Lost Library of Absolute Fucking Horror (Whumptober 2024)

DAY 16: A Swamp of Muddled Emotions

THEME: Necrosis
PROMPTS: Swamp/ Wound Cleaning/ "No, I can't feel anything"
PROMPTS USED: Swamp/ Wound Cleaning/ "No, I can't feel anything"
SUMMARY: After being forced to leave everything behind, Tsukasa struggles with accepting and sorting through his mind and his emotions. He and Rui have an important conversation as the latter cleans his cut.

WARNINGS: Minor injury

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Mud splattered onto their boots as they ran, heavy, labored breaths breaking through the silence of the murky swamp.

One boy, in particular, repeatedly tripped over his own feet, gasping as he struggled to keep up. He was growing tired; he had never had to run this far, nor this long before. Unlike the other three, who had been running for almost their entire lives.

"Tsukasa,"

One of the girls paused, looking back at him. "Are you alright? Do you need us to stop for now?"

"No," Tsukasa heaved, shaking his head as he stumbled forwards. "It's okay, I can.. I can keep going-"

His foot got caught under a root, sending him plummeting down into the muddy, wet grass.

"Shit-!"

Now everyone had stopped. An, who was a bit ahead of the other three, quickly ran back. "Tsukasa, are you okay?!"

Tsukasa slowly sat up, his eyes squeezed shut. He was covered in mud and soil.

"Oh, ew..."

Kohane bent down, taking a cloth out of her bag. "Here, let me clean your face," She offered kindly. Tsukasa nodded silently, allowing the blonde to wipe the grime away.

"Tsukasa." Rui knelt down. "Do you think you can keep running?"

As Kohane brought the cloth away from Tsukasa's face, he opened his eyes, looking over at Rui.

"I'm.. I'm fine," He breathed out quietly, looking around. "I don't want to stay here."

An reached out her hand. "We'll be out of the swamp soon," She reassured, "There's gotta be a village near here. We visited it before, didn't we, Kohane?"

Kohane looked over at her friend. "Yeah, I remember.. the inn there was really nice. We should be able to get in for free, too."

"Oh, that's good.."

Tsukasa took An's hand, slowly standing up. He frowned as he looked down at his clothes.

They were dirty. His foot hurt.

He was tired.

How was everyone else able to have so much stamina..? Tsukasa never had any reason to run this fast, and for this long, too...

"We can slow down for a bit." Rui suggested. "It doesn't seem like anybody is following us."

Right. That's why they were running.

Because they ran.

Tsukasa felt his chest tighten. He'd lived in that village his entire life... to leave now just felt so wrong. He had a future there, he was already set up to become the next village chief.

But then, if the four had stayed... then Rui would have died. They would've been the next to be killed.

It was weird to him. Since when had Tsukasa begun to favour the lives of his friends over his own God? He would have to repent for this, surely... perhaps he would never be forgiven for the sins he had just committed.

Running away from everything... and to what? Tsukasa had never been outside before. Rui had moved in after his parents, outside the country, had died in an accident.. and An and Kohane had ran a while ago. They only came back for him and Rui.