Heroes ☤ H.S.

SEVEN

I keep screaming on the top of my lungs until my throat sore. It was only when my lungs burned did I finally stop, letting my screams fade into whimpers. The pain on my back was still unbelievable. Every move I take sent a new wave of white hot pain. Every breath that I took resulted in the same way.

It was taking a whole lot of my strength not to bash my head against the floor to escape the pain. What exactly did they do to me?

Then I remember. I remember the knife, the torture room, the way Green-eyes carved my skin like an artist would a slab of marble. I would be so angry right now if I wasn't so tired.

I slow down my breathing and open my eyes.
I blink once.

Then twice.

I see another person at the other corner of the room. "Hello?" I say, surprise my voice wasn't as hoarse as I expected it to be. The person doesn't move, doesn't say anything.

A few moments of silence and then "J-Jade?" the person said and suddenly I'm so shocked that I couldn't feel the pain anymore. The voice was male. It was soft, melodic and child-like. But most importantly: it was familiar. "Is that you?" He speaks again, still staying in his position.

"Wes." I say, my voice was almost inaudible but thanks to the complete silence, the boy heard it and he frantically came crawling towards me.

As he came near I felt my eyes flood with tears. I never thought I would see those brown eyes again. I thought I had lost him once more and that it was permanent that time. I thought I would never hear his voice again. I thought he was dead.

He scrambles into a kneeling position. Tears were pouring from his eyes as well. I ignore my own pain and reach up. I tuck a bunch of his overgrown red hair behind his ear.

"Hey, kiddo." I say with a smile and he grabbed my hand and hugged it to his chest. I feel his tears drop to the skin on my wrist and I flinch. I'm extremely happy that I get to see him again but the pain on my back refuses to be ignored.

"Jade." He whimpers my name over and over again. I tell him to calm down that everything is going to be alright but he doesn't stop crying.

"Come on, Wes, if you don't stop I'm going to give you the silent treatment." I say with a small smile. It was a lie. I could never do that, not after I thought I lost him for good.

He stops for a while. His red hair formed a small curtain around his face and all I could hear was a few sniffles now and then.

"I thought I'd never see you again. I thought they killed you like they did with mom and dad." I flinched at the way he mentioned mom and dad. It was definitely not something I enjoyed remembering, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"I would never let them kill me." I say and to prove it, I stand up. My back complaining and burning me and telling me to stay down, but I have to set an example to my little brother. I have to let him know that I'm strong enough to protect him even with my dying breath.

He looks at me, searching my face with those wide brown eyes. Those brown eyes that are still too young to see all of the chaos. I hug him tight, fighting the tears back. And it's a good thing he doesn't hug back because my back would burn if he does.

"Wes, I thought they killed you." I was going to say how much the others back at base miss him and how horrible it had been to wake up and see his empty bed but then I remember where I was and I kept my mouth shut.

"They almost did but—" He starts but something cuts him off. I spring away from her and look around trying to find the source of the voice. A voice so familiar and so annoying it boils my blood with every word it uttered.