Homicidal Liu AU; "The Under-realm"

- The Dying Light -

I jolted awake, jumping to a standing position and quickly glancing in the direction of the sound.
Nothing.

Before I could inspect further, however, I felt a hand wrap around my neck and jerk me backwards.
I yelped in a mix of pain and shock as the bony fingers tightened their grip.
It wasn't long before Sully emerged either, choking out slurred curses as he attempted to kick the figure holding us in place.

I heard a dark and familiar laughter reverberate throughout the forest.

"What in the world gave you the idea that you could so simply deceive me?" Zalgo's voice hummed with a lurid bitterness. 

I stopped struggling almost instantly at that. Too overwhelmed by fear to fight back.

"You believed you could make a fool out of me? Outsmart me? Bind yourself to the Slenderman's will and escape me for all eternity? I misjudged you, Liu Woods." The bitterness of Zalgo's tone only seemed to grow darker as his nails began to dig into my throat.

I choked up blood, any pleas for release quickly silenced by cries of pain.
That pain, however, was nothing compared to what I felt next.

A blinding agony struck through me as I felt my chest begin to burn like I'd just been set on fire.
I screamed, my hands clawing at Zalgo's grip desperately.
He let go, allowing me to fall to the dirt ground. But that pain didn't cease for a moment, it only grew stronger, surpassing limits I'd never known existed.

I curled into a ball, crying and coughing up blood as I began to beg him to stop.
"P-please...I cant...it...it burns..." I cried, clutching my chest tightly.
I pulled my hands back for a split second as something caught me off guard.

My arms were growing transparent, something I'd never witnessed before. It was as if I was really disappearing right then and there.

The panic in my tone worsened as my eyes widened in horror.
"What are you doing!?" I cried out, my blurred vision focusing on the blackened demonic figure, hovering above my now dissipating form.

"I'm simply extracting your soul. You've become of no use to me." Zalgo muttered indignantly.

I watched helplessly as his red eyes beamed down upon me, depriving me of the last tinge of life I held onto so dearly.

- Sully...Sully, please. I don't want to disappear. Help... - I wailed within our mind, the pain worsening with every second.

- Liu...I'm sorry I couldn't...p-protect you. - Sully responded, his voice strained with pain.

That was when I let go. My grip on my chest loosening as I let my hand fall limply onto the forest ground.
I wasn't ready to die.
But somehow this feeling had become numb to me. It hurt so badly that a part of me really did just want it to be over.

Just as the world around me began to blur into darkness I heard three distinct gunshots and some further indistinct voices.
They were shouting something incoherent, I was too weak to make anything out.

That was when I felt the sudden release of pressure from my chest, as if it had just been lifted immediately.
Was I gone?
Was this nonexistence?

I opened my eyes slowly.
Everything around me was black. It was as if I'd been thrown into an eternal hell of darkness, the air cold and lifeless.

"H-hello?" I called out softly.
My voice bounced off the nonexistent walls, echoing for what felt like an eternity.
"Sully?" I called out once more.
Nothing. Just pure silence.

I looked down at myself, examining my hands in front of me.
That was odd...
The stitches were gone entirely. As if they'd never been there in the first place.
I instinctively moved my hands up towards my face, feeling it with growing curiosity.

It was entirely smooth. Not a stitch in place, or a wound for that matter.

I heard a faint voice call from somewhere behind me.
"Liu." It beckoned.

I spun around, blinded almost instantly by the white light that clashed against the darkness.
As my vision focused I could make out the silhouette of a boy around my age.
A boy with medium length, dark brown hair, staring back at me with blue eyes.

"Liu...Don't let go." It spoke again.
And suddenly I recognized the figure.

"Jeff?" I asked, stepping foreword as tears welled up in my eyes.

Jeff gave me a sympathetic smile as he held a hand out towards me.
I quickly took ahold of it, stepping into the light with him.
"Jeff, I-."

My voice was silenced as he pulled me into a close embrace, resting his head into my shoulder.
I hugged him back eagerly, the tears rushing down my face now.

"I'm sorry Liu. I'm so sorry." Jeff spoke through echoed whispers.

I shook my head, gripping onto his clean white hoodie.
"I forgive you, Jeff. I'll always forgive you."

Jeff clenched onto me tighter at that.
"Liu...I need you to wake up now." He spoke, not pulling away for a moment.

My face contorted in confusion.
"Wake up? But I'm...I'm-."

"Liu. Wake up." He spoke again.

I pulled away, looking towards him with bright perplexed emerald eyes.
My confusion quickly shifted to horror as I watched my brother begin to melt into a puddle of blood, strewn across the white floor.

"Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!" The voice repeated over and over, growing more demanding and desperate with each plea.

I covered my ears, screaming out at the intense volume and squeezing my eyes shut.

I bolted up with a gasp. My eyes darting around the room hurriedly as I took in my surroundings. I felt a hand against my shoulder, pushing me back down onto the surface I was laying across.
"Jeff?" My voice shook warily as I stared at the figure above me.
"How?"