9. Things are clearer on the other side of the storm.

His eyelids felt so very heavy.

He thought about sleeping a little longer. The idea of opening his eyes hurt more than actually doing it. It was hard to focus on any one thought whenever he was awake. Sleep was quiet. Sleep was less confusing. There was no sense of time. It was too fluid, as loose and confusing as his scattered thoughts when he was awake.

Because whenever he opened his eyes it was always a blur of color and sound. He was moving, he wasn't moving. He was in a car, in the trunk, hurting, people grabbing and pulling him, binding him—no, no that's not right, he was in the hospital and it was the doctors and the nurses hovering over him.

Where's Raphael and Valon? Why do I need to know? Why is that important?

They're hurt. Are they in danger? I have to get to them!

Where are they?! Why am I hurt?! What happened?!

He remembered asking, begging, but what it was he needed to know and why it was important, he couldn't remember. He only remembered it's important.

Sometimes, he was moving. Sometimes, it was the police. Sometimes, it was Ellie. He thought he heard Valon once, and sometimes is that Miruko? Why's he scared? Where is he? I have to get to him! Someone helped him change clothing at one point…didn't they? He didn't know, and he was lost, and his anxiety was through the roof, and yet he was so tired—

So he slept, because it was easier than thinking.

The next time he woke up, he didn't open his eyes right away.

…Where am I?

His mouth felt like it had cotton in it. He was strangely stiff, his body dully throbbing; his head was pounding as he started focusing. His position was not very comfortable where he lay, caught between halfway sitting and lying down. I must have dozed off in the window seat again…

As he tried to shift, however, a fiery spike of pain stabbed at his ribcage. It cut through the sleepy haze he was in. His lips curled back in a silent snarl as the pain washed over him. He bit back a groan—what the hell had he done to his ribs?

The pain had seemed to jumpstart his tired mind. There was something pressing in his thoughts, something that was urgent and that refused to go away—

From outside the room, rattling wheels sounded as a heavy cart moved down the hall. Wheels that drew closer.

Wheels that squealed in the rain as the car barreled towards him.

His eyes snapped open and Alister gasped, snapping upright. Blinding white pain eclipsed his vision as stabbing hot pain shot through him, leaving him whimpering almost soundlessly as he struggled to breathe. Even as his vision was blurring and his eyes watered, he looked around wildly. He tried to call their names, and as he did his chest constricted painfully. There was something hissing in his nose and he reached up to yank at it. The arm he used throbbed and stabbed with fire and he clutched at it. He felt a cast beneath his fingertips.

All of this was ignored. He had two higher priorities at the moment.

"Valon? Raphael? Where are you?" he called, fear cracking his voice.

No response. Alister's heart sunk down into his stomach.

No. No!

"Answer me!"

There was an uncomfortable pinch in his good hand. Something crinkled as his hand moved, and he looked down—paper. He had an IV in the top of his uninjured hand, so unfolding the paper was awkward and difficult. It didn't help that his hands were shaking, and when he finally unfolded it he was almost unable to process the writing. He registered that it was Ellie's handwriting, but he had to forcibly calm himself before he could read it.

Alister—

I don't know if you'll remember that I've been here. I'm leaving you this note, in case you wake up while I'm gone.

The most important thing first: Raphael and Valon are alive.

Gurimo is in jail, as are his accomplices. He can't get to any of you.

You've broken your arm and cracked other bones. Because there was damage to your lung and other internal injuries, you need to be on oxygen. Don't take it out. The doctor said you're on strict bed rest. You aren't allowed to get up unless you absolutely have to.

I'll be back as soon as I can. Please, try to rest.

—Ellie

Alister re-read the note several times, his heart hammering frantically in his chest all the while. It was only after the fifth time reading it before it fully processed. He finally slumped back against his pillows. Relief crashed through him, threatening to overwhelm him. He found himself rapidly blinking as his vision swam, his breathing harsh but slowing.

He wasn't alone again. He still had something to go back to. They're alive.

"Al'ster?"

The voice that called out to him was sleep-filled, confused, and hoarse. But it was familiar, and Alister knew it immediately. He sat up again, his gaze shooting around the room until a motion caught his eye.

