I was alone when I woke up. Finding myself surrounded with mess. Vaas managed to empty the contents of a trunk all over the place. The trunk itself was lying on its side, under the table which was now flipped over. A few pieces of clothing were laid out over me, how the hell it didn't wake me; I'll never know.
The loud commotion outside was what woke me. It was mostly men shouting and barking orders at each other. Nobody sounded at all happy to be doing whatever it is they are doing. I was just too tired to even care what was happening outside right now. Even making an attempt on cleaning up Vaas' mess was too much for me right now. I stayed still, laying on the ground with about three different tank tops flung across my legs.
I don't know if it's from trying to get Vaas in a functioning state of mind last night or just plain worrying about him, that has left me feeling so drained. God, I love the guy but he can be fucking exhausting some times. No wonder I've been sleeping so well, even with all the crap that has happened here. I can't deny that I've probably had the best night sleeps here. Probably one of few good things that happened here.
Rubbing my eyes to try and wake myself up a bit more, all I could focus on was all the noise outside. Men shouting left and right, the tiger growling, music blaring, dogs barking, power tools, banging about, all the normal stuff. I was also starting to pick on some of the smells wafting in; gasoline being the strongest one. When the smell actually hit me, I started to cough repeatedly; as if it was taught in the back of my throat.
Climbing to my feet, letting the tops drop to the ground as I made my way to the bathroom. I rinsed my mouth with water as an attempt to clear my throat before brushing my teeth. It helped a little but not a lot. I moved onto my usual routine; brushing my teeth, having a shower, getting dressed. Like I do every morning.
There was no sign that they were going to quiet down outside, it was definitely out of the normal for this place. Ha, define normal. There's nothing normal here. This is honestly one of the most fucked up places, even the devil would say that Rook islands needed to tone it down.
I was putting on my underwear when I heard someone screaming in pain. He was swearing louder then anyone else. I started to rush to get my dress on and looking for my shoes. I can't really go and help in my underwear, I would draw too much attention to myself and I really don't want that. I also don't need Vaas winding me up about that. Besides, its too damn hot for jeans. Again.
"It's a fucking splinter, Hori." I could hear Carlos shouting. "Quit bitching, pull it out of your fucking finger and get back to work. We need to get this shit finished." I slowed down, not really much cause of concern. A splinter isn't going to cause any damage on his finger. I should clean it, just in case. Carlos sounded incredibly stressed and really pissed off. I would be too, after dealing with the crap from last night then having to get up early to work. Carlos might be my best bet to ask what the hell is going on downstairs, even if he is in a bad mood.
As I started to focus on Carlos' voice, I started to notice that he was barking orders at everyone. That could only mean one thing, Vaas isn't here. Carlos is the one currently in charge. I should ask him sooner rather then later. Or else I'm going to lose him among his current workload.
Hopping in-between the piles of clothes and junk, I made my way to the door and opened it. Finding Emelda's bed empty, only a single post-it stuck to the wall with the world's weirdest message. The handwriting wasn't brilliant, but in my profession; I've seen so much worse and I am still able to read it. God knows how. Every letter is in bold, scratchy lines; like the ones you make when the pen is able to die on you. Each one a different size to the others. He even managed to doodle a couple of eyes in around the message. All of this pointed to Vaas. 'TAKEN DOG WITH ME' it read. I left it on the wall, I'll pull it off when I come back to clean.
Making my way outside, I found myself looking over everyone working with one raised eyebrow. This place either looks like the world's most unsafe builders' yard or a bomb had just hit it. I could see Carlos looking over one of the building, the one closest to the wall and the entrance.
"Carlos!" I shouted over to him, he was looking between me and the building. Holding a repair tool in his hand, my arms started to itch at the sight of it. I waved and made my way over to him. "You alright?" I asked him, once I was close enough.
"Not bad." He shrugged. "Just tired. Did you manage to get some sleep after I left?"
"Some. I got some." I replied, gently scratching my arm. While doing my best to keep my eyes off the repair tool. "So, what's with all the building work?"
"We're setting up a trap." Carlos explained, his voice gruff and strict. "You probably know about what happened this morning?"
"No, just woke up to a trashed room. Didn't go well?"
"We had some of the privateers working with us to lure Snow White out." Nice to know that that nickname has caught on. "It worked a treat, even if it ended with a lot of dead bodies. Mostly Hoyt's, not ours. What we did was leak some fake information on some captured warriors we sold off a few days ago, just waiting to ship them out. Said that we were going to move them with a lot of guards on hand, to make sure everything goes smoothly. Rakyat attacked with Snow White chasing down the truck. Only to open it and find Vaas inside. He knocked him out and dragged him inside."
"And what went wrong?"
"Vaas tried to drown him, Snow White got out and managed to kill a bunch of our guys."
