From The Ashes [#NaNoWriMo16]

Chapter Twenty Six - Quinton Mattos

"I just can't deal with it, you know?" Quin sighed, swinging a glowing torch around between his hands as they walked. They hadn't come across any survivors for all the time they'd been there, which was surprising enough because there were so many rooms that they could've been hiding in.

"Refusing to deal with such situations can be no one's fault but your own," Helio replied, ducking his head into another doorway as Quin moved the torch he had in his hand around the darker corners of the hall, each flame beating away at the darkness. "Whatever happens, it will be your fault. Until you learn to deal with it, and acknowledge what you are doing."

"How can I acknowledge something I'm not even doing?" Quin demanded, a scowl rising on his features as he swung the torch around in front of him. "It's not me; it's him. He's the one who needs to deal with it."

"Wrong," Helio shot back, making Quin's scowl deepen.

"How am I supposed to deal with it?" he exploded. "Is there a way for me to get rid of him? Because that seems like the only way out, to me."

"Wrong again," Helio sighed. "You are really not good at this, are you?"

"Then tell me what I'm doing wrong, instead of criticising me about it, won't you?" Quin muttered, shooting another glance in another room they passed. It was empty.

"You cannot get rid of him," Helio said finally. "Even if you could, that would make you a coward. The sooner you face all of 'his' actions, the sooner you will find peace about it."

"How can I find peace about it if he keeps killing innocent people?" Quin groaned, raking his hair back out of his face with a free hand. "He's almost killed the only friends I've ever had multiple times; how is there anything peaceful about that?"

"Once you learn to accept that that is a part of you now," Helio answered swiftly, "then you can move on with your life. It is not as difficult as I make it out to be, I promise you this."

"Yeah, I don't know," Quin sighed, looking down at his boots as he walked. "I know what everyone else is going to do when they get out of here, but what am I going to do? I've got nothing to go back to, and I'm also bringing home a psychopath that likes killing people. No one is safe anymore."

"I do not know what your fate is, Quin," Helio admitted as they kept walking, side by side. "I do not know what you are going to do when Ìzzøckål is dead. That is one thing I cannot help you with. You must find your own path. For now? Focus on the present. It is the only thing you can change.

"The present is stupid," Quin growled. "We're looking for survivors that don't exist in a super big, advanced metal/rock castle thing, while everyone else is making bombs and facing the real threats. Why did you let me come with you? Did you think I was a threat too?"

"I never doubted your ability to stay in control, Quin," Helio replied as they neared the end of the corridor. "I simply trusted in your ability to judge your control."

"Sounds easy enough," Quin muttered in reply, frowning as they both slowed to a stop. "That room has a light in it," he added, pointing to the last room in the hall. He glanced at Helio before they both moved forward, curiosity getting the better of them.

As they entered the room, Quin set his torch in a nearby bracket because the other light was way too dim to make anything out in. When the light revealed what was in the room, however, Quin swore and jumped backwards in surprise after two bodies were found lying on the floor, decayed and gross. One was young, and very small. It couldn't have been older than fifteen when it died, although Quin couldn't tell exactly. The other body was larger; this person was obviously older, and looked like they had been dead longer than the other one. Maybe a year or two? It was really hard to tell.