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Rounds upon rounds upon rounds without deviation. The endless cycle of death and torture continues.
Of course, theoretically, that’s how it should go. Things derailed a bit when 007n7 managed to get through to one of the killers, just enough to be noticed.
It was an odd occurrence, how that situation transpired.
Another mindless round of murder had started like usual, the normal chaos of everyone setting up to get ready against the killer, then the few tense seconds of silence before the inevitable bloodshed.
Except, once the usual beginning chaos was over, the tense seconds turned into a minute. Then several.
Then nearly half the round passed.
Everyone was getting antsy. Was it another one of those rounds where the killer decided to catch everyone off guard last minute? Was the being that was the cause of all this messing with them? Why was there no killer? It felt as if something worse was going to happen.
That feeling slowly faded as more of the round was chipped away, and nothing happened.
While the survivors let their guard down, caution still hung in the air as this surprisingly calm round progressed. Generators were completed, traps and sentries were adjusted, things were fidgeted with. Casual conversations started and fell silent.
007n7 had silently volunteered to leave the group and check the map to see what was happening. No one had stopped him, if they even noticed his sudden absence from the group.
He hadn’t told them he had gone.
It felt wrong to do so, like he was assuming they would care, as if daring to insinuate he was a part of their group. So he went alone on a mission no one cared about.
A silent anxiety was starting to grow in his gut as he continued towards the other end of the map. If he got caught in a bad situation, there was no guarantee someone would come and help him. Even though he was sure he would revive once the round ended should such a thing happen, it still disturbed him to feel the cold embrace of death, despite how familiar it had become.
As he traversed the area, avoiding the swampy water nearby the large stone cave that took up the other half of the map, his anxiety grew. He couldn’t help but think of horrible situations that would happen to him once he reached the opposite end- him getting stuck in an improbable cave-in, the killer brutally torturing him for the round, him finding nothing and falling into the void, never to return…
Yet he continued.
When he finally trudged into the target practice area next to the cave, his hands were shaking, and his mind was racing with several paranoid thoughts he was sure wouldn’t happen, yet still worried about.
At first, he didn’t notice anything out of the blue, and a welcome relief washed over him. That was until he saw a crumpled 1x1x1x1 in the corner of the map, shaking slightly. What was normally his cape were now two enormous, pitch black feathered wings that were spread out as far away from their body as possible, displaying the large scars inflicted across them for the world to see.
Blood had dripped onto the grass, staining it a sickly greenish-brown, the source being from 1x1x1x1’s own claws digging into his upper arms. They were clearly curled up in pain, their claws digging into their flesh seemingly a response to that.
Shock could hardly describe what 007n7 was feeling at the sight. It was… unfathomable, the idea of seeing a killer so vulnerable. Yet here he was, staring at a killer left in such a helpless state.
Cautiously, he approached, wanting to see if it was real. His mind wondered if this was a facade of some sort. Surely it was impossible for killers to be in such a state, right? The being in charge of this place wouldn't allow it if it meant their suffering, he assumed.
It felt very real once he got up close.
1x1x1x1 was tense, their face frozen in pain as they shifted uncomfortably in their position, kicking their legs out only to curl them back into a fetal position. Occasionally their wings would flap a bit, as if trying to cool themselves down with the motion.
The way they were acting felt a lot like when…
…
No.
No way.
A killer, sick? 1x1x1x1 no less!
Seriously?
Is this real?
He stood there absolutely dumbfounded. He didn't know killers could actually get sick and be inside a round…
As he continued to take in this rather odd scene, he felt a strange pity well up inside of him. He shouldn't be feeling sorry for a killer, self explanatory really. He should leave them there- after all, helping them would only end in disaster.
Yet here he was, reminded of the past.
Seeing them so helpless didn't just remind him of the times he'd been sick with a fever, but also the times where he needed help and would never receive it. How he'd have to scrounge up solutions to his problems with the odds stacked against him at every turn, how people judged and dismissed him for his past mistakes, pushing him down further.
How he was left alone with a child, college debt, and no hope of a job.
Swallowing his hatred against the killer in favor of sympathizing with them, he went off in search of a medkit to see if he could alleviate the symptoms with any of the medical supplies provided in those white boxes of wonder.
Very quickly he found one nestled besides the large wooden fence next to a patch of swamp water. For a moment he hesitated picking it up, wondering if he was wasting it, but he pushed that thought away. Considering how 1x spent half the round writhing in pain, he doubted whatever he could do with just painkillers and bandages would assuage it fast enough to cause a problem.
