Through mushroom forest

Far From a Home

"Can you walk?" Rei asked. "Uh- I don't think so." Rei tried to crack a smile, but the blood falling from her face flowed into her mouth. A metallic taste flooded her senses, a frown now plastered on her face. "Here '' Rei held out her hand for Tsuyo to take.

"It hurts.." Rei kneeled next to Tsuyo and pulled her arm over her shoulder. The silver-haired girl pulled her companion up slowly. The tendons in Tsuyo's leg twisted as the squelching noises became increasingly unsettling. "AHGG" "I'm sorry, I'll move slower" She pulled her up slowly again. Holding her bloody shoulders against her stained clothes, Rei supported Tsuyo entirely as they stepped out from the mushrooms piled along the sides. As their eyes landed on the carcasses around them, the hollow seemed to elongate. The black ooze seeped from the dead bodies. It was a bloody mess of limbs, and the trail of crimson liquid tsuyo was leaving behind didn't help. The dark atmosphere enveloped them as the two walked away from the carnage. "It hurts." Tsuyo managed to utter the words through the grimace on her face. The slope of the hollow wall began to encroach on the pair. "Hold on tighter" Tsuyo's firm grip increased on Rei's shoulder. The slope in front of them was steep, the dirt sliding and the rocks lining the bottom of the hill rough and sharp. Rei pulled Tsuyo's thighs higher up to her waist. The heavy pull of her weight tugged on her as she took a step onto the slope. The brown dirt slid around her feet, showing how it was so easy to slip into the hollow. "Rei.." Tsuyo could only muster a small croak, her tired eyes giving in to darkness. Rei Sighed, pulling her way up the crumbling dirt. The sky was a tossed auburn and orange color, of course, you could see only see the glimpses of it through the thick fog. The weight of the frail girl tsuyo was carrying was almost like nothing. Rei's quiet thoughts were now loud as ever, echoing throughout her head.

How could I ever have gotten to this point, how could I have ended up at this moment? 'How could I have been so ignorant?

She pushed the thoughts slowly from her face, shoving them down into the rest of her body. Her hair began to pick up in a breeze as she neared the top of the slope. The darker shadows of the forest became increasingly welcoming as her feet grew numb. The swirling leaves look almost hypnotizing, Rei's grip on Tsuyos legs loosened for a quick second. Looking down at the group, she straightened herself, taking her next step onto the flattened ground. The long-dead leaves of a banana tree lay on the ground. Shuffling towards the shade with her green-haired companion, she pulled her onto the ground.

These leaves should be soft enough to pull over us- no, her.

The brown leaves were soft, sitting down in the packed dirt, Rei attempted to softly pull the leaves

The dirt closer to the top of the slope was more compacted like more creatures had walked around the rim instead of slipping and twisting down the side. Rei could feel Tsuyos ragged breaths on her shoulder. Although she could not feel much else. Her legs were numb, her torso tingling. The liquid flowing from her eye was slowly clotting, she could no longer feel the stream down the side of her face,

Blood.

Rei could only think of the amount both she and Tsuyo had lost already. Slipping down onto her knees and facing her companion. Rei held Tsuyos' leg tenderly on top of hers. her bone glistened through the red liquid, her torn flesh barely covering her muscles. The brown leaves stuck to her skin as Rei wrapped her leg. Rei's eyes scanned the surroundings, her pupils resting on a broken stick. Rei pulled the stick onto the leaves. Her hands were slicked in Tsuyos blood. Rei felt a random shiver, she felt dirty and disgusting. Between the rotten banana leaves, tsuyo's fleshy mess, and the tacky black ooze that was splattered across her clothing. The shade provided by the canopy of leaves was scattered over their faces, Rei let out a tired sigh. Grabbing her knees she pushed herself up. The popping of her knuckles was the loudest noise she could hear. Taking a few slow steps towards Tsuyo's shrunken body, Rei's hands moved under her arms. Again, Tsuyos lack of body fat was no surprise to Rei. Her body was like a simple pile of clothing. Rei heard the small noise from Tsuyo as she hoisted her onto her back. "Mmph" Rei could no longer tell if Tsuyo was awake or asleep. Clearing her throat, Rei managed a small "Hey." No response, She let out a sigh, her legs were beginning to tremble. The fog was now creeping around the edges of the trees around her. The quickly rising white clouds began to block out her visions of the rest of the forest. The amber lighting is being replaced by melancholy blue hues. The ominous fog wall was now enclosing her. "Uh-"

