"i'll seek you out, flay you alive. one more word and you won't survive." - blue foundation

the infirmary was packed, more people filling up the beds than the night before. rosita had collapsed last night, and it hit me harder than i thought it would. i should be used to this by now, but seeing her so sick messed with me. daryl and the others had interrogated the whisperer without me. i didn't care. i needed to stay behind, helping siddiq, and do whatever i could.

i found myself sitting next to rosita on her bed, handing her some water. i could tell she was trying to act tough, but her face was pale, her body trembling. "you okay?" she asked, her voice sounding weak but still full of that same old attitude. i sighed. "yeah." rosita looked at me, that eyebrow raised like she wasn't buying it. "am i okay?" i smiled despite everything. "yep, nice and pasty." she smirked a little, the corners of her mouth twitching up. "still look good, though." "damn straight," i said, trying to lighten the mood. "if it weren't for gabriel, i'd be making my move."

rosita laughed softly, though it quickly faded into a wince. "don't let that stop you. that man doesn't have a jealous bone in his body." "perfect," i said, nudging her playfully. "scoot over." she shifted a little, making space for me on the bed. i sat beside her, the two of us staring at the ceiling in silence for a moment. it felt good, just being there with her, like maybe things weren't so bad for a second. "i've been thinking... about eugene." rosita said out of nowhere. i chuckled. "right, your other other man."

she smiled, but there was something sad in her eyes. "yeah. we set a time to talk, and i missed it. i don't want him to think i'm avoiding him or something." "he'll be fine. that dude bounces back. not everyone does." i paused, remembering. "i did check on a few of his baby tips for coco. the poop chart—interesting stuff."

we both chuckled at that, though rosita's laughter turned into a cough that made me sit her up. i handed her more water, watching as she sipped it slowly. "it's weird," she said, her voice quiet. "i never thought i'd be a mom in this world." that hit me hard, the weight of her words settling deep in my chest. "it's a scary thing," i murmured. "you just want to do everything right. be a good parent." rosita looked over at me, and i could see the sympathy in her eyes. "charlie was lucky to have you."

those words cut deep. i didn't know how to respond, the pain of it was too fresh. before i could say anything, rosita started coughing again, and i quickly sat her up, holding her steady as she fought to catch her breath. "you okay?" i asked, my voice tighter than i intended. "yeah," she mumbled, wiping her mouth. i sighed, rubbing my eyes. "you okay?" she asked, her voice soft, but i could feel her concern. "yeah," i lied, standing up and tucking her in. "just got a lot on my plate. okay, come on." i wrapped her up tight in the blankets, making sure she was warm before stepping away. "i'll be back."

i left the house, stepping out into the cold morning air, trying to clear my head. but before i could get far, gabriel came rushing toward me. "isa!" he called out, breathless. "we need you in the cellar. something's wrong with the prisoner." i felt a knot form in my stomach. "wait, what? where's siddiq?" i asked, hurrying to catch up with him. "we can't find him." gabriel replied, worry etched across his face. we made it to the cellar, and as soon as i walked in, i saw the whisperer. he was sitting on the bed, drenched in sweat, his skin a sickly purple. it looked bad—really bad.

"what's going on, gabriel?" i asked, scanning the room for dante. "where's dante?" "here, i'm here," dante said, rushing in with his bag. "they found him on the ground, shaking in pain." "put your healing hands on me, doc. i'm burning up here." the whisperer groaned as i knelt beside him, checking his pulse. it was faint, barely there. "can we start him on beta blockers?" i asked dante. "we ran out this morning." he replied, his voice tight. "fuck," i muttered, frustration building. "he's breathing hard, his pulse is low, pupils dilated, muscles contracting, but no signs of infection." i checked the wound on his shoulder—it looked clean, no infection. "this doesn't make sense."

suddenly, the whisperer grabbed my arm, his grip strong despite everything. "hey, easy!" dante shouted, pushing him back down onto the cot. i stumbled back, stunned, watching as the man started convulsing. and then, without warning, he vomited—blood splattering across my shoulder. i froze, the warmth of it making my skin crawl. "isa, grab the pentobarbital!" dante shouted, holding the man down as he writhed in pain.

i fumbled through the bag, my mind racing. "shit, are we losing him?" i asked, grabbing the man's wrist again. no pulse. "there's no pulse!" i shouted, panic rising. dante shook his head, his hands falling away. "he's gone." "no," i muttered, jumping up and starting chest compressions. "no, fuck! he didn't tell us anything about the horde!" "isa, he's gone." daryl's voice came from behind me, calm but firm. "no!" i screamed, pressing harder, my arms aching. "he didn't say anything yet!"

