It's a strange thing, knowing you're going to be killed by something with the same face as your best friend, oddly comforting. Don't get me wrong, it is fucking terrifying, but just seeing Levi's face, looking down at me, with that blank unchanging expression, makes me feel safe. I guess that's a bad thing, I am about to die- well maybe not if I manage to get out of this but it certainly seems like I'm going to die, right here, staring into the face of my best friend. Suddenly and seemingly without reason he turns, glancing around the corridor, as if he heard something, I take my chance and scramble to my feet, some how not gaining a reaction from the fake Levi.
"Ok umm fucker I'm gonna win this one-" I cut myself off before I keep talking, this isn't my friend, no matter how similar they look, it's just- whatever it is. I let my mind go blank for a second and kick the fake Levi's knee and he buckles, he falls to one knee and I swing my leg hearing a slight smacking sound as my shin connects with the side of his head sending him sprawling. There's a dull ache in my leg in the place that hit the thing but I ignore it jumping out of arm's reach flicking my wrist as I do so bringing more grass blades into the room. The fake Levi just stands, with the same blank expression, still he doesn't concentrate on me, just looks at the wall and brings his finger to it writing something with the flames.
"Master say no kill keep alive can hurt though" He turns his attention finally to me again and I watch the flames on his arms die down completely, he walks forwards, slowly at first before breaking into a sprint. Panicking I flick my wrist the grass blades becoming sharp needles and shooting at him, I watch in horror as he simply dodges around them with inhuman speed even cutting some in two with his bare hand before he finally makes it to me, he moves slowly again bringing his hand to my throat. I'm powerless, still the weakest in the school, even if I can control my powers, I'm completely useless with them. Gravity starts to pull at my body as I am lifted very slightly into the air and flung across the corridor into another wall landing on the floor a coughing mess, the wind knocked from my body. It's like this thing can just change its powers whenever it wants.
"Ok ouch." I start to stand intending to sound braver than I actually did, the sound of my voice barely a whimper. Then it hits me, this thing, it's not human, I don't have to hold back, none of my friends are around, I can let myself get angry, I can go to my second level and tear this thing to shreds.
I run towards the fake Levi, I need to get angry before I can do anything. Jumping and crashing into it sending us both to the floor and rolling, fake Levi is up before me with the fire on his arms again, before I can move he moves forwards grabbing my arm with both of his hand, the pain is terrible. Immediate agony not just in my arm but seeming to jolt through my body. I start screaming as the burn marks are left on my arm and the fake Levi let's go standing up, if he could smile I'm sure he would be right now. It's too hard to let myself get angry because of the pain, you think it would make it easier, but, I can't describe it, this isn't a regular burn, it feels like it's stopping me from doing anything. I look up slowly moving my unburnt arm to the other not daring to touch it, the fire on his hands dies down and he lifts me up, by the burns, making the pain increase ten fold and flinging me back into the same wall he threw me into before.
"FUCK." I shout as I slam my fist into the floor, the wind knocked from my body yet again, then it happens. White swarms my vision and I feel power surge through my body, the ground shaking slightly, until all of a sudden it comes to a stop and my vision returns to normal. Now I'm angry. The fake Levi moves again, this time moving with the same speed he had before, charging towards me full speed, obviously intending to smash me into the wall, probably knocking me unconscious. He doesn't get a chance. The grass blades surround him catching him and throwing him into the wall at the other side of the corridor. He stands quickly, charging at me again with the same inhuman speed and again he is flung into the wall, only this time before he can stand a grass blade slices through his arm, leaving a stump. He doesn't grimace, doesn't flinch, doesn't make a sound, he just stands and looks at his arm, like he expects something to happen.
"You wanna know the best part, you're not human, so I can tear you to pieces and not feel bad, even if you have the same face as my friend, you're just- you're just a fake." That's when a single blade of grass pierces where his heart should be, still he stays standing, still he looks at me with that same blank expression. Still he moves forward, I let him get close, before making multiple blades of grass tear his legs to shreds, then moving on to his remaining arm, then his chest and finally, his head. All that's left is- paper. Panting, I pick up a shred of it, it really is just paper. Leave it to me to get my ass handed to me by fucking paper, I let the piece slip through my fingers and head back to where I last saw Brock going.
