Chapter 1: ==CHAPTER ONE==
Chapter Text
When Owen thought back to the day everything started he supposed it all came down to one poor decision. One split second choice which screamed against everything he’d normally disagree with. He’d woken up relatively early in the morning, the days had slowly started to get cooler again, one of the many rough signs that it was reaching the autumn. The pale yellow rays of sunlight streaming through his roof had caused him to stir, it was looking like a relatively peaceful day. The man hadn’t had too many plans lined up for the day; at most he had considered mapping out a smaller section of the maze and doing some low level training to prepare for any trips he might take later in the week.
He dragged himself up from the various sheets with a stretch, yawning heavily as he did so. Looking out through the gaps in his roof he could see that today was looking like it was shaping up to be a half decent day. There were some clouds which painted over the various paler blues but besides that there weren’t any signs of rain or weather which could put a damper on the day. He reached over into one of the chests lining the walls of his house, rummaging through until he could find a couple of carrots. Arguably this wasn’t the best way to start his day but it was part of the routine, the man’s thoughts never normally drifted to eating a meal first thing anyway. Most of the time it was an afterthought, as long as he had something small to power him through then it was enough.
Though he was dragged from any thoughts by the more obvious sound of a loud oink coming from the centre area of his home. Owen chuckled, a small smile beginning to trace over his lips as he wandered over to the fence surrounding the space. He leant down to give the small pig there a scratch behind one of its ears.
“Yeah morning to you too Puddy. You can have yours first, I know you’re hungry.” He held the first of the carrots out to the pig. It had been at least a couple of weeks now since he’d actually found the pig out in the maze but since then it had gotten settled in pretty well. Honestly he hadn’t considered getting another pet after Puddles, the idea of losing yet another thing he cared about made his stomach churn and the nausea twist away at him. He’d been worried about holding the responsibility for another life but when he found the pig alone out there it had been more of a mercy than anything, it would die out there if he didn’t help it. So he had.
The company was a good thing. Truthfully, over time he’d found himself talking to the pig. Getting used to having him as part of the routine. Heck, he would even argue that Puddy had become his friend. Hearing Owen ramble about things he refused to tell anyone else, sometimes just memories and sometimes opening up more about his fears.
The pig took the carrot rather quickly, even nodding in his direction as if giving thanks. Owen chuckled to himself again, taking a bite out of his own “breakfast”. Taking two for himself, despite the very obvious side eye from the pig beside him.
After a while of just sitting there, taking a moment to actually wake up he wandered out from his house. Stepping out into the clearing Owen took a breath, it had been a reasonably quiet couple of weeks so it wasn’t entirely surprising when he was met by Mohwee pacing in his direction. A clear look of determination on his face, the glimmer of anticipation evident in his eyes.
“Me, Squidney, Magic and Kyle are heading in soon. We think we know where the den of the big guy, killer creature thing is.”
He already had his armour set up, the heavy metal plates dragged carefully over him. He kept his hands in his pockets, roughly nodding over at the others who were awaiting further down the path from his house. Owen knew exactly how this would go and whether he went with them or not the group was going to head in, despite apparently not having a certain spot for where they could be heading.
“You do?” The man hummed in thought, nodding to himself as he thought things over. The doors were already open, and the discussion was eating into precious searching time. And yet Owen found himself considering it, it had been his job to manage runs and considering this was currently the largest problem facing them it would be helpful to attend whatever search the group was embarking on. He wasn’t sure though, chances were this was a risky mission. Especially if they hadn’t got a specific area in mind, Owen had spent months running the maze and the various paths spanned out further than anyone could possibly imagine, leaving a massive search area with no actual direction might only lead to trouble. But he did let Mohwee continue.
“Well Magic does. But I have a clue so we’re going to go search. If you want to come with us.”
The younger runner waited, keeping his goggles sat atop his head. Things were quiet for a moment as he eyed the doors, patiently waiting for whatever response the older runner might give. And Owen hesitated briefly.
“Magic does?...sure..sure why not. I’ve only just woken up but I’m ready to go. As long as I can get some food supplies before we head out.”
He stretched again, looking out towards the door. Quietly accepting a few of the cooked potatoes that the others offered him before rifling through his bag to get his own armour out. The man dragged the various pieces on, taking a breath as he made sure to collect any of the other essential supplies for the trip. He took the small clock from his pocket, glancing at the time with some apprehension. It was early in the morning still, just enough that there should be time.
“If we’re going then we’ve got to go now. We should go before it gets too late.” Owen watched as the others made their way forward, swinging on their own bags and armour as they went. There was still the swimming nervousness resting at the bottom of his stomach. The group had most things organised, they took a brief moment to allow Squidney time to get her own armour together and like that they headed into the maze.
At first the corridors and paths were the same as always, colossal stone pillars jutted up into the sky only broken up by the winding ivy encircling them. Each footstep echoed across the ground and Owen remained vigilant to watch out for traps the entire time, despite this being the same area of maze the groups usually confined themselves to there was no harm in remaining cautious. He hadn’t realised how deep that focus had been until Mohwee gave him a light punch on the shoulder to boost him across one of the many water sections they usually faced. He had been holding a heavy breath which left him in an instant.
Unlike every time they usually went into the maze this time felt much heavier, this had a massive purpose. Potentially finding out where the creatures that made it impossible to explore past a certain point could reward them greatly or plunge them further into chaos. It was a hit or miss considering the sheer level of what they were facing. Beyond that though there was little hesitation as they continued further into the maze, passing through the various familiar corridors until they reached the lever section.
Each of the group stopped to catch their breaths, glancing around at where they could possibly go from here. There had been small expeditions into the few offshoot corridors but it was clear what each of the group was thinking as their eyes steadily drifted towards the jungle. It was the main area that remained mostly unexplored, besides the second clearing laying somewhere out there between the labyrinth of walls there was plenty of space which was left to the imagination. In turn that was where they assumed the den would probably lie, hidden and obscured in the further areas of the maze. Especially given what they knew about the creature first being released from behind the doors leading out into the jungle. There was a small spoken agreement between them that this was the right way to go so they pushed forward.
Owen hadn’t been all that far through this section before, from the two or so times he had visited the second clearing and the time he had agreed to help Magic search for Ash it wasn’t enough to really know or trust the layout of the section. Nonetheless he continued, sticking to walking beside Magic for a while. He found himself quietly whispering to her, trying to ask about the weapon subtly, the one Ash had….left behind.
“Magic have you got the…you know. The gun.” It was a quiet whisper, just loud enough that she could hear. But it was a question left relatively unanswered as she picked up the pace. An obvious note of sadness now on her face, the raw loss of her friend still stinging close to her. He didn’t push much further then, just quietly looking towards the ground as they continued. Owen was noticing the further they went how difficult this place was to actually navigate the further they pushed, each step blurred by the masses of trees evidently blocking their paths. They could be walking in circles and the likelihood would be that they wouldn’t notice for some time, which was why it was almost a miracle when they finally found the break between the trees. Taking them over to another one of the regular paths they were used to, of course this did involve the group avoiding a trap but from there it was essentially the same as the rest of the maze they were used to.
Though one thing was noticeably different past the trap and that was how Magic took the lead, pacing ahead of the group quicker with no possible regard for traps. Though Owen was pretty certain as to why that was the way it was.
And that was it, she was off again. Heading further down the paths faster than any of the others could keep up with, even when Squidney needed time to catch up with the rest of them it was clear that Magic wasn’t going to stop. She knew where she was heading to and in the back of his mind Owen could only really assume what was going on in her mind, the subtle pangs of guilt made themselves known again. Though he didn’t voice those thoughts, just following as close behind as he possibly could as they navigated their way through the corridors. It only finally stopped when they reached a new opening, one for a fact he knew that he’d never seen before.
The place was serene to say the least, the walls were still towering around the area but he’d dare to call it nice at a push. It's made up of what looks like a small lake, the water is a deep and gorgeous blue with it spanning out across a large majority of the space. Owen’s eyes scanned the scene in front of them. It was weird how nice this place was and yet he could only notice the main details. There was a huge pipe lined up with the wall ahead of them, the water trickled down from it into the lake. Part of him wondered where exactly all the water was really coming from but he pushed those thoughts away almost as soon as he had them. Mainly because it was becoming increasingly obvious that the answer to that question probably wasn’t going to be found yet, somewhere out there maybe but right now he doubted it. Looking further around he could spot a willow tree curling down across one of the corners, and finally that’s where he found Magic. Standing in front of the opposite wall, her back practically pressed against something. Possibly hiding it, possibly guarding it from the people who may judge her the most for it.
There was a table, a picnic blanket and a sign with her name on it. Owen wandered over to her, gently resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She was just quiet, looking up at him with sad eyes. She shook her head rapidly, just wanting this to remain hers. For the spot she had found to be so comforting to be left as it was.
And yet that wasn’t what she could receive, she was pushed out of the way just enough to reveal another sign. The name on it made Owen go silent again, etched onto the slab of wood was a single name. Ash.
“Oh.” He spoke quietly after a brief second, looking to where the girl had stood only for her to brush past without another word. A couple of the group asked about who that must’ve been, curious as to why the name had such significance but Owen insisted it was complicated. Heading over to another corridor. Part of him wished that he could take her pain away but he knew that wasn’t possible, he’d been there before and now wan’t the time to force her to talk about it all. She would talk when she was ready and that wasn’t now.
Of course Mowhee nudged Owen’s shoulder looking over at him as they wandered along. He kept his voice lowered as he spoke, glancing between Owen and the path ahead.
“Yeah uh… Magic’s been a little odd? She knows where she’s going but she’s not really talking to any of us. The other runner took a breath, humming as they went.
“She’s just processing. It’s been a lot for her lately…you understand.” He watched as Magic turned through one of the offshoot corridors, clearly knowing where she was heading to. Owen was quiet for a moment but eventually spoke as they began to take the unfamiliar route.
“This way?” He enquired, listening to the sound of their boots echoing off of the stone path. Once again the girl just hummed in response, giving a slightly more chipper nod to him as she practically ran ahead. Owen couldn’t help but be tense as she turned yet another corner, leaving them further and further behind.
“Are there any traps that we need to keep an eye out for?” There was silence for a moment, though once that moment passed the same bubbly voice answered back.
“Not over here.”
Though there weren’t any obvious traps the clear sense of unease became apparent as the group slipped past a gash in the wall, it wasn’t like other things they had spotted before during routine searches. No this was like something had broken through the chunks as it tried to make its way through. Metal prongs stuck out against the jagged stone. Something had come through here once and it was far from small. This was an evident step in the right direction but that didn’t make things any more comforting. Each step became more and more tense, with the group just pushing their way through and hoping that they found something. But with each turn there were more and more concerning things, one path led to a pillar which had the same chunk taken out of the side with it precariously teetering to one side.
Owen stared at it, the obvious sign wasn’t a welcome one.
“This thing…it’s barely standing.”
His eyes continued to scan over the area, the entire time he kept a tight hand around the body of his bow. Prepared for anything that might come their way, this alone could come down at any moment though he wasn’t entirely sold on how long it had even been standing. And the more he watched it the more he noticed the simple scratches lining the sides but that wasn’t the only thing he noticed the higher his eyes went. Because up atop the highest part of the walls was yet another one of the giant, heavy mechanical cranes. It was as still as any of the actual walls surrounding them but it stood out as different to the rest, ominously taller than anything they could possibly reach.
“I knew they were real.” He muttered to himself, it was a sickening realisation knowing that no matter how far they explored they were still building the expanse. He dreaded the thought but he couldn’t help but wonder if they would even be able to find an exit at this rate. When his eyes came back down to try and point the sight out to the others he found they were already gone, no doubt pacing ahead to try and find some sign of something.
Of course he didn’t have to look far, turning down one more corridor rewarded their efforts with a small clearing like area in the maze. It wasn’t anything like an actual clearing but it certainly wasn’t any other corridor they were used to. To even get into the place they had to precariously clamber over a rather overgrown bush, the branches were stable enough for them to stand on but it was probably best not to hang around on them forever. Owen glanced around, the place was utterly littered in vines and cobwebs seemingly long forgotten overtime. There were various copper pipes which spanned across the ceiling, everything about this place seemed strange. From just beyond the bush he could hear Squidney and Magic’s quiet and concerned whispers, clearly seeing something that he couldn’t yet. There were various cracks in the ground, some entirely full of lava. Owen carefully hopped down from the bush, stepping cautiously across the damaged ground. He could spot a series of gouges in the walls surrounding them, similar to the ones that they’d seen in the corridors not far back. While he didn’t notice it immediately there were also a few scattered patches of blood, everything had dried out long before they got here but the stains were undeniable. It was only then that he heard the slightly shaky voice of Squidney as she looked further across the section, just around one last corner.
“.....Yeah I think we found it..”
Owen raised an eyebrow, following behind her and stopping next to her once he was close enough.
“Found.. what..?” The man found his voice trailing off as he saw exactly what they meant, they had found it indeed. There was no denying that as they stared down the section.
There at the end of the area was what almost looked like a cave, various vines grew down from the front obscuring the depths from their position. Though everything was noticeably darker down there, almost pitch black. A few chains hung loosely from the same area but none of that confirmed it quite like the deeper scratches and the bones. Oh god. Littered across the entrance to the cave were various sets of bones, some more obvious than others. He swore he could see one which looked almost like a hand, reaching out as though it were crying out for someone to help. Though that evidently never came. The same dark stains dragged deeper into the space, whoever had tried to escape never stood a chance. Whatever was here gave them no escape. Which meant that this was absolutely what they had been hunting for. This was the den.
Magic and Squidney were creeping ever closer, eyes scanning the space in obvious morbid curiosity but Owen really didn’t want to go any closer than they needed to. None of them knew exactly where the creatures went in the day and while it didn’t look as though there was one to worry about, this felt too risky to just casually explore.
“Guys uh lets not?” He couldn’t help but grimace a bit at the sight, Squidney was nervously looking over at a skull laying on the ground. There were a set of noticeable cracks across the bone, possibly blunt force being the cause of it being there but there was no way of knowing. “Magic?” He called out again, spotting the other girl carefully pull her dagger out as she stepped deeper into the space, her head scanning across the entire place
He sighed to himself, pulling his crossbow from his bag as he made his way closer. While he didn’t inherently want to get closer he didn’t want to just leave Magic there. So he stepped towards it, taking slow single steps until he was right outside the cave. Squidney shook her head, murmuring a couple brief ‘no’s’ before dipping past him again. And inside was no better than outside, the obvious bloodstains dragged deeper down into the area. More of the crushed and broken skulls littered the ground around them.
“Must’ve been a couple of people..” Mohwee muttered, a clear grimace on his own face. None of this seemed safe.
“Yeah…not a matter of escaping, they must’ve been dragged in. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to stay here overnight.” He sighed, shaking his head as he headed back out of the cave. The group didn’t stay for much longer, beginning to cautiously head back through the corridors. They were slow to navigate at first but little did Owen know that his idea of not going back would be disregarded almost as quickly as he said it.
They were getting towards the levers when he said it. A simple suggestion.
“I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something important.” Mohwee said quietly, glancing back over at Squidney and Magic. He naturally kept his voice low wanting to keep them out of it for the moment. “It’s probably something we’ll have to do alone but I want to go back when it’s night.”
Owen couldn’t help but stop when he heard the words, the absolutely insane suggestion. He knew that was a blatantly bad idea, taking such a risk. They had gotten luck with the thing not being there in the day but to go back at a time when those things roamed freely, it was near suicide. He shook his head.
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.” Owen kept his tone clear but allowed the same level of quiet as Mohwee was speaking with, refusing to start a huge argument over this. Everything about this was dangerous, they had so many close calls over the past few months and while they hadn’t actually lost many people yet this idea could be the very thing that pushes that luck over the edge. This could be the very thing to get someone killed.
“I know this is a bad idea.” Mowhee replied almost instantly. “But think about it if we get our strongest people together, band our strongest supplies and go in to kill it then we might be able to explore freely.” He insisted, trying to justify this idea. One desperate plea to a leader who he was really starting to trust. After everything he hoped this could be their chance to really make some progress. He ran a hand through his hair, looking back to the jungle then over at them.
“Just think about it okay. I’m going tonight. I don’t want to sleep on this, I want to do it.” He was determined and the way it was worded it didn’t matter if Owen went or not, Mohwee was going. He could either go with him and help or not. Those were the options.
Owen sighed. “We might have something that could help. Magic has a gun…just let me think about it.”