The bed that was in front and to the right of him was occupied, and the one in it shifted and groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Alister caught sight of fluffy brown hair, and he felt the breath leave his lungs as light blue eyes found him.

Valon looked as tired as Alister felt. His pale face was still puffy, with shadows beneath his eyes, and Alister could see faded hive patches across his face and neck. One of Valon's arms was swollen as well. Valon was wearing a loose black t-shirt, and he could see Valon was moving slowly and carefully as he adjusted positions.

Valon blinked owlishly at Alister. He woke up further in moments, his eyes sharpening. "Alister, you with it this time?" he asked cautiously, his voice rough and tired.

"…Yeah…"

He couldn't conjure up one of his normally snarky responses this time. Alister was too relieved to see Valon awake. "You're alive," he said, his voice wobbling.

He heard Valon softly exhale. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, I made it. The git didn' remember to double tap, 'n' that's why I'm 'ere."

Alister took another moment to get his thoughts together. "How long have I been…?"

"It's been 'bout two days. I got 'ere yesterday afternoon," Valon replied, sobering. "They were givin' you some really strong pain meds. Ells got worried about you, since you weren' really awake, so she asked 'em to lay off. Glad she did—you were talkin' outta your 'ead. It…fella, I can' lie, you were way out of it."

Alister grimaced. He didn't even remember what happened over the past couple days. The last clear thing he remembered was collapsing at the warehouse, after finding Valon. After that, it had been just a blur of sounds and colors.

"You, uh, you were almost cryin'."

Alister's head snapped up. Valon looked older than his years, and his shoulders were slumped. He was looking at his hands, fidgeting in the bed. "Last night, you were callin' for your brother, then f'r me 'n' Raph," he said, his voice low and subdued. "You were scared. Alister…I've never 'eard you sound like that in all the time I've known ya."

Alister couldn't remember what he had said, but he did remember the gist. His gaze wandered to his hands. "I was terrified," he said at last. "Raphael was missing, and while you were still alive no one knew where you were. I wasn't sure if I'd find you in time."

His eyes burned. He pinched the bridge of his nose, keeping his eyes closed. "When Gurimo told us over the phone that he shot you, I thought he'd gotten you. I thought…"

I thought I'd lost another one.

There was a short pause. "'ard same, fella. I thought I'd end up alone again," Valon said at last. Alister looked up to his younger friend, whose eyes were too bright. "I didn' really like tha' idea, y'know? You blokes are all I got, so..."

The younger biker cleared his throat, and Alister's expression softened. "I know, Valon," he said. "I understand."

Valon offered him a watery smile. "Figured you might," he replied. He scrubbed at his eyes with a closed fist. "So…Alister, anyways, 'ow are you feelin'?"

Alister recognized the subtle request to change the subject. "Lousy. You sound awful," he told him after a pause, though there was no real criticism in his voice.

Valon gave him an exasperated look. "When you get a tube shoved down your throat, you sound like you gargle gravel. You were right, tha' is not comfortable," he replied, making a face.

Alister winced. Valon was claustrophobic—that couldn't have been a good experience for him.

Valon saw the flinch and shrugged. "I don' remember most of it. I think I fought 'em, though—'m bruised all to 'ell," he added, holding up an arm. Alister could see discolored skin around his wrist. Valon must have fought the restraints until they'd fully sedated him. "I think I should find 'em and apologize to 'em, when I'm allowed out of bed."

"Hello?"

Alister looked up at the unfamiliar voice, eyes focusing on the doorway. There was a man in dark scrubs standing in the door, his eyes on Valon. "I heard yelling," said the newcomer, concern etched on his features. "Everything okay in here?"

"Oh, yeah," Valon said. "Alister's up."

Valon seemed to know who this was, though Alister didn't—given the scrubs, this was likely a nurse. When the stranger looked to him, Alister was suddenly wary. "And you are…?"

"I'm Toby, your nurse for the day," came the reply. Toby entered the room fully, pulling a wheeled cart; on it was a computer with a stethoscope draped over one corner, and Alister could see multiple small drawers with numbers on them. "How are you feeling?"

