A weak voice called out, seducing me away from my peaceful sleep. "T... Tom? It hurts, It hurts. Gah! Tom? Are you okay? Tom?"

When my senses came back to me I sprung up in search of the pleading voice, all I found was blood. Blood and a scared, hurt, crying girl.

Red? Is that, Red?

This isn't real.

I reached for where Red's right leg used to be and I touched the ground, everything below the knee was gone. Looking back to her, she was now missing both arms. Carnie was in just as bad shape, if not worse as she laid where I had been with no limbs and a good portion of her lower half missing.

Popping the vial I still held in my hand, I poured it into Red's mouth. "Carnie and I are fine, you just worry about yourself. Drink. Just drink." I held my head away from her so the blood pouring out of my mouth from talking didn't get on her and worry her.

Red's eyes were covered in dirt, probably from writhing around in pain. She couldn't wipe it away now. "Thank god y'all are alright. I thought... I thought because I was like this... I thought I lost you."

Hugging her, and straining my throat I tried to speak reassuringly. "I'm here, all you have to do now is get better." She buried her face in my chest.

Pulling away I looked at her wounds, they were healing, not regrowing.

No, no. I won't let this happen, I have to find Veroni...

That was when I finally noticed our surroundings. We were at the bottom of a giant crater in the earth. I couldn't tell how large it was because I was in it, but it was at least a mile deep, and a mile wide.

"Tom." I looked towards Red, "I can't see anything, can you..." I wiped away the dirt from her eyes and face. That's when she saw the crater and Carnie's body. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS FINE!?"

She's eaten at least a dozen people and recently survived a headshot. She will be eventually, I'm sure of it. "She will be." Though I spoke with confidence, I couldn't look at Red.

"Don't FUCKING lie to me about something like that!" She was trying to sit up and yelled at me.

I shoved her back down and got on top of her, "Would you have taken the vial if you knew?" Our foreheads were locked together and the blood from my mouth dripped onto her face.

Her gaze wavered for a second at my question, "I'd kill her..." cough! "if I had to" cough! "for you." Grabbing my throat I pulled away, using it as an excuse to wipe the tears from my eyes.

Red had stopped healing by now and I could tell she was fighting to remain conscious. Walking over to Carnie's body, which had reverted back to her normal-looking body, I picked up the naked girl and carried her over to Red. I showed her that she was breathing and once Red realized it her willed consciousness gave out and her head hit the ground, sound asleep.

When she passed out I fell to my knees and I clutched my throat. I had been trying to hide it but speaking that much was causing intense pain. Finally able to express it I hacked up blood and mucous for a while before hefting their bodies over each shoulder and started walking.

It must have been half a day that I walked and eventually climbed my way out of there. The sun had set and risen again. If it wasn't for how exhausted I already was It wouldn't have taken half that long.

Placing their bodies down just a few feet from the edge of the crater I laid down and scanned the area. It was completely flat around, out further were hills then mountains even further, there was nothing of the facility that remained. Not a body, not a brick, and not Veronica.

I had used the last of my vials to heal Red so that was the last there would ever be. I rubbed my throat, trying to come to terms with the now constant pain in it. My eyes fell shut without my permission.

Feeling something shaking me my brain fired to the max and when I opened my eyes I saw two Wayne's in front of me, him and his image. Reaching out I grabbed him by the neck.

His face contorted, "I tried as hard as I could! That was the smallest and weakest I was ever able to make it! I really tried, but I couldn't stop it. I couldn't, " He looked over to Red who was nearly a quadriplegic now. "I couldn't save her. If I could have made it weaker, that wouldn't. She would have. I'm so sorry!"

My hand tightened around his throat. He was soon no longer able to speak, and then breathe. his face turned red while the veins in my arm pulsed with power and rage. However, tears fell from my eyes, taking away all the rage and power. Leaving only pain. Pulling him to the ground and hugging him I slam my fist next to his head repeatedly. I can feel the blood start to drip from my knuckles before I stop.

Letting go of him I can see his terrified face. He looked as if he didn't know what to do, and neither did I. We sat in silence for a while, a very long while.

"I realize the odds, but is there any chance Veronica survived that?"

Wayne looked towards me with regret, "Red is the only one who has ever been within my perimeter and lived."

That's what I had figured. Is there really no way to get Red her limbs back? Carnie has already regrown all hers so it must be possible, right?

Dammit, this is going to devastate Red more than it would a normal person. Her whole life she has relied on physicality and brute force. With that stripped away so suddenly...

Fuck, if I could have just beaten Jason this wouldn't have happened! The only reason Wayne couldn't control it was because it was me. If I could have just protected-

It's because you took over.

No, that's not why.

You put the restraints back on and this is what happened.

NO. I only allowed myself to get carried away because I had no other option. This still isn't the worst outcome. She could have died, or worse, I could have killed her. I wasn't wrong to get myself under control. I wasn't wrong.

Pathetic.