How to Escape The Void

Chapter 1: The Man Who Speaks In Hands

Footsteps echoed through the golden corridor. A shadowed figure, short and oddly shaped, stepped out from behind a pillar mid-way through the stained glass window lined hall. The figure waited as a second, short and stout and very dusty, figure shuffled closer. It took barely half a minute for the second figure to stop in front of the first, who was barely taller than the second. Light shone through the windows, bathing the hall in its rich gold colour and lighting up the figures. A small Human child, clad in blue shorts, black boots and a blue sweater with two purple stripes across the chest, clutched a dusty, sharp knife in their left hand. Their squinted eyes seemed to glare at the other figure from under neck-length dark brown hair. The first figure, a skeleton wearing a blue hoodie, black shorts and pink slippers, rolled the pin pricks of light that served as eyes inside its eye sockets. The skeleton spoke, in a deep and smooth voice that made the Human tense ever so slightly.

"Heya, kid. Fancy meetin' you here, eh?"

The Human scoffed at the words. Wasn't it obvious? This was always meant to happen! The skeleton seemed to smirk at the Human, quite a difficult task indeed with his mouth being permanently stuck in a smile, teeth seemingly fused together.

"So, you've been busy again, huh? Not bored yet? Shame. I was lookin' forward ta havin' a day off. Then again, y'know the sayin'. Evil never sleeps."

The frown said it all. The Human was confused at the change in lines. This wasn't what he usually said. What's different now?

"Say, I gotta question for ya."

That made the human quietly sigh in relief. Looks like it was unnecessary to panic-not.

"Do you think even the most resilient person can snap? That anybody can become a rage fuelled murderer if they have the right motivation?"

'He's going off script!' The Human scowled at the new development. This never happened before. Why was he breaking script now??

"Heh. Well, then. I gotta different question for ya. Cause it wouldn't be a fight with me without this line. Do you wanna have a Bad Time? Cause... Uh... If ya take another step forwards..... You're really not gonna like what happens next. Just sayin'."

The Human stepped forwards. No, this bag of dusty bones was not going to scare them off.

"Welp, sorry, old lady. I tried. One last attempt at bein' merciful. This is why I never make promises."

The hall seemed to darken slightly. If one were to strain their ears and listen hard enough, you could probably hear the start of epic music in the background. The Human tightened the grip on their knife as the skeleton closed his eye sockets. The Human still didn't understand how pure solid bone could move at all, let alone like that.

"It's a beautiful day outside."

It begins.

"Birds are singing... Flowers are blooming..."

It is time. Jump, run, side, corner, side, bottom, hack and slash.

"On days like these.... Kids like you....."

Three. Two. One........ Now!

"S H O U L D B E B U R N I N G I N H E L L"

A cartoonish red heart appeared in a flicker in front of the Human's chest, then flickered into a rich blue colour. Immediately, The Human braced for impact by crossing their arms over their chest as they slammed into the floor, as if pulled by an invisible force. The chequered tiles cracked below them and they jumped, pristine white bones erupting from the ground below them. The bones disappeared back into the ground as the Human landed and immediately ducked and weaved through a wave of bones. As soon as they got out of the bone wave, they came face to face with their worst nightmare come true. It looked like a giant skeleton head of a beast. Maybe a hornless goat or dragon. With a growl and a loud, high pitched whine, the skull opened its maw, a blinding white light building up on the inside. The skeleton removed his left hand from his jacket pockets and raised it to the Human, index finger extended and thumb raised to the ceiling in a finger gun gesture.