Succumb

They'd gone. Why had they gone? There was something... something so wrong about this.

"Please...."

The empty wind ruffled his ears, the silent shadows watching him and an eerie, distant note his only company. Had they... ever been there?

"Please. Dad...." He ground his teeth, huffing for breath. "Er-Erold...."

A whine threatened to drag up in pitch, and he choked it in his sleeve, twitching away from the vines creeping down over his shoulder and trying to twine around him. Couldn't alert the hunters. They'd hear. Needed to find the others before it was too late. They didn't know.

Maybe... left me here to get caught. No, wouldn't do that. Eyah, Stov had dragged him out of a hospital. Wouldn't leave him. Even if... if he'd....

It got away, escaped....

Had... had he escaped from the hospital? Or had he been down here, for so long... so long....

He swallowed hard, staggering in and out of a delicate cold light filtering through leaves choking jagged holes. Couldn’t... couldn’t remember right. Walking down endless caves, and a dream of rooms and faces that didn’t fit right....

“Dray!”

A piping little voice, and arms clamped around him like a vice.... Should remember... what the room looked like, what she looked like, but the happy cry melted into a scream, melding with the dark, dripping stones.

I'm going crazy. A shaky laugh echoed off strange faces watching him from the walls with dead eyes, vines creeping across their skin, and he scrubbed at the side of his head with a trembling hand. Didn't need a hospital, needed a mental clinic. Needed someone to tell him what was real.

Please tell me....

Shadows shifted in the edges of his vision, tines and pointed ears vanishing when his eyes twitched towards them. Could feel them prowling around the corners....

"Over here...."

Another soft call echoed above quick footsteps on the mould stretched thin over rotting floors.

He squeezed his eyes shut against a stab of pain clenching down through the crook of his neck and stiffening his spine. A shuddering breath escaped him, hitching, and he ground his teeth. It burned. Under his skin, clawing around his chest. No. Shut up. Shut up.

Darkness surrounded him, everywhere, crawling through vines, under dark stairs lit by glowing threads, glinting eyes never there when he looked. Wasn't real. That wasn't real.

What was real?

A light drifted through the shadowy crowd of ugly, leering faces, a figure he knew. Was that Dad? All he wanted was just to— He shook his head, chattering voices like birds ringing through his ears, smooth-putty skin and thick lips on tiny mouths rippling, beady animal eyes turning in waves to watch him, smothering.

Don't look at me. He dug his hands into his face, stumbling after a glowing ghost—distant eyes that shone. Leave me alone.

They reached out with clawing vines, whispering his name, whispering words he couldn't make out. Their hands looked wrong. Thin, spidery. Too sharp. Too long. Too... too many.

"Stay away from me."

"Where are you going?" Dark mouths opened, pasty flesh shifting, sliding. Dark fingers stretching out, wreathed in shadows. "Dray...."

"No—" He shoved past them, scrambling through knotted, twisted limbs, reaching for bright, soft eyes, choking on a call he couldn't make. Couldn't make. No no— Don't—

He froze, locked in place, paralysed by an ache that took everything in his chest and crushed it until he wanted to scream.

Help me.

That glowing silhouette passed obliviously into the blinding light, shadows creeping into the corners of his eyes and tumbling over each other in its wake, surging up to drown him.

HELP ME—

Pressure crushed around his throat, scratchy cloth digging into sensitive skin. Sharp fragments ground into his knees as they hit the floor. NO.

Something... something's wrong with me. He choked for air, dragging himself on trembling limbs after the inviting hands reaching down, laughter echoing in his ears like tinkling shards of glass. They smiled at him, the ragged edges of cloaks fluttering through the light and trailing monstrous shadows.

"Keep going...."

"Please... wait for me...." A parched whisper scraped his sore throat, and they danced ahead, eyes wide, mouths twisted into grimaces. Why...?

Cold and dark....

Glimmering, gold light brushed his skin with chilling fingers, and he shivered uncontrollably, tottering after them, trying to outrun the darkness creeping on his heels. Ragged gasps for breath echoed off brick walls, roots twisting into reaching hands. It wasn't real.

"Come back." His throat choked, and the familiar wet click echoed from every direction. "It's... it's here—"

They backed away, the darkness clawing at his feet, and he flinched back from the white light lifted to blind him. "Please...."

"Stov, look at his face."

Erold's shaky voice choked the air in his throat, and he shrank away from the unblinking stares. "What's... what's wrong with...?"

"Eyah Ley...."

No. He turned, shaky breaths trembling through his bones, forced to look into the darkness.

A pale ghost with wide eyes the colour of lakes and seas stared back. A demon with bony white stems wrapped around a skinny neck and cracks crawling up over its pallid, bare skin, winding up into curling, pulsing lines across its face. Across his face.

“They said it escaped the force—got away, back into the tunnels. Dray, why didn’t you tell us? Look at yourself.”

What—?

"No," he choked, reeling back from the gleaming eyes, lungs jerking but dragging no air in. "I didn’t— Please— tell... tell me it's not real."

