'LOOK FOR THE LIGHT, RALPH.'

He tried to. The second he opened his eyes he was blinded, and was then met with an unusual burning feeling as he kept them open, circling all around his eyelid to his waterline, stinging the back of his brain, making him cough all of a sudden. As quickly as he had opened them, Ralph closed his eyes.

There was a click and the light in the room disappeared, a flashlight being turned off. People began to speak, voices coming from every corner of the room, but the closest one seemed to be right above him, hovering over his body. Another click and he was squinting his eyes shut, only for a hand to come down over his face and pull the left one back open.

'Look for the light.' The man above him repeated, holding it a considerable distance away after the previous reaction. He could make out a silhouette behind the overwhelming brightness, opting to stare at it instead, attempting to make out facial features or a nametag perchance. The man didn't like that. 'Follow it.'

The flashlight moved to the left, no longer covering his face. Ralph made out the nametag "Mariott." They stared at each other for a moment, the doctor pissed off, Ralph confused, everyone else in the room pliant and anticipating.

Then, Ralph reached up and scratched the guy right down the face, diagonal across his cheek due to horrible estimation and eyesight, and there was an abrupt need for the guns and guards in the room.

'Agh, for fuck's sake!' Doctor Marriott yelled, staggering away from him and bringing a hand up to cradle his injury, blood beginning to spill already.

For a second, it sounded, and felt like, the guards were going to find a use for the heavy-duty guns they were cradling. Someone bashed their gun against Ralph's head, and another in the far corner was jostling his helmet, as if nodding in agreement.

'What the hell are you screaming for?' Marlene's voice followed the sound of the door swinging open. She went silent as she spotted the state of the doctor across from her, eyes glossing over the three stripes of broken skin, and then began to whisper, something that Ralph didn't care enough to listen out for.

The gun against his head pulled away, and someone had a hand on his shoulder, pushing him to sit up. When he was upright, he began to cough again, chest tight with a reason Marlene was about to explain.

'You woke up in the elevator. We had to douse you before you did something you might regret.' She stared at his irritated, watery eyes, still clamped shut in pain, and then pulled a small, black bottle from her pocket. As if he could see it. 'Pepper spray. Sorry.'

'Doctors also say you've got a pretty massive concussion.' She continued, slipping the bottle into her back pocket and crossing her arms over her chest. 'Don't worry about the others, the girls are fine. Joel got a few scratches, but he can manage.'

'Where are they?' Ralph didn't recognize his own voice. It was all strained and pained and hoarse, throat drier than a desert. He cleared his throat, only for it to burn further, proving to be rather useless.

'I wanted to thank you, Ralph.' Marlene continued, not dignifying him with a response, glossing over it like that question didn't take half of the energy in his body to muster up. Not the kind of way he thought she would treat an old friend. 'You didn't have to come all the way out here. You didn't have to risk your life, or Lou's for that matter. But, you did. And we all appreciate that. I lost half my crew crossing the country, but you and Joel... You got all the way out here by yourselves. Two kids by your sides and everything.'

Marlene stepped forward, placing her thumbs on either side of her jeans, through the belt loops. 'You know, you two are the only people I never wanted to be in debt to. But, I owe you. The both of you. We all do.'

'Take me to him.' Ralph grumbled, rubbing fiercely at his eyes to try and rid them of their aching.

'I can't. He's not up yet.'

'Take me to the girls, then.'

'I can't do that either. Ellie's... She's being prepped for surgery.' Ralph's head snapped up, still unable to see, but staring in the direction of where he thought Marlene was standing. 'I came here to ask something of you, Ralph. And, I don't want you to speak until I'm done. Alright?'

Slowly, minutely, he nodded, dropping his head and looking at the floor.

'Our doctor thinks that the Cordyceps in Ellie has grown since birth. It produces a chemical messenger. It makes normal Cordyceps think she's Cordyceps, that's why she's immune. He's gonna remove it from her, multiply the cells in a lab, produce those chemical messengers and then we can give it to everyone. He thinks it could be a cure.'

