Chapter 10: It Tolls For Thee

The worst of it was over. That was what Red kept telling herself. It was the only way she could keep all of the thousands of thoughts at bay and focus on the task at hand: getting herself and Elsa as far away from there as possible. That was no small feat at this moment in time. She could only push forward. Staying here was too risky. At the same time though, going out through the front entrance would get her seen, too.

There. A hole in a nearby fence. It appeared to have been made when Elsa had- well, whatever it was she had done. Just another thing not to think about too hard on for now. With great effort, Red managed to get herself ready, Her right sleeve had been cut to ribbons, but now she could use that to bandage up her hand for now. With great effort, she finally managed to hoist Elsa over her shoulder and begin moving.

For a hopeless master thief, Red was amazed that this was somehow the longest few minutes of her life. Her hand send sharp pains with every movement she made, while the rest of her ached from the weight she was carrying (which was mercifully not as heavy as she had perhaps expected). The snow was picking up and settling on the ground, and a freezing wound hounded her every step. She was so sure she could get back to the city in a few minutes. Yet another plan that fell apart like wet cardboard.

Once they made it to the roadside, there was a stroke of luck. A bus stop. There was no way to tell what time it was, but there had to be something. Anything. The longer they waiting, the more likely it was someone would come after them. There was no way she could protect herself, much less Elsa in her state. What was she supposed to say when the bus got here? This was some kind of girl's night out gone horribly wrong? Hopefully the bruises weren't too bad where her skin was visible.

It felt like forever and a half, but there it was. The driver gave them a funny look, and was none too pleased that Red didn't have any coins. At least she could pay. Maybe the worst really was over? So far, no one appeared to try and kill them, or worse. There was only one other elderly man on the bus, and despite their appearance he barely seemed to notice them. Red wanted to keep a lookout, but the same thoughts kept coming up again and again.

First, there was Elsa herself. The elephant in the room, as much as she hated thinking of it that way. She still appeared to be out cold, but there were still so many things obviously strange, if not horribly wrong. She had placed what was left of her coat on Elsa, but she could still see patches of incredibly red skin all over, but Red couldn't do a more thorough check. Not here, where they might see. They had done a lot more than just hold her prisoner. Red wasn't sure she wanted to know. Even if Elsa wasn't still mad at her, she wouldn't want to talk about it. Perhaps that was for the best. She couldn't help but be curious, though. Then there was the drastic change to her hair. Up to the incident, Elsa's hair had been black as night. Looking at it now though, well, it was like comparing night and day. She had heard something before about hair changing colour under extreme pain, but it wasn't anywhere near this fast. Didn't it become white as well? This wasn't too far off, but was more blonde than white.

That wasn't even getting into what Elsa had done. She had somehow conjured ice it seemed, and had used it to kill at least a dozen men, including her former partner. This was main sticking point. How was it all possible? Maybe they had done some kind of experiment on her. Red didn't want to think about that too hard, as this too was hard to think about. She could only hope that the way Elsa had spoken right at the end meant she wasn't herself. She had come so close to killing her former boss. Had Red done the right thing to stop her? Would Elsa go back to her normal self when she woke up?

There was so much Red could come to no answer to. She could only wait and see. As they made there way into the city, she decided the only thing they could do was go back to Elsa's home. She should have gone to the police, or a least a hospital. Red knew that well, and it pained her not to. The only problem was that there would be questions that she didn't want asked. She had technically broken and entered. If she was arrested now, who would help Elsa? It wasn't like they were in any immediate danger, at least for now. Once Elsa woke up, they could figure out what to do from there. Assumed Elsa still wanted her around.

For now, getting her safely home was the least she could do. So, After another wait Red found a second route to get them the rest of the way, and with each step heavier than the last, she pushed forward. The apartment could not have come soon enough. As she walked up to the door, Red saw no signs of damage. Had Elsa really just opened the door? How could she not have expected some kind of danger? Unless-

She was expecting me again. It really was my fault, wasn't it.