As he walked back to where 1x1x1x1 was, he opened the medkit in order to check what he could use. Immediately, he saw the usual bandages, tourniquets, and gauze that were used to stop the bleeding from wounds, alongside the indescribable salve that was most likely a painkiller. He pushed aside the usual medical fare in favor of looking at the bottom of the medkit for things most of the other survivors discarded during rounds.
He found supplies consisting of actual painkillers, what appeared to be some antibiotics, a bottle of water (presumably for the pills), and several other various medical tools he didn't know the uses of, but almost definitely wouldn't help a sick killer.
… well he'd just have to work with… this, then.
He ran back to where 1x1x1x1 was, laying the open medkit down besides the killer and grabbing the salve and bandages, intending to deal with their injuries first. Yet right as he was about to move their hand to deal with their arm, his hand was swatted away with a surprisingly weak amount of force… from 1x1x1x1, at least. Usually their shoves could fracture bones, yet here it was more akin to an average push.
“What do you think you're doing?” they hissed.
Their voice was hoarse, sounding much more rough than it usually did. It also lacked the usual imposing tone, being much more quiet and soft. Effects of a sore throat, maybe?
The beast shifted to a half kneeling position as they glared at 007n7, clearly struggling to stay up in their attempt to seem intimidating. Whatever illness had taken hold of them was clearly working hard to keep them down.
“I'm just trying to help-”
“I don't need your pity.”
“... Please?”
After a short moment of silence, he reached out, but 1x1x1x1 pushed his hand away again, their expression filled with clear annoyance. 007n7 was starting to feel annoyed too- they were rejecting help and for what? Pride?
As much as he understood, it reminded him even more of his old, immature self…
“Look, I know you don't want help, but it's clear that you need it in some form. I can feel your fever from here.”
“Go away.”
The killer let out a frustrated groan as they curled back up into a ball on the ground, not disputing 007n7's argument but still refusing help.
… he supposed he'd have to appeal to their ego then.
“Listen, I know receiving help from a survivor is embarrassing, but no one has to know, alright? Let me help, please. You can hold it against me later.”
This was so stupid. But it worked, considering how 1x1x1x1 loosened up and finally let 007n7 tend to them.
He was quick to deal with the gashes on their arms, his hands working swiftly to dress the wounds with the bandages and salve. The action was now intimately familiar after many rounds of desperation and struggle.
With the injuries now easily dealt with, he now had to deal with the illness 1x1x1x1 had.
He didn't have any experience with diagnosing anything, nor did he have any tests to differentiate what kind of illness this would be… so he supposed that at most he could alleviate the symptoms.
He grabbed the antibiotics and the bottle of water, debating if it would help. Sure, maybe it could be a bacterial infection like strep throat, but it could also be, say, a viral infection like the flu. Was it worth using antibiotics?
He decided to give the beast painkillers instead.
"Here- sit up.” he said as he held out a painkiller, intending for 1x1x1x1 to swallow it with the help of water.
They instead turned away from 007n7.
“... Please, sit up.”
They let out another frustrated groan before sharply turning back to face him.
“Just give it to me.” they growled, grabbing the painkiller harshly enough that they nearly tore through the hacker's skin.
Before 007n7 could even offer the water, they had already taken the pill. They chewed and swallowed it while they shut their eyes and tensed up slightly, as if bracing for the feeling of doing so.
… well, that's one way to take a painkiller.
It seemed to work though, as after a few minutes, 1x1x1x1 let out a sigh of relief and seemed to ease up. They had shifted to a much more relaxed position, their pained expression easing up slightly.
Now to deal with that fever…
1x1x1x1 was practically burning alive from what he could tell, he wasn’t exaggerating when he said he could feel the fever just by being near the beast. 007n7, for a moment, wondered how they just weren’t dead from such a high fever, before remembering that they weren’t exactly “human”.
Staring at the bottle of water, then the leftover bandages, he got an idea. Maybe he could make a cold compress? Sure, the water wasn't that cold, but considering how high 1x1x1x1's fever was, he doubted it mattered enough to make a difference.
After ripping off a large chunk of the bandage roll, he folded the strip so that it resembled a towel somewhat. He placed the bandages over the bottle mouth, tipping it over so that the water would soak into the cloth.
“What are you doing?” 1x1x1x1 muttered sharply, turning their head to face 007n7 as he worked.
“Making a cold compress.”
“A what?”
“It'll help with your fever.”
The killer turned away from 007n7 in order to face the sky, muttering something about “nothing helping” under their breath.
Once the cloth was thoroughly soaked, he squeezed it a bit over the bottle mouth to get rid of any excess water. He gently placed the soaked cloth on 1x1x1x1's forehead, brushing a few smoky strands of hair away from their face as they did so. Their breath hitched at the contact, and their head turned slightly away from his hand.
