BLOODY TEARS
Chapter Five: Bull-e-mia
"Man, they sent you back?"
"Yeah, still got two months of my sentence left."
There was an awkward silence.
"So... uh... how's your foot?" Zigzag asked finally.
Barfbag pulled off his boot and sock to show them the small scars the snake
had left.
"Wow," said Zigzag, somewhere between impressed and disturbed.
"Man, what were you thinking?" X-Ray asked, a sudden guilt had built up
inside of him and the only way he knew how to hide it was behind anger.
"You're freakin' nuts! How could you step on a rattler like that?"
"X-" Magnet started but X-Ray cut him off.
"Everyone's going frikkin' mental round here! I mean, first you get
yourself bit by a snake, now Squid's slashin' his wrists 'n' all! What's
next?!"
"Squid's what?!" Barfbag looked at Squid, a mixture of confusion and horror
on his face. Squid looked away.
"You heard me!" X-Ray grabbed hold of Squids arm and dragged him over to
Barfbag, forcing him to his knees in front of him, holding his wrist out
for Barfbag to look at.
"Look!" X-Ray shouted, pulling up the sleeve of Squids worksuit. "Look,
he's got scars right up his arm!"
"He does?" Zigzag asked, coming over for a closer look.
"Yeah, I seen 'em the other day when he passed out."
Squid had remained quiet all through this. He tried to pull his arm away
but X-Ray wouldn't let him.
"See what you're doing to yourself?! You're frikkin' messed up!"
X-Ray paused for breath. He looked down at Squid, his head was bowed in
shame and he was shaking.
X-Ray realised that he'd just humilated him. He instantly regretted it, it
was just that seeing Barfbag had made him remember how easy it was to die
out here, made him think back to the day when a member of D-Tent had been
taken to hospital and almost lost his life. He didn't want a repeat of that
with Squid. He'd let down Barfbag but he wouldn't let that happened again,
not to Squid, not to anyone.
Zigzag helped Squid up and they all drifted back to their holes. They dug
the rest of the day in silence.
***
"...so then they said that I could walk just fine and instantly put me on
the bus back here."
X-Ray had now calmed down from his temper tantrum that morning and was
eating his dinner in silence. He watched Squid, who was eating slowly but
volunteerily. A few moments after Barfbag had finished his dinner he got up
and left for the bathroom. Squid, who had also finished his meal, headed
for the showers. When he arrived there he forced himself to throw up.
"Yo Squid, you ok?"
Squid jumped back, surprised. Barfbag was looking at him in concern.
"Are you sick?"
Squid shook his head, wiping his mouth.
"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.
Barfbag grinned slightly, understanding dawning on him, "Wouldn't I? Man,
why d'you think they call me Barfbag? I've been doin' what you're doin' for
ages."
"What d'you mean?" Squid asked, frowning.
"Throwin' up! I think they call it... uh... bull-e-mia, or somethin'. Why
the hell are you doin' it? When I left you were, like, the toughest guy
here. No one messed with you, now you're messing with yourself, what's up?"
Squid shrugged. He didn't feel like talking about why he was doing these
things to himself, all he wanted to do was escape.
Squid sat, only half listening to Barfbag talk about his time in the
hospital. Suddenly he sat bolt upright when Barfbag started talking about
the medication he was on.
"... there was this one pill, that makes you happy. I've still got some
because I can't be taken off them just yet..."
Squid lent back, a slight smile lingering on his face.
Chapter Five: Bull-e-mia
"Man, they sent you back?"
"Yeah, still got two months of my sentence left."
There was an awkward silence.
"So... uh... how's your foot?" Zigzag asked finally.
Barfbag pulled off his boot and sock to show them the small scars the snake
had left.
"Wow," said Zigzag, somewhere between impressed and disturbed.
"Man, what were you thinking?" X-Ray asked, a sudden guilt had built up
inside of him and the only way he knew how to hide it was behind anger.
"You're freakin' nuts! How could you step on a rattler like that?"
"X-" Magnet started but X-Ray cut him off.
"Everyone's going frikkin' mental round here! I mean, first you get
yourself bit by a snake, now Squid's slashin' his wrists 'n' all! What's
next?!"
"Squid's what?!" Barfbag looked at Squid, a mixture of confusion and horror
on his face. Squid looked away.
"You heard me!" X-Ray grabbed hold of Squids arm and dragged him over to
Barfbag, forcing him to his knees in front of him, holding his wrist out
for Barfbag to look at.
"Look!" X-Ray shouted, pulling up the sleeve of Squids worksuit. "Look,
he's got scars right up his arm!"
"He does?" Zigzag asked, coming over for a closer look.
"Yeah, I seen 'em the other day when he passed out."
Squid had remained quiet all through this. He tried to pull his arm away
but X-Ray wouldn't let him.
"See what you're doing to yourself?! You're frikkin' messed up!"
X-Ray paused for breath. He looked down at Squid, his head was bowed in
shame and he was shaking.
X-Ray realised that he'd just humilated him. He instantly regretted it, it
was just that seeing Barfbag had made him remember how easy it was to die
out here, made him think back to the day when a member of D-Tent had been
taken to hospital and almost lost his life. He didn't want a repeat of that
with Squid. He'd let down Barfbag but he wouldn't let that happened again,
not to Squid, not to anyone.
Zigzag helped Squid up and they all drifted back to their holes. They dug
the rest of the day in silence.
***
"...so then they said that I could walk just fine and instantly put me on
the bus back here."
X-Ray had now calmed down from his temper tantrum that morning and was
eating his dinner in silence. He watched Squid, who was eating slowly but
volunteerily. A few moments after Barfbag had finished his dinner he got up
and left for the bathroom. Squid, who had also finished his meal, headed
for the showers. When he arrived there he forced himself to throw up.
"Yo Squid, you ok?"
Squid jumped back, surprised. Barfbag was looking at him in concern.
"Are you sick?"
Squid shook his head, wiping his mouth.
"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.
Barfbag grinned slightly, understanding dawning on him, "Wouldn't I? Man,
why d'you think they call me Barfbag? I've been doin' what you're doin' for
ages."
"What d'you mean?" Squid asked, frowning.
"Throwin' up! I think they call it... uh... bull-e-mia, or somethin'. Why
the hell are you doin' it? When I left you were, like, the toughest guy
here. No one messed with you, now you're messing with yourself, what's up?"
Squid shrugged. He didn't feel like talking about why he was doing these
things to himself, all he wanted to do was escape.
Squid sat, only half listening to Barfbag talk about his time in the
hospital. Suddenly he sat bolt upright when Barfbag started talking about
the medication he was on.
"... there was this one pill, that makes you happy. I've still got some
because I can't be taken off them just yet..."
Squid lent back, a slight smile lingering on his face.
