SLEEP

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Trophy isn't one to let people know when things are bothering him. He bottles everything inside, but sometimes certain people mix him around. And then he explodes.

The objects of the hotel aren't too fond of the golden metal object, and Trophy acted like he didn't care. But deep inside, he dreaded the stares he got, when people would glare and whisper terrible things about him behind his back.

Trophy acted tough. He had too. He didn't want more whispers going around, especially about him being weak. Ugh, even thinking about it made him shiver in disgust.

He hated living at the hotel, but he had nowhere else to go.

Trophy wasn't in his room much anyway. He hated sharing his room with Tissues. He hated everything about his disgusting roommate, but he could tell that OJ was growing rather annoyed with his constant complaints, so he let it go for now.

Trophy didn't have many things that he enjoyed doing. Yeah, he worked out sometimes and he liked photography, but one of those hobbies was more hidden than the other. But, he prefers to go out into the forest and take pictures. It was.. peaceful out in the forest.

He felt almost... secure when he was alone in the woods. Surrounded by the trees and the sounds of nature fluttering around him. It was the one place where he felt like he could finally breathe. Where he wasn't judged.

Trophy walked through the forest, camera in hand. He's walked this path numerous times before by now, and it brought a sense of familiarity to him. He slowed his footsteps once he got deeper into the forest, a sense of peace washing over his body and mind.

Trophy took in a deep breath, letting go of the tension in his shoulders.

He took the occasional snap of photos as he walked along this familiar path. A bloomed flower, an insect on a rock, a bird resting on a tree branch, the curl of a leaf against the ground... It was all picture worthy in his eyes.

Hours felt like minutes as they passed by. Trophy was sitting in the grass, his back up against a large tree. The sunset above him.

He watched the sunset everyday, but it always seemed to take his breath away.

Trophy watched as the colors melted into each other, and eventually faded away. A deep blue coated the sky, little stars twinkling in that deep sea of dark blue. Trophy watched with a fond smile on his face, but he knew he had to go back to the hotel. And that thought alone made his mood sour.

Trophy stood up from the ground and reluctantly made his way back to the hotel. Once he got closer, he placed his camera into his bowl and entered through the front doors. There were a few people still in the main lobby, just cleaning up and saying their goodnights to each other.

Trophy walked past everyone without making eye contact, his gaze focused on getting to the staircase so he could get up to his room. Trophy walked up the stairs quickly and entered his room, nearly slamming the door behind himself.

"Trophy?- Are you okay?" Tissues had spoken, but Trophy barely registered his words. Trophy wasn't sure why Tissues had even bothered to open his mouth and speak to him- it was clear to the both of them that Trophy didn't like him.

Trophy walked over to his side of the room and put his camera away, before he entered the private bathroom without saying a word.

Trophy looked at himself in the mirror and he had a slight scowl on his face. Huh. It was like the hotel just brought out an undeniable irritated side of him. Trophy stared at himself in the mirror for a second way too long. He blinked and broke himself out of that frozen state.

Trophy cleaned himself up and got ready for bed. With a sigh, he reopened the bathroom door and walked over to his side of the room. Tissues was already sleeping in his own bed, snoring loudly. Of course he was. Trophy scowled, but took a breath and settled into his bed.

Trophy turned onto his side and closed his eyes, trying his best to fall asleep.

......

There's a fire.

It's flames erupting from the source and spreading all over the hotel quickly.

Everyone is rushing out of the hotel, pushing past each other and shouting at one another.

"Everyone! Get out! Evacuate, let's go!" OJ is yelling at everyone sternly as he rushes everyone out through the front doors.

Trophy is trailing behind. He didn't want to die, but it felt like something was keeping him in the hotel. Like something was grabbing him to make sure he couldn't leave the hotel walls with everyone else.

The smoke becomes thicker, it's getting harder to breathe and see through the dark grey smoke.

OJ squints, trying his best to see through the smoke, but it's too thick, and the hotel was starting to crumble under its own weight.

OJ hesitates, but leaves the hotel along with everyone else. All but one.

Trophy was still in the hotel, his feet dragging along the floors. He didn't understand why he was walking so slow, his mind was rushing him; but his body refused to go any faster. His metal body felt about ten times heavier than usual.

The air around him was starting to get hotter as the flames continued to burn everything around it.

Trophy's metal body started to heat up and it was starting to take its effects on him. The smoke was filling his lungs every time he breathed, and his chest was starting to burn. Trophy squinted his eyes to try and see anything, anyone, through the smoke. But, there was nothing.

Trophy opened his mouth; to shout, to scream, to cry, but nothing came out. And it felt like the smoke began to fill his throat, that burning sensation becoming overwhelming.

Tears began to prickle at the corners of his eyes and his limbs started to ache. His heart was beating way too fast in his chest, and his body hurt to touch. Trophy couldn't breathe and it was making him panic.

Trophy's legs felt wobbly, like they couldn't handle the weight of his own body anymore.

Trophy collapsed to the floor and winced, a tear slipping down his face as he let out a soft cry. Trophy placed a hand on his chest and immediately regretted it as his entire palm burned at how hot his metal was getting.

Trophy tried to breathe, and he only ended up coughing violently, the tears starting to flow freely down his face.

Trophy's head ached, his mind was dizzy, and he couldn't think straight. He felt sick, and he felt hopeless.

Trophy continued to cough until his own body couldn't take it anymore and he spat up blood. The deep red substance splattered onto the floor in front of him, the metal taste coated his tongue and it only made things worse.

His body was shutting down, and Trophy knew that.

His vision started to go blurry, his mind went blank, his heart rate began to slow...

Then, there was nothing.

......

Trophy wakes up in a cold sweat. He's breathing heavily, almost like he's trying to get oxygen into his lungs. Trophy placed a shaky hand over his chest, nearly flinching at how cold his metal felt; it was almost like he was expecting to get burned, it was a sharp contrast from the dream that he had just had. Trophy swallowed hard.

His throat strangely hurt, like he was actually choking while he was asleep.

Trophy closed his eyes tightly as he focused on his breathing, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

He took in another shaky, deep breath before he opened his eyes again. He looked around the room and everything looked.. normal. Completely unbothered.

It was still pitch black outside, Tissues was still snoring in his own bed, and nothing had been moved around; nothing was out of the ordinary.

But, most importantly, there was no fire.

That dream had felt so... real. Trophy couldn't wrap his head around it. His hand was still placed over his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It was too quick, and his breathing was still uneven. Trophy closed his eyes again and just breathed.

Huh, that was strange.

......

~1391 words ☆