Mohwee nodded, shrugging his hands into his jacket pockets. “Well hey, it’s worth a shot right? Literally.” He chuckled as they began to make their way back to the clearing.
====
He had the rest of the day to think about it. If there was one thing he could give Mohwee credit for it would be knowing that he was entirely serious when it came to doing something like this. When they had returned to the clearing the younger runner had even made a joke about ‘pulling a day one’ again and just running in at the last possible moment. Owen couldn’t help but pace back and forth in the room of his home. This felt like he’d been trapped between a rock and a hard place, neither option felt inherently like the ‘right’ one to make. Either way it was risky to someone. The only difference being that he would play some part in it or not.
He ran a hand through his hair now, resting one hand on his hip as he paced across the room. One the one hand if he didn’t go then they could die and he wouldn’t have done anything to help yet on the other hand if he went then he could die, ripped apart by the giant creature for the sake of a fight they weren’t even sure if they could win or not.
The man’s thoughts were racing because on any other day he would insist this was crazy, that they were walking directly into death’s cold embrace and yet here he was actually considering it. Trying to weigh up the options rationally, these were his friends and he wanted to help but he didn’t want to die. He didn’t want this to be the decision which ended in someone else’s blood being on his hands, he still blamed himself for Apo, now this?
There were voices from his past echoing through his thoughts, cruel words from a trainer he had long forgotten. Harsh comments about leaving a brother to die and how that was the most cowardly thing someone could do. There were thoughts about things he’d said to Apo in the weeks before he disappeared into the maze, before he found…
Owen doesn’t want to think about that and yet he can’t help but see the image seared into his vision. He shifts his hand to massage his forehead, clenching his eyes closed as he continued to walk back and forth, back and forth. The memories began to plague his mind, twisting into things he couldn’t quite understand. Though one thought stood out against the rest.
‘I didn’t raise no quitter.’
He took a breath, opening his eyes. A new found sense of determination crossing his vision. He was doing this, he had to, he knew that he needed to be there. Needed to help this group because there was no way he was leaving them to do this alone. He was going to help. Owen heaved the door open and paced over to the fireplace where Mohwee was now sitting. The older runner let out a heavy sigh.
“Let's go.”
“Really?” Mohwee couldn’t help but look somewhat surprised at this response, especially given Owen’s well known history of being extremely cautious up to this point. But despite that the man just nodded, his mind was made up. This was it. He took another breath, humming as he did so.
“Yeah. I can’t let you go back in there by yourself.” He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. After everything that they had all been through to get to this point it wouldn’t be fair to let them carry the entire burden of a job like this. The voice in his memories was right about one thing, he wasn’t going to give up yet. It would take a hell of a lot to stop him now. He slung his backpack back over his shoulder, watching as Mowhee dragged himself up to his feet.
“Okay but you’re not coming to protect me alright. This isn’t about me going in by myself, you’re coming with us to help and because you want to. No other reasons okay. We’re killing this thing if we can help it.”
They agreed to head out relatively soon after, with Mowhee and Kyle just collecting a few things before they went.
Owen still couldn’t shake the feeling of dread which was now piling up in the bottom of his stomach, each step towards the door was another second less for him to back out of this. He could see Squidney tapping her foot by the doors, staring down into the corridor as though she were deep in thought. At least he wasn’t the only one concerned about this, out of all of them Squidney probably had the most experience with the creatures out of their original group. Mowhee had been trapped in section one but she’d been stuck after it was released. The girl generally seemed to be rather on edge, she quickly glanced back up at Owen as he approached. Though judging by the look in her eyes you would probably assume that she’d just seen a ghost, she leant back against the vines lining the doors.
“Hey Squidney, you alright?” He asked after a brief moment, raising an eyebrow at her.
The girl shook her head, humming, her eyes glancing back through into the maze then back at him again. “Mhm. I think I saw something.”
Behind them he could hear the slight clanging of metal footsteps as the rest of the group caught up, it was getting darker now with each passing second and with any moment the doors would close. He sighed, staring in before taking a couple of steps forward.
“It’s okay, the maze plays tricks on you.”
“No, like actually-”
Her sentence was cut off as the gears of the doors began to groan into place, the massive stone pieces slowly began to close. Each of them being caught off guard before dipping forward and pacing through to ensure that they were definitely on the right side. Each of them stopped, watching as Squidney just about pushed her way through. Insisting that she definitely was going with the rest of the group. And just as quickly as they had started closing they slammed shut, leaving the four of them inside the maze as the night set in.
It was only then that they realised Magic had not made it through and was in fact still in the clearing. Her voice echoed through the doors as a desperate plea for them to stay and wait for her so she could go too, despite there being no way they could. If they stayed then they were in more danger, this could quickly turn into a dead end of its own making. And worst of all they didn’t have the gun, the very thing they had hoped could potentially bring the creature down.
All four of them stood there for the moment, taking turns to look between each other quietly before Squidney finally blurted out.
“Something’s in here with us.”
…well that was wonderfully reassuring given the nature of where they were about to head off to. Each of them slowly turned to face her, Mohwee blinking rather rapidly.
“What?”
For the moment she simply didn’t elaborate, rather trying to insist that she needed to wait there, though that thought was shot down almost as quickly as she had suggested it. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. Instead Kyle opted to reassure Magic that it was all okay and that they would be back in the morning before turning to head in deeper. Things were quiet again when Squidney decided to continue with what she had been saying.
“Apo’s in here.”
It was three words that he hadn’t really wanted to hear, in fact it was a set of words he had truthfully been dreading. He had just gotten to a point again where the pangs of grief didn’t stain his every thought and now he was being told another time that they were alive when this time, this time he knew for a fact that it couldn’t be the case. Apo was dead, he had to be. The skull had been there, he was gone. And while Owen wished that he could see him again he knew for a fact he couldn’t, that it was too late to change that past. This was something he hadn’t wanted to think about now, not when they were about to head on a mission which could entirely change their paths. This was a journey which could in turn cause one of their deaths and so he just groaned, running a hand down the side of his face. Mowhee shook his own head at the statement and Squidney stood there, eyes darting between both of them.
“Oh not this again. Stop it Squidney, please.” Owen found himself pleading with her, just hoping that at least for now she would leave it be and that he could focus on this rather than the smallest sliver of hope trying to tear itself free.
“I’m serious!” She pleaded, the look on her face was one of mild desperation, hoping that maybe someone would just listen to her and yet she was only shot down. Mowhee led her further down the path to quietly talk to her. He didn’t hear much of the conversation besides him briefly telling her that now was not the best time and that none of them wanted to think about it. Which Owen honestly appreciated, because it was true, now was not the time.
Magic was also trying to make her voice heard, desperately begging them to stay. She didn’t want them to leave her there alone waiting for them to return but none of them were going to stay, none of them were going to wait.
“I’m sorry Magic. We’ll be back soon.” And with that the group made the journey to the den.
Mohwee knew where they were going, despite an initial panic as they weren’t entirely sure who knew the way but the younger runner quickly reassured them that it was fine. He knew where he was going, apparently having memorised the way during their past expedition. For their sake he seriously hoped that was the case, each of them pulled their weapons and continued forward. There were a few moments where they were met with little resistance from some of the rotting creatures but beyond that the journey wasn’t too difficult. There was little conversation besides pausing past the trap.
The younger runner looked between each of them.
“Look, there’s no going back now. We’re in here now and we’re here to kill it. No messing around. My entire time in this glade, in here has led to this moment we can do this. Magic knows why we’re in here and if it goes wrong then others can pick it up after us. The point is is that we cannot back down when we fight this, this is probably our only chance. Are we ready?”
No one disagreed, they had a plan in mind and gods they needed this to work/
With that they found the path, no one spoke a word as they approached.
The section was primarily shrouded in darkness besides for a small portion of the ground which was lit up by the various lava pools scattering the area. The group crept up past the bush, with Owen noting that some of the vines had gotten tangled since their previous venture earlier in the day. Kyle and him were at the front, weapons raised as they snuck towards the closest wall to the corner.
Kyle made his way across from that one, trying to keep himself out of sight of whatever thing could be there while Owen stuck to the wall he was standing behind. Keeping his back pressed against it he crept to the side, approaching the corner so he could get a look. Everything suddenly felt far more tense than it had previously, the silence was thick between the group. Squidney and Mohwee had stuck further back, naturally planning on the defensive route opposed to taking this thing head on. Owen glanced to Kyle, raising a hand and counting down from three. Subtly mouthing each of the numbers until he reached zero at which point he turned the corner slowly watching out for any signs of the creature.
And there, emerging from the cave was a claw. It was the first of the huge thing to actually surface in the dead of night but there was no denying what it belonged to, the sharp almost black metal warped into a harsh point. One simple clash against the ground was enough to solidify what it was and how it was coming in their direction. Owen suddenly nodded at Kyle to get back to where the rest of them, which he took no time with doing.
“Back up, it’s there. I don’t think it’s seen us yet.”
Each of them quietly backed further and further up, climbing up through the branches of the bush as they observed the thing until it finally crept into view. The low, horrid snarling edged closer and closer until the head turned in their direction. Like that most of them dipped back, pretty much planning to sprint away from the scene, knowing that likelihood was that they’d been spotted and all of them would’ve probably made it away easy.
If it weren’t for the cobweb which managed to ensnare Squidney’s feet as she scrambled away. She was quiet though, only letting out one tiny quiet yelp as she nearly tripped. Her own hands rushed down to the web as she tried to pull herself free. The sounds of the creature getting closer was enough to put all of them on edge but with Squidney right there it was quickly turning into a panic.
“Squidney!” Owen wasn’t entirely thinking when he called out to her, rushing back and hurriedly trying to cut her free. The cobweb was strong though, wrapped tightly around both ankles in a way which made it a slow and gruelling process. The girl hushed, shaking her head as she glanced back over through the branches. Where the creature was now looming, looking for the source of what had been making so much noise mere moments prior.
Everything was going past so slowly as they continued to try and cut her free. Squidney occasionally shook her boot to try and wriggle free and eventually after some effort they got her out, scurrying further down the corridor to give them a second to catch their breaths.
But even then Owen couldn’t help but glance back, the smallest part of him now insisting that this wasn’t enough. That they couldn’t just leave like that, with Squidney nearly getting caught by that thing for nothing, for no information. He switched his bow from his back, holding the main body of it in silence as he thought. If he could just go back, take one shot then he could know if it was even possible to hurt this thing. Mowhee had said there was no going back from this so he had to ensure it was worth it.
“I’m going to shoot an arrow at it just to see.” He murmured, taking one step backwards to the den. “And then we should go.”
Each step back towards that place felt slower than the one he had taken previously, his hands almost felt clammy as he made his way over. Peering through the branches he could just about make out the thing creeping back to its den. Owen clambered back up, he could hear hushed voices behind him but he tried not to focus too much on them as he stood tall. Knocking an arrow into place and steadily pulling it back, he kept his movements steady but not stiff. Each word from his memories remained true as he lined up the shot and fired. For a moment the man thought that would be it, there would be something to account for the shot but it didn’t even register. As though nothing had touched it at all. Damnit, he must’ve missed. That was the only explanation. Against the others advice he slid down the branches, keeping himself low to the floor as he snuck after the thing.
It had stopped just shy of the corner, which gave him the smallest window of opportunity possible but he wasn’t giving it up.
Even if in the following weeks he would wish that he could go back to that moment and take it all back, because this shot would not be worth it.
But he took it anyway. Watching as the arrow twisted through the air, spiralling towards its target. Only for it to bounce off. Owen stood there in shock for a second, staring at the arrow which now lay on the ground. Though it didn’t take long for the creature to let out a low snarl, turning back to the figure which was now evidently standing in its lair. Owen took a shaky breath, staring at the thing. Blinking back all of the fear which was suddenly rising from the back of his throat as he shouted to the others.
“Nope go go go….GO!” He was moving within a second, racing towards the bushes as the others ran. He ignored the snapping of the arrow, desperately reaching out to the branches ahead of him. A hand hooking around one of them as he tried to move.
But for a moment, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get up the leaves, the bushes tangled and twisted around his feet, dragging him down. Preventing him getting away from that thing. Each panicked kick, each struggled attempt at a grab didn't work, it was like he couldn't move, trapped and destined to die to that thing..the creature. Everyone had gotten up the bushes that separated the den to the main sections, everyone except Owen. He'd desperately grasped the branches, adrenaline boosted him but fear took over and here he was wasting the precious seconds he might have as he kicked at the vines below him willing for his leg to just catch one of the stable spots and for him to just get out of there. His heart was racing when he finally managed to drag himself up the bush, he thought it'd be okay, that he'd get away and eventually get those panicked breaths back and he thought about how he'd never take another risk like that again and everything would be fine..
That small, miniscule shred of hope drained out of him when one of the things claws dug deep into his leg, tearing through his armour and cutting him deep, through all the pressure he swore he felt a subtle pinprick as though he’d been injected with something. The sting left him trembling as he struggled, kicking himself away, the claw tearing out of the back of his leg with enough force to tear down the skin. Blood trickling down from the now fresh wound as the excruciating pain made itself known. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt, his ribs felt tight and every breath rattled through his chest. But he forced himself to keep running despite the rising dizziness that made his vision blurry, the man’s head was spinning in circles. It truly felt like his life had just flashed before his eyes, steady memories from the past year or so bleeding into his mind. Each step forward only made the agony worse. He had to push down all the fears and all the pain. He had to, he wouldn't make them worry, he wouldn't put them through that. He had to keep going for them. That didn’t stop him staggering a bit, using the wall as a prop to keep himself standing for the first few steps.
Eventually he ran into Kyle who'd led him back to the others, they hadn't been too far away which was a huge relief as it meant that he could slow down a bit more to catch his breath. He could momentarily pretend that his slow pace was due to having to catch up with them and not because of the injury which was now taking up the majority of his thoughts. Most of the small group kept running though and each step made his ears ring and his chest hurt. The agonised gasps he'd been forced to take as he pushed himself through the pain, wasn’t helping things landing him the slightly concerned look and occasionally Mohwee or Squidney would ask if he was alright only to get a weak mumble in response. Owen felt tired, his whole body was shivering now and he couldn’t figure out if that was down to the cold air now descending on the group as the sun came up or if it were down to shock. The older leader assumed it was a mix of both, everything burned and yet he knew he couldn’t stop. Not here. Not like this.
The true pain kicked in once they got to the campsite where the levers sat. The sun had finally peaked over the walls by the time they finally got there, leaving Owen with a horrendous pounding in his head that made him feel awfully sick and as if he was going to pass out. Everything suddenly was feeling too bright to him and there were dark circles swimming around the corners of his vision. There was a shrill ringing in his ears and the ground felt like it was spinning. Owen knew he was slipping deeper into his own mind, zoning out at the ground beneath him as he trudged forward, dragging his injured leg behind him but eventually Mohwee's voice pierced through the ringing mumbling about how confident he'd been. Owen didn’t offer much of a response, the words merely were swimming in his mind before slowly slurring their way out.
“This was a bad idea.” He knew that now, none of this pain had been worth the knowledge that they were utterly hopeless. That none of their weapons could pierce it, that an arrow bounced off with no resistance at all. That it had all been for nothing.
The group had slowed down now, which only made the pain worse. It felt like he was dragging along, each step closer to him passing out. Sweat was begging to stream gently down his face even though he felt chilly and the longer they spent in the maze the less likely it was that he could convince himself that the feeling was just due to the maze being cold.
Maybe this was the start of a fever, after all this could just be a simple reaction to the scratch. His body was fighting back against a series of old metals, rust and such posing him a threat and his body was just dealing with it. A fever was hopefully the worst that he'd have to deal with but part of him was sure that was just denial considering his vision was even worse now, with him barely being able to see In Front of him.
Each step became more of a stumble as he wandered forward, having to use his arms to stabilise him as he walked. A familiar girl appeared at the end of the corridor, her eyes were slightly puffy and red and he could just about make out the colours of her recognisable split dyed hair. Owen felt really bad now, having to cling to ivy that grew from the walls he took a deep breath. The blood was trickling along the back of his leg, so much so that the fabric of his trousers was clinging against the wound. He grimaced, clenching his eyes closed momentarily as he forced himself to speak.
"M..magic?" He asked shakily, each word sounded raspy and it curled up his throat, a harsh feeling that he wanted to get rid of as soon as possible. Mohwee placed a hand on the man's shoulder asking him if he was okay, a look of mild concern was now on his face. Owen took a moment blinking rapidly, managing to fight back some of the blurriness. The dark spots managed to subside just enough that he could see a bit better.
