16 - Frame
The lights faded in and out as Kenneth slept to the best of his ability through the long night. Even with only four short hours until morning, they managed to stretch into eight or ten inside of his mind as he squirmed from one side of the bed to the other. His hazy eyes cracked open from time to time to search the room and ensure she hadn't returned. She never did.
He cracked his eyes open for good around eight in the morning, though, and cast another glance at the empty chairs. A sigh passed his lips as his shoulders relaxed and he rubbed groggily at his eyes. Pulling his knees up, he slowly shifted up and propped himself against the pillows, shivering. They had to keep this place frigid all morning. It's like they want to cryo-freeze us or something, he thought as he tucked his chin into his knees and the soft fabric of his hospital-issued pants. His gut twisted and Kenneth made a slight face as he tried to shove down the feeling of hunger gurgling up into his throat.
The bots would get here around 9 am and bring breakfast. There was no point in summoning them sooner. Sleep wasn't going to kill the time either. He yawned into his knees and closed his eyes. Staring at the back of his eyelids did nothing, though, and he opened his eyes again after a moment. When would she be back? His eyes turned to the chairs. Was she ever here to begin with or was it all a bad dream? He hoped so. Still, as he flexed his fingers, he could feel her clammy bony hands gripping his. Fingers like talons, ready to dig into his flesh. He shivered and shook his hands out quickly.
I gotta find something to do.
Reaching out, Kenneth grabbed up the headset from the edge of the bed. How he'd kept it from being knocked off in all his writhing, heh ad no idea, but that didn't matter now. He pulled the rig over his head with mildly shaking hands and took a deep breath as the front covered his face and eyes. The weight settled over his skull and pressed down onto his hair. It wasn't heavy, just enough of a snug weighted fit to keep itself from falling off if he were to move. It was comfortable. Like a tiny hug around his head from a good friend. He scooted to lay down again and tapped the power button on the side.
Starting up...
Kenneth chewed at his lip and tried not to twist his hands too far into the blankets as he watched the grey screen. Byrd will be there--wait. No. she's at church probably, or getting ready for church. I think? They still do church in the morning, right?
His fingers paused and he let go of the blanket. It had been years since he'd set foot in a church. Occasionally, his father had taken them as kids and let them go to Sunday school where they got snacks and prizes for knowing little random Bible facts. Psalm 23. That had been an important one.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Thou art with me.
Funny language, but it had stuck in Kenneth's head all these years. Maybe it was the language that helped that. He exhaled gently as the screen began to brighten. Dad probably would've had them in a church right now if he was still around. How much would be different if he was still around? Sure, he could never stop mom, but maybe, just maybe, if he'd survived, he would've worked up the nerve to do something about it. Maybe not.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Kenneth swallowed and pushed the rest of the verse from his mind as the screen began to pixelate and generate. The world surrounded him in an instant as if it had been created fresh before his very eyes. He took in a deep breath of air and exhaled quickly before the pain that would inevitably accompany the action got to him in-game.
She wasn't here after all. Kenneth frowned and looked over at the grassy hill. He hesitated as he spotted the little figure curled up on the grass snoring. A smile touched Kenneth's lips and he scooted over to sit beside the boy. A moment passed and his smile fell as he gazed back towards the little speck that was the detention center. David would probably never see his mother again. Does he know that? Does he even remember? I mean, sure, he's an NPC, but still...
Grass brushed against Kenneth's fingers as he leaned back and crossed his legs in front of him. A breeze pushed back his hair from his forehead. It was cool, but not cold. Whatever chill was freezing his body in the hospital room was absent here. He didn't know how, but at least in the game, he could still feel the warmth of the sun.
It was far better than the heat of her hand against his face. Kenneth touched his cheek and looked over at David. I hope he never has to experience that. I'm glad Naomi was his mother...I just wish... Swallowing hard, Kenneth tried to put the absurd thought from his mind. Naomi was an NPC. She wasn't real and there was nothing he could do to change all that had happened. He didn't have a time machine.
Still, his chest hurt with the desire for the realization of the idea. To have a mother figure like Naomi, even if it had to be here of all places. He wanted it. He needed it. Knots formed in his throat and he coughed softly, trying to press the emotional buildup free to that it wouldn't obstruct his breathing.
Tears formed in his eyes and he sniffled them back. A wipe of his hand across his face and they were gone as he choked down the longing inside his chest. Pain still sparked as he coughed to the other side and leaned forward, pulling his knees to his chest. It was no good contemplating life. He couldn't do a darn thing about it. Closing his eyes, Kenneth rested his chin on his knees. Life sucks. It just keeps slamming into you, over, and over, like a tide you'll never get your head above. You can't breathe, you can't think, you can't do a single thing.
