Chapter 27: The Oceanic part 1
No further breaking news has been reported in of the St. London Hospital fire; that was set ablaze from the ground up as of seventeen hours ago. No reports of causes or survives have been brought to our attention. Stable floors that have been checked by the Boston Fire Department and police have yet to give their insights of what is behind the burn remains, yet by how they responded by fellow reporters and relatives of patients that were staying at this hospital. Only means that Boston has reached a dark mourning for now. We can only hope to keep strong and pray for the men and women to set this right. Only time will have the answers we are looking for—
A sudden click filled the fading the noise of the television, with a hush creak from a heavy laid in chair following not long later. Along with a lone man, hands covering in his face as he leaned hard on his knees, bowing in form as he stayed seated, a groan flexed his throat for a moment.
Outside from the man's personal bubble, the dreaded echoes of a light storm, akin to almost feeding of the man's dismay, that wormed through his body, too where a sickness would be ashamed of.
"Mark?" A voice, his love called out his name, reaching a palm on his shoulder, giving a light squeeze as she sat next to him, leaning in enough to give a somewhat hug, as her eyes remain of the black screen of the TV. Waiting just a bit, before; speaking out the silence. "Everything will be fine."
"He left, Vi, what is there fineness?"
"Honey . . ."
Mark stood from his seat, away from his lover, pacing around the living room, head still down with a hand covering his eyes. Hoping in some way it would block out the realty of all around him.
"My last friend . . . my friend whom I always thought could do great things, became broken. Blindly others left, being a weakling . . ."
"You are not a weakling, Mark."
Her short words fell to deaf ears.
"I stayed to help, because I thought for moments in, I could be like him and show what he changes in me . . . to what I could do for him. And! Without knowing or even trying . . . I gleefully and shamelessly gave him to a monster that only broke him more. I should have noticed this . . ."
"Mark." Violet's voice was more firm, as she stood up, towering over Mark by a few inches, as she walked over to him, keeping her voice still as she spoke. "You didn't know and you were never blind. You always went to see him, worried, you knew without knowing something was wrong . . . but as a good friend you are, not were, to him, you never brought it up, because he never did . . ."
"Only when he ran away . . ."
"Yes, because he missed his loved ones. Anyone in his shoes would. While you, Mark, went after him. Shoulder his pain, taking to somewhere he could heal, even if to just stall for time. Zack knew that and went along, because as he is . . . you acting like him, no doubt stroked his ego."
The last words brought a little cheer in him, fleeting a feeling it was, but it was something.
"He's safe. As far as we know, he got away and far from everything."
Mark gave a nod of understanding. Taking his girl by the arms and holding her close, letting the silence play out, letting go for her finish up dinner, as he headed off to freshen up. Taking baby steps to let everything settling in, for as days that were to come, were going to vastly be a horror ride at best.
Heading to the bathroom, freshening up with just quick speed it took enter the lavatory. As he dried his face, it was then he notices something out of the corner of his eye, shock he missed it before, upon seeing a water trail leaving out into the hall.
Glancing to where it came from, the tub, though dry, followed it out, heading towards Zack's room. Looking to where Violet was, who was unaware of this, and he walked to the room.
The water trail damped the carpet, but still kept on pace to somewhere, it was then Mark notice out of the giant star chart, Zack made when he stayed and spend his time. Finding something, that was once just a childhood memory.
It was then finding one the chart sheets were missing, where a puddle was the largest out of the whole trail. Mark gave thought of this, sneaking peeks at the other charts. Thinking for only a moment, before not long an answer, finally came. Leaving with nothing more: for Mark to have a smile of his face, eyes landing back on the blank space on the wall, slowly leaving the room, having the door shut behind with a soft click and lock.
"Take care, buddy."
"Mark, come sit down, dinners ready."
"Okay." He responded, before quickly adding. "Oh, Vi, when's the next rent pay for that boat spot at the docks?"
"Two weeks, I think, why?"
"I don't want to be late or anything when having to pay is all."
"Mark, honey, you're never late."
He gave a light chuckle soon letting the words come out. "I just want to be on the safe side is all?"
Violet gave an eye roll, when Mark finally took his seat.
"Besides, I need to work up the time to ask you to marry me without, a panic, I guess."
"Wait . . . what?"
That got enough to change topics fast.
