Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 16- Puppet strings

J A Y

I gasped for air. It wouldn't come. It felt like I was.. running? But I wasn't moving at all. I could feel the sweat, the painful stitch forming on my side, the crunching snow under my feet. But I wasn't moving.

What was going on...

My heart thudded so hard in my chest I thought that it would just explode. My body couldn't take this, I needed to stop whatever I was doing. I don't even fucking know anymore...

My ribs clattered around uselessly in my chest. Yeah, at least 4 of them were broken for sure. I've had plenty of experience to know that.

Running with broken ribs was like trying to outrun a storm while carrying a knife lodged in your side, twisting with every step. The pain didn't just come in waves- it was constant, unrelenting, unforgiving. It literally felt like my chest was collapsing in on itself.

Every breath was a gamble- take a deep one, and it's like fire explodes in my lungs- take a too shallow one and my  body screams for oxygen.

The cold didn't help- or what I presumed was cold. I didn't know where my body was right now, but I would assume outside because it was fucking freezing. The air felt like knives slicing through my throat, and I couldn't stop shivering.

I can't do this anymore, I can't-

And then there's the stitch. A sharp cramp in my side that really shouldn't be there, but it is. It was like my body was purposely trying to make me fail, mocking my efforts to keep going and not collapse on the floor.

But it's not like I could, anyway. I wasn't moving. My real body was. And I had no control over that right now so all I could do was take the pain the Overlord was giving me and hope that it would be over soon.

I could feel my ribs shifting, hear them creaking under the pressure. I was terrified that one of those jagged pieces might pierce something important- like my lungs, or even my heart. It was like I was carrying a time bomb inside my chest, one that could go off at any moment and end me.

I wanted to stop, I really did. But I couldn't. Stopping wasn't an option, because I couldn't control my FUCKING BODY.

I needed to distract myself.

At least the bleeding from my nose had stopped—that was something, I guess.

A small mercy in the middle of this chaotic mess.

The coppery taste lingered in my mouth, but the steady drip had finally ceased. Not that it made me feel any better.

The truth was, I didn't know if stopping the bleeding actually meant anything. Was it a sign that I was stabilizing somehow? Or was it just my body running out of blood to lose? That second thought crept in and sat there like a rock in my stomach, heavy and impossible to ignore.

And even with the bleeding stopped, the confusion was still overwhelming, wrapping around me like a fog I couldn't shake. My head was pounding, my chest felt tight, and the question kept circling back, relentless: What happened? I couldn't piece it together. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing—and the ones I had left were drenched in blood.

So yeah, the bleeding was done. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or just another layer of this mess, but it was something. Small victories, right? Except it didn't feel like a victory at all. If anything, it just left me with more questions—and no answers in sight.

~~~

"Perhaps it would be more satisfying to let him speak for himself. A parting gift, from me to you—one last look at your 'friend' before I destroy you both."

His voice echoed in my ears, ringing everywhere, being everywhere- so loud, so loud-

That's all I heard before it started.

I felt my body shudder, and the grip that had felt like icy fingers released.

Then, all at once., my knees buckled, and I dropped forwards onto my hands, gasping for air.

Falling

Falling

Falling

My eyes opened, and I could finally see.

I wasn't in my mind, not anymore. I was.. outside? In my own body? The snow felt cold. Very cold on my bare hands.

I shakily looked up, my hands trembling. What was the Overlord doing, what was his plan-

A figure. Oh, a familiar one. Black boots, a gold scythe uncertainly gripped in his chocolate hands- Cole.

"C-Cole?" My voice cracked, trembling with fear and exhaustion. And just plain relief.

It was so good to see my best friend. He could help. He could solve this, and it would all be ok.

His eyes widened. "Jay!" he called, rushing forward.

But before he could reach me, I felt the
grip again. Icy tendrils, wrapping around my brain. They never left in the first place, they just... stayed away for a moment. But they were back, creeping through my body, trying to control me again-

Before the earth ninja could reach me, I recoiled, shaking my head violently. "No, don't- don't come closer." I warned, my voice wavering. It sounded like my own, but then it didn't. Like his voice was mixed with mine.

"He's still.. he's still here. I can't- I can't-" I stopped talking, my eyes dropping. Suddenly the exhaustion came crashing down on me like a wave. The running, the injuries- I didn't have any energy left. I barely managed to keep myself on my hands and knees, let alone speak.

He was trying to regain control, but I didn't want to- I didn't want to go back in there-

"Jay, listen to me," Cole said, stopping in his tracks, his lip trembling and tears threatening to form in his eyes. "We're going to save you. You've got to fight him, okay? Don't let him win!"

My body convulsed again, and I tried my best, I really did. He was too strong. I was too weak. Too tired. I couldn't do this, I couldn't-

My fingers clawed uselessly at the snow, my desperate attempt to stop the Overlord from dragging me back in. I didn't want to go back in there.

As if I could just cling onto something real, then he couldn't take me back.

"I- i can't. He's.. he's too strong, Cole. I—"

But then I got it. The words I'd heard the Overlord say just clocked in.

"A parting gift."

I knew what he was going to do.

Oh, god. I knew the Overlords plan.

"Cole." I started, staring the terrified black Ninja dead in the eyes, praying he could hear the urgency in my voice and not object.

"Cole, run."

I barely held back a scream as the pain overwhelmed me, my voice breaking into a faint whisper before my vision blurred and faded to black. The cold, icy tentacles coiled around me once more, binding my body and imprisoning me back into my mind. It felt like a cruel hand jerking my puppet strings, snapping me upright with ruthless precision. I was dragged back into that horrible, horrible darkness.

I really hope Cole heard me.