"Yeah, I'm good, we should get back" he sighed, pushing himself off of the wall. It wasn't far to go now.. not far at all.
Each corridor led them back, Mohwee had tried to make light conversation along the way but eventually after letting out a heavy sigh he spoke. He had paused as if trying to figure out how to say exactly what he was thinking.
"I thought we'd lost you man, you weren't with us for a good ten seconds, I thought that it had gotten you" The fear in his voice hurt, how each of the few words he managed to say was clear and laced with fear. Mohwee hadn’t really got on with Apo so the demon’s death has not affected him very much. But he and Owen had managed to get rather close over the past few months, going on far more runs and actually getting to a point where you could say they got along. To a point where the older runner may even say he saw Mohwee like a younger sibling. And in that moment Owen couldn't bring himself to tell mohwee that it had in fact gotten him and that it wasn't going to be okay. That his body felt about ready to give out at any moment.
Hell he could picture it in his mind. Mowhee opened up with the smallest shred of fear only for the person he had assumed was okay to collapse then and there infront of him. And no matter where he went down, Owen refused to let it be like that. Not with how fearful he currently sounded. So instead he brushed it off. Once they were back in the safety of the clearing, he breathlessly told Mohwee and squidney about the arrow and how it'd bounced off of the creature. He decided to be very vague about the ten seconds or so that he'd been missing, when everything changed.
“It did nothing, it just….” His breath shuddered. Each word slipping out with a slight slowness to them. “It just bounced off, I thought I missed it at first.”
The entire time Owen kept his back pressed against the levers, desperately trying to keep himself stable, knowing that the longer he stayed here the more likely it was that he was going to fall. His legs already felt like pure jelly, wobbling as he desperately fought against the nausea building up. But once the opportunity presented itself he excused himself, explaining that he needed some rest and that he had to check on Puddy. And just like that he dragged himself towards his house, fighting back the urge to stop and puke or the urge to just let himself crumple where he was standing. Each step just sent another wave of pure pain through his body, enough that he was biting back curses and tears. The man kept quietly murmuring the same few desperate words. Brief mumbles of ‘its fine…it’s fine’ were the only things he could bring himself to say at first. He practically crashed through his door as he went to open it, staggering inside. Once he was far enough into the building he blocked off the doors using whatever he could find to barricade himself in for the moment.
And once he knew that was done a mix of pure sadness, pain and anxiety hit him like a brick. The man slowly pried the armour from his body, tossing it aside and leaving it dumped in the sand before sliding down onto the ground. He brought his uninjured leg closer, wrapping one arm around it while the other cupped the lower half of his face. Owen clenched his eyes closed, letting the few tears finally break free and trickle along his face. He was shaking, far more now. This was the exact thing he was dreading. He let his other leg slip after a moment though, bringing his free hand up to run it through his sweaty hair. This was a mess, an utter mess and everything hurt. He was too exhausted to move but he could see the way his trouser leg had torn and how the dark blood now stained the fabric. A heavy panic began to take over, his breaths were shaky and his heartbeat only got faster, no matter how much he tried to calm himself that crushing anxiety was only building with each passing second. What had he done?! He'd never been that reckless, sure he'd made bad decisions and sure they were reckless but going after the creature?! He didn't want to be stung.. he didn't want to die. He didn’t want to know what was going to come next. He watched as tears dropped onto the wooden floor. He didn't know what to do, everything ached and the stench of copper was slowly becoming more and more noticable. He'd have probably sat there forever If it wasn't for a slight nudge next to his right arm snapping him away from the thoughts. Puddy.
The small pig nestled under his arm until it was resting right beside him, it made Owen chuckle through the sobs. The small pig always managed to bring comfort to moments like these. Puddy let out a light huff, part of him wanted to believe that it was asking him if he was okay.
"Yeah mate, I'll be alright.. I have to be" Owen sighed with a forced smile. For a moment he just sat there, legs outstretched as the exhaustion finally took over. The numb throbbing pain coming from the wound and the thunderous sound of his own heartbeat quickly taking over every part of his waking thoughts. He made the most of the comfort for as long as he could, until his eyes began to drift
He dragged himself up and stumbled over to his bed having to use the walls to keep him up until he made it close enough at which point he let himself collapse onto the sheets.
"I'm going to get some rest, I see you in the morning"
He gasped, yet another year dropped down his face. The laboured breaths rattled through his ribs as they slowly rose and fell. It was agony. He was so scared, part of him was terrified to let himself drift to sleep. Not knowing what would come from his slumber but Owen knew he couldn’t stay awake forever. He sighed again as the pain began to take over, the dizziness drowning everything out around him, except the sound of his heart which pounded like drums in his head. The steady black circles began to swim around the corners of his vision, making everything darker with every second. He managed to mumble one word before slipping into the void of unconsciousness.
..
“...shit.”
Chapter 2: == CHAPTER TWO ==
Summary:
Waking up the morning after a sting can only lead to the start of some conversations that most people would rather avoid. Mohwee proposes an idea to the group.
Notes:
WOOOO! Okay I really quickly wanted to pop in here and say thank you for the positive reception on the first chapter. I've been really excited to get back into this story and really work through it so getting to see all of your thoughts so far has been really nice, thank you all I really appreciate it!
Now onto the important thing. I'm moving as of the day of posting this chapter! Sadly it is a bit shorter as a result, essentially I'm splitting the second chapter into two parts with the second covering the big stuff >:))
I don't know exactly when the next chapter will be out as I'm starting university so my schedule is going to be a bit packed lol but I will update as and when I can don't worry!!With that being said here's chapter two, I hope you enjoy!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing that he could feel was gravity making itself known, the feeling of his body falling through the air only to land with a heavy thud on the ground. A low, pained yelp working its way up past his throat. Owen could feel the steady throbbing pain as it twisted around his now bruised knee. Though it wasn’t directly the fall that had caused the pain, a specific band of damaged skin twisted across the area. From an obvious blunt spear, the wooden body of which had been brought down with as much force as possible.
Owen wasn’t as old then, he was still young. Still learning these vital parts of being a soldier, each lesson more painful than the last. He brought his shaking hands down to his knee, wincing as he wrapped his hands around it, shielding it from further hits. A low sigh echoed through his ears.
“Get up.” The older voice snapped, the cold and stern tone rang clear. He turned his gaze back to the man towering over him, trying to stop the tears from building up again. Owen bit back any of the sobs which were threatening to let themselves break free. One moment of weakness was already too much. He took a heavy breath and went to stand, his hands digging into the sand beneath him. Every part of his body trembled, he truthfully was reaching the point of pure exhaustion and he knew that he couldn’t realistically take much more of this. Which was why it wasn’t a surprise when his knees gave out again and he found himself back on the ground again.
“...Dad I can’t. It hurts…”
The man didn’t relinquish his training yet, instead he just kept staring at his son. The grip on his own wooden javelin only tightening.
“You need to get up.” The words echoed in his mind, each one laced with disappointment and mild disdain. The young boy could only shake, trying his hardest to push through and get back to his feet. All he wanted was to make this man proud, to make his father proud. but it was moments like this, where all he could focus on was the pain and he had a crushing sense of dread that left him wondering if all the training, all the harsh comments and the various bruises and breaks, if all the pain he was forced through was worth it. Owen knew being a soldier wouldn’t be easy on him but every second of this was gruelling, exhausting… It was too much. And yet Owen tried to press forward, taking yet another painful breath and steadily pressing his hands back against the ground. The young trainee once again tried to get to his feet, pushing every one of his concerns to the back of his mind, only focusing on this one act. He had to get up.
But his body refused, the nausea peaking again. Causing his chest to tighten and his stomach to swirl, the acidic flavour of bile began to burn up the back of his throat as yet another pulse of pure, blinding pain shot through his body. And for a moment the boy swore that he was going to vomit. Every part of his body continued to shake and shudder, every single sore nerve making itself known and he knew there was know way for him to stand for long. But he was there, looking back up at his father. Trying with every bone in his body to stay standing. For his efforts he was met with yet another harsh, agitated sigh.
"That was pitiful. Your opponents aren't going to just wait for you to get yourself together. You need to do better. Let's try this again"
Owen nodded, he considered remaining quiet. Biting back whatever thoughts were troubling him but in the end he found himself speaking before he could entirely weigh it up in his mind. He had to once again bite back the rising bile as he went to speak, everything threatening to come spilling up.
“...Is this not enough for you. I’m trying my best sir.” Owen’s voice came out far smaller than he had intended for it to, each word essentially shaking as he spoke. Once the words finally had been spoken there was silence, just a thick and uncomfortable quiet which permeated through the space. Until finally after what felt like hours his father scoffed, yet another clear sign of irritation. There was a cold response, one which he would remember for months after the fact.
“Well. If this is your best. Then I pity you.”
There was barely a second before he was swinging the wooden javelin down with an obvious force to it, far harder than he had been training with earlier. Owen had no time to process the words that had been hurled his way before the wood collided with his ribs and sent him crashing back down towards the ground. This time Owen didn't try to get up, even if he wanted to, the very thought of moving now became crushing. He couldn’t breathe, the pain surged like nothing else, catching down on his ribs and staying locked in place. Each gasped breath twisted his core, his lungs couldn’t get enough air and for a moment the only thing which registered was the pure feeling of pain and the taste of copper flush with his tongue. Every cruel attempt to take a breath only came out as a choked wheeze. Nothing felt right in those moments, a pure unbridled panic beginning to take over his body and through every second, no matter how much Owen wanted to, he couldn't stop coughing and gasping. Praying for the soft relief of air to soothe his pain, the soothing feeling which never came. He curled himself into a ball, clutching his chest as he desperately tried to regain any of the oxygen that had been knocked out of him. He felt like a child again, wishing for his mum to come and hug him. But he knew that wasn’t coming either, she wasn’t there to soothe his pain. Tears trickled down his face. His father towered above him, and despite the blurriness in Owen’s vision it was clear to see that he was getting agitated. This was sad, this was pathetic, this was a waste of time. There were a billion different words his father could have said in the moment. Words he never actually said. Instead he just sighed again.
“Owen get up.”
And this time he couldn’t bring himself to, his body had entirely gone slack. Even if he wanted to move there was no way he could. It was as if he were frozen in place. Owen did not move a muscle, besides a slight shake of his head. That being the only movement he could muster. The voice repeated itself, slightly louder now. Yet almost muffled.
“Owen. Get. Up. Now.”
But he still didn’t. He still couldn’t will his aching bones to move. His head was pounding and the ground pressed against his cheek, it felt oddly calming in a way. He just wanted it to stop.
“Owen get up!”
======
"Owen, are you even awake?" Mohwee’s muffled voice pierced through the wooden walls. It replaced the shouting voice from his memory in a way which made everything spin. The smallest part of him thought maybe he was still stuck in that memory but he knew better than that. He stared up at the ceiling, not really doing anything besides scanning over the various grooves in the wood above him. The agonising pain in his leg had managed to subside somewhat since the first sting the previous night, it wasn’t entirely gone, more reduced to a subtle throbbing which worked its way over his calf and all the way down to his ankle. Though what was much clearer now was the dull thudding which echoed through his skull, leaving every part of his body feeling heavy and almost clammy. He didn’t entirely want to move, though with each knock he knew it was only a matter of time before the person at the door tried to get in. He just prayed that whatever he was needed for was important, lest he end up collapsing in the doorway. Owen took another moment to take a heavy breath before he dragged himself to the side of the bed so that both of his legs gently hung over its side. The slight ringing continued to perforate his eardrums, the headache making the very act of keeping his eyes open that little bit harder. Another knock on the door reminded him that despite his desire to fall back into the bed, he couldn’t now. People needed him, someone was here now for him. In turn he dragged the orange sheets away, and was met with the cause of it all. The leg wound was staring right back at him, the torn fabric was shredded entirely. Leaving an obvious gap where the claw had struck true, the skin was raw and an evident scratch remained. It was a deep injury but Owen was certain that it didn’t need stitches, it would heal over time and going to Soup now would just cause more worry. The fabric was entirely stained with crimson blood though, a noticeable issue to him as it had dried close enough to the wound that patching it up fully later might be an issue. Owen sighed to himself, there wasn’t time for this. The man just decided to drag his boot over the ruined material and pray no one saw, he had been good at hiding injuries throughout his time in the maze and this was no different. He just had to get through the day.
Of course getting said boot on was easier said than done, in fact the second that the thicker leather material brushed over the wound a hiss of pain passed his lips and Owen had to bite down on the inner lining of his cheek, desperately stopping the sharp cry which threatened to make itself known as well. He took a shuddered breath, biting back the bile which churned at the back of his throat.
“Yeah Mohwee, I’m coming, just give me a minute.” He called out to the other runner, just praying that would be enough to get a second to breathe. Compared to having an entirely broken leg in this place, a single wound shouldn’t present as much of an issue but this was brutal. He knew it wasn’t quite right and yet he pushed himself anyway. Owen clenched his eyes closed and with one sudden, swift moment he pulled the boot over the lower half of his leg. Obscuring the entire injury from view. With that he was ready, the man forced himself to his feet and for the second time the nausea began to entirely take over.
Owen stumbled on his feet, wavering towards the wooden chests which lined the wall closest to him. He crashed against the storage system, blinking away the sudden blurriness which had once again begun to swarm his vision. Each breath stung, his ribs were sore and for another moment he really did think that he was going to collapse there and then. His head was swimming, the pain threatening to take him under. He kept breathing though, clenching his eyes closed as tight as physically possible.Owen knew that if this was how things were going to be then things were going to be difficult, all of this was going to be difficult. Every second was another shuddered breath until finally he could open his eyes again without the darkness creaking into his sight. With that he finally made his way towards the door, shifting the blockade out of the way. Owen ran a hand down the side of his face, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before he finally opened the door.
Mohwee was standing there with his hands in his jacket pockets, occasionally tapping his foot against the ground. He had been looking further out into the clearing, watching out while he waited but as soon as the door opened, the younger runner turned to face him. There was a moment where he looked like he was about to get annoyed about it taking him so long to come and open the door but his expression shifted into one of concern, looking Owen up and down slowly, his eyebrows furrowed in his direction. At first he thought that Mohwee had seen the blood on his trouser leg or even the wound itself but instead Mohwee just mumbled.
"You feeling ok man, you’re looking really pale"
Owen took a moment to respond, trying to think of an excuse. The silence in the air was utterly crushing, he was utterly frozen in the moment. Trying to think about what he could say. He thought about the memory and in a momentary second he knew that was what he would have to do, it was the only reasonable explanation.
"Yeah just a bad memory, I'm alright." Owen found himself muttering in response, looking past the younger runner as he spoke. Entirely trying to play things as normal as he possibly could. Mohwee nodded slightly, a confused and doubtful look was plastered on his face,it wasn’t entirely obvious if he was believing Owen’s story but even if he did the boy didn’t press any further. The two stood in place for a brief second before Mohwee nodded out deeper into the clearing.
“Come on, walk with me for a sec?” The leader wasn’t entirely sure what Mohwee wanted but he trusted him enough to follow along with him. When Owen stepped out from the shaded roof the sun hit him hard and the various blinding white rays of sunlight made his headache pound worse, curling around his skull causing him to wince. He wanted to go back into the dark, warm familiar walls of his home and curl back into bed but Mohwee’s hand on his shoulder snapped him away from the thoughts.
It was merely a moment of support, the clear concern flashing through his vision again but Owen was appreciative nonetheless, starting to follow along as the two walked through the clearing in relative silence with only small wisps of conversation interrupting the quiet morning walk. Though it was obvious that this was important, Owen could see the thinnest lines of determination on Mowhee’s expression and in those moments it became more and more obvious where this was going.
“You want to go back in again.” It wasn’t a question, it was obvious at that point. There was no way that Mohwee was going to just leave it like that, he was going to try and kill it again but Owen couldn’t help but feel like this was a terrible idea. Especially after last time, the wound flush with his boot reminds him of that with every single step. And the evident silence from the other runner only confirmed his suspicions.
Up ahead was a small circle, it had to be relatively new. Wooden blocks had been set up in a circular shape and in the middle there was a table, some makeshift chairs were littered around, with people making use of anything from crates to old barrels. Everything seemed very officia though, similar to how they had set things up during the election. Owen scanned the scene, spotting various other members of the clearing sitting there waiting. It had been months since they had any actual meetings and yet it was evident they were going to try now. He walked up to everyone, noting that some people seemed more nervous than others. Obviously some had been there for the failed attempt the day prior but most had not and the sudden request for a meeting was hardly ever made, which would naturally leave most people on edge.