"…An awful lot like I was hit by a car."

Toby grinned. "Well, yeah, that tends to happen when you actually are hit by a car," he said. Good humor colored his voice as he started taking Alister's vitals. "Another thing I'm glad to see is you awake and aware. We've been checking on you, but you've been hard to rouse."

"So I've heard."

"Not to worry, though. We've already adjusted things—your friend asked about it earlier."

Valon promptly held up his hands and shook his head when Alister shot him a questioning glance. "Not me, fella—Ells," he replied. "Poor little love's been 'ere since we checked in. She's been runnin' the show f'r us while we've been loopy."

Alister straightened in the bed again, the note crinkling in his hand. "Where is Ellie?" he asked. "She left me a note. Did she go home?"

"Naw, fella. I tried talkin' 'er into it, but she won't leave. She's up in ICU, checking on…things up there."

Things up there? Alister hadn't even fully processed the thought before he realized who she was checking on.

Raphael.

He'd been so distracted by Valon that he hadn't even realized that Raphael wasn't in the room. As he realized this, his mind began to whirl with worry. He remembered that Valon had been shot, and that he had been in the middle of severe anaphylaxis when he'd been in the warehouse. But Valon was here and relatively all right from what he could tell.

Raphael, though…if it had been two days and he was still in the ICU, there was no telling how badly off he was.

It was when Toby was leaving when someone familiar slipped past him. Alister hardly had the chance to greet her before she was hurrying into the room.

"Alister!" Ellie said, relief coloring her voice as she moved to his side. "You're awake!"

"You're like the third person who's pointed tha' out, love," Valon said wryly.

Ellie was in an oversized dark blue sweater and a dark pair of jeans. She looked pale, her freckles standing starkly against her skin, and there were shadows beneath her eyes; her hair had been pulled back in a messy bun. Her brown eyes were tired and worry lined, though in this moment there was a spark of delight. She was holding several plastic bags, and as she sat in the chair beside his bed she set most of them down on the ground.

She fidgeted in place, her arms moving up and down as if she wanted to hug him but didn't dare. "How are you? How do you feel?" she asked at last. "Valon and I have been worried about you."

Alister felt some of the tension melting away. "Better than I was, but I don't think I'll be doing any backflips for a while," he said. He readjusted in the bed, flinching as he moved. He ignored the pain, all his attention on Ellie. "I read your note. How's Raphael?"

He felt Valon's eyes on them as he spoke; very likely, this was something he had been bringing up regularly since he had woken up.

Ellie flinched and sat down. "I couldn't actually see him, since I'm not family. But I could talk to the nurses, and I've been keeping tabs on him," she began. She looked away, her hands twisting in her lap.

He sucked in a breath. The last thing he remembered was that Raphael had been underwater, but Alister had collapsed before anything could be done. What had happened after he had passed out? "How bad is he?"

"He's…he's still in critical condition. His lungs still aren't taking as much air as they should be, but they managed to get some more water off of him. They're keeping him asleep for now."

"'e got a tube stuffed down his throat too," Valon said gloomily. "''is lungs are water balloons. Hell, they even found water in 'is stomach."

Something about that rankled at Alister, but he couldn't identify why.

"This part I don' get," Valon snapped. His hands clenched the blankets tightly, his jaw clenched. "Why don' they just pull the water out? Can' they do tha'? It doesn't seem tha' hard!"

"I've told you, Valon, there's other reasons," Ellie replied, but she did not sound impatient or annoyed. "He was shot too, and—"

"Shot?" Alister's voice was horrorstruck. "Where?"

"His leg. When I got there, it was shot all t' hell—I could see bits o' bone. 'is leg above the knee looked like hamburger," Valon said. His anger and frustration were gone, quiet horror in his voice.

Ellie shuddered quietly. Alister felt as if an ice chip had dropped down his back. He'd seen enough gunshot wounds to know just how dangerous and how damaging they could be. He closed his eyes tightly, taking a soft and steadying breath.

Ellie's hands clasped nervously together. "It's not just his injuries that are keeping him in ICU," she said. Her face clouded, eyes starting to become too bright. "They got him back when it happened, but…but h-his heart s-stopped twice, and…"

She tried to continue, but a trembling hand rose to her mouth and she looked away. Alister could hear the strain in her voice when Ellie next spoke. "At this point, the doctor isn't sure when he'll be out of ICU."

