A/N: Hello again! Next chapter up. Thank you for following/favoriting but reviews are lovely too :)
Her sides burned making her feel as if she was going through spontaneous combustion, broken ribs not adequate for running. Lara had been trained to kill by MI-6 but those skilled had been perfected by Yamatai. Shame and guilt flooded her body almost as potent as the pain radiating from her cracked ribs.
Lara tried so hard to go back to normal, it had been a year since that island since she watched Amanda die- she shouted in anguish and punched the dirt wall. It left a satisfying dent and a new bruise across her already bloodied knuckles.
She sighed and curled up on the cot kicking off her boots and rolling to face the wall. Lara was wolf wearing sheep's clothing, a caged beast always a second away from breaking out and killing it's prey. And everyone was her prey whether they had wronged her or not, that was proved by what just happened in the mess hall.
Yamatai, an island full of crazy motherfuckers maybe she should have stayed there Lara thought darkly, she did fit in with the other murderers. Still brooding Lara heard someone who could only had been Sam enter as silently as possible.
"Lara, what- what happened to you out there?" Sam asked sitting on the edge of the bed.
Lara chuckled darkly "Nothing, it's all happening up here." She tapped the side of her skull.
"What made you like this?"
Another long low laugh emerged from her slightly chapped lips "Lots of things, Sam, too many to count- all I know is that I'm practically a killing machine."
Death was the only constant in her life, that and guilt.
Sam shook her head "It's not your fault, I'll help you get through this."
Her eyes brows converged in the middle with complete and utter confusion "Why aren't you scared of me? I almost killed that man just for getting near me."
She shrugged in response "It's my job to help people, what you're suffering through is an ailment and as a doctor I have to do all I can to help."
An even deeper expression of confusion etched itself on to Lara's face "I could kill you without even meaning to, what's wrong with you?"
A bright smile appeared from nowhere one Sam's face, making Lara want to smile back the other girl's enthusiasm contagious "Maybe we're both a little crazy. Now get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow."
xxXxx
Arms pumping, instead of her ribs burning it was her legs- she must have been running a while.
She was still on Yamatai or at least in her mind, Lara didn't think she would ever leave. At least it was day, the island was so much more twisted at night feeding on her natural fear of the darkness.
Her breath came out in fast pants sucking in oxygen as quickly as she was dispensing carbon dioxide, not that it did much to satisfy her lungs but she couldn't stop. The air tasted humid and metallic probably from blood- the blood of what Lara didn't want to know.
Lara's knees started to ache, was that possible in a dream? Or was it memory? She wasn't sure anymore.
xxXxx
Her sleep wasn't restful anymore but at least she wasn't thrashing around anymore or screaming. Lara would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed when she woke and Sam was absent, she had grown accustomed to the loud American.
This underground thing was starting to get to Lara- the lack of ability to tell time, the smell of dirt 24/7, and the overall feeling of claustrophobia. She could have been asleep for an hour or an entire day, damn underground.
"Hey I brought you some food, you slept through breakfast."
Lara started for a moment and then relaxed when she realized it was only Sam. "Thank you." She responded curtly feeling slightly awkward about her impromptu break down yesterday.
Sam handed her the tray and Lara scarfed it down not even taking time to see what it was she was so hungry.
"Try not to choke, I've already saved your life once."
A chuckle passed through her lips and as she finished the tray of food and downed the glass of more or less clean water.
"I'll keep that in mind, I assume you're here for something other than chatting?"
"Yeah, I've got to change your bandages. Is that alright?"
Lara gave a curt nod and tugged her tank top over her head and stood up so Sam could peel off the blood soaked bandages. Sam looked Lara over her eyes trailing her torso and arms which had more bandages then skin showing. Lara became a little self conscious knowing how ugly her scars were.
"Got to dig a chick with abs." Sam muttered surprising Lara and making her blush.
Before she could respond to the more than suggestive comment Sam started to unwrap the largest of the wounds making Lara hiss loudly.
"Sorry, it'll be done soon."
Sam's comforting words became muted the pain becoming unbearable, Lara closed her eyes in an attempt to at least focus on something else beside the white hot flames flickering up from the stab wound in her stomach.
"Almost done, just a sec."
She tuned back into the world after about five minutes of torturous agony.
"I'd almost forgotten how much more healing hurt than actually getting the injury."
Sam made an unladylike snort at the comment finally done wrapping her back up. Lara sat back down and pulled on the tan colored tank top wincing as in grazed multiple tender wounds.