Owen found one of the remaining empty spaces, next to Magic who just turned to look back at the ground as soon as he sat down. He took a breath, everything was quiet until Mowhee finally coughed, clearing his throat and signalling that they were about to begin.
“Hey. I know these things never really work but we need to talk. All of us.”
The younger runner looked directly at Owen, that same stubborn determination clearly shining in his eyes. The look was plastered to his face and it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Owen shook his head once, one simple way of saying this was a bad idea but it didn’t stop anything. Instead he spoke.
“I called this meeting because we’re going to kill that creature. And then we’re getting out of here.”
Notes:
Only time I'm going to be plugging this butttt if you do want to follow along with anything I'm doing the best way to do that is through my twitter lol [@crafty_luci] as that's where I'll be posting any updates whenever I'm writing.
Again thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the support, I'll get the next half out ASAP :DD
Chapter 3: == CHAPTER THREE ==
Summary:
Mohwee had the look of determination still plastered to his face, one which made it abundantly clear that even if every person here disagreed he would go alone. The guy was on a mission, Owen respected that but at the same time he wanted nothing more than for everyone to talk him out of it.
“You heard me. I want to kill that thing, everyday we stay here is another risk that it gets the jump on us. We’ve seen what it’s capable of and we know where its den is now so I think it’s time we actually started working on getting out of this place.”A meeting continues, a heart to hear occurs and one outsider has to consider a harsh reality.
Notes:
Okay so this is going to be one of those very typical AO3 notes so strap in lol
SO!! In the past few months I moved to university! I started my course and submitted my first project so things are going pretty well, it's all great but there is a LOT going on so chapters may be sparse over the next few months. It's early days but I'm already looking into second year housing so that's something too. There was also some family stuff that happened so everything has been all over the place.It's coming up to the Christmas break so expect a couple of chapters in the next few weeks as I gain a little free time. Also I am planning the next TWO SEQUALS to this series, one directly after this and then one a little further on.... So that's something to look forward too :33
Slight thing as well: This chapter is going to be a bit dialogue heavy so sorry in advance for that. Since this is a meeting chapter there are quite a few lines.Anyhow I hope you enjoy :DD
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
To say that Owen was glad he was sitting down was an understatement. He had a feeling this was where this would be going, an idea that he had vehemently avoided. In those moments trying so hard to stop Mohwee from saying it. There was a heavy silence around the table as everyone seemed to process what he had just said, the utterly insane idea of going to kill the creature. The creature which had ripped through two clearings, killed nearly an entire glade and had since stung one of them. Owen could see Magic looking at the ground, she had been originally part of their group but now she was silent. The remaining members of her clearing were here too and none of them seemed to like the idea to say the least. The man could see the tension on their faces, how Krow seemed to be grimacing. How Ayngel was trying to keep a strong face but her shaking hands slowly were betraying her and how Soup ran a hand over her bottom jaw. Eyes fixed on the centre of the table.
Graecie looked just as apprehensive but she was the one to break the silence.
“....You want to what?”
Mohwee had the look of determination still plastered to his face, one which made it abundantly clear that even if every person here disagreed he would go alone. The guy was on a mission, Owen respected that but at the same time he wanted nothing more than for everyone to talk him out of it.
“You heard me. I want to kill that thing, everyday we stay here is another risk that it gets the jump on us. We’ve seen what it’s capable of and we know where its den is now so I think it’s time we actually started working on getting out of this place.”
He’d said it. They knew. They had found its den, they had been to find it before. Owen ran a hand over his forehead, the ever persisting headache was still drumming away. A low buzzing sensation behind his eyes that would not shift. He heard Graecie again, her tone a lot more shocked as her head turned in his direction. She glanced between the both of them.
“What do you mean you know where its den is? You went looking for this thing? You know how dangerous that could be.”
They were barely ten minutes in and you could already tell that this meeting wasn’t going to go well. The group who had gone clearly far quieter than the others. Kyle, who had been sitting next to Acho in near silence, spoke up.
“We do, Mohwee said he had an idea and we followed. I mean we do want to get out of here, no one was hurt and we got some information out of it.”
The other man had been consistently trying to look out for people throughout his few months in the maze, it was something that most people respected to some degree. And yet it was no secret that this conversation was going to cause a divide, the looks which some people shot his way told that enough. The man shrugged.
“I get that it’s dangerous but Mohwee’s right, we have to do something. We had a solid group prepared so we know what to do for next time.”
Graecie just looked concerned, her mouth slightly agape as she glanced between them. Her thoughts rendered utter silence for the moment. Acho merely spoke a quiet, ‘next time?’
The silence spoke in utter volumes, practically crushing in that regard. Most people here did not have the death wish that they were associating with any possible ‘next time’. Owen took a breath, his gut was swirling again. It was a mistake. He knew it now but saying that when he had been one of the few to go would warrant questions, it would leave Mohwee unsure why the sudden switch. He didn’t exactly know where he stood. Apparently the other clearing didn’t agree, this was dangerous and they wanted to make that clear.
“There shouldn’t be a next time.” Ayngel stayed in her seat, their purple hair handing down by their cheeks. Her lips drawn into a thin line, her eyes looked over at Squidney. The one she had spent months in the maze with. “We saw what those…..things did. I saw them for months out there. Why would you risk it?!”
Her voice raised a little, the smallest shakes overtaking her tone. She had lost so much and the thought that one more person, one more friend no less was playing with fire. It terrified her. Soup placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, for a moment you could see her own fingertips trembling. Her usual composure wavering as she took a heavy breath.
“Ayngel’s right. I mean, no one got hurt but you could have. You want to say it’s okay but we saw first hand how dangerous it is. Any one of you could have been hurt or worse. Just…. This is kicking the hornet's nest, we can’t lose another clearing.”
“It’s not gonna come to that!” Mohwee shot back at her, looking between everyone. “There’s always going to be risks to this, people are going to get hurt. It doesn’t mean we should wait.”
That same stubborn look was in his eyes. “How many people dying is it going to take for you to realise we can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
“Mohwee.” Graecie spoke up again, her own eyes slightly more narrowed now. This meeting was unravelling more and more as time went on. Every single passing argument adding more fuel to the fire. Some agreed this was important and others not so much.
“I mean he’s right.” Krow had muttered amongst the emerging chaos, clearly starting to lose its own patience the more things progressed. Rewarding it a bitter side eye from Ayngel. It didn’t say much more beyond that, looking over at Mohwee who had since crossed his arms. Focusing on Graecie.
“What? It’s not like we didn’t know what we were doing, we prepared our armour, our food. We had a clear plan. Hell we even got our remaining maze leader to come with us to supervise.” There was the subtle mocking hint to his tone as he spoke, he hadn’t brought Owen to supervise. Owen was there to help with the process, to try and kill it. Nothing more, Mohwee hadn’t wanted him to go with them if that’s all he would’ve done. The man silently wished that a hole would open up beneath him in that instant because the way that some of the people around the table turned to stare straight at him made him want to scream.
Of course, he had preached safety in the maze. He had been one of the main people to push no overnight trips, he had insisted that playing with the wolves like this was insanity to a degree that he had stepped down from that leadership position. And now, there he sat, all eyes on him as though he were the biggest hypocrite among them. Once again his hand made it to his forehead, he brushed some of the sweat away from his face. Preparing for the questions to be hurled his way. Magic kept her eyes downcast the entire time, Soup looked at him with evident frustration but Graecie…Graecie just looked hurt.
“Look. I just wanted to-”
She took a breath, a heavy, disappointed one as she took a step back.
“I think we should give this meeting a minute. I need a second to talk to you.” With that she began to walk away, heading towards her house, nodding for Owen to follow her. He hesitated, willing his boots to push off from the ground, for his body to move. But for a brief second he couldn’t, he could see it now, her disappointed, worried expression. The questions as to what he had been thinking and what he was doing. And the thought of his leg, which was still screaming at him. The same twisting pain which circled his thoughts, made his stomach churn and his heart race.
The man had to shake himself out of the thoughts, knowing avoiding this would only make matters worse. So he stood up, pushing the nausea to the back of his focus and pacing after Graecie. He had been in the building only a handful of times, briefly checking in or just trying to organise anything around the clearing. Yet this time felt significantly heavier, the door is almost closed as he makes it there. He can see the woman pacing inside, he takes a slow breath. Heading into the building, gently pushing the door closed behind him.
“You wanted to talk?” His voice is soft, he tries to be upfront with Graecie. He respects her, he wants this conversation to be simple. So he starts it as such.
The woman runs a hand through her hair, it’s hard to hide the evident stress on her face as she looks over at him.
“...You of all people should know how dangerous it is out there. Why? Why would you risk that.”
Owen sighed heavily again, walking further into the room, leaning against the wall opposite from the door. He stares up at the various string lights that Graecie and magic had put up, the colours glimmering, he tries to focus on them. He knows he messed up, he knows that. The painful thudding from his leg is like a ticking reminder of that, every second slightly more frustrating than the last.
“Graecie. It was complicated.”
“Just be straight with me here Owen, we used to be leaders together here, you used to be blunt with this sort of thing. Just….why?”
The hurt in her tone is thick, a noteworthy bitterness present that she tries to push away.
He took another heavy breath, slowly sitting down on one of the sofas she had set up.
“He was going to go in with or without me. He told me as much Graecie, he didn’t want me to go to protect him but I couldn’t just let them go and risk it.”
Owen rests his arms against his knees, staring back down at the ground. Each present groove in the wooden floors sticking out to him, he starts to pick apart the various details. He heard Graecie sigh and walk over too, sitting down beside him. A gentle hand rests on his shoulder.
“You know how stubborn he can be, how willing he is to take the risks to do what he needs.” Owen chuckles nervously. “I mean think about the days when we first got here, I always used to run after him back then.”
“I know but those creatures weren’t out there back then. You all could’ve been hurt and what good would that do. I’m just worried, I can’t lose you, I can’t lose him.”
Owen glanced back over at her, a small sad smile pulling at his cheeks.
“I promise you. You won’t have to. I was there to be the cautious one after all. I’m okay, he’s okay. We are okay.”
He originally was, then he was the one to fire the shot, he was the one to take the risk. He was the one to-
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”
Owen didn’t even really register the minor warmth on his face until she pointed it out, at which point he wiped it away. The specks of tears registering against his thumb. He nodded, smiling, trying as hard as possible to ensure one simple thing.
That she didn’t have anything else to worry about.
“Yeah, yeah this just wasn’t how I was thinking my day was going to go. You know how it is.” Graecie nods quietly, leaning over to gently hug him.
“Yeah I do. I’m glad you’re all okay…..just please, if you’re going to go out there again just be careful. Work with us, don’t just run out there..”
He can clearly remember the early days, the times where both of them talked about how difficult it was to get through to most people. How most of the conversations never amounted to much, the time they had sat up in the tree looking out over the doors.
They couldn’t afford to lose more people and Owen knew it was horrible to promise something when he didn’t have a huge certainty into what was coming for him. The sting could be nothing, but it could be something. Either way it wasn’t a good thing. Though for now he does his best to avoid thinking about it.
“....I can try but you know how Mohwee can be.” He laughs a bit, hearing Graecie chuckle as well. She sits back from the hug, smiling at him.
“Yeah I know. But you’re not reckless. Just think it through next time yeah? I’m sure we can try and convince them to do the same.”
It was quite nice having that trust again, the same semblance of leadership worked well for a while, even if it wasn’t for long he did know that he and Graecie worked well together, a half decent leadership team. Owen takes a breath, he doesn’t know if the meeting could go all in the right direction but she’s right about the fact that they have to try. He got to his feet.
“So we want to try and get this meeting back on track then?”
She too stands up, nodding. And with that they begin to head back towards the table.
Things seemed to have settled down somewhat as the two made their way back over, a few people are hovering around the table rather than sitting down and Mohwee specifically seems to have calmed down more. Owen finds himself standing back beside Magic, focusing on the task at hand.
“Ok we’ve talked things through and we think that if we’re going to do this again, heavy if.” He glances over at Mohwee, eyes narrowing briefly before he turns back to the others. “Then we have to be prepared, we have to be a group on this ok. Graecie is right, it’s risky to just keep running in like this. We will get out of here but it is going to take time. That being said, we might have to kill one of the creatures in order to do that.”
The evident uncomfortability from some people around the table is clear, Ayngel specifically looks as though she is biting her tongue, trying to hold back on something.
“I’ve seen them up close too. Before I found Squidney. Do you really know what you’re up against?”
It was a valid question, the creature had killed nearly all of a clearing, torn through another and it was clear that it had something capable of causing serious injuries as a tame part.
“We know part of what it’s capable of, this was our first time seeing it up close.”
Mohwee tried his best not to scoff at that.
“I’d seen it briefly.”
Ayngel hummed.
“That’s the point. You know it’s dangerous from a distance but I saw it up close, most of our clearing did. But out there…..that claw.” The angel shuddered, the pearly feathers around her wings fluffing up momentarily.
“It could tear you apart. And then there’s this….stinger.”
Oh.
Oh.
The stinger. That was what it would have been, he thought it felt like a pin prick. A momentary stabbing sensation. His heartbeats picked up, suddenly it felt like a lump was in his throat. The nausea he had been momentarily fighting off now began to build again. The sweat steadily started to cling to the back of his neck. He took a breath.
“Stinger?” Was all he managed.
The girl nodded, looking more and more visibly tense with each passing moment.
“I…I didn’t stick around for long.” She composed herself, trying to stay calm for as long as possible, her usual strung together demeanour beginning to crack. Though she tries her best to hold it in. “But I was looking for somewhere to hide and it saw me, I had to run but it nearly caught me. The thing. It was like a needle but completely tipped with this green colour. The smell….gods it was horrid. If you’re going out there….avoid it.”
Owen was silent, glancing over to Soup, the only other person who seemed to be truly lost in thought. Until she too spoke up.
“I can’t say for sure but she’s right, that sounds like a toxin, some type of poison at the minimum. Guessing if it’s with those things then it’s definitely going to be amplified. I mean if the creature itself can kill with ease the stinger won’t be any different.”
Most people around the table nodded along, or continued to contribute various suggestions. The few clear ideas being centred around armour, weaponry.
Owen’s thoughts were far simpler. Because he was starting to wonder if he was even going to survive to see the outside.
Either way. His plan was simple.
Make as many memories as possible because this injury wasn’t going to just heal on its own. After all, if the creature’s sting was destined to kill, he was staring fate in the eyes.
And he didn’t like what he was seeing.
Notes:
Oooo how ominous.we'll see where this goes in the upcoming chapters. Feel free to hit me with any thoughts, predictions and feelings in the comments. And I'll see you next time!!
Chapter 4: == CHAPTER FOUR ==
Summary:
Owen knew as much as he finally reached down to the floor, taking the notebook and quill he began to scribble down a set of things he wanted to do if he had time. Small things at first. Going on shorter maze trips, trying to see where Rasbi was and if she’d want to bake a cheesecake again. To slightly more unrealistic goals, he hesitated, thinking about the things he wished he’d done sooner. Though he shrugged those thoughts off, he couldn’t change the past. What was done was done, now he just wanted to get back on track. And that would start by going to find Magic to take her on a maze trip.
So the bucket list begins, and we're off to a pretty rocky start...
Notes:
OK!! So like I mentioned previously I've got a couple weeks to work on some more chapters, and this is the first of those write ups. I'm doing this as and when I have time so hopefully another one will be up in the next couple of days, though I make no promises lol.
Throughout this one there are a couple things to consider
TW: Mentions of injury, blood and a bit of slight gore. Nothing too extreme but we get a little look at that injury and there is a brief mention of stitches but nothing too explicit for that. Either way the start of this fic discusses that. So bare it in mind going forward.Hope you enjoy this week's instalment. Feel free to scream at me in the comments, I love reading everyone's thoughts and theories. That being said, enjoy!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The meeting ended up being far more productive than what Owen could have expected, with most sides managing to contribute at least something of use. It was almost strange, seeing how for once one of their few meetings didn’t entirely spiral. The smallest part of him was sure it was just a dream but he didn’t suddenly jolt awake, he contributed to the conversation as best as he could. Though his mind kept twisting back to what Soup had said, the talk of the toxin. The work of a poison which could slowly be polluting his veins, twisting his blood and warping it into something worse. The pain which hadn’t subsided.
