Thanatophobia

15-OH HAIL NAW

Ube pushed the plate in my face and grinned as I picked up a piece of what seemed to be cake held together by a thick layer of grass. A few flowers were bonded together with a blue paste on top of the 'cake'. It took a few sniffs for me recognize what it was, and to register it as food.

"This smells like a type of lemon-cake," I said, looking at Ube, "Who made this?"

"I didn't make it with my hands," Ube said, chuckling at me with her eyes now returning to the quite noticeable and hauntingly green rings, "Because I ciphered through your memories to find a thing you were longing for. Your mother's lemon-tea cake!"

My heart stopped and my eyes trembled towards her relaxed face, now looking towards me. My mouth stood agape and my gap between my teeth was revealed, looking more displaced than before in my sharp-toothed presence.

"S-s-s-so you have been looking into my mind this whole time?" I said, terrified, "Isn't that invasion of privacy?!!"

"Oliver." Stacii said, shocked, "She is trying t-"

"Well I suppose yes," Ube said, her antlers starting to frigidly grow; gaining random blossoms of vines and flowers, and to glow white again, "This is my territory, not your government's."

"Uh-" Emilee said, her eyes widened, "No-"

"No matter what you might think you are, and what you want to be, it is wrong. Only Cloudy can decide that." Ube said, gaining more tonal value you her voice, "And magic is what she gave to us when she died! You might not know what really happened, saying that you are a human, a puny little petal in our bouquet! The more your kind shows up, the more you damage the beautiful flowery gift to the point that the viewer will throw you out, disgusted!"

"I'm sor-" I said but was stopped with a sense of doom as Ube's glare tightened on me, "It was an impulse, and I am truly sorry!"

"Mold!" Ube screamed, "Mold is the after-fact of dead petals! Lies! Lies are contagious and infectious! They crawl up any pleasurable thing and make it so terrifying! An apple? Likable! A moldy apple? Disgusting! I hope for the best in your life. I'll see you in one moon cycle."

I felt a tightness in my chest as me and the three were booted out of the cave with an unknown magical push, the covering closed and we all stared at it. We all stayed on the floor until almost immediately, Emilee stood up, screaming.

"I'm sorry!" Emilee screamed, her fists banging against the earth, "We won't act like that again! Please, let us in!"

There was no response as she finally gave up and dusted herself off, holding out her hand to Stacii, who just looked at her with a dirty look. Emilee hoisted Stacii up, then did the same for Isie, but not me. I got up by myself, not dusting myself and just following the three. Isie tried to come to me, but Emilee stopped her from doing so.

It was now sun up, and I felt a knife of guilt twisting in my chest. I knew I shouldn't have snapped at Ube, but it still wasn't right for her to eavesdrop on my memories. I looked at Stacii, but she crashed our eye contact with me almost instantly. I tried to do the same with Emilee, but the same result occurred. I didn't look at Isie because I didn't feel like getting her dragged into the hell-fire that was currently engulfing me in a thrashing pang of stress.

We walked silently back to the bush where we had left all the berries. We scooped up all of them in big arm-fulls and took the now- treacherous path back to the shelter. Gort swung open the door as we came back, his eyes closed and his toothy grin met my eyes.

"I see you guys are back now!" Gort said, his sudden brightness barely breaking through the dull facade I felt all around me.

"Can I just have some minutes to myself," I said, blankly staring around Gort, "I just don't feel well."

"Of course you don't!" Emilee screamed, "Were you aware that Oliver insulted the only shaman we have?!"

"What?!" Gort looked at me, and for the first thing I saw in his glare was his disgusted and furious face, "You did that?"

"Please guys, just chill," Stacii said, her pink hair glistening in the sunlight that had seeped in through the window, "There might be another shaman a few miles away."

"We will continue this in the morning," Gort said, his anger hardly being covered up with a smile, "Let's just eat."

The others got the food first, their mouths biting into the fruits and glaring into my soul as I barely mustered a bite. Their eyes and mouths felt like a weapon bared at my throat, ready to hurl it upwards. My anxiety rose as Isie stood up and walked towards me, blankly staring at me as she sat next to me munching on her food.

"Are you going to eat those?" Isie said, pointing at the berries on the floor and looking at me, wide eyed, "I didn't get enough to eat."

"That's okay," I said, forcing a smile, "You can have it."

She put her arm on the outer-edge of the pile and swiped them towards her. She ate contently as I gazed at the floor where they used to be, feeling miserable. I schemed a plan almost instantly.

"I'm going to go to bed," Stacii said, tapping Emilee on the shoulder to alert her, "See you in the morning."

"Okay," Emilee said, eating the last of the berries in her hand and shoving them in front of Gort while she stood up, "I'll join you in a second."

They both walked to the cleanest part of the room and sat down. They brushed their hair with their crusty hands and lay down in a parallel pair, Stacii's back to Emilee's front. I immediately felt a pang of depression, longing for Taylor to wake up, longing for his warm embrace, waiting for someone to care. I just hoped that I wouldn't turn into a monster with blood dripping down my fangs; eyes narrowed in thin slits, waiting to feast on the flesh of anything crossing my path. I just hope Taylor won't be disgusted with what I've become.

"Oliver. I am going to sleep too. Do not wake the three up." Gort said with a stern voice that matched his facial expression, "Just get some sleep."

He walked over to the opposite side of the plane that the three were on and lay down. He seemingly fell asleep instantly. My plan was coming into action, twenty minutes should be enough time to see. I lay down on the floor with a sigh.

I waited until I could hear the faint and loud rumblings of snoring coming from the others to put the plan into action. I arose from the floor and picked whatever mental sanity I had left to continue what I was doing. I tiptoed to Taylor, who was stuck in the coma, to put him on my back to carry him. I grabbed at my gun and clinged onto it under my arm. I felt an eye staring at me as I swiveled my head around to see Stacii quite literally, giving me the eye. Her mouth opened to speak, but she just stopped and returned to the floor, smiling and mouthing the words 'you got this'.

I opened the door slowly and entered the cold night. My eyes reverted to Taylor, who looked snug and warm on my back, and that was enough to make me feel a little brighter than I was then. I trudged the muddy ground for a safe place to hide away, and soon found a place in the trees. The atmosphere was shady and musky as I attempted to tie Taylor's sleeves to my neck, and successfully did so. There was a tree that the branches swooped into a medium-sized overhang that was big enough to stand under. I started to grab onto the concept of actually being alone. I placed Taylor onto the patch of grass and joined him. My cold body was longing for some positive care. I Grabbed onto him and sat there, his upper-torso being held by my arms. Before I fell asleep, I opened the locket again. I was struck with tears as my mouth opened with a strained and muffled cry. My joints started to twitch as my eyes swell up in wet red. My brain felt icky as it felt the urge to do something- something to inflict pain onto myself- something to make me feel better. That's when I remembered the knife.