Why Hate Love? (PaperJam)

Escape Chapter Eleven

Ink opened his eyes slowly to find himself slumped against a cold stone wall. Something growled in the darkness around him.
"W-who's t-there?" Ink unsteadily asked, straitening his posture slightly. Ink screamed as a large black creature jumped out of the darkness and locked it's sharp teeth around his neck. Ink fell silent, his eye lights mere pinpricks, his expression horrified.
"Let him go, I have a different way of dealing with him," A deep voice ordered, causing the creature to whimper and limp back into the darkness. Ink's breath was quick as he felt blood trickling down his neck, staining his clothes. Ink yelped as he was picked up by his neck and slammed against the wall, he gasped frantically. "Look what you've done, how dare you..." Nightmare said. "How dare you fall asleep," He growled. "I'll have to punish you," He said as he started to drag Ink off, the creator trying to pry the other's tight grip off of his neck. Ink flailed as his air supply was being cut off while he was dragged off. Nightmare growled as he held Ink up. "This is what you get you filthy creator," Nightmare growled. Ink was being held off of a metal platform, waters roared farther under neath him. Ink tried to plead for mercy but couldn't as Nightmare's grip was too tight. "Goodbye," Nightmare snarled as he let go of Ink. The artist screamed as wind rushed past him, the roaring waters growing ever closer. With a loud splash Ink's small body fell into the water, he tried to swim but the strong current pulled him further under. Ink's body slammed into a large rock, knocking him unconscious as a flurry of bubbles escaped from his mouth.

