AN: This chapter contains a scene with self harm. I want to make it clear that I am not romanticizing self harm in any way. It is serious problem that people face.
Chapter 14
Headache
Yang got into her room and put on a pair of running shorts and a tank top to sleep in. The party was fun and she was happy that everyone enjoyed it. "I really like the little group we made here." She thought to herself as she sunk under her covers in her bed.
She turned and looked at the clock in her room. It was 2:30am but she still wasn't very tired. The strange letter she found was making her wonder. Who sent it? Are they friendly? Should she even go?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at her door. "Come in!" She called out.
The door slowly opened and Blake slowly walked into the room before closing the door behind her. Her head hung low and looked at the ground. Her body was shaking.
"Blake what's wrong?" Yang said and jumped out of bed to hug Blake.
Blake went limp in Yang's arms. Her body still shaking. Her head was buried in Yang's shoulder. Yang could feel her shoulder getting wet from tears. She carefully walked them back to her bed and laid her on her side. Blake clung onto her and laid down still in Yang's arms.
They stayed for that for a long time. Blake couldn't speak and Yang just wanted to comfort her. She knew Blake would tell her what was wrong once she calmed down.
Yang used her semblance to warm Blake up. She knew from experience whenever Ruby was upset using her semblance seemed to help her calm down.
After awhile Blake stopped crying and sat up on the bed. She still wouldn't look at Yang. Yang sat up with her and placed one hand on Blake's back and gently rubbed her. Blake began to quietly purr. "I'm going to have to make a note of this." Yang thought to herself.
Blake got her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Yang without saying a word. Yang held the phone and the screen lit up. It was on Blake's messages and she saw that the most recent person to text her was Adam. Her heart sank. She touched his contact name and saw the long amount of texts he had sent that night. She saw the picture of the two of them dancing and understood how serious the situation was.
She placed her hand on Blake's cheek and gently moved her face so that she could look Blake in the eyes. Blake's golden eyes looked like they were about to break.
"Blake I won't let him hurt you. Don't cry. I'm here." Yang said.
"I'm scared Yang. I don't want him in my life. I don't want him to hurt you." Blake said and started to cry again. She grabbed onto Yang and held her tight. Yang wrapped her arms around her in a protective manner.
"I won't let him do anything. Lets not think about him right now. You have had a long day. Let's get some sleep and then come up with a game plan in the morning." Yang said.
"Okay… That sounds good." Blake said and tried to stand up to go to her bedroom. Yang didn't let her go.
"Where do you think you're going? I'm not letting you sleep alone tonight! My beds big enough for two. I told you, you could come to me whenever you needed something. Stay here tonight." Yang said.
They both got under the covers and Yang continued to wrap her arms around Blake. Blake relaxed. She felt safe. Yang started to pet Blake's head between her cat ears. Blake began to purr. Yang continued to pet her until Blake fell asleep.
POV Weiss
"Where am I?" Weiss said. She got up off the snow covered ground and looked around her. She was in the middle of the woods and she had no idea where she was. Behind her was a high cliff and she was below it.
"Did I fall? I don't remember." Weiss said. She looked at her body. She had some bruises that started to form and some fresh cuts on her pale skin. They were recent. "I don't remember getting hurt. These wounds look like claw marks. Nothing hurts though. I don't even feel cold but I'm in the middle of a snow storm." Weiss said. This whole situation seemed odd. The rational side of her knew this couldn't be real but part of her said it was.
In the distance she could her the howl of a wolf. It sounded different, like the animal was in pain and calling for help. "Did the pack turn on one of their own?" Weiss thought.
The storm started to pick up and she decided to start walking further away from the cliff. "I feel like I should be looking for something. I need to find out where I am so I can get back to my house or Ruby's." Weiss thought. She left her body slowing down the further she walked. It was most likely due to her wounds. She still couldn't feel the pain.
She started feeling lightheaded and her legs stopped working. She fell over onto the snowy ground. "What am I doing?" Weiss thought. Everything started going back.
The storm started to pick up and she heard movement. She moved her head up to look at whatever was making the noise. Her eyes went wide.
A large wolf stood sat in front of her. The wolf had to be at least three times her size. It had a pure white coat and grey glowing eyes that just stared right into her. Weiss felt her body start to stand up and move toward the wolf.
