I Don’t Want to Die

My face pressed against cold stone, each breath sending daggers through my ribs. Every-fucking-thing hurt.

Shit... I tried pushing myself up, but jagged rocks bit into my palms. My arms trembled, threatening to give out.

Come on stupid body...

After what felt like hours, I managed to prop myself up on shaking arms.

Dark. So fucking dark I could barely see three feet in front of me.

I forced myself to stand, legs wobbling. One hand found rough wall beside me, using it to keep from falling over as I started limping forward.

How the hell was I even alive? That fall should've killed me instantly.

My fingers gripped the edge of my jacket sleeve - Inorin's jacket. 

"Were you watching out for me, you drunk? Bet you'd laugh seeing me now, huh?"

The silence that answered made my chest ache worse than my injuries.

Focus. I had to find Peng. That useless penguin had to be around here somewhere. Maybe it could cough up a ladder or something. Though, I still had no clue how its powers worked.

"Peng!"

Nothing. Just dripping water and the sound of my own ragged breathing.

My foot then knocked against something that rolled with a hollow clatter. Finally! That stupid penguin was probably playing dead again.

"There you are, you little-"

My fingers brushed against something smooth and rounded. Wrong texture. Way wrong texture. I traced the curved surface, finding empty eye sockets and a straight row of teeth.

"FUCK!" I flung the skull away. It bounced and rolled with a sickening sound until it hit something in the darkness with a gentle thump.

That something twitched.

Red eyes snapped open, dozens of them clustered together, all fixing at me at once. The creature's segmented body pulsed with an eerie crimson glow that illuminated more behind it. More eyes began blinking open, lighting up the darkness.

Shit shit shit.

My legs turned to jelly as I stumbled backward. An entire nest of Black Legs, and I just had to wake them all up.

A chittering sound started, quiet at first but growing as more joined in.

"Shit shit SHIT!"

I tried to run but my body betrayed me, legs still weak from the fall. The best I could manage was an awkward stumble-limp as I pressed against the wall, trying to put as much distance as possible between me and those glowing eyes.

The chittering grew louder, echoing off the walls until it felt like it was coming from everywhere once. My fingers scraped desperately along rough stone as I moved, searching for any kind of escape.

There! A narrow crack in the wall, barely wide enough to squeeze through.

I pressed my back against the gap, measuring it with my shoulders. Way too narrow for those things to fit through. Probably. Hopefully.

Alright, you can do this Kuroha.

I exhaled hard, ignoring the stabbing pain, and started wiggling sideways into the crack. The rough stone scraped against my chest and back, threatening to trap me if I breathed wrong. Even Fang's gravity circles hadn't felt this crushing.

Something chittered right behind me. Shit shit shit. I forced myself deeper into the gap, feeling the stone bite into my skin through my clothes.

Just a little more... almost-

Teeth clamped onto my left arm.

"FUCK!" I thrashed, trying to yank free, but the Black Leg's jaw caught. Its glowing red eyes stared at me through the gap as it started pulling.

My vision went white with pain. I could feel the teeth sawing through muscle and grinding against bone.

It's not letting go It's not letting go it's not letting go-

Panic clawed up my throat. I had to choose: my arm or my life.

"ARGH!"

I jerked backward with everything I had. Something tore. The world exploded into agony as my left arm separated below the elbow.

I stumbled away from the gap, clutching my bleeding arm to my chest. The chittering grew frantic on the other side as the Black Legs started scuttling away, probably searching for another way around.

Blood poured as I fumbled with the jacket. Everything spun, making it hard to focus on the simple task of tying it.

I pressed my back against the wall and slid down, legs giving out. I tried one more time to wrap the jacket around what remained of my arm.

Don't think about it. Don't look at it. Just tie the knot.

Finally, the makeshift cast held. I let out a shaky breath that turned into a sob.

"Inorin.. Where are you? You always show up when I need you..."

But she wasn't coming. Just like that night two years ago when she disappeared.

Peng... I need to find Peng.

The thought of that penguin gave me something to focus on besides the throbbing pain and growing lightheadedness. But what if...what if it had been back there with the Black Legs?

"No no no..." My breathing turned ragged. The thought of never seeing Peng again filled my head.

I already lost Inorin. I couldn't lose that stupid penguin too. Even if all it did was roll around and make dumb faces, it's one of the few friends I have left in this fucked up world.

The chittering echoed in the distance, making me press harder against the wall. How long until they found another way through? How much blood had I already lost?

I don't want to die down here.

That's when a soft melody drifted through the darkness from somewhere ahead. The notes of a music box.