It had been getting late when the meeting finally wrapped up, people slowly started to filter out and head home for the day. Graecie had wandered back over once most people were gone.
“If only things were this productive when we first had meetings.” She had a soft smile on her face, genuinely seeming to be proud of the idea that they as a group were making some progress. “I mean it started the same but we did good.”
Owen had nodded, the disbelief still sitting there. He forced a smile as well.
“Yeah it’s a shock to see people actually listening, working together.”
She nodded too.
“Mhm, well I’m going to head home. Talk to you later Owen.” And with that he was left alone, heading back to his own house for the night. The walk was silent, the man hardly let a breath rupture the quiet. He watched the sky, the sun slowly setting over the walls leaving everything shrouded in a dark orange colour. It would be peaceful if he could get his thoughts to stop spinning.
He opened the door and stepped inside, forcing the barricades back over the wooden entrance. Owen sighed once he knew that it was just him, no more interruptions. His head was aching again, the subtle dull thudding which made it hard to really think about everything. Though he had a plan, a simple set of things which he knew he wanted to sort out immediately. The first was to stop ignoring it. Earlier in the morning he wanted to believe that he wouldn’t need stitches, heck he had been almost certain of it. Though each step felt like a razor had been tearing through the skin, a reminder that the area was still raw. He hobbled towards the various chests littered around his room, rifling through them until he managed to find an old chunk of kenaf he had used to make the string for his bow. Taking it he was able to pull it apart again, collecting whatever string he was able to. Next followed the needle, there weren’t many in his home but he had a couple when they had made the fruit trio backpacks and now, well now it was going to come in handy. The last things he picked out was a notebook and a quill alongside an older rag he could use to clean up any blood left behind. Gods. This was going to be a long evening.
Of course he was glad to be sitting down again but the first thing he had to deal with was the boot. The one he had relatively carelessly forced over the injury first thing that morning, the injury which had likely been rubbed against the fabric and now would be more irritated. He could faintly feel the familiar warmth of blood against the material already so he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The first boot simply slipped off, though the second required a little more leg work.
It was a careful process at first, heaving his injured leg back up onto the bed so it sat out in front of him. He could do it easy enough, it ached but it was nowhere near as bad as what it could be. Owen leant forward and began to meticulously untie the lace from the top of the boot to the bottom, pulling it all the way off once he could. He knew it might be a pain to deal with the shoe later but between spending time doing laces or risking dragging the boot off he knew which would be the better option of the two. Once that was done he took a breath, a long, heavy breath through his nose. He wasn’t squeamish by any means, if his memory served him right then he had probably seen worse time and time again. Yet it was the weight this held, it didn’t feel quite the same. Nonetheless he knew he couldn’t sit here forever lost in thought, he had a job to do.
He was gentle with prying the boot off, though that didn’t change the sharp pain which began to drag down towards his ankle as the fabric slipped against the back of the boot. As the clear crimson colour became present again and the smell of copper became ever the more clear. Gods. The man gritted his teeth and with one last careful pull the boot dropped to the floor beside him, the injury didn’t stare back at him yet, most of the base fabric from his trouser leg hid it. But he could see blood had leaked through, he could see around the base of his foot where the blood trail had dried, though fresh specks littered the area.
Another deep breath. He took some of the water he usually carried with him and made some attempt at disinfecting the needle, unfortunately he didn’t have anything better to use and he would rather not risk the chances of getting anything stronger.
So in turn he dried it off and began to work the string through the end. Once he was sure it was firmly ready he set it down. The next steps would hurt, peeling the trouser leg away, cleaning whatever clung to the wound be it blood or toxin….and then sewing it back up.
He couldn’t help but stare at the fabric, in terrified, uncomfortable silence. It felt like hours had passed in mere seconds, the thought of what could come lingered as he steadily wrapped a hand around the torn and bloodied fabric which shrouded the patch of his leg the claw had struck.
And with a slow fold the fabric shifted away from the skin, or more or less peeled away. He tried his best not to gag, the spots of coagulated blood standing out against the wound. It was worse than he had thought for after all, initially he couldn’t see any real signs of a sting. Just a scratch, a gash, a cut. Simplicity would state it looked worse than it was, hell if he was a soldier then this was most likely tame by comparison. He turned to the bottle of water he had been keeping, unscrewing the cap before completely dousing the fabric rag in the liquid before ditching the water again. He made a mental note to clear up everything once the injury had been dealt with, this really would look like a mock surgery otherwise. A suspicious collection of items which once put together would point to the reality that he had been hiding injuries…..a conversation he was not going to deal with.
He expected pain to come when the fabric brushed over the wound, of course he wasn’t expecting it to be quite as bad as it was. The second the water swiped over the dried blood it felt more or less like the claw was tearing through his skin again and again, the man repressed a scream. Doing his best to just deal with the injury as quickly as possible, the rag turning an impressive mix of darker crimson and aged brown. His head was spinning. The more old blood he cleared away, the clearer the look at the wound got. It was jagged, a clear indicator that the end of the claw had made a quick mark. And eventually enough to see the smallest pinprick mark against the damaged skin, his eyes staring at it, physically unable to look away from the thing which no doubt was sealing that this leg was going to be a problem, that this problem was going to only get worse. He could feel the tears bubbling up again alongside the sparks of anger beginning to boil right up again. As he took the last of the water from the bottle and cleared his hands, ensuring that even if it was killing him he didn’t have to worry about an infection. And with that he picked up the needle and reached back to the wound, holding the side of his leg he took a breath and began to stitch everything up
==
It took maybe five minutes, though it really could have been more. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it hurt. Every single possible nerve shot pain through him and he had to make sure that he didn’t pass out mid stitch. But once everything was sewn together Owen had dumped everything to the side, blinking through heavy eyes to try and find a possible bandage. Once he did he fought to stay awake, wrapping everything up before collapsing back against the bed, his eyelids drifting steadily closed, the sleepy sensation beginning to drag him down. The pain continued to ebb away but it wasn’t bleeding any more. He had that to be thankful of as he fell unconscious.
====
Sleep managed to come pretty easily after that, the exhaustion blended with constant pain managed to knock him out entirely. Though that didn’t guarantee any peace, there was hardly a moment of comfortable sleep as for the second time running the nightmares began to twist his thoughts, swirling around his head.
He could picture the walkway, the gritty gravelled path which twisted through the forest. Everything was mostly silent apart from each of the steady, slow steps he was taking. Owen couldn’t feel much in those moments, it was a confusing thing. Like a dream but it looked far more real than that, the path was lined with trees. Leading up to a break in what appeared to be a wooden fence, splitting the woods and training grounds to the general fields. Usually his father would be with him, they would climb over and take the longer route home. Though he could remember this, no no he could remember part of this. His father had left him in a blinded rage, disappointed with his training performance and had wanted him to lug home some of the equipment. He had been dragging it for about a mile now.
He had to make the fence and then he could cut through the field. It was easier to take the path but this route was more familiar, he could know it as though it were the back of his hand. Except for the small detail, that the fence had been kicked down. Not just loosely cut as though a bandit had been here. No it was trampled, crushed and broken apart, the wire parts bent un-naturally. It suddenly made the hairs on Owen’s arms stand on end as he dragged the equipment through the gap, heading through the fields he began to try and reason with himself.
It was probably just his father, it was probably just because of how old that fence was. There were a million possibilities, though it just made him wish that the older man was there to help him, he was nervous now. Though the smallest hint of annoyance began to bleed through as the equipment bag got stuck in the mud.
“Come on, daft thing….come on. It’s not that far plea-”
His thoughts were cut off when he heard the first, unmistakable scream. There had probably been more, that was an obvious observation when his head shot in the direction he had heard it from and saw a woman running only to get an arrow to the back, a realisation which was clear when beyond that he saw fire. Nothing but fire. Orange and yellow hues licking away at the various buildings, encasing what had been his home. The entire place was collapsing in front of him, various things crumbling and collapsing. Owen could see the various heads on pikes, faces that he couldn’t remember the names of. Faces that were now dull and lifeless as the slaughter commenced. The bag of equipment slipped from his hand as he took a few steps backwards.
Bumping into something. The boy spun around, staring up at the figure. He couldn’t see the face but whoever it was wore armour. A seamless blend of dark brown and orange metal, a flag hooked over his shoulder. A mess of brown curls wrapped over his forehead. Those were the only details he could really make out before the sword the soldier was holding began to raise. Owen wanted to plead, to cry for mercy, anything. But the sword was swiping past his neck in an instant.
==
And just like that he shot awake, his heart pounding as he took heavier and heavier breaths. His chest felt heavy as his eyes assessed the room around him, nothing was on fire and he wasn’t bleeding from any neck wounds which would suggest it was a nightmare. But the images of the flames, the fire burning and that…figure. He just couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it, or at the very least that part of it was a memory.
Either way Owen shifted from where he had managed to fall asleep, stretching his legs over to the side of the bed and yawning heavily. Everything felt sore, though that he just wrote down to generally having slept in an uncomfortable position overnight. For now he needed to focus on something else, anything to keep his mind off of other things. He had a consideration, the notebook and quill he had collected. Originally he was going to just make note of things that had happened, write down the details from their meeting the day previous and work out any plans to help the others. Though since he had gotten lost in the thoughts about the sting he had one other thought of what to do.
A bucket list of sorts, a set of tasks to keep busy all while ensuring that if this really was as bad as Soup suggested there would be some good memories for people to have, some things to hold onto in the event that…
He didn’t want to think about it. Not really. It was probably a long way off of anything like that, this was just a precaution, a plan. He always was the person to over prepare, Owen knew as much as he finally reached down to the floor, taking the notebook and quill he began to scribble down a set of things he wanted to do if he had time.
Small things at first. Going on shorter maze trips, trying to see where Rasbi was and if she’d want to bake a cheesecake again. To slightly more unrealistic goals, he hesitated, thinking about the things he wished he’d done sooner. Though he shrugged those thoughts off, he couldn’t change the past. What was done was done, now he just wanted to get back on track. And that would start by going to find Magic to take her on a maze trip. After all he wanted to make up for leaving her in the clearing when they all went on the trip, she wanted to go in the maze again and he was ready to go with her. Of course just waking up he hadn’t been all that ready, he carefully heaved his legs back out of the bed, reaching down to collect his boots now from the spot beside him. The fabric hadn’t bled through thankfully and whatever blood may have collected at the sole had since dried. Small blessings he supposed, it took a moment to do so but he did end up dragging each of the boots onto his feet. Though he made damn certain he was taking one significantly slower than the other, while normally he would be concerned about this being a waste of time, Owen could luckily see through the gaps in his roof. And the sky told him that while it was getting to be closer to the time when the doors opened, it wasn’t too late in the morning to be a risk.
The man got to his feet, taking his backpack before doing a quick circle of the room. Making sure to retrieve any necessary supplies he might need. Including the armour he had tossed aside a few days prior. The metal pieces were a harsh reminder of the pain again, though it was also a reminder of something the group would need to consider for next time. Their next armour sets needed to ensure the back of the legs were safe as well. The bent iron wasn’t quite strong enough for it to guarantee the claws couldn’t rip through with just a small attack. He dreaded to think how bad it could have been if he stayed any longer. He collected a few other items, some food and a simplistic spear for a weapon before hauling the armour back on.
The last thing he did before sauntering out into the morning sunlight was to pass Puddy a carrot. A simple part of his otherwise unpredictable routine. And with that he headed into the clearing. It was hard to ignore the way the sunlight made his head thud, the dull drum like beats rattling through his head over and over as he wandered forward. The stitches were making it easier to walk for the moment, again, another small positive he could focus on. Initially the man had figured it would be significantly harder to find the split dyed girl, her routine was just as if not more unpredictable than his. She could be in any number of places at once, honestly it used to be something that worried him, the level of uncertainty. Especially in a place where an emergency could arise at any moment, though now it was something he respected. Hell it was something he wished he could learn to follow more, the ability to just live instead of survive.
Though for this moment he counted himself to be rather lucky as just from emerging his house he was able to spot the familiar colours rising through the gaps in the bushes only to disappear seconds later, this process repeated itself a couple times before it clicked that she was at her usual trampoline spot. Owen wandered over, leaning against one of the support beams, watching as she waved at him. Absolutely beaming ear to ear, her own backpack already slung over her shoulders as if she were anticipating this moment hours ago.
“Hiya Owen! You okay?!”
Owen couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit, the girl always had been one of the most whimsical out of their group. There was no denying that she was truly making the most of the circumstances. She was happy and it was an infectious happiness which could spread to pretty much anyone. It’s how he found himself with a smile on his own face.
“Yeah I’m good, seeing as you’re up I figured I’d come ask if you wanted to go on a little maze trip this morning?”
He kept lifting and lowering his head to follow along with her, as for the moment at least, it seemed she was firmly staying on the trampoline, listening to the only evident noise being that of the maze doors beginning to open for the morning. The heavy stone groans echoing through the clearing as the doors began to wind open. Though it only took a second for the words to click as she stopped, standing there for a moment.
“Absolutely! We can go take a look around Ash’s area!” With that the girl hopped down and began to sprint in the direction of her house, only really pausing briefly to call back to Owen. “I just need to grab my armour and I’ll meet you by the doors!!”
Owen was quiet for a moment, going to say something but losing it as she disappeared from view. It was that same heavy silence which sat at the bottom of his chest and worked into a pit at the bottom of his gut. The mix of mild guilt and sorrow twisted away at him, the smallest part of him wanted to just let this play out. After all even if Ash herself was gone those memories they made together weren’t and if visiting their spot helped out then who was he to deny her of that. Though the other part knew better, they were going because Magic was still holding onto that sliver of hope that she might show up eventually. Despite all reasonable doubt pointing to the obvious, that Ash was dead. It was something Owen found himself doing with Apo over and over, holding onto hope only to have it crushed. He wanted to let that be the mercy here, but he could see the smile on her face as she jogged back over. Decked out entirely in diamond armour, her gun now resting on her back as she wandered towards him.
And he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to shoot it down, not when he knew all it would do was cause misery. So for now, for this short portion of time he decided to ignore it. To ignore the gut feeling gnawing at him which told him that this was a horrible idea.
“You ready now?” He found himself calling over instead.
“Yup!” The evidently popped ‘p’ stood out against her short reply. Another simple thing which kept him smiling, he shook his head slightly. Leaning over to gently push the helmet down so that it covered her eyes before he took off into the maze, flipping the lever down as he went. He couldn’t help but laugh as he heard the light hearted, indignant yelp and small shout of “hey!” as he headed in. Beginning to follow the various familiar pathways through the maze.
As usual by the morning the sunlight was beginning to peak over the towering stone walls. The sun was higher now than what it had been previously, the much warmer glows highlighting the various green tones of the walls. Owen could pick out each of the more evident cracks as he continued forward, eyes scanning the path ahead of him. Pausing as they spotted the space where the skull had been found, rain had since cleared away most of the blood. Though the image was still clear in his mind, he could see Magic now ahead of him. Eyes a little lowered for the moment, until he shot her a reassuring smile and continued along the path. Walking beside her. The route they took was entirely familiar at this point, the usual path which their group had looped over and over during the past months, of course he had to watch his footing around the rough water parkour once they reached the turn also noting to avoid the lava which cut through the pathways.
Magic had the same pep in her step as she usually did, jumping a little ahead of Owen as they went along. He found himself not quite managing to keep up with her as usual, while he wasn’t in complete agony he did know that the pain remained persistent. A low droning feeling which only was amplified with each step, he came to a momentary stop, nerves catching the better of him as he checked his trouser leg. Cautiously rolling it up to check that the bandages were still held in place. Which they all were, no direct shift had occurred and thankfully, given the lack of dark crimson looking back at him. Owen knew that the stitches must have also held up.
“Hey, you okay back there?” It was the same cheery voice which made him look back up suddenly, glancing around quickly at where they were. And thankfully, they were in a place where he had a good excuse for stopping. As he turned to meet the levers, the wooden panels etched with the single message which started everything.
‘One for Mercy, One for Death.’ For the second time in that trip he couldn’t pull his eyes away, thinking about it all. How different would things be if they never actually pulled the levers. How different would things be if that creature never got released. Would the other clearing still be okay….would he still be there.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just.” He shook his head, turning away from the levers. “Thinking that’s all. Come on, we need to keep going.”
Magic hummed softly, slowing her pace down to walk alongside Owen now.