The wolf howled and then started to glow white. It's body started to change and suddenly a woman stood before her. She wore a long white hooded cloak. The wind around them started to blow and the hood fell off the woman's face, reveling a young woman with black hair and red tips, a pale face with grey eyes.
The woman smiled and reached her hand out to Weiss. Weiss reached for her hand. "Ruby?" Weiss asked.
Suddenly everything went black and the woman disappeared. The howl of pain she heard earlier was closer now. She saw a body in the distance and ran towards it. She recognized the hooded the body was wearing. It was Ruby. She was hurt. Then she heard laughing. A large dark figure appeared with a sword.
He started walking toward Weiss. His laugh becoming for maniacal and crazy the closer he got.
Weiss screamed and sat up. She looked around her. She was in Ruby's bedroom. She was laying in Ruby's bed. Ruby jumped up and turned to Weiss. "What's wrong?" Ruby asked in a concerned tone of voice.
"Just a bad dream. Sorry I woke you up." Weiss said and laid back down.
"It's fine. It's almost noon anyways. Did you want to talk about it?" Ruby asked.
"No that's fine. Wait…" Weiss said and looked down at her body. She was wearing something different. She wasn't in her onesie. She was in a tank top and a pair of shorts that were covered in a rose design.
"What happened last night? I know I drank alittle bit but….. Oh my God don't tell me we had…."Weiss said. Weiss's face turned bright head. Her heart started to race.
"Had what?" Ruby asked. She was completely clueless.
"Had….ummm you know!" Weiss could barely speak.
Ruby stared at her for a moment trying to figure out what the heck Weiss was implying. Then it clicked in her mind. "Oh you mean sex? You're asking if we had sex when you got wasted at the party?" Ruby asked.
"Don't say something so lewd you Dolt!" Weiss said. Her face was completely red.
Ruby smiled and started to laugh. "No we didn't. I haven't even kissed anyone, let alone have sex. At the party we just drank and talked for awhile. Then some guy hit on you and you got mad. You started telling me how awesome I was and then you wanted to dance but I didn't know how. Then you attempted to teach me how to waltz. We sort of failed at it but it was fun! Then we went somewhere quiet and you started hugging me a lot and telling me I was your favorite person in the world and then you started to cry. I tried to calm you down and then you passed out on my lap. Yang and Blake found us and Yang carried you home and up to my bedroom. I took your onesie off and put you in a pair of my pjs so you wouldn't be hot when you slept. Then you cuddled with me in bed and fell asleep. Then you screamed in my ear and woke me up." Ruby told her.
Weiss quickly relaxed. She was embarrassed about what she told Ruby last night. It was true though. "That's embarrassing…. Sorry you had to take care of me." Weiss said.
"It's fine! Why did you drink so much anyways?" Ruby asked.
Weiss sighed. "I wanted to make sure I was fun at the party. I know I can be a bit uptight sometimes." Weiss admitted.
"You didn't have to get drunk for me to think you are fun! I think my favorite part of when we danced together! Remember that next time we decide to be social." Ruby said with a smile.
"Alright…" Weiss said. Then she realized something and her eyes went wide.
"Wait a second! I wasn't wearing in clothes under my onesie, just my underwear and bra!" Weiss said.
"Yeah I noticed. You wear very expensive clothes Weiss, Geez." Ruby said.
"You dolt!" Weiss huffed.
Ruby laughed and gave her a hug. "Hey I'm going to go take a shower. You can stay in bed and sleep more if you want. I'll make you some coffee when I get out. You probably feel hungover from last night." Ruby said and got up out of bed.
"Thank you." Weiss said with a smile. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep for a few more minutes.
POV Ruby
Ruby walked into the bathroom with a change of clothes. She locked the bathroom behind her and started the water. She took of her pjs and hopped into the shower once the water had warmed up.
"Last night was fun. It's kind of hilarious that Weiss thought we did something." Ruby thought to herself.
"Well I'm glad you had a good time. Look at you! You finally made a friend for once! You know she doesn't really like you right? She feels bad for you. Your not in close to the same level she is in society." The wolf man said to her.
"Shut up! You are just trying to control me." Ruby said.
