There was a moment of silence before Waylon began to assess Eddie. His spear lowered at the sad sight. Waylon barely recognized him. Eddie was emaciated from lack of food for who knows how long. It seemed he had not resorted to cannibalism. He was barely strong enough to stand. Even turning his head to look at Waylon made him almost stumble. There was no way he was a threat to Waylon in his current state.

"Hello." was all Waylon could say at first. Another long pause of silence went through the air between them. Waylon wasn't fully sure of what to say, so he just said it.

"I run a survival clan nearby. Would you like to join us?" Waylon spoke calmly. Eddie paused before looking away, seemingly lost in thought. Waylon guessed that he was unsure and needed a little convincing to join.

"We have a good supply of food we've been growing and planting for the past years. We are also protected in our barricades." Waylon said. Shortly after mentioning food, Eddie perked up slightly. Now Waylon mentioned the make-or-break topic.

"We can also help your wounds. Especially those big ones." Waylon carefully said. He had no idea how Eddie would react about mentioning them. Would he be angry about the memory attached to them? Or maybe he would just be relieved to have them treated. Eddie was silent for a moment before answering.

"Alright." he simply said. Waylon quietly nodded, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"We have to walk a little to reach it." Waylon said. Eddie closed his eyes momentarily. Waylon knew Eddie's body must be exhausted in his condition, but Waylon wasn't willing to get close, yet, and surely his clan mates would refuse as well. Eddie opened his eyes again.

"Walk on." Eddie said. Waylon slowly started walking back toward his territory with Eddie following and carefully doing his best to hide his slight unsteadiness. Waylon made sure that Eddie did alright in following. Once they reached the barrier, Waylon climbed through first. There was no way Eddie was going to make the climb. Waylon helped the guards move the debris to make a small opening that Eddie was able to squeeze through. The guards were sure to give Eddie his space when he came in, carefully watching him as well. Some guards fixed the barricade while the others followed, escorting Waylon to make sure he would be okay.

Waylon brought Eddie into a open office-like room across from his. Putting Eddie in a room close to his own room may have been a bad decision, but Eddie needed to be monitored—watched to make sure he didn't go wondering off or die in the middle of the night. Waylon made the guards wait outside. Soon after entering, Eddie sat on the bed in the room, closed his eyes, and leaned forward, arms resting across his legs.

Waylon watched him, unsure how to proceed. Probably best to look at his wounds immediately. Although, what if Eddie had a concealed weapon? Sure, he was in poor condition, but it only took one great stab to the neck or something to kill Waylon. Should he ask Eddie about weapons, or give him a pat down?

"Like Eddie would just accept that." Waylon thought, sighing.

"I am going to go get some medical supplies and food for you." Waylon said to Eddie. Eddie barely moved, only raising his eyebrows to confirm he was listening. Waylon ran out of the room and gathered gauze, antibiotics, painkillers, a container of alcohol, and stitching gear. Who knew how bad those wounds would be after three years of no treatment? Then he ran to the kitchen, quickly heating up a batch of soup. Eddie's stomach probably couldn't handle much, but soup was light and filling. It was comprised of simple ingredients like corn, pieces of fish, and beans. He ran back with the supplies, entering the room quietly, and finding Eddie in the same position, eyes still closed.

"Uh, I brought you some soup. It's fresh and hot. I also got meds and stuff to treat your wounds. Want me to look at them?" Waylon probably should have asked that question earlier. What if Eddie didn't want to be touched or handled? Then again, he most likely would have denied Waylon's acceptance offer if that were the case. Eddie slowly opened his eyes, blankly staring at Waylon before closing them and nodding. Waylon's words seemed to take a moment to register in Eddie's exhausted mind.

Waylon set down the bowl of soup on a nearby nightstand against the wall next to Eddie. He carefully lifted up Eddie's shirt to see the wounds. He carefully watched Eddie's reaction. Waylon made a disgusted and pained face once the wounds were exposed. There was a strong smell of rot, and he saw maggots swarming and pus and blood oozing out. The maggots were probably the only thing helping Eddie for the past few years, removing the dead and reoccurring infected meat, slowing his possible death.

"I-I am going to have to cut out a lot of the infected parts inside. It will hurt." Waylon warned. Eddie raised his eyebrows and hummed. Waylon guessed, or at least hoped, it was a sign of approval. Waylon took out a knife from his pocket and prepared to begin.

"You can eat the soup while I work, if you want." Waylon said gently. Eddie opened his eyes to look at the soup, moving very slightly to get a little closer to it. He ate it slowly and delicately. Waylon was amazed at the man's self-control. If he were Eddie, he would have downed the soup in a second.

Waylon carefully and slowly started cutting away the rot and clearing out the maggots. He washed out the bloody puss multiple times with alcohol. It didn't interrupt Eddie's eating, and he didn't even let out a hiss of pain. The little muscle Eddie retained on his body twitched or tensed up and Waylon wondered if he felt anything at all in his back after the horrible infection. It was incredibly close to his spine and could have caused major damage. Waylon finished cleaning the wound, stitching it shut, and covering it with bandages.

