After letting hot droplets of shower water hit his skin in the Showers, Austin made his way over to the Oakhouse, in the kitchen, where Jackson was waiting, sitting on a chair by one of the two long tables, picking at an apple he obviously had no interest in eating.
The first thing that Austin noticed was just how thin the boy was; it was almost sickly. His clothes were baggy, his skin clinging to bones and his ribcage visible even through the thin fabric of his shirt. His face even more tired than the last Austin had seen him and his eyes were both beady and darting, as if paranoid and crazed, barely sane at all. Austin had never thought someone could radiate death, but this boy came awfully close to doing it.
Without even looking up, the boy's sickly warm voice said "Austin, I assume." Somehow Austin didn't think it was a question.
"Ye-yeah, I'm Austin," Austin took his seat next to the boy, not sure what creeped him out more: the boy's sickly appearance or his soft, warm, displaced smile. "I-I heard you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, to apologize," Jackson said, looking just as distressed as he had genuine. "My actions- the things I'd done… The memories…It's all a lot𑁋."
"Sorry for interrupting, but… the 'memories'?" Austin was perplexed. As far as he had known, no one here had memories of the outside world. Unless they did, but Austin was pretty certain Reya and Stryker hadn't lied to him. "You have memories? Of what?"
"Er, um, yeah, I do…did…they've left me as the anti-bodies burn off," Jackson said, slowly. "I remembered my old life, but only bits and pieces now, but.. Before… When you're injected with the Annihilator venom, it triggers your memories, and the ant-venom… It seems to wash them away again. I don't remember much now, though, but enough."
'So Annihilator venom triggers memories from before waking up here?' Austin mentally stored that thought for later analysis. "What do you mean by you remember 'enough'?"
"The outside world… the blood… the carnage… The Slaughter…," Jackson supplied, but didn't finish, as he began coughing uncontrollably. It looked so uncomfortable, Austin had observed as the boy doubled over, continuing coughing. Austin rushed to stop the boy from falling down. He had a feeling if the guy hit the floor, it'd be harder to get him off.
Cleo, who was eating an apple nearby, talking to Zether about something, came rushing to his side, her hands already to his neck. Austin watched in fascination as the girl's very hands glowed a natural green aura as they made contact with his forehead, her own eyes glowing the same hue of green as Zether's, who held the boy up, as Cleo worked whatever healing ability she had. Within seconds, Jackson seemed better - less coughing, but still sick-looking.
"We took away your pain, but we can't rid you of the sickness," Cleo said, stepping back.
"We can't cure the side effects of the venom that the anti-venom couldn't, but we can mend your lungs and scraped throats," Zether said, his own hands glowing light green as he touched Jackson's ribcage, and Austin could've sworn he heard the ribs cracking, as they were repairing themselves, but he hadn't been aware that they were even injured in the first place, so he couldn't have been certain.
"It's a shame, but I know I will be dead in a few hours anyways," Jackson said, his face resigned to acceptance of his fate. It made Austin's heart ache for the boy. He wished he could've said something encouraging, like Don't say that and You can't know that, but he knew that'd be lying. Austin was surprised the guy was still breathing at the moment; he looked so close to death, it was visibly disturbing.
"Oh, Reya was right; you hang your heart on your sleeve, dontcha," Jackson said, snapping Austin from his thoughts, before shaking his head dismissively. "I'll die when I'm ready, in my own way, at my own time, so don't worry about me. If it makes you feel any better, the anti-venom isn't killing me… I just happened to get it much too late; the venom was already too deep in my system. It's not anyone's fault. I blame no one for dying. And I am sorry that you never were able to know me before I went crazy…".
As a tear fell from Jackson's eye, Austin found himself feeling many things. Saddened by this change in events. Sure, the guy attacked Austin with the intent to kill him, but he had a psychological breakdown. Austin didn't blame the guy for that; personally, he blamed it on their living conditions. But, most of all, Austin was perplexed. Just hours ago, this boy had tried to kill him; now, he was apologizing to Austin and somewhat consoling him? Austin's life was strange and all kinds of wrong.
"I've come to terms with my impending end, Austin," Jackson said, after re-composing himself from his coughs, waving off a Cleo and Zether, who instinctively reached to heal whatever they could, taking whatever pain they were trying to take. "Before… I pass over… I wanted you to know that I have enough memories to know that you can lead us all to freedom, Austin. I believe you can save us. I know you can. And be true to yourself…," the boy gazed at the raven crest Austin dawned. "Be your truest self. That's the only way you'll ever be able to lead anyone. Follow your instincts.. You're an Owl, right? Your instincts are your greatest tools. The Voice in your head - listen to it; it's your closest advisor. Scarlet had one…She used hers to enact pain on others but the purpose of your is to guide the lost. Use it."