"Stupid bitch. I do control you. I can fuck you up at any moment that pleases me. Speaking of which, how goes the search to find out who I am? I see you have done absolutely nothing! I'm starting to get bored! I might have to make things more interesting." The wolf man said with a snarl.
"I've been busy! I was going to start once we got a long weekend or a break from school." Ruby said.
"Lies! You have been to busy hanging out with ice princess. You even used the wolf pup to find out more about her. That's evil Ruby. What if she were to find out you were that pup? What if she found out you are a freak? A monster? You would be dropped in a heart beat." The wolf man laughed.
"That's not true! Weiss wouldn't do that! Weiss actually likes me." Ruby said. Her voice was starting to shake.
"Just start doing nothing or else I'll have to jump in and make things more fun myself." The wolf man said.
"You said you wouldn't take over my body." Ruby said.
"What can I say, I break promises. Its nothing personal. I'm just a horrible person." The wolf man said.
The wolf man inside of Ruby's head went quiet and Ruby was alone again with her thoughts. "He's right. I need to find out who he is. I can't keep living like this." Ruby thought to herself.
She turned off the water and got out of the shower and started putting on her clothes. "Weiss is smart. She could probably help me find out more about him and about me. I don't know how she will react if I tell her who I am." Ruby thought as she opened the bathroom door and headed to the kitchen. She made a cup of coffee and walked up stairs back to her room.
POV Blake
Blake sat in the living room quietly. She tried reading some of the book Yang had bought her but she couldn't think. Her mind just kept going to the texts from last night, to Adam, and toward the danger she knew she was putting everyone in. Yang kept telling her that she was strong and tough but Blake knew how dangerous Adam was. No one had ever stopped Adam. Anyone who tried was killed, unless he had some personal sick pleasure from watching them suffer. She knew if he caught Ruby, Weiss, or Yang, they would be put through hell and it would be all her fault.
"I should just run away. It would keep them all safe. If Adam found me he would beat me up and lock me up for months but then everything would go back to normal. I would have my shitty life back." Blake thought.
Blake felt sick. She got up and went to the bathroom. Yang was in the kitchen making them breakfast.
She went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She turned on the sink and splashed some water in her face. "If I run away, they will be safe. I won't ever see them again though. I really like them. I'll really miss Ruby and Weiss. I'll miss Yang the most. She was so kind and accepting of me. She was the first person I ever opened up to. She always cheered me up and made me smile. I really admire how positive she is even though her life has been horrible. She always thinks about other people and wants to protect and help everyone. She has such a firey and bright personality that I always admired. I guess it's because I'm so dark and realistic. Why am I even fighting Adam? I know he will win in the end. He always does." Blake frowned and opened a drawer. She pulled out a razer blade she had kept hidden.
She placed the blade under the hot water before sliding it against her arm. She repeated the motion a couple of time. Each time she increased the speed and became less steady and calm.
"I don't want to leave Yang behind. I care about her. I love her…." Blake started to cry.
"That's why I have to leave. Its to keep her safe. I hate my life. I just want to die. I'm tired of fighting him. Why didn't he kill me? I want to die." Blake cut her wrist and started crying more.
Blake jumped when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She remained silent. She hoped that the person knocking would come back later. "Blake It's me. Please let me in." Yang said calmly.
Blake remained silent.
"Blake if you don't unlock this door I'm going to break it open." Yang said calmly again.
Blake sighed and walked to the door and unlocked it. She turned around and sat on the bathroom floor. She didn't want Yang to see her like this.
Yang entered the bathroom and closed the door and locked it behind her. She had a firstaid kit and a washcloth in her hand. She put them down and sat next to Blake. They sat in silence for a moment before Yang reached over to her slowly and brought her into a hug.
Yang held her until Blake calmed down. Once she was calm enough Yang got up and helped Blake up. She started warm water running on put Blake's arm under the water to clean it. While her arm was under the water Yang got the wash cloth and poured some hydrogen peroxide on it. "This is going to sting." Yang said.
She placed the cloth on Blake's arm and Blake flinched. "Squeeze my hand if it hurts." Yang told her. Blake did. Once the wound was cleaned Yang put cream on it and bandaged it.
Blake looked up at Yang. Yang remained quiet and gentle during the whole event. She knew how to clean it and blood didn't seem to bother her. "Has she or Ruby done this?" Blake wondered.