There was nothing she could do about it now. If she thought like that now, she'd get too distracted. All she could do now was help out as best she could. Would Elsa even want her help any more? She needed to try, in any case. Through a stroke of luck, the door hadn't been locked. It was almost all over. Red ignored her screaming body, and managed the final few steps to Elsa's bedroom. The place where this all began. Once she had set her down and slipped what was left of the coat off, she paused. This was where everything began. She couldn't stand to be here any longer. Elsa didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. That was, unless the White Hand came knocking again.

They knew exactly where to look. Red had absolutely no plan in dealing with them, and she had lost all faith in her ability to come up with plans. The only weapon that came to mind was Elsa's revolver, and she had no idea where that was. She could only hope that they'd still be reeling from what Elsa had- done.

The images of those dead men came back into her mind. The blood, the wounds. The looks of frozen terror. Red needed something to distract herself. Anything that would keep the pain, the anger, the fear, the despair away for a while. She turned on the television. At first, nothing caught her eye. Perhaps nothing would. Then, she turned back a channel. Something looked familiar. The buildings, she had seen them. She had been there.

"What exactly happened at the facility here is still under investigation, but it appears that several people have already been confirmed dead. The exact cause of these people's death is still being investigated however, and the Whitman Research Division has so far declined to comment. We'll give you more information as it becomes available to us."

So even if she hadn't been able to contact the police, someone else had. That was a relief. Hopefully, that would keep them at bay, for now. She had never actually heard of Whitman, but it had White Hand all over it. This would probably increase the alertness of the city if nothing else. With that, tiredness finally won out, and Red fell into a deep, if uneasy sleep. Everything would be alright.

Red jerked awake, not for the first time. Getting to sleep was harder than ever, thanks in no small part to the pain she was still going through, and everything she had to process. Her hand still felt like it had been cut in two (and that was when there wasn't any pressure on it), and most of her muscles still ached pretty badly. That being said, it could be so much worse. No one had come to make them disappear for good in the night, and they had to get better sooner or later, right?

It was all thanks to Elsa, really. Even if she had done so in a such a brutal way, she had managed to save both of them. Of course, there was still the question of whether that really was Elsa. Even if wasn't, would she talk about it? Would she want to talk to Red at all? She was still supposed to be Elsa's bad books, after all. She wanted so badly to knock on that door so they could finally talk, but there was always a chance she was still resting. Best to wait just a little longer.

Soon enough, a little longer was a lot longer. Even as daylight finally started to emerge, there was still no sign of anything changing. Red looked out the window. By the looks of things, it had been snowing the entire night. There had to be several inches of fresh powder on the ground at least, and there were few signs of life, save for the occasional truck trying to grit the road. Even the window was bone-chilling to the touch. The strangest thing was that somehow, deep in her mind, she thought this wasn't just a coincidence. There hadn't been a single snowflake up to now. Right after the the incident, it was as though the skies couldn't hold back any longer. She gave a gentle sigh. She never really could enjoy the snow, as it meant the cold would be even harder to keep away, especially when you have nowhere to call home. Looking out now, she couldn't deny there was a certain beauty to it. She couldn't get too distracted, though. She still had bigger problems.

Every minute that she heard nothing from the other room put Red more and more on edge. What if Elsa wasn't getting up? Red was no doctor, that was for certain. What carrying Elsa all that way had caused something to go wrong? What if Elsa had started bleeding? What if the injuries were far worse than they looked? What if-

There. A noise. She was certain of it. Maybe she had started to panic over nothing. Elsa would be alright. She hoped. Red would have a thousand sorries ready for what she had done, and a thousand more after that. Maybe a few more for good measure. It probably wouldn't be enough, but she just had to try. Just as soon as Elsa opened that door. Any minute now. She had to come out sooner or later, right? It seemed as though it would be later rather than sooner.

No problem, no problem. Elsa just had a lot on her plate, that was all. Red hadn't exactly done much to help that. If anything, she had just made things worse. Hell, she probably still was making things worse. The last thing she needed was Red getting in her way. As far as she knew, Elas might not even want her here any more. That was it. All she had to do was give her some space.

