[b]Help I lost my glasses again. I wrote this whole thing squinting so hard at my phone. I'm so sorry for this late update!!!! Chapter 73: Enraged Warlocks Are Scary[/b] To say that finding the woman you loved on the ground bleeding to death wasn't something panic inducing, Shade would have slapped the person and then shot their left kneecap. But when an unconscious Vala Tash continued to bleed out in front of him, the Awoken man was thrown back into the reality of the situation. Far away, somewhere deep down in his soul, a voice laughed. The horrible sound increased, his emotions rising up alongside it like a filling well. The Warlock felt the migraine creeping up on him like Alice with her constant antics. He refrained from shouting at the Hunter, and pushed the image of Alice cheering him on away. "You." Shade said, the word scalding his tongue like he was talking to garbage. A gloved hand easily grabbed the Hunter by their belt, almost lifting the poor man off the floor. The other Guardian dared to struggle with him, trying to aim the gun [i]still[/i] clutched in his grasp. Shade slapped their gun away as if it personally offended him. The Hunter in turn let out an undignified squawk and tried to reach for it. Shade didn't put up with this and with a swift kick it skittered away from both of them. "I had to do it!" The Hunter defended, but Shade wasn't going to let excuses deter his wrath. Yet before he could land the first punch a small sound stopped him. A small peep, so low he thought someone else had said anything. He looked over to Vala, worry overcoming his anger. "I don't have time for this." Shade sneered, letting go of the man and turning away, "You disgust me and ruin the Hunter code. And don't look at me like that, boy. I've lived long enough to know what you people are about." Without waiting for a response, he picked up Vala. He ignored the slick of her blood, his grip tightening and emotions wavering but he couldn't do anything. Not right now. He just had to stay calm, keep his head clear of distractions to make sure Vala could be safe. The laughter in his head quietly died down, but the silence unnerved him. Vala's wheezing breaths was the only sound and he felt like the crazed laughter was better. Maybe he [i]was[/i] going crazy after all. Heart heavy, he dashed away with Vala's shallow breaths the only sound to his ears. He took each rise and fall of her chest a small miracle, wishing it happened more often. He needed miracles more. They all did because Gods above did all this loss and battle for survival take a toll on everyone. He passed by Raphaël and Mirak on his way back to the medical wing, the Hunters trying to follow him but he only shook his head and kept going. He suppressed a shiver at Mirak's haunted expression when he left Hunter behind, the man letting out a broken sound that spoke volumes of pain. He heard Raphaël tried to hold Mirak back, knew the Exo was straining with panicked words that faded the farther he distanced himself from the two down the hallways. Those painful sounds echoing behind him was like a warning, almost a threat that he should hurry up. [i]Keep you safe. Keep you alive. Keep you here and with us. Please.[/i] The medallion on his chest lowed faintly, a whisper of words he didn't want to hear. They still continued whether he wanted them to stop or not, voices low in conversation that he couldn't translate. Nothing made sense. The voices could shut the hell up. Nothing mattered right now than the dying heartbeat he kept trying to find. He continued on, the hallways seeming to stretch onto forever. He cursed whoever made these damn halls, wanting punch the person so hard. But the longer he ran, he realized that Vala had gone completely quiet. He stopped, trying to catch his breath as he looked for any signs of life. When he found none, he shook her gently, hoping to get a reaction. But Vala wasn't moving. She wasn't even breathing. She wasn't going to make it. Vala would die. She would never smile again. Sick, he stared down at her face, hoping for something -[i]anything[/i]. Yet Vala didn't stir, didn't move. He was suddenly back there, the snowy landscape a blanket to where he hid from the enemy. The smell of the earth, a warm cot under him, a blanket around his shoulders still fresh in his mind. Vala was there, all warm and kind but grieving for the people she had lost and Shade wanted to reach out to her somehow. To tell her that everything would be alright. He was only a helpless stranger back then and he was still one years later. Vala was dying and he couldn't help but feeling like it was fault. All his [i]fault.[/i] Somewhere, deep down inside he felt something break. "Help!!!" Bellowing out, he sprinted and floated as far as he could go. "Help me!!! Please!" He swore he felt Vala going cold in his arms. Panicked, he held her closer, trying to keep her warm. His Ghost appeared in a trail of blue, eye focusing on the woman. That's right. She had a Ghost. Vala would wake up. She would be good as new!! But when his Ghost began to orbit her, it's optic whirring and murmuring he frowned. That wasn't right. "What's wrong? We just have to wait, right?" Shade asked, confused at his Ghost's forlorn reaction as it backed away from Vala. "I can't find her Ghost's signature." It said, "I can't find it. It should be there, Shade!" A whole wave of panic began and his cries for help rose as he ran. He tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat, but to no avail he couldn't do it. [i]Please. Don't leave me. Don't leave us.[/i] A medical bot came into view and Shade felt his soul soar. "Help!!!!" He screamed, the bot stopping to turn to him. He almost bowled over the poor robot yet managed to skid to a stop. "Help." Shade begged, loosening his hold on Vala to give her over to the frame. "No Ghost. Shot twice. She's going to die. Please save her. Please." More frames began to surround him, and he twitched when they took Vala away from him. Her weight in his arms suddenly gone, he felt hollow as he watched them place her on one of the medical beds and cart it away. Where were they going to take her? He tried to follow her but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Please don't go just yet." A robotic voice commanded. Shade shrugged the hand off, taking a few steps to continue his journey to where Vala was taken. "C'mon Warlock, humor me. I just want to know what happened. Hey, we don't even have to tell Ikora or Zavala about this! Sounds good?" That made Shade pause, eyes trained on the bots as they moved farther away. He instantly recognized that voice but didn't want to hear anything right now. Not with the woman he loved possibly dead. His feet wanted to move though and yet his body did not do as he commanded. "Guardian?" The voice asked, tone curious. "She had no Ghost. I know she has one. Shot twice. Bleeding to death. One of your Hunters did this. [i]Your Hunter.[/i] She's going to die, Cayde." The Exo man behind him laughed, and Shade whirled around with furious eyes. Blue glowing eyes met his, but the Hunter Vanguard's were brighter and more intense. They carried something, a secret maybe? "Then come with me. I'll have Ghost sent over here to watch over Vala." A hand reached out, inviting yet Shade hesitated. The whispers in his head all at once spoke up, the medallion glowing once more. Cayde eyed it for a second before resuming eyes contact, waiting for a response. Should he go? Should he stay? Vala wasn't safe and he had promised she would be. Bolt was missing, having failed that other promise and he knew it would probably hurt their relationship. Cayde waited. Shade closed his eyes. The medallion ceased it's chatter and Shade.... ...took a step towards Cayde. [i]Filthy liar. Left her to die...blood is on your hands...don't you care...?[/i] Shade ripped the medallion off him, throwing it up into the air where his Ghost quickly stored it away. Cayde chuckled, turning around. "Good. Now let's go."