Killing, to not be killed

Simon didn't even look after her anymore, but ran straight to the bed.

'Jeff, my god,' was all he said.

Jeff had woken up again almost immediately, whether or not he had a haze in front of his eyes. 'Stay away from the knife,' he said, his voice shaking.

As much as he wanted to respect the wishes of his new friend and currently patient, in this case he knew from experience that it was best not to. He had already devised a plan. On the floor, out of Jeff's sight, he had placed a white cloth. On the striped pattern was still a red smudge, from when he had had a nosebleed.

'I'm not doing anything with it, just checking to see if she poisoned the blade,' he lied.

Three, two, one, he counted down in his head. Then all at once he pulled the knife out of Jeff, who roared out. For a moment he doubted that he had done the right thing, he wasn't a fucking nurse after all, but he figured that doubting now was probably the last thing Jeff needed right now.

While Jeff was still screaming his lungs out, if they weren't already, Simon threw away the sheet, pulled up Jeff's sweater and pressed the cloth against the wound. He just hoped it was actually against the wound, because there was so much blood on Jeff now that it was almost indistinguishable.

Jeff bit his teeth, looking at him. He expected him to scold him, but the opposite was true. 'Thanks,' he said, puffing it out.

Simon looked wistfully at his friend. 'Don't say anything, you need the energy.'

He picked up a second piece of cloth. 'Hold this one up to it along with the other, I'll get bandages.' Jeff, no matter how much effort it took him, did as he was asked. Simon walked over to one of the cupboards in his cabin and took out a large red box. A moment later he walked back to the bed, with a large roll of bandages in his arms.

He put it around the man, which was a hell of a job, and then laid him back down on the bed. 'I suggest you go to sleep, now.'

For a moment it seemed that Jeff was doing as he was asked, but after a few seconds his eyes shot back open. 'No, I need to get out of here.'

Simon's eyebrows shot up. 'What do you mean, "away"? Where do you want to go?

'I have to have my own cabin, one I can lock. You're very kind, but I'm not safe like this. And neither are you, for that matter. For all we know she'd have stabbed you too, we'd be a lot further from home now,' Jeff said.

'But where do you want to go then?" repeated Simon. All the huts are taken, you're not the only one without a hut, it's so crowded here.

'Even if I have to die for it, I'm going to get me my own cabin.' Jeff rolled to the side, causing him to fall off the bed. He groaned. 'Give me a knife.'

'No way, what are you going to do with that?" asked Simon mockingly.

'Kill the owner of one of the cabins next to you. Which one do you like the least?" asked Jeff. He grimaced in pain.

'I... I don't know either of them that well, honestly. But look how you are about it, how would you like to kill someone like that?' asked Simon.

'I got that one woman to the ground too, after all, that brawler of yours. Then I can do this too.'

Simon crossed his arms. 'No, I'm responsible for you, and there's no way I'm going to let you fight in this state.'

'Simon,' Jeff said solemnly as he looked at him from the ground. 'I'm a grown man, with a grown brain, and I make grown-up choices, so give me a knife now, and we'll be neighbors.'

Simon totally disagreed, but didn't elaborate any further. 'I'd go for the right, who usually sleeps early. At least then you'll have some chance,' he said, handing him a small stabbing knife. It had beautiful engravings in the handle; it had still belonged to his grandfather. Jeff whistled as he looked at it. 'Nice knife,' he said.

'I know, now go. I'll see you later,' Simon replied.

'Or not, you never know,' Jeff said, grinning.

'Or not, indeed,' Simon confirmed softly. He helped Jeff get up, which of course he did only with difficulty.

Once he was in the hallway, Simon quickly pulled the door shut. He had briefly hoped that his new friend would come to help him kill his sleeping neighbor, but apparently the powerhouse didn't dare. Let's just do it alone, he thought with a shrug.

First he stood puffing out a quarter of an hour. The knife had clearly missed his vitals, but still it hurt ridiculously. Then he walked to the door. For a moment he was afraid the door would be locked, but apparently Simon's neighbor was not so savvy. With a click, the lock opened.

Apparently the man had woken up to the latch opening, because he was looking at him from his bed. Jeff was startled, now what? In an instinct he threw his knife at the man: hit. But not in the way he had hoped, the knife still vibrated in his shoulder.

Stiffly he walked towards the now screaming man.

'I'm sorry, sir.' He strangled him, which was a long and arduous process. At one point the man remained still: he was dead. Suddenly everything overwhelmed him. What was he doing? Crying, he lay against the man for a moment. Then suddenly he heard rumbling behind him. The whole train had obviously heard the man's roar. For a moment he cursed him, but then he realized that he was the one who had strangled the other, so who was he to curse a dead man?

He turned around, and in the doorway stood Simon. Behind him loomed several more faces. So the whole train had really heard him.

'At least they all know now that this is your cabin,' Simon said seriously. No one laughed.