“What’cha thinkin about?” He could see her glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, though for a moment he wasn’t too sure what to say. A lot of it came down to things he couldn’t really explain. Thoughts about the sting, thoughts about Apo and everything he could possibly regret.
“The levers, every time I pass through this way it’s a reminder. Do you ever think how different things would be if we never pulled them?”
The younger girl nodded, her own pace slowing even more. He could see the thought etched into her expression, of course she thought about it. Of course it haunted her, Owen knew it was probably not the best question but then it was the best way for him to explain his thoughts, the easiest route besides how his life had flashed in front of his eyes and now he was rethinking almost everything.
“Of course I do. I mean we’ve moved past total anger, it still hurts though. Those levers caused a lot of loss, lot’s of pain….” She sighed, wiping her eye with her sleeve. The action made Owen wish he had just kept quiet. “But without it we wouldn’t have met you all. Krow likes Mohwee and Oeca, Ayngel and squidney are sticking together…And I wouldn’t have met you either.”
She was smiling a little clearer now. “So yeah things would be different, but it’s hard to say how. What happened wasn’t good but we can lean on each other you know. Bek… Bek hurt hurt us and Apo hurt you. So we can all sort of understand each other? Maybe. I don’t know. All I know is those levers suck. Sorry.” Magic shrugged, continuing to wander forward.
“It’s ok. I was the one to bring it up.” Owen nudged her shoulder a little, listening to the slight clunking of the diamond material. “And hey, for the record, I’m glad we did meet you all. I don’t think the clearing would be the same without you all now. Even if we haven’t always seen eye to eye.”
He supposed that was the right answer, as he got to see the girl’s more toothy grin. “See! I knew you weren’t always completely grumpy! Now come on, we can still make it with enough time if we’re quick!”
And with that she took off again, heading through the various leaves in the jungle. Owen snorted, though he did suppose his reputation had been that of the moody, strict soldier. Something he really hoped to set right over the time he had. So he took a breath and tried his best to run after her.
The stone walls were still there, though the clear paths were replaced with thicker and thicker vegetation. Various vines which made it more difficult to tell exactly where they were and where they were going. Though Magic was ahead, it made it just that little bit easier to know, and when he saw her scaling some of the vines leading up to a flatter portion of the maze he knew exactly where she was heading. This wasn’t the same water space, this was somewhere else altogether. Another part of the maze they had explored together, more memories he was witnessing as an outsider. It made his heart ache, because it was at that point that he realised she was still looking for her. Even in those moments, she wasn’t ready to give up on her.
He took the vines closest to him and made a rough effort to climb up the same wall, the effort making his arms ache and his leg was not happy either. The pain was clearer now and he had to hold onto the various grumbles of pain he would otherwise be shouting loudly. Once he was closer to the top he felt Magic begin to drag him back to his feet. Though she didn’t question what took him so long, instead smiling expectantly.
“She was here.”
Magic nodded over her shoulder, to where an old sleeping bag and a long left behind campfire sat. A small star light was pinned against the wall and a stale, half eaten cake sat on the ground amongst it all. While he couldn’t deny that someone had been here once, they absolutely weren’t here anymore. He could see cobwebs forming over the dried wood, where it hadn’t been lit for some time. He could spot the way the sheets were creased and left abandoned. Each portion of the fabric water damaged and torn through, no one had slept there. And then the food, left untouched and unfinished.
“...Magic.” He tried to say softly, though he could already see the way that her face fell. The smile sagging as her eyebrows curved downwards. She knew what he wanted to say.
“I know you don’t believe me but I swear, we were here. We made that cake. Please Owen.” She took a step back, turning away from him. Her head darted around their surroundings, scanning everything around them as she tried to figure out where something or someone may be hiding.
“She has to be around here somewhere….Maybe she just went a little further out. Or she could be hiding in the trees…”
Owen walked over, he could see how there was the obvious glimmer of pain in her eyes. How she likely knew exactly what was going on, though how she just didn’t want to let go. How the thoughts of how unlikely it was that Ash was alive, and how if they had even left her alive it wouldn’t be something for them to know were spinning around her head. That would be the worst part, the not knowing. But Owen was sure of it, just like Apo. She was gone. He placed a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder, carefully turning her to face him. Resting the other hand on her other shoulder.
“Magic.” He took a breath, keeping himself composed. Though remaining as gentle as he possibly could, not wanting his words to be too harsh. Just clear enough to get through to her. “Please. She’s gone, you know she’s gone. You saw it too.”
She stood there for a moment, he could see the second her shoulders sagged with each word. Owen could see the sudden build up of tears in the corners of her eyes as she tried to stare at the ground, not up at him. She began to shake her head, once, twice, over and over.
“No. Owen…no.” She sniffled, trying once more to explain her side of things, how sure she was that she wasn’t dead. But Owen kept his hand on her shoulder, waiting until she finally looked back up to him.
“Please Magic. I’m sorry, really I am but she wouldn’t want you running out here every day, risking an injury or worse. She’d want you to be safe. Trust me I understand your pain, really but she’s gone.”
He could see her arms wrapping around herself, eyes turning back to stare at the unkempt sleeping bag and various items strewn around the space. Abandoned and not forgotten, he could see how the tears began to get a little heavier now. A small choked sob pierced through the air as her shoulders shook.
“....It’s not fair..” Was all she could whisper.
“I know…nothing about this is fair Magic.”
“She was my friend Owen. And now she’s gone, they took her and she’s gone.” She could only sob harder, her words strung together as she broke momentarily. “I miss her. I want her to come back, I want to bake cakes with her and talk to her again. I miss her and I miss home.”
She could only sniffle harder, choking back more tears as she stood there.
He tried to keep that supportive hand on her shoulder, only for her to take another step back lightly brushing it off and away.
“I know. I know Magic” He was quiet, his voice wavering as he listened to the familiar waves of grief starting to twist over each word she spoke.
“No you don’t.” She whispered, eyes finally darting back to him. “I keep losing people Owen. Over and over. You can’t possibly get that.”
Magic wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, the red puffy skin surrounding her bloodshot eyes stared back at him. And while he wanted to say about how he had failed to watch out for his people, how Squidney vanished for months and how he would likely experience that pain first hand himself now. He couldn’t entirely say that he could get her experience. Because his clearing was alive, his friend hadn’t been gunned down directly in front of him. Those were things that he could never truly understand, not entirely. And whatever memories threatened to spill up in those seconds. Only one thing stood out against the others. He wandered over and pulled her into a hug. He couldn’t entirely understand but he could open up, extend an olive branch and pray that she took it.
“I know I can’t, what you have been through is more than any one person should have to carry Magic. And for that I am truthfully so sorry. But I do understand the pain loss has. I know how heavy that feeling sits at the bottom of your gut and I know you carry that with you every day.”
He took a breath.
“It’s not the same but believe me I feel the same way about Apo every minute, I wish I could do it all differently. Search this place top to bottom in the hope that he will be there. He was like my brother and I would give anything to see him again even if it were for a second.”
His voice snapped and with it the chord holding it all in crumpled, the tears in his own eyes bubbled up and over. And the grief he had been trying so hard to suffocate deep down returned just as strong.
“It is my fault he’s gone. And gods know I wish that was different, because some of my last words to him were about how much I hated him. But I didn’t, not really, not in the end.”
He could hear her sniffles slowing. “So I might not understand it all. But I know she was like family to you and how crushing that is that she’s not here now. But you know what I do know?”
Owen heard her muffled voice. “What?..”
“I know that she knew how much you cared for her. I know that you have so many memories that you can hold onto. She’ll always be with you Magic just like how Apo’s always going to be with me. And we have to hold onto that.”
He heard her sniffle once more, her head shifting to look up at him once more.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t lash out at you… I just miss her so much.”
Owen nodded, smiling softly back at her. His own tears began to dry against his cheeks.
“It’s okay. Seriously, better to lash out than keep it all buried in. That uh, yeah that only ends up hurting you more in the end.” With that he took a step back, letting her wipe the tears from her face too. They both stood there in silence for a moment before she said something he wasn’t actually expecting.
“...”
“...Just promise me you’re not going anywhere either. Please promise me you won’t leave me too. Not after everyone from my clearing, not after Ashe.”
He felt his chest seize again, the sudden crushing weight of a shallow promise forming. Something he knew inexplicably he couldn’t keep. A promise which no doubt likely wouldn’t hold up. Especially not if Soup’s theory about the toxin was true. He could hear the smallest subtle ringing in his ears, his hands began to get awfully clammy as he stood there.
Though he composed himself. Forcing the soft smile to stay on his face, refusing to allow that certain look to falter. Even for a moment.
He knew it was a lie, yet he said it anyway.
“I promise, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
The smile she returned to that made his chest feel all the more painful. Because it was one of hope, one of trust and one of respect. Because surely he wouldn’t lie to her, because surely the only reason he was going anywhere was if he was actually as old as people made him out to be.
“Ok well….could we keep looking around for now? Not for anything I just don’t really want to head back just yet.” Magic asked, glancing further into the jungle.
Owen was just appreciative that she didn’t press any further. Gods it made him feel guilty.
“Yeah of course we can. Come on, I’ll let you lead the way.”
In reality he was letting her head off first to take a second to breathe, because he knew deep down if he was struggling to hide everything now, it was going to be one hell of a job when he started to get sick.
Notes:
I might start making smaller character doodles for this fic every now and then, also I might tease some of the sequel pieces if people are interested in some small things. I've planned out four parts after this so it really is going to be a journey hehehe :33
Chapter 5: == CHAPTER FIVE ==
Summary:
He could see the evident sadness on her face now, the light which was usually in her eyes replaced with a mild fear and heaviness. He knew all the maze trip had done was remind her of her loss and shove the fear of people watching their every move at her, it had done the opposite of what he had intended it to be. A good memory. So Owen began to think of options. She liked hanging out with puddy and sure there were a few things around the clearing but it was a common issue that people didn’t exactly have a lot going on in the clearing. People usually kept to themselves or the maze, but that was exactly when the idea struck him.
“How about I teach you how to shoot a bow and then you show me how the trampoline works finally? Fair deal.”
Our silly duo has a little more time in the maze and after a confusing, concerning discovery they try to make the most of the rest of the day.
Notes:
Shorter note this time!!
With this one we get some more of the general lore which is going to be important for later works......and then we work our way onto the fluff!! This chapter took a little longer to work on than I expected lol but we're back on track now.
So lets get right into it!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With Magic leading the way the two continued forward, heading down the opposite side of the wall they had previously scaled. Magic insisted that she hadn’t been any further than that point so they decided it was more of a priority to take their time and be careful as they continued forward. In the event of traps. The maze had a tendency for unpredictability after all and he knew that he was already hiding one injury, adding another one to the roster would certainly not help matters. And the last thing he wanted was for her to get injured in the process.
Though when they made it through the closest corridor to them the duo found themselves wondering if turning back would have been the better option. As the corridor widened, leading out into a newer section. One which was opened up, taller walls than the ones they had been used to scaling higher and higher up into the sky. Neither of them knew exactly where it leads, their steps slow more. Various taller walls crossed over each other but overall everything here was different. Not hugely but compared to the smaller corridors this place was huge. He dreaded to think what could easily lurk through the more open spaces, how many creatures could make it through here easily. He scanned the scene until one thing stood out to him. One of the walls directly opposite to them had three clear lines carved out of it, so high up that you couldn’t really miss it.
A three. The evident number three. Owen paused, the section where the levers were was section zero. They had been calling the jungle the second section. Which meant they were right about one thing, the maze had some organisation, some clear direction. Looking around the greenery had lessened as well, the obvious vines which usually littered the walls of every other section they had headed through were sparse now. Spread out less before seeming to disappear entirely.
Leading into a mass of nothing but grey walls. Owen in turn pulled the spear from the side of his back, holding it ready just in case. Nothing here was familiar besides the walls, he had no way of knowing for sure if this place was safe.
“What is this?” He found himself asking, continuing to wander further into the section. Though never going too far from Magic, glancing back over his shoulder to ensure she was always a few steps away.
The girl in question shrugged, looking as confused as he felt. She too was looking around at the walls closer to them before humming after a moment. Hesitation working its way through her tone.
“I…Don’t know?”
“Right. Be on your guard then.” He kept the javelin raised now, not just holding it close anymore. His steps quickened as he headed forward, trying to get a better look at what could lie ahead.
“Have you been here before with Ash?” He knew she said she didn’t know, he knew that. But this was so close to where they had been, hidden behind only a few walls at most. Never further. They had been so close to this so many times, he had to know.
“I saw that but I’ve never been in here.” Magic shook her head, pointing back to the corridor behind them.
Owen nodded, it sounded about right. They hadn’t seen anything quite like it before. It was huge, spanning for what could seem like miles. Suddenly he took his shield now, raising it as well as he paced further. The place only seemed to open up more. The walls were beginning to look more jagged. Different.
“This place is massive…the walls they don’t look like anything we’re used to. Certainly not like what we’ve seen before.”
Ahead was what appeared like a split. To their left was more vines, subtle greenery which worked sparsely through the ocean of grey bricks. The only noteworthy thing being the remains of the tree down there, none of the branches had leaves. Just what appeared to be aged, decaying branches, crawling up over the wall.
And to their right was snow. Lots of the white, cold powder which entirely coated the single corridor. Though based on observation alone that corridor was triple the size of any they were used to. Significantly wider and way taller. If he were to bet they could get every single person in their clearing to stand in a line and there would still be no way they could touch either side. Gods it was huge.
“Yeah….” Magic whispered in response to his previous statement. Her own word trailing off as she looked around in awe. To say this is not what they were expecting to find would be an understatement. The last remaining corridor seemed to stretch ahead for ages, the end wasn’t entirely visible, being lost in a layer of thin mist and fog. Owen was honestly relieved they weren’t planning to go that far yet. Because gods knew what horrors could lurk down in that direction.
“It’s so tall.” She hummed, the voice coming from further back down the path. It snapped Owen back, turning away from the path far in the distance he headed a little closer to Magic. Nodding as he looked up towards the sky. Unlike the other walls where you only had to crane your neck slightly upwards, these walls tilted further, making it so you really had to bend back just to get a glimpse at what you would assume would be the top.
“Yeah, look, we might have to come back here again another day. This place… It looks like it could be really important.”
Lost in their relatively focused conversation Owen turned his back on the wall behind them for less than a minute. And almost the moment he did something shifted, it was a quick and silent movement but one that caught his attention. Because where there had been a wall, there was now another corridor. The same cold snow covering the ground surrounding it, the new corridor seeming to tilt at an angle rather than being a straight path. Not a single piece of greenery covered the walls or the floor. Everything to it seemed concerning.
“Did that wall just move?”
Part of him believed he was dreaming, or at the very least hallucinating. But seeing Magic silently nod beside him proved that was far from the case. While he had his javelin lowered in the moments he had been talking to the girl it was now raised again, ready to be thrown at a moment's notice.
Magic was the one to head off ahead, suddenly taking off down the section ahead of him. Owen once again lowered the javelin, heading after her cautiously. Always trying to stay at least a few steps closer to the section than they had came from rather than heading deeper into the suddenly new corridor.
“Magic. Magic wait.” He tensely called after her, not liking this one bit. “Wait wait wait, let's not get trapped in here.”
She stopped. But clearly not because of anything he was saying to her directly, instead she stood in the middle of the corridor hunched over something. Staring dead at it in utter silence. Owen paced over, trying to get a good look at what the girl was now entirely fixed on.
“What is that?” He asked, still keeping a fair distance from it. Not daring to get quite as close as she had.
Her voice wavered as once again she shrugged, looking back up at him nervously.
“Uhhh I don’t know.”
There on the centre of the ground in front of her was a dome like object, just bigger than either of one of their hands. Owen could see the dark base which then was covered by what appeared to be glass, a small red blinking came from the inside of the glass dome. A repeating colour, which flashed every ten or so seconds. Just enough to be noticeable. The glass had a small crack in it, which he assumed was from some damage. Looking up at the wall it wouldn’t take a genius to consider it must have fallen from the wall when it moved. But the real question was…what was it?
Owen tucked the javelin away now, leaving it against his backpack before reaching over towards the object. Picking it up as slowly and carefully as he could manage. Turning it over he could see something etched into the side, just out of what had been their view until he looked closer.
“Huh. It’s got a tag on the side”
He squinted at each carefully carved letter. “OSC issue 871?”
In total it told them nothing. Just that this was an object, and the eight hundred and seventy first version of it. When Magic asked to look as well he held it out in front of him, carefully setting it back down on the floor in front of her so that both of them could clearly see it. They stood over the object, staring down at it in confused and concerned silence.
