Chapter X
Title: Dark rage
US Army Resistance Base - Colorado - Present Day
Arnold sat at the tiny bar, a place he used most of the time, to... think. It was small, dark, deprived of happiness. It suit him like a ring right now. He was lucky there was still some bottles of Whisky, Scotch and Vodka on the way to the Base before they ran out. He sighed. Everything was running out. Money, food, life...
He looked back to the door and pressed his Scotch and his little vase together as if someone would take it away any second. But he was mostly worried about the refugees. There was a school near the base heavily protected by his soldiers that he should visit someday. Maybe check the supplies, medicines, all that kind of stuff. It would keep him ocuppied with something to do instead of filling his pathetic wuss of a person with alcohol.
Why is that he brought Helga in the first place? To apologize to her? He knew she still loved him, and back, but what if something goes horribly wrong?
He put his hands over his oversized head and snarled. Ahh, there's that headache...
'That son of a bitch who ruined my life, and everyone's... ' . The picture of Ishmael Al-Fatay... 'oh how I want to kill you... make you suffer... give this motherfucker the...'
The door opened to reveal Phoebe coming inside to take a seat beside him.
He didn't even blink. He didn't even need to look around. "How's Helga?" Damn that headache!
She scoffed. "Good morning to you too. Helga is fine, Arnold. She is just like you left her, asleep and stable. Also..."
He nodded. Here it comes... 3... 2... 1. He shut his eyes.
Phoebe's eyes looked puffy and red from crying for hours. Sure she was strong, but also had her own limits. Arnold couldn't bear Phoebe crying because her voice destroyed his own brain. He was like a balloon about to explode. He reached her before she started bawling out. He hugged her. He pressed her face a little to his heart. So maybe she could see how much broken he was.
Between sobs he could hear the most unexpected words of gratitude from a woman. "Arnold... thank you! S-she was-she is my... friend! I-I stopped visiting her... I feel horrible! She had nobody! And now-and now she's like this-like this poor fragile woman!"
Arnold just nodded, patting her head and hearing what he had to bear. When Phoebe thought he brought Helga to the base she thought he was kidding. But when she saw her best friend since preschool being carried on a wheelchair all weak, skinny and almost dead she just screamed. Screamed in horror, so much the building almost collapsed and one window actually broke.
"Phoebe, calm down and tell me the details" Arnold calmly told her.
Phoebe regained composure and wiped the tear around her left eye and sniffed. "She's dehydrated, she has high fever and a red mark on her left feet. She wasn't harmed-"
"-or shot" Arnold finished for her.
Phoebe nodded. "Or raped".
He gulped. Yeah, didn't think on that coming.
"When can I actually see her?" Arnold asked.
Phoebe looked about. "Well, considering you're actually in here you must be drunk, and she's in quarantine."
"That doesn't answer my question", he said, through half lidded eyes.
She nodded. "You can see her whenever you want, but that fever is contagious. And since you're in this drunk state you are vulnerable."
"So you're saying I could get a fever... just that?" He asked again. He couldn't believe her, because of a fever he can't see Helga.
"Arnold, tell me if she wakes up..." she asked in a pleading tiny voice.
Arnold nodded.
HOSPITAL ROOM 01
It was an actual tiny hospital reserved for injured soldiers, and sick or crazy dudes. Helga was monitored, IV covering both her arms, and a wet bandage covered her temple. She had trouble breathing, so they connected her to air tube.
Arnold watched as his heart reconnected itself with the picture of her old love. Just seeing Helga again made his insides melt. He brought a chair to her side and carefully sat, while taking her hand in his.
He thought of all the time he lost, of all the bullshit he went through, how it wasn't fair she ended up like this.
"Don't worry, my love. I will take care of you from now on. I'll even marry-"
He was cut out when she slowly opened her eyes. She screamed when she saw all those tubes connected on her. She felt herself fighting to remove them when she noticed someone taking her left hand. He smiled a genuine smile as she saw him. But that was definetly not the reaction he was expecting from her.
"What the fuck Arnoldo? What is all this junk on me?!" Same old Helga.
Arnold shrugged. "You had trouble breathing and had a horrible meal a few days ago... you're in quarantine".
She nodded quietly. Her eyes got huge. "Quarantine? Re-ally? What? Am I so sick?"
"Actually the only one sick of love is me..." he said in a love daze, wriggling his eyebrows.
She looked at him with hearts in her eyes. "Nope, Football-head. You're not the only one".
"I'm in quarantine with you, I don't give a fuck" he teased, as he approached her, while wrapping his arms around her head and shoulders.
But suddenly, her eyes started watering and she pushed him off. "Helga? W-what's wrong?", a startled and surprised Arnold asked.
"A-Arnold, I'm scared..." she bawled.
He grew desperated. "I'm not gonna leave you this time, I promise!".
"No! I'm scared to tell you...", she sobbed even more. The pain was still fresh.
"You mean...". He was prepared for the worst. What, so is it about a building? Wait... no... nonono. Oh, God, no. Please. He was already trying to cover his ears and closed his eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry" she began "They killed your grandparents, Arnold...! A-And only because I finally decided to take a walk! I should've died with them! They meant so much to me...!"
Arnold's world stopped right there. He clutched, feeling his heart break and rip again. Dark Arnold was taking over.
She could feel it. Those green eyes turning to red in a matter of seconds.
"Tell me exactly how it happened".
She nodded. She told him everything. She was just taking a walk after five years. Ok that was his fault. Then a bomb hit his house. He clenched his fists, his nails cutting the palm of his hands and dripping blood in the process. That's when she told him they died holding hands. The article was out on the streets a few hours later.
His fist connected with the next brick wall, breaking it and going all through. Helga just gasped surprised and... was there something else?