A Fallen HomeKin

PART XXIV

Fralith. Was. In. A. MetalEater. It had eaten him. And BlueShirt. And Tim. And he didn't care. Much. The MetalEater rumbled and vibrated, shaking all of them slightly as it sped forwards on some BlackStrip. Digestive sounds, some part of him thought. The rest didn't respond as they were all screaming and wailing lumps.

Movement rocked his body. Movement that wasn't his. It was the kind one feels as one hurtles through the air on a vine, or lying atop a DreamLit, wind whipping in one's face. It was the fall-y, suspended, moving-but-not feeling. The weird, I-am-traveling-really-fast-and-not-moving-anything, feeling. It was disorienting. Sickening.

What was more sickening was that they were being digested. Digested.

Bile rose in his throat and Fralith quickly shoved his face further into BlueShirt's shirt, graping at the tendrils of fog and flinging it at his twisting insides. No. He would not think about it. He would not think about anything. Nothing to think about. Nothing to think about. Nothing to think about...

"Turn left."

BlueShirt's voice vibrated loudly against his ears. It was so close to him. He was so close to BlueShirt. The MetalEater turned to the left, tipping his world askew. The bile returned and this time he couldn't hold it in. Shoving away from BlueShirt, he grabbed a bag and hacked up what little was left in his stomach. By now it was only water and acid. Everything else was gone already.

A noise emanated from BlueShirt as he crawled back into his previous position. "Oh, Brave Bud." BlueShirt stroked his head and back, placing his arms around him again. "We're almost there now. Not much longer."

Fralith closed his eyes. Everything felt...terrible. When would it end? "Beeeep..."

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"Brave Bud, wake up. We're here."

Someone prodded Fralith's shoulder and he groaned. Noooo...he didn't want to move. Everything ached and smelled bad and felt like pummeled meat and...

"Braaave Buddy."

He groaned again and gave up, peeling his sore eyes open. Shirt. Fabric. BlueShirt. Breeze. Breeze. How was there a breeze in the— He shot upwards, eyes flying towards the flap. Open. Without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself out of BlueShirt's lap and out the flap, nearly smacking head-long into the gray wall beyond it.

Turning just in time, he darted alongside the MetalEater, gaze flashing around for escape. Fralith slammed into the other wall with a resounding BANG! Stumbling to his feet, he pushed off it and started running again before his vision cleared. Out, out, out! His insides screamed.

The next thing he crashed into was softer, but not by much.

Tim let out a great big oof as he careened into him. "Oh— Brave Bud!" Arms encircled him, preventing him from bouncing back and darting away again. "You Silly Buddy, it's okay. You're safe. You don't have to play ping pong with the walls."

Fralith leaned his head on Tim's chest, panting. Each breath sent shudders through him, PainBird's screams dulling his senses. The world blurred around him, exhausted nerves fraying at the edges. Away. Why couldn't they just get away from the MetalEater?

Screeek.

Eddies whisked around his ankles and the back of his neck prickled with someone's gaze. He stilled, holding his breath. What was that nose? Where had it come from?

"Matthew? Oh! Hello. Is that Zander?" a woman's voice exclaimed.

"Yes. I assume you're Ruth?" Tim's voice answered.