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 Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:13 pm
Ethan had since passed out, from pain and blood loss both. The ugly, static-ridden little object in Björn's hand gave a great burst of electricity, vein-like wires squirming unpleasantly. Clearly, the thing recognized its unfortunate host.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:15 pm
Björn gave a sharp, quiet curse and then knelt down, lifting Ethan's shirt. Oh, God, that was a wound. He placed the thing back where it once likely had been and sat down, watching curiously. So this was it, huh? Ethan was dead
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:20 pm
There was a distinctly metallic click, and Ethan sudden jerked, stiffening. The ugly little object's pulsing light synced to his weakening heartbeat, rooting new wires and reattaching to old ones. As it reconnected with its host, the object gave a brief electric pulse that illuminated the paths of its wires that spread all through Ethan's body like roots. With an unpleasant squelching sound, the object set to beating like a separate heart. The blackness in Ethan's blood began to noticeably rescind as though filtered away.
Ethan woke up.
"....I'm bleeding," he said, voice very thin and deeply confused.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:23 pm
And tears immediately sprung to Björn's eyes. Oh, God, Ethan was back and he was dying. Again. That ******** black blood. Without a second thought, he lifted Ethan up into his arms and started of at a slow, dizzy walk.
"I threw you."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:25 pm
Wondering at the splitting headache that seemed to compliment the stabbing pain in his stomach, Ethan made a small worried noise.
"Why?" he asked. It seemed a sensible question.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:27 pm
"You bit Hellis," Björn replied, "and then you attacked me." Legs failing, he had to lean against the building to keep himself propped up.
"It was that damn black blood again. And I think you're dying."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:31 pm
Ethan looked sad.
"Did I?" he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
He sighed, blinking tiredly.
"Maybe it won't be so bad," he said. "Marcos said."
His head lolled against Björn's arm, and his eyes closed.
"He'd probably like what they took from him back," he said sleepily. "It's buzzing so loud. Can't you hear it? Björn, turn it off, it's too loud..."
And indeed, in the disemboweled Walker's pocket something was vibrating and sparking furiously.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:32 pm
"Okay, okay, I'll get it," Björn said, kneeling and retrieving another...thing. Christ, what WERE these?
"Ethan, you have to stay awake, okay? Stay awake."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:34 pm
Ethan sighed again, wincing slightly.
"It's still so loud," he said, mumbling. He frowned, turning his head away. "Let me sleep. I haven't in days. I'll wake up later."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:38 pm
"No, Ethan," Björn said, tears now cascading rather steadily down his cheeks, "You're dying. You won't wake up later. Please, for me, stay awake."
---
Hellis returned home long before his counterpart and had hidden in Liam's room to tell him the story. When Björn returned, his chest was heaving and his eyes were red and wet. The poor man. He tossed the thing to the table beside Rabid, who watched him curiously. It wasn't often yo saw Björn cry...especially openly.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:41 pm
Despite the fact Björn had told him not to sleep, Ethan was starting to nod off. He was trying, he reasoned. But it wasn't any good. He was very tired.
"Ethan...?" Marcos croaked miserably, trying to sit up and clutching at his stomach as he did. "Kid, what did you do..."
Ethan gave no reply, but by then Marcos' attention was already focused on the weakly blinking little object on the table. He reached out for it, winced, and fell back, hand laying limply on his lap.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:43 pm
"They took it out of you?" Björn asked, the most words he had spoken in quite some time. He shook Ethan almost violently, trying to wake him up...again!
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:46 pm
Ethan frowned, wincing.
"Quit it," he muttered, turning over awkwardly and closing his eyes again. Marcos glanced up at the kid, then back at the thing.
"Yes," he said slowly, reaching for it again and grabbing it by a wire. Dragging it back over to himself, he looked at it with a mix of loathing and interest. It sparked in his hands, and an answering blue flicker briefly illuminated vein-wires in his hands, lit from the inside. "Huh."
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:47 pm
"Put it back in. It'll help," Björn said logically and just blinked at the man, not 'quitting it', as requested.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:52 pm
Marcos sat in silence for a while, looking at the little object in his hand. Then, resolutely, carefully, he removed a dingy switchblade from his jeans pocket and took clumsy hold of a face cloth-turned-cold compress, biting down on it. He flicked the blade open and tugged up his shirt silently, and before anyone could stop him he sliced open his belly. He gave a strangled, long and muffled scream of pain from behind the cloth, biting down on it hard as he forced the object through the sizable hole. He jerked, body trembling, and seemed to seize up before going limp. His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, the switchblade clattering to the floor.
Ethan stirred, sighing once more.
"Finally turned it off..."
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