“Oh..”
“Is it a bomb?” She finally asked after a second of staring at it, entirely trying to decipher whether or not this object could explode with no notice. Owen couldn’t help but chuckle at that a little, shaking his head.
“No no. It’s….” His words trailed off as well, in all actuality he had no idea what the object was at first glance. It was strangely new. Shining in the early afternoon sun.
And of course without any warning Magic decided to reach an arm out and give the object one sudden, sharp push. Declaring proudly her findings.
“It’s not a bomb!”
….She had pressed it to test if it was a bomb. She had prodded the object like a button to see if it would explode. While they were both standing directly in front of it. Owen turned very slowly to face her, the incredulous look on his face speaking for everything he was thinking. Magic was smiling.
“And that was how you were going to check???” He exclaimed in obvious disbelief, he supposed that if it were a bomb it would save him the trouble of having to die slowly at least. Gods. He chuckled shaking his head.
Magic laughed as well, shrugging once more. She looked back at it. “Well I don’t know,,,”
“I know we’re lucky it wasn’t.” He hummed, trying to focus back at it once more.
“I don’t know. It’s got… it’s got a lens?”
And upon that realisation all of the warm, comfortable joy he had gained from the short laugh of not turning into a fireball was gone. He stood up, taking a single, heavy step back as his expression turned serious. As all the cogs turned in his brain and he came to one, horrific realisation. He looked towards Magic, who had now picked up on the clear nervous tension in the air. Her eyes fixed on his, waiting for him to say what he was thinking.
“Magic. I think it’s a camera. The wall must’ve knocked it off, we…I don’t think we were supposed to see it.”
He looked back up to the top of the wall, nothing was there but that didn’t ease the sense of dread. The nausea beginning to rattle at his gut, the sense that they should not be here only getting worse. “Something’s watching us.”
“That’s weird.” She shuddered. “I think we should go.”
“Yeah. We should. It’s getting late anyway.”
Owen nodded, taking the camera and shoving it into his backpack before nodding for Magic to take the path first. If anything was following them, watching them, anything. He would be the one they could get to first. He made sure of that, he could keep his eye on her at least until they were back in what they deemed the safety of the clearing. The two headed towards the corridors, dipping back under the thin layer of vines they had to work through to even end up there. Though the walk isn’t entirely pleasant. The entire time Owen can’t shake the feeling that they’re being watched. 871. That was number 871. Out in the maze, where they couldn’t be seen were 870 other cameras. Call him paranoid. That was basic math. They were being watched by 871 cameras at least. That was the minimum.
He tried to think of anything else but that horrible thought remained clear in his mind. Every step could be seen by something.
He took a breath, watching Magic wander along as well. She too was pacing, trying not to walk slowly. Clearly thinking the same thing about wanting to get somewhere that they had deemed to be safe.
“Hey, look about earlier. I wasn’t trying to be harsh about Ashe. I get it, but I am sorry for upsetting you..”
He tries to change the subject, really wanting to focus on something else. And making sure he was sorry for upsetting her was on the top of his list of priorities now, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. Humming a little.
“It’s fine. Trust me it’s the last thing on my mind now. Besides, you weren’t that harsh I guess, you’ve dealt with the grief in here too. Call it even.”
She smiles, though he can see the obvious nervousness which is present in every single word. The glint of fear is in her eyes. And he knows that’s not because of anything he said. And so they walk like that in almost silence for the rest of the journey.
He hates how much longer it feels like it takes for them to get back to the clearing, everything feels significantly slower, significantly more dangerous and he hates it.
Though nothing could compare to the utter relief he felt once the clearing doors finally came into view. The rest of that walk was brisk, quick and relatively forced. Both of them made it through into the clearing while the sun was still high in the sky though while neither of them said it, they both felt that it was far safer to have got back when they did rather than tempting fate by staying any longer.
There was a lot on Owen’s mind as he lurked by the doors, hands on his hips as he caught his breath. The thought of a relatively empty promise he had made being the first thing to flow back suddenly, that mixed with the camera and the heavy realisation they absolutely were being watched, sat like a weight on his chest that just wouldn’t shift. His heart was racing and his mind only ran those thoughts back around his head over and over. Everything was silent and he couldn’t help but realise this hadn’t been anything close to the happy outing he had promised. So once he saw Magic beginning to head back towards her house, head lowered he called out to her.
“Hey. That trip didn’t really go as planned, but there’s still a lot of time left today… you know if you wanted to hang out a little more? Might be nice to take our minds off all that.”
Magic turned back to him, looking up into the corner of her eyes. Deep in thought for a moment before she looked fully at him.
“Hm. Yeah….well what would we do?”
He could see the evident sadness on her face now, the light which was usually in her eyes replaced with a mild fear and heaviness. He knew all the maze trip had done was remind her of her loss and shove the fear of people watching their every move at her, it had done the opposite of what he had intended it to be. A good memory. So Owen began to think of options. She liked hanging out with puddy and sure there were a few things around the clearing but it was a common issue that people didn’t exactly have a lot going on in the clearing. People usually kept to themselves or the maze, but that was exactly when the idea struck him.
“How about I teach you how to shoot a bow and then you show me how the trampoline works finally? Fair deal.”
Owen raised an eyebrow, taking his usual bow from his backpack’s hooks. Tilting it slightly in his hand. He could see that light in Magic’s eyes again almost immediately after he said that. Every time she had asked him about the trampoline up to now he had refused, pointedly insisting he had other, more important things to do. Though now he was offering to go with her and she couldn’t stop smiling.
“Really? Cause, normally you refuse….are you sure?!”
Owen nodded.
“Only fair to hold up my end of the deal.”
With that she had taken off running towards the shooting range, fully ready to learn. Owen couldn’t help but smile more now, he really did know how much she helped brighten the clearing up. He wouldn’t say it but he figured this place did give him some sense of a decent family. Magic was quite possibly one of the best little sisters he could’ve gotten.
Though that thought was pushed to the back of his mind as he strode after her. He had a lesson to teach.
Getting to the range he found Magic another rougher bow, one of the old wooden practice once he had made and since left in various storage barrels around the area. He collected a few arrows for each of them from those same barrels and went to stand at the front of one of the specifically lined out sections. Readying his own, much stronger bow.
“Ok so what I’ll do is I’ll demonstrate first and then explain and let you fire a couple down range. Main thing is never to fire while anyone is collecting any arrows and just to keep loose, holding your breath makes it pretty difficult to stay on target. Generally speaking, just don’t be too tense.”
Magic nodded, her own clear sudden determination and focus showing. She stood to the side of him. Watching every subtle movement.
He raised the bow, it was reinforced with platinum. A pretty lucky find from within the depths of their sections of the maze. One he had held onto ever since. It was a pretty useful tool in the long run. Owen knocked the arrow into position, lining it up with the string which made up the back portion of the bow. He lined everything up carefully at first, all his focus being on the spot at the centre of the target down range. The various red and white circles staring back at him as he prepared to take the shot.
The man took a heavy breath, letting the weight in his arms shift so that everything felt loose. He could practically hear the voice in his head again. Telling him not to hold his breath, reminding him how to specifically hold the bow, to not stiffen up or he would miss. With that he pulled the string back. The arrow drawn now. And no less than a minute later he fired. The subtle whistling sound echoed through the air until there was a dull thud as the arrow hit its target. He could see it. Dead centre.
Owen chuckled, smiling softly as he turned back to Magic and took a small bow. He heard her clapping, laughing a little.
“That was so cool! You got it dead on! You have to show me now!!”
He nodded, swapping places with her so he was standing beside her.
“Okay so what you want to do is try and copy me. I’ll explain each step ok?”
She nodded with enthusiasm, taking her bow and getting it ready. Feeling the weight of the weapon in her hands right away.
“Right. Now first you want to turn to face your target sideways. This makes sure everything is lined up. You basically want to stand at a T. Keep your back straight and arms up, ready. Whichever eye you’d say is your main one, like your dominant hand is the one you want to fire with.”
He watched as Magic lined everything up with her right eye and hand. Owen nodded once that was sorted and he was sure she was standing ready.
“Now keeping your bow down for the moment, make sure that arrow is on the string. There should be a small notch in the back of the wooden base to help since these are practice arrows. Just line that up with the string and then it’ll be ready.”
He watched carefully as once again she followed those steps, lining up the arrow so it sat flush with the aforementioned string. Owen hummed.
“Nice. Now you’ll only really need three fingers to pull the string back. That’ll be the index, middle and ring finger. You want to keep your thumb in line with the back of the arrow so you can basically keep it supported. That make sense?”
Magic nodded again, the same focused enthusiasm clear. Even if she wasn’t speaking currently he could see just by the glimmer in her eyes that she was getting everything, this made sense to her and she was prepared.
Part of him couldn’t help but feel happy about that, so many times where he felt like people refused to listen and here was a prime example of someone taking genuine interest. He smiled, proud already.
“Good. Now elbows raised, you can lift your bow and aim it down range.”
At this point he lifted his bow again. Pointing it down the range and towards the target closest to Magic’s. He had, while switching places, encouraged her to go for one of the others so as not to have the arrow he shot be in the way. A decision he was more than happy to have made. Though his previous arrow became his focus point, telling him where to go if he were to shoot. Something which he found made it all the more easy to demonstrate what he was doing. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Magic do the same.
“Make sure your chest is facing out, try to keep the T stance. It keeps everything else in line and helps you make a clean shot. Now once you’re ready you can pull back on the string, use those same three fingers and keep it in line to your face.”
He watched as she did just that, though he could see the same levels of tension fading in as when he was a beginner.
“So now just try not to hold your breath, generally as silly as it sounds, loosen up. You don’t want to tense up. Just breathe.”
He could hear the breaths which told him she was on the right track.
“And when you’re ready.”
The anticipation in the air was thick.
“Fire.”
Magic did just that, letting her hold of the bow strings go. Closing her eyes as the arrow whipped through the air and landed with a heavy thud again. Owen whistled once, a low but impressed sound which made her open her eyes. Turning to look at the target she could see her arrow in the ring just above the main target. She glanced back towards him, lowering the bow now. Once again her eyebrow raised.
“Was that a good shot?”
Owen hummed, nodding right away.
“That was a brilliant shot, especially for a beginner. Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” It was mostly a joke on his end, though he could see her start to think about it. He reached over, patting her shoulder. “I’m kidding, damn good job there. We can make a solid archer out of you yet.”
Magic giggled, setting the bow down carefully before throwing her arms in the air. Holding them high above her as she walked in a circle. Cheering to herself, a huge toothy grin on her face. The cheering suddenly switched to a singsongy tune which she kept repeating for a moment.
“I can shoot a bow! I nearly hit a bullseye! I can shoot a bow! Nearly hit a bullseye! Woo!”
He found himself laughing as she did this, shaking his head all the while a smile, genuine and wide crossed his face. Owen lost track of how many times she had sang the silly little tune before he reached over to gently place a hand on her shoulder. Still chuckling a little as he wiped a small tear from under his eyes, gods he had been laughing so hard his ribs ached.
“Okay okay, as much as I do love your song…and really it is nice.”
Magic giggled more, she too couldn’t stop smiling now. Owen continued.
“There is one more end of the promise which I said I would hold up.”
The girl in front of him seemed to light up as the realisation dawned on her. “Oh my gosh, holy fudge! Yeah! The trampoline!”
Magic grabbed his wrist suddenly and began to pace towards the trampoline, chuckling to herself as she went. Owen found himself being dragged along, though he wasn’t actually complaining in those moments. This wasn’t all that bad, it certainly beat focusing entirely on his responsibilities and various serious things he usually spent his day focusing on. Once they reached the trampoline. Naturally Magic hopped up first before stooping down to help drag Owen up, he knew deep down he probably could’ve climbed up himself though he did appreciate the help nonetheless. Of course he found it rather hard to get his balance on the trampoline, while Magic stood there steady, Owen found himself wobbling around for a good moment before he was able to get stable.
He shot Magic a sheepish smile, hearing her chuckle. It was interesting for him to realise where each other’s priorities were, most of his time here had been devoted to surviving. Never quite leaving himself enough room to just live normally. While Magic had spent months struggling to survive after her clearing and now was finding that life again, finding the little things to enjoy. He appreciated this more than she could possibly know. He missed those little moments, he missed the simplicity of life.
And when she jumped, he did as well. At first the jumps were small, the view of the clearing remained pretty focused. Small. The main area they were in being clear but everything else was out of reach. As gravity closed back in and his hair flew past his face Owen laughed again and it was real. Each jump let them rise higher into the air, more of the clearing becoming visible for those few simple seconds. How many of the smaller details he had missed over those months trying to focus on just protection, focusing on the gate and the maze. There were flowers in the grass, albeit most of them were starting to wilt with the winter cold starting to set in. He hummed.
“The view isn’t bad from here actually.”
“It’s part of the fun! You can see quite a bit when you go high!!”
For a while that was it, just trying to enjoy the moment. Owen found himself looking over through the trees every so often, he could see through quite a few of the branches. At one point he even managed to spot Squidney going about her day, she waved to him once she spotted him. Though it took another few jumps before he got the height to wave back.
Magic hummed after a while.
“Hey. You know that grey streak in your hair….” Owen raised an eyebrow, steadily slowing each jump now as she asked. “I was wonderingggg…..what if we dyed it. I know you said you wanted to do more today and I noticed it so…”
He stopped jumping altogether, having to consider it. In all honesty he’d never actually considered anything quite like it, though he supposed it would be another positive memory in the book so after a second of thought he nodded.
“On one condition though.”
Magic in turn raised her eyebrow, curiosity setting in.
“Oh yeah? What’d that be?”
“I get to pick the colour.”
Apparently those terms were reasonable enough because not too long later him and Magic were scouring the flower patches around the clearing for any obvious notes of orange. Every time he spotted a glimmer of the colour they would carefully pick the flower from the ground, leaving a root so that come spring the flowers would grow back twice as bright. As sad as the thought was, he wondered if it was fitting, how come spring they would have some reminder. Magic would especially remember this moment.
“So why orange?”
“Huh?” He asked back, suddenly being snapped out of those thoughts. Glancing up from the patch of grass he had been searching through to look over at Magic again.
“Oh I was just asking why you picked orange, I know you have the band on your arm but is it like your favourite colour or something?”
Owen hummed in response.
“Well it’s a mix of it being one of my favourite colours and memories…When me, Rasbi and Apo first got here sometimes our names would get mixed up for the fruits. Apo, apple. Rasbi, raspberry and Owen…”
“Orange?” Magic finished his sentence for him, plucking yet another of the orange tulips from the ground.
“Yeah. So we coined ourselves as the fruit trio and the colour sort of became one of my things. I know sometimes I don’t talk about it but the memories are still nice and hey, the colour isn’t bad either.”
The younger girl smiled at that.
“Yeah it’s pretty nice actually. You should talk about this stuff more, it’s nice to hear from you about it….rather than just..”
And she stood tall, her back as straight as possible as she put on the most serious expression she could muster. Mimicking his tone as she spoke
“Mister serious maze guard and stuff!”
“Mister serious maze guard and stuff??” He laughed incredulously. “I do not sound like that!”
“Yes you do! Sometimes at least, I dunno. Mr grumpy could work too,” She grinned, though was preparing to run. Giggling as she leant away.
“Mr Grumpy?? That’s worse!” He laughed. “I can’t win here can I, Maybe I should be more like this. Then I’ll have better nicknames.”
Owen waved the flower around in his hand. Causing Magic to snort.
“Okay okay, come on, we should get on with this dye before it gets to dark to see.”
Magic nodded and with that the duo began to head back towards his house.
===
That’s how the duo found themselves sitting outside Owen’s home in the grassy patches, a bowl in between them as they picked apart the flowers. Taking some time to collect every single petal and place it in the bowl, leaving the green stems to the side to go to one of the compost heaps around the garden area.
Magic was humming some tune to herself and Owen worked in silence until the bowl was full of what she deemed to be enough. She took one of her own bottles out of the backpack she usually carried and dumped some of the liquid in the bowl. Owen didn’t question it too much but she briefly explained it was some plant product Soup made back in their clearing which helped her and Krow dye their hair from time to time. It just was used to help the colour from the petals last longer apparently.
And from there she began to crush each of the petals with the base of her knife. A repeated pattern of crushing, mixing, crushing and mixing. Until the bowl steadily began to look more and more of an obvious orange tone. Similar to what you would see in the sunset.