At this, Austin was beyond perplexed. 'How did this boy know about the Voice? How'd he know about any of that? Did he really know Scarleteye so much he'd use the girl's actual name? Apparently so. No one other than the Overseers and Stryker knew about his true crest, so how'd he,' Austin found himself thinking. He had heard that the boy used to hang out a lot with Scarleteye, when she was here. There are rumors around the Meadows that the two of them used to be a couple before her exile, but, seeing as there were rumors about Scarleteye and Aaron being a couple as well, Austin didn't know which to believe.
Though this explained the Voice part, the fact that it doesn't explain how the boy knew he was of the 'owl crest' lead Austin to a gut feeling that the boy remembered more than he was letting on. He didn't push; je knew somehow Jackson was giving him information the boy thought he needed most on limited time to tell, but Austin still wondered what could've been so heavy memory of the world outside that the boy was going to die without sharing?
He suddenly felt bad for the guy. He'd only known him for only a few of the short moments of his time here in this place, with a majority of it, a bad impression, but he could tell now that the guy was a good person with a good heart in a challenging position against impossible odds…
'Just like pretty much everyone in the hellish place,' Austin found himself wondering again what kind of world outside this hellhole puts kids and teens in this kind of situation. "This is so fucked up man," Austin found himself saying, before letting out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head at no one in particular. "Those Watchers… why are they doing this to us? What have any of us done to deserve any of this…? It just ain't right."
A few passing preppers had given Austin a strange look as they walked by, but Austin didn't care enough to respond with anything. This whole predicament was totally unfair; he meant it when he said it wasn't right. It just wasn't.
"You're right, Austin," Jackson agreed after coughing some red liquid into his hands, before quickly whipping it on his pants, but Austin had already seen it. It only added to the suffocating ball of guilt weighing down on his chest. "It ain't fair. It ain't right, but we gotta live with it before anything can change. Austin, look at me."
Austin looked the boy in the eye, feeling the compulsion to do so, but also finding it difficult due to the boy's sickly frame and the guilt weighing him down. But he locked gazes nonetheless, even as the other boy grabbed Austin's shoulder with a surprisingly groping clasp.
"Austin, your powers are different than how everyone else's are," Jackson suddenly shifted the topic. "Everyone here has either physically enhancing abilities or psychic-like powers or something that falls in between, like Cleo's healing or something like that. Yours is an intuitive power, but I believe it could become quite powerful.. I imagine Scarleteye does, too; maybe that's one of the reasons she agreed to attack you out there. Reya is the only person who understands even a fraction of what your abilities can do. Trust her to help you if she's willing. I'm sure it will be invaluable."
"Okay, yeah," Austin wasn't sure why Jackson said that, but he nodded all the same. He was about to say something else when Jackson spoke again, his voice suddenly even more urgent.
"Promise me something," Jackson said, his voice urgent.
"Yes," Austin didn't know what he was agreeing to, but he felt the need to hear the boy out. "Anything. Whatever you need."
"Promise me this: That you'll lead our friends to freedom," Jackson said, his face and voice serious and devoid of discernable emotion. "Promise me that you'll do this. I don't think I'll be around long enough to help them escape this place and ensure our safety, but you will. I know you will. And Reya and Aaron and Stryker'll need the help; promise me you'll rise to the task when needed."
Austin looked the boy in the eye. He studied the guy's expression, discerning what lay behind the boy's dark brown eyes. He only saw the concern he had for his friends, and something else… Was that anxiety? Did he remember something about the outside world that made him anxious? Or was it because of his impending death that made him anxious? Whatever it was, Austin tried not to focus too much on it. And with two words, he said "I promise."
"Promise me one thing," Austin challenged in return, gaining Jackson's curious gaze. "Promise me you won't die before we're free. Afterall, Reya would never forgive you for it, and, frankly, I wouldn't feel too happy about it, either."
Jackson's dark brown, exhaust-ridden eyes danced with slight amusement, as he smirked. "I appreciate your concern, Newbie, but I did say I'd die whenever I am ready, so don't worry about me. I'll die in my own way, at my own time."
"Now, Austin," Jackson said, and Austin was trying his best to ignore how the guy completely avoided making the promise. It was difficult. Instead, he tried his best to listen to what the boy had to say, again, avoiding the consistent thinking that this was the boy's final wish before he died. "Aaron is waiting for you at the Flat Shack. Today, learn all of what you can about scouting, because you must discover the way, so that when you're ready, you can lead us all to freedom. And don't forget, you be true to yourself, cuz nobody else will be if you aren't."
As Austin reluctantly left the Oakhouse, he couldn't help but wonder if all the boy said was really nonsense, or if it was from someone who had a bigger and more clear view of the world around and outside their own. His instincts told him the guy knew more about things no one else in this place knew, but he decided not to press. He knew one thing, though: He respected the boy who attacked him that day and he knew he needed to help the Meadowers and his friends find a way out of this place.
Call it instinct. Call it intuition. But he sensed that the answer to all his suffering in this place - To all his friends' suffering in this place - would present itself to Austin. And soon. Real soon.