Blend the Light

Failure

The prison cells are quiet, much like they've been since I arrived. I don't move for a while. Rex lays down next to me, the only movement he makes until I rise. "Hey, Rex, how are you doing?" I lift my head, rising slightly, and look at him. There are a few new gashes on his back. What would they have done to him? He can't talk. His eyes gaze up at me. It's clear that this place has taken a huge toll on him. "We'll get out of here, Rex. I promise." I scratch him behind the ears, and the tip of his tail wags a bit.

The torches slowly burn through their fuel, bit by bit. Light flickers in the hall as my mind slowly spins. It's not in the dizzy way though- it's in the thinking way. My mind goes through thought after thought after thought, jumping from topic to topic, flipping through memory after memory, and going through possibility to possibility faster than I can fully keep up. Is T-LOOT-D alright? How did the rest of the fight go? Was there any information I left unburned in Adrien's office? How many were lost? Is Jay alive? What about Sasha? How's Karly doing? Karla too, I guess. Karly's letter is now in the hands of Guthrie Harper, so does that mean she's dead? I hope not... I knew I should've kept a much better eye on her backpack. Wait, does the pale yellow building still stand? How's the Slash doing? Did I do enough in the fight? I don't know, and it's killing me. Please, can someone tell me? Then everything hits so hard, and it hits harder than Minotaur's punches and with more pain than anything the Wasteland guards have done to me.

After I'd killed a dozen Wasteland guards or so, I meant to go back and find my brother. Jay... I miss you so much. I really did mean to. I was just about to turn around and go back in search of him, I really was. I swear I was. I swear I was. Please, please, please, please, please let him be alright. This is stupid. What do I think I'm doing thinking like this? It's not going to do anything. It's stupid, and a waste of time. No one can hear my thoughts. No one will hear my call. No one will listen. No one can hear me. Can anybody hear me? "I'm sorry, Jay. I'm so, so sorry," I whisper, silent tears rolling down my cheeks as I stare up at the ceiling through watery eyes.

And I thought Lily was faking it- the panicking and everything. The horror when she drew the first drop of blood. The refusal to attack. Not finishing off anyone if they surrendered. None of what she did was an act. I'm so, so stupid. I curl my lip as I bitterly shake my head and laugh humorlessly. Tears blur my vision.

I'm turning to a shell, hollow on the inside, cracks splintering across the thinning surface. I'm like an egg, so brittle. It's just a matter of time before I break. How did this happen? I was so strong- Jay has the speed, and I've got the strength- but I'm breaking, and I was so strong.

Is T-LOOT-D alright? Did we win? Did I do enough? Please. Please let them be alright. Jay. Adrien. Sasha. Lily. Vladimir. All of them. Please.

I roll onto my back, and tears continue to roll down my cheeks. My sides tremble as I try to stop crying. What are the Wasteland guards going to say if they find me like this? Why should I care though? They're just a couple of people who I won't see again after I drive a sword through each of their hearts in turn. Rex nudges my cheek with his nose and licks off a few of the tears. I jerk my head away, and roll to my other side. "Eew, that's gross," I mutter. A small smile crosses my face, but it's gone a moment later, and tears still continue to fall from the corners of my eyes. Why can't I stop? I never cry, so how is this any different? I know I should stop crying- it's stupid, and it's water that I need- but I can't. Rex nudges me again. He's crossed over so he's in front of me again. He whines as he lays down next to me. "Go away," I grumble, but in my heart, I know I want him to stay, and he seems to guess that as he doesn't move. I reach out to shove at his shoulder, but my hand just rests on his thick fur rather than pushing at him. My fingers curl around locks of Rex's fur, playing with it.

Not long afterwards, I find myself with my arms wrapped around his shaggy neck and my face buried in his fur. He doesn't react, only gently pressing his chin against my shoulder in some form of a hug. I try to slow my choppy breaths. My sides tremble as I take deep breaths. Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale... I run my fingers run through his fur.

"How long have we been here, Rex?" My head rests on his shoulder. He doesn't reply, but he whimpers softly. I smile for the briefest of moments. "Me too, Rex. Me too. But, I mean, it's got to have been at least a month or something, right? Probably closer to two? I don't know; my sense of time has always been pretty bad. You know, I really wish you could speak to me, Rex. Perhaps you've got ideas on how to get out of here. And you could tell me if you're really my Blended form. Are you?" The look that Rex gives me is the one that says 'you are a complete idiot.' He continues to stare flatly at me until the realization dawns on me. Oh. How come I didn't think of that before? "You want me to Blend myself?" Rex snorts, looking away.

"Hey! That was rude. And... And though I hate to admit it, that's a good idea." I frown at him, but he just makes some attempt at rolling his eyes.

"Alrighty, Rex. Here we go." I take a deep breath, sitting back up and getting as comfortable as I can on the cold, stone floor. I close my eyes, and relax as I focus on Blending myself.

What the hell? I usually just... shift, Blending myself, and morphing into my Blended form in less than a second, but that doesn't happen. The warm, water-like feeling washes over me just like usual, and my body goes numb. Nothing happens after that though. Instead of having my Blended form rise from within me, and then trading places, I stay put in one of Guthrie Harper's prison cells. All of a sudden, Rex lets out a low growl, and he flinches slightly. The warm feeling vanishes as I turn to him, "What was that for, Rex? Are the Wasteland guards back?" When I look out through the iron bars, though, no one is there, and it's quiet except for the crackling torches burning on the walls. I shrug after a few moments. My shoulders rise and fall as I take a deep breath, settling down again to try Blending myself once more. Just after the warm, water-like feeling washes over me again, Rex snarls, his body jerking slightly and moving towards me. His lips curl up to bare his teeth. "What's wrong, Rex?" I move towards him, trying to figure it out as I place a hand on his flank. He looks up at me, an unknown emotion written across his face. "Did the Wasteland guards do something to you?" I scan his body, but I don't see anything. Rex exhales.

Something falls down the hallway from where Rex and I are, and I rise to a crouch. I involuntarily let myself partially Blend, but not all the way. A rumbling growl echoes through the cell as Rex bares his teeth again, and moves jerkily towards me again. "Rex, are you sure you're alright?" I'm getting to be pretty concerned about him. His eyes meet mine, and he's telling me to never do that again. "You don't want me to Blend myself?" His gaze stays steady. "This is why I wish you could speak. Something's missing here. Something isn't quite getting across." I gesture to him then to myself a few times.

I mean... The Wasteland guard's could've been telling the truth, and Rex really is my Blended form. That, I guess, could explain why he was growling every time I tried to Blend myself, and why I couldn't Blend myself. Maybe they were. Maybe the Wasteland guards were telling the truth... That would be a first, but perhaps they actually were. "Rex, so you're my Blended form, huh?" He snorts, laying his head on  his paws.

The torchlight continues to burn in the hallway, leaving Rex and I's prison cell partially lit. I lie on my side with my head resting on my arm, and space out, staring at the opposite wall. My other hand twists my bandana around my fingers. There's something different with the wall... There really is; there's this, like, shape or something. I can't quite tell. "Rex, do you see that?"

Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment and consider a vote! I would be extremely grateful if you clicked on the little, yellow star!

What does Hawk see on the wall?

How long have Rex and Hawk been in the prison cell?

Why was Rex snarling and flinching when Hawk tried to Blend himself?

When will Jay and the rest of T-LOOT-D launch their rescue mission?

Will they be successful?

Thank you again!

-Werewolf14-