Yang looked at Blake with a serious expression and brought her into another tight hug. She rested her head on top of Blake's. "I'm sorry you felt the need to do this. I know it must be hard. Please know I'm here for you Blake. I want to help you any way I can. Please don't shut me out." Yang said.
"I'm sorry." Blake said.
"Are you feeling up to breakfast?" Yang asked.
"Yeah. Thank you." Blake said. Yang handed Blake one of her hoodies to wear. They both headed downstairs.
When they got downstairs they found Ruby and Weiss in the living room. Ruby was sitting on the ground with a controller in her hand. She was playing one of her first person shooter games.
"I don't understand the point of this game? You just run around and shoot zombies?" Weiss asked.
"There isn't really a plot. You just run around and survive as long as you can. Its about teamwork and having the most badass weapons." Ruby said.
"You are playing alone though." Weiss stated.
"People alone are rude." Ruby said.
"Trying to beat my high school sis? Good luck." Yang teased.
"I'll defeat you some day!" Ruby called out.
Yang and Blake sat in the kitchen and ate breakfast together in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Nothing needed to be sad. Blake had a lot on her mind. She knew one thing for certain though. She didn't want to leave this house. She didn't want to leave Yang. She couldn't live with herself if Yang got hurt because of her though.
Blake stood up when she finished her pancakes. "Want to go for a walk Yang?" She asked.
"Yeah sure! Let me grab another hoodie." Yang said with a smile. Yang went upstairs and grabbed a hoodie. When she came back downstairs they both headed outside.
POV Ruby and Weiss
Weiss sat on the couch in the living room reading a book she had found on one of the bookshelves in the cabin. Ruby sat on the floor in front of her. She was sitting in front of the tv with a controller in her hand trying to beat Yang's record of survival rounds in the game.
"The previous owners of this house had excellent taste in literature. Every book I see is a masterpiece. There are tons of old books that look very rare and unique as well. This one I'm reading now was handwritten and illustrated. It's one of a kind." Weiss said without taking her eyes out of the book.
"Yeah there's so much cool stuff in this cabin! I bet the basement has tons of old and rare stuff in it. I wonder where the key went." Ruby said.
Both of them remained silent for awhile. Weiss was busy with her book and Ruby was only five rounds away from beating Yang. It was the closest she had ever gotten. "Weiss must be my lucky charm." Ruby thought while she mashed buttons on her controller.
Then Ruby heard a laugh. One she knew far too well. It was the wolf man. This time it didn't sound like it was in her head. In the corner of her eye she saw him. He was leaning against the living room wall. He was nicely dressed, wearing a white dress shirt and black pants. He was smiling and flipping a coin.
"Don't speak out loud. Don't act like anything is strange. She can't see me, don't worry kid. I just got bored. I still you are working very hard and you took my advice from earlier." The wolf man smirked.
Ruby continued to play the game and listen to him quickly. She didn't want to bring any attention to herself or Weiss would be confused. She tried to remain relaxed and calm but her heart was beating fast and she could feel herself breaking into a cold sweat. "How is he here?" Ruby questioned.
"I'm so bored just sitting in your head all day and night. I decided it would be fun if I made things alittle more fun. Maybe that would motivate you to do something for once." He laughed again.
Ruby looked at him with a concerned face. "He isn't planning on hurting anyone? Does he want to hurt Weiss?" Ruby thought.
"Now I know what you are thinking, I'm not going to make blood spill this time. I just want to mess with you. It will be hilarious." He walked up next to her. He made sure he wasn't blocking the tv.
"You see this coin? Do you think it will land on heads or tails? Of course, don't actually answer this question out loud, my rose." He smiled and flipped the coin the air and caught it.
He opened he hand to reveal what it had landed on. "Heads. Nice. Enjoy my treat kiddo. I know I'll have fun watching." He laughed and disappeared. His laugh slowly faded until it was back inside Ruby's head and went silent.
"What the hell does that mean?" Ruby thought. Her question was answered when she suddenly felt a headache overcome her. It was a strange and different kind of headache. It was on the top of her head and not in the temporal. She touched the top of her head and realized what it was. She quickly pulled her red hood over head and stood up.
"Weiss I need to go to the bathroom! Cover me while I'm gone! Don't let me die please!" Ruby said and tossed Weiss the controller as she ran upstairs quickly and headed to the bathroom.
