[color=silver][center][h2][color=0099aa]𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭[/color][/h2]
__________________________________________________[/center]

Come morning, Duncan didn't [i]wake up [/i]so much as he just pushed himself to sit, waiting for the others around him to stir. To wake up would, after all, have implied he actually slept. 

He did [i]pretend [/i]to, whenever Haruko woke and checked up on him, but his heart beat a million times a minute and his mind was too busy coming up with increasingly innovative and gory ways for the abandoned students to meet their ends to leave much room for counting sheep. To make matters worse, Duncan's body didn't exactly feel exhausted. He felt [i]fine[/i]; better than he had in a while, and way better than he should have, considering the circumstances. There wasn't even a scar left behind to remind him of what had happened, and Duncan was sure he could have taken whatever the monsters from tonight could have dished out, too. Hell, if anyone could, it was him. [i]He [/i]should have been out there fighting! 

So what the fuck was he doing [i]here?[/i]

[i]"Protecting the others"[/i] was the answer he came to, time and time again. But no matter how genuine the sentiment was, with no actual threat in sight, it felt hollow. Maybe that was why, in the darkness of the night, every sound around him transformed into a potential threat; every time someone snored, every time a stomach growled, every time someone thrashed in the grip of a nightmare, Duncan's body tensed as if preparing for a fight.

A fight that never came. 

With dawn came the realization that his vigilance hadn't been worth shit. The group had needed no protection, had ran into no threat. It didn't matter whether he was here or not - but him staying behind could have made a difference. 

But it could've also meant his friends stayed behind with him, and then they could have died instead, Duncan tried to tell himself. Better some classmates he hardly knew than-- no, fuck, that was messed up. Who said anyone had died, anyway? Maybe it didn't matter where he was. Maybe they were fine either way. 

... He needed a smoke. Again. He was running out of cigs just as fast as he was running out of excuses not to turn back and check up on the others.

So when Masato voiced that option as a possibility, Duncan raised his gaze almost too quickly, his tired face scrunching into a scowl. [color=0099aa]"I'll go."[/color]

He stood up, and though his body wasn't bothered by the sudden motion, his head was a different story. His mind felt foggy and heavy from lack of sleep, and he could feel a headache blooming in his temple. He was hungry again - [i]starved[/i], and withdrawal was making him both anxious and irritable. He wanted to run, or maybe punch something. Both. He wanted to do both.

[color=0099aa]"[i]Alone,[/i] I mean,"[/color] he stressed, glancing at Daisuke and Haruko in particular. Mostly because Maki wouldn't listen to him anyway, but he [i]could [/i]outrun her if she tried to come with. [color=0099aa]"No point dragging everyone into danger, in case something's still lurking back there. Got better chances getting out alone, anyway."[/color]

Duncan wasn't sure that was true, but he sure as hell wanted the others to believe it. This time, he did glance at Maki, grinning. [color=0099aa]"I got a [i]cheat ability[/i], remember? You guys stay together, don't stray too far if you go for food and water. Stick with the [i]prez[/i], sure [i]he'll[/i] keep you safe."[/color]

He gestured at Masato, an unintentional sneer lingering in his tone. He knew the guy was now one of the strongest ones among them, and the only other one [i]like him[/i] among the people present, but he [i]was [/i]also still a total nerd, and that fact was difficult to forget. Dude was really good at organization and giving speeches, but he didn't exactly strike Duncan as someone he'd rely on in a fight. Hopefully, there'd be no need to while he was gone. If nothing else, he could definitely rely on the guy to try and keep things in order. Whether people like Duncan and Daisuke would listen was another story.
[/color]