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Chapter 14: Even the deepest wound
Tom opened his eyes as he sat up, looking around before remembering where he was. He looked over to Kokobiel's bunk before seeing he was missing, finding it weird he was gone Tom got up and left the room. As he walked through the base looking for Kokobiel he found that most rooms were for storage, accidentally walking into someone else's room as they slept. Going down the long corridor to a large opening, walking in it seemed to be a mess hall, tables, chairs, a canteen, plates and silverware. Looking at the tables he found Kokobiel sitting at a table as Morgan sat across from him, they seemed to be quietly talking to each other. Walking over to the two they finally noticed him.
"Suprised you're awake, you normally sleep in even when you have to wake up early." Kokobiel said.
"I've slept enough recently, plus I think I stretched a muscle in my back on that bunk, feels weird and hurts to move," Tom replied back as he sat at the table.
"So what are yall talking about?" Tom continued after sitting.
"Just life and why we're here, yknow basic late day things, though I can't tell what the light outside is, do you guys not have a clock?" Kokobiel asked Morgan.
"Yeah, but no one knows how to read it, it's one of those uuh analog clocks, I think that's the name." Morgan replied back. Kokobiel nodded at Morgan's answer before looking back to Tom.
"I have to ask, do you really think the freelancers will come looking for us?" Kokobiel asked.
"I don't know, probably, they don't have our bodies but they also could just be hunting us if they think we deserted." Tom said.
"I say they most likely will, they are very persistent when they want something or if they care enough, luckily I don't think they'll find you here." Morgan said as he relaxed back in the chair.
"I think we should be fine then, do you guys have a coffee maker?" Kokobiel asked.
"Somewhere in the back of the kitchen just don't use the fancy stuff, Dingo hates when someone touches her things." Morgan said as he pointed to where the coffee maker was. Kokobiel got up as he walked to the machine taking the carafe and filling it with water as he went to heat it.
"Do you think I picked the right choice?" Morgan asked Tom.
"What do you mean?" The question struck Tom as odd with how relaxed and nonchalant Morgan was about it.
"This, being the general of a rebellion group, it feels odd that I ended up here sometime." Morgan said.
"I think everyone thinks that every once and a while, I mean you can't plan life like that, and I don't think it's bad, I kinda saw it coming honestly, maybe happening in a different way though." Tom replied back as he propped his legs up on the table.
"You saw it coming? Was it because of the one time I lit that old man's house on fire?" Morgan asked back.
"No it's from the way you carried yourself, always sticking it to the 'man' or something like that, also you were the one to set Mr. Brooke's home on fire?" Tom shot back, Morgan gave a blank expression as he thought for a moment.
"Nooo... why would I do that?" Morgan said as he couldn't hide his sly smile.
"I mean I don't care I didn't like him, he chased me with a shotgun once, I don't think it was loaded though... maybe," Tom said as he scratched his head, Kokobiel finally came back and sat down with a cup of coffee as he set it to cool.
"What, none for me?" Morgan asked as he smirked to Kokobiel.
"You have two legs and they seem to work perfectly fine, plus you just have to pour it in a mug. It's not like I took the entire thing," Kokobiel said as he pointed back towards the machine which still had a decent amount of coffee in the carafe.
"I'm just fucking with you, I don't think we have milk or creamer and I won't drink my coffee without it." Morgan said as he leaned back in his chair looking up to the ceiling.
"Just sounds like you're a wussy, so privileged and high up, needing sugar and cream for his coffee." Kokobiel said a sly smile forming as he went to sip the coffee.
"Oh shut up, my preference in coffee doesn't not reflect my stature, help me out here Tom." Morgan spat back, looking to Tom for support.
"I like tea better," Tom said as he shrugged, they both looked at him and squinted their eyes.
"Weirdo," the two said in unison, Tom flipped them both off as he got up to go to the kitchen. The two chuckled as he walked away, hopping the canteen counter he searched through the cabinets, and fridge before taking some crackers and what looked to be peanut butter or something close to it. He hopped back over the counter to the two as he sat back down.
"You guys have nothing here, I mean you guys don't even have spices, we are going out to the nearest town and getting supplies." Tom said as he opened the jar and began to eat.
"No shit sherlock, we currently have a team out to get groceries, usually takes a few days, mostly because we don't have a vehicle and very little credits on hand." Morgan said as he sat up, stretching out his arms as he yawned.
