//Trigger Warning: Violence//

NPOV

Lycaon's expression was clouded over. He looked pure evil, pointing the pitch-black knife at Clarisse. He screamed in my face,"SOMEONE'S GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID, NICO. YOU OR HER?"

My thoughts were still scattered, but the gravity of what was happening jerked me into action. I stood up.

I braced my hands on the wall, my heart pounding. All I could do was shut my eyes tight and grit my teeth.

Lycaon's knife surged towards me.

At first, I didn't even feel it, but then a pain unlike anything I had ever experienced hit me all at once. I opened my eyes to see the blood gushing from my hand, then immediately looked away. I held my hand to my chest and tried to focus all of my attention on not passing out.

Lycaon kicked my legs out from under me, sending me sprawling. He quickly had me pinned down with his knees, and he started punching my face and shoulders like he hadn't already proven his point. I didn't even try to fight back - I knew I was too weak. If I just took it, he'd eventually stop. Besides, I didn't want him to attack anyone else.

After a few minutes of beating the shit out of me, he got up and calmly turned to his terrified audience. "The next person to piss me off tonight is going to end up buried in the backyard, understand? You people are TRASH. I feed you, clothe you, give you a place to stay, AND THIS IS THANKS I GET? That's bullshit. You're just a bunch of fucked up teenagers that nobody wants anyway. YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL."

I was a crumpled, crying mess on the floor. Lycaon picked my two fingers up, waved them in my face, and spat on me on his way out.

~

Will would have known what to do. 

Everyone was yelling at each other. Inexperience. Confusion. I was in so much pain, I could barely register what was happening.

Thankfully, Clarisse took control of the room.

"Give me your shirt, Mitchell," She ordered. Her voice sounded like clarity. "C'mon, quickly. We need to slow down the bleeding."

He yanked it off and threw it to her. Everyone was suddenly quiet and waiting for her next instructions.

She was surprisingly gentle with me. "Nico, we need to keep pressure on this, okay? Don't look at it. Can you stand?"

"I-I don't know..." Even breathing hurt.

"That's okay, you don't have to. Just hold the shirt there. Does anyone know if we could get away with stealing some alcohol or something? We need to sterilize this."

Dakota gestured towards the door. "With Lycaon acting like that? Stealing from him isn't worth the risk... I have some vodka hidden upstairs, I'll sneak up there and get it."

Clarisse gave him a funny look. "Are you sure you won't get caught?"

He just shrugged. "Lycaon hasn't caught me yet. I have some sleeping pills up there, too."

"Yeah, definitely grab those."

"Guys, wait!" Nyssa interjected. "Don't we have to cauterize the wound? Isn't that how we stop the bleeding? I don't think vodka and bandages is the safest route."

I felt my stomach drop. I used to listen to Will ramble about that procedure all the time. You have to burn flesh in order to stop bleeding and prevent infection. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

"You're right. Dakota, grab that stuff anyway. I'm going to go and heat up the cast iron skillet, we'll use that to cauterize the wounds."

"Please don't." I started to cry again, struggling against Clarisse's touch. I wasn't thinking rationally. I knew in the back of my mind that it was the best (if not the only) option, but I was already in so much pain. The idea of more threw me into a panic.

"Nico stop. Nico." Clarisse said, with her voice as firm as her hold on me. "You're going to be okay. Just breathe. Don't be scared..."

Don't be afraid.

It felt like my head was underwater. I saw Will again, my love. Covered in blood. Standing in the corner. Completely neutral expression. I wondered how long he had been standing there unacknowledged.

I wondered if he was a product of my twisted imagination, but he looked more like a ghost.

A/N ~ So I'm back from hiatus... please don't hate me.

This is short, but it's summer now so you guys can expect fairly often updates. If I added everything I WANTED to put in this chapter it would've been wayyy too long. It's just easier to add it to the next Nico chapter. My boi already lost two fingers :( 

yikes