemed to find what he was looking for and carefully began tugging it free of a large clump of weeds and water plants.