Last Summer - South Park [Style]

THIRTY¬TWO [wounded]

Darkness. All Stan can hear is his heart beating unnaturally fast. Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. He feely dizzy and although he is lying on the ground, his head is spinning. Kyle. Is Kyle okay? Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. He slowly explores the ground with his finger tips. Soft. Cold. Wet. He's back in the forest. Stan feels the urge to get up and run to safety but his body is heavy and his heart in panic. Moving doesn't seem like a good idea right now. Just act dead. Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. His eyes are open but he can't see much. The morning sun is slowly pushing its light through the trees but it's nowhere near bright enough for Stan to comprehend his surroundings. He tries to calm down by taking control over his breathing. Is Kyle okay? The cold air wraps his body into an icy cocoon. He has to get back to the dorms or else he'll freeze out here. Stan's shaking hands press themselves into the earth and with the support he manages to slowly push up his torso from the ground. Badumbadumbadum. Fuck. Deep breaths. It's okay. The bullet didn't hit him. He's safe. With uncomfortably slow motions he manages to get up. Stan leans against a tree and waits for his heart to find its way back to calmness. Once the noises in his ears have dwelled down, he can hear it. Cars. He must be near a road. Stan starts to follow the sounds with slow feet, pressing his left hand against his chest. He nearly got shot. Fuck. Would he have woken up if he had died in the future? Probably not. He remembers how he had traveled back with hickeys on his neck. So why not with a hole in his chest as well? How did he even end up sleep walking again? After he came back from the hospital, Kenny had introduced his plan to him which would allow Stan to stay safely in their room. Every night Kenny locked the door and hid the key so that Stan couldn't just wander out of the room. And the mess every morning was proof enough that his sleeping self had frantically tried to find it but Kenny always had woken up from the noises and put Stan back to bed without ripping him out of his dreams. Stan doesn't know how he did it but it worked. Until last night apparently. Maybe Kenny just straight up passed out from being too tired. Getting woken up every night really had taken a toll on him. Kenny kept yawning all day long, couldn't focus in class but never complained. Stan feels horrible. He doesn't want his friend to suffer because of him. But at the same time he understands that he is just protecting him. Stan remembers the figure in the cabin. The baseball bat. No need to repeat that.
A shimmer catches his attention. Something is glittering between the trees to his left. A lake? Stan curiously walks towards the shimmer. The pine trees are giving way to bushes and then he is standing there. It's not a lake but a pond with reed growing out of it at the edges. But Stan's eyes are glued to a light shining under the surface, a meter away from where he is standing. What could that be? Did someone throw a flashlight into the pond? No, it's way too gloomy and soft for that. He squats and leans closer but can't make out what it is. Weird. Stan shivers. Something is telling him that he shouldn't be here. But the fascination for the lonely silver light is too strong. He gets up and takes a step forward. Cold water eats its way through his shoes and socks but he doesn't mind. The water is very shallow where he is standing but it looks like the light, which is now only a few centimeters in front of him, is lying deeper, probably half a meter below the surface. If he'd step forward, he would not find any ground under his feet and fall into the pond. Stan crouches again and rolls up his sleeve. The water is icy as his arm slowly enters the dark abyss. Maybe it's a phone? No, a phone wouldn't survive this much water. A magical gem? Yeah right. A fluorescent plant? An animal? His hand creeps closer. Suddenly the water's temperature changes. Whatever it is, is radiating heat. His finger tips are now softly brushing over the surface. It's smooth like glass. Maybe it is some sort of gem stone after all. Stan grabs the object, wanting to lift it up but the heat shoots through his flesh like a lighting bolt. He lets go quickly and falls backwards into the grass. "Shit!" His hand starts pulsating and he leans forward again to stick it into the cold water. What was that? Stan slaps his inner self. He should have seen that coming. Don't touch hot weird shiny things lying around in some random ass pond. Just don't. Surprisingly it doesn't take long until the heat passes and when he pulls his hand out after a few minutes, it's completely fine again. No signs of burning? Stan wants to wonder about that but is too tired. He just wants to reach his bed and lie down. He gets up and starts walking again, not sure where he is going. But he'll end up somewhere. As long as it is as far away from this cursed pond as possible. Soon the street appears between the trees and now he understands where he is because on the other side he can see the fence of his school. How did he manage to walk this far? Stan quickly crosses the road and then checks out the fence. He can climb over that. He looks to the left and right but doesn't see any cars. Good. No need to be stopped by an angry driver thinking he's breaking into the school, being brought to the next police department and then having to explain to the headmaster why he was in the middle of the woods at 5 in the morning to begin with. The climbing is an easy process. As soon as he is on the other side of the fence, Stan has no problems figuring out which way to go. He puts his hands into the pockets of his stiff jacket and starts walking faster. Soon he passes the basketball field and then finally the small stone wall behind the dormitories. Now only a few steps lie between him and his bed. He quietly pushes open the back entrance. The fact that staff doesn't lock it over night is highly irresponsible but in Stan's case a blessing. He climbs the stairs to the third floor. Hopefully Kenny is getting some sleep tonight. Stan of course is still hurt about the fact that him and Kyle- "Where were you?" Stan jumps around. The redhead is standing in the middle of the dark hallway, fully dressed. His face is empty. No smile. No worried look. He just stares at Stan. "I...I was-" "You hurt your hand." "How do you..." He looks at it but it seems completely fine. How can Kyle now? "You should go back to bed." The emotionless voice sends chills down Stan's spine. "Why are you awake?" It takes a bit before Kyle responds, still staring at Stan. "Do you love me?" Stan opens his mouth but closes it again. What is going on? "I...I...Of course! I love you." Kyle nods. "I'm sorry. He doesn't care." He turns around and starts walking away, down the hallway. What the fuck? Stan wants to yell something or run after him but those sounds would probably wake up others. Why did he ask him that? Why did he dodge Stan's question? How did he know about the hand thing? And who is he? Something's wrong. And Stan doesn't like it at all. Until now the present was the only sane place left. And now things are weird here as well? He watches Kyle disappear behind the next corner and then makes his way to his and Kenny's room, still shaking his head in confusion. The door isn't locked but the key is sticking on the inside. He steps into the dark, closes the door and turns the key. His phone, which is lying next to his bed, shows Stan that it is 5:07am. He takes off his jacket and shoes and lies down on his bed, pulling the cover over his shivering body. Then Stan grabs the half empty package of gum and takes one out. The sweet taste of strawberries wraps itself around his tongue. He closes his eyes and he sees the scene in front of him. The day he met Java. Everything was fine. He was happy in that moment. And with the taste of Kyle's lips a smile starts filling his face. Pictures of the proposal flash in front of his eyes. Kyle was so happy that he started crying. God, he wants to go back. Fuck the present. "Come on, we're late already!" His eyes shoot open again. Did he fall asleep? Kenny is shaking his shoulders. When he sees that Stan is awake, he sighs. "I messed up. You were outside again, right? Fuck." "I was but I'm fine. Don't blame yourself." Kenny nods but doesn't seem convinced. "You gotta hurry. Breakfast is in 5." "Alright." Kenny turns away to pack his bag. Stan grabs another piece of gum.