(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Night Terror - Chapter 2 (End)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone~

Chapter Warning: Swearing

***

Rurik shot up, his soul racing and his bones rattling. An uncomfortable heat radiated from him. His eye lights darted around, taking in his silent bedroom, now illuminated with the first rays of morning light peeking through the window.

His soul calmed and the burning sensation ebbed as seconds ticked by and nothing happened.

No enemies. No fighting. No blood... no dusty red scarf...

The memory of Lotus' pained expression... his last words, flitted through his mind. Growling to himself, Rurik sat up and snatched his phone off the nightstand. It was 6:32 am. He scrubbed his face with his free hand, letting out a slow exhale as he clenched his sockets.

Fucking nightmares... nothing happened. There's nothing to get worked up over. It wasn't real. No one's dead other than the intruders. It was... wait, shouldn't Lotus be making breakfast around this time?

Rurik sat in bed, listening for the telltale noises of cooking... or anything at all. An eerie silence seemed to echo through the house, pressing in on him.

Normally, he wouldn't be bothered. Now though, the lack of sound slowly but surely ate away at all rational thought, filling him with a sense of dread as his soul picked up speed once more. Throwing off the covers, the skeleton made a beeline for the door.

He slammed open the door to his room, nearly sending himself over the railing opposite his room in his haste.

Looking down, his starry eye lights honed in on a small figure on the couch: Lotus. His hood was pulled up over his skull, his eye light nearly invisible if not for the glow.

The small skeleton looked like he had been sitting curled in a ball, his scythe grasped tightly in his left hand prior to Rurik's entrance. Now, his upper body was turned toward the back of the couch, staring up at his companion with a look of veiled panic.

Startled, but not dead. It was just a bad dream.

Rurik felt his body relax, with Lotus apparently following suit. His companion's focus redirected to the clock on the wall, "Sorry... I lost track of time. I'll make breakfast."

The taller skeleton flinched at the apology as the smaller unsummoned his weapon and began to crawl off the couch. "Don't," the taller interrupted, "This morning was pretty hectic and I'm already hungry, so I'll just find something quick to eat instead."

Lotus muttered a quiet agreement, re-tucking his knees to his chest as Rurik tromped down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he spotted a few chocolate pudding cups. He reached in with a pleased grin, nearly closing the fridge with his prize in hand when his eye lights fell on the hooded skeleton once more. He was still curled up on the couch, his tired gaze fixed on... the door.

He hasn't slept or eaten, has he?

Growling softly, Rurik reached in for a second cup, closed the fridge, and retrieved two spoons from the silverware drawer. Returning to the living room, he inspected the small skeleton.

Lotus looked even worse up close.

His eye light had returned to its normal size, but it looked hazy around the edges, outlined by the dark rings under his sockets. He was clearly fighting the need to sleep, his arms wrapped around his tucked legs in a feeble attempt to prop himself up. All the while, he watched the door intently.