Fandom [CLOSED] Tokyo Ghoul: Dead Enmity

[yaint]

Jackson could not be sure, but it felt a little bit as though his heart had tightened and dropped. He couldn't move his arms anymore. The room had turned cold. Mari was dead, and her lover's sudden distress confirmed it.


'It's not fair,' the man wanted to complain, despite the fact that his jaw was clamped shut. Out of everyone, why her? Why Mari? She wasn't like them - everyone here was strange, frightening, murderous, a ghoul... And she had just been normal. Now she wasn't anything at all, and something horrible inside Jackson made him wonder if this had anything to do with him. It had been months since that shaking meeting when he had grabbed her hand and begged her to leave, and months since any of them had seen her again. But could his panic really have taken him that far..?


The denial seemed to shake him back to life. His mouth started working again, and all the words he had not been able to say came out at once. "Oh - oh my G-God, Caleb, I... Shit, she - Mari - she..." This carried on for quite a while - a seemingly endless stream of gibberish which was impressive even for him, but eventually it all died down into a silence that ended with a quick, quiet, "I'm so sorry."


Caleb had been pushed enough already, and being reminded about Mari when the wounds of his grief were still raw was like adding insult to injury. So instead of carrying on, Jackson let the silence drag on for a long time, but not before he swiftly switched back over to the BBC and grabbed one of the sandwiches from his tray. The food wasn't bad, but he didn't really taste it anyway. It was just mindless chewing, mindless watching the rest of the stories that didn't matter pass on the screen.


It didn't look like there was anything interesting on at the moment, and when he looked to the side, he saw Caleb still playing with his arm. He didn't look happy, but Jackson supposed that was fair. He was far from happy himself. "Caleb. You okay?"

 

[Yoki]

What Caleb didn't need in that moment was Jackson stammering over words to say to him, he didn't want 'I'm sorry' or 'Oh my god'...it wasn't his life that was over, it was an innocent girl's. An innocent girl who still had so much left to give, and someone stripped everything from her...absolutely everything. She had so much life left in her, she couldn't have done so many good things. It angered and upset him just to think about it, who could do such a cruel thing? Yet...he was a hypocrite...because he could only survive as long as others died... 


The world was unfair, it took the best of people, people who didn't deserve it. Mari broke up with him, sure, but that didn't mean he wanted anything bad to happen to her...he'd wanted her to be safe, because her reason for ending it was perfectly reasonable. He was a liar, and he had to live with that. Her life over his lies. Even if he couldn't have done anything, so what? There was always the possibility of him being able to save her, always that 'what if' in the back of his mind. If only he'd been there....


"Y-" After a long silence, Jackson had asked him if he was okay, Caleb was going to reply, but the minute he opened his mouth his voice caught in his throat. He lowered his head once more, sniffed, and took in a deep, shaky breath, before breathingnour slowly. It wasn't the time. "I'm fine." Whilst he looked anything but, the words were said so certainly they were almost believable. He hadn't let go of his arm, his hand still death gripping it with all the force he had, and he looked mighty uncomfortable. It was hard to tell whether he was in pain or it was just the hurt from having to see and hear about that story once more, but something definitely wasn't right. 


"G-Goddammit..." He breathed, standing up and pulling his arms up against his body. It looked like he was going to move, but for a few moments he simply stood, scared, hurt, grieving. He felt like if he moved he'd collapse. "I-It sh-should...have be-...been me..." Caleb's voice was almost silent, but he was speaking, "Sh-She h-had s-so much left t-to live for." His voice cracked and he lowered his head, squeezing his eyes tight shut. "Th-That's not...- I-It's not fair..." It was obvious he was distressed, the tone of his voice, the way he stood, and the way his fingers dug into his arm all displayed so. To think, someone so kind had to lose their life to some idiot...people had to feel like he was feeling every month or so because of who he was... If she had gotten to live and he had died wouldn't the world be better off? 

 

[yaint]

Out of everyone in this wretched world who had loved ones left to lose, God had dropped the pin on Caleb and cast His curse upon the boy without showing a hint of remorse. Everything said here about Mari was true: she was innocent, she should have lived on. It wasn't the kind of thing that people normally let themselves say out loud, but Caleb's pain must have outweighed his fear. Jackson could feel the grief radiating from the smaller male's body like a horrid, damp sickness in the air. He might have vomited, but that would be intrusive at this sensitive time.


Eventually Caleb trailed off, and Jackson was left breathing in that air tainted with death, squirming uncomfortably in his place as he urged his mind to come up with something to say. Anything. It suddenly didn't matter that he would never be as good as Dane; a girl had died and someone had to at least try and make it seem okay. So after a few 'ums' and 'errs', the man forced himself to look at the other person in the room and speak up over the news, which was now reporting something about another unimportant family's heartbreak.


"It's fine," he lied out loud. But it wasn't fine, and that sounded dreadful, so he had to quickly cover himself. "W-well - it's not, I mean, uh, you shouldn't worry. Honestly, really, it's not your fault, if you didn't kill her. Nobody thinks it was you - she knows it, God knows it! Y-you didn't do anything."


Silence. Jackson made a point of grabbing at another sandwich to make himself look busy, but he realised that sitting and eating wasn't going to help. He put the food down for a moment and then stared back with wide, worried eyes. "...Hey, you could - if you want, you could go t-talk to someone, couldn't you? Go tell someone what you're thinking. Uh, Dane. What about Dane, is he around, or, err, busy?"

 

[Yoki]

If Jackson could have stopped speaking it probably would have been better than him saying a word to Caleb, the boy just wanted to leave the room and forget that he'd ever seen Mari's face on that screen, or heard the presenter say her name. He didn't need this right now, and he definitely didn't need Jackson telling him to talk to someone. That was the last thing he'd want to do. Did he get it? Who could he talk to about this? It wasn't that easy, they were stressed enough as is, bringing them all down on top of that could cause major problems.


"No..." He swallowed, "N-No...I c-...I can't...he's busy... Th-They're all busy...just-..." Cutting himself off, Caleb shook his head and attempted to make himself even smaller, whilst staying stood up. "I-I'm fine...I'm-...fine... I-I just-..." He choked on his words, forcing himself to become silent for yet another minute, "I just n-need...a second..." It was okay, he'd be fine, he just needed a moment to calm himself down and then everything would be fine. He couldn't do this here, it was bad to break down in front of Jackson like that...besides, he definitely wasn't comfortable with it. 