"I think I'm going to go back to bed, Dingo will kick my ass if I don't get enough sleep, she likes her team 'well rested', bleh." Morgan said as he finally got up and walked into the hall.
"So, why are you awake? We both know you sleep like a dead horse, so something is going on." Tom said, his tone changed to a mixture of demanding and curious.
"I couldn't sleep, we've had a rough couple of days and this wound on my side still hurts to lay on, my mind is just full, too many thoughts and not enough time." Kokobiel gave back as he positioned himself in his chair to be more defensive.
"Then why talk to Morgan about it and not me?" Tom said, his brow raising.
"He came in here, I was in here alone writing, I can't help that he's nice to talk to." Kokobiel said back, his voice raised but not a yell.
"That's kinda gay dude." Tom replied back giving a sly smile.
"You're kinda gay, but he just help me get my thoughts out, I don't see you trying to do the same!" Kokobiel said back, his voice raising more.
"I guess that is fair, what is on your mind?" Tom said his tone became serious and concerned for his friend.
"I just keep replaying that moment in my head, did I really have to shoot them, surely not, they were just concerned and scared and now we're here a rebel base, the thing they were concerned about!" Kokobiel's voice cracked as he spoke, his voice almost to a yell now as his eyes filled with tears.
"I can't blame you for saying that, it's hard to accept the fact of what you did, what we had to do." Tom replied, his voice calm and serious.
"We? You mean me, what I did, what I had to do, I have killed before but never a friend, never a teammate, it was always someone I didn't know and what I had to do to live!" Kokobiel yelled out as he got up from his seat, his face stern, angry, but his eyes filled with sadness and pain. Tom shriveled back into his chair as Kokobiel yelled out, but he continued to listen to him.
"It's just hard to keep up with everything, it feels like everything is constantly changing, new sights, new sounds, new everything but it is still the same me, nothing to change, nothing to fix! I j-just want- I just want to have time to myself, to do my thing." Kokobiel yelled before dying down as he sat back in his chair as he stared at the table, his face in unease as he tried to rack through his brain. Tom sat up in the chair as he scooted it closer to Kokobiel's side.
"Then why not find a place to settle, find yourself or maybe find someone, you have been running so long you forgot what it's like to sit and think." Tom said as he rested a hand on Kokobiel's shoulder giving a smile.
"What's the point, something is going to change eventually, what then?" Kokobiel asked as he looked at Tom.
"Everything changes, you can't expect it to stay the same forever, so live in the moment and don't worry about the future." Tom said. Kokobiel sat in silence before he got up, picking up Tom and hugging him tightly.
"Thanks for trying." Kokobiel said as he squeezed Tom's small frame compared to his.
"D-don't mention it." Tom squeezed out as he tried to give himself some breathing room. Kokobiel soon let him go before taking his coffee and walking down the hallway.
"That could have gone worse, now I just need a session of chiropractic," Tom said to himself as he stretched, his back popped in a few places before he went down the hallway to return to his room to get clothes then find the showers. Entering the room he found Kokobiel sitting on his bunk with that notebook he had before, Tom picked up his bag as he rummaged through it. A pair of black pants and a green shirt, wasn't his best wear but it would have to do, he also took out a bottle of aloe vera as he walked out of the room to find the showers. Looking through the doorways to spot some soft semblance of what could be a shower or washroom, before finally coming to a door with a metal sign bolted into the wall with "Restroom" written on it, out of everything to have labeled it may have been the most important. Walking through into the room Tom found that the bathroom was a normal one you would find in a home, toilet, bathtub, shower, sink, and a mirror with a built-in medicine cabinet. Setting his clothes and bottle of aloe vera onto the as he stripped down, the mirror reflected his back showing the burn scars that went over the majority of his back. Tom stretched as he pushed the shower curtain back before stepping in and turning the faucet. The water took a second to come through but eventually started spraying, it was cold and hard as it went against him.
"S-shit that's cold!" He yelled out as he turned the other faucet as hot water slowly trickled in with the cold before it finally fully adjusted. He stood there as the warm water went through his fur and hair, he could feel the water weigh against his body, it was soothing, calming, refreshing to have warm water against him again. He stood there for a couple of minutes before starting to wash himself off, dirt, blood, any grime that was on him went down the drain, he turned the faucet off as he stepped out taking the towel as he dried himself off. Looking through the underside of the sink he found a hairdryer as he plugged it in and began to fully dry himself. He looked into the mirror inspecting his own face, still the same scars, same chupa as before, he tied back his hair as he trimmed overgrown fur, he put on the pair of pants he had set out, he took the aloe vera bottle as he squeezed some into his hand as he applied it to his back with some struggle, he stood there letting it dry for a moment before he unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway.
