By The Way, Danplan Oneshots

Wrong (1)

Thunder echoed around him, lightning cutting through the black sky. The flash lit up the destruction around him, every corpse, every crater.

Hosuh kept running, breaths coming in small pants as tears dripped down his face, creating a trail behind him. His eyes were wide with terror – well, one was. The other was a bloodied mess, a slash deep across it.

His feet splashed through a puddle, the dirty water coating his already soaked legs. His tunic was in a similar shape, blood coating the white folds. He wasn't sure if it was his blood or someone else's.

Hosuh's chest burned, legs ached, wounds throbbed, but he kept running deeper and deeper into the forest, terror the only thing pushing him beyond his limits.

He didn't want to die.

Hosuh's foot suddenly caught on something, sending him crashing to the ground. He landed on his side, letting out a dry sob at the sight of what he had tripped over.

It was the body of a soldier who was fleeing like he was doing, but didn't make it. His eyes stared at Hosuh, lifeless. The rest of his body was torn open, skinned alive.

Hosuh's breath caught and he scrambled backwards, palms now coated in dirt.

"When did it go so wrong?" Hosuh gasped, shaking. "When did it get so –"

Trees quaked as a roar louder than the thunder itself tore through the air. Hosuh's eye widened and he pushed himself to his feet.

It was too close.

The roar sounded again, close enough to make his ears hurt. He risked a glance upwards, and his blood ran cold at the sight of a crimson eye staring at him through the trees.

It had found him.

"No!" Hosuh forced him weary legs to run, but his luck had ran out. The ground was too slippery, and Hosuh had only gotten a few strides before losing his balance.

The creature was gaining on him, sticks crunching beneath it as it approached. When Hosuh could smell the blood of the fallen soldiers on its lips, he screamed.

Why couldn't it just leave him alone? It had already taken out a town, the army, his best friend –

Hosuh threw off his shoes in a last attempt to get a better grip on the mud, digging his toes into it. He began to run again, weaving through the trees as he desperately searched for some escape. The monster gave the chase, batting the trees out of the way like toys.

There was no escape for him, he knew it. He was going to die like the others, torn apart by the claws of this beast. The forest was bare of any refuge, no shelter, no hope.

Lightning struck again. It cast light on a cliff edge that had been shrouded by the darkness. Out of instinct, Hosuh stopped, skidding in the dirt.

The drop was high, water twisting through at the bottom. Hosuh turned back to the monster, which was quickly gaining on him. He had a few more seconds to think before it burst through the trees and sliced his body in half.

He wondered whether he should just let it happen – it shouldn't be too long for him to die, and he wanted to be with Stephen again.

He had never seen Stephen die, but his scream was enough. It still haunted Hosuh's mind as his friend called out his name for the last time.

But the stubborn part of him didn't want to die this way, a nameless body on the side of a cliff. That was why, before he'd even made up his mind, he jumped.

It felt like he was flying for a few bliss moments before gravity pulled him down to the rushing waters below. Hosuh closed his eyes, holding out his arms like wings.

"Are you ready for this?"

Hosuh jumped, smiling at Stephen. The purple-haired has his arms folded.

"You've been staring at that window for a long time." He pointed out. Hosuh smiled again, looking back out of the window. He held his wand tight, ribbon tickling his hands.

"It's a nice view. You can see the whole kingdom from here." He replied. His reflection cast its eyes downwards. "Could be my last."

"Hey, don't talk like that." Stephen placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've done this before, remember? And this time we have the king's personal army with us! This dragon doesn't stand a chance!"

"Yes but..." Hosuh sighed, staring at the hills beyond. "I wonder how much longer our luck will last."

"Long enough." Stephen grinned, rubbing his back. Hosuh gave a small laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Long enough." He repeated, taking Stephen's hand.

The wind rushed past his ears, the thunder finally drowned out. Hair brushed against his cheek, tickling his face. It was like he was suspended in time, and he wished it would stay that way.

It didn't last.

A cold suddenly drenched him and his back stung. He was barely aware that he had hit the water, focused on staring out at the sky through its murky depths. He couldn't see the monster.

Cold currents tossed and tugged him, sending him slamming into rocks. Water clogged his throat and nose, making him thrash in panic. His wounds burned, and he could feel himself blacking out under the waves.

Just as he was sure he was going to die, he was spat out of the river's currents and onto land.

Grass tickled his cheek, a flower resting against his hand. It was a stark contrast to the bloodied fields he was previously surrounded by.

Coughing, Hosuh pushed himself fully out of the river, collapsing on his front. Rain lashed onto his body but he could barely feel it. His skin was numb.

Lighting and thunder flashed and boomed around him as he lay, eye glazing over. His breaths slowed to a pathetic wheeze, unable to draw a breath. Blood leaked out beneath him, staining the flowers.

Shelter was just in front of him, not much but enough, but it seemed like miles and miles away. He desperately wanted to get out of the rain, but he couldn't stand anymore. His legs had finally exhausted themselves.

"I can't...no...not..." half sentences formed on Hosuh's lips as his fingers slowly dug into the dirt. He pulled himself forward, letting out a choked scream as rocks dug into his cuts.

However, his eye stayed focused on the small shelter in front of him and didn't move away. In the same fashion, he pulled himself closer and closer, blood dripping from his blind eye and down his neck. A trail of scarlet followed him, mixing in with the dirt and rain.

Hosuh kept going, letting out a sigh of relief as he managed to heave his top half into the shelter. With a grunt, he pulled himself in completely, crammed against the rock.

The shelter was only just big enough for him to fit in, his toes still caught in the rain. Hosuh lay his head against the dry grass, letting his eye gaze at his surrounding for what he assumed to be the last time.

He watched the wind howl, the lighting strike and the rain fall until his eye closed shut.