Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 17: The Heart

The outside shook the Earth from above, dust trickling off the stalactites. Codeborn Followers and a few Hunters flinched every time an explosion boomed from the distance. Driftwood felt scared as much as the rest of her comrades, but she forced herself to stay contained. As for the Color Gang, however, they barely reacted.

It wasn't the battle raging outside that was making them afraid. It was themselves.

Red curled himself, hiding his face against his arms as if trying to shut the world out. Green paced erratically across the cave, with some Codeborn members even watching him with concern. Yellow clung close to Driftwood, but jolted in fear whenever she shifted ever so slightly. And Blue sat stiffly at a corner, his gaze darting from one stick figure to another as he whispered. Was he judging the others, perhaps? Or was he judging himself?

Driftwood tried her best to calm them down, in hopes to stop scaring the others—and herself. She tried to reach out and utilize the Crimson Remedy, but everytime she did—

"AHH! Stay back!" Yellow snapped as Driftwood barely touched his shoulder, "What are you trying to do to me?!"

Driftwood flinched, taking back her hand in surrender. She then waved at him, as if trying to prove her innocence. Yellow's gaze hardened, studying Driftwood for any lies like she was an enemy herself. After a moment, he shook his head.

"No—you're lying." Yellow murmured.

Driftwood swallowed hard, setting her hands down. She wanted to help, but she was always pushed away. The Color Gang seemed like they were trying to resist something—like something was trying to take hold of them. But resisting the feeling meant that the Color Gang had to resist everything else, even Driftwood.

The Color Gang's form started to dull further, from an unsaturated form to a ghostly grey, flickering like a dying flame. Their bodies cut unpredictably from the red corruption, as thin red strings flickered in the air before disappearing in the blink of an eye. The pain was unbearable then, but now, they have gotten worse.

Driftwood's head dipped as she looked upon the four. The Color Gang were losing their minds before they knew it.

Suddenly, they heard a rustle from the narrow hallway outside.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring at the vine curtains before them. The Color Gang's glitches even seemed to react, causing the four to glitch more violently and staggering them back.

Footsteps were heard. As the sound got closer, Driftwood held her breath. Who was it? One of the Officials? Queen of Hearts? No to that—nobody even knows her current whereabouts.

The slow footsteps approached closer. The vines parted, revealing an orange hollowhead from the darkness. It wasn't an elite, nor an enemy, but a friend.

The Second Coming.

Driftwood lifted her head up in bewilderment, gasping faintly. The Second Coming's gaze swept over the room, scanning the crowd, until he paused at the sight of them. His friends.

The Second Coming took a step towards them, his breath caught in his throat. The Second Coming's expression had a brief sense of relief—they were alive. But something was different about them. They were no longer the same.

The Color Gang stared back at him with the same hollow gaze that they've given him before his escape. There was no spark, no light—just a dimmed emptiness.

He took another step forward towards Green, but he recoiled away. He shifted closer to Driftwood, shielding himself with his arms. "Stop! Don't come near me."