“... do you feel any better?”
Again, he was netted with only more silence.
He supposed he'd just move on then.
007n7 glanced at the bottle of painkillers then at 1x1x1x1, thinking back to how much pain the beast was in earlier. If the best they could do was lighten the symptoms due to the lack of medicine, he might as well try and keep that up.
“Here- since these only last a few hours you should probably just take the bottle.”
He placed the bottle next to their hand, watching as they shifted in order to grab ahold of it.
He didn't know if the painkillers would teleport alongside the killer- normally the painkillers were discarded alongside the medkit itself once the bandages were used up- but it was worth a try.
They still didn't reply, continuing to avoid his gaze and instead look up at the sky. Although they were still shaking, 007n7 could at least see how much less pained their expression was. That was somewhat of a win.
Awkward silence stretched between the two for several minutes before 1x1x1x1 finally spoke up again.
“Are you going to leave or what?”
“... I don't think so. I want to make sure you're alright.”
That wasn't as much of a lie as 007n7 would've liked it to be. He was saying this about a murderer. A murderer! One that’s killed him countless times no less!
All of his common sense was telling him to leave, but going back to the survivor group made his stomach twist. It felt less oppressive being in the presence of someone who hates everyone. As much as 1x1x1x1 reminded 007n7 of his past self, it felt so much less gut wrenching to sit with his past than with people who’d judge him for it.
“Disgusting.” 1x1x1x1 replied, almost too quiet to hear.
“Who, me?”
They let out a frustrated groan, likely at being heard, but answered anyway.
“How you're acting.” they spat.
“How is it disgusting?”
Instead of answering, the killer turned away from 007n7, curling up defensively again.
“1x? How is it disgusting?”
“You're not supposed to help me.”
“When has that stopped anyone?”
After a few moments of tense silence, 1x1x1x1 finally managed an answer.
“.... no one's ever bothered.” they muttered with a tone so vulnerable and human that it made 007n7's chest ache.
Immediately his mind drifted towards comforting and reassuring them that they were worth the effort. Something he would've wanted but never received.
He wanted to provide comfort towards a killer because he could see a past version of himself in their predicament.
God this was stupid.
He hesitantly approached them, walking around them so that when they laid down next to their trembling body, they were facing him. They didn't move to push him away, so he continued. With a shaky breath, he reached out and wrapped his arms around their torso, pressing himself close to them.
They were still burning hot, but it didn't feel as unbearable as he thought it would. In fact, it felt somewhat comforting, like he was wrapping himself in a heated blanket. It was a strange sort of comfort- one he didn't expect to find from someone like 1x1x1x1.
For a few moments, 007n7 held still, barely breathing, for fear of being pushed away.
Yet they didn't resist, simply allowing him to hold them in his embrace. So he leaned in a little more, a long buried craving for physical affection resurfacing in an instant. He needed this, so, so badly, so he melted into the hug without a second thought of how dangerous this was. He felt so safe in the moment, just holding onto them. Whatever common sense he had that was still not overridden by emotion chastised 007n7 for how vulnerable he let himself be, yet he continued to hold on.
It took several minutes for 007n7 to realize that 1x1x1x1 had shifted their position to return the comforting hold, their arms loosely wrapped around him in a protective clutch.
A long while passed where the two were simply wrapped up in this strange embrace. Survivor and killer ignoring the given dynamic for a moment of shallow comfort, yet the most genuine comfort they've ever received. Forgetting all the bloodshed and violence for one careless moment.
The two held onto each other until the final few seconds of the round timer slipped away, wrenching them back to the current reality.
It was a strangely quiet after round, one with the usual avoidant gazes but lacking the usual chatter. Maybe it was the lack of the appearance of the killer, but 007n7 was just glad for no one questioning him.
Back in their limbo, 1x1x1x1 lay in their personal void, shaking and still feverish, yet… calm. The rage that was expected of such a bullshit round had failed to appear, strangely enough. The shame still cut into them all the same, however.
At least the bottle of painkillers that 007n7 had handed them, by some small act of mercy, had been teleported alongside them.
That hug was… more than shameful. The fact he had allowed it to happen was utterly pathetic, and yet they had willingly leaned into it. The fact that they could almost call it comforting, in a way, made it worse. It was some worthless act that would be forgotten once their next round together started. At least, that’s what they told themselves.
In their feverish delirium, 1x1x1x1’s hand closed around the bottle. Once again, their mind drifted back to the softness of that embrace, as consciousness slipped away into a suffocating, dreamless sleep.
The memory gently lingered like an aftertaste, a small, unwanted yet very much needed piece of comfort. One not lost, not even on someone so heartless.