Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

One of the pipes in the ceiling above sprung a leak a while ago...

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

One drop per second, and I've counted four hundred and thirty seven thousand, eight hundred and three...around seven thousand and ninety seven... about one hundred and twenty two... Five days. Five days and not a word from anybody.

Roach scratched what part of his lower back that he could, rolling from on his left side to right in a bid to get comfortable. Every drop of water let him keep track of the passing time, or rather the amount of time he had been separated from Ghost after he had been knocked unconscious. Roach had been left alone after he woke up, alone to his thoughts. Other than a day a half ago, when he was brought overly stale dehydrated food, just enough to keep his stomach from echoing in the room, was he left alone with his horribly strayed thoughts.

I wonder if the guys back home are thinking about me...like Royce, or Meat... Captain said he would get us...we've been here for over a week at least...

He left us here.

No, no. This is MacTavish we're talking about. He wouldn't abandon us.

Or would he? I was a burden on the team...

No, I got the second highest PFT score, behind Ghost! And third in rifle qualification...there's no way he'd leave some of his best members behind. Or anybody at all if he could help it.

Roach shifted once again, sitting up and leaning on the wall. His mind was filled with conflicting thoughts, thoughts of his life back on base, the prospect of rescue, his brothers in arms. He often wondered what Toad, Sparrow, and Bearclaw were doing with his belongings. Leaving them as they were, or slowly packing them away with each passing day and slowly losing hope in their comrades survival. Roach wasn't too sure about their survival rates either, noting that whenever they did get any sleep he would wake to Ghost crying or screaming in his sleep. Yelling to his once-before captors to either spare his friends, or kill him instead. Roach didn't know what to do, so he simply let the already damaged man sleep on. He may have been having nightmares, but how are you supposed to tell the person you most admire that he had been sobbing hysterically in his sleep? Crying about a brother he once had...

Brother. Like your twin brother. The one you left behind.

Roach shook his head, trying to rid the thought. But the face of his younger self flashed in his mind. The face of his twin brother Ashton.

"I didn't leave him..." Roach mumbled.

You left your mother and father alone. You left Ashton alone. You left your younger sister Hilary all alone. Your older sister Amanda. All alone without you.

"I didn't leave them alone. They have each other. They didn't want me joining the military. They left me all alone." Roach spoke aloud again, louder than before. He huddled into the corner of the room, trying to ignore the angry voice in his head.

You left Ashton by himself. What if you die? He was depressed when you left. How do you know he's still alive? They could all be dead because of you.

"Shut up."

They probably all killed themselves. Our family had a bad history with depression. Slit their own throats, maybe jumped from the loft with a rope around their neck. Dad had a few guns, maybe they blew their brains out. Maybe they left the stove on and burn-

"SHUT UP!" Roach cried out, clutching his head in anguish.

"Now is it really sane for someone to shout to no one to silence themselves?" a cool voice asked. The door was wide open, Gonzalo's silhouette cast onto the floor. Roach eyes widened as his head shot up in panic. When did he get there?

"I have been here for a few minutes now. Waiting for you to realize I have a special gift for you." Gonzalo seemed to answer Roach's unasked question without him knowing it. "You must be dying to see what I have for you."

"Well I literally am dying in front of you, with you know starving and all, but as to this surprise? I don't think I'll want it." Roach said warily. Gonzalo's 'surprises' he had already learned were not fun.

"Shame, I would have thought you wanted Simon back with you for companionship. But I guess I was wrong in this assumption. I guess we wi-"

"Where's Ghost?!" Roach lept to his feet in haste, managing to startle Gonzalo as he crossed the room at an almost inhuman speed to grab the shirt collar. "Answer me you prick. You have five seconds before your dick's in your throa-"

"No need for such violence." Gonzalo effortlessly pushed Roach away. He straightened his shirt, motioning to someone behind him. Someone rather large came in, seemingly losing almost half of his size as something was thrown on the ground. No, not something.

Someone.

