Chapter 8
324Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผกq62vvf30IH
324Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผกy769ZsHGdX
324Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผกqUhoqRvUny
When he awoke the next morning, he was dusted with snow and shaking with cold. Infinity had slept in the heat vent, and was now pacing the far roof, waiting for Cameo.ย
โMy word, Cameo, wake up!โ
He groggily sat up, arms and legs aching. โShut up,โ he grumbled. Infinityโs cheeks flared. Cameo shook his head, trying to clear the internal fog. He stood, still stinging from yesterdayโs beating. He yawned, reopening the cut tracing down from his lip halfway down his chin. He winced as the scab split, his hand traced it down, smearing blood over his finger. He licked the blood away, then walked over to the edge of the building.ย
The snow had stopped, and people were now roaming the streets far below. A scream issued from the alley, and he looked down. Seeing the crumpled form of the security guard, he paled and grew nauseous. He backed up, away from the edge. Infinity looked at him. She could see the confusion on his face. โOh no,โ she whispered. โCameo, itโs okay. Youโre okay.โย
Cameo edged further away, not seeming to register her words. He shook his head, murmured words in Russian. โะ, ััะพ ั ัะดะตะปะฐะป? ัะฐะบ ะพะฟะฐัะฝะพ... ัะปะธัะบะพะผ ะพะฟะฐัะฝะพ... ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ะบะพะฝััะพะปะธัะพะฒะฐัั... ะฟะพัะตััะป ะบะพะฝััะพะปัโฆโย Still backing away, he tripped over a pipe. Sprawled on his back, he blinked rapidly, trying not to cry. He cried out in pain as a tear fell into the cut on his chin. The salt stung him, seemed to impregnate every pain receptor in his head. He jumped to his knees. Still terrified by what he had done, he grabbed his head, pulled it onto his chest, tucked into a ball, as small as he could be. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the noise seemed to drill into his skull. He cupped his hands around his ears, crying into his knees. โNo, no, please stop!โย ย
Infinity saw him fighting himself, and, bracing herself, she jumped. She fired the grappler and prayed it would catch. Just when she feared she would fall to the ground, it caught, jerking her arm out of socket. โAgh!โ She yelped as her shoulder dislocated. The line reeled in and she climbed over the edge, holding her arm up. She sprinted over to Cameo. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she took his hand and pulled him to his feet. She looked into his bleary, clouded, glazed eyes. Wrapping her good arm around his neck, she pushed his face towards hers. She kissed him, his tears on her cheeks, his blood on her lips. Unable to help himself, he clawed at the zipper on the back of her bodysuit, but stopped himself before he did anything stupid.ย
Suddenly his pupils constricted, his muscles went taut, and he pushed her away from him. He stood panting, fighting for breath, digging at his scalp. Infinity slowly approached him. Cameo looked at her, eyes blazing, teeth bared. She gasped as heย leapt at her, pinning her to the ground. She couldnโt move as he kneeled over her, the blood from his wound dripping onto her cheek. He stood up just as swiftly, clutching his stomach. Hobbling away from her, he vomited into the snow. As he retched, Infinity jumped up and ran towards him. She combed the knots out of his hair with her fingers, gently holding him up. Weak with exertion, Cameo fell backward. Caught off-guard, Infinity sat down, still cradling his head. Eyes closed, he reached up and felt her face.
โIโm sorry,โ he rasped.
โSh. Itโs okay.โ
โNo, no, I'm sorry. Iโฆ ะ, ััะพ ั ัะดะตะปะฐะป? ัะฐะบ ะพะฟะฐัะฝะพ... ัะปะธัะบะพะผ ะพะฟะฐัะฝะพ... ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ะบะพะฝััะพะปะธัะพะฒะฐัั... ะฟะพัะตััะป ะบะพะฝััะพะปัโฆโ he lapsed back into Russian, repeating what he said before, shivering in the snow.ย
Infinity tugged his backpack off his back and unzipped it. She sat Cameo up and felt his bodysuit. Soaked.
โHere, donโt move,โ she told him. She unzipped the back of his suit and gently pulled his arms out of the sleeves. He sat numb, unmoving as she grabbed his flannel shirt out of the bag. She took his left arm and carefully helped it through the sleeve. The familiar movement seemed to wake him up slightly, and he assisted her with the right arm. Standing him up, she closed her eyes as she pulled the bodysuit down and off his feet. Snatching his pants next, she stood up and draped his arm over her shoulders soย he could stand more steadily as he tugged his pants on.ย
She led him over to a heating vent that was low enough that he could sit on. She brushed the vent clean of snow. His legs felt like jelly and he collapsed onto the vent gratefully. Taking one end of his belt in her good hand, she gingerly threaded it through the belt loops on his worn blue jeans. Cinching it tight, Infinity buckled it, trying not to think about what she was doing. He grasped her hand in a vise-like grip.ย
โLet me talk,โ he whispered vehemently. Infinity knelt in front of him, listening intently. โIโm sorry. I donโt know what happened. It felt like my mind snapped. Iโฆ controlโฆ lostโฆ snapโฆ donโt knowโฆ sorryโฆโ he began panting, his eyes rolled back into his head, he shook violently, and he slid forward, unconscious, off of the vent, into Infinity. She caught him and held him above the snow. Laying him lengthwise across the vent, she took his socks and shoes out of the bag and slipped them onto his frigid feet.ย ย
โCameo, I promise, no matter what, I will take care of you,โ she asserted, holding his hand to her cheek. โJust please wake up soon.
ns 15.158.61.46da2
