Chapter Text
“Everyone ready?”
Jack’s voice met his ears from downstairs, and despite how prepared he was in terms of armor and supplies, mentally he was still unsure.
There was only so much he could mentally prepare for.
Oil rigs were dangerous, to say to the least. Leaving the safety of their base to travel across the mountains was scary and risky. The armed guards and scientists there have killed their kind before, and it was all for a chance at the newest shipment of supplies. He knew that if they were successful the risks would pay off, but the thought of it is still scary to him. He’s lost track of the amount of oil rigs he has done with his team, and they still make him anxious.
He wasn’t a violent man.
This rough and tough lifestyle, surviving long enough to live in these wastelands, has changed a lot of people. After humanity fell years ago many resulted to violence in an effort to gain material to survive. But he still tried to stay true to his roots. He didn’t like killing, the idea of hurting someone else all for personal gain. It made him sick.
But it was how he was still here.
Survival of the fittest, as they called it. Something he still had yet to get used to.
Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to calm himself down. He knew that they would be fine, they had all done this a bunch of times. Especially since Ash picked up news that this next shipment was big.
Really big.
If the rumors were true they would have enough supplies, both in weaponry and in food, to last them throughout the winter. The weather was not kind to them in the cold months, and they were running out of time to gather everything they needed to comfortably tend to their whole team.
They needed to do this run, weather they wanted to or not.
And they needed him. He knew the wiring and gear of the rig inside and out. He wouldn’t be doing any of the fighting or killing, simply laying low and getting the loot crates open while his team covered for him.
That was his job, and he was darn good at it.
No killing, no violence, just get in and get out.
That is all.
“Sykkuno?”
A deep, gravely voice called for him from his left, and the sound startled him enough to jump in surprise. He blinked for a second, staring down at his hands that were clenched over his thighs, and quickly grabbed one of his wrists to stop them from shaking. Looking up from where he was sitting on his bed he met the warm brown eyes of his friend.
“Oh, Corpse!” He exclaimed happily, forcing down his nerves as he stood up with a smile.
Corpse eyed him wearily from the door to his room, adjusting the bandana over his nose. The silver of his rings glistened against the black curls of his hair and the dim light of the room. If he noticed the sudden change in Sykkuno’s demor, he chose not to acknowledge it. “You okay?”
“Oh,” He trailed off. “Yeah, I’m fine!
“Everyone is waiting on you, are you ready?”
Sykkuno nodded in response, standing up quickly and reaching over his chest to grab his gun that was leaning against the wall. “I’m coming, just give me a sec to grab some final things.”
“Alright, I’ll wait in the hall.”
“Sounds good, thank you!” Sykkuno watched as the younger man’s figure retreated, and with a shaky breath he put his rifle over his shoulder and went to open his chest. He felt his anxiety grow as he put a pistol and box of bullets in his bag, hoping to god he wouldn’t have to use them. After packing up some of the other things he felt would be helpful, such as syringes and bandages, he slung his bag on his back.
Corpse, as he said, was waiting for him in the hallway of their bedroom floor. The man was casually leaning against the stone wall, fiddling with one of his knives as if it was a wooden stick.
“Aren’t you nervous you’re gonna poke your eye out or something doing that?”
Corpse barely flinched from him speaking, simply directing his gaze to the other man and laughing lightly. “Probably. Hasn’t happened yet though.”
Sykkuno could only shake his head with a nervous chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand in an effort to contain his laughter. He watched as Corpse put the knife alongside his others on his belt, standing up to full height from the wall and looking at him behind his long, dark curls. “Let’s go,”
The brunette nodded, gripping the straps of his bag with an iron fist as he followed Corpse down the stairs of their base. Their boots crunched against the dirt and grass once they made it outside, the sun shining brightly and making the autumn air seem not so chilly. If it weren’t for the rest of his team waiting for them outside, the soft rustle of nature against the wind would be the only thing heard.
“Sykkuno! Corpse!” Ash called for them from where the rest were parked by the chopper, her short red hair flowing against the wind and blue eyes bright as she waved them over. “Let’s go! We wanna get back before sunset, remember!”
“Coming!” Sykkuno called, running over with Corpse beside him. “My bad, got caught up with organizing some stuff.”
“No worries!” Jack called from the pilot seat inside the chopper, a smile stretched over his face as he adjusted some settings on the control panel. “Hop in I think everyone is here.”