Red walked up to the door. That one door that had started all of this. "Hey, Elsa? I- I'm just gonna head out for a bit, okay? I'll get something for- well, something to make you feel better, don't worry." With that, Red braced herself. Thank goodness she had some winter boots.

The walk was every bit as difficult as she had feared. The snow dragged at her, while making her legs colder by the minute. The snow continued to fall, and a freezing headwind attempted to hold her back even further. It seemed as though she was the only one brave enough, or perhaps foolish enough to try and make it through on foot. She saw maybe one or two other stragglers, but most seemed to stick to the comfort and warmth of their cars. She soon lost track of time, but that didn't matter much. The more time Elsa had to herself, the easier this would be.

She had made it. Her legs would be soaked soon, and with the snow still falling and things to carry, the trip back would be even more difficult with everything she had to carry. She would just have to deal with it. After all, wasn't that what Elsa was doing? Now that she was here, Red looked around. She really should have drawn up a list first.

She didn't know how much more time had passed from arriving at the shop until she made it back. It had taken a while for find something that could help with Elsa's burns, and the best kind of painkillers in case there was anything deeper below that was hurting, and perhaps to soothe her hand. On the subject of her hand, it made the burden to bear that much greater on the way back. The bitter cold might have numbed it a little, but she chose not to risk it. Just like the night before, every stop felt a little heavier than the last, but she pressed on. For Elsa's sake.

She made it to the front door. Was she really doing this for Elsa? Or simply so she could get back into Elsa's good graces? It had to be worth a try.

She gave the door a couple of knocks "I'm back. I- I got some stuff for your skin. I hope that helps. I'm sorry, by the way-" Red couldn't continue. Fortunately, the door clicked open just a few seconds later. By the time Red made it inside though, Elsa had retreated back into her room. At least she hadn't locked the door That was probably only because Red had managed to get the things she needed. Not to mention she had spent Elsa's money doing so.

She carefully unpacked everything she had picked up, making sure to leave the medication she had picked up on the table, so Elsa could find it. She noticed something that wasn't there before. A small thank you note.

She gave her first real smile that day. Elsa may not have come to talk to her yet, but everything would be alright.

On Monday, Red took a walk around the block to clear her head. The snow was still rather deep, but at least there was no more falling for now. In the time she was gone, she had managed to coax Elsa into giving up her dirty laundry so she could get it all cleaned. With all of the clothes washed, she could hang them up to dry, In this weather it would hopefully only be a few days before they were dry again. She tried her hand at cooking, only slightly burning the bread (she'd probably find a way to burn cereal) and left a toasted sandwich at Elsa's door almost like an offering, before heading out for a second time. She found sleep came slightly easier than before, but she still waited for Elsa to come out.

On Tuesday, Red rolled up her sleeves and did her best to clean the place up. It felt like little more than keeping up appearances as they say, but she needing something to take the time up. Once again, she took a short leave of the room to give Elsa some space, though this time she only went as far as the front door of the apartment block. It was just too cold. Or maybe she just couldn't bear to be too far away any longer than she has to be. She thought of looking through the window from the outside, but decided not to. Even if Elsa was there, she would have moved away the moment she noticed. Was there any point? It didn't matter, she had to try. She had to wait for Elsa to come out.

On Wednesday, Red decided to try and relax a little, while she checked on how her body was doing. Try being the key word. The pain in her right hand was starting to fade, but it still looked like a mess. While her bruises didn't look quite as bad any more, every time she looked at them there was another painful reminder of how they got there. How could he have hated her that much? What had she done wrong? Why had he turned so harshly? Maybe there was just something she didn't realise. When she left the apartment, she only went as far as the other side of the hallway, not a metre away. While there was little she could do but think, here they were louder than ever. Wondering. Fearing. Dreading. How much longer would it be before Elsa decided she didn't want her around any longer? Perhaps it was best that there was silence between them. Even so, she would wait for Elsa to come out.