Distractions. That's what he needed, a distraction. His panicked mind went to the first thing it could think of. Tidy up. There were some things on the floor next to the bedside table and so he'd hasitily moved to pick them up, placing them back on the counter with shaky hands, before returning his hand to its place over his wrist. His eyes were dulled and filled with tears, and he was trying his best to keep himself standing, every now and then he would stumble or lean too far forwards and almost fall...but he was trying. 


"I-I..." Caleb's voice was raspy and almost soundless, "I sh-should go..." He'd spend enough time staring at the wooden surface of the bedside table, it was about time he got out of there. The boy winced as he stumbled once more and grasped tightly onto his arm as he tried to turn around. It was fine...he was just light headed because of the panic, he'd be okay. Having finally found his footing again, he decided to try and step away from the bed Jackson was laying on and make his way to the door. It would be much better for everyone if they could just relax.

 

[yaint]

So Daryl was sleeping, Dane was busy and everyone else was God-knows-where doing God-knows what. Fantastic. Now there was no nurturing arm available to comfort Caleb other than Jackson or that of his own company, and Jackson was quite sure which idea was more appealing to the boy. He radiated fear, and it made the hairs on the older male's arms stand on end. 


A shiver passed down Jackson's body. Something in the air, some kind of tension or stiffness that made the room feel cold, told him that he would soon have to move quickly. He ate the rest of his lunch without pausing to breathe or chew, nearly choking himself several times, but he was not concerned about the indigestion he would never be able to feel. The tray only slid down to rest against what was probably his feet a split second before Caleb made his move.


"Wait, stop!" Jackson instinctively reached out and grabbed at the air - or he thought it would be the air. He had not expected to actually tighten his fist and find the other boy's wrist wrapped up in his fingers, but... There it was. And he was horrified, but he could not let go for some indescribable reason. "Uh... Caleb, hold up a - wait one second, it's fine! It's... Sorry. I just thought, y-you know, it's not like I'm busy or anything. You can stay here if... If you want."

 

[Yoki]

Jackson's sudden outburst caused Caleb to jump and stumble, did he have to be so loud about it? Couldn't he just speak normally, there was no need to yell...or...do what the boy perceived as yelling. He was going to continue onwards towards the door, but something had wrapped itself around his wrist during his falter...and he hadn't realised exactly what it was until the pain started to set in. 


"PLEASE LET GO!" His voice was of a higher pitch than usual as he let out an involuntary cry of pain and stared down at his wrist with wide eyes. It was probably one of the loudest noises Caleb had ever made around Jackson, but it was definitely panicked and uneasy. Grabbing his wrist had obviously been the wrong thing to do, judging by the way Caleb had so negatively reacted to it. His eyes seemed to hold a mixture of fear, distress, and pain as he simply kept them focused on the area Jackson had hold of, but he didn't make any attempt to put himself free...he just looked like he was frozen in time, shaking slightly, but otherwise unable to move. 


It took a few more moments before Caleb was able to speak again, "D-Don't h-hold any tighter...p-please don't-..." Of course, he had to cut himself off when he realised what he was saying, but the way his voice had suddenly gotten a lot deeper and more urgent implied that it was important Jackson didn't have hold of him any tighter than he already did... It wouldn't go down well if he decided to pull at Caleb again. There were a few curses under the male's breath as he attempted to regain his composure, but he was mostly lost by that point...unsure of what to do or how to react to the situation.

 

[yaint]

The words flew into one ear and came back out of the other. Their meaning rattled around in his head. He knew that he had made a large mistake. Caleb made that noise? he thought, feeling the blood pulsing in his fingertips as his heart started to hammer. He had no idea that the boy was even capable of producing sounds of such a volume; the sheer shock of it sent a spark of energy through his arm that made his fingers tighten, curling more deeply into Caleb's wrist until he forced himself to wrench that hand away for good.


A moment was spent inspecting his own fingertips. There was something on them, just a little red tint, and a strange smell. Blood? Whether it was or wasn't what he thought it could be, there was no time left to decide. That was snatched away as soon as the door swung open and a small, even dainty figure slipped inside in a manner far less graceful than her appearance.


At first, Jackson didn't recognise her. The memories had come back now - the face, the hair, that unsettling yellow smile - he knew it all. But this was the first time he had ever seen Claire looking anything other than a homeless wreck. She wasn't wearing her grubby denim dress, but instead a clean set of jeans and plaid which looked like it had come from one of the boys' wardrobes. Her hair was glossy and white-gold, not matted and greasy. There was a new light in her milky eyes.


"Hey, Cal'b," Claire piped in a sing-song voice just as Jackson clamped his arms to his sides. He didn't trust himself after grabbing instinctively at Caleb and triggering that outburst. Actually, he was quite desperate to forget about that ordeal, so he looked wildly to Claire for a distraction. She was standing in the doorway, blocking the other boy's exit. "What'cha doin' in here for?"


"Claire," the man wheezed. "Claire, hi. We're just - err, ah..."


Claire's white-grey eyes turned quite round, as though she had forgotten that Jackson existed. "Oh! You're 'wake, you remember me?"


"Uh-"


"I was in your house an' you tried to kill me an' all, I actually remember it, I do. You smashed a mirror. That's meant to be six years o' bad luck, y'know!"


For some reason, he wanted to correct the little Irish girl and say 'seven', but he was frozen when faced with trivial matters. Now could not be a less ideal time for small talk with a painfully oblivious young girl.


Claire, however, was not about to stop. "You should see some of the mirrors they got in this place, it's real nice stuff. 'Course everyone's out packing so I ain't allowed in to look, but I think I remember there weren't a crack on one. So what's all the noise about anyways?" she chirped out loud, her gaze sweeping over to settle on Caleb. "That was you, wa'n't it? What's wrong?"


"Look, Claire - n-now really isn't the best time..." Jackson wished, far from the first time, that he could just move his body by himself. If only he could sit up or lean forwards, he would be able to hold this girl back. But of course, he was stuck. His useless body forced him to lie back and watched, cringing, as Claire slid farther into the room and went to inspect the wrist Jackson had just let go of.


"Oi, Caleb, 'sup with your hand an' all?"

 

[Yoki]

It was tense for Caleb to wait until Jackson finally decided to let go of his wrist and allow him to be freed from his grasp, he suddenly became even more withdrawn, turning around as if to try and escape the room by moving to the door, bur his body didn't move... He'd pulled his wrist further into his shaking body after Jackson had freed him, keeping it close as he willed himself to finally buck up the courage to move away. It was probably shock and fear that stopped him from just leaving, but he knew he needed to get out...he needed to get out before something else happened. 