With a nod, Sykkuno and Corpse made their way to the back. Brodin, Rae, Tina, Ash and Bo were waiting for them in the back of the helicopter, all geared up and ready to go.
“Here ya go, boys.” Ash handed both of them a walkie-talkie as they entered the vehicle’s platform. “You know the drill, right?”
“Always,” Corpse said casually, taking the device from the redhead and slipping it onto his belt. Sykkuno followed suit with his, making sure it was secured and the battery on it would last for the trip.
“All right!” Ludwig exclaimed from the front passenger seat, turning around so he could look at everyone. “Are we all here? Someone do a headcount!”
Rae was quick to jump on board for the roll, calling for attendance from everyone that was onboard. Sykkuno’s name was called around the same time Jack successfully got the chopper going, the propellers picking up pace and creating a strong gust of wind surrounding them. Small debris and grass made way as the vehicle became prepared for lift off.
“We’re all here!” Rae shouted after calling for Tina’s name, assuring everyone was accounted for.
“Alright,” Jack announced, gloved hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Here we go everyone! Make sure you hold onto something and don’t get too close to the back!”
They all knew the rules, but with the deaths they’ve witnessed from both lack of care and recklessness still made them all feel inclined to enforce the safety rules. Sykkuno gripped onto one of the side railings, sardined tightly in the back of the chopper with Brodin to his left and Corpse to his right. He watched as they rose higher and higher into the air, their base becoming smaller as they crossed over into the warzone.
He hated the north.
Or as everyone called it, the Badlands .
It was a scary place, filled with barbarians and survivors that will shoot and kill on sight for no reason. In the sanctuary of their base, they all work together and support each other. The second you enter the Badlands, it's everyone for themselves. There are no alliances in the north, no teams that agree to help each other.
Just pure bloodshed.
It is why his team stays south unless they go on supply runs.
“About halfway there, everyone!” Sykkuno hears Jack shout over the rumbling of engines and strong wind after a good half hour of flying. He gets a series of cheers in response, but all Sykkuno could bring himself to do is nervously smile as he looks towards his friends. Before he could look back out the window again he locked eyes with Corpse, who was staring at him intensely with a look he couldn’t quite read.
Corpse was one of the few who was able to read Sykkuno like a book, knowing what was going on in his head and understanding when he was anxious. It was almost like a sixth sense the other man had. And yet, Corpse was always so guarded with his own emotions. Those brown eyes held so much emotion and so little at the same time, it was both frustrating and amazing.
But then again, Corpse was just interesting all around.
They had been friends for so long, been through so much together, and despite how well Corpse could pick up on his discomfort, he could never do the same in return.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Sykkuno?” The way Corpse spoke gently to him would seem out of character to most. Such a large, rough and tough looking man with such a deep voice speaking as if he was cooing an injured animal would come off as awkward to those who don’t know him.
But Sykkuno knew him.
Sykkuno knew him so well.
And he knew that was one hundred percent in character for his friend. That he would put himself out there to help others. That his anxiety would spike just like Sykkuno’s when going on these missions. That he really is a big softie who means well.
That he is one of the many people thrown into this harsh world that don’t deserve it.
And as Sykkuno looked into his friend's eyes, watching as the wind blew those dark curls around and the sun reflected off his pale, freckled skin. Watching the way those dark brown orbs suddenly opened up so much to him, he knew he couldn’t lie.
“I’m a little nervous,” He finally admitted to the other, hoping he spoke quietly enough so that no one else would hear.
Corpse hummed, breaking their locked gaze and looking off to the sunset. “I am too.”
That reply took Sykkuno a little by surprise. “You are?”
Corpse simply nodded. “I always am. Every one of these we do, I don’t think I will ever not be nervous.”
It was Sykkuno’s turn to stare at him, watching him closely and taking in what his friend had just told him. He knew that Corpse’s anxiety would kick in every now and then, that he would be hesitant to do some missions similar to him. But he didn’t know that both of them shared such similar feelings.
It caused a new feeling of warmth to blossom in his chest.
“Corpse, I-”
The helicopter shifted under their feet with a loud bang. The screams of his teammate’s echoed in the air as their bodies were flung all towards the left side of the chopper from the force of impact. He heard Ludwig and Jack yelling up front, both men leaning over the pilot wheel and desperately trying to take back control of the vehicle. The smell of smoke met Sykkuno’s nose before it started to suffocate them, clogging the interior of the helicopter and making it hard to see and breath.