"Hey! I don't know how to play video games! Ruby!" She picked up the controlled and looked at the screen. She sighed.
Ruby rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She saw spots of blood on the floor and decided to ignore them for now and focus on the problem she saw in the mirror.
Ruby looked at her reflection. She had two wolf ears perked up on the top of her red. They were similar to the ones she had when she was a wolf pup. They were black but faded to red at the tips. She reached up and touched them. "They are real. How do I get rid of them? How the hell am I going to hide this from Weiss?" Ruby thought to herself.
She took out her phone and sent a text to Blake saying "Blake I need your help! I suddenly got wolf ears sticking out of my head! I have no idea how to get rid of them."
She walked out of the bathroom and went to her room. She found a baseball hat in her closet and put it on her head. "Weiss won't think this is odd, right? I hope not. I really need to tell her about this soon…"Ruby thought with a sigh and headed back downstairs.
She looked at Weiss who was staring at the tv screen intensely. Ruby realized that Weiss had beat Yang's record on the game. Weiss turned and looked at Ruby. She handed her back the controller.
"I organized your weapons and loot by rarity and usefulness. This game is so simple." Weiss said and picked up her book and started reading again. She would never admit it but she actually really enjoyed the game.
POV Blake and Yang
Yang and Blake had been walking for a good amount of time now. Blake knew what she had to tell Yang but was nervous. Yang broke the silence. "How are you feeling?" Yang asked.
"Stressed. Unsure. Scared." Blake said.
"Can I do anything?" Yang asked.
Blake felt her heart beating faster. "Just get it over with. It's like ripping off a bandaid." Blake thought.
"I….I can't stay here anymore. I have to go." Blake said. Yang stopped in her tracks. Blake walked in her and stumbled back slightly.
"What? Why?" Yang asked. Her voice sounded broken. She was holding but tears.
"You don't know Adam like I do. Hes a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I've seen how strong he is. The amount of man power he controls. He has a gang! I've seen people get murdered, disappear, and get tortured because of me! I don't want that to happen to you, Ruby or Weiss." Blake said.
"It won't." Yang said. She could barely speak.
"Yang look at me! I'm a faunus. I'm a freak! I'm a black cat. I'm bad luck for everyone around me. I don't deserve your kindness. I need to stay away from you!" Blake said.
Yang grabbed Blake with force and pushed her against a tree. She towered over Blake and had her arms on both sides of Blake to block her from escaping.
"Please let me do this Yang. Let me keep you safe. All my life I have only done bad things. Let this be the one good thing." Blake said. Tears started sliding down her face.
Yang looked at her in the eyes. She was different. Her eyes were red and full of anger but tears spilled out of them and down her face. Her breathing was hard.
"You think running away will help a goddamn thing Blake? He will find you and he will do so much more then murder you. I'm not letting that happen and don't think you have to do this alone. And how fucking dare you say that you are unlucky. Since I met you I have been the luckiest person in the world! I love you and care about you! Before I moved here I knew I was different and misunderstood. I was outcast! Then I met you and I finally found someone who understood me! I understand he is strong and dangerous but we can't quit. I'm too fucking stubborn to just admit defeat!" Yang screamed at her.
Blake looked at her stunned. "I don't want you getting hurt because of me Yang."
"I get hurt all the time. I'm a reckless person. But I'm also the kind of person who would take a bullet for someone I care about. You have been fighting this battle alone all your life. Now you have me, Ruby, and Weiss. Hell, I bet I can get some of the classmates to help as well. Let me help you Blake." Yang said.
Blake looked at her and sighed in defeat. "Fine…. Lets just try out best. We can plan this out. It might work. I know how he fights and what his semblance is." Blake said.
Yang's red eyes changed back to purple and she looked her and grinned. "That's the spirit kitty." Yang said.
"So you really think I'm lucky?" Blake asked. Her face was slightly red. She raised an eyebrow. Yang was still pinning her against the tree.
Yang blushed. "Well…yes." Yang said with a nervous laugh.
"Well about that…." Blake said and transformed. She decided to start off with just a small black cat. She sunk into her clothes. She got caught in the hoodie during the transformation though. It wasn't as smooth as she had wanted it to be.