"Anyone I know?" I asked without thinking.
"Yeah; we lost Benny, Manuel and Niran." I nodded, I remembered all of them. Even if it was briefly. Manuel and Niran were both in cave working while I was chatting with Jerry. Losing Benny felt like a kick in the gut, we don't talk much but he was nice to me. "Cal's in bad shape, we managed to close the wounds. We didn't have Hisham on hand. Cal's just not waking up. We brought him back here."
"No, he's awake!" One of the men yelled from the couch. "He's raiding the fucking fridge!"
"Back to work, Gabriel!" Carlos shouted at him, before looking back to me. "CAL! BACK TO BED!"
"FUCK OFF! I'M HUNGRY!" Cal barked back at him, it got a chuckle out of the men around us.
"I'll go check on him in a second." I nodded. "Anyway, you were saying."
"Yes, Snow White crashed one of Hoyt's helicopters. Vaas followed him to the wreckage and shoot him. Still didn't kill him. Fuck knows how he survived a shoot to the chest, we took the body armour of him. Vaas has fucked off, completely pissed and left me to set the trap for Snow White. I don't know where he is, last I saw him; he walked over with a dog. The one that normally hangs around you."
"Yeah, he left a note saying he went off with Emelda." I nodded. "So, what is the trap exactly?"
"Fire. Mostly fire." Carlos pointed at the building, we both were looked over the structure. It both stood out and blended in with the other buildings here, like a field of flowers with only one that was a different colour to all the rest. "It can either go two ways with this thing. Either it'll trap Brody inside to burn to death or it'll smoke him out into the open and we can gun him down."
I didn't turn away from the building, I should be horrified at this. Not numb to the thought of someone being trapped inside a burning building, then possibly riddled with bullets. Mentally, I know it's fucked up and I don't want this to happen to anyone. It doesn't stop me wishing it could be done another way. My stomach turned in disgust. My scars started to become unbearably itchy, making their presence know from the simple use of fire involved. My throat tightened at the thought of all that chaos, when I'll probably be stuck in a room to keep me safe and unable to do anything if there are any casualties.
"It's not close enough to spread to the other buildings and we're closing all the exits once we're done. So, nobody will get stuck in it by accident. If that's what you're worrying about." Carlos was looking at me, I'm probably not hiding my concern very well.
"It's not that. At least you guys are being careful about this." I shrugged. "It's just… really messed up. The lengths you're willing to go just to kill somebody. Even wanting to do it at all is worrisome. Yeah, I know. Before you say, I'm still not getting use to this."
"I don't blame you." Carlos sighed, folding his arms. "It is messed up. No point in hiding it. I ain't going to tell you otherwise, Doctor. Just be grateful you don't have to go inside." His voice was modulated and dull, just accepting that this is the world he lives in and this is the choices he has made. "Honestly, I actually like having someone like you around. Someone who is actually trying to hold onto their morality and call everyone out on their bullshit." I turn towards him. His eyes heavy, almost destructs you from the small smile on his face; as he casually starts reminiscing.
"Do you guys need anything?" I asked, feeling bad to interrupt him and sounding awkward as hell. "Drinks or anything?"
"No Doctor." He added, picking up a car battery that placed on the ground in front of him. "I think we're all good here."
"I'll have a beer." One of the men shouted from inside.
"No You Won't!" Carlos shouted back.
"OK then." I nodded. "I better go and give Cal a look over."
"Just make sure he stays in bed this time."
"Are his injuries that bad?"
"Kinda, enough to knock him out but not enough to stop him from trying to fucking work. It ain't fucking helping nobody. He's just getting in the way."
"I know how he feels." I muttered under my breath before turning back the brooding man standing next to me. "Can you get Hori to wash his hands before he doesn't anything else. I don't want him to get an infection from his splinter."
"Sure." Carlos said. He turned to the building once more. "Hori. Did you get it out?!"
"Yeah!" The pirate shouted back.
"Go wash your hands! Doctor's Orders!"
"I'm on it! Just give me a second!"
"Since you have everything under control, I'll go check on Cal. Hopefully I'll see you around, Carlos." I waved as I headed towards the men's sleeping quarters. Carlos made his way inside.
Not going to lie, I'm actually looking forward to the chance to help someone. It has been such a long time since I stitched someone up and even longer to diagnose an illness. I would probably be doing these non-stop if I wasn't even here. If none of us were here; we would all be doing our jobs right now.
Poor Walker, I wonder he's doing right now? Did he go back to the US or is he still in Bangkok? I hope he's doing OK. I'm grateful that he's not here. I don't know what would happen to him if he wasn't hung over and actually came with me and Jerry? I like to think that he would have gotten anyway from the pirates. I mean, the first time I met him; he fell on me while drunkenly climbed through my window and we weren't even on the ground floor. Still a very large chance of him getting shot at if he did run from the pirates. I hid and I didn't get off lightly, even with their boss and 'unchangeable' interest.