“What’s happening!?” Rae’s frantic voice cut through.
“I don’t know!” Jack called back. “Something’s hitting us-”
Another explosion ran through the chopper, sending most of the team to their knees with another barrel of screams. Fire bursted from the engines, and Sykkuno watched in horror as the clouds beyond the window fell out of sight. The metal under his hands and knees grew hot, the ash pushing down his nose and throat as he struggled to take in air. Another bang hit the right side of their chopper, metal and glass shattering as the cries of his friends met his ears.
And then they were falling.
None of them could do anything to stop the crash, their helicopter starting to plummet towards the ground in a pile of metal debris and flames. His hands gripped the back of one of the pilot seats, holding on for dear life. Someone else’s hands were on him, holding onto his armor like a lifeline in an effort to stay on the chopper. He could barely hear the sound of his friends calling for each other, but he was able to make out the soreness of his throat and tightness of his lungs.
Was he screaming?
He couldn’t tell.
All he could feel was the tears making their way down his face and the weight of whoever was holding onto him.
He didn’t want to die!
Please!
It was only a matter of seconds before a fourth rattle to the chopper caused the grip on his body to loosen, whoever it was holding onto him letting go and being lost in the wind. Sykkuno didn’t even process the yell that left his mouth until it was too late, his grip on the leather seat falling.
It was pointless, but he still tried. Fingers blindly reaching for air as he attempted to grip back onto the security he lost.
But it was too late.
His body felt numb, like jelly, and the blast propelled him backwards and into the air. He didn’t even have a chance to feel his body hit the ground.
Everything went dark.
Pain.
That was all.
His entire body, every one of his limbs hurt. It felt as thought someone had carved into him with a knife, or hit him with a truck.
Or both.
His chest screamed at him, all of his ribs creaking with each rough breath his battered body took. It seemed as though time had froze, almost as if he was in an out of body experience. He was able to hear the dizzy sound of flames in the distance, the creek of metal and the sound of flesh hitting something hard. The pure, heart wrenching scream that followed after it would forever haunt him, the absolute pain behind it rattling him to his very core. He recognized the voice, knowing someone he cared for was hurting.
But he couldn’t move.
He couldn’t respond to anything around him no matter how hard he tried.
He could only hear his frantic breathing, he couldn’t even open his eyes to see where the heck he was. He was able to feel the uneven asphalt beneath his fingertips, the rough edges of his armor digging uncomfortably into his skin, the sticky heat of the setting sun cascading down onto his body.
But nothing else.
What happened?
He couldn’t even remember.
“Sy-” A rough voice cut through his consciousness, and he couldn’t tell if his body twitched in reaction to the sound. “are y-”
Who is calling for him?
“Sykku-”
Gosh, there it was again. He could feel his fingers moving, grappling against the ground helplessly. His eyes tried desperately to open, but the rest of his body betrayed him. Something was covering his eyelids, preventing him from seeing.
Where was it coming from?
“Sykkuno!”
White.
White entered his vision, practically blinding him into squeezing his eyes close again. Air that wasn’t seeming to enter him suddenly could, and he felt the frantic beat of his heart against his bruised ribs. His eyelids, sticky with some form of substance, forced themselves to open once again.
Blood.
That’s what was keeping his eyes closed. Blood. He must have some kind of head wound. His eyes were level with the asphalt, seeing the black ground stretched until it was stopped by a slightly risen wall of stone. His right hand was stretched out, fingers uselessly twitching against the ground.
“Sykkuno!” His eyes lazily trailed over to where the sound was coming from. His walkie-talkie was lying a few feet away from him, a little worse for wear but obviously working. “If you can hear me say something!”
Ash?
He needed to reach it. Why the heck was it so far away? Staring back down at his hand, realizing the dirt caked under his nails, as well as the blood splatter and sweat staining his skin, he realized he needed to crawl.
It took more effort than he would care to admit to clench his hand and bring it closer to his body. And he would never want to tell anyone about the cry of pain he let out as he rolled himself over onto his hands and knees.
He without a doubt broke something.
But everything hurt too much, he couldn't tell what.
With blurry eyes he stared down at his hands, watching blood drip down his nose and onto the asphalt. He used the time to catch his breath, deeply inhaling and exhaling to try and get himself together. It was the sound of Ash calling for him again through the walkie-talkie that forced him to move.
He was practically army crawling by the time he made it to the device, and his arm was trembling as he reached out to grab it.