His fingernails dug into his palms and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter before relaxing. His arm fell limp as he let his face slide deeper into his knees. At least there's still VR.
Grass crunched beside him. Kenneth lifted his head and looked over at David sat up and yawned, stretching his short little arms into the air and blinking. His foggy eyes fixed on Kenneth after a moment as he continued to rub at his face. Little bits of grass stuck to his clothes and skin. Kenneth cracked a small smile and uncurled again.
"Hey," he whispered. Sunlight peeked through the clouds and fell across the grass between them. Warmth struck Kenneth's skin and he put out his hand to David. "Have a nice nap?"
The boy smiled and nodded. He crawled across the little sunlit gap and slumped down next to Kenneth. He yawned again and rested his head against Kenneth's side, his skull settling in just below Kenneth's ribs.
Kenneth took a deep breath and tried not to think about the contact. It was just David, after all. He slowly put an arm around the boy, but didn't hug him too tight.
"Where's the lady?" David asked as he stretched his arms out in front of him and then tucked his knees up into his stomach. Wide eyes peered up at Kenneth with a furrowed brow.
His mom...or Byrd? He said "lady" so probably Byrd, Kenneth thought. He rubbed at his own eyes, reminded of how tired he was in real life as he watched David slowly come to a waking state. A yawn touched his lips before he answered.
"She's busy, but she'll be back soon," he said.
David nodded and looked down. His little fingers pricked up blades of grass and bent them up before throwing them up into the window the float away. Kenneth simply watched, wondering where they went if they went anywhere at all. Maybe they just disappeared, like everything else that was destroyed in the game.
"Is mama going to meet us soon?" David asked after a long pause of silence.
Kenneth stiffened mildly and his fingers curled a little tighter around David. He looked down at the grass and brushed his free hand through it. "Um, no," he whispered. "She can't come with us right now."
"Will she be back soon?" David's eyes were fixed on Kenneth again.
Looking to the other side, Kenneth avoided the boy's direct gaze and shook his head. "I don't know," he said. They had no real confirmation of whether Naomi was recaptured or dead, but his gut told him it was the latter. That was how games like this dealt with things. Loose ends were too messy. Still, pain lingered in his chest at the idea that David would never see her again. Maybe it was just his breath getting caught again. Either way. He inhaled deeply and pressed it back.
"Hey, can you tell me about your mom?" he asked, looking down at David. Maybe he couldn't have a mother like Naomi, but this was VR. This was where imagination ran wild. Maybe he could imagine, just for a second.
David's eyes lit up and he sat up quickly, crawling a little closer. "Of course! She's the best mom in the world," he said and leaned over Kenneth's leg to rest halfway in his lap. The boy flopped over and stared up into the sky. "When we lived in the big valley she would always let me play in the grass patches by the river, and I got to bring her flowers. She likes flowers." He mimed handing out flowers and grinned. "I like putting them in mama's hair. She says it makes her look pretty." His eyes fixed on Kenneth and he sat up. "She also let me run around camp all day. I got muddy sometimes, though..." a sheepish grin crawled over David's face and he looked down.
Kenneth just smiled and nodded, holding a few tears at bay. He swallowed hard and waited for David to continue. She let him have so much freedom. Is that normal? Is that what I could've had? Running around, getting muddy. It all sounded like so much fun. He wanted to run free like that.
"I made her mud pies once. She said we can't eat them, but I tried anyway..." David giggled. "They taste nasty."
A laugh bubbled up to Kenneth's lips and he barely held it back, but he smiled and stared out over the grassy hills. Mudpies. That didn't sound delicious in the least, but he figured he probably would've done the same as a kid. "Your mom sounds very sweet," he said after a moment as he looked down at David. "Did you have any brothers and sisters?"
A solemn look crossed David's face and he shook his head. "No. I had friends, though." Another smile lit up his chubby cheeks. "I got them to eat mudpies too."
Tilting his head back, Kenneth laughed lightly into the air. He shook his head and just let himself chuckle into the open sky. Of course, the kid had gotten his friends to try it. That was just like him. Kenneth dipped his head down and smiled.
"I'm sure you did," he said softly and patted David's head. "I'm sure you did."
David grinned and curled himself right up like a cat next to Kenneth's knee. He picked more grass and began tossing it into the air again as the breeze brushed his hair across his face. Kenneth let the conversation lapse back into silence as he stared into the blue sky. Mudpies. Something so small, but so poignant. He flexed his fingers and tried not to imagine her cold hands touching his anymore. Now that she was here he'd get new lungs and be able to escape the hospital and her again. He could run far away to some little corner of the earth where no one and nothing could hurt him ever again.
Who knew. When that day came, maybe he'd find a little river and a grassy plain and make himself some mudpies.
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