The wait wasn't getting any easier though. The notes from Elsa were the exception, not the rule. The rift between them seemed to grow a little larger every day. A rift that Red reminded herself that she had created, by breaking that one little rule she really shouldn't have. By jumping after Elsa with yet another foolhardy plan that blew up in her face. Why hadn't Elsa kicked her out yet? There had to be some kind of reason, right. If only Elsa would come out and just tell her. Would they spend the rest of their lives on opposite sides of a door? Or was Elsa simply waiting for the perfect moment to shatter what little hope she had. It would hardly be the first time it had happened to her.

Of course, there was one other option. She could always choose to just stand her ground. Sooner or later, she would have to come out of her hiding place and face her that way. It didn't take long to decide against that. Elsa was smart, she probably would figure out some other way to avoid speaking to her. Or she would just decide she was better off starving. Red couldn't bear the idea of being responsible for that after all she'd done. It was becoming clearer and cleared with each passing day that waiting simply wasn't working. Without that, there weren't many other options. Red could only wait, and hope everything would be alright.

It had been about a week since Red had made that fateful escape from the White Hand with Elsa in tow. It had been complete radio silence between the two of them since then, and it was finally getting to be unbearable. The worst thing about it all was that no matter how hard she tried, Red just couldn't figure out why. She knew full well what she had done to upset Elsa before the whole incident started. She could even understand that hell unplanned rescue attempt hadn't helped much. Not to mention Elsa wasn't exactly the most talkative person ever. So she would have said something. Even with all the strange things that had happened,

With the notes she had been receiving, Red wanted so badly to believe that Elsa hadn't changed. That any day now, they'd finally meet face to face and she could get that second chance she so badly wanted. Perhaps that was it. Her being allowed to stay here to begin with was her second chance. Red had only gone and jumped at the chance to waste it. Perhaps everything she had done since then was for nothing. Elsa had decided that she hated her so much that she was barely going to act like she existed. Sooner or later, Red would figure out that she wasn't wanted there any more and leave (knowing her, it would be later). Once she had gone, Elsa could get back to her life. Back to tracking down the White Hand without any stupid, pointless, annoying distractions. She wouldn't even have to feel bad as Red simply left on her own. She really had thought of everything. She always did.

One more day. Red had already used up all the money that Elsa had given her, so there wasn't any point in trying to hold out any longer. She would pack the few things that Elsa had given her and wait until the next day. One last chance. Everything- everything wasn't alright. Only Red herself would take so long to stop making excuses and finally realise that.

The last few days seemed to drag on for what seemed like forever, but the night leading up to the one crucial moment seemed to creep up on her like nothing else. Every time she gave it even a little thought, she realised how much she really didn't want to do this.

What other choice is there? If she tried staying any longer she would just start to go hungry as Elsa continued to hole up in her room. No, this really was best for everyone involved. She had managed to get all the clothes she could into a small bag. Her right hand still had visible wounds, but the pain was mostly gone by now. Maybe one day she'd get over having to do this as well. She'd never forget about this though, that was for certain.

Once again, she hovered over the door. How many times had it been now? No more. Just maybe the hardest words she would ever have to say. Then maybe this stupid door wouldn't tear her apart any longer. Or so she hoped.

After a few minutes steeling herself, she finally did it. For the first time, she knocked on the door. "Elsa? I- I know you can hear me. Look, you don't have to say anything, okay? Just. Just listen to me. Please." She had to take a deep breath. Her voice was wavering already. She could do this. She could do this. "I just- I'm just- I'm sorry, okay? I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault. When you tried to keep me out of the investigation, I thought you were wrong. I thought I knew better than you. It was so stupid. I just thought maybe if I can find what you were hiding, maybe you would trust me."

She forced a quiet, empty laugh. "I should have stayed out of it. Your room, the investigation, everything. I couldn't possibly have helped you no matter how hard I tried, but I guess I wanted you to think more of me than some lowlife thief. All I did was make things worse. Then, when I realised they were taking you away, I had to do something. So of course, I ended up making things worse again." She slumped herself against the door, trying even harder to hold back the tears. "That's all I ever do, isn't it? Make things worse. It's no wonder nobody who knows me can stand me."