"Oh...oh fuck. Ghost...?" Roach squeaked, taking a step back in shock. Gonzalo didn't say another word as he left, the door closing with a crash.

"Ghost..." The man lying in a heap on the floor was barely recognizable. Large gashes crossed every limb, severe bruises covered so much skin it looked as if he were actually purple with green spots. Anywhere free of bruises were covered in dried blood or teeth marks. Roach slowly rolled Ghost onto his back, barely any indication that he was alive other than the shallow breaths passing cracked lips. He didn't know whether to leave the sleeping lieutenant be, or wake him up gently. He decided on letting him sleep, at least to recover a tad faster naturally.

"Huh...well, I guess we're both screwed over, right Ghost? Left alone to die here i guess..." Roach mused, laying down next to Ghost and sighing. He watched the lieutenant with a wary eye, analyzing what new injury and where it was, the old covered with fresh and new scars. Blinking lazily, Roach curled onto his side to face Ghost, one arm acting as a pillow as the other was draped over his side. A few blinks later and Roach fell into an uneasy sleep.

"YOU BLOODY WANKER I'LL LEAVE YOU TO DIE IN THE FUCKIN' DESERT-"

Whatever unpleasant dream Roach was having was suddenly replaced with Ghost choking him in a rage. His hands flew up, trying desperately to get Ghost's hands to release the rather surprisingly strong grip on his throat. After a few seconds of futile attempt he tried to call out Ghost's name, only for a pitiful squeak to escape. Black fog started to slowly seep into Roach's vision, his hands slowly losing grip on Ghost's wrist.

"SEE HOW YOU BLOODY LIKE IT YA WANKER YOU'LL SEE-"

Roach, desperate for air, reached up and gave the hardest slap he could muster across Ghost's face before his hands fell limply down, slipping quickly into the fog.

'I do not understand Simon, we were once such great lovers.'

'...'

'You do not agree? We can always try once again.'

'...'

'I wish to hear your voice Simon. Please indulge me.'

'...'

'I see. I guess, since you are unresponsive I shall have Juan retrieve Gary to replace you this sess-'

'NO!'

'Ah, so you are indeed responsive.'

'Not Roach. I'll do anything you want, but don't touch Roach.'

'Anything I want Simon? Are you aware what that statement might entail?'

'...'

'Juan, go retrieve Ga-'

'NO! No...not Roach. A-anything you want...'

'Is this a promise?'

'...'

'Well?'

'...yes...'

'Very well Simon. Firstly, tell me that you love me.'

'...'

'Are you going back on your word Simon?'

'...no...'

'Well then?'

'I...love...you.'

'Now was that so hard my darling? I am not being facetious. I really did love you during your stay beforehand. I was rather heartbroken when father tried to have you killed. I was pleased you had escaped, and was even more ecstatic when I heard you had returned. However, finding my father's dead body in the middle of the nearby forest was rather depressing. But now we are together again, and I have you all to myself.'

...well...

I'm sorry this took so long to update...a lot has happened in the past year. Promotion to a shift leader, my parents' divorce that I had to help my mom with since english isn't her first language, my move from CA to AL, and severe bout of depression all on top. It was great. But I'm in a better place mentally right now and I realize that there are people that I said that I would update soon, and I am sorry I lied about how 'soon' that 'soon' was. But now I have the next chapter at least 80% done, and I won't post that until the chapter after is at least 60% done so I have an incentive to keep writing. Of all the stories I have on here, I plan to finish at least one, and since between this story and "After Endgame"...or "After End Game", whichever I put them as I can't remember off the top of my head... is pretty much what happens in MW3 with a really cringy OC, I figured this one was easier to complete without altering timelines way too much. Plus I really miss writing Ghost and Roach. AEG doesn't have them. 'Cuz they're dead. Also noticed how the MW fanfiction pops up in between all of the new COD so it looks like there's still an interest in this particular portion of the fandom…. Ehhh…..but yeah, tell me how it is