“Sykkuno, please!” Ash’s voice was panicking now. “Please, answer m-”
“I-” He broke off to cough into his sleeve, his lung protesting as he used his voice. “I’m here, Ash.”
“Oh thank god!” The woman exclaimed. “You scared the shit out of us, you weren’t responding.”
“Well I am now,” He tried to lighten the mood, ignoring how much it hurt to talk.
“Where are you?”
“I’m...I’m not sure. I haven’t even managed to stand up yet to be honest, so I couldn’t tell ya.” He was able to grit out. “Are you alone?”
“No, thankfully not. Jack, Brodin, Tina and I all found each other. Lud, Rae and Bo were also able to locate each other.” Ash explained, though as she continued to talk it was clear she was rather winded.
“Are they all okay?”
It was Ash’s turn to be rather quiet, Sykkuno was about to press her on the subject. However she beat him to it. “No,”
The quietness that settled across them was deadly. “Brodin is worse for wear, and from the sounds of it so is Lud and Rae. Jack is certainly injured, but he refuses to tell me where he is hurting.”
“What?” Sykkuno managed to get out. “Why?”
“I-I don’t know…” She replied gently. “I’ve tried to make him tell me but he won’t budge. Probably feels like he is at fault for the whole thing.”
“It wasn’t his fault.” Sykkuno protested, horrified that Jack would even think any of this was his fault.
None of it was anyone’s fault.
“He’s a stubborn bastard.” He heard Ash mumble under her breath. “And I don’t care if he heard me say that, it’s true!”
Normally under these circumstances Sykkuno would laugh at the colorful language, always amused that someone as sweet as Ash would talk like a sailor. But now wasn’t one of those times. “Tina and I are trying our best, I think we are going to attempt to make our way back to camp.”
“Ash…” He was growing more tired with each word. “What even happened?”
He could hear static and rustling over on Ash’s end, almost as if she was walking or moving something around. He couldn’t tell which.
“We flew over the Sam base.” Was her response. “I knew we would be passing it on our way, but I had no idea they would see us as a threat.”
“Sam?” He questioned. “What is Sam?”
Static was the only thing that met his ears.
“Ash?”
Nothing.
“Oh god,” Sykkuno exclaimed painfully, listening to nothing but dead radio waves and unsure what happened to his friends. At least he knew they were all alive, miraculously. Rae, Lud and Bo were together, and Ash found Tina, Brodin and Jack. Which only left him and Corpse-
Wait.
Where was Corpse?
Shoot, he had to find him. If none of the others located him that means he could be anywhere.
Hopefully he was okay.
It was that thought that motivated him to move. Gripping the walkie-talkie tightly, Sykkuno lifted his free arm to latch onto one of the few wooden crates stacked against the short stone wall. Forcing himself to stand, he leaned against the storage crates to catch his breath while he looked out into the distance to see where he was.
Sykkuno could see he landed in the area of a factory, once lively with workers and equipment to produce machinery, now abandoned and left to rot. It was also at this point he realized he was on a roof of one of the buildings. He had to find a way to get down.
Great.
With heavy breaths and wobbly legs, Sykkuno started walking the edge of buildings with hopes of finding a way down. He located his backpack and his gun, and it took more effort than normal to sling them onto his back. The newly added weight made his pace much slower, but he eventually reached the shallow wall at the edge of the structure that allowed him to get a better clearing of his location.
The landmine of metal debris, abandoned cars, and overgrown scenery did little to aid Sykkuno in picking out his location. The sun was starting to set quickly now, the broken glass of the buildings’ windows picking up hues of oranges and pinks. If it wasn’t for the ghost town atmosphere Sykunno would almost call it beautiful. As he gazed over his surroundings, something caught his eye.
At first glance it looked to be a member of Sam, or whatever the heck the group that shot him down was called. The figure stood out with their armor and clothing among the landscape, but Sykkuno quickly realized that they were on the ground. If it wasn’t for the short grass they were laying in, he never would have noticed them. For a moment, it looked as though they were sleeping. But the small streaks of red staining the grass around them wasn’t normal, nor was the battered and nearly non-existent movement of their chest. Sykkuno couldn’t make out much of the person’s appearance and clothing other than the dark hair. However, when his eyes trailed to the right of the figure, his breath literally caught in his throat.
A wolf hat.
Stained in the same blood at the figure.