"Looking good there buddy," Dingo said as she waited by the door, clothes in hand. Tom was startled by the sudden appearance of another person.
"Hi Dingo, you're up early, I thought Morgan said your team needs rest, doesn't that include you?" Tom asked as he looked at her figuring out why she was up early.
"I just told them that so I have hot water, do you really think I care about sleeping that long?" Dingo asked as she gave a wide sly smile.
"I guess that is a fair point, I didn't use all the hot water so do your thing, i'm going to go lay back down," Tom said as he slipped on the shirt hiding his back.
"Oh I know exactly what you were doing," she giggled out as she looked down to the aloe vera bottle. Tom looked at the bottle in his hand before sighing and shaking his head.
"Yeah that's really incriminating, but no not what I was doing." Tom said, his face giving a slight smile trying to hold his laugh.
"I'm just fucking with ya mate, everyone has different ways of relieving stress, now go get ya some rest," Dingo said as she slipped into the bathroom, flicking Tom in the back of the head as she passed. Tom rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled softly as he went down the hall, he entered his room as he dropped the clothes into what seemed to be a clothes hamper.
Kokobiel had gone back to bed, halfway covered by his blanket and journal still in hand. Tom shook his head as he took the journal, setting it on the nearby night stand, covering Kokobiel was a bit too much so he left him as is, the base was somewhat cold looking around the room to find something to cover himself. He spotted a jacket sitting on a coat rack, walking over to it he took it from the coat rack, a solid black with orange stripes from the shoulder down to half the bicep.
"How did I not see this before? I swear I'm going blind, should probably have that checked out." Tom said to himself. He put on the jacket as he spun around, it fit well and looked good on him, or what he believed looked good. Looking down at the zipper it seemed to have been broken off leaving it unable to zip up, Tom shrugged at the broken zipper as he went to the bag putting away the aloe vera bottle. Tom heard footsteps coming from the hallway, peeking his head out he found two others walking down the corridor towards the cafeteria, looking down the other end of the hall he saw a light on in two of the rooms. It was hard to tell from a distance if those were the rooms of the people walking down the hallway or somebody else's. It didn't take long to answer that question as somebody walked out before getting hit by a pillow, they shook it off before taking the pillow and throwing it back into the room, flipping off their attacker before smirking and shaking their head. They walked down the hallway as they knocked on a door before walking off, the door slid open as the chupa that had manhandled Tom stepped out, very groggy as he rubbed his eyes. Tom waited till he got to his doorway before joining him alongside him.
"So I never caught your name, what is it?" Tom asked, it was really hard to tell his fur color with the strange lighting but it seemed to be red, maybe a maroon.
"Duncan, some people call me Dusty, do what you will with this info, I'm not going to stop you." Duncan said, his voice very deep and grumbly as he spoke, it seemed to be the effects of just waking up.
"Well Duncan, why do you do that thing where you stare into someone's eyes?" Tom asked, his tone of curiosity and teasingly.
"You know it's rude to question a man's beliefs, you do not see me questioning yours, do you?" Duncan asked as he looked down at Tom.
"Well no you aren't, I was just curious is all." Tom said as he looked back up to Duncan.
"Curiosity killed the cat, don't be the cat and me the curiosity." Duncan said as he looked ahead as he walked.
"Okay then, you have a good day too." Tom said as lagged behind Duncan. Duncan seemed to not enjoy people, or maybe it's the fact Tom was new to him, either way it was probably best to leave him alone for now. A hand landed on Tom's shoulder, he turned his head to see who it was, Dingo flashed a wide smile before speaking.
"Met Dusty I see and from the looks of it he did what he always does, being cold and direct, correct?" Dingo said as she walked with Tom, prodding him forward.
"Uh yeah something like that." Tom said.
"Oh don't be bothered by that, he's just rough around the edges, he's like a cactus... kinda." Dingo said as she thought about it a little harder.
"Maybe more like sandpaper, or just sandpaper in the morning." Tom said as he watched Duncan walk down the corridor.
"Eh it's fine, let's just go get some breakfast then we can start planning for the day," Dingo said as she dragged Tom to the cafeteria.
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