Chapter 82

Ruby and Oswald sat at their posts, their chains pooled at their sides. Twenty minutes, and they'd already exhausted themselves. Twenty minutes. It felt like twenty seconds. It felt like twenty centuries. With eyes puffy and pink with tears, they looked at each other mournfully. Their gags, constricting and invading, kept them from communicating. That, too, had been Edward's plan. Not only would Oswald be forced to watch Ruby die, but they could not spend those final hours embracing and speaking. He could not say, "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." She, in turn, could not say, "It's not. And I'm sorry, too." Speaking to each other telepathically hadn't worked either. Oswald had projected everything he had - every scrap of raw emotion, every word he wanted to tell her - and thrown it across the room like a dodgeball. Ruby had only stared at him, oblivious. Apparently, her body's attempts to slow down the poison's inevitable effects had robbed her of this ability as well.

Yet she could tell that Oswald had something on his chest. She could see it in his fidgety movements, in his shifty eyes. The more she saw this, the more it itched. At last, unable to stand this lack of communication, Ruby scanned her vicinity. Dirt, mostly. Rust on the walls. A trail of dried blood where Edward had dragged her unconscious body. The thought still sent goosebumps running down her spine. An empty vat of acid, not unlike the one suspended above Oswald's wild-haired head. The empty vial that had previously contained poison. The same that was churning through her system right now, slowly putting her muscles out of use.

Swallowing, Ruby pinched herself everywhere. Her arms. Her belly. Her thighs. Her back. Nerves flared with life, signalling her of the minor annoyance. She'd just started to calm down when she got to her toes.

Nothing.

Ruby froze. She pinched her toes, visible through the worn cloth of her sneakers. Hard. Nothing. She may as well have been pushing pins into air for all of the results she was getting. It was like someone had severed the connection between the ten digits and her brain. Biting back panic, Ruby removed her shoes, then her socks. She stared at her bare feet, the toenails still painted that pearly pink. Mercury had bought her that nail polish because it had been made with organic ingredients. Ruby remembered hugging him in thanks, then inviting him to stay for dinner. She'd been so happy that evening. Kept glancing down at her shiny pedicure.

Now, her toes were stiff and unmoving. She told them to move. They ignored her. A crumb of panic finally wriggled its way into her brain as she dragged her nails across her toes. The thin, outmost layer of skin broke. But she felt absolutely nothing.

And it had only been twenty minutes, if the old clock in the corner was correct.

Ruby screamed through her gag. Oswald twisted to look at her, eyes wide with concern. He could only watch, helpless, as she cradled her head in her arms and began to weep. Oswald tried to speak through the gag, but it was useless. He doubted that she'd have heard him over her sobs, anyway. Ruby cried and wailed, the gag quickly darkening, and hugged herself. When at last she calmed down (if only a little), she looked up. Indigo met icy-blue. Her eyes hardened as they darted downward. She lurched forward, snatching the vial. She brought it down, shattering it. Grabbing one of the longer shards, Ruby held it against her cheek. Against the gag's edge. Slowly, carefully, she sawed her way through half a centimeter. Maybe less. But the tear was enough for her to grab, pull, and widen. The gap yawned untl her face was free. The area it had covered was red from being tightly bound.

Oswald felt relief rush over him.

Ruby wept a few more tears, barely bothering to wipe them away. "Oswald." His name sounded like music coming from her. Shifting into a more comfortable sitting position, she placed the shard that had freed her on the ground. Aiming carefully, she let it slide. It skidded across the floor with a music zzzssssh. Then, it thumped against a tire of the dead girlfriend's car. Oswald seized it. Held it up as though it were the Holy Grail. Then, he did as Ruby had done. Gasping for breath when he was at last freed. "Ruby." He coughed and winced as his facial muscles, numb from restraint, slowly awakened.

Ruby shed a few more tears, but the shadow of a smile rested on her face. Oswald did the same. Not much had changed. But at least, they could speak to each other now.

Oswald swallowed. "What happened? Right before you freed yourself?"

That phantom smile vanished. She stared at him before slowly looking down at her feet again. As he followed her stare, he saw her drag her toes against the broken glass. Blood beaded here and there, yet she gave no reaction.