Valon sat up straighter, color draining from his face. "Ells…Ells, holy hell, Raph died?" he asked, his voice shooting up half an octave at the last word. "You didn' say that to me earlier when I asked!"

"I figured it was something that should wait until you two were both awake. I don't like r-repeating it," she replied. Her voice carried the starts of distress.

Valon caught it. "Sorry, love," he said, visibly curbing himself. "Just…sorry."

Alister barely heard them.

Raphael's heart had stopped. He'd been dead. He'd been dead.

The room started to spin and he had to close his eyes. He felt his hands starting to shake, and he had to take a small breath. No wonder Raphael was not here yet. He could understand Ellie's own reluctance to speak about Raphael's condition. Alister didn't even want to think about it.

A heavy pause followed. No one could think of anything to say, and the weight of Raphael's absence was turning into a suffocating pressure. If he kept thinking on Raphael's condition, the anxiety bordering on panic would claw itself out of him. He needed the distraction. So did the other two.

He caught sight of lavender on his chest and his gaze shifted downward. He was wearing a long-sleeved lavender top, and it was comfortable; the sleeve had been hemmed to come down just over the edge of the cast. "Ellie, did you do this?" he asked quietly, gesturing to the shirt when she looked at him. "This shirt looks new."

"It is," Ellie said, some of her tension disappearing as she offered a tired smile. "They wouldn't let me in your home, so I had to go out to the store and buy some clothing for you both."

"It's comfy, too," Valon added, a shadow of cheer in his voice.

Alister frowned. "They wouldn't let you in the house? Who's they?"

"The cops," Valon said then. "I got attacked at 'ome, so they're gettin' evidence 'n' all tha' jazz. They wouldn' let Ells in—they only let 'er grab Misa and a couple basics, but tha' was it."

"Who attacked you? The Anglisses?"

Valon shook his head, but Alister's eyes narrowed even as he asked. He already knew the answer, and his voice was full of venom when he spoke. "Gurimo."

"Turns out the bastard was the professor down the road," Valon said grimly, his fists clenching helplessly. "I didn' realize wha' was happenin' until it was too late."

"They found bottled bee venom in the house he'd been living in," Ellie added. "That's why Valon had been having an allergic reaction—he'd been injected with a large dose."

Alister closed his eyes, anger mingling with nausea and guilt. He could already see how the attack had happened—the bumbling professor had lost a pet again, so of course he would stop by the house where so many other of his pets had wound up. Valon probably wouldn't have let the man in, but he would have let his guard down.

"Valon's allergy never came up when we were in Paradius," Alister said heavily, not opening his eyes. "Gurimo didn't know about it, but…but we told the professor about it, after Valon got bitten by the tarantula."

He felt absolutely sick. All this time, Gurimo had been right there. He'd been watching them, gathering information on them. He could even picture the damn bulletin board he'd probably set up. And he'd gotten the Anglisses involved too—or had they been working with Gurimo this whole time? He didn't know.

In the years Gurimo had been out of sight, he'd learned their weaknesses. He targeted Ellie, he'd known where Alister was working, and he even knew what times they left the house. They hadn't recognized Gurimo in all the times he had been over. Worse, they had given critical information to him and Gurimo had used it to almost murder Valon.

How had they missed this? How had Gurimo managed to stay out of jail? How had Alister failed to recognize him? What good was his vigilance, his skills, anything he did, if he couldn't protect the people who mattered most?

"Alister." Ellie's voice had shifted, and there was a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, gray meeting brown. Ellie looked stern, so much so that he was forcibly reminded of Raphael. "This wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for what happened. Valon, you too."

"If I'd gotten to the phone faster, I coulda warned Raph 'n' Alister faster!" Valon burst out. "I tried—I tried to get to tha' warehouse as fast as I could, but—"

"You did everything you could," Ellie said, and Alister gained the impression this was a discussion they'd had before. "Valon, there wasn't anything else you could have done different."

