chapter twenty-three
Rigby woke up to the sound of silence. He turned his head, and immediately winced. His neck was sore, stiff from laying in the same position for so long. Sitting up, a grunt escaped his lips as he looked outside. The rain had stopped, finally, leaving a soaking wet, leaf-covered ground behind. But that's not what made panic surge through him.
The dark sky is what had him worried. He quickly rolled off of his place on Mordecai, and shook the bird awake.
"Mordecai! We slept through the whole day!" Rigby exclaimed, eyes wide, "Literally it's dark outside and-- and I don't know what time it is and--"
Mordecai's groan cut him off, the blue jay rolling over on the damp ground. He looked pretty rough considering he went to bed still soaking wet from the rain. He was most definitely more stiff than Rigby felt, and the raccoon wondered how much sleep he actually managed to get.
"Ten more minutes, please," he grunbled, and Rigby's heart pounded in his ears.
"Thanks for saying 'please', man, but we don't have ten minutes!" He yelled, frantically.
"What do you mean? We're not in any rush..." Mordecai sighed back, and rolled over to look at the other. His eyes were tired and Rigby winced. He didn't want the other to get mad again. "Besides, it's not like the demon's going to take your soul and--"
The words in Rigby's brain buzzed at this, growing louder, and he ran both hands through his hair, tears brimming his eyes. Go, go, they needed to go. Now.
"Nothing! Nothing, let's just go before he does do that!" Rigby exclaimed, and picked up Mordecai's arm, dragging him towards the outside. The blue jay, however, scrambled out himself, getting up to turn fully to the other.
"Hey, Rigby, why--"
"No time! Mordecai, I'm tired too, but we need--"
"Rigby, wait," Mordecai said, firmly, and Rigby turned to face him. The voices etched in and out of his head, chiding him.
He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you.
He's mad. Can't you tell? He is going to yell at you again.
The demon is coming. And he will not stop until you're dead.
Tears spilled from Rigby's eyes, and he opened his mouth to speak. But he couldn't seem to get the words out, and a small sob escaped his lips. Shadows tilted mockingly in his vision, and the world seemed to spin with a blurry sense of nothingness.
"Rigby-- hey, hey... dude, I'm--"
"Mordecai, the demon is coming for me. He's going to kill me. And... and you're mad at me and--"
"Who said I was mad?"
"The voices. Mordecai, the voices." Rigby stood there, sobbing quietly. And Mordecai stood in front of him, unsure of what to say to cheer him up. He gazed down at his best friend, crying, and it made Rigby even more upset that he wasn't doing anything.
The shadows continued to twist and turn, push and pull at the edges of Rigby's vision, threatening to swallow him whole. But he pushed it down, the tears continuing to fall. He looked up at his lover again, eyes wide and glistening in the darkness of the world.
"The voices are getting louder. I don't know what to do..." he whispered, sobs shaking his body.
"Rigby, hey, I'm... I'm here," the taller one crouched down so he was face to face with the other, then wrapped his wings around his shoulders. "We'll figure it out. It's okay..." Rigby could feel his pounding heart, and his hands slowly curled into fists.
It's not okay. He's doing this out of pity.
He doesn't love you.
He is scared of what you have become.
Finally, Rigby let go of the control, and let the shadows take over. They wrapped around his tear-stricken vision, and then he was falling.
And then, the darkness came over his body.
---
Mordecai gasped out, and caught Rigby before he fell to the ground, eyes wide as he held onto his lover. "Dude! Dude, can you hear me?" The raccoon's head rolled to one side, and Mordecai quickly set him down on the cold, damp earth, shaking slightly.
What happened? He curled his body over Rigby, protectively, the sounds of the woods filling his mind. What should he do?
He was debating on standing and taking Rigby back home. He was going crazy. He had to be. But no matter the lack of belief he felt for what the other was saying, something was telling him to stay. And that something was the soft, gentle yellow glow that began in the depths of the shadowy forest.
Mordecai looked up, slowly, and stared at the glow for a moment. It pulsed within his field of vision, and stayed there for a moment before fading out. Something inside Mordecai told him to follow it, as if it was a living thing.
But how could he trust whatever magic that was happening at the moment? It was all too confusing...
And then, a voice spoke in the back of his mind. Answers. The light will give you answers. It sounded like Skips, and a strong emotion filled Mordecai's chest. Trust me.
He imagined Rigby speaking, too. Trust him. That's all you can do if you want answers.
The tall blue jay stood up, and heaved Rigby across his shoulders, before starting into the murky forest, damp from the rain. He saw the light in the distance, and continued forward, determined to get answers. Determined to help Rigby. Determined to hold the small raccoon in his arms and kiss him, hard, and watch the stars as they lay in their troubles.
He stopped when the light, suddenly, began to grow bright in another clearing, blinding Mordecai. There was a sharp ringing in the back of his head, and he stumbled some. But he caught himself before he could fall, reminding him that he was still holding Rigby.
The blue jay tore up his gaze, fixating his eyes until they were fully adjusted.
And in front of him, stood Skips.