Sinking into the Depths

"Let go of me."

The hollow face snapped around, burning eyes glinting.

Tearing loose, he dug the blunt ends of disjointed fingers into fabric and soft skin, so easy to— And shoved, lurching back, breathing hard. "What did you do to them? Where are they?"

The stranger stumbled back, shadows lunging forward. "What—?"

A low rumble vibrated in his chest, twitching them back, and he let it in spite of the sick twist in his stomach, baring his teeth. "Tell me."

Eyes stared at him, hands lifting slowly, fingers too long, a fluttering pulse in its pale, bobbing throat. "Dray. Stop it. It's me."

The voice wasn't right, either. Too tight. He backed away "No it's not. You thought I wouldn't realise I got picked up by a squad just because you can play back voices?"

"Dray?" A quavering voice that sounded just like his little brother came from the shadows, in a scared tone they knew would get to him.

He refused to hesitate, keeping them all in view, his shuffling footsteps echoing softly. "Stop messing with me. You're trying to take me away."

"We're not—"

"I'm not a therrolf," he snarled, a burning thorn stabbing down into his shoulder and up through his jaw, pricking at his gums like fangs. Veins pulsing just under the skin— "You won't take me. I'm not going."

He lurched back, whirling and clamping his jaw shut to the scent of blood and soft skin. Needed to get away. Just get away. Before they caught him. Before he did something he'd regret—

Something snagged the back of his collar and yanked before he could twist, hurling him into a rough wall. Sparks flared through his vision, knifing down into his neck, and he gasped raggedly, clattering and shouts crashing through his skull. Nngh—

Fingers snatched for him like a striking spider.

"No!" He lashed out, jaw clicking shut on air instead of softness and the tang of bright warmth burning through every vein—

"Shihk!"

No wait— He twitched back, panting, a heartbeat that wasn't his pounding in his ears and a pale throat flexing, hand hovering. And he felt— he felt—

Just under the skin, close enough to—

"No!" He scrambled back instead of snapping forward and shook his head violently as the clawing fingers slowly reached out again, clenching his jaw, his gums burning, a fierce ache shoving at his eyeteeth. "Stop— please—"

A shudder froze him in his tracks, his mouth opening in spite of himself, and he choked, his stomach lurching. A creature with jaws opening wide, fangs sliding out—

A dark, beaded droplet—like ink, like black veins spiralling out of twin punctures on his shoulder—pattered onto his trembling hand.

He twisted into the wall and vomited, hard.

No no no, this wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. He caught half a sobbing breath and seized up again, wringing out bile and streaks of black through a mouth he couldn't close, hitch-retching desperately past teeth that ached to sink in through thin skin. Everything in him ached.

"Sluhking Ley," Stov's voice rasped, and the smell of skin and warmth—

He bit down on his own arm, a jagged, wretched sob muffled in his sleeve, his stomach cramping again. Shaking hard enough to rattle his bones, he clawed at his skull, a ringing whimper deafening him. This wasn't—

It escaped....

His own teeth clenched in his sleeve painfully tight, muffling sobs he couldn't jrahking stop as he clutched his trembling hand against the tears pouring down his face.

"Shihk, Dray...."

"What's wrong with me?!" He dug both hands into his face, a hoarse, hiccuping cry shuddering out of his chest.

No one answered him. They already knew. They all knew, because he... because he was.... "I'm turning into a monster. I'm— I'm—"

"Hey." A touch on the back of his shoulder dragged a raw sob from his throat. If only it was Stov. Had they found him? Even if— if they had—

I just— Oh Light no please I almost—

"Please, don't— I don't want to—" He curled in, clenching his throbbing teeth and hitching a jagged keen anyway. "I-I'm— please, please, no. I don't want to be a— a therrolf. I don't— please—"

"You're not. You won't be a monster. Thyres are people. You know that."

"No." He snarled through gritted teeth, and nausea twisted painfully at his gut again, a sob of a retch seizing him. For a moment he couldn't even breathe, barely hacking enough air into his lungs to spit out, "I would've— bitten you. They were— were right. I'm— they should've kept me. You would've— would've been safe."