"You did better than I did," Alister said. "I got hit by a damned car and stuffed into the trunk."

"Tha's 'cause Gurimo knows better than to take you on in a fair fight. You'd win easily," Valon said, and Alister thought he could see a bit of the familiar cheer in the younger biker. "Bloody coward can' face any of us in a fair fight."

"When have you ever known him to play fair? Besides, he wasn't the one who hit me with the car," Alister said tiredly. "He couldn't even be bothered to face me himself. No, he sent your parents to hit me."

"Don't call them that." Valon's voice held thunder in it, blue eyes flashing. "Ells told me wha' they did. They're just lucky they got bars between them and me righ' now. If I'd been with you, I'd 'ave—"

There came a knock at the door that interrupted Valon, followed by the appearance of a man he did not recognize. He was in slacks and a button up shirt, a long brown raincoat on him. "Ah, Miss Monroe! Hello! I heard that Mister Gayle is awake," he said. His eyes moved past Ellie, first resting on the angry Valon before shifting to where Alister was in the bed. "Is it all right if I come in?"

Alister did not reply, wary eyes fixed on the stranger. Ellie, however, relaxed. "Of course."

The man brightened and he entered, approaching the bed. "I'm Inspector Honda," he said. "I've been the one assigned to you and your friend's cases. I've already talked to Valon over there."

He studied Alister. "It's nice to see you up and awake. From what I've heard, you've had a rough time of it. If it's all right, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what happened to you a couple days back."

Ah. That was why Ellie had let him in so readily.

The police were here.

Vehicular assault. Assault with a deadly weapon. Two counts of kidnapping. Three counts of attempted murder. Conspiracy charges, ranging from assault and arson to murder.

There were others, but Alister hardly heard them. He knew enough to know that Gurimo and any of his allies would never be able to escape justice. The evidence against them was staggering. The testimonies from Alister, Ellie, Joey, and Mai alone were nails in their figurative coffins; Valon had already given his statement about what had happened. If—when—Raphael woke up and told his side of the story, it would be the final nail.

Alister kept his story brief, his voice clinical and detached as he spoke. Valon more than once started, his fists clenching around the blankets as he listened to Alister's story. Ellie had to shift from where she was sitting to come next to Valon; he looked about ready to fly from the bed, his eyes burning in his now-pale face.

As Alister spoke, he noticed that there were hardly any questions from Inspector Honda about Gurimo's connection to them. Maybe it was because they had the information on hand from the last time Gurimo had attacked them; they had told the police Gurimo had been a disgruntled coworker, which was the barest, most basic truth of the matter. But if Gurimo was in custody, surely he would have told them the exact details of how he knew them by now.

Alister frowned. If Gurimo was in jail, he would not hesitate to throw them under the bus. He would absolutely tell the police who they were, even if it meant he'd go to prison with them. Alister could only guess that some law enforcement agencies would still want Dartz or his former Swordsmen. He remembered that Raphael had said Yugi and his friends had vouched for them before, but would that hold against anything Gurimo told the police?

Then again, to tell the police about the Swordsmen also meant implicating Dartz. Gurimo would not betray his master so readily, even if the man was dead—maybe it was something that could be used to keep Gurimo silent.

As Inspector Honda finished and was preparing to leave, Alister cleared his throat. "Am I allowed to know what Gurimo, or the Anglisses, have said about us?"

Inspector Honda turned, an unreadable expression on his face. "Normally, I'd tell you no," he said, "but at this point in time, Gurimo isn't able to testify to anything. The evidence we've collected, and the testimonies made, will have to speak for him. He's suffered a massive stroke—the doctors say he's in a vegetative state with no chance of recovery."

Alister's mind went completely blank. "What?"

Valon's jaw dropped, shock replacing his anger. His eyes were rounding, darting between Alister and the policeman to see if anyone was kidding. His accent was beginning to thicken when he spoke. "Y-You're for real on this?" he asked. "You aren' just 'avin' us on, right?"

Alister noticed that Ellie was not looking at them, studying her hands; her expression was clouded, and she was biting her lower lip. She knew what happened to him, he realized.