His window of opportunity soon closed as another voice was heard at the door. A younger, more feminine voice that belonged to the new little girl named Claire. She must have heard them just a second ago as he timing was too convenient to be a coincidence. 


"I-..." Caleb started to answer her first question, but Jackson quickly took over, which he was rather grateful for. He wasn't sure he could get another legible word out at that moment, not when he was rather shaken up by the ordeal only moments before. Once he'd composed himself he'd maybe be able to talk, if not then he just had to leave... The only problem was that Claire was blocking his only exit out of the now cramped feeling room. It may have only been two other people, but it was two people he didn't know very well...and Dane wasn't there, he was less than comfortable in that situation. 


Claire started to go on about mirrors and so Caleb stood and cradled his arm, hoping to be forgotten. He still hadn't looked down, he was just hoping that it was okay and that there wasn't any sort of major problem, he didn't have the courage to look down. All he wanted at that moment was to get out of there as quickly as possible, when there was an exit he'd leave, but there wasn't one yet...and he didn't want to be rude. 


"Uh." Hearing Claire talking to him, Caleb glanced up, but his eyes hit the floor again in second. "I-It..." What kind of excuse could he make? He didn't have an excuse... He started to squirm and become even more uncomfortable in this already awkward situation, there really wasn't a way out. He had no idea what to say to the girl, no idea what to do. Jackson tried to take over again, but it just wasn't working... 


Although Caleb couldn't have been anywhere near as worried as when she asked him about his hand. "Wh-..." The boy's eyes widened and he looked down, at the wrist he'd attempted to cradle. "Shit..." His chest tightened upon seeing the small stream of blood that had slithered its way down from his arm and over his hand, he'd quickly attempted to hide it again by trying to pull his sleeve over his hand and wipe it off, but he knew she'd noticed...and the fact she'd noticed was enough... 


"N-Nothing...I-It's nothing..." He muttered, the worst excuse he could have come up with, but the only thing he could think of in his state, "R-Really...don't-...don't w-worry about...it..." Trying to sound confident and reassuring sure wasn't his thing, although he tried his words were stammered and nervous, it didn't come across well... He was a terrible liar. 

 

[yaint]

If there had been a choice of methods Jackson could use to worm his way out of this sticky situation, Claire had charged through and smashed every last option. Now they were trapped - even Caleb, who had come so close to leaving just moments ago, was stuck standing before a blocked doorway as a girl leaned in to inspect his arm.


With his standard, human sense of smell, Jackson likely would not have noticed the blood trickling down from Caleb's sleeve had Claire not cried out, "Oh! You're bleedin', look!"


A pair of brown eyes snapped their gaze to the side. There it was. That slow, meandering stream of dark red that wound its way across the boy's wrist and seeped into his clothing. That must have been what Caleb was so worried about... As well as why touching it had caused the poor kid so much pain. Jackson did not even try to stifle the much deserved pang of heart-wrenching guilt that wracked his body over the next few seconds.


"D'ya get hurt from someone?" came the start of the inevitable interrogation. The childishness of this young lady reminded Jackson far too much of someone else he knew. "Can I see? Ooh - oh, ow, look. There's somethin' in it."


Someone? Jackson thought. Yeah, someone. He had a pretty good idea who, too, and if that hunch was right then Dane needed to get in here as soon as he could.


Caleb did that to himself.


"Caleb, it's okay," Jackson insisted, although the rising panic in his voice said otherwise. "Don't- don't panic, she's going to get out of here now."


A sharp look at Claire made the girl jump. She flung two index fingers in to point at herself, mouthing 'huh?' at the other in confusion.


Jackson explained, "Claire, you should leave."


"Why? What's goin' on?"


"Just out of this room, okay? We... Shit, I don't know, just - g-go make yourself busy. Find Dane or something."


For a horrifying moment, Jackson thought that the little Irish girl was going to retort, or worse, steer the conversation back to Caleb's bleeding arm. She had puffed out her cheeks and her chest, and her slightly crooked legs poised to stamp angrily on the ground, but before she could make a racket everything settled back down to normal. "Okay," she said tightly, and then sulked on her way out of the room.


Jackson decided that he would talk to her later. For now...  Caleb. He cast a worried look at the younger boy for a moment, and then averted his eyes quickly. "Sorry about that," the man mumbled solemnly. He still could not shake the feeling that the whole wrist thing had been caused by his stupidity. "You okay?"

 

[Yoki]

The questioning and the grabbing didn't sit well with Caleb, but he was too afraid to go against Claire or say anything about it. The entire time she was speaking he was shaking and attempting to open his mouth as if to say something to her about what she was doing, but each time he closed it again and turned his head away. 


His bright blue eyes were dashing and darting all over the place, never able to focus on one thing, but not once did they land on the one thing that Claire was inspecting. It was almost like he was afraid to look, like he didn't want to see what had happened, but he knew...it was obvious he knew. How could you not know of a cut on your body that hadn't healed up? Especially as a ghoul. 


"I-I..." Finally he managed to stutter something out, but that was it, he wasn't able to say anything but that. His heart was pounding in his chest, his free fist clenching and unclenching indecisively as he decided how to react. Panic was taking him over, and to anyone who wasn't clueless it wasn't hard to notice, all he wanted was to get out of the situation. 


Jackson was his saviour, stopping Claire's onslaught before it had really started and giving Caleb  enough time to pull his arm backwards and wrap his sleeve around it once more. He'd turned out of view of the two and was just fiddling around with something, which was probably his sleeve, obviously he didn't want to bring any more attention to himself or the wound on his arm... It definitely wasn't something he wanted to talk about. 


Although it took longer than the boy would have liked for Claire to leave, she eventually did, leaving both males alone again. Except now Caleb was further away from both Jackson and the door, slightly hunched over, arms held tightly against his chest for protection, eyes glued to the floor. He was trying to calm himself down, trying to calm his breathing, forget the fact that there were two people now who knew...two people... Two more people that there should be. You couldn't trust people not to say anything, and it was starting to cause him an overwhelming amount of anxiety. 


"Uh." Jackson's voice broke Caleb's train of thought, causing the boy to jump and spin around to face him, however he still never looking up at the older male, or made any move to get closer. "Y-Yeah...I-...I-I...f-fine..." His voice was too shaky to sound fine, and the way he swallowed after finishing his sentence said something rather different, but he couldn't say that.


After reassuring Jackson that he was okay, Caleb started to move his arms a little bit out of nerves, of course they always stayed close to his chest, he couldn't risk that happening again... 