If only the hand would leave, but he couldn't shake it off, too tight, too warm. Every muscle felt limp and watery. He couldn't stop shaking, sobbing raggedly into the dingy wall, choking on his own bile and the stink of vomit. "Stay— stay away from m-me."

"Just calm down. You're panicking. That's making things worse."

"It's under my skin." He shook with something ragged and raw and feral. "You don't know— I— I wanted to taste your blood. You look like— like the sluhking bird on the jrahked windowsill and I—"

The hand tightened as he hunched in on himself, retching out a bitter mouthful of bile and shuddering against the stone, wrapping arms around his aching middle, tears stinging his burning eyes. Should've locked him up, should've thrown him into a locked cell. If only he hadn’t gotten away. He was....

Dangerous. Do not approach.

A whimper hitched into a hiccuping sob. There wasn't much left. Not much left of himself, anymore. And he couldn't stop it.

"Go away—" Dray ripped loose, lurching away from them. Ghosts of people he should know. Familiar faces that didn’t look right. "Get the sluhk away from me!"

"Dray—"

A tall shadow lunged for him, and the snarl that rang off the walls wasn't human, shaking his chest, twisting his aching stomach. Weren’t safe.

He turned and ran.

"You jrahking idiot— Just—!"

Pounding echoes thudded through his head. If he could get away quick enough then they wouldn't catch him. Had to get away. Just had to get away. Before they hurt him. Before he hurt them.

A shout rang after him, his name echoing. Draykan Mellcorner: dangerous, do not approach.

A jagged sound shook him. Had to keep running. The blurs of dark shapes stretched ceiling to floor, writhing all around him with leering mouths and empty eye-holes, flinching back from a pale light he couldn't escape. They wouldn't catch him. His hand slapped at his MIP, plunging the clawing talons and flickering faces into darkness.

Darkness prowled on his heels, lurking around every corner as he bumped against cold walls and tripped on strange ridges, breath rasping in his ears, whimpering.

Its soft clicking rumbled after him, shaky whispers hissing through the dimness. Just had to make it out. He'd gotten turned around somewhere, but he'd get out. He had to. Had to make it somewhere safe. Had to make it back home.

Where... where is home. He stumbled through the dark, the landmarks all wrong, his hands digging at pasty skin, thick fleshy thorns obscuring his vision. Was home safe? Something... something was wrong.

Where'd they take me? Ruins.... Down into Hahll. Down, down, down.... Too deep to find his way out.

Too deep in the dark, lost for wars, so long that he’d forgotten what the light looked like and couldn’t find them. Couldn’t find their voices anymore.

They weren't... there. No matter how much he reached out, all he ever touched was hard stone, their bodies stiff and cold. His own breathing rasped too quick in his ears, swallowing hard against sour bile. Dead, dead. No, they couldn't be dead. Where were their faces? There wasn't anything....

Had he lost the force? He could hear voices. Sounded like... like his friends, maybe. His family. Had to be there somewhere. He’d gotten separated but he could still find them. Had to find them....

"Come on...."

He staggered after the echoes, creeping through dark, twisting shapes that whispered at him. Felt... felt sick. His stomach ached.

"Dray...."

I'm coming. There was a faint glow in the distance, strange ringing sounds he couldn't understand bouncing past faint silhouettes prowling in the dark, glimmering walls. Wait. Wait for me.

"Follow...."

Figures flitted out into the open under a distant, pale sky, shattering bright puddles covering slick bricks, ducking into ruined pathways. He followed, reeling against crumbling walls with arms wrapped around his middle, longing to call out but— but— No, couldn't. It might not come out right.

His foot caught on a jagged root, and he fell with a choked grunt, pain cracking through his hands. Fluttering shapes disappeared ahead, a roar in his ears.

"Please...." he gasped out, and the damp stone soaked the backs of his hands. Why wouldn't they—

He jammed a hand in his mouth, hunching against a trembling, jagged sound trying to claw up his throat. A hiccup shook him instead, cold wet slipping across his skin, salty. "Please...."

Warmth touched his shoulders, and he twitched, dragging in a breath, looking up to see gentle eyes smiling down at him.

"There you are."