"Just a little further, Joseph, we have to keep moving," Sebastian muttered down to his partner who was limping and leaning heavily against Sebastian's shoulder, trying to stay standing. Ever since that… episode… his condition became worse and worse and Sebastian started to wonder if he would be alright at the end of it all. But he pushed that thought aside. What was most important now was getting to shelter and staying out of sight of those creatures Ruvik seemed to enjoy throwing at them relentlessly.

Shuddering, Joseph took another step before stopping in his tracks and wobbling on his feet unsteadily. "What good am I if… I'm just dragging you down, Seb?" Joseph's gaze rested on the dirt path below them and he refused to look up. As if he expected Sebastian would understand what he was implying, however painful the suggestion was.

Sebastian frowned and closed the distance between them with a quick few steps. "I'm not fucking leaving you here to be killed by those—things—Joseph. We're gonna get out of here."

"That's…" Joseph finally met Sebastian's stare, catching the flicker of worry in his partner's eyes. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm… I think I'm… becoming one of them."

"That's not true. You're still here. And you didn't let it take over. You're not going to, you're stronger than that." A potential shelter, an abandoned shack, sat about fifty feet away and they had to get there before anyone else showed up… Sebastian rested a hand around Joseph's waist to push him forward to keep moving, and his partner's feet seemed to do so without his approval. Joseph seemed to be staring off into an uncomfortable distance at this point, like he was in a trance.

With a weak smile and a half-hearted chuckle, Joseph shrugged and hugged his arms around his stomach like he'd been feeling ill. "I don't feel all that strong… what if I end up hurting you, Sebastian?"

"You won't. I won't let that happen." Sebastian's voice was firm as he continued gently pushing Joseph toward the hut nearby. "Come on, there's a place we can rest over that way. We can talk more there, when it's safer."

Joseph nodded and kept his arms around himself. A quick glance from Sebastian to check on his partner revealed that the smaller man had paled considerably since they'd made it out of the last maze Ruvik had forced them into, like a scientist playing with lab rats. Joseph had stayed well in cover and didn't sustain many physical injuries—save for a few scrapes and bruises when they made a quick escape—so the only explanation Sebastian could narrow that down to was that whatever was going on in Joseph's head was really taking a toll on him. More than he'd originally thought.

"Seb, S-Seb, wait…"

Joseph's gloved hands gripped in fistfuls of his own shirt as shudders rippled through his body. A breathless noise left his lips as he hunched over, a series of pained coughs accompanying the sudden motion. In that same instant Sebastian wrapped his arms tighter around Joseph to support him.

"Joseph! Fuck… we have to keep moving…" There were no objections as Sebastian practically carried Joseph the rest of the way to the shelter. It barely qualified to be described as such since it was practically four wooden walls under what was left of a roof, but it would do. Anything was better than being out in the open at this point.

When Sebastian set Joseph down as gently as he could against an empty corner and kneeled next to him, Joseph reached out blindly for one of Sebastian's hands, his other balled into a fist. Sebastian immediately wrapped his fingers in Joseph's own gloved ones, the familiar cool touch of leather still strange even now against his weathered skin. There's no blood, Sebastian thought to himself, he'll be fine.

"It'll pass, Joseph, you'll be alright…" Of course Sebastian had no way of knowing but he figured whatever words he could offer would help. It was about all he could do. "Just rest for now. We should be safe here, you don't have to worry. And if anything does come for us…" Sebastian patted the pistol he carried as a sufficient explanation. "I'll give 'em hell for you. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

It was as if Joseph hadn't heard a word his partner said. All Joseph did was stare at the floor inhaling shallow breaths, coughing occasionally and shivering with the passing minutes. And all Sebastian could do was watch over him and keep an eye on the doorway behind them in case anything did try to pursue them this far out.

About five minutes passed before Joseph shifted. Sebastian had kept his eyes on the door for a good moment after having heard something he thought was a growl, but turned out to be the creaking of the remaining wooden beams that held the roof up. It still set Sebastian on edge, and it didn't hurt to be too careful out here.

"Seb…" Joseph's voice was weak and hoarse from the strain of coughing. "I… do you think there's any water around here?"

Sebastian's brows furrowed as he thought back to the path they took. Somewhere behind them they had to cross a small stream, but that was anywhere from two to five minutes away. His next thought was to offer his flask to his partner instead but he could already hear the objections. Not to mention there was nothing left in there anyway, not that would be of any help.

"There was a river back where we came from. But I don't—" Sebastian thought carefully before choosing his next words. "Will you be alright here on your own?"

