They’re all dead and I don’t know what to do…The monster’s still out there looking for me and I’m the only one left….If I make it to the door….maybe, just maybe everything will go back to the way they were…
The pages of the blue journal were tear stained as I flicked through. “I…Italy….You poor boy…”
“Prussia, what’re you reading?” The bitter Englishman’s voice came from across the room. With his eyesight gone, his hearing must have improved to hear me turning the pages.
“Italy’s journal…you know the blue book he was carrying everywhere? It was his journal of all the things happening in the house…” My voice caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe how strong my little Italian friend had been. To watch all of his friends dying, one by one…
“Read it to me…”
I did a double take. “Wh-What?”
“You heard me…I can’t very well read it myself now can I. So read it to me.”
I hesitated. It was hard enough to read it internally, never mind to read it out loud to another. But I knew I couldn’t keep all of this to myself. It was too much of a burden to bear. Preparing myself for the worst, I turned over the next page.
I did it! I made it to the door! The thing came out after me when I got to the gate but I was already out. He couldn’t catch me anymore. Before I left, I made him turn back time. I made him a deal you see. He only wanted to get me so he could get all of us, but I got out so I won. So if he gets me first, he wins. But if I get everyone out alive, we win. We’ve only just got into the house again, but this time I’m not going to let anyone die! Si, I will be brave and help them fight so nobody has to die.
As I turned the next page, I was surprised to find droplets of blood smeared across the pages.
I made mistakes again. I think I’m dying…I got away from the Thing but… I hope they don’t find me here. I hope they just forget all about me like they did with the others. As long as they get out alive, I don’t care anymore.
I carried on reading, my voice hitching involuntarily and glad that England couldn’t see me. I could feel the warm tears falling down my cheeks as the emotions pouring from the journal fell into me. I finally understood why Italy had been acting weird all this time. He wanted us all to get out of this mansion alive, including himself. He was sick of sacrificing himself for others, just to see them die over and over again. I remember feeling betrayed and ashamed when Holy Rome disappeared and turned into Germany, my little brother. My little brother who was out there with the others, fighting to get us all out of this mess.
I closed the book with a snap. No, this wasn’t right. I knew England and Italy needed to be protected but…this wasn’t the way to do it. “England, I’m going to find them.” I stood and headed to the door. “Look after him for me. I don’t know what I’d do if I found he was dead…”
“Prussia, don’t leave, you don’t know what’s out there!”
“Neither do they Gott verdammt! Don’t you understand! If any one of us dies, everything Italy has done for us was done in vane! I have to help him!”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than everyone flooded into the room, Spain being carried by France and Romano.
“Damn it Spagna, I told you not to push yourself so much!” They placed my old friend onto one of the beds and I was instantly by his side.
“What happened?” His tanned skin was marred with cuts and bruises. His eyes were unfocused and it was then I noticed the amount of blood spilling onto the sheets.
“It was nothing mi amigo, just a little scratch…” His voice was wavering and weak. We didn’t have much time.
“You idiot Spain. I don’t even have the power to heal you…” England’s voice was dripping with bitterness.
“We can use the sheets. Tare them in the strips and I’ll try and stop the bleeding.” No one moved. “HURRY UP!” There was a flurry of activity around us as one of the beds was stripped down and the sheets turned into bandages. France and I hurried to the task of stopping the bleeding as much as we could, but there was only so much we could do.
“Spagna, you can’t leave me now. We have to save mio fratello and get out of this house. You can’t leave me!”
“It’ll be okay Romano, I’ll just rest and I’ll be fine in the morning, te lo Prometo.” His eyes drifted closed weakly as he drifted into a deep sleep. Checking his pulse, as weak as it was, he was still alive. If only just.
Knowing there was nothing more that could be done for him; I stood and faced the others.
“No one is leaving this room.” They all stared back in silence. “Do you hear me? No one else leaves this room! No one else is getting hurt!” There was another uncomfortable silence as I glared at them all. They all looked so tired. We were all worn out, but none of us had seen it. We were all too close to the action that we didn’t see each other getting worse and worse. It wasn’t the monsters getting stronger, it was us getting weaker.
“If anyone leaves this room before we are all back to full strength, I will drag you back here myself.” I looked at each person before me in the eye. “We’re all too tired to fight anymore. We ALL need rest. Look what happened to Italy. He hasn’t stopped for months and now he won’t wake up. We should be following his example and resting while we can! This room is safe! Why are we going out there and killing ourselves more and more every day when we can wait here and get stronger!
“I know I’m not a nation anymore, but none of us are in here. We are all mortal. We can all die, but we can also all live.” It finally started to show on faces that what I was saying was true. They could all feel how tired they were and how much they needed rest. “Please, even for a few days. Just rest….Let us all rest.” I sank to the floor, the journal falling to the floor. I’d forgotten I was even still holding it. As I fell to my knees, I felt all the emotions I’d been holding in for how long I’ll never know, start pouring out of me in choked sobs. I felt the arms of my fellow nations hold me as they too felt what I had. We weren’t going to die here. Not now, not ever. Even if it meant waiting till we were stronger, we were all going to get out alive.
