3:26 The Times Between
#26 of The Underground Part 3: Parasite
Parasite is the third part of The Underground series
Chapter 26 of 29
The Times Between
The Underground was a strange place.
Anyone who had ever spent any time there would immediately pick up on the vast amounts of violence people would commit against each other each day. Things such as, murder, torture, kidnapping, extortion, blackmail, and rape were not only everyday occurrences for those who lived on the edge of society, but it had come to be an expected thing. Something every member should expect to deal with at some point in their Underground life. It was a grim look at how people were truly capable of treating each other. It only made one assume that eventually society would be the cause of their own destruction. An idea that isn't hard to fathom.
But if The Underground was one thing, it would be ironic in the strangest ways. As despicable as people teated each other in the dark recesses of the various urban sprawls around the world, there was something inexplicable about what these social trends underscored.
Historically, when any group of people were faced with hard times, or crises or anything of that nature, differences seemed to be dropped and they would band together. There was something about emotional pain that seemed to bind people together. Instantly, gender, age, species, all the things that separated society, all the things that everyone prides themselves on, meant nothing. The Underground was no different, for as horrible as people treated each other, that was only matched by the care and emotion that was formed in those bonds. Sadly, they never made headlines and for some reason were quickly forgotten, except by those who shared them.
The love between two spouses was one of these bonds. Although marginalized by the media today, perverted by the relationships of celebrities in tabloids, there was something special between those that were truly right for each other. One couldn't put it into words, but always knew it was there. It was apparent in how they acted toward each other. In their eyes, one could see the joy illuminate their faces when their significant other was around. They had to trudge through all the same obstacles that life threw at them as the next person did, but they never let it take them down. As long as they had each other, they had something to live for.
So as the agent sat in the hospital, next to his wife that he may never speak to again, telling the hospital staff that visiting hours meant nothing to him, he felt it stronger than any physical force. He was the last to stand by her side when everyone she knew abandoned her as a lost cause. Their years of suffering were at an end as he counted the drops in the IV drip like the seconds on a clock. The agent might not know if he were counting up or down, but as he sat there, holding her unconscious paw gently, to him, it didn't matter. She lay there silent, blue eyes resting closed, lost in the oblivion inside her mind. The agent could only wait... and hope. She was his life, and so long as she was still with him that's all that mattered. A commitment that went beyond any comprehension to those outside the relationship. So, when the hour finally came, where her paw tightened ever so slightly around his, reaching out for him, he remembered why he never gave up on her.
But it wasn't always as clear cut for some. The world seemed to try and do anything to keep people apart. Every inconvenience seemed to make itself extremely apparent. The world seemed to try and build a wall between them. But every once in a great while, all that was pushed aside. They had all the right qualifications; young, restless, bored, and found solace in each others arms. Their lives were almost incomparable; she a bartender and he an arms dealer. They lived with the unwanted children of society, the ones who fell between the cracks who's eyes were always turned up toward the light. Between the two of them, they provided a comfort that only something more than a true friend could offer. It wasn't a companionship, but something else. It was a sense of security in an unreliable, hostile world. It reminded them both that they were not alone; not truly.
Perhaps it was the rarity of their meetings that made it what it was, almost like they appreciated it more. The passion that blazed between the two made them lovers, but their friendship made the waiting worth it. For they both had lovers before, but nothing with the intensity, in both their bodies and in their minds, as they had found with each other. In the afterglow of their time together, he would lay next to her feeling her heart beat against his chest. That's what he enjoyed the most about his time with her; knowing he wasn't falling asleep alone.
There was much left unspoken between the two, but even more was left unsaid between the roommates who shared a small, drafty apartment together. Something lingered between them both, but it was so indescribable neither of them knew how to approach it. Fearing the change saying anything could bring to the both of them, each remained silent. For they rather be in each other's lives as what they were now than not at all. When they finally returned home from the maelstrom that had taken their personal lives away, he let his body fall onto the couch, hers next to his. Exhausted from the battles that were behind them, she propped her injured leg up on the coffee table, alleviating the pain that radiated from it. He would sit with his back against the couch, eyes shut in meditation and weariness. Letting her body fall to the side onto his, her eyes drooped in exhaustion, using him as a pillow that was twice as comfortable.
"You think he'll get her back?" She would ask quietly as the still of the night overtook them both.
For a moment, he would say nothing, breathing quietly with his eyes shut. "Yeah... I do." He would reply, slowly shifting his position leaning against her in return.
She would look up at him, his eyes still shut. "Really?"
"Sure... he's earned it..." He would reply, sleep consuming his voice. "Every once in awhile... I think we all deserve a happy ending." As a smile would slowly grow over her face as she listened. He would inhale deeply, then sigh. "Thank you... by the way." He would say to her quietly, causing her blue eyes to look up at him.
"For what?" She would ask.
"Saving my ass for one..." He then would fall silent for a moment, before replying in a tired voice. "Mostly... for being you..."
This would cause her to smile, her core glowing with a certain satisfaction. "Who else would I be?" She asked.
"Dunno..." He would reply to her, voice tainted with sleep. Letting out a deep sigh, he would continue. "...but if there was one person I'd walk through Hell with... it'd be you..."
At this, she would fall silent. Not in revulsion, disgust or confusion, but rather moved at his words. It was the little things like that which constantly reminded her how strong their bond was. Even though much had never been revealed to either party, words almost seemed meaningless. Somehow, for someone of few words, he always seemed to find the right ones with her.
"You know, I'd be right there with you..." She would tell him, her paw moving to his arm where her head rested.
"Mmhmm..." He would say, almost inaudibly as his eyes closed, head drooping and brushing slightly against her. "...means a lot..." His voice now a mere whisper as she felt his body's weight begin to lean fully against her with the comfort of a warm, secure blanket.
Her eyes would dart up at him, seeing him drifting off into the open arms of a comforting peace, one he hadn't seen in weeks. Again, a smile grew across her muzzle, recognizing what she had done for him, glad that she had that ability. It was times like this where one didn't need words to explain things. Where actions truly did speak louder than words, and meanings weren't lost in ambiguous translation of spoken language.
A sense of déjà vu resonated within her as she brought her legs in around her, careful not to agitate her injury further. Curling up next to him she let her eyes slide shut. There wasn't much in this world she was certain about anymore. Her reality had been shattered long ago, and still she was attempting to pick up the pieces and reconcile what she was able to salvage with the brave new world she was faced with. A terrifying thought to most, but for her, knowing he was by her side, she didn't feel the fear most would. Her words to the ambient silence of the apartment were the last of the evening before she drifted into sleep, a sense of quieted joy in her tone.
"He sleeps..."