"Leave some soup. I need you to take a few pills." Waylon said. Eddie immediately stopped eating and Waylon sensed his body tensing.

"Pills?" Eddie spoke with a hint of unhappiness.

"Yes. A pain killer and antibiotic. It'll help the wound heal faster, and you wont feel anymore pain from it." Waylon said. Eddie glared at him out of the corner of his eye, making Waylon feel uneasy. He looked away from Eddie for a brief moment and Eddie's body suddenly relaxed.

"Fine." he spoke, looking back toward the last bit of soup he had in the container. Waylon cautiously gave Eddie the pills, which he quickly downed with some soup.

"Okay. Now you can just rest. I'll come early tomorrow to check on you, and bring you breakfast." Waylon said. Eddie hummed before lying down, his back toward Waylon. There was no possible way that Eddie could wonder off. Waylon was more concerned that he would die in the night. He told the guards to stay at the door and keep a close eye on Eddie's condition while Waylon went back to bed.

The next morning, Waylon got up early and ran off toward the kitchen, surprised to see lots of others up early and talking. As soon as they spotted Waylon, he was swarmed and questioned.

"Did you really let an aggressive in?"

"Is he locked up?"

"Is it really Eddie?"

"What did you do to him?"

"Is he still around here?"

"Does he still call you darling?"

These were just some of the questions Waylon was asked by the mob, their voices mixed with concern, amazement, and curiosity. Waylon quickly made it through the mob saying he would speak to everyone about it later. Since almost everyone else was up early, a few of the cooks were gathering supplies to get breakfast running.

"What are you guys making?" Waylon asked.

"Thin strips of venison steak, steamed vegetables, and half an apple. And for the vegetarians, egg drop soup with mixed vegetables and half an apple." one chef answered.

"Great. Start up the egg soup right now. Eddie's in real bad condition and needs the food desperately." Waylon said, helping to get things out.

"So you do have Eddie?" one chef asked, curiously.

"Yes, and he's really sick and weak. I probably should go check on him to make sure he didn't die in the night." Waylon said, a hint of worry in his tone. "Take care of the soup. I'll be right back." Waylon said before rushing off and escaping the questioning mob again.

Waylon went into the room, past the guards still standing there. He stopped, seeing no reaction from Eddie. He stood by the door, watching Eddie's still body. Waylon's heart sank with the feeling of failure until he saw Eddie's chest slowly rising. Waylon breathed out in relief and approached Eddie's still sleeping form. His breathing was so light that Waylon could barely see it, even when he was inches away from Eddie.

"Eddie? … Eddie?! Eddie, wake up!" Waylon said repeatedly, but Eddie didn't stir in the slightest. Waylon decided to step further into the room. Eddie seemed to be sleeping too deeply to wake, anyway. Waylon carefully raised Eddie's shirt to inspect the wound. Eddie bolted awake when Waylon's hand grazed his skin. Eddie attempted to lash out, but because of his condition he could only sit up slightly and glare at Waylon. Waylon took his hands away and gave a concerned, apologizing look.

"Sorry, I was just checking your wounds. I tried waking you up." Waylon spoke gently. Eddie glared coldly with no reply. He laid back down quietly as if going right back to sleep.

"Um, breakfast will be ready soon. I'll be back in a few minutes." Waylon said, going to leave. Eddie answered with a small grumble.

Waylon ran back to the kitchen. Thankfully, the mob was gone to sit at the dinner tables, waiting for breakfast.

"Is the soup ready?" Waylon asked upon entering.

"Just finished. Here's a bowl for Eddie." the head chef said, pouring soup into a easy-carry container.

"Thanks." Waylon said before carefully walking away to bring Eddie his food.

He entered the room and found Eddie in the same position as before.

"I am back with more soup." Waylon said, setting the soup on the same spot as the previous night. Eddie didn't answer this time, or move.

"Come on, Eddie. I know you're exhausted, but you have to eat. You'll get more energy as you eat." Waylon said, trying to coax him up. Eddie sighed before slowly sitting up to eat the soup.

"Do your wounds still hurt?" Waylon asked.

"No." Eddie stated while calmly eating the soup. Waylon nodded.

"I have to go work now. So I'll leave you alone until afternoon. We usually skip lunch as a meal, but I want to make sure you eat well. Just, finish your soup, then you can sleep." Waylon said, feeling a little happier at the progress. Eddie nodded, confirming that he was listening. Waylon left soon after to get back to his clan duties, grabbing up a few venison pieces to eat before heading out with a hunting party. Waylon was hoping for a quiet hunt like usual, but he couldn't escape the questions.

"So what's he like? Still looking for a bride?"

"Has he come back for you?"

