Dirk walked into the basement, a bowl of water in his hand. "Here Rox, water helps you endure the hunger." He said to his friend. A few days passed, they now had been in the shelter for a week. Roxy was starving. Karkat returned to the shelter a day after he left to help the people in the collapsed building, and he was rewarded a handful of food.
Roxy outright refused to eat any of it, and forced the others to share it among themselves. Everyone was still extremely hungry, as the food was only a small amount of nuts and one old apple.
Roxy was lying on the bed, she had been there for the past 2 days. She couldn't get out of bed, she could hardly sit up. Her voice was very soft and husky, and she could only talk very slowly.
It was very hard to take care of her, everyone was worried. But no matter where they looked, nobody could find any food anywhere. Nobody would trade it for less than a fortune, and due to raidings, they had nothing left but a bunch of wood and a small amount of supplies. The weather was getting colder and colder, and it was hard to keep themselves warm.
They would need the supplies and wood for building a basic heater, and for fuel.
Dirk walked up to Roxy, who lifted her hand and made a peace sign with her fingers. Dirk did the same, but he wasn't sure if Roxy could tell. He stayed with her down in the basement for a while, while Karkat and Dave sat in the kitchen. Karkat was sitting on the chair, which was now slightly broken. Dave was sitting on the floor, against the kitchen counter.
They were silent. They had nothing to say. Both of them were very worried for Roxy, as she would definitely not make it at this rate. The night had fallen by now, but they sat in silence for another hour. The while time, Dirk was down with Roxy. He would rarely leave her side, usually only to go to the 'toilet' or to grab something for her. Her conditions were not improving, despite his care.
After that hour, Karkat got up, grabbed the bag and the crowbar, and left the shelter without a word. He slammed the door behind him. Dave just sat there, completely confused. But he was too apathetic by concern to really care.
Dirk heard the door slam, and came upstairs. He peered into the kitchen, and saw only Dave on the floor. "Where is Karkat?" he asked. Dave just shook his head.
Outside, the distant sound of shellings and people screaming could be heard. But Karkat didn't care anymore, he stopped caring years ago. But especially tonight, he was uncaring of any sounds and sights. He was on a mission.
On the inside, a battle was raging with himself. He was considering his options, running through them over and over and over, as he trudged through the mud. He took a left, then a right, and there it was. The old church. It had been standing there for centuries, but now the backside was ravaged and the cemetery was completely wiped out.
Karkat stopped for a moment, hesitated.
Then moved on. His heart thumping loudly with every step he took.
At the door, he stopped and peered through the keyhole. His heart was nearly audible, but only to himself, he was sure of that.
Inside was an old man, praying. He saw nobody else. The place was dimly lit with candles and torches. But well enough lit for Karkat to consider the surroundings. After he drank it all in, he opened the door, and walked in.
The old man turned around and said "Welcome. We have been robbed recently, so we have little left."
Karkat said nothing and looked the man straight in the eyes. The man remained undeterred.
"Are you here to trade?" He asked, but in his voice it was clear that he knew what Karkat was here for.
Karkat took a few steps closer.
"You can hold it right there. My flock lives downstairs, I will not let you hurt them." He said in a stern voice. He was serious.
Karkat hesitated again, but then ran for it. The old man grabbed his shovel, and stood there, ready to defend. Karkat hit the man across the head, while the man hit Karkat in the shoulder. Karkat fell down together with the man, who was hurt very badly. His skull had cracked, though not immediately visible. He was bleeding bad. Karkat got up, and with his unhurt arm, struck down, killing the man.
He stood there for a few moments, panting heavily. Looking down at the dead man. He then crouched down, and looted his bag. He had lots of raw and canned meat and vegetables on him. Karkat took it all. He was about to leave, when another man got upstairs, holding a gun towards Karkat.
Karkat looked back, but as soon as he saw the gun, he ran away immediately. The man shot a few times, but missed each time. Karkat was clod in black, and the room was dark, it made it hard to see where exactly he was.
In a few moments, Karkat was outside. Running like a madman. He was soon back at the shelter. He walked inside, not saying a word. "yo karkat" Dave said, but Karkat didn't even look at him.
He climbed downstairs, to the basement. "Karkat, where were-" Dirk began, but stopped as soon as he saw Karkat's expression. Karkat walked on and fed Roxy a can of meat. She fortunately decided to eat it immediately. He left the bag with the rest of the food there, with Dirk, and went back upstairs.
He then walked back to the kitchen, where Dave was still sitting. He crouched down to sit before Dave, but he couldn't look him in the eyes. He just couldn't… Dave quirked an eyebrow at his friend, in complete confusion. Karkat then hugged Dave tightly, and started to sob uncontrollably. The red tears flowing down on Dave's shirt, creating a large red stain.
"uhh, man you alright" Dave asked. Karkat didn't respond, he just kept sobbing in Dave's shoulder. Dave figured his friend went through a lot while he was gone, and hugged him back.
"it's okay it's okay. whatever you just went through that's over now" he rubbed his friends back, and then noticed Karkat's shoulder. There was some wetness on there, and it smelled strongly of blood. It then dawned on Dave what had happened.
"oh my god" he whispered, and it was the last he said that night.
