Of Love and Death.

The Present Chapter 15: Rabbits, Nightmares, and More! Pt. 1

Being threatened,  horrible nightmares, anxiety, fear, fear of being controlled, fear of heights, fear of dying, fear of letting your friends down, being trapped, nightmares, panicking and probably panic attacks. Being threatened into doing something wrong, flashbacks, trauma. So, like, the most peppy chapter ever!

Shu slammed his feet against the glass, shouting silently. How long had he been screaming? All he knew was his voice was fading. It hurt to keep shouting, calling out for help. Especially when he knew it was pointless. But what else was he going to do? His fingers were raw and bleeding from scratching at the walls. Nothing had happened. This stupid container was probably bomb proof. His feeble kicks were going to do nothing. Perhaps by some miracle Shu could shatter the glass, just enough. But then what? He'd have to break down metal doors half a foot thick.

Even Shu's eyes were tired. They were red and raw from being open so long. Not that he could see anything. The darkness was everywhere. The doors had closed on him, and now there was nothing. Just nothing. It would be easy to close his eyes. But it would be awful. If he blinked he'd fall asleep. Shu just knew it. He'd sleep and have to go back there. To whatever part of his mind had twisted him beyond repair.

Outside, Shu knew that they could hear him. All of them. All those fudging jerks who knew full well he wanted nothing more than out. But they didn't care. They didn't care that he was trapped. That his strength was failing. That in a few moments, he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes open any longer. He'd fall asleep.

Then what? The red eyed blader knew he wouldn't be able to hold up there. His mind was only so strong. Shu would break. He would break and he would fall and then he'd be that monster again. And Spryzen would control him again. And this time he knew he wouldn't come back. Anthem would have accounted for it all. He'd be gone, dead. But worse than dead. Shu would be trapped. Always aware of the monster he'd become trapped inside. But never able to do anything.

Tears started flowing down Shu's face again. He could feel them float away, up towards the top. Screw it. Just it was all shit. Outside, he could vaguely hear Ashtem's voice. Tired, a bit exasperated, impatient. Good. The last thing Shu would do was make Theodore mad. It wasn't what he wanted. But it was something.

Now Shu's eyes were falling. Falling faster and faster. He couldn't keep awake much longer. The wires he'd half pulled out of his skin wouldn't come all the way. They were putting him under, no matter how much he fought. "The sooner you give up, the sooner you can truly be yourself, Red Eye," Ashtem said again. Almost like a voice in Red Eye's head.

No! No, no, no, no. Shu didn't want this. "LET ME OUT!" He screamed again. Kicking and shoving and crying. "LET ME OU-"

"Shu, Shu, hey, hey."

In a breath, Shu's eyes flew open. Darkness. Why was it still dark? It had been a dream, right? Right? Or hadn't it. Was it all real? Was this just one of the horror's he'd fight through, only to be rewarded with horror for the rest of his life? "Shu, Shu, say something," Valt said again. He sounded a bit more frantic.

Valt was here. And he was speaking. Shu focused on that. He focused on his boyfriend's words. There was no one in the universe that he knew better than Valt. And the blue haired blader's words. They sounded...they sounded real. Like something he would actually say. Not any simulation Shu's brain or the Snake Pit's computers could have dreamed up.

Slowly, awareness started to creep back into Shu. The crickets chirps outside. Irregular, but somehow they chorused all together. The way that the ground was uneven underneath him. Not rocky, but grassy. Not exactly soft, but far from the worst thing to sleep on. Real. Not a dream.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not in the Snake Pit, you're here with me," Valt soothed. He was whispering now. Just loud enough to be heard. The words crashed into Shu. Not enough to stop him shaking. Not enough for him to be strong enough to speak or to even move. But enough to let him know that this was real.