It was if someone had pierced his heart with ice, the pure dread and fear that bathed his whole body was something he had never felt before. He could feel his legs moving on their own, the adrenaline kicking in as he found a ladder located on the roof that brought him into the building. The second his feet hit the ground he was running, maneuvering through rubble and over broken structures to escape the building and reach his friend.
Once he was outside the cold air hit him like some sort of whip, making it harder to breath and causing his anxiety to skyrocket. He could feel his heart racing and brain thinking a mile a minute, his concern only rising as the still figure before him remained motionless.
“Corpse!”
The desperation and fear behind his own voice was something he hadn’t heard before. And he barely processes the pain of his knees hitting the cracked pavement as he got down next to his friend.
His complexion was paler than normal, body limp against the ground and eyes closed. Bruises, scratches and dirt alike crossed his skin, clothes stuck to his body like a second skin from sweat and blood. Seeing the inky black curls on his friends head turn to a maroon-tinted brown, caked with so much blood that fell across his face and onto the ground made him sick. His one hand, from what Sykkuno could see, was mangled from the aftermath of breaking his fall. Something told Sykkuno that a wrist shouldn’t bend that way, and the brutal cuts made to his friend’s fingers from the rings worn made his heart ache. The thought of where else the other man was injured caused Sykkuno to nearly go into a panic.
Corpse looked like a literal corpse.
“Corpse! Oh jesus,” He exclaimed, cupping a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. “Oh god, what am I gonna do?”
Clearly the sound of his voice got through, and Sykkuno watched as his friends’ eyes painfully opened. Corpse’s eyes lacked focus, and he was looking ahead rather than at anything in particular. It was the first time he noticed the younger man must be bleeding from his mouth, for the patterned bandana covering the lower half of his face was soaked in blood. The red liquid was smeared across his cheeks and down his neck, dripping past the neckline of his shirt. The sight of it made Sykkuno literally want to throw up, tears threatening to fall as he looked back up to his friend’s face.
The tears nearly started to fall when he noticed Corpse was staring right at him, head still limp to the ground and obviously struggling to keep his eyes open. Those warm brown eyes normally so full of kindness and life were dull, clouded with nothing but delirious pain. It was obviously hard for him to be awake, but Sykkuno found his efforts to be in anything but vain.
“Corpse!” He couldn’t stop himself from cupping his friend’s face, making the younger man maintain eye contact in an effort to keep him awake. He could see Corpse struggling, the way his eyes threatened to roll back into his skull. “Oh god, stay awake, okay? I’m gonna get us out of here-”
“Sy-”
An unfamiliar sound echoed in the distance, rumbling the ground below them and causing Sykkuno to look over his shoulder. Through the streams of setting sun he could see something roll into the distance, accompanied by figures walking alongside it.
Sam.
It had to be them, coming to finish the job they started. It was without a doubt they would kill both of them on site. He had to get Corpse out of here.
This was bad.
Sykkuno just hoped that all his other teammates were far away and hadn’t gotten caught.
Turning back to his friend, Sykkuno placed a hand on Corpse’s shoulder as tired brown eyes looked up to meet him. “Corpse, I’m gonna help you up. Alright?”
His friend just stared at him, those pain-filled eyes looking at him with a mix of emotions he couldn’t quite read.
“Sykkuno-” Corpse;s voice cut off into a wet cough, blood spilling from the threads of his bandanna and causing Sykkuno to cry out. “You are gonna have to leave me.”
“What?”
“I-I...can’t get up.”
“What? Can’t get up?” Sykkuno questioned, failing to hide the panic in his voice as the sound of the armed figures in the distance got louder. They would be on them soon, he didn’t have time. “Don’t be silly Corpse! Of course you can, here I’ll help you.”
In an effort to make the lightheart of the situation, the brunette reached for Corpse’s shoulders, bracing both of his underarms to lift him.
“N-No…” Corpse’s voice had a deeper rasp to it, throat clogged by his own blood as he struggled to speak. He didn’t even have the energy to fight the other man off. “S-Sykkuno..I can’t move.”
“Corpse…” Sykkuno trailed off with concern. “You can do it! I’m not going to leave you here.”
It was at this point Corpse let out a rough, wet exhale. “Y-You have to Sykkuno.”
The brunette was quiet, the two men staring each other down. Eventually Sykkuno shook his head, adjusting his position so he could actually pick Corpse off the ground.
“You're sillier than I thought if you think I’m going to leave you here to die, Corpse.”