"The doctors have assured us he's unable to testify," said Inspector Honda grimly. "We were told that he had evaded the law before. He isn't faking it either—we've been keeping close tabs on him since he came into custody."

"But 'e's not gonna get outta this, is 'e?" Valon asked, speaking for Alister. "The git's attacked us, 'e pretty much killed Raph—!"

"We are still deciding what his sentence needs to look like, given the complexity of this turn of events. Rest assured, both he and the Anglisses will be facing punishment for what they did, to the fullest extent of the law."

The inspector rose from the chair he had been in. "I'll be in touch. Please, if you think of anything else, let me know."

Alister waited until the man had left, the door closing behind him, before he turned to look at Ellie. "You already knew," he said, a question in his voice.

Ellie rose from the edge of Valon's bed. "Joey called me," she said softly, one of her hands rising to her hair. She began twisting a strand of it between her fingers. "The night you three were admitted here, Gurimo had a heart attack at the police station. I didn't know much more than that until just now."

Alister could see the conflict in her gaze. "There's more you haven't said yet."

Ellie finally looked at them. Her brown eyes were flashing, lips thin and colorless.

Alister was startled to realize it was anger.

In all the time he'd known Ellie, he had never known her to look visibly angry at anyone or anything before.

"Gurimo didn't tell them much, when they started talking to him," she said. "The only thing he told the police was that he was glad he'd…he'd managed to take one down."

Valon gave a hollow laugh, and beneath it was a wounded anger. "Mother Mary always said t' never be glad for someone's misfortune, but I'm gonna be. I 'ope 'e rots f'r all 'e's done," he said savagely.

Alister found he couldn't disagree.

The week dragged on.

Police came and went. Doctors and nurses came and went. It was a blur of people and questions, and both Valon and Alister were relieved when the questions tapered off. Neither of them really felt up for visitors yet, so the days passed in relative silence.

Ellie was a constant presence in their room, only briefly leaving them to do laundry for them, get meals, and to check on matters at home. Once the police had cleared the biker's house, Marik and Rishid had both repaired what had been broken and straightened things for them; according to Ellie, they were also watching after Misa, who was unharmed but definitely missing her owners. Sadie was rooming with Mai and Joey for the moment, as Ellie couldn't be there at home.

The only other reason Ellie left the room was to check on Raphael. She still actually hadn't seen him, but she went up to ICU at least three times a day. Although it sounded like Raphael was slowly recovering, no one really knew how he was faring.

More than once, Alister and Valon tried to get Ellie to take a break. They knew that this was taking its toll on her. She was having to care for them, she was their liaison between the doctors and nurses, and she was keeping up with things outside of the hospital as well. She had gotten a cot in the room, but even then she wasn't sleeping nearly enough; she kept odd hours, sewing clothing when she was not talking to them.

Whenever they tried to talk her into going home, though, she would smile but politely refuse. "I promised him I would be here when he woke up," she said, "and someone has to watch out for you two."

Personally, neither of them minded Ellie being around. She was a soothing presence in the room, and with her around they felt more comfortable sleeping. The medications they were taking were enough to knock even Alister out; it was not uncommon for them to abruptly doze off in the middle of a conversation. Alister got more sleep in that week than he had gotten in years.

Even though they were physically healing, however, they were not at ease.

Valon's eyes were shadowed, his grin more half-hearted these days. Alister was more distant, more easily irritated by small things as he tried to check his anxiety. Loud noises spooked them both, and strangers were watched with intense scrutiny any time they entered the room. While one slept, the other biker kept watch; at any given point in the room, one of them was awake while the other two occupants slept. Nightmares happened more readily.

All the while, the empty hospital bed in the room served as a silent reminder that one of them was still missing.

"Gin."

"Oh come on, again? I'm totally callin' hacks, fella, there's no way you've won it again!"

"You're lucky this isn't a Western, or you'd end up shot, gremlin."

"Already been shot twice, wha's a third time?"

"It's sad you can joke about that."

"Naw, it just gives me character 'n' braggin' points."

An amicable silence, followed by the sound of cards being shuffled. "Another hand?"

"Eh, sure. Nothin's on TV anyways. Uh…Alister?"

"Hm?"

"You did it again last night."

