CHAPTER 9
Theo
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was dusk; I was standing outside the inn, Stryker on my left side and Dean on the other, as Johnathan talked about border patrol.
A soldier in our group that I hadn’t caught the name of had just spoken. He was burly looking, with a scowl etched into his features and his arms folded over his broad chest.
Johnathan turned towards him, expression cool, eyebrow raised.
“There’s nothing to protect and if that thing is real and out there then you’re sending people to die.” The soldier forged on gruffly.
I had to agree with his logic.
“It’s a decision me and commander Roberts have made together.
” Johnathan shot back, tone firm “I don’t owe any of you explanations.
Some of his soldiers are taking first watch, Stryker and Silas will be taking the second.
” As he spoke he shot the soldier from before a warning look, as if daring him to object.
I was left to assume that he was Silas- he didn’t, as a matter of fact, utter another word, opting for dipping his head respectfully instead.
Stryker didn’t look concerned. He gave a small nod and turned to me, gesturing back at the inn “come.”
I followed quietly.
“Not scared?” I asked after a moment.
He snorted softly “no.”
“How come?”
“I don’t believe it exists. Hey, want to go for a run?”
“No.” I scoffed “who do I look like to you? And I thought you didn’t do much running.”
“True.” Stryker huffed “need to burn some energy. Wait here, alright? No drinking.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Stryker returned four hours later, flustered and sweaty, a distinct look of alarm gracing his features.
I sat up from my bed, where I’d been lying for the last half hour debating whether or not to go to sleep.
“Hey, could you do me a favour?” He asked breathlessly.
“Sure.” I replied hesitantly, folding my arms over my chest and leaning forward.
“Matthew went out on watch and he hasn’t come back yet. He was supposed to be back an hour ago and I need you to go and look for him for me.”
I blanched at the request, jutting my chin out as I replied “why can’t you just go?”
“Because I have a shift right now I don’t have time to go.” He shot back snappishly, one eyebrow raising.
I stared back defiantly, “why can’t Jack go then?”
“Because Jack doesn’t know and it’s better off that way. Just go and find him and make sure he’s alright and bring him back here, alright?”
“ No. I don’t feel like it” I grumbled stubbornly, glaring at Stryker who glared right back.
“This is serious, Theo. Don’t be a fucking ass. I’m telling you to go and look for him no matter what stupid problem you two have.”
“He’s not even part of our group,” I sneered back- a shit excuse, even by my own standards. I was sure he was fine. I didn't want to leave the warmth of my own bed, which seemed a valid desire to me.
Stryker scoffed “yeah, I know he’s not part of our group, but right now we’re working together and I’m asking you to go and look for him please.”
I let out a frustrated breath, relenting, climbing to my feet and making sure to shoot Stryker a stink eye before going to pull on my boots. His shoulders dropped, tension easing from his posture.
“Thank you.”
“Fuck you.” I grumbled back.
Soon after I found myself walking through the forest where I knew Matthew and the other guy from Zeltron were supposed to have been on watch, glancing around myself wearily, cursing every one of my life decisions that had brought me to this point.
Everything seemed enhanced at night; scarier, louder, certainly darker.
The only sounds I could pick up on were faint rustles in the trees hopefully caused by the breeze and the smaller animals scrambling around and my own footsteps.
I grimaced when I found no one from the border patrol group anywhere to be seen, the clearing deserted.
I’d been hoping Matthew had just decided to stay for a while longer, maybe wait for the next shift to arrive, yet there was nobody and I was stumped.
I glanced around myself for the millionth time, debating whether I should call out for Matthew but eventually deciding against it since I definitely didn’t want to attract unwanted attention.
I didn’t know what to do. Where was I supposed to find the damn lad in a pitch black forest ?
There was always the possibility that Matthew had just been waiting around and he’d gotten sick of it and was in his room at the inn by now and he was just wasted my goddamn time, Stryker had wasted my time and I was in a cold, eerily quiet clearing instead of my warm bed because of that. Dick.
Deciding that ultimately that must have been what had happened, I turned around to retrace my steps only to slam into a hard body.
I let out a sharp yelp, staggering backwards, one arm flying out in front of me whilst the other-hand shaking- searched for my sword; before I could actually draw it, my eyes locked with another pair and I felt my body relax, only to tense up again at the state of him.
Matthew had three bloody gashes decorating the left side of his face, fresh; his eyes were wide, pupils blown and he looked terrified, his chest heaving with the deep breaths he was taking, lips trembling.
“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?” I exclaimed, louder than necessary but unable to contain my shock.
Matthew let out a whimper, stepping backwards “nothing” he croaked “nothing. We have to get out of here. Jesus Christ, what are you doing here, Danes?”
“I…looking for you! Fucking Stryker said- the fuck happened?” I found myself stuttering, struggling to form a proper sentence, my heart still in the process of slowing from my earlier panic.
“Nothing” Matthew hissed frantically, trembling hand touching his cheek “we have to leave. We have to leave.” He repeated, more forcefully “I-I need to speak with- fuck-“
“Hey.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, taking a slow breath “calm down.”
“Fuck you.” Matthew spat.
“No, fuck you.” I snapped back, shaking myself and adding “yeah, we have to head back but you need to take some deep breaths and tell me what the fuck happened to your face.”
“Shut up, Danes.” Matthew half sobbed, reaching out and shoving me forward “walk.”
“Stop fucking touching me.” I hissed “and start fucking telling me why you’re about to fucking cry.”
Matthew’s jaw clenched and he shook his head, giving me another shove.
“Stop that.” I snarled.
“Start walking then.” Matthew growled back, hand still on his cheek. It was stained crimson like the rest of the left side of his face. Instead of stepping back like I should have, I stepped towards him to take a closer look, ignoring the way Matthew flinched away.
