Katrina winced, struggling harder to escape. "L-let me go, fiend!" She spat. See? I can't protect you, but I can't hurt you either. I can be a comforting presence. Something to work for. I won't keep secrets, or lie to you. You're safe with me.
Hearing the commotion, Asher was able to find them both.
Oh. It's the other one.
"Stop it! " James growled, his arms trembling and began to fail him, his lungs stuttering and struggling to keep working. "Don't listen to that voice! " He growled, looking over and seeing Asher, his eyes calmly asking for help although he was in a great deal of pain at the moment.
"Let her go, James. Kitty, will you stick around?" Asher asked quietly, slowly stepping up to them.
...Yes. The doctor is fine. Let's hear him out... In response to Asher's question, Kat nodded cautiously.
James pressed his lips together and slowly let go gently, taking a trembling step back and tried not to fall to one knee. He wasn't exactly safe to be around, and Kat was acting as if he was vile. Asher was a better choice for her.
"There we go. Good girl." Asher cooed, slowly reaching out and stroking her short hair. "Why don't you tell me why you ran?"
Because that 'partner' of yours is a monster. Katrina sliently pointed at James, a disgusted expression on her face.
"He isn't bad, Kat. He thought you would get scared or react badly. He didn't want you to be so upset."
"He should have told me the truth... How can I return with someone who would keep such a secret from me?" She replied in a monotone.
James swallowed hard and frowned deeply, taking a short breath to try and get air in his lungs. "It's fine. If she thinks I'm such a monster then there's no point for me staying. I'm a disaster anyways. A failure. A monster. " He said coldly, one arm wrapped around his ribs as he got to his feet.
"Be a man ya piece o' crap! Now sit your ass down!" Asher ordered, shooting him a frightening glare. "We're gonna find a cure, and you're going to be the first one to get it!" He snapped.
Katrina watched with slight interest. How distracting. Who knew the docter could be so strict..?
"Fine! But I won't be around her! " James snapped back, anger in his onyx colored eyes and he took a harsh breath before storming past Asher, yet every step was weak and trembling. "Keep her away from me. " He growled as he passed, heading back towards the lab with incredible speed for his current situation.
Asher had no retort for that. "Christ. He doesn't deserve the cure." With an exasperated sigh, he picked up Kat gently. "And yet, I'll be shoving it down his throat if I must. Let's sleep in the meeting room again, kay? I'll watch over you."
As will I. As long as you stay away from the beast, we can return. Satisfied now, Katrina leaned into Ash, letting the sound of his footsteps lull her to sleep.
James stormed off to the makeshift bedroom, grasping one of the cots and moved it to the one place he knew the two wouldn't bother him. He tore the pictures down except his, tossing the rest in this corner as his stomach twisted and roiled, fighting back the urge to vomit as he worked. Then, he went to the lab and took everything he would need to work on the cure for the walkers, shutting and locking the door begins him. He did not want to interact.
Ooc: What a realistic apocalypse.... Everyone is insane or irritable... Nice!
IC: Asher laid down on one of the futons still left out, still cradling Katrina carefully. "Sleep." He ordered before closing his own eyes, holding her a bit closer.
Good night you two. With that, Kat fell into a restless dreamland.
James huffed softly, finding it rather difficult to focus on work when he was beginning to get hungry and pain wracked every single inch of his body, his fingers digging harshly into his legs to distract himself.
A quick nap refreshed Asher completely, and he wandered down to the lab, pounding on the door. "Oi! We need to talk!!" He announced, knocking ferociously once more.
James startled as Asher pounded on the door pressing his lips together before he turned his back on the door.
"I see. Fine then. I'll talk and you listen." Asher grumbled. "I get that you're going through something wretched, but that doesn't give you an excuse to pout like a little pussy when shit gets tough. If you were even half a man you'd be continuing on with a stronger determination than ever to fix this. The way you acted, practically throwing a tantrum and hiding yourself like this makes you no better than a little girl. Y'know what happened to my sister after she started acting like this? She died. Ran off with some no good bastard and got herself killed. So, you'll open this damn door and let me help you, or you can rot alone. Your choice."
"There's no helping me. Besides, it doesn't matter anyways, as long as we get the cure done and you keep Kat away from me. She's a distraction. And... I'm sorry about your sister. But I'm not her. " James said coldly as he shoved himself to his feet and yanked the door open, glaring at Asher. "I don't care if you guilt trip me, alright? I had to deal with years of BS only to end up like this. So just let me work alone for a while. " He said sharply, gritting his teeth and gripping the door tightly.
"Dammit. Why the hell did you even partner up with her in the first place? If she's such a distraction, how about I kill her, hm? Actually I don't even need your approval. If it makes one pathetic bastard pleased then why don't the rest of us just die? See ya in hell." Asher waved, turning away and heading back to where Kat slept. To be honest, this wasn't a hoax. He was dead serious. What was the point in sticking around if James had enough of them, and what was the point in leaving only to die later? He was saving up the drug for an emergency, but this felt more important. Who even cares about life in a world that is already hell? To struggle for life only to wither away in a place that no one even knew your name was pointless.
Alarm flickered in James's eyes as Asher mentioned about killing Kat, swallowing hard but looked away as Asher walked away. "If that's what you want then. " He muttered softly, turning and sitting down, closing his eyes and took a harsh breath before falling dead asleep.
Asher woke Katrina, then began leading her down a staircase to where certain dangerous supplies were held. "Sit there. I promise this won't hurt..." He sighed, shuffling through for what they needed.
Kat sat in silence, listening to the sound of her heartbeat. It was steady and calm, so that must mean she wasn't afraid. She wasn't going to be a coward.
"No one can hurt you now."
No one can hurt you now.