Dead Inside

19.

Sabre's breath got caught in his throat when Green Steve began to tremble. Forest branches pushed through the back of his shirt and he grunted when his skin grew to a dark, terrifying brown. His hair shifted as they turned to a darker shade with black tips, long brown horns sprouted through his head. His fingers, arms, and legs grew skinny, rimming the bones inside him. His nails grew longer until they became black claws. His teeth turned yellow and grew sharper as fangs appeared on the sides of his mouth. His eyes shifted until they became pure white.

"W-who are you?" Sabre stepped back. 

"I am Forest Steve," Green Steve said. "The beast of this land." he took a shaky step forward. "There is no power source, but a curse upon those who dare to come here."

Sabre's remaining fingers trembled and his heart pounded in his chest. Green Steve wasn't a friend, but a creature and he was going to kill him. 

"You will die here," Forest Steve said. "And your spirit will be trapped here, just as all my victims' are." 

Sabre jumped back when Forest Steve lunged forward, claws outstretched for his throat. Sabre screamed and ran in the direction they came from.

"Get back here!" Forest Steve screeched. 

Sabre didn't look back. He stumbled a few times as he ran from Forest Steve who was close to his heels. The smoke around the forest floor made it hard to see where Sabre was stepping. He stepped on a few twigs and tripped over long tree roots. The sun was blocked by a large blanket of black clouds, thunder roaring above and lightning lighting the sky. Sabre's breath came out in gasps as he panted, his lungs burning. His legs ached from exhaustion, but he continued to run. He veered right when Forest Steve again lunged for his feet. Forest Steve landed hard to the ground, dust billowing everywhere. Sabre burst out of the trees. He didn't take a chance to stop and catch his breath. He knew Forest Steve was coming for him, and he had to get away as fast as he could. He hurried up the hill and scrambled down the cliffside. His friends were crowded at the edge of the lake, the God of the Steves standing tall in the middle of them. 

"What did you do to Sabre?" Rainbow Steve asked, pointing a finger in the God of the Steves' face. "He wasn't in the cave when we got up!"

"I promise you," the God of the Steves replied calmly. "I didn't do anything to him. He must've run off."

"Green Steve wasn't here this morning, either." Blue Steve pointed out.

"There he is!" Galaxy Steve had turned away from the group to point to Sabre. Sabre held his breath when his friends turned to look at him. He expected plenty of questions from them, and he knew they expected answers. He swallowed down his fear and walked up to the group.

"Sabre, where have you been?" Rainbow Steve asked, walking up to him when he joined them. 

Sabre sighed. "Green Steve said there was a way for me to live, by going out into the forest and getting something like a power source." he paused for a moment. "But there was nothing there, and Green Steve shouldn't be trusted."

"Just because he lied doesn't mean he shouldn't be trusted." Alex pointed out.

"You don't understand," Sabre said. "He tried to kill me."

"What?" Rainbow Steve questioned. "Why?"

"He's not a Green Steve," Sabre explained. "He's a Forest Steve."

"A Forest Steve?" Galaxy Steve asked. "I've never heard of a-"

"It's true." The group fo friends turned to face the approaching Steve. It was Forest Steve. "Sure, I may not be Green Steve. At least the one you knew."

"Why're you trying to kill Sabre?" Blue Steve asked, taking a cautious step forward. 

"Humans are not allowed in this world," Forest Steve explained. "But he is when his spirit is trapped in the Dead Lands."