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Part Seven

Thoughts flooded his vision, tunneling his hearing and he was forced to sit on his haunches for a moment to recollect himself. This was Leo. Kind, concerned, gentle Leo that wouldn't harm a fly.

And yet, Sam watched him kill a spider on the ground not too long ago. Now he was setting traps for Sam to get caught in? What next?

A can of bug spray?

History repeats itself, Sam thought as he recalled the death of his parents with a painful tear at his heart. It felt like the world itself was crashing down on him, like there was no coming back from this. His best friend of all time, his first friend since being born, now wanted to take his life away. While Sam couldn't exactly prove that Leo was looking for him specifically, it was still a plausible option, and the nonhuman was too close to letting out a choked sob at the thought of it.

Leo lifted his head, positive he heard a tiny noise coming from behind him. When he spun around to look, only a blank wall stared back, but he was not known to give up that easily.

The rats couldn't understand him, right? That was crazy-insane, even-but what were the odds of apologizing about the death of an innocent animal, only to hear a barely audible cry coming from inside the walls? He couldn't shake it off for the life of him.

"Hello?" Leo called out.

Sam could've let out a rippled scream at the voice suddenly a mere few feet away from him. He could've lost his mind and made an obvious run from it, only to further give off evidence of his existence. He was taught better than that. Instead, he turned with careful footsteps, tiptoeing away from his current position. There was something dangerously majestic about his movements, the beautiful swift swinging of his long legs pressing against the linoleum inside the walls, his tail straight forward behind him. He left his spot in a quick precision, not daring to let out a sliver of breath until he was in a comfortable enough position to focus on the world around him and take in everything at once.

It was only then that he realized how hard he was shaking. With nobody there to offer a comforting touch, Sam remained a trembling mess for the next hour and a half, wondering where he went wrong and how he could come back from this. How did he screw up so bad? Was Leo actually able to see him, or was it a quick flash out of the corner of his eye that led to assumptions and, eventually, the correct theory. Sam couldn't tell, he didn't want to tell, out of fear of admitting he wasn't as stealthy as he intended to be his whole life.

Was his upbringing all for naught? His parents taught him well enough to survive this long, but then again, they didn't last either. Sam was doomed to follow their fate as their only child, but he wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready.

He would be forced to say goodbye to his home, to his friends (could he even call them his friends anymore, or would that be pushing it?). His puzzle piece hanging on the wall would be left alone to gather dust until the house was eventually torn down in human destruction, and nothing would be left to remember him by.

Sam carried himself to the nest of soft fabrics piled against the corner of his wall, taking in everything he learned to love after so many years. His nest would be gone, undeniably pushed away, including the silk cut-out resembling a pillow that his mother 'borrowed' from him once.

He would be able to see his parents again, if that was anything to look forward to. No more worrying about how often he would need to go out to scavenge for food, or when he would be able to cleanse his body next. Sam often went weeks without a proper clean, not being able to scout a reliable source of water until everyone in the household was asleep for him to bathe. Now that he had been discovered, would Leo give him the mercy of a clean death, or a messy one?

Maybe he could use their old friendship as a source of kindness. If he brought up all the fun they had in the past, and how much Leo meant to him, he might get off easier. A swift grind to the bones, or being crushed in the hand, was better than a slow, painful way out. Sam didn't want to suffer in his last moments, especially not considering how his parents went out.

Before he knew it, Sam was curled up in his nest, no longer shaking at the thought of his death. He knew it was coming sooner or later; he should've been prepared for sooner. It wasn't as if he could get up and leave the house, seeing as the journey to find somewhere else to live would inevitably kill him off just as easily. And when he really thought about it enough, Sam wanted his last moments to be with the person he cared most about, because whether he was willing to admit it or not, he would forgive Leo for anything done to him.

Sam stole from him, no matter the label he put on it, stalked him, followed him around everywhere, and even went so far as creating a fake lifestyle in pursuit of being Leo's friend. Leo didn't deserve to be lied to. When push came to Shove, Sam knew one his heart that he deserved whatever was coming to him.

It didn't help that his phone buzzed with a message from his former best friend.

NucLEOnic: what's up

Sam barely lifted his head to read the message, not even attempting to answer out of a desperation for one more night of sleep. If he answered Leo, he might have to come out of the walls sooner. Ignoring him for one more night would be okay.

All he needed to do was close his eyes, stop the unwanted tears from slipping down his cheeks, and curl into a ball of bliss for a night. His nest was getting increasingly comfortable, his tail stretching out to its maximum length before curling right back into his backside, and Sam let out the longest sigh of his life. The fresh air felt amazing.

Sam didn't want to die, but he was at peace with what needed to come.
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A/N: I know I literally created Sam's character and all the problems attached but I feel bad for him LOL.
As always, please feel free to drop a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you for reading! :)