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“Oz? Oscar, are you here?” Isaac searched through the cabin for his sibling. “It’s your turn to get groceries from the house.”
Oscar was nowhere to be found, his room empty and his coffee cup cold. Isaac groaned, muttering a quick narration to find out where the younger had gone. “Dammit Ozzy, you’d better not be getting into trouble again.”
With a sigh, Iza made their way up the path towards the Manor, bags in hand to pick up the twins’ weekly grocery cache.
The family at the Manor, while not large, was at times overwhelming so Iza preferred to send Oscar to grab groceries. The family van wasn’t in the drive yet, meaning Dark was still at the store, most likely having taken Artie and Wilford with him. That left just the Doctor at the house. Not so bad, they supposed.
“Hello?” Isaac knocked on the door, figuring he’d hang out with Edward while he waited for the other to get back with the groceries. No one answered, so with a murmured narration they stepped inside themself.
“Edward, are you here?” The doctor didn’t normally go shopping with the others, but Isaac supposed it wasn’t exactly out of the question. Thankfully, another quiet narration showed that the doctor was in his office. With a small smile, Isaac started down the halls toward his destination.
He was nearly to the office when a sudden pain behind his eyes made him stumble. “Oh… shit. Not now, please not now!”
It only got worse.
The Host, grunting in pain, used the nearest wall to keep themself up as a vision overtook their Sight. “Now, of all times?!”
Their vision clouded, shifting from the hallway to… the cabin? He could See Oscar, or rather, The Author and… someone else. The strange man was tied to one of their kitchen chairs, and Isaac faintly hoped he wouldn’t have to disinfect the kitchen again.
“You see, I’ve been given a gift.” The Author was smiling, all teeth and no humor. His bat in hand, swinging side to side threateningly. “Whatever I write… happens. And your little friend was the perfect subject. He cooperated nicely, which is one thing you’re sorely lacking. So, we are going to stay in this room… until you learn how to co-”
The Host let out a yell as excruciating pain hit him behind the eyes, faintly making out their brother’s form crumpling to the ground, a pool of red spreading slowly from where his hand was covering his middle before everything went black.
“-ac! … Is- can… ea… me?! Isaac?!”
The Host became distantly aware of a voice over the immobilizing pain radiating from his face. “Oz…?”
“Isaac! Don’t move, I need to-…” The rest of what the person was saying was lost as another wave of pain overwhelmed him and he knew no more.
Touch was the first to return, and Iza immediately knew they weren’t in their own bed. The sheets were too scratchy. Then the smell hit him. It was too clean, he was in the infirmary.
“Try not to move.” A voice spoke from his left, and Isaac winced when he did just that, looking towards the noise. “I said not to move you idiot.”
The voice was fond, but definitely not Oscar’s. That reminded him. “Oscar?” His voice was scratchy and slurred. Apparently he was on the good stuff.
“He’s fine, now. No, don’t move!” The voice huffed, exasperated now. At this point, Iza figured he knew who it belonged to.
“Edward?”
“Yes, it’s me. How are you feeling, before I get in to everything.”
Isaac frowned, trying to think of an answer but all he was getting was pain. “M’face hurts… n’I can’t open m’eyes-”
“That’s… yeah.” The doctor sounded like he was frowning. “Isaac, your eyes.”
“What ‘bout ‘em?” Issac asked, impatiently.
“Isaac, I found you in the hallway bleeding from the eyes, which is why they are bandaged up. I can only assume you clawed at them yourself with how bloody your fingers were. I… Isaac, I’m sorry, but the chance that you’ll regain your sight is extremely slim.” The doctor paused to let that sink in.
“Doc, Ozzy?” Isaac decided to focus on something more important.
The bed creaked as the doc sat down and Isaac felt his hand being grabbed. “Your brother is fine, or he will be, thanks to you. You wouldn’t stop screaming his name, so as soon as the others got back and I got your eyes to stop bleeding, I went out to your cabin with Wilford. I managed to get Oscar sewn up and back here with his help. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
“Good.” Isaac sighed in relief as unconsciousness claimed him once again.