There was silence for too long of a period as he tried to find the right words to say, or any words at all, he didn't want to speak about it...not to anyone...but there was a serious issue that needed addressing, and he knew if he didn't do it now he'd be panic-stricken for days. "Y-You don't um..." He swallowed, turning his head away and rubbing his arm, "Sh-She's not-...She w-won't...s-...say a-anything...right?" The blond's eyes flickered up for a second, hoping for Jackson to say what he so desperately wanted to hear,  but it was never a guarantee, in fact, it was more likely she would say something. 


He wanted to continue speaking, but his words didn't want to come out, not without being accompanied by a lot of stopping, stuttering, and uneven, interrupting breathing, so he just stayed quiet for awhile. Since he felt light headed he decided to stumble back a few steps and sit down against the wall, knees pulled to his chest. Would she say anything? Surely not... She was just a kid, she didn't even understand...but...all the more reason to say right? "Shit..." The curse was muttered almost silently to himself as he let his head fall onto his knees. It wasn't just that though...was it? Jackson was there too...and the last thing he'd said to Claire... Find Dane or something. Suddenly Caleb's entire body froze...find Dane... Surely he wouldn't...but why out of everyone would he say that man's name. 


His head jerked up, eyes wide and slightly teary, fearfully looking towards Jackson. "Y-You're...not-" Although he wanted to finish, it seemed his body did not want him to. Soon enough his head had been laid back onto his knees and he was left shaking and scared once again. He wouldn't do that...not if he got it... Did he even get it? Did he even want him to? Oh god... 

 

[yaint]

She wouldn't say anything. That was what Caleb was hoping, or pleading, or praying - whatever it was that he was trying to convey in those stuttered words, which may or may not have been misheard anyway. It was hard to tell; the boy tended not to speak properly when he was anxious. Maybe misinterpretation could be Jackson's excuse for just shrugging his shoulders and telling him that he had no idea. He wanted to say 'no'... But was he prepared for that to turn into a lie?


It took a moment for the man in the bed to realise that his mouth had opened in wait of an answer, but there was none, so he closed it again. It was best not to keep it open anyway. He would be 'catching flies', as his mother used to say all those years ago whenever she found him sprawled out across the living room floor with his mouth agape. That had made him laugh once upon a time. But now, with no news of her or Eric since Alice had left them beaten bloody and sick with poison, the memory was just painful.


Jackson wanted nothing more than to be able to sit up and give Caleb a few kind words, to comfort him and make it all better. But he didn't know what to say. That memory of his own mother was supposed to have just been a fleeting thought, but now in his head there were more voices from the past and they wouldn't leave him alone. Some of them even seemed so clear that it was as if he could really hear them, like they were in the room with him, speaking into his ears.


Could he hear them? No, not his parents, not Adrian, they really were just his imagination. But when he heard another two voices he knew from not so long ago, Jackson's head snapped to the side.


"Tch - n-no way." If Caleb had heard that, then he should have thought nothing of it. That outburst was not meant for him. The man's brown eyes were trained on the television, which he had previously forgotten about, but now could not look away from. A woman with pale, snowy skin and white-grey hair stared back through the screen with her icy eyes. Jackson shivered. She was just an image, but it felt like Minnie really was seeing through him like she always had.


"...No, they're absolutely right, it has been a challenge for the bureau," the woman agreed to some point mentioned earlier. Her thin lips twitched at the camera. Jackson shivered again. "But they did an excellent job. We have some strong leads into Lambert's whereabouts as well, now."


The image cut to a split-screen view of both the investigator and the well-groomed male reporter. The reporter clicked his ball-pen and took a sharp, loud breath, "And your ideas on his location?"


"That's..." Minnie paused, and her icy blue eyes flicked up for a fraction of a second in thought. "Classified, I'm afraid."


"Ah."


"It's quite fine. The population really need not be concerned - special class Andrew Wren has already issued a statement, urging civilians not to involve themselves in the case further. The CCG has surpassed its need for public help."


Again, the reporter cast a glance up at his own screen instead of at the camera. His pen clicked. "Hm - yes, Mrs Graham, do you mean to say that to accept help from the public would harm the CCG's name?"


"No, no, of course not."


"No?"


"The bureau is grateful to anyone who has provided their assistance, but Wren would like us all to know that it is no longer needed. Fear is pointless now, so to speak - we have already detained Sanister, and-"


Bullshit! Jackson wanted to scream. His eyes were glued to the screen. What? Sanister - the Adrian Sanister - the only one of about three namesakes in the worldwide CCG? They had him. 'Detained' only meant one thing. They had him, no, oh no, they couldn't...


"-We expect to make the second capture within the coming four weeks."


There was silence. The screen flickered and flashed, then turned dark because Jackson had pressed the standby button hard with his right thumb. He couldn't watch that anymore. They had Adrian, and they were talking about him like he was some kind of escaped convict or stray animal.


"Caleb," he said quietly. There was still a weight on his heart whenever he looked at the boy. He was in a bad state. Something inside his mind told Jackson that to go asking questions now would only cause more damage, but he had to know. "Caleb, when did you say we're leaving?"

 

[Yoki]

Jackson's simple shrug didn't inspire much hope in Caleb, in fact it just made him feel worse. If Claire said anything he was done, he really was... Dane would be so disappointed... He couldn't do that to him, why would he ever want to do something like that to him? GODDAMMIT!


There was a heavy thud as Caleb smaller his foot against the going, uttering some curse word in a shaky voice. It was again an uncharacteristic outburst, even if only small, but he was too nervous, too disappointed in himself, too guilty. Panic was already coursing through him, he'd be lucky if he could stop it anymore. Claire was out there, out there possibly talking with Dane already after Jackson had asked her to find him. Stupid. He shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have come down. Nothing was going right. 


The boy curled himself into a small ball yet again, wrapping his arms around his legs and hiding his head. Everything could still be okay, he just needed to remain calm, she might not even say anything. He was being paranoid, just like always, she didn't understand and she had no reason to mention it to anyone. Caleb shifted awkwardly, he had no reason to adjust himself, it was just to try and keep calm, to try and help. 


As he sat there with his eyes closed, trying to regulate his own breathing and shaking, Caleb heard Jackson's voice again. At first he didn't understand, he didn't even bother to look up, he was too afraid, but then he   started to listen. The television...they were talking about something or other... It was definitely the CCG, about a capture? And it had attracted Jackson's attention. 


