Crowded (18+)

Copper and Blood (mid-break)

"Leo.." He felt his focus shift as he slowly hesitated to open the door. His friend. His old friend. She might've been the odd one off you wouldn't think a shy guy like me would enjoy to be around as she's too loud and hyper and discusses history any time you mention any year, but she was the puzzle piece he needed. The chaos that brought some sense of stability in his college life. The wind around him lifted, filling his ears with white sound and muffled voices. They screamed. They begged. Like nothing else mattered. He felt dizzy until he realized he couldn't breath. Blue computed his view, bubbles rising to the top as he felt cold. Floating mid air in a ocean off darkness. He looked down, to his fear, to see the vast darkness engulf the bottom, reaching deeper ends then he'd like to imagine. Slowly, snake like black creatures swam out of the abyss, eyes set on its target. He struggled and fought to swim up, but no matter what, he never felt like the surface was any closer. He flinched, feeling a jabbed pain and looked down in horror. The snakes bit into his ankles and legs, like leeches and was dragging him slowly down into the abyss. He cried out for help but all that came out was a gargle and bubbles as he saw the abyss engulf his vision. Please. He felt so tired. His head was so light and his heart throbbed in his ears. Was he dying? Or was he already dead? Would he ever be able to say sorry to Leo? To Nolah? It broke his heart. Maybe it's for the best he was seen as the wolf. They wouldn't be as hurt if they didn't know, right? He felt the air around him shift, gravity as if the water had drained from his body, and fell to a hard surface, gasping for air. He glared down at a wooden floor, tears collecting in his eyes as he heaved to collect any oxygen. I'm okay. I'm alive. I think? He blinked, slowly inhaling as he looked around.
On the wall was a old clock, a piece of copper with glass so old you'd have to rub it down to see what the time was. Eli reached out to grab it down from it's hinge but the chair begun to waver, making him fall over to the ground. A earthquake like shatter made his heart break. No. No not again. His eyes locked onto the pieces, scattered around the floor, some which'd fell in between the wooden boards.
"Fuck fuck fuck" He felt tears stream down his face and his heart ache as he measly brushed the small pieces into his hands. Glass and copper. Old as time. But it'd broken yet again. He cursed to himself. Rubbing his eyes with his free hand as tears coiled his cheeks. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't. He shuffled to his feet and held the pieces tight into his chest. For a moment, clarify washed over him. Didn't he have glue somewhere? he shuffled over to the old drawers by his bed. They creaked as they opened to reveal old craft supplies. Some paper. A toy scissor. He flinched and dug around. Aha. Glue. He settled on the cold old floor and carefully put each piece into place, ignoring the stained cheeks. Or whatever it looked most alike to. As the piece grew, as each little detail made more sense, he smiled sadly to himself. A cold air washed over him as he saw his shadow grow. Goat-sized horns developed in the shadow and that eery smile washed dread over him once more.
"You'll never be good enough"
The room darkened with each corner clawing at him like hungry beasts drawn in shadows. Blood dripping from their jaw and their pulsating eyes eyeing him down like a deer in headlights. They cackled. So loud it rung in his ears. He felt his lips shake and he meekly, shakily lifted his hands to reveal the pathetic excuse of a rebuilt clock, with white stains dripping between the parts, oozing out of them. Except it wasn't white. It was red. Scarlet red. On the wall was a old clock, a piece of copper with glass so old you'd have to rub it down to see what the time was. Eli reached out to grab it down from it's hinge but the chair begun to waver, making him fall over to the ground. A earthquake like shatter blasted his ears and he turned, face drained off color. No. No not again. His eyes locked onto the pieces, scattered around the floor, some which'd fell in-between the wooden boards.
"Fuck fuck fuck" He felt tears stream down his face and his heart ache as he measly brushed the small pieces into his hands. Glass and copper. Old as time. But it'd broken yet again. He cursed to himself. Rubbing his eyes with his free hand as tears coiled his cheeks. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't. He shuffled to his feet and held the pieces tight into his chest. For a moment, clarify washed over him. Didn't he have glue somewhere? he shuffled over to the old drawers by his bed. They creaked as they opened to reveal old craft supplies. Some paper. A toy scissor. He flinched and dug around. Aha. Glue. He settled on the cold old floor and carefully put each piece into place, ignoring the stained cheeks. Or whatever it looked most alike to. As the piece grew, as each little detail made more sense, he smiled sadly to himself. A cold air washed over him as he saw his shadow grow. Goat-sized horns developed in the shadow and that eery smile washed dread over him once more.
