The Tales Of Crowboy The Incredible: Of Ink and Power

Chapter Twenty Five

       Are you okay?

        Those have been the words floating around the rooms I've been in since Owen had teleported me out of the cave and far, far away from the Court, and right into Caitlins bedroom. I just pulled out my phone, which had been off for the whole day, and talked to Mama quietly while Owen and Caitlin whispered words about what happened today, sneaking silent, worried glances at me while they thought I didn't notice. 

        Are you okay? 

       Caitlin asked me, when I told her I couldn't move the lower half of my body, and my wings were melting into my body again and my ears and tail and fangs were disappearing. I felt fine, I told her. Just disorientated and confused. 

         Are you okay? 

         Owen asked Caitlin, and touched her face gently, something I wanted to feel for myself. Caitlin closed her eyes and melted into his hand, while she nodded and the word yes kissed her tounge, and she almost spoke it. But for whatever reason, she kept silent.

        Are you okay?

        She asked, returning to question to Owen, and he nodded, and gave her an overveiw of what happened with the Court, saying how even though she was a healer, she wasn't allowed to heal me, because it might mess "everything" up. Whatever everything was. 

         Are you okay?

       Owen asked, and I nodded, saying that I could mostly move my legs now, even if some bits were still tingly. He nodded, hesitated, and repeated the question, saying that what had happened tody was scary and how it was okay to not be okay. I said I was okay. 

         Are you okay? 

         I asked Owen, who looked stressed as shit, but also looked like he was holding it together. But just barely. He said yes, and then smiled, like the very thought of him not being okay was propsterous. 

         Owen said that he would text me tommorow about future training dates and how I should try to rest for the rest of the night. I was probably going to ghost him. Actually, no. But pretend I hadn't read his text for like two or three days. He teleported away, saying that Caitlins mom would freak out, but not before sucking face with Caitlin when I turned away for a SPLIT SECOND. Ew. Disgusting. 

       The sun was already setting, illuminating Caitlins room, the shadows of her belongings twisting into monsters, the types that haunt the nightmares of children, making them run crying to the bedroom of their parents, only to realize they never truley woke up. Oh, how I wanted

         I went to bed without eating, and not speaking much to Caitlin, even though I really love her. I was just exhausted. And I think she picked up on it too. I got changed quickly into my night clothes under the comforter on the matress that Caitlin had set up for me. A few minutes later, her mother walked in, talked to me, explaining how she understood I needed a place to stay for a few days, and how she loved me, and how we could always stay. I wonder what Caitlin told her. Probably something about Mama. They both hate Mama, Caitlin and her mom. 

       I flopped onto the mattress on the floor, and put my AirPods in. I tossed and turned, my eyes fluttering open what felt like every five seconds. Eventually, I rolled over a little two much, and my AirPod popped out of my ear and rolled onto the floor, cursing myself, I opened my eyes, and tried to search the ground. 

       I pressed my palm to the ground, and I felt something cold move under my hand. Hmm. I didn't think anything of it. This room was cold. It was probably just a vent. I moved my hand out farther, tapping the ground and smacking the carpet. I groaned. This was useless. I tried to find my phone for a light, but it must have fallen on the ground as well. Fuck this. I pulled my other hand out of the warm cocoon that I had built for myself, and pushed it against the ground as well. 

       Wait. 

        Why wasn't there any music playing in my headphones? 

        Two cold, blackend hands grabbed my wrist, and another wrapped around my mouth I tried to scream, but the hand felt like it was sucking out the air out of my lungs. And not letting any back in. In a split second, I was pulled into the floor, the grip on the wrists tightening as I fell through darkness, as cold and bleak as ink. 

       I tumbeled and fell for a while, the hands maintaining their hold on my wrists and mouth. I decided not to struggle. That doesn't seem to do anything nowadays, when it comes to things like this. I felt myself grow dizzy, my brain becoming fuzzy from lack of oxegyn. 

         It was like I was in a cold vaccum. It felt so strange, but also so comforting. Like I had been here before. I probably had. I really didn't know. 

      The hand on my mouth loosened, and I opened my throat to breath in the air. I inhaled and instantly started coughing. Shards of an invisible solid cut up the inside of my throat, getting stuck in my airway like glass stuck to glue. The air was cold, and setteled into my lungs gently. I felt blood pour down my throat from the wounds. I coughed violently, and a gooey liquid dribbeled down my mouth and onto my chin and shirt. But I wasn't scared. I wasn't afraid I could get hurt. Or well, even more hurt here. I knew where I was. I'm pretty sure. But for now, I had to hold my breath. 

     The hands dragged me down further and further, until I fell onto the floor, my legs crushed under the weight of my body. A snapping of my legs made me open my mouth and inhale sharply. I heard something crack. Oh shit. I heard something crack. The goo was on my leg now, too, gushing out of a place that I heard crack. The floor was cold, and felt like smooth like glass. Maybe that was in my throat. Glass. A vape jingle that would play sometimes on my Spotify ran in my head. That's metal, in yo lungs!

     The darkness kept a hold on me. No sounds echoed around, nothing stood out. Ther were no futures. Only cruel, punishing, darkness. A void of shadows. 

      I tried to wake up. This was only a dream, and nothing more. I moved my hands close to my thighs and tried to pinch myself, but with no such luck. I.... actually didn't feel anything. Evaluating my body, I realised I wasn't in pain. I knew there were things dribbling down my throat and drying on my lips and gushing out of leg. I knew that something had broken, but that was just because of the discomfort I felt. But no pain. None. 

       My eyes didn't adjust, because there really was no light. But I knew that these hands were connected the something. Not a person. But certainly something. I guess the walls of wherever I was. They were kind of like ooblec. Almsot as if whatever they were made of didn't know wether to be a liquid of a solid. Thatever it was, it was starting to drip down my shirt and onto my bare legs. 

      That's when my worst fear happened. The floor, which was previously made with solid glass, started to melt away. It was slow at first. I didn't even notice. I had only gone five seconds out of my mind, and away from this, and the darkness tried to swallow me up. 

       The glass started melting, and ate me up like quicksand. It was heavy, and the consistancy of something I had never felt before. Hot yet so fucking cold. Grainy yet somehow nice and smooth. I didn't understand. But whatever it was was going to kill me. 

        This was when I started to struggle. A lot of effort on my part, but my effort was futile. The floor felt like it was draining all of my energy. I looked down. All the way up to my belly button was covered. I couldn't see my thighs or bellow. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. 

       That's when I stopped. I looked at my hands, and saw nothing. Hands were starting to grab my legs from bellow the glass goo, dragging me down faster and faster. There was no point but to wake up. I couldn't even breath without pain. My stomach felt like it was filled with the sweet mettalic taste of blood, but I knew that wasn't mine. It was whatever black stuff was in this world. But I knew I would wake up. 

       And now, as I speak to you, it's up to my throat, and now creeping into my mouth. It tasted like blood. I knew it wasn't but it tasted like blood. And it tasted like mine. I took on final breath, and then my whole head went under. My whole body felt cold, like my bones had been replaced with carvings of ice. 

      That's when I opened my eyes. 

      "Hello, little one. Did you know I'm in control?"

      I woke up.