No one answered. The light had vanished, warm bodies fluttering away.

"No...." A whimper grated through the shadows, fingers digging at itching cloth and damp hair as he lurched forward. "Please don't run. I won't— I'm not—"

Am... am I?

Had to get away. Had to find them. Darkness flickered in broken grimy shards, stretching along the wall as he ran, crunching shakily through the tunnels. Needed to find them. Why weren't they there? They were supposed to be there.

Lost....

Ringing, in the back of his head. Soft whispers rose into cries, and he clawed at his skull. It was just getting louder. Had to find Stov and Neri, find Erold before it was too late. A shadow, flitting ahead of him, too far ahead. He wouldn't wait.

"Stay away from me."

But why? Gasping for breath, he followed, grinding his teeth as claws he couldn't scrape away dug deeper, down through his ribs, clenching tighter. Please....

"No—"

Come to me. He shook his head violently, reeling down a side passage, a shortcut, reaching out to fluttering shapes only for them to twist away, running back. A shadow stretched behind him, and he couldn't escape it. They wouldn't— Just needed to—

He ducked through crawling roots, frantic splashing and quick gasps coming the other way. This way would let him catch up. Just needed to catch up. Breaking out on the other side, panting hard, he stumbled into the light just in time for them to reel back, eyes wide, pulses racing.

"What's wrong?" He meant to ask, but his throat spasmed, spitting out a clicking rattle that smoothed into a— a—

Cold seized him, vines clutching around his dry throat, the echo of a cackling churr filling his ears. No, he wouldn't—

Too late. Terrified gasps rang in his ears, and the lights flickered back, skidding around, dashing away.

His spine shuddered, another spasm rattling in his throat, and he choked. No no— Come back please— It's— it's not—

Why are you running? It's me.

Blackening lips peeled back from small teeth, pupils constricted to pinpoints. The darkness stretched behind and the echoing footsteps skidded to a halt, terrified heartbeats pounding. But they didn't need to be terrified. Won't hurt you.

"Dray?"

I just want— just— just—

He leaned against something cold, arm shaking, breathing hard. A voice.... It shattered the shrieking dragging down the back of his skull, glittering shards spinning past his trembling fingers. A glinting droplet darkened the ground.

Was that... Erold?

"Dray! You have to get ou—!"

A choked cry snapped his head up, a familiar pale face twisting in pain, brown hair flopping into its eyes. Black talons grasped its arm tightly, a glittering beady gaze boring into him above the dark barrel of a gun.

"Get away from him."

He's mine.

A snarl filled every crevice, stiffening dark figures, the pale face turning white, twitching back. Why—?

"Dray...?" A jagged whisper.

Why are you afraid? Wasn't— hadn't meant to—

He— he— Dray swayed, clutching his burning head, a ragged whining moan that didn't sound like him cutting the air. Something... something was very, very wr-wrong.

"Stay where you are. Keep your hands on your head."

A strange voice lifted the hairs on his itching skin, and he clutched at the scratchiness searing around his throat, shaking his head violently against the burning rumble deep in his chest. Holding him, going to hurt him— "Don't— don't hurt hi-him."

"He will be released as soon as you're restrained."

"No! Dray you— Jrahking let me go—!"

A cry punched the air from his lungs.

"Stop it!" His hands shook violently. Burning— fibres tore under his fingers, jerking off his neck and wrists, ragged gasping breaths wracking him. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't... couldn't stop shaking. Something was wrong. He could feel it creeping closer, closer. No no— "Don't take him away from me."

Heartbeats fluttered, tense muscles aiming glowing lights at him, at darkness curling around him.

"For your safety and that of those around you, you will be restrained...."

N-no. His knees hit the ground, his hand clenching in cloth that crawled across his skin like sandpaper. "Er-Erold.... Please.... Something— something's wrong—"

The shadows reached forward with claws extended, swallowing the light, consuming his hearing with a shrill shriek drowning out a desperate, cracking voice. "Ley no no— Dray— Oh Light no— no let me go!"

Nails clenched against gritty ground, prowling shapes stalking closer; watching, beady eyes dragging Erold away, screaming— "Leave him alone—"

He's—

No please— Clenched teeth couldn't hold out a ragged whine, shaking his head violently, chest heaving. Wanted to— wanted to— s-sweet flesh and warmth, familiar. To taste, to— Mine—

He clutched at his head, crying out, a shrill shree cutting through the prowling shadows with their warm eyes and glinting teeth, the ground blurring in and out, dark vines creeping over pale skin. A red light bled through the cracks, growing, searing his vision. Voices in his head— Need— "N-o.... Light. Light what's... what's happening to-to me?"

"DRAY!"

Shoulders pulled agonisingly taut, burning needles lancing down to the core, tearing deep. He doubled over, mouth opening soundlessly, wide, wide, the shadows rushing in and the scent of warm living blood pounding in his ears. He couldn't— It called his name. It rose and cracked, hitching high, shrieking, screaming—

Head snapping back, it sheared free, bloodcurdling, shaking the stars—

And he howled.