After we got to the stairs, Arkady said we should stop so Sky and I could rest. Though I suspect it was really more for his own sake, given how much he was bleeding. (Lies and slander. –Arkady) The stairways seem to be the least changed part of the building, making them the safest place to rest. “Safe” being a bit relative, now that the clouds are blocking the sun, and the only outside light is from the occasional lightning bolt. If Arkady didn’t have a flashlight, I don’t doubt I would have tripped on the stairs, and probably broken my neck.

When we stopped on a landing to rest, Arkady started bandaging himself, giving me the chance to talk to Sky. She was staring at Arkady, with a blank expression and her head tilted slightly to the side. I don’t think she noticed me when I came over, because she jumped a little when I tapped her shoulder.

D: “You okay?”

S: “Yes….” *She started rubbing her wrists, where the branches had grabbed her.*

D: “Don’t worry. We won’t let you be taken away.”

S: “… You won’t?”

D: “No. I’ll get you out of here.”

*She leaned her head against me, and I put my arm around her. That was the first chance I got to really look at her hair after Arkady had cut it off. It looked as messy and uneven as you would expect from being hastily cut by a knife. Although, considering how much of a mess her hair usually was, it actually was a bit of an improvement.*

D: “You know, I think you actually look good with short hair.”

*I wasn’t expecting that comment to cause her as much excitement as it did.*

S: “Really? You think so? You really really think so?”

D: “Well… yeah. I mean, if I had a pair of scissors so I could even it out….”

*Arkady looked over at us, and I realized he’d been listeing.*

A: “Seriously? We’re in an office building and you don’t think you can get scissors?”

*He walked out of the stairwell. A few moments later, he came back in a threw a pair of scissors at my feet.*

A: “There. Have fun.”

D: “… Are you seriously letting your prisoners have scissors?”

A: “If you’re confident enough in your abilities that you think you can take me on with them, go right ahead. I’ll look forward to it.”

*Lightning flashed at that moment, illuminating his smile with red light. That convinced me that attacking him with a tiny pair of scissors would be a very, very bad idea. Instead, I took them and started cutting Sky’s hair as best I could.*

D: “Sorry if I’m not very good. I don’t really have much practice.”

S: “That’s okay.” *Giggles* “It’s been a long time since someone cut my hair for me.”

D: “How have you been getting it cut then?”

S: “I did it myself with a mirror.”

D: “… Alright, I want you to know that I really don’t mean this as an insult in any way, but that explains a lot about your appearance.”

S: *More giggling* “I know, I was really bad at it.”

D: “Who was it that cut your hair before?”

S: “Oh, it was-” *She froze up. I panicked for a moment, then I realized she had started crying.*

D: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked-”

S: “I don’t like this place. I don’t like being able to remember. I want to leave.”

D: “I know. So do I. We’ll get out of here. Just wait a little more.”

The rest of the haircut passed in silence. When I was done, the result… well, it wasn’t great. I haven’t actually cut someone else’s hair since I was in high school. But it didn’t look bad.

D: “All done. What do you think?”

*Sky felt her hair, but neither of us had a mirror.*

S: “Does it look good?”

D: “You look great.”

*That stopped the tears, and brought a smile back. Then she looked at Arkady, who had finished his first aid and was standing back up.*

A: “Good. It will be harder for something to grab you now.”

*Seeing how long and unruly his hair was, I couldn’t help but call out that bit of hypocrisy.*

D: “If that’s the case, maybe I should give you a haircut as well?”

A: *Rolled his eyes* “Yeah, whatever, Mom.”

D: “You’re an ass.”

A: “That is something I have never denied.”

*Before I could reply, Sky gave me a hug.*

S: “Thanks for the haircut, Mom.”

I can’t say I like being called Mom, but at least Sky meant it as an endearment. And when she said that, it made me realize something. She’s the only person I have left. Everyone else… they’re all dead. Everyone except her. I can’t let anything happen to her as well.


And for those watching from home, yes, I did take the scissors away from the girls after they were done with their makeover stuff. While I am certain that neither would be capable of killing me and escaping with them, I’m not going to be an idiot about the whole thing and let them walk around all the time with pointy stabbing objects. -Arkady