XVI

Grian

"Grian, you need some actual rest,"

Etho is looking at me as I try to stand up.
"I need to tell everyone what happened! Tango's still out there!"
"We used the antidote on Tango. Everything's back to normal," Etho reassures me.

Except it isn't. My shoulder hurts from where I have been stabbed twice in the past few days. Etho tried to cover it with moss, but it didn't work very well. The majority of my limbs are hurting from the pain of the fight because I didn't have any armour on.
"Please, just rest," Etho says, "I need to check on Cleo."

I decide to lay my head down and I fall asleep immediately.

Scott

"Scott I'm so so sorry!"

Gem is looking at the huge cut on my waist. I'm lying in bed.

"It's alright. Honestly, it wasn't your fault. It was the infection."
"I still feel horrible,"
"Well thank god you don't recall any of it," I say, remembering how evil Gem had looked when she started to attack me.

"So are you going to tell us what happened?" Impulse asks.
I shake my head.
"We're all going to tell everyone tomorrow about the events,"

Gem walks outside and comes back with a steaming piece of metal. She has a piece of moss to avoid burning herself.
"I read somewhere that you can use hot metal to cure wounds," she says.
"Thanks,"
She places it on my waist, and I try not to scream, but it's extremely hard. I'm almost certain the hot heat is burning the skin off.
"I think it will help after you get used to the pain," she says.
I stay quiet, and soon I get used to the burning sensation.

After a few hours, Gem removes the metal, which is now room temperature. The cut's swelling has gone down tremendously.
"See? It works," she says.

Cleo

"You alright?" Etho asks me.

"Etho, why am I in bed? I didn't get injured like the others," I say to him.
"How much sleep have you had since I turned into a zombie?"
I consider this. I spent the night before the castle fight looking after Grian and his stab wound. I slept in the obsidian box as well.
"Not much,"
"So Cleo, it's been days. Please get some rest."

I didn't even think I was capable of staying awake that long. I fall asleep as soon as I settle down.

Martyn

My. Arm. Hurts.

Right after I arrived back in my bed, I fell asleep. For a day. I wake up to see Scar looking at my arm. It has a literal hole in it.

"Oh good, you're awake!" he says to me, "Your arm has a hole in it,"
"Thanks, I noticed,"
He picks up something that looks like wine and he covers the hole with it.
"You've completely broken the bone," he says, "I could wrap it in plaster though,"

Without asking for my opinion, he immediately picks up a roll of plaster and wraps my forearm in it. It's pretty uncomfortable but I say nothing.
"Your neck is pretty scarred too. I put some wine on that earlier,"

He pauses and then asks:
"When are you going to tell me what happened?"
"I think we're all going to tell everyone what happened tomorrow. At least that's what Scott said." I say. I suddenly realise that this is the chance to ask him a burning question that has been on my mind. "Why did you burn down the Heart Foundation?"

He looks uncomfortable, and says:
"You're going to hate me, but the Heart Foundation were under the impression that we needed peace and I liked life the way it was where we could blame you for everything."
"So it was a protest?" I ask,
"Sort of."

Now I know why he did it, I realise that I care more about the fact that I'm alive more than any motive Scar might have to burn down the Heart Foundation.

*                    *                    *

I look at Grian. He's about to begin. He looks completely unfazed by the fight that happened only a few days ago. I notice that his left arm doesn't move often though.

"Everyone!" Grian says, "So this is what happened..."

He begins the story.
When he gets to the part about me saving his life, a few people give me grateful smiles. I don't know whether that's mainly because of my act, or the fact that my arm is in a poorly made cast.
Grian reaches the part where we are surrounded by flames and says:
"Martyn, do you want to take over?"

I guess? I start to explain how I was handed over to the zombies. The people look shocked. Probably because they have no recollection of this, but most of them were a part of it.

I finish explaining up until how I argue with Gem and then Grian continues the story.

30 minutes after he started explaining, Grian finishes talking. Everyone starts to chatter at once. I feel a little overwhelmed, and I also don't like being reminded of what happened after we beat the warden, so I feel a bit sick.

I walk over to Grian.
"Can I go?" I ask,
"Of course!" he says, and I rush back over to the mesa where my house is.

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