"….oh. How long did it last?"

"Dunno. I woke up f'r water 'n' saw you doin' the thousand yard stare."

"Was Ellie awake?"

"Naw. She was asleep. Left it tha' way, too. Poor little love's been up all hours 'cause of us."

It was late afternoon. The nurses had allowed Valon to get out of bed by now, as long as he didn't rip the stitches from his gunshot wound; Alister was still on very strict bed rest, but he had finally been discharged off the oxygen. Valon had wandered over to sit next to Alister's bed and they'd been playing a card game. Valon and Alister were talking in low voices, well aware that Ellie was napping not that far away from them.

Alister started shuffling the cards idly, frowning. The news that his catatonic states had returned did not surprise him; for all he knew, they had never left. He couldn't remember what had happened while he had been in that state last night, though.

"They're caused by stress," he said aloud. "That's my best guess. Given where we are and all that's happened, it's no surprise."

Valon nodded slowly. "I almost went for Raph b'fore I remembered," he said, a sad smile on his face.

Alister's hands stilled.

"You're thinkin' like I am," Valon guessed, noticing the look on his friend's face. "Doesn' matter 'ow many times Ells tells us, we both feel like we coulda done more."

Alister nodded silently.

The Australian sighed. "I let tha' stupid professor disguise get me," he said, voice full of frustration. "I mean, I get it. Ells is right, it wasn' like Gurimo was goin' to waltz up to our front porch 'n' go 'hey, 'ere's your mail, and by the way I'm going to kill you all', but—"

Valon abruptly stopped speaking. He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening. "Oh… Oh."

Alister noticed the snap in the last word. He set the deck of cards down, looking to his younger friend. "Valon?" he asked. Something in his stomach clenched at the stormy look on Valon's face. "What's wrong?"

The Australian's fist clenched. His hand ran through his bangs with an agitated swipe. "He did."

"What?"

"Son of a three-legged bitch!" he snarled, eyes flashing. He nearly slammed his fist into the table before Alister intercepted it. Ellie stirred in the cot, but she did not wake up.

"Valon—!"

"'e did tell us!" Valon hissed, blue eyes now burning with rage and horror. "The git told us wha' 'e was gonna do! Don' you remember? 'e sent it as a package to us!"

Alister didn't really understand. What package? What was Valon talking about?

Valon ran a hand through his hair again, visibly shaking with anger. "Alister, 'm talkin' 'bout tha' stupid envelope tha' was addressed to Raph! The bee, th-the toy car, the water bottle—all of it! 'e told us 'ow he was gonna kill us!"

It almost felt as if it was from a lifetime ago when they had looked over the contents of the package, and Alister felt something cold clenching his stomach when he realized what Valon was talking about. But he could tell this was not what had horrified Valon so much—and he knew Valon's tells. "What else?" he asked, willing himself to stay calm.

Valon's eyes darted to where Ellie was sleeping. He swallowed thickly, genuine fear and horror entering his features. "Alister," he said, struggling to keep his voice down. "Alister, the water bottle had a washcloth wrapped around it."

He swallowed again when he saw Alister's expression, and this time his voice held tears. "Raph was already soaked through when I got to 'im. I…I don't think it was 'cause of the rain."

It clicked.

"Raphael's afraid of drowning. Gurimo tortured him," Alister concluded. His voice was eerily calm but distant. "Well. That explains things, doesn't it."

Valon was trembling, his breath shaky and hoarse as he struggled with his emotions. Alister, however, had gone rigid. His ears were starting to ring again, vision tunneling. His thoughts were blank, save for one.

It slipped out of him before he could stop it, but he meant every word.

"I'll kill him." Alister's voice was soft, menacing, and full of fury. "I don't care that he's a brain-dead vegetable, I'm going to kill him."

Neither of them could bring themselves to speak after that, too horrorstruck for words. For several long moments, the room was heavy and silent, both of them lost in their thoughts.

"Alister…wha' are we gonna do?" Valon sounded vulnerable and young. "Wha' can we do? Does Ellie even know yet? 'ow do we 'elp Raph?"

Alister didn't have any answers.

That night, both of them had trouble sleeping.