The boy thought about looking up, but decided against it pretty quickly, instead relying on just his ears to tell him what was going on. He was in enough of a state as it was, he just needed to calm down before something else happened or Dane came in the room. Whatever was on the television was probably none of his business anyway... It was Jackson's. Anyway, if it was hard to get his eyes to focus then it was going to be difficult for him to pick up enough of the story to actually deduce what was going on. His mind was a mess, it wasn't prepared to deal with anymore, he didn't need to add more to the constantly swirling spiral... It already never gave him a break. 


"Uh." During the time there had been nothing but the television murmuring in the background, Caleb's mind had proceeded to get louder and louder. It was starting to become distressing, the way his head just screamed at him, trying to get him to focus on one thing one minute and worry about another the next. That kind of thing was too much for him, he wanted to know where he stood, he needed to know who knew what and what they would do with that information...otherwise he'd panic. He grabbed hold of his dirty blond hair, entwining it in his fingers and pulling his head down. Deep breaths, everything was fine, it was just paranoia... 


It was whilst going through this process that he heard his name, Jackson... When were they leaving. The boy raised his head slightly, tired, fearful, blue eyes locking onto the ground below. "Th-They're-" His breath caught in his throat and he returned back to the small position he'd been in before, "T-Tod-day...or...or...T-...T-T-Tomorrow." After multiple attempts, the words finally came out. He wanted to repeat himself, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to speak anymore, plus he was just embarrassing himself even more... He just needed to keep his mouth shut and get out of the room, he just needed a minute first. 


During that minute the door to the room swung open, revealing a tall, wellbuilt individual with short,dark hair. Dane.


"You...wanted something Jackson?" It seemed that even Dane had managed to miss Caleb curled up in the corner at first, which the boy couldn't say he wasn't glad about considering he'd tried to make himself smaller when the male arrived, instead he'd turned his attention to Jackson and crossed his arms. "Claire said you wanted me... Everything alright?" It must have been weird to him, considering everyone knew that Jackson was most likely to call Bella... So he was rightly confused.

 

[yaint]

Jackson started at nothing at all. The screen was dark. The air seemed to become thick with static energy, a draining, stagnant force which drowned the room of oxygen and made the man feel so very cold.


Adrian had not yet died, but was he still alive? The CCG had him. That meant he was locked up somewhere, or tied down, or being cut up under some maniac's smiling face. Which maniac was that? Whoever that person was, if they existed at all, was the first person Jackson was going to strangle when he was fit to move again. Actually, he thought, scratch that last thought. He wanted to murder that person right now, where he was. He was going to get Adrian.


"Dane, we've got to leave today," the man announced in an uncharacteristically clear way. "Th-they've got Adrian somewhere, he's alive. I just saw it - it was on the news, on TV, they were talking about us. We've got to get him."


"What's goin' on?" A familiar voice echoed out from the corridor and a small white face popped up in the doorway behind Dane. Claire pursed her lips for no particular reason as she traced the room with her white-grey eyes, taking in every detail. She did not pause for more than a second when she saw Caleb. "Oh, you found 'em. I thought you might've forgot to come down."


Jackson butted in, "C-Claire, where's Daryl?"


"Dunno. Why? I thought'cha wanted Dane to come here 'cause of Caleb." Quite helpfully, the thin girl slinked past Dane and thrust an arm out towards the ghoul curled up in one corner. She wrinkled her nose at the still-lingering scent of his blood.

 

[Yoki]

"Wh-..." Dane crossed his arms as he entered the room, furrowing his eyebrows when Jackson mentioned them leaving that day. He was going to question what it was about, why he was so eager, but of course the other had then gone on to mention the one person who wasn't present when they left their home a few days ago. "Jackson..." He sighed, slapping his hands against his thighs in exasperation, they wouldn't find Adrian like this.


Still Jackson went on, talking about how he'd seen him on the television and that the CCG had him alive. At least the boy wasn't dead, that was one good thing out of it all. The boy wasn't dead.


Dane was about to speak again when Claire entered the room, she'd been the one to come and get him, but he didn't need her asking questions on top of Jackson trying to force them to leave... It just wouldn't work. He was going to ask her to leave, but it wasn't him she addressed, instead he was Jackson...and she spoke about something Dane definitely hadn't been expecting. 


"Caleb? Claire, what has he-..." The man turned his attention to the girl, his dark eyes following her thin arm over to a small form tucked away in the corner of the room. Caleb. What was going on? Why was Caleb curled up like that?


It looked like the boy had noticed he'd been addressed as he started to stand up, trying his best to wipe his eyes and brush himself off, but Dane could see straight through him. He always saw straight through him. 


"What's going on?" His tone was serious, worried, Dane's gaze flickered between the other three individuals in the room as he spoke. "What's happening?" He decided to get Jackson's questioning and yelling out of the way first by addressing him so that he could deal with Caleb, "Jackson, we can't just go find Adrian, they'll kill us all. We're not going to wherever the CCG has him, not right now, it's way too dangerous." That was the logical thing to say, they would get him, but not today, not tomorrow either, if they wanted to get Adrian from the CCG they had to have a plan. 


All whilst talking, Dane had been moving over to Caleb, who was now standing with his arms wrapped around himself. There were slight bags under his eyes, he looked tired, and not just that...he looked distressed too, scared almost. What was wrong with him? "Caleb what's up?" As he spoke to the boy he went to grab his arms, but had reached up and taken a step back, moving out of Dane's reach. 


"I-It's okay." He replied, managing an unsteady smile, "I-I'm f-....fine...really." His voice had evened out a little bit, but it was probably just a facade, something put on the trick Dane into thinking that everything was as it should be. 


"C'mon, that's obviously a lie." Dane pointed it out blankly, reaching towards Caleb again and once more being denied contact. "What happened to you? Did you get hurt?" 


"N-No..." Caleb lowered his arms again after Dane backed off to give him some room, wrapping them around his diaphragm once more, "N-No I'm fine... I-...I just...I freaked out i-is a-all...b-but...-...but it's good now." Again he tried to smile reassuringly, but it wasn't very convincing. 


"And you're telling me everything?"


"Y-Yeah...honestly...It's good." 


Dane stared into Caleb's eyes for around a minute after that reply, he didn't trust it... He could see the way his blue eyes wavered, how he kept trying to look down, but realised that if he didn't keep eye contact he'd look like a liar. That smile that so fake. There was something he wasn't saying. 


"What're you hiding?" 


"Wh-What?" 