"So what now?" Lara asked looking up at Sam.
"I guess you could help me on my rounds, just follow my lead."
After a few minutes of walking down nondescript dirt hallways they arrived in a large area filled with many replicas of the cot Lara was currently using as her bed. Each one was occupied with a soldier with varying degrees of injury, some missing arms and legs other wrapped in bandages from head to toe. In fact the only common factor between all the soldiers was their lack of consciousness whether that was by choice, Lara couldn't tell.
"Coma ward? Or just people you finally shut up?"
"Finally shut up, screaming newbies are on the opposite end, closer to the entrance."
Lara laughed a little at the dark situation they were in, Sam a news reporter who had probably never seen a dead body before the war and Lara an agent who had seen too many.
"So how can I help?"
"Well…um, I guess you can help me change bandages and give the lucid ones breakfast."
They got to work Lara starting on one side of the room and Sam on the other, checking each wound for infection and then re-wrapping it. Some of the men waking up and talking at her others staring blankly at her either in too much pain or couldn't speak because of their injury.
"Howdy pretty lady, what's a girly like you doing over here?" A southern man twanged at her, his thick accent making her take a moment to decipher what he said. She looked at the blonde middle aged man's chart to find his name.
"Good morning Private Jacobs, how are you feeling?" Lara responded not in the mode for explaining that she was in fact a soldier.
"Mighty fine, though I do kinda' miss my arm."
She moved on to the next man, a John Doe so badly disfigured from a fire that he was unidentifiable, his tags melted to his skin. Lara thanked god that he was in a coma, the amount pain he would go through once he woke- the thought of it made Lara shudder.
Hours later they were done, fatigued from so much work.
"I have a new appreciation for medical staff, damn that was a lot of work."
Sam laughed lightly and wiped the small sheen of sweat from her forehead, small rivulets of sweat tracing down her face and neck. Lara suddenly was overcome with the strong desire to follow those droplets with her tongue-
"Yeah it's hard work, let's go eat."
The smile fell from Lara face and she started to fidget.
"Do you think you could maybe grab my food for me? It's just I don't think it would be a good idea-" Sam cut her off.
"Of course sweetie, I'll met you in your room."
xxXxx
Lara waited on her bed for Sam her mind wandering from Sam to Amanda. She missed her so much, it was so lonely without the beautiful blonde by her side- they had been a team before Yamatai had taken that away too.
Amanda had pleaded with her to retire to a desk job after she had been shot for the second time but she had refused and now Amanda was dead because of her…
The Solarii.
Mathias.
Himako.
Yamatai.
All of these things images etched themselves into her eyelids burning pain and guilt and fury associated with each one.
Amanda dying.
Roth dying.
Alex dying.
Grimm dying.
That was the only constant in her life, her ever present companion but never her friend. If Death were her friend he would pity her and take her life. If Death were merciful he would have taken her in place of any of the above people, but no she must suffer on each day getting heavier and heavier.
xxXxx
Bloody fucking hell.
She was sick of running.
Being conscious 24/7 of everything she had done wrong sucked. Lara couldn't even find refuge in dreams from her memories.
Fucking running.
xxXxx
Someone shook her awake.
Mathias. The Solarii. Yamatai.
Lara grabbed the person by the neck before she had even opened her eyes, grinning at the choking noise coming out of the figures mouth. But this person was small, nothing like the burly Russian Solarii men, almost woman sized…
Dropping Sam, Lara scrambled backwards as far as she could as if space would somehow provide her camouflage from guilt that was swallowing her whole as she watched Sam fall to her knees coughing the color returning to her face.
Lara started to tremble and curl up into a fetal position, shaking worse than a drug addict going cold turkey.
Dead Solarii men.
Dead Mathias.
All murdered by her with glee, slitting their throats as they begged for mercy. Mathias was right when he said she was the same as them, just another killing machine.
"Lara, it's okay." She felt a small hand on her shoulder, Sam's voice hoarse from her windpipe being crushed.
She had smiled while she had crushed the air from her lungs, how could it be okay?
"Lara sweetie, look at me."
Lara looked up at Sam her eyes immediately honing in on the bruises made by her hands around that beautiful neck.
"I'm sorry." Lara croaked out. "So sorry."
A/N: And scene! Dramatic right? Sorry it was a little bit short.
Riddle of the Day: What stays in a corner but travels the world?
First to respond correctly gets a shot out and ask for a one-shot of their choice (keep it T rated).
:)