“They’ll need stitches.” I noted, making a conscious effort to soften my tone.
“No shit.”
“Matthew.” My brow furrowed, hand reaching upwards to take hold of his wrist “what happened? Seriously, this isn’t…this is serious.”
Matthew allowed me to lower his hand from his face, jaw clenching and unclenching “it exists.” He settled on whispering.
The crease between my brow deepened and I searched Matthew’s gaze but found nothing but a dull hollowness.
“What does?” I asked slowly.
“The- the thing. The Fleshbinder thing.”
I could detect the panic creeping back up on the boy- honestly, it was creeping up on myself.
“Okay.” I mumbled “okay. Come on, we- we’ll go back now.” I started guiding Matthew, retracing my steps; the lad was so close to me, I could feel his periodic trembling.
“It get you?” I asked stupidly. Obviously it had.
“I think I knocked it out.” Matthew whispered “but I don’t know…for how long.”
“Right.” I nodded once. Thank God. “Right. Okay, we’re nearly back.”
I lead Matthew straight to Jack, who answered the door in just his sweatpants, scratching his chest and squinting. When he caught sight of Matt his eyes widened, alertness seeping in “fuck. What the hell happened?”
I stepped inside the room and shut the door behind me, leaning my shoulders against the cool wood once I had.
Matthew was speaking to him quietly, somewhat frantic- I couldn’t catch a word of it, but Jack was looking increasingly concerned.
“Hey.” He turned to me in one swift movement “is Stryker out there?”
“He’ll be fine.” I said roughly “he’s Stryker. Matthew, your back’s bleeding. All your shirt is soaked through.”
“Fuck.” Jack cursed, whirling back round.
Matthew winced “it’s…I’m fine.”
“You need to get these checked.” Jack replied, running a hand through his hair anxiously “and I need to speak to Henry. Uh…” his head turned back towards me, who was watching the scene with furrowed brows and worry festering in my chest. I didn’t care about Matthew.
I didn’t. But the pallor of his skin and the grimace on his face and the trembling hand he had pressed against the wall would be enough to worry anyone.
“Get him to sit.” I heard my voice saying.
Two pairs of eyes snapped towards me; Jack, upon inspecting Matthew again, did as I had suggested. I felt mildly triumphant about that, since all he’d done was mock me up to now.
“Can you watch him if I step out for a moment?” Jack asked tentatively, rubbing his jaw. He looked conflicted.
My nose crinkled in what I hoped looked like disgust before I replied “yeah, sure.”
Jack nodded once, shared a look with Matthew, and sidestepped me to leave the room.
I was left with him. In silence.
"It hurt?" I asked after a long, awkward moment.
Matthew hardly glanced up at me "stings" he grunted.
"Hm."
More silence. I tapped my fingers against my leg.
"I don't bite, Danes." Matthew grunted "you can sit."
"I'm good." I mumbled. I ran a hand through my hair, pulling at my roots. All I’d wanted was my bed tonight, yet here I was. With Matthew Wells. Again.
“What was it like?” I asked gruffly, mainly because I felt awkward just standing there.
He raised an eyebrow “what was what like?”
“Getting dragged off by the Fleshbinder.”
“Oh.” He put on an expression of deep thought, brows furrowed exaggeratedly and nose scrunched. I almost laughed. Almost.
“Let’s see…it attacked me out of nowhere, knocked me unconscious and dragged me into it’s dark, stinky den, hung me upside down with a load of literal rotting flesh underneath me, appeared out of nowhere again whilst I was trying to find my way out of it’s stupid den, scratched the shit out of me, and then I slammed it’s extremely ugly and admittedly terrifying-to-look-at head into the wall and managed to escape. What would you say it was like?”
Jesus. I gaped at him for a few long moments, a shudder going down my spine at the very thought of being put through such an ordeal, then settled on “interesting. Definitely interesting.”
He snorted “interesting.” He repeated, as if he were testing how it rolled off his tongue “not the word I would have chosen, but yeah. Interesting.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing at all.
"So." Matthew squinted up at me "we'll be back soon."
"Hm?" I blinked, gaze flickering back up to his face, meeting his hazel eyes.
"They'll burn it." Matthew mumbled "the Fleshbinder. Then we'll head back. They're talking about a transfer."
"Oh?"
"Not for long." he added quietly "me and Jack and a few other lads. They said Draelon's short on soldiers and having trouble with Stadal."
I shifted where I stood, shrugging edgily. I’d heard the same, about Stadal. I hadn't considered that we’d have to go up against them.
We stared at each other.
"I'm not." I found myself saying.
Matthew's brow creased in confusion "not what?"
"Gay." I clarified, voice low. The other scoffed, shaking his head "didn't seem that way when you were begging for my dick in your ass."
My jaw dropped. The fuck?
"You remember that, right?" Matt grunted, leaning back on his hands, wincing as the movement pulled at the injury on his back.
I did remember. I preferred not to answer, which appeared to be an answer enough.
"Thought so."
"Fuck you." I grumbled, tilting my head back against the wall and folding my arms over my chest. I didn't feel like arguing about this same topic again. It was getting stupid.
My attention flew back to Matthew when he got to his feet, albeit stiffly and with a small wince, approaching me slowly. He stopped when he was inches away.
"We could do it again sometime." He tilted his head, eyes flickering up and down my face, pausing at my eyes, searching them. I felt my heartbeat sped up, my cock twitch. Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god-
"We couldn't." I said tightly. I stopped there. I wanted to. That was the disgusting part. I wanted Matthew to fuck me. Shame washed over me.
“I don’t want to.” I added firmly.
Matthew scoffed, though I was sure a flash of disappointment crossed his face before he replied “we’ll see, Danes. We’ll see.”