Then, it dawned on him. "Oh."

"Yes." Ruby began to cry again. She covered her face with her hands. "I...I don't want to die, Oz! I'm only 27." She whimpered. "I don't want to die. I don't. I'm not ready."

"You will not die." Oswald reassured both her and himself. He tried to reach for her, but the chains reminded him of Edward's final cruelty. Lowering his hands, he looked around. "It...Edward said it would take two hours, did he not? That still leaves us with plenty of time to figure out a way to escape." He tried to grab Ruby's stare, and was grateful when he caught it. "But I cannot free us both, Ruby. Your freeing yourself from the gag was great, but it won't be enough to get us out."

Ruby nodded shakily. "Okay." Looking around, she said, "Uh, first things first, we need something to pick the locks."

"Right!" Oswald, too, began to search the floor. Screws, hairpins, anything. The clock counted off five minutes. Then, ten. But his search only resulted in several false starts. He tried to use a piece of barbed wire, but it only got stuck in the law. He was forced to yank it out with his teeth, scraping his lip in the process. Ruby tried shaking loose tiles free, but that, too, failed. Then, she noticed where the chains had been drilled into the wall. It wasn't that high up. Using the ropes as leverage she walked up the wall, panting and sweating all the way through. Her body screamed at her to stop. For a second, Ruby considered. She could feel that there wasn't enough fuel in her tank to power this exercise. But no. If she could figure out how to free herself, then exhaustion wouldn't matter.

Just then, her legs gave out on her.

With a yelp she slipped. Landed on her back six feet below.

"Ruby!" Oswald yelled. Out of instinct he tried to run towards her, but his bonds stopped him at the midway point. Ruby lay there, groaning. "Are you alright?!" He called, desperate for an answer.

Ruby moaned painfully. With some effort she pulled herself up. She winced and rubbed the back of her head. Thankfully, she felt no blood. But then, her eyes returned to her legs. Specifically, below the knees. Shaking uncontrollably, she reached down and pinched her thigh. Okay. Normal. Then, she did the same to her knees. She was greeted by a stinging sensation, as though the meat there had been frozen and then stuffed with pins. Ruby's fingers trickled a little lower. Then, she pinched. Hard.

Nothing. Absolutely, positively nothing. No matter how much her knuckles had whitened, no matter how much skin she held between her thumb and index finger, Ruby felt numbness.

She sat there, breathing quickly, as stray tears ran down her face.

For the first time, she realized how much she'd taken it all for granted. The hot blood rushing through her veins. Her strong arms and crafty fingers. Her eyes, ears, and voice. Her lungs, shrinking and growing with every breath like paper bags. Ruby had never fully stopped to appreciate these things. True, she had been happy with her improved physical condition once Strange had fixed her. But that wasn't quite the same. In that case, Ruby had rejoiced at finally giving her wasting, underdeveloped muscles some use and helping them grow strong.

But now, the opposite was happening. She was withering away, and only now realized what a blessing her body had been. Powers or not.

Ruby covered her face with her hands.

Oswald didn't need her to tell him. He could see it. The poison was spreading. Suddenly, an awful thought presented itself. Edward had said that the venom would slowly put Ruby's muscles out of use. To the point that she'd die of suffocation. But did that mean that Ruby's brain would go before then? What about her heart? Would she choke to death without fully understanding what was happening? Without being able to see him, or hold him?

He shook his head. No, the thought was too horrible to consider. Plus, it wouldn't become a reality. Ruby would live. He had to believe that, lest he lose his mind to grief.

Oswald swallowed. Needing to distract them both, he spoke. "Ruby."

His friend didn't hear him. She just kept crying in her hands, shoulders shaking, while her increasingly useless legs curled beneath her.

He spoke a little louder. "Ruby?"

She looked up, wiping her eyes posthaste. Behind the tears, she was curious.

"Um," Oswald looked down, suddenly bashful, "do you recall what Ed said? About, er, you?"

For a nanosecond, Ruby didn't comprehend. But when she did, her face became the color of a boiled pepper. "Oh, God." She covered her face again, this time with shame. "Just..." She sighed shakily. Raised her head again, yet her eyes were closed. "Well, what do I have to lose? I'll be dead soon enough."