"You're hiding something from me, I can see it." Maybe he was a little bit sharper than he should have been, but the man was under a lot of stress at that moment, and he was genuinely worried for Caleb's safety. "Caleb, if there's something you're not telling me you should-" 


"N-No. That's it, Dane, th-that's all of it." The boy shook his head way too fast for him to be telling the truth, Dane knew his tendencies, the backing off, trying to look away, keeping up appearance, there was definitely something he was hiding, he felt guilty... He could tell. 


"That's not true." 


"It i-is...it-"


"It's not." Dane broke eye contact and span around, "What's he not saying? Jackson? Claire? What's he not tell me?" He needed an answer, if it was important enough to call him into the room then it sure as hell wasn't Caleb just panicking slightly. He needed to know.

 

[yaint]

"No! Dane, listen - Look at me, okay? They've got him, Dane! They've got him, and... Shit, they could be doing anything. What if we wait too long and he forgets who we are!?"


Jackson wasn't even looking at Dane. He was looking at Adrian, at least through his mind's eye, and he liked nothing of what he saw. It was horrible. Disgusting, violent, sad and lonely... Completely repulsive, of course, but he could not look away. He was so close and so far away all at the same time, and the desire to go and find him was so overwhelming that it hooked him on the spot. Jackson did not notice that Dane no longer showed interest in him - he just wanted to go and find his friend before it was too late.


*


Claire's face contorted a number of which ways as she ducked and bent around Dane's form. The sheer blackness of her milky eyes gave away the fact that she knew nothing of the situation or why she was even still here, but again that childish naivety made its appearance again.


She tried to help by visibly shrugging with her hands and commenting, "Well, I dunno what's wrong now an' all but earlier his wrist was bleedin'."

 

[Yoki]

"What?" Jackson's exclamations whilst Claire was trying to explain to him what was going on were very distracting, he blinked a few times to take in what she was saying, before waving Jackson off with one hand. "He won't, I get it okay? I do, but we can't just rush into wherever the CCG have him, it's not possible Jackson, you'll be responsible for everyone's deaths." Although the issue did need to be addressed, and he understood Jackson's panic over Adrian, Dane also had to deal with the problem at hand. They couldn't get Adrian at that moment, that was fact, but...he could try to get whatever Caleb was hiding out into the open. 


It took a moment for Claire's words to sink in, he was looking back and forth between the girl and boy as Caleb opened and closed his mouth as if trying to explain himself to Dane...but he never said anything. He couldn't even make eye contact with the man anymore. 


That's how it went for around a minute or so, absolute silence as people thought about what to say. "His...wrist was...what?" Were the words that finally left Dane's mouth, before his head shot up and he made two purposeful strides towards the smaller male. As expected, Caleb backed up, but Dane was quick to lightly grab the male's wrist, before moving his grip to firmly grasp his hand. He wasn't trying to hurt the boy, quite the opposite actually.  


"D-Dane, you've-" Caleb protested nervously, his eyes darting everywhere but the taller's face, he pulled at his hand, but Dane had a tight grip. He wasn't going to let go. 


"Tell me you didn't." Dane held up Caleb's arm, keeping it covered with his sleeve, at that point the metallic smell of blood hit him...and he knew exactly what had happened. 


"Y-You-"


"Tell me you didn't." He repeated, his voice firm and seriously. All Dane wanted from Caleb was confirmation that what he thought had happened hadn't, but he didn't get that...instead he got Caleb refusing to meet eye contact, ceasing trying to explain himself, and keeping his mouth shut. When there was no reply after two minutes he knew that he wasn't going to get one. Caleb didn't want to admit it. "You promised me-" 


"I know what I promised." The blond's voice was quick to interrupt Dane's, talking at a much faster pace than he was. He didn't need a lecture, he knew what he'd said, he was there, Dane didn't need to remind me. 


"At least tell me this is the first time..." That's all he wanted, he was looking at Caleb, hoping that he'd tell him at least some of what he wanted to hear...and for a moment it seemed like he would. The boy made eye contact, opened his mouth, but then he shut it again, his gaze turned solemn, he swallowed, and he looked away. He wasn't going to lie. "You're not..." Dane dropped Caleb's hand and looked away, running his hands through his hair. He couldn't be serious, this wasn't happening, not on top of everything else. The man started to pace, finding a way to deal with the information he'd just been given. Caleb promised him. He lied right to his face and for once Dane didn't see through it. What the fuck... 


"D-Dane... I-I'm sorry...I-" Seeing how stressed out the other was, Caleb had quickly made his way forwards to try and explain himself, but what could he really say? He knew he shouldn't have lied to Dane, he should have trusted him to help, but he kept everything to himself instead... It was stupid of him, and now he'd stressed him out even more. 


"I-I...I don't understand Caleb, you said you were fine." 


"I am fine." 


"Well no, no you're obviously not!" Dane's voice did get louder as he turned to gesture at the boy's arm, which made Caleb jump, but of course he realised this and tried to calm himself down again. He wasn't looking to upset or scare Caleb, he just didn't get it. "Why...Why didn't you tell me? You know I'm here to help you, you know that, so why would you keep this from me?" 


"Please....Dane...I-I...don't w-want t-to...to discuss this..." Caleb looked around, "Here..." 


"Well if not now then when?! You'll avoid me the second you leave this room, you and I both know that." It was true, Caleb wouldn't deal with this situation, he'd just avoid confrontation and leave Dane with unanswered questions. 


"Dane..." 


"How long Caleb? How long? I don't want this for you, you know that, but if you never tell me there's nothing I can do!"
 


"I know..." 


"So, why? Why wouldn't you say anything?"


"Dane."


"You could have told me, I've done my best to support you for years Caleb, I thought you'd trust me with this." 



"Dane!" 


"I just don't get it, you're-"


"D-DANE! SH...SHUT UP!" 

 

[yaint]

"Dane! Dane, you listen to me, please! You don't understand, they've got him, th-they took him - it was on TV, I know where they - goddamn it!" It wasn't working. Nothing was working - he had just seen it on the screen in front of him. 'Lambert'. 'Sanister'. The pictures had labelled them as rogue investigators, suspects of murder who tried and failed to slide off the grid... And Dane wasn't even listening. Just talking over him, telling him he can't do what he needed to like some kind of overprotective parent.


Was he listening? Did he even care?


Oh, that thought made Jackson's blood boil. He swore he could feel a vein burst in his forehead. Caleb was there; the young man with the bloodied wrist, desperately trying to back away from his guardian but without experiencing much luck. Jackson's eyes saw that, but the only thing that mattered inside his head was that Dane could not give a damn about what happened to Adrian.


He could be sedated. Confused. Frightened. Alone. And all Dane could think to do was talk at Caleb.


