The Haunting: Destiny (FF)

Chapter 8

Armen's POV:

Slowly opening my eyes I disappointingly sigh expecting another day of torturous hell, but surprisingly I'm met with a cobblestone ceiling and wooden walls. Sitting up I wondering where I am before suddenly remembering I escaped. I cautiously smile as relief washes over me for the first time in ages. Getting out of bed I hope for a great day wondering if anything has changed. Exiting the door it leads straight into Drake's room; my hopeful feelings disappear into worry. I nearly forgot about his condition... when I check his temperature it's cooler than the previous day. That's good. I leave him to rest as I head into the main room where Grayson is making food.

"Good morning Grayson!" I say as I walk to the counter.

"Good morning Armen!" He says whilst chopping up some berries.

"So, what did you get?" I ask, sitting down on one of the seats as I watch him cook.

"Well, I got bits and pieces with the money I had. I was able to get some potions of healing which seemed to help Drake. I couldn't find another bag though, so I'll carry anything you have for now." He claims.

I nod and continue to watch him in silence only to stare out the window seconds later... I can't believe there's so much colour, so much greenery. For the past month all I've really seen are different shades of red and orange. It also doesn't help that during those fours years of... of... yeah, anyway, during that time I don't remember much, only bits and pieces, so the things I do remember are fire, death, explosions, nothing particularly nice. I shake my head trying to move onto another subject, I shouldn't be dwelling on the past, I should be happy that I'm here and not back there...

Snapping out of it, I hear a muffled wince coming from Grayson. Looking at him I spot blood next to the berries and Grayson tightly grasping his finger with a pained look on his face. Looking at the knife carelessly laying on the side it has a red tint on it.

"God dammit." he whispers, "Sorry about that, could've sworn my finger wasn't there." He mutters.

"It's all good old man." I casually jest.

"Oi, I'm not that old." he replies, I snicker, "Anyway, could you clean this up whilst I go grab a plaster?" he asks, I nod.

He quickly walks over to the stairs before rushing up, leaving the door open. Getting out of my seat I head round and grab a cloth he had next to the sink, wetting it I wipe off the blood on the chopping board before picking up the knife, wiping it clean over the sink. I continue to move the cloth up and down, I don't take my eyes off it, is it because I don't want to hurt myself or... once it's clean I put the cloth down, but I keep on staring at the edge of the knife... no! You're better than that. I place the knife back next to the berries before the floorboards creek, heading down the stairs Grayson turns back at me with... glasses? 

"Tada!" He exclaims, "Had these in the bag and decided to try them on, turns out my eyesight is pretty bad." he embarrassingly smiles.

"Knew it. No matter, they suit you! It make you look like a Dad." I joke.

"Heh... A dad huh..." he says as his eyes avoid mine. Is there something wrong with being a dad? I don't think I should bring it up again.

"Well..." I mutter, trying to break the awkward tension, "I could help you make breakfast if you want. I don't remember much about cooking but I can always help in other ways!"

A small smile appears back on his face as he nods, "Sure! Sounds fun. I can teach you some bits and bobs while we're at it!" He says in a happy tone.

We head over to the little kitchen area and he continues chopping up the berries whilst I get the other things he needs for his berry pie. I help with the pastry but after failing to mix it correctly Grayson takes over so I stand there and watch. Once it's done we put it in the furnace, letting the leftover charcoal cook it. Waiting, Grayson leans against the counter and twiddles with his ring finger whilst he stares into the flames of the furnace. There's nothing on it, just his fingerless glove. I decide to speak up to ease the awkward silence.