Yang jumped and looked around. All she saw was a pile of Blake's clothes on the ground. Yang started looking around. "Blake? Please don't tell me you ran away? Please don't tell me you ran away naked…." Yang called out.
Blake tried wiggling out of the hoodie but she couldn't. She didn't want to make Yang scared and think she ran away. She decided she could let out a mew to get her attention.
Yang turned back at the pile of clothes when she heard the noise. A confused expression on her face when she reached down and pulled out something from the hoodie she had let Blake borrow.
Yang pulled at a short haired black cat with yellow eyes. Yang's eyes went wide and a huge smile grew on her face. "Blake you can turn into a cat! Oh my god you are so cute!" Yang said and pulled Blake into a hug. She rubbed her face against Blake's.
"I always wondered if you could. I know you're a faunus and you have cat ears but I heard that special faunuses could transform! You are so awesome Blake." Yang said with a smile.
"Wow she is taking this well. I guess she would since Ruby is her sister and all. Guess I'll show her something else I can do." Blake thought.
She started to wiggle and mew. Yang understood what she wanted and placed her and the ground. "I love the way you meow as well!" Yang said with a grin.
Blake transformed again but this time she was much larger. She changed into a large black panther that was 4 times Yang's size. She was lean but still strong looking. Her claws were large and her fangs were sharp. Her yellow eyes glowed at Yang.
Yang looked shocked for a moment but walked up to her. She slowly reached forward and put her hand on Blake's face and rubbed it. She then added her other hand and eventually rubbed her face against Blake's.
Yang stopped petting her and backed off and looked at Blake. She started to laugh. Her whole body shook while she laughed. Blake was confused by this action and transformed back to her human body.
"What's so funny?" Blake asked.
"Did you think I would freak out if I knew you could transform?" Yang asked.
"No….okay yes I did." Blake admitted.
"Blake I don't think you realized this yet but none of us are normal. What is normal anyway?" She laughed.
"I guess it was silly." Blake said.
"Also….I don't want to make this weird or anything but you are completely naked right now. That's a cute tattoo by the way." Yang said with a wink. Her face was flushed.
Blake ran to get her house and her face was completely red. "Whatever. I was sixteen. I thought tattooing my symbol to my hip would be cool." Blake said.
"It's totally sexy kitty cat!" Yang said with a laugh.
Blake reached in her pocket and took out her phone to see what time it was. She had one new text from Ruby. She opened it and read it. "Looks like Ruby is in trouble. She asked for my help. We should probably head back." Blake said.
"Is she okay?" Yang asked.
"She is fine. She just doesn't know how to control her transformations completely. She has wolf ears right now. I really should teach her how to transform and control it. She could even change her size like me." Blake said.
"That would be cool! Weiss could ride on her back and I could ride on yours. We would look badass." Yang joked.
"haha. Very funny." Blake said.
"Do you mind heading back alone? I actually have to run a quick errand. I'll be back in no time. I want to do it before it gets dark." Yang said.
"Alright. Just be careful out there Yang." Blake said.
"I will! Text me if you need anything, okay?" Yang said.
"I promise. Thank you Yang." Blake said and headed back to the cabin. Once Blake was out of sight Yang started to run.
She ran deeper into the forest until she came to a large grey building. It looked like it was falling apart and had not been used in ages. She opened the door to the large building and went inside. It looked like it had once been a night club.
She saw bars with bottles of alcohol lining them. She saw broken glasses and old glasses scattered everywhere. She saw old dusty tables and booths. Some were broken and fallen apart, others just had a coat of dust covering them. She saw a large old dance floor that looked that it had once been able to light up. Some sections looked cracked and damaged. Others looked for dull. Old LED lights surrounded the inside of the building. An old platform lay in the front of the club with old machinery used to play music. Old speakers were placed through the whole building. It looked like there were a bunch of private rooms everywhere in the building. Yang didn't even want to think about the shadey or sexual things that happened in them. The place probably looked amazing back in the day and was probably very popular with people in her age group and people in their twenties.
She looked around and the place looked empty. She readied her weapons and looked at the time. It was 2:57pm. She knew this was the place the letter had told her to meet the mystery person at.
She loaded bullets into her weapons and called out. "I'm here. Who are you and what the hell do you want?"