Chapter 6: Scars We Don't See
[Win – 12:42 p.m.]
There's a difference between crying and being broken.
Palm isn't crying anymore.
He's just quiet now.
And that's worse.
[12:43 p.m.]
Lin wipes blood off her sleeves as we move through the hallways.
We're searching for somewhere safe.
No screaming for now.
Just groaning far away.
Kao walks like she doesn't hear any of it.
Then Lin stops suddenly.
"Infirmary,"
she whispers, pointing at the door ahead.
[12:44 p.m.]
Inside, everything is flipped.
Pill bottles scattered.
A pair of white slippers soaked in red near the sink.
Lin's hands move fast — practiced.
She finds a metal first-aid box, cracks it open, checks inventory like she's done it a hundred times.
"Bandages, alcohol, gauze, adrenaline shots… lucky day."
She kneels and begins sorting supplies into her bag.
[12:46 p.m.]
I finally speak:
"Have you done this before?"
Lin doesn't look up.
"My mom's a trauma nurse. She made me learn everything by 15."
She finds latex gloves, wipes them with sanitizer, and tosses me a strip of bandage.
"Your palm is bleeding."
I check.
I hadn't even noticed.
[12:48 p.m.]
Palm is sitting in the corner now.
Still not talking.
His hands are clenched into fists.
Nails digging into his own skin.
I walk over.
He whispers,
"I saw Benz fall, Win… I saw him fall and I froze."
I say nothing.
He looks up, eyes shining.
"I froze. What kind of friend does that?"
I reach out, slowly.
"The kind who's still alive and wants to live."
[12:49 p.m.]
Lin walks over, checks Palm's hands for injury.
He flinches.
"You're not helping anyone by breaking down,"
she says.
"He died so you didn't."
Palm doesn't respond.
But he lets her clean the scratches.
Kao's in the corner, examining a mirror.
She's humming the same song the Screamer did.
Soft.
Barely audible.
I ask, "Kao… are you okay?"
She stops.
"I hate this world,"
she says simply.
Then turns away.
___________________________