It happened too quickly for the man to even know what he was doing, but one of Jackson's hands went for the tray positioned at the base of his feet. It pulled at the blankets. The glass containing his drink of water spilled, and he did not notice the water running through to his legs because he was looking at the wall above Caleb's head, the spot at which he had just thrown his empty plate. The porcelain shattered against the surface and rained down on the two ghouls below.


"Crikey!" Claire yipped, although above Caleb's uncharacteristic outburst her voice was all but lost. It was in that moment that Jackson regained control. He stared, panicked and startled by his own loss of control, and then turned his attention to Caleb.


That was odd, he thought after muttering a quick apology, an unsettling notion creeping into the back of his mind. Caleb sometimes shouted like that, but never - not once - had he done that to Dane, at least not as far as he remembered. This was new, extreme even... What the hell did it mean?

 

[Yoki]

The plate smashing, Claire yelping, Caleb shouting was all too much for Dane to focus on at one. He couldn't answer them all, and Caleb had really just shouted at him, which meant the guy was really starting to get annoyed with the way Dane was treating the situation. Okay, right, they just needed to get out of here, talk somewhere more private. 


"Caleb." His voice was calm and low as he spoke, taking another step towards the male, "I'm sorry, look, I know you're stressed, I get it... It's going to be fine. I promise." It hurt to know Caleb had been doing this sort of thing all along, did he really not trust him enough to tell him about it so that he could try to help? But...that was Caleb, quiet and reserved, he just...thought he was a little more open with him, more than anyone else. 


"Yeah." Although he didn't sound very convinced, it was good enough that Caleb had given an answer, he had his arms wrapped around himself and he was looking down again, obviously shaken up about the situation. He wanted to apologise, but he didn't know whether he should, the situation was a confusing one...he wanted nothing more to do with it. Why couldn't Jackson just have left him? Why did he have to get Dane involved? Okay...he knew it was his own fault for keeping it from him, but...he just didn't want anyone to know, there was nothing Dane could do anymore, he'd done his best...he didn't need stressing out even more. 


"Come on, we'll...talk about this somewhere else." Dane motioned his head at Caleb and the boy nodded, starting to make his way out of the room quickly. He was embarrassed, humiliated, and just downright nervous... People were going to treat him like a baby if they ever found out, he wasn't a baby, he could look after himself. Claire couldn't tell anyone else, no one else needed to know...Dane was bad enough, he didn't know if he could take the others knowing. None of this had to happen. If he'd just been careful, gotten out quicker, then...then it wouldn't have...but he did. That was something he could only blame himself for. 


---


A car at a time, Daryl had started to move everyone from Bella's parents' to the address that Leo had given him a few nights before. He didn't really know what kind of place the male was sending him to, but he didn't expect it to be some kind of small, more abandoned area. The address he'd been given exactly wasn't one of the houses nearby however, no, instead it was a different abandoned building. One that looked to be either some sort of hall or an old doctors' office of some sort. Everything had been ripped off as far as plaques went, so he couldn't tell. From the outside it looked like nothing special...but that was the point. 


The inside was ten times different, the place was done out, new. Carpeted, used, the long lines of rooms inside had been modified and changed to fit different purposes. From the looks of things they weren't the first to be staying there...


There were some rooms which were locked, and Daryl didn't try to open them when he went to survey the place, he knew that if Leo had locked them then they were meant to stay locked... Whatever was in there was none of his business. Some of the older stuff was still left around, and the desk in the main room showed that it clearly was once a GP's. However, it looked nothing like that. Blue carpet, white walls, no seating area was left, just an empty room with some chairs on the outside and a television on the wall. Behind the desk there were old files, unused computers, but also strange other files that Daryl hadn't been able to make sense of... Something about...ghoul anatomy? He didn't know. Not like it was a big deal. 


The other rooms still had the original wooden doors and locks, but inside there were no desks, instead they had been remodelled, some into bedrooms, others into storage, some were just empty. It seemed everything they hadn't been using had simply been left as it was... It was big, but not too big, definitely a larger area than the house that had been their previous home. It fit everyone, and that was all that mattered. 


He'd started getting people in as quickly as possible, the electricity still worked, but just hoped there was some form of running water as well. Though by the looks of the showers that had been installed, there probably was. 

 

[yaint]

Claire had been somewhat down since leaving the house; Jackson had guessed that was because she had been asked to leave behind that poor six year-old kid who had had to watch his mother get shot in the head. It had been a horrible sight, and a horrible moment of grieving - and since then the child had stuck by Claire's side like a little brother. Now they were apart, and the blonde Irish girl was lonely.


"H-hey. Claire, help me in, would you?" Jackson asked the girl as she swerved around him, partially for her sake and partially for himself too. For the first time since he had been shot, he was actually allowed to have some kind of mobility again in the form of his wheelchair. Unfortunately, he had realised quite quickly that moving would not be so easy as soon as he spat blood after trying his luck with a slope. Claire could help him here, and stop looking so gloomy for once.


Unsurprisingly, the girl was quick - and perhaps secretly happy - to oblige. She pushed Jackson into the shabby-looking building from behind and gasped with him simultaneously when they both caught a first glimpse of the interior.


It was unlike anything Jackson had seen before, he thought, and definitely nothing like what Claire had ever dreamed of. Most ghouls would never have been able to go to a clinic, so this was new... But whatever this place was, it must have closed down long ago. Everything was redecorated. A sight that should have been so familiar to someone who was supposed to check up so frequently now had a stark and ominously new atmosphere.


Someone opened a door and let it swing closed behind them, but out of the corner of his eye Jackson swore he had seen a welcome sight.


"Showers?" Claire had apparently seen it too, because she was babbling and her face had lit up with excitement. Every time she saw one of the things it was like she was learning that wizards existed. Some kind of magic, in her eyes...


"Yeah." In all honesty, the man could not say he didn't want to sit under a stream of hot water, too. Take off those bandages, rinse off his grimy skin, that greasy brown hair that was starting to grow blond at the roots again. Maybe he could even get rid of that godforsaken beard, seeing as the CCG apparently knew where he was anyway.


But... That nagging feeling in the back of his mind would not let him simply relax and enjoy the facilities set up for them by whoever it was who had given them access to the place. Adrian was out there... Or, rather, in there. With the CCG. Locked up or being tested on like he had read about in those classified files he was never supposed to have access to.


They couldn't just stay here lazing around when there was work to be done.


"Hey, Claire," he said again, breaking the girl from her trance as she stared at the door leading to the shower room. "Have - have you seen Daryl anywhere?"