"You won't-"

"I don't want to bring this secret to my grave." Ruby shook her head. Finally, she looked at him. "I..." Bit her lip. "I love you, Oswald."

There. She'd said it. At last. She'd made it real.

Even though he'd been almost expecting it, Oswald still felt as though all of the air had been sucked out of the room. His throat felt hard and cold, as though he'd eate a pail's worth of ice cubes. Those words flew like an arrow and pierced his mind. There they fermented, breeding more emotions than he'd thought possible. Affection. Recognition. But above all, he felt touched. More than he'd thought he could.

"Oz?" Ruby asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Oswald didn't realize he'd been crying until he touched his cheeks and felt the dampness. He gave a feeble smile. "Is this why people get so worked up over those three words? Because hearing them feels like this?"

"Like...like what?" Ruby tried to reach him, but the chains stopped her. "Did I...hurt you?" Already suspecting his answer she cursed, wishing she could take it back.

"What? No." Oswald sobbed with a smile. "It feels wonderful. Now I'm starting to understand what all the fuss is about."

Ruby smiled, wiping her cheeks some more. But it was short-lived. She looked at the clock, and sighed. She had an hour and ten minutes left. Well, might as well keep the secrets coming. "And...I know you don't love me back." She gave a small chortle. "I've known since the morning after the party. Remember?"

Oswald didn't, for a moment. Then, the sun rose in his mind. The golden morning. Olga speaking in Russian. Him feeling warm and fuzzy.

"I have no choice but to confess my feelings to Ed."

Oswald's jaw dropped as all the pieces finally fit together. "You heard, didn't you?"

"Every word." Ruby confirmed sadly. "And...I'd been planning to tell you...you know."

"Oh, heavens." Oswald covered his mouth with both hands. Shame sank through his skin like lead. He remembered everything that had followed. Ruby's coldness, her distance. "I must have hurt you very deeply."

Ruby didn't confirm it. She didn't have to.

"I...broke your heart." Oswald shook his head slowly. Feeling like he'd opened the floodgates but had found only lava waiting on the other side. "Ruby, I swear, that was never my intention. I swear it."

"I know." Ruby nodded. "But I still hurt a lot. I had a hard time even being near you because..." She swallowed. "Because I was so in love with you. And you just kept being so sweet, so kind...and knowing that such an amazing person loved someone else broke me more than you can imagine. I felt abandoned. Everyone in my life, it seemed, leaves sooner or later. My parents. Your father. And, in that moment, it felt that you'd left, too." She wiped her eyes. "But then, I understood. Yes, you didn't love me - and you still don't. You know what, though? It doesn't really matter. Because I love you." She gave a feeble smile.

Oswald, in spite of the shame still brewing in his chest, returned the gesture. Then, he straightened. He knew that it may hurt, but Ruby had bared her soul to him. What sort of dishonest monster would he be if he didn't reciprocate? Especially now? He swallowed. "Ruby...you have to know. I don't love you, but I wish that I did. Any man would be lucky to have you."

Ruby sniggered, looking away.

"No, really!" Oswald continued. "You're kind, sweet, intelligent...you've been the best friend I could ask for." He wiped a tear from his eye. "And I truly wish that I loved you back. But I can't."

"I know." Ruby nodded. "But...thanks for telling me. It means a lot." She tried to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her like a newborn calf's. Crashing back down, she whimpered. Trembling, she pinched her thighs. Then, what little color had returned to her face drained away. The fear in her eyes stung Oswald, compelling him to speak. "Ruby! Ruby, look at me. Look at me, please."

Ruby obeyed, trying to hold back the tears.

Oswald held out his hands, wishing he could hold hers. "Everything's going to be alright. One way or another, we'll be alright."

Ruby didn't seem to believe him. At least not fully. But she tried to nod. "Y-yeah. We're a team. Like Tom and Jerry. Harold and Maude. Bonnie and Clyde. Holmes and Watson. Mashed potatoes and gravy. Or, in my case, veggie gravy."

They both laughed a little.

Meanwhile, the clock continued to tick.