"H-huh..?" Ink groaned as he rubbed his head. "Oww.." His head was pounding and all of his limbs were sore. He was laying on a harsh, sharp, rock covered shore, it was dark and a rocky cave ceiling hung above him. "Oh goodness, where am I?" Ink asked trying to stand up only to fall back down, rocks embedding them selfs in his bones. Ink cried out in pain. "I just want to go home," Ink sobbed as he curled into a ball. "I-i miss my family," He cried.
"You can't give up yet," An oddly familiar voice said. Ink sat up, feeling determination flow through the ink in his bones.
"I think I can do it..." Ink said as he stood up, using the jagged wall for support.  The artist managed to make his way down the ever shrinking cave way. Soon the cave took a hard left turn that led downward to a body of water. Ink groaned, he didn't want to go back in the water, afraid of what could happen this time. "There's no other way but to press on I guess..." Ink said with a sigh as he took a deep breath before jumping into the water that was much deeper than he thought. He opened his eyes, all around him it was pitch black, like a night without starts nor a moon. Ink stretched out his hands that contacted with sharp rocks, he swam on, his chest starting to burn as he continued forward. Ink was starving for air as he hurried on, trying to find just but a breath of his highly desired oxygen. The creator gasped as he broke through the surface of the water, taking in frantic deep breaths of air. Ink tread water in the middle of a large underground lake, starting to get a bit chilled to the bone, Ink swam to the edge and hauled his tiny body over the edge. He shivered and shook as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to get a tiny bit of warmth. "I-it's s-so cold.." He mumbled.
"Who's there?" A voice asked into the darkness. Ink gasped, he looked around trying to find a place to hide, unable to find one he lowered himself once again into the freezing water. "Hmm... I swore I heard someone," They said to themself. Ink's soul beat increased as he started to lose feeling in his legs and arms. He refused to make a sound, waiting for the other to depart. Ink began to become weak, grasping frantically at the edge of the lake, unable to grab it, his head starting to sink below the water. I don't want to die! Ink screamed inside his head.
"Help!" Ink cried just before his head sank below the water.
"Huh?" They looked over the edge and their eyes widened. "Oh goodness!" They quickly grabbed Ink and pulled him out of the water. "Are you okay? You could have died! Don't you know how cold this water is?!" They exclaimed. Ink did not reply as he lay still. "Shoot! Shoot!" They pulled Ink towards them and started to pump his chest. After a few moments they rolled Ink on his side and he coughed violently, water pooling under his mouth. "Are you alright?" They asked. Ink looked up at them, fear prominent in his eye lights. "It's okay, I won't hurt you," They said. "I got thrown down here awhile ago, is that what happened to you?" Ink nodded.
"Yeah, I j-just wanna go home... T-they killed m-my family," Ink started crying again.
"Don't cry! It's alright!" They said quickly. "I've been working on a way to get out of here, you can help me with it," They said.
"Okay..." Ink mumbled a bit as he shakily stood up.
"Do you need some help?" They asked.
"O-oh no I'm good," Ink said. "What'a your name by the way? Mine's Ink," He told the other.
"Oh, um, I'm -uhhh- oh! I'm Carl," The odd furry monster said.
"That's an oddly normal name," Ink said to himself.
"Well I had a name before but I don't remember it so I came up with a new name I liked," He smiled softly. "Follow me, I found a weak point in the rock and I've been mining it away for awhile, I think we'll be able to break through it today," Carl cheered happily.
"That's good," Ink said as he followed the furry monster through the cave. Carl had no tail nor any animal-like ears, he had light rusty colored fur covering his body and his hands were paws with sharp claws. He had two holes hidden by his fur for ears and a odd green metal-like bunch of feathers sprouting from his head, he had a short pushed in muzzle with a tiny black nose. "I've never seen a type of monster like you before," Ink observed.
"Oh yeah, I know I'm weird, I'm not quite sure what I am but I think I'm cool," He boasted with a grand smile. "Oh, be careful here, you just have to jump over," Carl pointed ahead to a river that ran through the middle of the cave pathway.
"T-that's pretty big," Ink stuttered fearfully.
"It's not that bad-ohh wait you're just really tiny!" He laughed, he stood to a height that was the equivalent of about two Inks. "Can I carry you across? Unless you wanna try and get past that," Carl offered.
"Y-yes please," Ink said politely in a tiny, meek voice. Carl easily picked Ink up and took a running start towards the river before taking a large leap and landing with a loud thump on the other side. Ink's eye lights were tiny pinpricks and his breathing was quick.
"It wasn't that bad," Carl chuckled as he put Ink down, adjusting the strap of his satchel before they continued on.
"Are we there yet?" Ink asked.
"Oh yeah, almost, and what are those things around your neck?" Carl asked, pointing to Ink's neck.
"Huh..?" Ink looked down to see a strap of thick leather hanging from his neck, connected to it was three crystals. One was black at the top then fading in a gradient down to red. Another was a dark pink whilst the last was a calm light blue.
"Are those soul crystals?" Carl's bright green eyes widened as he looked at them.
"I-I guess so..." Ink gazed wide eyed down at the crystals. "I-I saved them," He whispered to himself as he grasped the red and black one gently in his tiny hands.
"They look cool," Carl complimented. "Welcome to my home!" Carl flung out his hands to the larger cave opening surrounded by stacks of wood and a dying fire inside of the cave. "I'm gonna fuel the fire real quick and then we can go, alright?" Ink nodded and watched as Carl went in the cave and threw a log on the fire before returning to Ink's side. "Okay! Let's adventure onward!" He smiled grandly as they set off again, Ink's tiny legs struggling to keep up with the other's long strides. Eventually they reached a spot where the wall had been chipped and scratched away. "Here it is," He declared. "Grab a rock and start smashing," He instructed as he picked up a rock, raised is high above his head before bringing it down onto the wall, a loud cracking noise followed as he kept on, Ink soon joining him. After hours of laboring Carl gasped happily. "The sunlight!" He cried, making the tiny hole bigger. "We found a way out!" His eyes were full of happiness as he made the hole just big enough for him to slip out of, Ink soon followed him. Ink smiled as he breathed in fresh new air, green grass underfoot and a cloudless sky above, all was right here. Suddenly Ink realized he was alone.
"Carl..? Carl where'd you go?" Ink asked, looking around for his new friend to find not a single trace of him. For he had vanished. Ink hesitantly glanced around once more before opening a portal to his home. "I'll bring you all back," Ink said as he held the crystals gently but tightly in his hand, jumping through the portal.