“Wait, Syk-”
The older man pulled Corpse off the ground before he could protest any more. A blinding, white hot pain pierced his body the exact way he feared it would, and he was unable to stop the agony-filled scream leaving his lips. The sudden noise caused Sykkuno to nearly drop him back down in shock. The squish of flesh and dripping blood rattled the air, bones scraping alongside cries from the younger man flooded Sykunno’s ears.
Oh jesus.
Once both weren’t lying on the ground, Corpse had all of his weight against Sykkuno, head limp against the older man’s shoulders, feet unstable and dragging against the ground in an effort to remain standing. He was no longer screaming, but the heavy way his chest rose and fell made Sykkuno dread Corpse’s body was going into shock.
Sykkuo readjusted his grip on his friend so he wouldn’t drop him, but he could feel Corpse’s blood coating his hands, dripping through his fingers and on to the ground. Corpse’s heavy breathing was right in his ear, his body threatening to fall back down to the ground if it wasn’t for Sykkuno holding him upright.
“Corpse, what-” Sykkuno frantically looked over his friend, desperate to see what would be causing him so much pain.
It was then he saw it.
Sykkuno could literally feel the blood leaving his face.
The metal rod impaled through Corpse’s stomach left little to the imagination, blood dripping down the divots of the material and soaking the ground below their feet. The way Corpse’s flesh twisted around the pole made it seem dangerously embedded.
The armor chestplace Corpse wore did nothing to protect his belly as it was shredded into pieces, flooded with red and creating a mess. Shards of it cut into his flesh to create a breeding ground for infection, surrounding the central wound and increasing the levels of irritation and pain. There was more of his friend’s blood on the ground than in his body. Sykkuno felt like he was gonna throw up.
But he didn’t have time to do that. He needed to help his friend. He needed to find them temporary shelter so he could try and stop the bleeding. It was around this time he realized Corpse was motionless against him.
“Corpse?”
No response.
“Corpse!?”
He gave his friend a small shake, hoping the younger man would at least open his eyes.
Nothing.
Corpse had fallen unconscious, head tipped forward against his chest and body unmoving.
Shoot.
By now he could make out how many individuals were approaching, and they would clearly be outnumbered even with their full team. He could see the shape of the vehicle alongside them as well, the metal of a tank clear within his sights. It was obvious they landed right in their territory.
They wouldn’t survive that. No way.
Sykkuno wasn’t a fighter, he wouldn't be able to fend them off if he tried.
He needs to find a spot for them to hide.
And fast.
With a new pump of adrenaline he didn’t know he had, he lifted Corpse’s arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around the younger man’s back. They were roughly the same height, but Corpse was bulkier in comparison to his more slender frame. As a result, it made carrying all of his friend’s weight much more difficult, but if it got them to safety it was worth it.
He was practically dragging both of them into the closest industrial building, through the back door and over a pile of debris making it harder to access. He was cautious of moving his friend’s injured body, and he hoped his selected hiding spot would be enough cover for the time being. Broken glass crunched under Sykkuno’s boots as he entered the building.
There wasn’t much inside, just abandoned machine equipment overgrown with shrubbery and caked with rust. Most of the industrial bars and beams stretched over the ceilings and windows were broken from their places, scattered alongside extra debris and garbage covering the ground. There was an open corner on the far left side of the building that was shielded by some barrels. He made his way over to said corner, settling down so he could finally catch his breath. He kept Corpse’s still body close to his own, keeping his head and torso cradled in a way that prevented the pole on his abdomen from being disrupted. He still grimined at the sight of it.
He just had to lay low until he could get in touch with his team again.
No problem.
Talk about a shitshow . He couldn’t believe this had happened.
How had this happened.
How could this have gone wrong?
He looked down at his friend’s still face, watching the battered way air entered and left his lips, worried that his next breath would be his last. With a shaky breath Sykkuno laid his head down against Corpse’s dark curly hair, ignoring the way blood got on his face in the process.
Sykkuno finally allowed himself to sit down against the wall, huddled in the corner with Corpse held tightly to his chest. He felt empty as he stared off into the distance, listening to the fainted screaming and gunshots of the Sam soldiers outside.
How was he going to get out of this?
He honestly didn’t know.
That answer caused a feeling of ultimate dread to settle in him.
He didn’t know.
One it hit him, Sykkuno couldn’t help but let the overwhelming sense of hopeless sink into his bones.
And for the first time in a long, long time, Sykkuno allowed himself to cry.