Marlene paused, and her boots dragged along the floor again, coming closer. The bed dipped on the right of Ralph, a hand coming up to hold his shoulder loosely, comfortingly.

As if Ralph's heart wasn't already sinking at the thought of Ellie in surgery, doctors picking apart her brain, Marlene somehow made it worse.

'We did a scan. There's a corner of her brain that is completely Infected, the corner we're going to use. Removing it would be fatal, but.' She came to a halt again, rubbing his back and lowering her voice.

'The doctor thinks that, with enough research, enough time, and effort, we could replace it. With Lou's.'

She could feel his breath hitch in his chest, his mind coming to a halt at her proposal. He didn't think. He was shaking his head before his brain could reboot and properly compute it. He placed his palm across his eyes, holding it there and leaning forward.

'It would save the world, Ralph. We could keep Ellie alive, run more experiments, she would save the world-'

'I'm not letting you kill my daughter, you fucking psychopath.' He snapped at her, patience wearing thin, voice hostile and shaky. The hand that covered his face was trembling as well, rubbing his index and thumb over his irritated eyes one final time. He blinked and stared through the glass ahead of him, at the guards in the corners, eyes squinted but still open, an improvement.

Marlene shifted towards him, prepared for the tears to fall. 'It's a big thing to ask of you. It's a big decision to make, Ralph, I know. But, think about-'

'You...' Ralph began slowly, palms dragging down his face and sighing. He looked at his boots, fingers intertwined, nails digging crescents into the backs of either of his hands. 'You. You fucking...'

His hand raised suddenly and sharply, shoving Marlene off of him and holding her like that as he scowled at her.

'You fucking separate me from everyone.' He listed the events off on his finger as he spoke, hands still trembling. 'You pepper spray me. You take Ellie away, tell me you're gonna kill her. And now you wanna make Lou go with her?'

Marlene sighed through her nose, tilting her head downwards slowly. Although her calm demeanor, Marlene shifted towards the headboard, watching him intently.

If anyone knew what he was capable of, it was the woman who hired him based on those capabilities. 'Ralph. It's not like that. You know that it's not like-'

'Don't tell me what I know.' He pointed at her, head shaking subtly. He stayed like that for a moment, trembling, jaw clenched. His hand twitched, and she thought for a moment that he was actually going to do something. Hastily, Marlene addressed one of the guards, the one closest to the door.

'Uh, bring him to the break room. Get him some water. He can say his goodbyes once Joel wakes up. After that, we got a FEDRA exec for you up in Delaware, Ralph.'

'Are you gonna hurt her?' He asked. Marlene didn't know which one he was talking about, didn't know how to respond to him because either way, neither of the girls were coming out of this unscathed.

That was when it clicked.

'Don't you dare.' He raised his voice, getting to his feet and shaking his head. The man at the door was heading towards him now, placing his hands on Ralph's shoulders and shoving him towards the door.

It was very quickly escalated. A controlled raise in voice soon turned to frantic screaming, kicking and scratching as a second guard began to assist the first. A gun thumped against the back of his skull, but Ralph didn't care. He was more concerned about Marlene hearing every single syllable he was yelling, every curse word that left his lips and he seemed barely phased by the strength of two fully grown men against him.

'Don't you dare fucking touch her! If you go near her, I'll fucking skin you alive, you stupid fucking cunt! Don't even fucking think about it, Marlene! I'll kill you, you hear me!? I'll fucking kill you!'

Marlene knew that those weren't threats.

Those were promises.

...

RALPH DIDN'T MOVE. He sat at the table, accepted the mug of water, took one sip from it and at the very start of this encounter and didn't make such a move again.

He was completely still, blinking every half minute, staring blankly at the same spot in the polished hardwood that he was resting his elbows on. He wasn't thinking. He didn't look like he was thinking.

He looked completely at peace, in fact. Relaxed, calm, almost as if he was about to drift off to sleep, like he was alright with his circumstances. Meanwhile, the guards gathered around the sink following him biting one of their earlobes off during the fight to get him here.