I entered the men's living quarters to find Cal sat on the kitchen counters, eating what looks like large lumps of different colour marzipan. His arm was still wrapped from the time I had to pull an arrow out of it. Besides that, he was completed covered in bruises and patches of dried blood. The man looked a mess, with a look of childish glee on his face.
"So, what happened to you?" I asked, in the same tone as a mother who had just caught her kids going through the fridge mere minutes before dinner. Even folded my arms as well.
"I found some Mochi." Cal slurred, smiling brightly like nothing had happened.
"Good to… know. Not what I was asking. But good to know." I nodded, with no idea what he was talking about. But whatever made him happy.
"Oh, I got stuck in the crossfire between Brody and the other men." Cal explained, like it was no big deal that he had just been shot at and knocked unconscious. He honestly looked like a child, slightly wobbling despite the fact he was sitting still. It took him a moment before continuing to speak while looking around, trying to remember what had happened. "I was trying to fire my pistol, which isn't easy to do with one hand. So, I had to cock it with my knees. Fired a couple of shoots before Brody hit the fuel tank I was standing near. Sent me flying into a wall. Next thing I knew, I woke up in bed with no idea how I got here or who patched me up?"
"Carlos said it wasn't Hisham." I nodded, walking over to him. "You mind if I take a look. I'll be as quick as I can and you can keep eating your … uh… things."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Where does it hurt?" I asked, looking over the visible injuries.
"Well… my head for a start."
"That one is a no brainer." I sighed. "I went head first into a wall and were unconscious. You're staying on bed rest for that one alone. Do you hear ringing? Aching? Are you dizzy?"
"Why?"
"I'm just checking for signs of concussion."
"OH!" He gasped. "OK then. Not anymore. Yes, and yes." Cal raised a finger for each answer. His speech started to slur again "To be honest, I had trouble… getting down the stair. I was leaning… against the wall. That's normal for a concussion?"
"Yeah, in early stages." I explained. "Did you feel like vomiting before you started eating?"
"A bit." Cal shrugged. " I actually did when I was upstairs. I... did make it to the bathroom on time. It stopped… when I found the mochi. I fucking love mochi." He was still wobbling. I placed the back of my hand against his forehead to check his temperature.
"Your hand cold." He grumbled at me, looking really annoyed at me.
"Sorry. I didn't know."
"And it's too bright in here." Cal added. There weren't any lights on in this room, apart from the open door. It was actually pretty dark in here. The delayed reactions of a concussion were already kicking in. Mood swing and sensitivity to lights. He is staying in bed for a few days at least, just to keep an eye on it. In case there is more damage then I am currently seeing. His head wasn't swelling up, He would also be struggling to move more freely if there was a skull fracture or brain haemorrhage. He isn't that disoriented or confused, but that could be due to blood loss. A very small possibly a small memory loss but Cal is pretty focused; even with the mood swings.
"I'm putting you on bed rest for a bit." I explained. "Just to give some time to recover from your head injuries alone."
"Do I have to?" He whinged.
"Yes, so actually listen when people tell you to stay in bed." I answered. "Now, is there anywhere else that still hurts?"
"I don't know." Cal shrugged, placing the plate of mochi to the side. "I can't really notice it with my head the way it is." He slipped off the counter and leaned against to keep himself standing up straight. I kneeled down until I was knee height. I flicked him in the knee.
"Did that hurt?" I asked.
"No." He groaned. I repeatedly did this at his joints to see if I could get a reaction. He wasn't feeling any pain but he was register that he could feel my touch. Which is always a good sign.
A bold man with a shotgun strapped to his back eating the room, washed his hands and watched me work as he rubbed soap between his finger; with a confused expression on his face. This must be Hori. He wasn't wearing a vest, like I've seen on other guys that I've seen carrying shotguns. Probably getting in the way of his work. I stood up and turned to him.
"How's the finger?"
"Stings." Hori stated in a put-on gravelly voice, as he grabbed a cloth.
"Can I have a look in a second?"
"Sure." He added, drying his finger before holding it out to me.
"Was there blood?"
"Nope, just hurt like a motherfucker."
"Just keep it clean and put a plaster on it. You should be fine." I smiled up to the muscular man. "It's should be alright in a couple of days."
"Cool." Hori dried his hands, throwing the cloth on top of a small box before leaving to go back to work on the trap.
"You're welcome." I muttered under my breath, before turning back to Cal. "And you need to go back to bed and get as much sleep as you can. Do you want help getting up there?"