"You're nothing!" The shadow screamed into his ears. He felt his hands shake as they held onto the clock. He had to protect it.
"I could find scrap in a garbage can worth more then you!"
The room darkened with each corner clawing at him like hungry beasts drawn in shadows. Blood dripping from their jaw and their pulsating eyes eyeing him down like a deer in headlights. They cackled. So loud it rung in his ears. He felt his lips shake and he meekly, shakily lifted his hands to reveal the pathetic excuse of a rebuilt clock, with white stains dripping between the parts, oozing out of them. Except it wasn't white. It was red. Scarlet red. On the wall was a old clock, a piece of copper with glass so old you'd have to rub it down to see what the time was. Eli reached out to grab it down from it's hinge but the chair begun to waver, making him fall over to the ground. A earthquake like shatter blasted his ears and he turned, face drained off color. No. No not again. His eyes locked onto the pieces, scattered around the floor, some which'd fell in-between the wooden boards.
"Fuck fuck fuck" He felt tears stream down his face and his heart ache as he measly brushed the small pieces into his hands. Glass and copper. Old as time. But it'd broken yet again. He cursed to himself. Rubbing his eyes with his free hand as tears coiled his cheeks. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't. He felt nausea. His head was spinning like the room around him defied gravity. He shuffled to his feet and held the pieces tight into his chest. For a moment, clarify washed over him. Didn't he have glue somewhere? he shuffled over to the old drawers by his bed. They creaked as they opened to reveal old craft supplies. Some paper. A toy scissor. He sniffled and dug around. Aha. Glue. He settled on the cold old floor and carefully put each piece into place, ignoring the stained cheeks. But each piece was too broken to really make out what it'd been before it was broken. It looked jagged, rectangular at the edges rather then the smooth circle of his old clock. He had to fix it. He just had to. He couldn't do this again. A cold air washed over him as he saw his shadow grow. Goat-sized horns developed in the shadow and that eerie smile washed dread over him once more.
"You don't deserve anything good.. you never did and it's pathetic you thought for one second, anyone would treat you differently.." It scoffed. The room darkened with each corner clawing at him like hungry beasts drawn in shadows. Blood dripping from their jaw and their pulsating eyes eyeing him down like a deer in headlights. They cackled. So loud it rung in his ears. He felt his lips shake and he meekly, shakily lifted his hands to reveal the pathetic excuse of a rebuilt clock, with white stains dripping between the parts, oozing out of them. Jagged pieces tore into his skin and blood dripped onto the wooden floor form the scars. It didn't hurt anymore. He let the copper block fall to the ground and watched it's form crumble into nothing before him. It fell in slow motion but as it'd hit the ground, it meant nothing anymore. It was distant. Meow. The familiar sound brought him joy, for once in his life, cause he knew what it meant and he looked to his side to find the familiar feline at his leg, staring intently into his eyes.
"I might be nothing, but at least i have you" He croaked out past his hoarse, drained self. The room shifted and morphed into a blur of mess. Black and oak and red. But he didn't care. He had the little fluffy creature by his side. A broken clock didn't matter as much now. It felt numbing in a kind way. The kind when you're so used to something, when it happens, you kind of expected it. So you're just there, waiting for it to happen. Why would the clock matter in the end? if those creatures were right? He buried his face into the dark matted fur and laid down on the floor, holding the cat close. He knew something had changed, and he was waiting for his next nightmare. He breathed in, shakily. Is this it? Is he doomed forever in a world of horror? He slowly lifted his gaze to see stained, grey walls with paint peeling off it. A familiar bed stood opposed to him, covered in a thin blanket. The sun was settling in the horizon past the point of the window sill, filled with dead critters. The window itself was fogged over, with letters he'd head so many times scribbled in the dense glass.