I'm trying my best here

CLANK

The flask fell, its contents spilling out and staining the ground that had not seen rain for so long. Cheríz freezes as both him and Nadia stare in a state of shock, well, what he presumed was shock. Nadia's face was covered by messy hair that had grown significantly over the last couple of months. He fails to notice her hand ball up into a fist. 

The two of them watch for a moment as precious, precious water leaked onto the floor before Cheríz snapped out of his surprise and hurriedly picked up the flask. 

"Argh, it looks like there's still quite a bit of water left... that's good." Cheríz scratched his head awkwardly as he fumbled with screwing the lid back on. "Here uh, my bad, didn't look where I was going."

Nadia stayed silent, as if she wanted to say something, but it was difficult to tell. Instead they took the flask out of Cherízs' hands and left for her tent. He sighed quietly, hands on his hips as he watched them go. He can't remember the last time he heard her talk. 

"Y'know I'm.. kind of worried." 

"Huh?" Cheríz came out of his memories, he's sitting around a fire, the smell of brunt spam wafts in the air as he speedily yanked his stick out of the flames. Luckily, only one side of the slice was brunt. 

Hiro sighed, incredulous, Oli snickering beside him. 

"I said I'm kind of worried… were you even listening?" 

"OH, uhm-" Cheríz turned to Dove who was chewing on a piece of cooked spam, staring at seemingly nothing. "What was he talking about?" 

Dove tilted his head after blinking slowly, "... Wha?" 

"About Nadia!" Hiro spelt out sternly, "We were talking about how long she's been sitting in that tent!" 

"Ah.. right." Lowering his head, Cheríz watched Arizona's feet tap on the ground, then glancing over to Dove again, who had gone back to spacing out. He does that more then he should these days… 

"Maybe she just needs a bit more rest.. their injuries were pretty several afterall."

"Yeah," Oli leaned back in her lawn chair, "Face and everything was just, so messed up…If it was me I wouldn't want to show myself either. That kind of injury doesn't leave without some harsh scars. Isn't that right Ari?" 

Arizona, seemingly startled that they were mentioned, took a second before nodding in reply. They're clearly nervous, which is fair, Cheríz observed. Talking about her makes him nervous too. 

"Of course but, don't you think she'd at try coming outside and maybe talk? It's been months now…They can't keep living like this." Hiro wrung his hands together, gazing with a troubled expression into the fire, so you're nervous too, huh? Cheríz pursed his lips. 

The fire crackled, sparking bouncing off into the dirt and shone on each of the five's faces as they sat in silence. Dove now fumbling with a battered rubix cube. 

"I'll try talking to her." Cheríz let the words begrudgingly trail out of his mouth. Hiro, Oli and Arizona lifted their heads up, he couldn't read what expressions they had on their faces as his eyes seemed to blur. Only fixated on the waving flames. 

"Wh-really..?"

"Yeah! I'm the big bro afterall haha, this should've been my job." Cheríz forced a confident grin that he hoped was reassuring as he reached beside him and ruffled Doves' hair. 

Their uneasy, worried disposition didn't change as Cheríz stood up, struggling keeping the smile on his face. 

"Cheríz.. you don't have to do this man." Oli spoke up, leaving her seat. "You're clearly-" 

"No. No it's fine." he nearly yelled, taking a deep composed breath. "I'm your leader! Trust me guys." Without another word Cheríz immediately set off for Nadia's tent in the distance. He could still feel the nervous gaze that followed him, even as he neared his destination. 

At some point during the last month, Nadia had moved her tent further away from the others'. Terrifyingly close to the borders of safe deadland. Cheríz immediately regretted his decision as he stood at the entrance. 

It was just a flap of fabric that had been left hanging to provide some sort of privacy, the lack of wind made it completely still. For something so thin and easily passed through, it had been the barrier between the group and Nadia, who was very rarely seen outside in the day. Their last encounter was exactly two months ago. 

So many months.. all by themselves. 

He really should've done this a lot earlier, its not like he hasn't tried.. there was many a time when Cheríz had approached the fabric doorway only to just stand there before walking off. 

He wasn't trained well enough for this. 

"No, you have to commit. This is your responsibility, you're the leader, you've always been the leader. You have to do this." Cheríz muttered under his breath, and before he knew it he had stepped into the tent. 

Light. 

Headed. 

The interior was simple, a makeshift table of boxes on one sid, a radio on said table, a lantern in the middle lighting everything up, and them. 

Nadia, sitting on her campsite bed, their hair had grown all the way to her lower back and was very tangled. Instead of hair, clean bandages were wrapped around her face, and their arms, and pretty much all of their torso. 

They stared at Cheríz through the bandages as he froze. 

"..."

"H..hey! Nadia!" Cheríz stammered out in most friendly way he could, scratching his hair. He stood in place as he let the steam of words trikle out of his strained mouth. 

"How are you doing?" 

They continued to stare at him with no response. 

"Uhm…We're roasting food outside like, like a, camp. Yes campfire party! Would you wanna join?" 

"..." 

Fully commited, Cheríz started to step forward, attempting to remain comforting even as he felt his back wet with sweat. 

"We got spam and some uh.. marshmellows Ari found earlier today! C'mon it'd be fun to try something new-" 

"Just…Just stop. " 

He stood, startled for a moment, watching Nadia sigh and rise out of the bed. She was still as tall as he remembered her. 

"Huh..?"

Nadia stared a stare that seemed to bore right through Cherízs' skull, it's numb, he thought, unable to feel his hand on his head. 

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine, see?" They lifted their arms up and turned around in a circle. "Nothing to worry 'bout here. I'm taking care of myself just fine." 

Before he could reply, Nadia was already pushing Cheríz towards the doorway. "C'mon, out you go. Tell the others I'm fine." 

But he didn't want to go, Cheríz was stunned, he'd been able to talk to Nadia and also hear their voice again. He did it! He got them to talk! Without thinking, he whipped around, instinctively grabbing their arm. 

"Hold on a minute! Y-" 

What happened was almost dreamlike, like the flashbacks he'd been having at times. However, it wasn't quite as comprehensible as that last interaction was. 

Yanking her arm away, Nadia stumbled back, the bandages unravelling in Cherízs' hands. And instead of seeing horrible unhealed injuries and a beyond tarnished face, they were fine. 

Nadia looked the same way she had before, unnaturally so. No scars or, any kind of injury, actually, could be seen on her. 

Stunned, Cheríz only stood there to process how this was even possible when half of her face was ripped off before they hurriedly shoved him out of the tent. 

He fell over onto his back with an ommph, dust particles kicking up into the air. 

"Wait wait, Nadia! H-" 

Cheríz was cut off by a faraway howl, which was soon followed by screeches so spine chilling he felt his heart drop down into the pits of his stomach. 

Immediately, the lights in Nadia's tent went out. So did the campfire, which was being trampled out by Arizona and Oli. 

Cheríz rushed over to Dove, who was still messing with his rubix cube zoning out and picked him up. 

"Damn Screechers.." he mumbled, "looks like I'll have to talk to her tomorrow." The group hurried into their respective tents, the cries of the howling creature following them in the distance as it was consumed.