And then the fog hit. It was a freezing feeling that struck down to Rei's core- shivering, she pulled her feet forward again, struggling to take the next step. The compass that dangled from Tsuyos hand told Rei to heart straight. The fog made everything blurry- the trees looking farther and farther away every step she took. The trees around them now looked skinny and towered over the two with branches that reached out like arms. Ready to snatch one of them and disappear. Tsuyo's head moved slightly on Rei's shoulder. "Cold," Tsuyo mumbled her head in the crook of Rei's neck. "Yeah, and it's foggy, and I'm tired, and-" Tsuyo cut Rei off, not particularly enthusiastic about Rei's complaining. "Stop, what's that..?" Rei stopped, Looking around her. Despite the fog, The two could see the trees had stopped about two feet behind them. The brown forest dirt stretching little ways in front of them. "Is that? A bridge?" Rei started up walking again, her pace a bit faster and her step a bit more bouncy. The dirt in front of them soon blended into a worn grey stone. The pattern of the grey bricks going in small spirals beneath Rei's feet. The silver-haired girl could feel Tsuyo's grip tighten on her shoulders. Ahead of them, a large brick barrier came into view, The grey concrete looking dull against the cascading green vines dropping down in front of them. A small brown wooden door was hidden in the mass of tall bricks. As Rei Began to speed walk towards the door, The forest felt farther and farther behind them. The smooth brown wood of the door felt presented to them.

Are we finally here?

It was dead quiet as Rei pulled out her hand to open the door. Neither of the two daring to utter a word. Tsuyo held her breath as she watched Rei push the door open, anticipation coursing through her. The fog had cleared behind the door, revealing the sunny sky that was truly above the fog. The city, that both of them had come too far to find, was right in their reach.

And then they saw it.

The ground was littered with collapsed rock. The city was crumbling, colorful buildings in scattered shambles across the ground. Torn cloth stands strewn along with the remains of what should have been a busy street. The city looked trashed, there were remains and debris spilling out of toppled trash cans. But the state of the city wasn't the most horrifying thing. A bruised hand stuck out from under one of the fallen pillars. Rei and Tsuyo swiveled their heads around in disbelief, their feet seeming to be glued on the spot. The scattered cloth strewn across the street had Red stains and limbs. To the horror of the two, Some lumps of color were still moving. Some of the cloth piles gave way into muddled faces, looking desperately at the two women. Piles of black goo were puddled around the cloth lumps, giving the realization to Tsuyo first. The cloth piles, the hands under the pillars, and crushed buildings. These were all people. The people of the "Most Advanced City." Were all crushed and buried in their clothes, Their bright and colorful gowns were now stained with their blood and clumped on top of their squirming bodies. Tears welled at the corner of Tsuyo's eyes, Listening to the silence echoing around them. Rei sunk onto her knees, The broken cobblestone digging into her soft skin. The quiet sobs of Tsuyo Dropped tears into Reis' back, who still stared blankly at the turmoil before them. Blood now slowly dripped from The cavern that was Rei's empty eyes socket. The two could not notice the soft rumbling of the ground, or the small mushroom creatures crawling out from under rocks and broken structures. Tsuyo pulled her arm around Rei's shoulder before looking up at the grey sky. Her lips trembled as she uttered her last four words.

"This city, Is dead".