"Nah, I need to keep what credibility I have left." I watched walk towards the stairs. He could not walk in a straight line. I grabbed a bowl of fruit and his so called mochi off the side and followed him. As he went up the stair, I placed a hand on his back to stop him falling backwards and onto me.
The men's living quarters were a mess. Beds, mattresses and sofas dumped everywhere between multiple different small rooms. There was barely any way to walking them, you kinda had to throw yourself onto it. Some of the rooms had other stuff in there as well; like dressers, bedside tables and TVs. I'm guessing nobody has a claim on which bed they sleep on, since they are always coming and going between bases.
Cal climbed onto an actual bed, not a pile of mattresses on the floor. A bedside table, similar to the ones you see in hospitals, hung over the end of his bed. He pulled it along until it covered his face, to block out the light; since he's already complained about it being too bright downstairs. I carefully placed the fruit bowl and mochi on top, trying not to make any noise. Then I made my way back to Vaas' room.
The mess was still there when I got back, nor had it cooled down since I left. I still have no idea how I hadn't been woken up by this. It's best not to dwell on it, it's not going to get it put away by itself.
I flipped over the trunk and sat myself down on the 'bed'. Vaas had managed to rip the lid off the trunk, and thrown it god knows where. Maybe he's using it play fetch with Emelda, maybe he beating someone with it. Honestly, with whatever he's doing it would still be a surprise for me. No matter what.
Taking my time, I started folding all the clothes littered on the ground and placed them back inside the trunk. I wasn't really sure what was or wasn't clean, they all smelt fine but had stains and rips on them. Half of them I was actually surprised to find in Vaas' possessions. Duplicates of his normal tank tops and trousers, sure. Not leather jackets, brightly patterned shorts, beanie hats, bright yellow swimming trunks, a blue suit with a complimenting buttoned up shirt, silk shirts, a red blazer, a trench coat, baseball caps, some many belts and accessories, a strait jacket? How the fuck did he get a strait jacket from? Actually, do I want know know where he got a strait jacket from?
That man is seriously full of surprises. I love him but god knows how much he keeps me on my toes. I never know what to expect from that man. Somehow, his choice in clothes are actually more surprising that the large number of junk that I keep finding among the clothes. Things like ancient coins, pendants, arrowheads, gem stones, crayons, porn magazines and a pair of pink fluffy handcuffs. I pretty much placed them on the table for Vaas to move, I honestly don't know if I want to know the story behind most of them. I don't want know about the magazines.
While folding a pair of trousers, I noticed something fall out of the back pocket. It swayed from side to side until it landed under the table. It looked like a piece of paper, well all I could see was a reflective white square. Placing the trousers into the trunk, I crawled along the floor; with my feet still on the bed, and picked it.
Sitting back down, I looked over the paper. It was slightly dirty and there were a few lines from where it had been bent. But overall, it had been kept in good condition. I flipped it over to find that it had been folded into four quarters. I opened it to find, to my surprise, it was a photo. My photo.
The photo was one of two that I kept in my purse. This one was from my graduation, it was taken by my grandfather before he passed away that November. It showed my whole family, there were many photos that had my whole family in it. Me, mum and my sister Kathreen were camera shy, often complaining whenever someone pointed a camera at us. This was probably the only nice photo I had of them. Me and Kathreen were stood together with mum on the right next to me, and my stepdad Mike standing next to Kathreen on the left. Dad wasn't there, but he wouldn't have come anywhere after the last time. My little brother Dan always had trouble standing still so we left him to his own devices, it was nice to see him laughing and facing the camera in the photo.
My eyes started to well up with tears as I covered my mouth. It's been so long. It almost felt like an eternity since I last saw them. I missed them so badly. I felt sick in the pit of my stomach, they must be so worried about me. I don't even know if they know what has happened to me? Has Hoyt tried to get money off them? Do they know I'm here? Do they know that I'm alive? Have they tried to explain this to Dan or are they keeping it from him? The number of unanswered questions continued to pile and pile in my mind.
I threw the rest of the clothes back into the trunk. I didn't bother folding them, just made sure everything was in before I kicked it back under the table. Sobbing, I laid back onto the bed; refusing to take my eyes off that photo. I cried and cried even when my eyes were red and raw.
I didn't notice that the sun had started to go down.
I didn't notice that the men had stopped working outside.
I didn't notice that there was music playing outside.
I didn't notice that the door had just opened… until I felt a hand placed on my shoulder.
Finally, I looked away from the photo to find Vaas kneeling next to me. He moved his hand and placed it on my face, rubbing a tear away with his thumb. No words were said between us. As I rolled onto my side and he led himself down next to me, face to face.
With his other hand, he pulled me closer to him. Our noses almost touching. Vaas looked down at the photo in my hand and nodded. He didn't take the photo, like I had expected him to. He just held me close until I had cried myself to sleep.
