Thanatophobia

7-Befriend

"Stacii!" Isie screamed, but it was too late.

Gort punched Stacii across the face. There was a squabble, Stacii screaming as Gort punched and kicked her. Stacii tried to defend herself the best she could, but the only defense she could make was a kick to the chin. Blood dripped down Gort's mouth as Stacii fainted onto a soft patch of green grass. Emiliee stared in horror as Gort's black eyes stared deeply, sending shock into her blood. Isie had a similar reaction, but instead of horror, terror filled the little girl as Gort aimed his flamethrower at the two.

"No! Please!" Emiliee cried. "We didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yes, you did," Gort yelled. "You knocked my friends out and tried to drown them!"

"Sure we did try to, but trust me, there was a reason!" Isie stated. "We aren't safe-"

"No Isie, you can't," Emiliee said, but it was too late, Isie already made up her mind.

"We aren't safe with femboys like you!" Isie screamed.

There was silence until Gort burst out laughing. The two stared at him while he was having a discrete form of mania.

"Femboys eh?" He snorted "I haven't heard an insult like that in years!"

The two girls continued to stare at each other as he laughed loudly.

"I'll leave y'all alone," Gort said. "But I'll take my friends back."

They nodded as he cackled. There was a groan as Taylor rose from the sand. His droopy eyelid was masked in multicolored marks that pounded in pain as he struggled to keep his eye open. His pink hair was now gritten with sand, curled with desperation for the water to wash the oil out.

"Stop yelling. Besides, Oliver most likely shut you up." Taylor grimaced.

It was only when he stood up and looked at the water that he noticed my body floating on the top of the clear water.

"Oh my god Oliver!" He screamed as he dove into the water.

"You shouldn't trust-" Gort said as he found Taylor's leg wrapped in a large, green, slimy arm. The arm lifted him up, keeping him held above the water. He struggled until the hand dug its nails into the flesh of Taylor, causing him to exclaim in pain. After the blood dripped into the water, the hand dragged him down to discover the depths of the water.

"Oh my god," Gort exclaimed. "I'm coming for you!" He ripped open his ammo sack and grabbed a hold of a knife. He got a running start for the dive. The water was freezing, burning his eyes and skin in cold burns.

He swam until his breath vanished, and he popped back up on the surface of the water. His white hair sogged over his face and his clothes were sopping wet. He took some breaths, mopped the hair to the side of his head, and dove again. This time, he saw something more helpful.

The hand monster was huge, with a few hands on its head, mixed with a huge blobfish, and to mention, it was military green, So almost impossible to distinguish against the river grass that anchored itself on the bottom of the lake. He gripped the handle of the blade with his teeth and swam deeper, to where Oliver and Taylor seemed to be, sunken under the disturbingly freezing lake.

He grabbed ahold of Oliver and Taylor's hands and swam upwards. He reached the water's cover when all of a sudden, the monster gripped his hand onto Gort's leg. Gort knew what to do, he used his mouth knife to cut the wrist of the green arm. The monster screamed and that's when I woke up.

I inhaled a big whole gulp of water and regretted that impulse as me and Taylor were dragged onto the shore by Gort's hand. I coughed hard. When I got my breathing under control, I looked to the side. Gort looked at me with a solemn expression. It took a glance to understand what happened. Taylor was lying there, unresponsive, about 3 yards away.

I immediately was struck that he might be dead. Tears flowed out as ran towards him.

"No!" I screamed, "Don't die on me!" I was crying while I started CPR.

"Come on!" I screamed, "Taylor!!"

"Oliver!" Gort exclaimed, "Stop, there is no saving someone who is dead."

"No!" I cried, "I can!" I continued to use chest compressions.

I cried hard as I realized he might actually be dead. He was cradled in my lap, me holding on to him like I couldn't hold onto his life. I felt more guilty than a being who killed someone in an accident or for self-defense.

"Oliver," Gort spoke. "Are you ok-"

"No! I literally saw someone I love die!" Oliver screamed. "And do you think If you watched someone you love die, you would be okay?!"

Gort stopped talking as I held Tayor closer. My tears covered Taylor as I couldn't stop the feeling I had. All of a sudden, I feel two deep breaths coming from Taylor's claimed-to-be-dead body. Sudden joy coursed through my veins.

"Oliver?" He said as Taylor slowly opened his eyes.

"Taylor!" I cried, "I-I thought y-you died!"

"Nope!" He chuckled. "I thought you did."

Suddenly, Taylor froze in shock, looking behind me. I didn't understand what he was afraid of before I saw who it was.

"Uh-" Isie spoke."Uhm."

"We're sorry!" Emiliee said, unapologetic.

"Fix her!" Isie screamed. "Or else!" She was pointing at Stacii

I stared into her brown eyes. They were large and shiny like the fireflies that disappeared a few hours ago because of the morning sun. I saw in this grasshopper child, my dead sister, Mayseigh. I took a moment, then thought of a remark.

"Or else?" I said. "Or else what?"

"Or else this." Isie ran towards me and tried to tackle me, but ended up giving me a strong hug instead. "Whoops?" She nervously chuckled.

"I wasn't taking that as an offense," I stated, "You're adorable."

"Uh, thanks?" She said as she hopped away from me to Emiliee.

I was met with the cloudy-eyed monster with purple hair staring at me. She was staring not at me, but my face. Bloody and pale, lacking nutrition.

"What are you needing from us?" Emiliee growled.