The labyrinth of monsters (a Hermitcraft and third life AU fanfic)

Chapter 11 - Impulse

I'm running. I know my way around the maze well enough to know my way back, so I carry on, chasing, running, not tiring. Because I finally realised who it was. 

I knew I'd heard the name before. It was only once, and the first time it had simply washed right over him. But after all the nightmares, it had stopped. 

It's hard to forget the name of one of the people who killed your brother. 

'HEY!' I yell out furiously. Cub glances back before increasing his pace. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the damned mask, pulling it on. I run faster. 'I KNEW IT WAS YOU! I KNEW I COULDN'T TRUST YOU!' All my energy is focused on him, the revenge I know I need to have. If I can kill him now, then the other one will die too, eventually. Alone. I grin at the thought. 

Cub skids around a corner and I follow, closing the distance between us. I don't have a bow on me, so I'm stuck with my sword and a knife I always keep in my back pocket. I'll have to just corner him. And I know there's a deadend right ahead. 

We both turn the corner, and memories of running this route backwards with Skizz flood back. This was where we'd been caught out. But how had they appeared? 

My heart sinks suddenly as I see Cub literally fazing straight through the wall. Of course. The only thing I'd forgotten from hours of memorising facts. The convex can walk through walls. I yell out with frustration, punching the wall next to me. I pull it back, wincing at the pain, regretting it. 

'F**K!' I howl. 'YOU F****NG PILE OF S**T. COME BACK AND LET ME KILL YOU! THIS ISN'T FAIR.'

An unsatisfying silence follows. I remain there, panting, furious, before punching the wall again. I cry out with the pain, swearing to myself. Tears prick my eyes from the agony of my hand, which I think I've now broken. More swearing follows, and I storm over to the wall Cub disappeared through, punching that too. 

My hand goes straight through it. 

I scream, falling back, staring at the useless limb. Once I've got my breath back, and have stopped panicking, I test again with my foot. It passes effortlessly through the stone, so I jump all the way in. 

Blue is all I can see as I come out on the other side. I blink, thinking my eyes are messing with me before I realise that everything is that colour. I'm lying on the ground, still adjusting to the light. Tentatively, I look up. 

It's a small place, and every bit of space is filled. Posters and banners cover the walls, and there's a table at one side, overflowing with more. The floor's bright sky blue and geometrically patterned, and a pair of beds, one a hammock, lie there too. 

Cub's glaring, mask off and sword pointed at me, and I can tell he's ready and willing to kill me. The other vex is lying in the hammock, with a badly scarred face and clothes torn open to reveal a nasty arrow wound right in his chest. I step back, reaching for my own weapon. 

'Why are you here?!' Cub questions. I hold up my hands in surrender. 

'I followed you.' I reply. 'I knew you couldn't be trusted, and now you've proven that to me! Give back what you stole from us! Now!' My sword comes free from it's sheath and I point it back at Cub. He doesn't flinch, still glaring. 

'No. You gave it to us, and we clearly need it more than you. It's fair.'

'YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! You know NOTHING about fair.'

'And then you tried to kill Scar!'  

It takes a moment for me to realise who Scar is, but I quickly figure out that it's the other vex. Cub backs off, knowing he shouldn't have revealed that.

'And now I've found your hidden lair, I can kill you. First Scar, then you. We'll see how much YOU like watching your friend get murdered!'

'I didn't kill your friend.' Scar mutters back quietly. I look over at him, then back at Cub.

'Then who did?' 

'I don't know! But I didn't kill him. I was going to, if you attacked, but I didn't.' 

'WHO KILLED MY BROTHER?!' I scream back. 

'Your friend with the bow and arrow? I don't know, I didn't see. I was helping Cub.' Scar continues to plead. I glare between the two vex. 

'I swear I'll kill you.' I vow. 'Right here, if I have to.' 

Before I can fulfill my promise, Cub has me pinned. My sword clatters to the floor next to me, and I howl with pain as my broken hand's trapped against the wall. 

'If you kill him, I won't hesitate.' He promises back. I'm still wincing from the agony, unable to reply, nearly crying.

'Cub, stop! Don't kill him!' I watch, incredulous, as the vex backs off. I cradle my throbbing hand, uncertainly looking between the two. 

'Get out. Now. Or I will kill you.'

I obey, grabbing my sword as I do. Back into the maze I run, before collapsing against a wall, crying. A million unanswerable questions flash through my mind, and all I know is that I can't go back to the others. Not now, not ever. They've failed to help me when I needed them to, thought I'd be alright mere DAYS after Skizz died. The only one I feel guilty about abandoning is Tango, but even he doesn't understand. 

If you die you can join your brother. A voice in the back of my mind tells me. All you have to do is kill yourself. You have a sword, there's nothing stopping you.

I force it away. I'll get over this. Besides, if I kill myself... 

No one will miss you when you're gone. None of them care about you really. You're just someone they can send into this place to help them. 

I pick up my sword in my good hand, before discarding it and taking out my knife instead. It's the last thing I have left from the real world. Is there anyone left there I know? 

Now just kill yourself. It won't hurt that much. 

I hold the weapon to my chest, almost crying. Then I pause, and stand up. I'm not going to die leaning against a wall. I raise the dagger again. 

Now kill. 

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'IMPULSE!'