[log] we're not gonna make it [closed]

[majorlazer]

Characters: House, Steph, Zach
Location NN5 - Building 203
Date: Morning 181
Summary: The aftermath of murder night
Warnings: Will add as necessary! Will discuss murder and eyeless kids.


203: A rather boring apartment, but maybe that's a relief. It has a living room, attached kitchen, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom. The whole thing is sparsely decorated, but there's a whole wall of the kitchen plastered in silly children's drawings. None are of particular note except that there are a lot of colors and it looks like some were traced from picture books. Rocket ships, motorcycles, and hot rods have been added to the drawings in gel pen.

Comments

[rubikscomplex]

[House glances past the pair of them, then points with the mallet to the room he'd woken up in.]

Get in there, both of you. [He doesn't trust walking past them into an enclosed space.]

[spoileralert]

[ Steph nods her agreement, but turns her attention to Zach. If it's occurred to her that his eyes might be a problem she knows it must have occurred to him. She reaches to take his hand before heading into House's room. ]

[majorlazer]

[He lets her take his hand, but he doesn't squeeze hers in response, just walks to the other room, determinedly not looking at either Steph or House.]

[rubikscomplex]

[He should probably be more worried about Steph getting stuck with Zach, but just at this moment, he thinks she's probably safe from him, and that's good enough. He'll wait for the pair of them to disappear into the room, then dart forward and close it.

House puts a wine glass in front of the door so that he'll hear it fall if they try to sneak out. And then he's into the other room, checking Steph's pack for the ragdoll.

It's a moment where he contemplates just leaving, but he should say... something. House collects his wine glass and stops at the exit.]

I'm out. Keep away from people with glowing eyes.

[spoileralert]

[ Steph doesn't know what to say to Zach. She knows she needs to say something, but it's all so much and so immediate that she can't form the words.

She watches him worriedly while they wait to hear the front door open and close, and tries not to cry more.

When she hears him call out she peeks her head out the door and tries a sad facsimile of a smile. ]

Be careful, okay? Find... find someone you can trust. Please.

[majorlazer]

[By then, Zach has let go of her hand, and moved back from her, all the way to a corner of the room. He's slowly sliding down to the floor, the heels of his hands digging hard against his eyes.]

[rubikscomplex]

You can't trust anyone here.

[And he's gone. Goodbye, Steph and Zach.]

[spoileralert]

[ Steph sighs, and takes a moment to just rest her eyes, forehead pressed against the door frame.

She can't cry. She has to keep it together now.

Finally she turns back to Zach. ]

Hey. It's okay, Zach. Whatever happened, it's over now.

[majorlazer]

[The sound that escapes him at that is hollow. He feels - broken inside, shaken to his very core. He doesn't know what to do - what is means, that his eyes are still the same. Is he - he can't bear thinking about it, but he has to. He has to.]

Is it? [He looks up at Steph, his face twisted in a grimace.]

Look at me, Steph. It's not over.

[spoileralert]

[ She knows. Of course she knows. She can't stop knowing. ]

Maybe not, but the killing is. Look at us, we're all fine. We're okay. It's going to be okay.

[majorlazer]

[He clenches his jaw. He wouldn't mind feeling optimistic, but that's not about to happen.]

Until next time. This is Norfinbury, after all. Let's not pretend it's fine, Steph.

[spoileralert]

[ She gets down on her knees to hug him tight. ]

It's not any worse than it's ever been. I'm not pretending.

[majorlazer]

[He tenses up involuntarily, and forces himself to relax.]

Steph, I - I'm terrified.

[spoileralert]

I know. I know, baby. I am too.

[ She can't keep the tears back anymore. She has the feeling she's going to be crying a lot today. ]

[majorlazer]

[He swallows, hands curling around her as she holds him.]

We need to go get Kesara.

[spoileralert]

Yeah. [ She takes a deep, shaky breath and lets it out. ] Yeah, we do.

House should get enough distance while we pack up.

[majorlazer]

He's going to go the other way anyway. Deeper in, not out. It doesn't make sense that he would go back.

[spoileralert]

He won't want to be too close when we start to move.

[ She pulls away now to dry her face. ]

[majorlazer]

No, I know. Let's pack up.

[spoileralert]

[ She nods her agreement and heads off to the other room to do just that. ]