 

[Yoki]

"Right here." Upon hearing his name, Daryl pushed himself off of a nearby wall and pulled his hood down, revealing short green hair that had started to grow brown closer to the roots. "What?" His hands were placed in his pockets as he walked up to both of the blondes. There were still some old files in his hands, he'd been mindlessly flicking through catalogue after catalogue, but he didn't really understand them at all... Honestly, there was no real reason for it apart from the fact that he was bored. 


Behind him and slightly to the right Bella was talking to Diana, they seemed to be in deep conversation, probably sorting out rooming arrangements and the sorts. From what everyone had seen, Diana was decently good at keeping people in line when she wanted to, having her help out was only a bonus. She broke off from the Bella upon seeing Daryl move, and the two went their separate ways. 


"So you're finally here." Her voice was flat as usual, with a slightly fluctuation of emotion here and there, "What's that?" Before he could protest, Diana had stolen the files in Daryl's hands off of him, much to his annoyance. However, the man didn't do anything about it apart from give the woman a glare as she started to flip through page after page. "Old records... Whoever stayed in this place last sure was busy..." The last part was muttered to herself, before she looked up again and towards Jackson and Claire, "Rooms are down the hallway to your left. That's all." With that, she was gone once more, heading off to snoop around behind the counter of the place by the looks of things. 


"Tch." After watching Diana walk off, Daryl turned back to Jackson, his familiar exasperated expression clearly showing on his features, "Like I said. What?" He didn't look too happy to be bugged when they were already where they were meant to be, "I got things to fucking do Jackson, hurry up and spit it out already would ya." 

 

[yaint]

Diana had always been intimidating - even after rescuing her from a dark, dingy cell it had always felt to Jackson as though she were the one in power, that maybe he should be kneeling down in her presence. It made him uneasy to feel her gaze on him, but thankfully it did not last long.


"Y-yeah. Thanks, Diana," he mumbled after the woman, and then shrugged back against his chair to shake Claire off. The girl skipped backwards, away and then started to skim the room whilst nosily taking in every detail her eyes could pick up.


"Funny place," she commented.


Jackson sucked on his lower lip. "Claire, why don't - why don't you go make up a bed?"


Again, the girl's face lit up and she became momentarily taller when she stood on the balls of her feet. "Okay!" she called out, and then disappeared swiftly off into the next hallway. That left Jackson, Daryl and a couple of lurkers in the corner waiting in their own silence.


'Hurry up,' is what Daryl had said. Jackson didn't have time to think about what he wanted to talk about; if he waited longer than a second or so, his opportunity would go down the drain. It was now or never, so he had to get straight to the point.


"Okay - okay, Daryl, hold on. This is important." There was a pause so that he could take another breath. "It's the doves, we - they've got Adrian. I think I know where he is."

 

[Yoki]

"Hold up." Daryl crossed his arms and leaned backwards, he knew the CCG probably had Adrian, either that or he'd been lost somewhere in London...which was probably better... At least that way the kid would have had a chance at survival. "So you're sayin' you know where they're keeping him? That's a long shot." He scoffed, Jackson always acted crazy when talking about Adrian... How could he be sure the guy wasn't just losing his mind again. 


For a moment the man just stood there and said nothing, what was there to say? He knew that Jackson was going to say he wanted to go and get Adrian, but they weren't prepared for that, they could't take on the CCG if they were keeping him somewhere secret. "Okay, so where do you think he is then?" After a decently long silence, Daryl decided to ask the question he knew Jackson wanted him to... Honestly, Adrian seemed like a giant liability at this point, the boy was always getting himself into shit, but...Daryl wasn't going to just abandon him if they had a chance to save him. 


He wasn't like that. 

 

[yaint]

It was a long shot. There must have been a few locations dotted across the country, different dark prisons where investigators would keep their low-ranked ghouls as living trophies. But those places... They were ordinary, small, built only to withstand the desperation of weaker convicts. Adrian was not ordinary. He must have been perceived as stronger, important, certainly a subject of interest considering the way his surgery had turned his life upside down. If there was any one place they were keeping that kid alive, it would be there.


"Okay, Daryl, this..." Jackson paused and turned his head to check for other people. The majority of those still with them had gone to find a room or shower. Nobody important was going to hear them and freak out if he told Daryl now. "Okay, so - this is going to sound... Really bad. But you've just got to listen, okay? This is Adrian's only chance. So, uh. Basically, the CCG has these... Places. They're detention centres for ghouls, where they keep all the people they don't kill. Kind of like a prison. And - there's this one that a lot of investigators don't know about. I think that's where, if Adrian's alive, that's where he's going to be."

 

[Yoki]

"Yeah, I know what a detention centre is you fuck." Daryl muttered, he'd been taught by a man who knew a little too much about the CCG for him to be comfortable with it, however, he'd never told anyone else what Leo said. It would only freak them out. If they hadn't killed Adrian, then Jackson was probably right. They'd be holding him in one of those places, but...one that a lot of investigators didn't know about... "Top secret huh?" He grunted, leaning backwards and tapping his foot on the ground, if this was a top secret place then... Wouldn't it be a little dangerous to try and get Adrian out. 


For a moment he stood there, thinking through the pros and cons. What if they couldn't find him? People were precious, if they went there, he wasn't there, and people died... Well... He guessed he needed more information. "So," His green eyes locked back on Jackson, "You're suggesting we go there right?" Raising an eyebrow, he continued, "I mean, it's a place they keep ghouls, you think it's gonna have no security? We're no where near prepped enough to do that kinda thing. I mean, have you seen the people here? Not all of us can handle a whole group of doves y'know." 

 

[yaint]

Jackson bit on his lower lip again. It seemed as though every time he even brought up Adrian's name, everyone gained an evil glint in their eyes and turned against him like he was the bad guy behind all of this. Daryl had to be the worst for doing that... Talking to him like he was some kind of irritating child. Well excuse me, Jackson thought as his face started to burn. I know more about the CCG than you could damn well guess.


"Yeah! I know, - look, I'm - I was an investigator, remember? I trained with them, I can fight them with you because I know how their systems work! Just... We just need some time to sit, and come up with a plan..." He trailed off as a grimace tightened his cheeks. What could he say to convince Daryl? People would never have to die if only they sat down together and thought about this. He had to realise that they were going to be doing some real good here. "We don't even have to bring everyone along. Please, we just have to give it a shot... Adrian can't break out by himself and n-nobody else is going to try. We can't let him stay in there forever, we just can't, okay!?"