Tina was there when Newt brought him out of the suitcase, watching through the gap between the door and the wall as Credence leaned against Newt for support. She heard him whimper, moaning and crying as Newt sat beside him on the bed, his arms around the Obscurial like a protective father caring for his only son.
One by one, the minutes slowly passed, the late hours of the night dragging on until Credence had exhausted all his tears. He fell asleep just after midnight, but his troubles were far from over, for that was when the nightmares began.
In his mind he saw their faces, each one bearing the marks his Obscurus left behind. At the center there was fire, scarlet flashes of light that burned a path across their skin. Their wounds were deep, but so were his own, aching and screaming from within the endless void.
He felt himself being propelled upwards, moved by a force that was beyond his ability to control.
The belt was raised, striking him across his back.
The pain was growing. His threw his head back and unleashed a terrible cry, howling in unison with the tremendous force that threatened to consume him. He continued to scream, hoping against hope that someone might hear him and save him from himself.
The belt struck again, blood spattering the walls, opening the scars on his chest and hands.
A gathering of shadows formed at his feet, rising up and engulfing his body until all that remained was a cloud of darkness. He clawed at his face in a desperate attempt to remove the creeping parasite, its tendrils latching onto his skin and burrowing into his flesh. He was screaming when he came awake at half past two in the morning. Newt was beside him, holding his wrists to prevent him from hurting himself.
Unable to free his hands, Credence started kicking and trashing, his body wreathed in swirling strands of blackened mist. He didn't want to kill them. He didn't want to hurt anyone. Least of all his sister Chastity, whose body he discovered in the ruins of his mother's church.
It was some time before Newt managed to calm him down. He then placed his hand underneath Credence's head, lifting him off the pillow and holding a bottle to his lips.
"I need you to drink this, Credence. It'll help. Trust me, it'll help."
Credence gasped and opened his eyes. He was barely conscious of his surroundings, and yet he still managed to follow Newt's instructions, taking a small sip before being lowered onto the pillow.
His head lolled to the side, strength falling from his limbs as the shadows retreated, returning to the vessel from which they came.
"I'm sorry," Credence whispered hoarsely, fresh tears standing out in the corners of his eyes. "Chastity... Chastity, please..."
"It's alright now." Newt smoothed the hair out of his face, gently stroking the ebony strands as though he were petting one of his creatures. "Rest, Credence."
The Obscurial was still, exhaustion taking hold as the potion crept into his veins, helping to ease his tired body into a deep, dreamless sleep.
.oOo.
When morning came Tina found Newt sitting on the couch in the living room, surrounded by a sea of parchment and notebooks. There were dark circles under his eyes and a light dusting of stubble on his chin, yet he was wide awake and pouring over several pages of hastily written notes.
"There must be something here," he muttered, not bothering to look up when Tina approached the couch. "Something..."
"Mr. Scamander," she said, her tone gentle, curious.
"Oh!" Newt started slightly, his train of thought broken by the sound of her voice. "Good morning." He looked up at her, a tired smile creasing the corners of his lips.
"You've been awake all night, haven't you?" she asked, though she vaguely remembered waking up at three in the morning when he unloaded his books and parchment onto the coffee table.
"Yes." Newt was skimming the pages of his notebook as he said this, desperately searching for something that might help the poor boy. "See, I know it's possible to remove an Obscurus from the host. I've done it before actually. But whether or not Credence survives the process is another matter completely." He set the notebook on the coffee table, leaning forward and licking his finger before flipping through the pages. "Here." He tapped the page. "This is what I was looking for."
Tina rose from her seat, wrapping her robe tight around her waist before coming forward to examine the notebook.
"The Sudanese girl," Newt continued, motioning towards a series of photographs pasted onto the pages of the notebook. "She was in my care for two months before she was consumed by her Obscurus."
A look of horror crossed her face. "Consumed?" Tina echoed, her eyes widening.
"Unfortunately, yes." He shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the subject they were discussing. "As the Obscurus grows, the host's body begins to deteriorate until all that remains is the Obscurus. That is why some Obscurials are able to transform. It's seen only in the most advanced cases. It's also the first sign that the Obscurus is beginning to consume the host."
Tina stared at him, then slowly her gaze drifted towards the girl in the photographs.
The child, no more than eight years old, was in the process of dying when Newt found her. There was a growing pallor, her face shrunken and hollow. Her eyes, once bright and shining with the energy of youth, had become lackluster, glazed in white and unable to perceive the world around her.
The notes written beneath these photographs told the story of her passing, documenting each step as her health began to decline. Tina was only able to read the first few paragraphs before turning away, her throat constricting with emotion.
She remembered her sister's words, commenting on how thin Credence was. She thought it was due to malnutrition. Goodness knows his adoptive mother hadn't done her best to care for him. But after seeing these photographs she began to wonder how far along he was, his pale complexion and sunken features mirroring those in the photographs.
"He seems alright," were the only words she could manage, desperately trying to convince herself that Credence would survive.
"For now," Newt murmured, lowering his gaze and turning the notebook around. He turned the page and began to read. "I'm in hopes I was able to catch it in time. But his age might complicate things, making it difficult to remove the Obscurus." He paused, looking up at her. "I'll do what I can, Tina. And with a little luck, I might be able to save him."