On an exhale, Ralph blinked, right hand clenched around the handle of the mug in his hand. It was handpainted by a child, not a fine work of art by any means, but a masterpiece in a sentimental way. A Father's Day mug, made by a little girl with messy handwriting. She had signed it towards the bottom. Her name began with an 'A' and ended with a 'Y.'

Amy? Aly? Abby? Avery? Audrey? He didn't know. He was fond of those names, though.

But, he thought that, of all the names in the world, Louise was certainly his favorite- The best, he would argue. He remembered that feeling, the one of naming her. It was such a big responsibility, a big decision to make all alone. Eventually, he felt as though he had made the right choice. The chubby little baby girl that was once snoring in his arms was definitely a Louise. And the beautiful young woman he had raised was still definitely a Louise.

In a way, he was in that sort of predicament again- A big responsibility, A big decision, all alone. Except this time, he had to figure out whether or not to kill the baby that used to sleep for hours on end, the young woman who believed he had hung the moon and stars. A bit of a contrast from naming her.

'Hey, he better be able to live without that earlobe, man.' Guard Number One stomped over to Ralph, standing at his side and glaring down at him. The sitting man doesn't flinch, let alone look to watch him get closer. 'He's got a kid, y'know.'

'I have one too.' He blinked in a third of a second this time, staring a hole into the smooth, polished mahogany. 'You freaks want to kill her.'

'It'll save the word, dickhole. Don't be greedy.' He shoved Ralph on the shoulder. The older man returned to his slow blinking, hand shifting as it held the mug tightly. The man began to get irritated, not getting the reaction he wanted from the guy. 'Hey, you hear me? Your hearing gone, old man?'

It gets a rise from Ralph, the slightest flare of nostrils. He gives another shove to the shoulder. 'Y'know, you really aren't the hot shit that you think you are.'

Another. 'I could do half the shit that you could with my eyes closed. Just a weak old man, really.'

Another. 'I wouldn't be sad if they killed your girl. At least she won't have a coward, weakling, dissappointment for a dad anymore.'

Shards of pottery scattered across the tile as Ralph shot to his feet and bashed the mug against the man's forehead, knocking him clean off his feet, falling onto a plethora of white-painted pieces and groaning as they pierced skin.

The one at the sink gasped, jaw dropped as he held a wet napkin to his ear. After a moment of complete shock, when Ralph began to walk towards him was when he reached for the holster on his leg. He attempted to wriggle his gun free, struggling with the awkward angle.

He didn't get it freed in time, instead he resorted to stretching his arms out in front of him and attempting to fight Ralph off. It was a fatal attempt. Ralph caught him in an armbar and drove the handle right through the front of his neck, piercing his throat. Blood spilled immediately, lots of it.

Guard Number Two sputtered and gasped, clawing desperately in front of him to try and get back at Ralph in one way or another. Ralph cupped his hand, wrapping deft fingers around the piece of ceramic and pulling it out of him in one large movement, arm swinging back over his shoulder only for him to drive it forward again.

Eventually, he slumped against the cabinets. He was dead, so Ralph hoped. He wouldn't be fully against turning around and finishing the job, but he had better things in mind right now.

Heading back to Guard Number One, he crouched over the corpse and made himself at home digging through pockets and plucking guns. It was clear this guy was higher up than the other. He had a nicer uniform, better equipment. He was someone that Marlene trusted. Trusted more than Ralph, at least. He was never offered an AK47.

Static rang out from the far side of the guard's body. Intrigued, he seized the man by the belt and rolled him over, locating the source of the sound. A walkie-talkie stuffed into his back pocket. Sneaky bastard.

And then, speaking of the Devil, he heard Marlene's godforsaken voice, talking to him. Talking down to him. Like he was inferior. Incapable of his own choices.

'Ralph. You don't have to do this.' She said monotonously, never a comforting lilt in her voice unless it was for herself and herself only. 'It doesn't have to be like this.'

Ralph reached forward, dug it from the guard's pocket, and pressed down on the bright red button. Static rang out momentarily, as it had for her side of things, and he raised the device to his lips.

'I quit.'

...

NOTES!
while k*ng ch*rles was being coronated i was playing roblox
total drama and i feel like you should all know that