The Haunted: Bestial AU

Chapter 4: Sickeningly Sweet

Something snapped. Something deep, deep down that he usually kept neatly tied together. It was a something that he'd honestly rather be knit together nicely, or bolted down soundly, or weaved together cleanly into something colorful, like a foreign cloth. Something that he swore he'd never let show.

Well, it wasn't pretty.

Drake screamed at the top of his lungs. He bashed himself against Grayson, trying to get past him and through the doorway. There were mercenaries upstairs. Why couldn't Grayson stop being heroic and just let him out? He wanted to burn his own place to the ground. Drake could get rid of them easily. Some of the pain would be gone for him then! All these artifacts were going to melt! Did Grayson want him to suffer? Why couldn't he just move aside?!

Grayson was strong. He managed to shove Drake back, causing him to stumble and try to regain his balance. The blond sent him a look mashed together with anger, hurt, and confusion, brushing a finger against his scratched cheek. Then he yelled for Drake to go back into the passage, and closed the stone door, leaving Mia and Drake shrouded in darkness.

Drake stood in shock for a good few seconds. Then, he felt another scream well up inside him, and before he could stop himself it burst out. It bounced off the walls, a sound of utter frustration. After it was out, he stormed down the passage, ignoring Mia entirely as he passed by her.

The corridor was dark and cold, the stone chill from the winter air that somehow seeped into the mountain. He'd been more sensitive to cold recently; the rain soaking into his thin shirt and thick jeans, and the wind battering against him mercilessly, got to him more than they had before. He'd been much more snappy as of late; everything was twelve times worse, his friend's words were like insects buzzing in his ears. He was slowing down; the tiny scratches from twigs and bramble bled for a bit longer than they should have, and sleep seemed like heaven; if he could sleep for a thousand years, he would. Time was blurring together.

He came to the solemn conclusion that he was dying.

The hybrid came to a ladder that led further down. Was he going INTO the mountain...? Were they not supposed to be escaping OUT of the mountain? He grabbed hold of the sides and slid down with a thadunk-thadunk-thadunk. His tail smacked against the rungs.

He kept walking, then stiffened when his sensitive ears picked up sounds outside. ...Explosions? A bang, then the tumbling and cracking of stone. Did Grayson have explosives? Or were they using cannons? He just hoped that the sounds would stop after a bit. They hurt his ears.

And probably that utterly distracting noise is why he didn't see the very neat, square-shaped hole in the floor. He shrieked as the stone was suddenly out from under him and then he

fell

and

smacked into cold water with a splash. He freaked out, scrabbling for a handhold and catching the rim of whatever the hell he'd landed in. He yanked himself up and smacked onto the floor, coughing and dripping everywhere. His joints started to lock up from the sheer chill. He scrabbled along the floor, finding himself in a corner with his tail wrapped around him, twitching, twitching, twitching-

"Drake, are you alright?"

When had Mia gotten so close to him? He looked up to see boots and white leggings. His gaze flitted upwards to meet her lime eyes. She was asking if he was...alright? Did he goddamn LOOK alright?!

"Drake?" She ventured again, getting down on one knee in front of him. He suddenly realized that he was staring at her, unblinking. His eyes burned a little bit. He didn't move. Even his tail was frozen.