daryl walked over, his hands gently pulling me back. panting, i finally let up, my whole body shaking as i stormed out of the cellar. i wiped at my face, trying to get the blood off, trying to keep it together. outside, i lit a cigarette, my hands trembling as i took a long drag, the smoke filling my lungs. i cursed under my breath, angry, frustrated, exhausted.

a few minutes later, dante came out, his medical bag slung over his shoulder. "here." he said, handing me a cloth. i wiped the blood from my neck, the stickiness clinging to my skin. "something was really wrong with him. we couldn't have fixed it." dante said, his voice soft, like he was trying to comfort me. "fucking sucks." i muttered, taking another drag from my cigarette. dante reached out, wiping a bit of blood from my cheek. the touch startled me, and i took a step back, thrown off guard. "sorry." he said quickly, pulling his hand back. "it's fine." i muttered, offering him a cigarette. he took one, and i lit it for him, the two of us standing there in silence for a moment.

"what did you do before all this?" i asked, more out of habit than curiosity. "army medic. iraq." he answered, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "you?" "graduating elementary school." i said with a bitter laugh, the absurdity of it all hitting me. dante chuckled, shaking his head. "you know your shit, though." "i've had a lot of practice." i muttered. dante lingered a few steps away, like he wanted to say more. i leaned against the wall, my cigarette nearly burned out, and exhaled, feeling the weight of his presence. he turned back toward me, eyes searching mine, as if he was trying to figure something out.

"there's something else on your mind," he said, almost too casually. "not just the people here. it's more personal, isn't it?" i narrowed my eyes, a coldness rising in my chest. "what are you talking about?" he shrugged like he was treading carefully. "you don't just jump into things like that unless something's really driving you. i've seen it before... back when i was over in iraq. people with that fire in their eyes. always had something—someone—they were running after."

my jaw tightened, the mention of iraq already setting me on edge. "this isn't about that. i'm just doing what needs to be done. that's it." dante shook his head, stepping closer, his voice lowering like we were sharing a secret. "nah, i don't buy that. i've seen you, isa. every time someone mentions the whisperers, you light up. that look on your face—it's not just about protecting this place. it's about her, isn't it?"

i clenched my fists, my heart pounding in my chest. the mention of alpha's name sent a rush of anger through me, the familiar heat of revenge swirling just beneath the surface. "what do you know about it?" i spat, my voice harsher than i intended. he didn't flinch, just studied me with that steady gaze. "enough to see you're not letting it go. whatever she did... you're making it personal."

i turned away from him, flicking the burnt-out cigarette onto the ground. i didn't want to talk about alpha. didn't want to admit how much she consumed my thoughts, how everything i did felt like it was leading to one final moment with her. "it's not personal." i muttered, but even i didn't believe that.

dante leaned against the wall beside me, crossing his arms. "i see it in your eyes, isa. every time someone brings her up, you go somewhere else—like you're already out there, hunting her down. whatever she did to you... it's eating you alive." i could feel his words getting under my skin, unearthing things i'd buried deep down. i took a sharp breath, trying to keep it together. "she took everything from me," i finally said, my voice quieter, rawer than i intended. "she gets to walk around like she's untouchable. like none of it matters."

he didn't say anything for a minute, just stood there, letting the silence settle between us. then, softly, "and you think killing her will fix that?" i laughed bitterly. "it won't fix anything. but it'll make me feel great."

dante's eyes softened, and for a second, i thought he was gonna reach out, like he wanted to comfort me or something. but he didn't. instead, he just said, "i get it. i do. but revenge... it'll tear you apart before you even get close. i've seen it happen, too many times." i looked at him, his words cutting deeper than i wanted them to. "i don't care. she's gotta die."

dante nodded slowly, like he understood more than he was letting on. "just be careful, isa. don't lose yourself in it. you're not alone here. you don't have to carry all this by yourself." i wasn't sure how to respond to that. part of me wanted to push him away, to shut down this conversation before it got too real. but another part of me—one that i didn't like to acknowledge—knew he was right.  "i'll be fine, thanks." i muttered, confused as to why he's talking to me in the first place.

"i'll see you around." he said softly, giving me a small smile before turning to leave. but even as he walked away, i could feel his presence lingering, that unspoken something hanging between us, and i wasn't sure if i was ready to deal with it—or if i even wanted to.

i stared after him for a moment, my mind racing. this wasn't part of the plan. i didn't have time for this, for someone else trying to get close. not when alpha was still out there, not when my focus was supposed to be on revenge. but as i stood there, watching dante disappear into the shadows, i couldn't shake the strange feeling that maybe things were starting to change. and i didn't know what to do with that.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

hello dante, goodbye siddiq! 

sorry that was insensitive...