Liability

Chapter 50 - Rhys

Wednesday
October 03, 2018

It feels like a heroic feat to peel his lead-weight eyelids open for some reason. His brain is drowning in thick, impenetrable fog that keeps his memories at bay. It feels like his bones weigh a ton while his body is floating somewhere, barely anchored to reality. His blurry vision catches sight of swimming purple and pink shadows and it takes him an eon to realize that he is staring at a ceiling.

He does not know where he is.

The last thing he remembers...

Nothing.

No, that cannot be. There has to be something beneath that swirling, writhing gray mass that has trapped his mind in its greedy prison.

Prison.

.

.

.

Darkness.

That cell.

His hearing is nearly pierced through by a sudden frantic beeping noise from next to him as he pushes his newly awakened will into his molten liquid muscles in a command to move.

To get away.

Thunderclaps echo through the place he is held but he only cares about finding a way out, escaping this unknown hell.

He will get ou—

"Rhys!"

The voice calling that word... that name... his name...

His name.

He knows that voice.

"You're safe. You're safe now, Cielito."

For a moment his vision is obstructed by nothing but darkness again, his instincts kicking in to make him bolt away from that pit of abyss. Then his brain catches up with his eyes, sluggish as it is, and recognizes that he is looking up at a face.

Thommy's face.

"That's it," Thommy says softly. "I've got you. You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

"Whe—" His voice gives out on him, his tongue feels too big for his mouth, his lips non-existent.

But Thommy gets it, his large hand smooths down Rhys' cheek to clasp onto the back of his head with painful gentleness. As if Rhys could break any moment. He feels like he is going to break.

"We're back in the Tower. In the hospital part," Thommy explains quietly. His thumb brushes Rhys' jaw again and again as if trying to keep him calm. "The bastard who was keeping us nearly killed you with some kind of gas when Hina came for us. They kept you in a coma for a week to heal your lungs. The doc wasn't too forthcoming with information but... fuck... Rhys, I thought you were gonna..." he chokes on the last word but as disoriented as Rhys still feels, he can guess what the other doesn't say.

"I... o-kay," he forces those two words past his lips, his heart squeezing tight in his chest when he sees the tears glistening in Thommy's eyes.

"You're okay. Of course, you're okay." Thommy clears his throat but does not wipe at his eyes. Instead, he closes them and takes a deep breath. "That piece of scum didn't get to us. Couldn't break us."

"You..."

"I'm good." The words are rushed and ring with something harsh but then Thommy shakes his head and adds, "Was it the most demeaning time of my life being hooked on that disgusting shit and put on display like a piece of fucking meat? Sure as hell it was. But I ain't no victim and once I find Dim-A, I'll beat the name of the fucker out of him with my bare hands if I need to. And god help me, I'll end that parasite if that's the last thing I do."