Joseph's chuckle was filled with a bitter tone. "Yeah, if I just lie here and pretend to be dead nothing will come after me anyway. I don't think they're that smart…"

What a time to make a joke, Sebastian thought, how unlike Joseph… He weighed his options for a while before deciding that it would be better in the end to get Joseph some water from the stream. Joseph needed it, and Sebastian could keep a close eye on whether or not they were being followed. The only downside was he was leaving Joseph alone, but he trusted Joseph enough to leave him there alone. It would only be five minutes at the most he'd be gone…

"Alright. I'll be back soon, partner, just hang on." With that Sebastian stood and jogged off quickly the way they'd came, tracing his footsteps until the extremely rewarding sound of water came to his ears. Thank god. And when he kneeled at its bank to inspect it, the water seemed decently clear and tasted fine. That's the first time his memory hadn't failed him, and didn't kill him either. With a bit of maneuvering, since the stream was so shallow, Sebastian was able to fill up his flask and pocketed it with a satisfied smile. With renewed energy he ran back in the direction of the shelter and stopped only when he heard the last thing he'd wanted to.

It was Joseph, and he was screaming in agony.

"Joseph!"

In the next moment Sebastian's mind registered he was at the doorway to the small house and something slammed into him, pushing him back and knocking the wind out of him. He landed painfully against the dirt, stars flashing behind his vision as his head impacted hard on the ground. Of course, Sebastian thought, he tried to help and didn't think that anything could come from the opposite direction they hadn't explored yet—

A familiar voice caught his attention, though he was now being pinned to the ground by his neck by an unnaturally strong pair of what he unfortunately realized were gloved hands. Joseph had him trapped, and was slowly squeezing the life out of his throat. If it could be said that Joseph was his attacker. That strange look had returned to his eyes, the look of hunger. Of a pure desire to rip someone apart without restraint… he really was turning into one of them, the way he oozed blood through seemingly throbbing wounds and knobs of infected skin that covered his body.

"Josep—f-fuck! Get off—" Eventually Sebastian had struggled enough to push Joseph back with a harsh kick and he reached instinctively for his gun.

Joseph only snarled and lunged back at Sebastian again once he'd been pushed off. "You… can't kill me, Seb," his eerily echoed voice spat in mockery as if to taunt him, "Then all your… hard work… will have gone down the drain…"

"Watch me," Sebastian retorted before thinking. This isn't Joseph, he reminded himself, that's not who he is. This must be some kind of bullshit plan of Ruvik's… "Joseph, just calm down. Think through this. I know you're in there somewhere. I don't want to hurt you." Yet here he was pacing in circles with someone that would now not take a second thought at ripping him open with his teeth.

To make a point, he lowered his gun, preparing for any reaction. As Sebastian had quickly predicted, Joseph had sensed that Sebastian was lowering his guard, or so he thought, and immediately charged at him. Stepping to the side, Sebastian raised his gun once again and as Joseph continued to run he fired a single shot. A series of tormented screeches alerted Sebastian that his bullet had hit where he'd wanted, in Joseph's thigh. Joseph fell to the ground and thrashed about, and Sebastian jumped at his chance. This would be his only chance at getting his partner back and while the chances were slim, while he had the upper hand he needed to try.

Sebastian sat down forcefully over Joseph's writhing form and pinned his arms to the ground at his wrists, making sure to only rest enough of his weight on Joseph's body to keep him pinned and not to crush him. Joseph was snarling and growling and he only continued fighting as Sebastian looked down at him.

"Joseph. Calm down. Please. I know, you're in there somewhere. Please, Joseph, you can work through this."

His partner's squirming lessened if only by a fraction. Sebastian's plan was working, slowly… and though it was barely visible at first, soon Joseph's skin was returning to its normal color, the strange injuries disappearing as if they were never there in the first place.

"Joseph, it's working, thank god…"

Only when Joseph had returned completely to normal did Sebastian let him go and sit next to him on the bloodstained ground. Joseph groaned and coughed weakly, wincing when he tried to move to sit up.

Aiding him into a better position, resting Joseph's head on his lap, Sebastian smiled down thankfully at Joseph. "Sorry about your leg, I… it was the only way."

"It… it's no—" Mid-reply, a coughing fit interrupted him. Sebastian rubbed at Joseph's shoulders until the fit passed.

"Just breathe, Joseph, it's alright. You're alright now." Slicking back some of the hair from its place clinging to Joseph's sweaty forehead, he continued mumbling soft encouragements to keep Joseph calm. "Deep breaths… you'll be okay…"

Joseph's eyes fluttered closed and Sebastian would have been worried if a soft sigh hadn't left Joseph's lips. "You're not worried? That I tried to… t-to…"

"Don't think about that now, Joseph, please. I'm fine. All that's left is to patch up your leg. I should have some bandages…" Resting Joseph's head gently against the ground on a grassy patch, Sebastian shifted so he could turn his attention to Joseph's thigh. The bullet went deep, but the bleeding had somewhat subsided. It only took a little pressure and a few good tight wraps of gauze around his leg to make enough of a bandage to hold for the time being.

The whole time Joseph remained silent save for the quiet noises of his faint breaths. Though he was in pain it was likely considerably less than what he'd been experiencing… and Sebastian was honestly surprised Joseph was handling this pain so well.

"There, all done. Let's get back to that shelter, alright? And for what it's worth, I did get that water, if you'd like some."

Joseph laughed quietly and opened his eyes enough to give his partner a thankful look. "Water… that… that sounds good…"