absence | bench trio (lore)

two

Far away, Tommy screamed. 

Tommy screamed until his throat felt raw and burned. Dream yelled for him to quiet down, holding the Revive Book in his bloodied hands, but someone who had just been brought back from the dead can't just shut up that easily. It was surreal for Tommy, wiping blood off of his head and face, not knowing if it even belonged to him, knowing he had been dead just a few seconds ago. Tommy had been dead, and now he was alive. What the f-ck!? He ran his fingers through his bloody hair. Dream almost jumped at the sight of him- he truly did look like a maniac, with his golden locks all over the place, his eyes sunken, covered in both his own and Dream's blood, and he had a large cut on his calf, stretching from just under his knee to his ankle.

"SAM!" He yelled, his voice hoarse. He clutched his throat as it painfully cracked into silence.

"Tommy, listen to me-!" Dream shouted at him, but Tommy was delirious. He screamed and almost reached his hand into the wall of lava, almost reached for help through the searing barrier. Finally, the wall started to part and Tommy got out as fast as he could, tripping down the steps and away from a protesting Sam. He grabbed his stuff from the chests, which was pointless because he practically dropped it all as he sprinted through the open doors, wiping tears of anger, betrayal, and terror from his face.

He had to get away from that place- what he had just been through in that cell was worse than what any cellmate would go through. Ever. He was running so fast he could barely feel his feet hitting the ground, and he looked up at the dark sky- cracks of stars shone through the stormy clouds as rain poured down on him. His lungs burned, his throat felt like it had just been through a shredder, and his calves ached relentlessly. He stepped in puddles and he was soaking wet, millions of things running through his mind- I'm alive? Am I still dead? Dream has the revive book? Wilbur? Tubbo? Where is Tubbo- is he okay? Ranboo? What about him? And Michael? What will everyone think of me? My house? My discs? 

It seemed as though his thoughts were making him dizzy, and soon he didn't even know where he was going or which direction was forward. He started to sob as he turned around and watched the prison, lightning cracking ominously behind it as the orange glow of torches shone through the windows. Tommy wondered if he was insane, but he could almost hear Dream's voice screaming from the obsidian walls- screaming various threats and menaces. He would never go back there, ever. He couldn't. His shoes skidded as he made a sharp turn toward the opposite direction, whatever direction that was.

Then he tripped over a tree root and he crashed to the ground, banging his fists against the drenched grass. His clothes were soggy and up against his skin, his hair dripping in his eyes, making him cry more. He couldn't process all this, not all at once. He was just outside of L'Manburg- he didn't want to run anymore, he couldn't. He needed someone to talk to, or to talk at. Empty his mind and rethink things. He screamed various names, becoming desperate. He heard a soft voice.

"Tommy?" A voice mumbled.

"Ghostbur?" Tommy managed. He suddenly realized he was extremely dizzy, and dehydrated. He couldn't feel his legs, and his head throbbed. He had been sprinting hard and far for at least ten minutes.

"Oh no, Tommy, you need help-" He said, and Ghostbur was gone.  And before he knew it, Ghostbur was back, and this time Tommy heard barreling footsteps. He heard voices and skidding as the rain pounded on the earth.

"Where is he?!" It was Ranboo's voice.

"Here, Ranboo, here!" Ghostbur said. Ranboo looked over Tommy, and Tommy was surprised to see that he looked genuinely terrified. He hated the rain, and had still come out here for him. Huh.

"Oh, god, Big T, what did you get yourself into-" Ranboo said, and picked him up, hoisting him onto his shoulder. Everything was happening too fast, even for Tommy's pace- his mind was so puzzled that he was on the verge of passing out. Ranboo started sprinting back toward his and Tubbo's house, and just before he did, Tommy caught a glimpse of Tubbo- he was stood, frozen, almost as white as Ghostbur, with his hands folded in front of him. He looked so scared, so shocked- and Tommy realized, horrified, that tears were streaming down his face silently. Tommy wanted to comfort him, and he would've if he could've.