"What will you do with him?

"Can he attack you?"

"Is he a cannibal?"

"How'd you find him?"

As the day went on, he prayed more and more for a heard of deer to stampede over him. If he answered one question it acted like a hydra, having over ten more take its place. Somehow they had managed to kill five deer. It was a good haul for the first half of the day. Waylon stated he had to leave early to watch Eddie, getting another tsunami of questions when he did.

He gathered more soup that the chefs saved and brought it to Eddie, who was sleeping. Waylon got close and set the soup down. Eddie shifted slightly, a sign he was awake and aware of Waylon's presence. He probably wasn't comfortable sleeping after Waylon touched him. It had been a bad idea to attempt that.

"I brought more soup for you. I'll let you decide if you want to eat it or sleep. I have to leave again." Waylon said, hoping Eddie would eat it. He left again, heading toward the courtyard, but he was stopped by a guard running toward him. A nervous feeling in his gut rose, making him anxious.

"Sir, Rodney wishes to speak." the guard panted from his running.

"Great. Is he here to give us another "conversion" speech?" Waylon groaned, hearing the name of the Walrider worshiper's clan leader.

"Don't think so. It could be also the same reason of why Joker's here." the guard said, having Waylon groan and gain a instant headache. The leader of the cannibals was around as well.

"Fucking great." Waylon spoke with agitation.

"Let's see Rodney first." Waylon said as they walked to the west wall. He hated both leaders, but he always hated seeing Joker's disturbing mug. Joker was just a name they gave him, since he didn't seem to have a name. The most obvious reason for it was because of a constant grin on his face, along with his shredded cheek skin. Joker had a addiction to chewing on his inner cheek until a hole had formed. Eventually the condition of his cheeks became so bad it looked like he grinned a bit to widely one day and shredded multiple holes on both sides. Waylon always felt sick when talking to him. He just couldn't bare to look at him anymore.

Waylon looked over the barrier to Rodney.

"What do you want?" Waylon asked.

"We heard you gathered a soul from our territory. We want him back. He belongs to the Walrider." the bloody priest spoke in a monotone.

"He wasn't on your territory. He was on the desperate territory." Waylon corrected him.

"Everyone belongs to the Walrider. You know that, Waylon. You shall understand the truth soon. Please, repent, before it's too late." the priest spoke.

"Yeah, yeah." Waylon said with an eye roll, leaving the priest to rant at the debris wall as Waylon walked to the eastern wall to speak with Joker. Waylon didn't bother to look over the debris—he would only get sick at the sight of him.

"And what are you here for?" Waylon asked.

"I hear you have an aggressive." Joker said, sounding amused.

"So?" Waylon questioned.

"I hear he's the Groom." Joker said.

"Yyyes." Waylon confirmed, not sure why Joker was asking.

"So the groom is back for his little bride." Joker mocked, striking a cord with Waylon.

"I am NOT his bride!" Waylon roared over the wall.

"Whatever you say. Have fun on your wedding." Joker laughed. Waylon wanted so badly to get over the wall and send his spear through Joker's throat, but he couldn't do that. Joker's clan, despite the torture they endured, would revolt and send a war between their two clans. Waylon growled before leaving for the courtyard. Once outside, he breathed in the fresh air. His entrance caught the full focus of all the farmers, ensuring he had, basically, the entire clan's attention.

Waylon expected the mob that quickly formed around him for news. He was bombarded with questions again and had to calm everyone down. Once the members were quiet, he began his report on the current status of Eddie.

"Yes it's true. We have Eddie." Waylon said, hearing a lot of whispers after his confirmation.

"He's currently not a threat. He's under watch in a room and he's in very poor health. It'll probably be a week or two before you see him out of the room. When you do, please don't mob him. I am still very unsure of how stable he is. He may still be very violent. His current state may be the only thing preventing him from filling out his violent tendencies."

"After he's able to walk around, I'll keep a close eye on him to see if we can "domesticate" him into our clan. If it doesn't go well, I will remove him if I have to. Now please, no more questions and continue working." Waylon said, getting bombarded with more questions anyway.

"This is gonna be a long day." Waylon sighed.

Later at dinner, Waylon brought more soup to Eddie's room, surprised to see Eddie standing up. Eddie seemed to react a little faster after his rest. He looked at Waylon when he entered with soup.

"... Hey. … I brought more soup for you." Waylon spoke, recovering from his surprise. Eddie nodded and sat down on the bed, allowing Waylon to set the soup down. The feeling of Eddie's eyes watching him made him nervous.

"I-ill come back in the morning." Waylon said, hating how his nervousness slipped through. He quickly left Eddie alone to eat his soup and to escape his locked on gaze.


please comment. =]

hey waylon, wanna play 50 questions? :D


Enigma:

thank you. :3 although i have no idea where this story will lead so it could possibly change course or stay as is. iam just kinda going with the flow of what i want at the moment. =]