Heading down the corridor as fast as my legs can carry me while still saying close to quiet, worry filling my mind. Images of Brock hanging from the roof of the warehouse, maybe even in pieces scattered around the floor. Just the thoughts alone are enough to make me sprint, running through the corridors, scanning each room quickly only to find that nobody is in them, no Garnet, no Levi no- a sudden jet of water fires past me, wetting and drying my hair simultaneously, I look up, there sands Lynx, staring at what appears to be me, but I hope is not me.
"Hey bro you ok?"
"Are you Dustin or a painting?" He keeps his hands raised and I feel a sudden bite of cold as water makes its way around my neck, it doesn't squeeze my throat...yet.
"I- ummm." The water slowly starts to tighten around my throat and some of it slides upwards towards my mouth, he's going to drown me, I'm going to die.
"Dustin or a painting? IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION." He's screaming, his face is starting to go a deep crimson like when someone blushes, but the look on his face is pure rage, one that lets me know right now he's trying not to tear me apart.
"Dus-tin." The water keeps getting tighter around my throat and is now tickling the bottom of my lip, being strangled would kill me, why does he have to drown me too. I can see a tear rolling down his face, a single one. What did he just fight, it's got to be something horrible.
"How do I know that?" The water gets tighter still, I try to pull against it and scratch at it, flailing but everything I try just goes through the water, splitting it apart for a mere second before it reforms again.
"Th-the pain-tings can't- can't tal-k." The water immediately releases me and I fall to my knees, checking my throat for the water and taking deep grateful breaths. I hear Lynx making his way over and look up just as he holds out his hand, the sadness in his eyes is still there, along with some of the anger.
"What happened?" I ask taking his hand and pulling myself to my feet. I nearly fall again because of Vertigo but manage to stay standing.
"One of those painting things, it- it looked like Ryder and it tried to kill me." At first the tears come slowly, then becoming a cascade, much like a waterfall made of tears, I feel my hands shaking slightly. This is going too far, making Lynx kill something that looks like his own boyfriend, the boy he loves, that is over the line, way over the line.
"Hey, bro, hey look at me." I pause tilting his head so he's looking into my eyes.
"You didn't kill Ryder ok? It was just a copy. I know you'd never really hurt Ryder, seriously, you love him, that thing wasn't him, no matter what it looks like."
"I know, but it just looked so much like him, it felt like I was- killing Ryder." I embrace him in a hug patting his back and moving back just as quickly.
"Seriously Lynx, it wasn't him, you'll see him again bro, I promise." He just nods staring down to the grey concrete floor, I couldn't even begin to guess how he feels, killing fake Levi was hard enough, but if I had to kill something that looks like the person I love most- well let's just say if I had to do that I would probably be dead right now. I start to walk, making sure Lynx is following me, I doubt he's up for fighting right now, then the realisation hits me, I was in such a hurry and I wasn't thinking straight, I have stupidly not brought the plants with me, which leaves me defenseless. I could leave Lynx here and get them- but then again he's in no condition to fight now, he needs to get his energy back and get Ryder out of his head.
"Hey bro, did you see anything I could use as a weapon maybe?"
"Why can't you just use plants?"
"I need to be able to see them and I kinda was stupid enough to leave them after killing one of those paintings."
"Oh. Umm I saw a rusty pipe just round this corner."
"Ok cool, so ummm I was thinking if we go get that then try getting to the door, that way I can use plants, I mean our friends are probably down there." He just nods again and I make my way around the corner, glancing around finding the pipe on a ,low shelf, I pick it up, it's a little heavy, and by a little I mean I could probably only swing it with two hands. I look back at Lynx again, he's staring at the ground barely even shuffling along. I slow a little so he can keep up, I can't even begin to imagine how he must be feeling, I know I had to tear one of those apart that looked like Levi but, well Lynx loves Ryder and to have to destroy him must feel horrible, worse than anything I've ever felt.
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AN: ok I know short chapter and it's been fucking ages but I've had major writers block with this book xD but yeah I was gonna make this longer but I felt like I had to get a chapter out to keep it going, hopefully I'll have chapter 12 out sooner than I had this one out
Widow aesthetic^^^