"And you still saved me. You let me into your home and I ruin it. Then I mess up again and you still decide to save me again. I don't know how you did it. I don't even know why you did it. You could have just left me there. I would have just left me there." Red felt a chill, and she started clutching her arms. Was she just imagining it? "You really do deserve better than me. So that's why I've decided to go. I've just been dragging you down this time, and I don't want to hurt you any longer. Don't worry, I'll think of something."

That was it, she couldn't hold the tears back any more. She really was a terrible liar. "Before I go, there was one more thing I never told you about. One more thing that I didn't want you to know. I might as well tell you know. It's not like you can possibly think any less of me." She took another breath. She could have sworn she could see it in front of her. "That time I told you about, when me and Amber fell out? Well- well, something else happened. I dunno if she sold me out, or I was just being stupid again."

Finally, Red found the strength to get back on her feet. There wasn't much left, but this felt like hardest part of all. "I got caught, okay? I went flying into some shop and I was arrested. Turns out they were able to pin a lot more on me than I even realised. So I went to prison. I don't really remember how long. Don't really want to. It was the worst time of my life. I knew it was my fault, but it really was the worst time of my life. I thought I would have to change, but I had no idea how. Then, something really weird happened. They came for me. The White Hand. They broke me out. I never did find out why they went to all the trouble, but I wasn't about to turn them down. That was why I worked with them so closely. After a while, I really did think they'd give me everything I ever wanted. A lot of good that turned out."

She picked up her small bag of clothes. It looked it would be cold nights from here on out. "There it all is, Elsa. I've been nothing but an obstacle since the moment we met, and everything you did since then was despite my actions, never because of them. You were- no, you are amazing. I just wish I wasn't too selfish to realise that. Goodbye, Elsa. I hope you find what you're looking for."

The exit was just a few steps away. As Red would soon find out, there was a world of difference between getting there and going through. She'd never see Elsa again. That thought gave her more pause than she wanted to admit. No, this was about what Elsa wanted. No wonder she had spent all these years only thinking about give something up when you had so little to spare was hard.

With a click, the door came open. In that moment, Red was sure she heard something behind her. Or maybe she just hoped she had. Something, anything that would give her excuse to put this whole thing off. She shook her head. If she stopped for every little thing, she'd never leave. Then she heard something else. Something that made her heart stop.

"Red." That was definitely Elsa's voice. There was no mistaking it. Something about it seemed off though. There was a faintness to it that Red had never heard before. Red could never remember a time when there wasn't a clearness and authority to her voice. What's more, she could never remember a single time Elsa had addressed her by name. It was enough to get her interest. So she turned around. There she was.

Elsa. It had to be. Even though it looked almost nothing like the Elsa she knew. Her hair was still the same pale blonde it had been that fateful night, but it had lost all order and was hanging around her head limply, even covering her eyes a little. Her clothes didn't seem to be doing much better, even though Red had done her best to keep them fresh. More worrying though was her appearance. Her eyes seemed baggy and tired, and her whole stance seemed like she would fall over any second. When was the last time she had slept? Was Red being here really this bad for her? "Elsa, please, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't go," Elsa gasped. "Don't go," She could have said anything at that point and Red would have been at a loss for words, but this was something else. Did Elsa really still want her here? Why would she have shut her out for so long then? Everything was so confusing. Elsa started moving towards her, one heavy step after the other. The were maybe a foot apart. Finally, Elsa fell forward. Red instinctively moved her arms forward, dropping her bag and catching Elsa.

It was strange. This had happened before, that night in the compound. Yet somehow, it felt so, so different. From a glance, it seemed that Red wasn't the only one who was holding back the tears. She thought she'd never see Elsa cry. Here it was, though. She had Elsa's weight in her arms again, but this time it actually felt like Elsa needed her.

For all the pain and the misery, it was the greatest feeling in the world.