“So you do this every time you want to dye your hair?”
Magic nodded.
“I mean my blue hair normally stays for ages so I probably don’t really need to do it but yeah pretty much. I usually help Krow do the same thing. I find the blue orchids or cornflowers and use those and it uses any of the red tulips or rose petals.”
She giggles a little, continuing to crush the mixture.
“Ayngel’s hair’s just naturally purple so she doesn’t worry about it but she does borrow some of the conditioner sometimes. But don’t tell her I told you that”
That was what she called it…..conditioner.
“I won’t tell a soul.”
Once she stopped mixing Magic picked up the bowl and shuffled over to where Owen was sitting, taking a hefty handful of the makeshift dye before working it into his hair.
“Ok sit still, I don’t think you want orange face paint.”
“Oh but maybe it’d be a lovely tan.” He joked, snorting a little as she gave him the slightest side eye.
“Your Orange nickname would definitely make more sense then!” She laughed, still working the colour through each spot of grey that she could see until eventually the girl set the bowl down once more and gave a satisfied nod.
“Now we just wait until it’s settled in and then you can go and wash it out. I’ll be right back!”
Magic hopped to her feet, heading to go wash the dye from the bowl and her hands, leaving Owen sitting in the grass for a while.
He found himself sitting back, looking up at the sky. It was getting later in the afternoon now, the sun starting to drift further and further towards the walls. The warm tones of the sunset just starting to peek through the blue sky. Owen realised that had taken up significantly more time than what he’d expected when Magic came back over and grabbed his hand again, dragging him towards the water too. Insisting it was time to wash the dye out, when he tried to say that surely it hadn’t been that long she had just nodded.
“Yup, you uh, you were kinda just watching the sunset. I figured you’d fallen asleep at first, but it’s been about that amount of time.”
He knelt down, taking various scoops of water and running it through his hair. The occasional orange drop dribbled into the water but Magic insisted it was normal for a little bit of the colour to do that. So he kept washing it out. He did his best to ignore his sunken eyes in the reflection, how his face looked drastically paler than what he had first thought he looked. Gods no wonder why Mohwee had been concerned the day prior. He could see the subtle notes of sweat which were forming as droplets across his forehead.
There was no denying that he didn’t look good, the sickness starting to set in was a bad sign. But it was a sign he desperately was choosing to ignore for now. Instead he was paying attention to the orange and how it was staying in his hair. And it actually didn’t look bad.
Once he was sure he had washed it out enough he got back to his feet, gesturing to the very clearly orange streak in his hair with a smile.
“How does it look?”
Magic was grinning ear to ear, nodding over and over.
“It looks great!! Y’know it would look better dry though. The water makes it look a little duller.”
Owen hummed.
“I probably have a towel somewhere give me a second to gra-” He found himself being interrupted, Magic catching his wrist as he went to go once more.
“Ah I have a better idea actually!” She kept grinning, though now he could pick up on something a bit more mischievous in her expression. A glimmer which made him raise an eyebrow. “One last thing to wrap up today….but before. I just wanted to say it’s been fun hanging out with you! It’s been a good day.”
“Oh yeah it’s no problem. Really, like you say it’s been great.” He hesitated though, now clearly confused. “But what does that have to do with drying my hair.”
Magic smirked and without another moment’s notice she tapped him on the shoulder, uttering three words which made him stand there in utter shock.
Tag.
You’re.
It.
Oh. So that’s how she wanted to play this huh? It clearly was as the girl turned on her heels and ran off through the clearing. Laughing to herself as she went. Owen stood there for a moment, blinking heavily before he decided to take after her. One last game, that was what she wanted to ‘wrap up the day’ and he decided why not play it. After all, this was a nice day and if it worked, well he couldn’t complain.
Though in those moments, running as fast as he possibly could, ignoring how heavy his heart was racing and how his breaths ached in his ribs. Owen could say without a doubt he felt alive.
Notes:
Ok so little final note
I'm writing this on the 20th of December, I'm hoping to get one more chapter out before Christmas. But if you're itching for a little more writing before then I have another fic out!!
It's another multi chapter thing, and it follows one of my own oc's!! Her name is Fern and she's a character I used for an Outsiders smp s30 rp that some friends ran from early last year to a couple months back and it follows her journey after she survives the maze.So if that sounds like your cup of tea then feel free to give it a look. Besides that ALBL will continue to update whenever possible, next chapter is when certain things get dialed up a notch....ooo drama :33
Thank you all for the support again and in case there isn't a chapter before then
Merry Christmas for everyone who celebrates, hope you have a great day :DD
Chapter 6: == CHAPTER SIX ==
Summary:
“Hey so since the rain isn’t stopping any time soon I was just wondering if you’d be interested in showing me how to do some crafts again. Since it’s been a while?”
He specifically directed his question to Spidey and Squidney, because while he didn’t doubt that they’d probably looped Ayngel in by this point on the whole idea. He did know that they would figure out exactly what he meant quickly.
At first he was met with a mild confusion, though with one quick glance towards the rather large blue sussy resting in the corner of Squidney’s room things must’ve clicked.
As he was met with the suddenly joyful and almost wide eyed expression of Spidey.
"Wait.. do you want to make sussies?"After a rough start to the morning Owen decides to spend some time making some pretty nostalgic creations with some friends.
Notes:
I wasn't able to get a chapter out before Christmas BUT here's one before new years!! I hope everyone had a really good day, whether you celebrate or not. I will say that I don't know when the next chapter will release as Uni starts up again next week so schedule is going to be busy again. But I'm going to try and get the next chapter out before then.
Enjoy!!TW - Mentions of blood and nosebleeds.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I think you need to understand what you’re signing up for here lad.” The voice this time wasn’t recognisable, it was tired and reasonably harsh. Reiterating the same point for the second time. The rain was pounding outside, the thin walls of the old building providing hardly enough shelter for anyone taking solace inside. There was a rough table at the far end of the room, littered with papers and various other pieces of equipment. He stood in front of it, trying to argue his point. The young man huffed, running a hand over his forehead once more. The beads of sweat clinging to his skin, he was thinner now, exhaustion threatening to knock him down. Though he stood strong, leaning forward onto the table. Hands practically digging into the table, he stared the other man down.
“I do understand.”
His tone was harsher than he would ever envision it to be, his expression dim as he stared. Barely blinking, barely moving a muscle. He didn’t raise his voice though, doing his best to keep composed. Level headed. To the point. In the background of the room he listened to each of the hushed voices from other soldiers or other people waiting to discuss possible deployment. Here he stood, ready to give everything. Not that he had much left to offer now.
“Listen, I know I don’t have a letter of assurity but I have travelled a very long way to be here and I am a good shot.”
He emphasised that final point, drumming his index finger against the grained wood. The thundering rain continued, it had been like it for a few days. The last few hours getting to the settlement being the worst, this was his last chance. Without this he hadn’t got anywhere else to go.
“That should be enough.”
He wasn’t sure it would be. Many people around him were older, trained by regiments for far longer. Some had those assurance letters, some had their entire military history and close connections. He had nothing. He had the clothes on his back and a bow, the rough tools he had made on the way were stashed away for now. He could see the officer in front of him looking down at the papers, a small disbelieving hum passing his otherwise mildly neutral expression. The younger man took a breath.
“And if I’m lying I’ll die. There will be no skin off your nose.”
That was his last bargaining chip, that the harsh reality being he had nothing else. That he was willing to die in whatever fight he was given so be it if that were the case. If he did then they had no fall back, no family to send him home to, no one to tell of the loss. And if not then they gained one more number in their ranks.
The officer behind the desk finally let out a hefty groan, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. If he could account for one thing it was that the boy signing up was stubborn.
“Well. We’re always looking for more legs on the field.”
He took a breath, rifling through the various sets of loose paperwork before finding one with what appeared to be a list of dates on it.
“So you’ll have me?” The younger man asked, he wanted to be certain here. He was awarded with a smaller nod, though a question was presented to him.
“When were you looking to be deployed?”
It was a question which sat heavy in his chest, the weight of it stinging. If he gave any period of time besides one clear answer he could be waiting here for a long time. Nowhere to go he would be confined back to hiding out in the forests. Survival out there had become procedure but he wanted purpose. Though he kept thinking about how he had been robbed of any chance of joining on his own schedule, these were the cards he had been dealt. The vision of burning buildings and bloodied bodies lining the streets as he tried to sneak back. The image of one of them out of the rest, burnt and practically unrecognisable yet still being familial in nature. Each distinct feature bordering on being burnt away as they steadily tied him up high. A message. He couldn’t run from what he had seen, though he intended to honour what memory he had of the man they had defaced. So when he was asked when he wanted to be put on the field, he didn’t hesitate for long.
“Immediately.”
====
When Owen woke up the sky was a dull grey, the deep dark gloomy colour streamed through his roof and he could hear the heavy rain outside before he even made any attempt to move. His head felt significantly groggier that day, he lay on his bed staring up at the slats of his ceiling for a while. Just blinking through it all, these days he found it far harder to differentiate what was a memory and what belonged to the artificial effect of the toxin flowing through his blood. He knew that since stitching his wound it hadn’t gotten any better, if anything he was starting to feel more rough. His pale face and general exhaustion after everything the day prior was now dragging into aching and a horrible headache the next day. The dull buzzing feeling behind his eyes did not seem to shift no matter how much he blinked. Considering the weather he would really be surprised if anyone else was out in the clearing, the maze doors also usually would remain closed when it rained so he knew that was out of the picture. Though in truth he supposed that he had to take his days as they were given to him, if there was a ticking time bomb which would limit what time he had left then every day was precious, even if it was raining cats and dogs. No sign of clearing soon. He knew to everyone else they would avoid the rain, fear of getting sick weighing heavy on their decision on not heading out. And while a cup of steaming cocoa sounded delightful, sitting inside with Puddy. Owen wasn’t about to spend one more day rotting inside his home.
He didn’t check the injury today, daring to briefly swap out the old bandages with fresh ones before pulling his boot over the problem. He knew it was probably bad to totally ignore it but he made a mental note to check it later. Owen took one moment to leave Puddy with a couple of carrots, he couldn’t help but chuckle a little to himself as he watched the little animal scarf them down within the minute.
Opening the door he was met with the torrential rain he had been expecting, certain patches of the clearing that were lower to the ground almost seeming to border on flooding. The water rising higher for those few moments, he did suppose that as bad as that aspect was, their farms would probably benefit from the weather. Though he didn’t plan on doing any agricultural checks, no Owen had something different in mind.
He didn’t worry too much about the sudden chill as he stepped out into the rain. Only pausing briefly to solidly close his door behind him and make certain that his boots were tied up fully. He would prefer not to end up tripping over his own feet, since his time with Magic yesterday he had realised how much running had and would matter to him. Most of his life in the maze up to that point had been spent doing it, he supposed when people talked about their hobbies and personal things to keep them busy each had their own. His was running. So despite the downpour that was what he decided to do. He could hear the subtle splashes of water under his steps, the ground lightly squelching in certain spots as his boots crushed the grass below. He hadn’t got too much of a route in mind, though he supposed he would head clockwise around the clearing, pass by Soup and Guts’ homes and around through the forest. Head past each of the doors and loop by Ayngel and Squidney’s before heading home. It wasn’t the most organised but after spending what had felt like a year in those four walls he had gotten pretty comfortable with the layout of the place.
He could feel the water steadily running over his head, the cooling feeling against partially burnt up skin. He couldn’t help but smile, he knew that realistically running through a storm might make him feel worse in the long term but gods it was freeing. The scenery passed by him steadily. The run naturally would clear his head, or so he hoped.
He ran as fast as he possibly could, his heart pounding as he raced. He could feel his ribs ache and the pain in his leg was worsening with each step but he pushed through, his fists locked as he pushed himself to run faster.
In those moments he knew he was alive, that heavy pressure feeling like it was off his shoulders even if it wasn’t for long. Taking each sharp corner the moment he reached it, he was running as though his life depended on it. He could feel the water seeping through his jumper as he took the final corner, the rain had shown know signs of slowing now. He knew if anyone was watching this he would likely appear to just be training for another run, taking each and every single opportunity to train for when they were finally ready to kill the creature and get out. He knew deep down it was everything but that.
When he finally managed to loop around to reach the spot closest to Squidney’s tree house he slowly came to a standstill, jogging the last few steps. His arms swaying far more loosely now than when he had initially started running. His breaths rattled in his throat as he hunched there, taking slow, short breaths. His body ached, everything from the back of his knee down was sore and practically screaming at him and gods his head was pounding. The subtle ringing beginning to entirely fill each ear. Owen closed his eyes as tight as possible, breathing through gritted teeth. Though he was chuckling subtly as he did, the rain still completely poured down on him as he stood there, making no real effort to move further. He was weirdly happy in those moments, the mere brief moments before things started to feel rough again. As though he had managed to tempt fate and now was facing the direct consequences.
The heavy feeling in his head only got worse, the subtle droning turning into a more crushing sensation. Opening his eyes rewarded him with the small specks of darkness circling around the corners of his eyes, it made him feel significantly more dizzy than what he had been before. And the icing on the cake followed when he felt something trickle down his face, particularly pooling over his top lip.
He saw the occasional, subtle drop on the ground in front of him. The shade was entirely different from the rain, though he knew it wasn’t that when he realised the trickling feeling was warmer and thicker than any rain. And rain wasn’t a dark crimson.
Owen brought his thumb up towards his nose, running it under his nostril. The drips only continued, briefly meeting his gaze for only a second before washing away with the rain. He glanced back at the thumb he had used to wipe his face and was met with blood, enough that it had trickled down towards the crook near his index finger. He stared for a moment, blinking heavily at what he was seeing. His hand was shaking as he stared, unable to take his eyes away from it. This sign that things were definitely not getting easier with time.
Owen didn’t know how long he was standing there, the rain beating down around him until he heard a familiar voice calling out to him, snapping him from his thoughts. He turned up to look through the trees, managing to spot the familiar figure waving at him.
Squidney was up on the rough balcony of her treehouse, her free hand was clasping a mug of what he would assume to be piping hot coffee. He noted the soft smile on her face.
“Hey, come inside, you’re going to get a cold if you stay out there. The weather’s really bad today.”
She laughed for a moment, though he could see the subtle notes of concern the more she looked at him.The blood on his face. Owen smiled back, nodding quickly and bowing his head as he paced towards the ladder up.
He realised in those seconds it would probably be a little harder to explain himself than he had initially thought for.
“I’ll be right up!” He called, while part of him wanted to insist he was fine and head back to his home, to try and take another look at his leg again because clearly things were getting worse now…he didn’t. Owen had made a promise he wasn’t going to spend his time wasting away avoiding the people around him and this was no exception. Hell it was an opportunity to spend some time with someone else and he had to take it.
Though the momentary walk was enough for him to try and get the blood off of his face, he did realise that it wasn’t slowing for him. The warm crimson liquid still was gently dripping as he reached a hand up to the ladder and began to climb.
He reached the top of the ladder fully expecting to be on his own, at least in that scenario he could try again to deal with the blood quickly and put off any further questions. He took a heavy breath as he hauled himself up, appearing far more tired than what he wanted to. Only to be met with the concerned looks of both Ayngel and Spidey, who also had their own respective mugs of coffee clutched in their hands. He had no doubt in his mind as to why he was getting the concerned looks, especially seeing as he had essentially shown up without warning, drenched head to toe because of the rain with a steady nosebleed.
“Hey Owen….you uh. You doing good?”
Spidey was the first one of the two on the sofa ahead to explicitly say anything to him, he realised that this was most likely one of the first times they had seen each other in at least a month. And he doubted that it was a good impression he was leaving, if anything it probably looked like he’d been in a fight. So he attempted to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, I’m good, thanks.” He chuckled. “I promise I feel better than I look.”
“It’s probably not too high of a bar to be fair.” Ayngel hummed, though for the first time in a while he swore he saw a genuine smile on her face. “What happened?”
Owen hadn’t entirely prepared for any questions, especially for nosebleeds he himself hadn’t expected to grace his morning. There was the harsh thought of how Ayngel could potentially see through his lies, she had been one of the two to even actually bring up the topic of the toxin and sudden nosebleeds after that discussion would probably look at least somewhat suspicious to her. But he needed to play it off, he needed to ensure that things wouldn’t suddenly go up in a panic. That was the very last thing he wanted.
Though luckily enough for him he had a good enough excuse in mind, the weather granting him one hell of a lie.
“Well I decided to head out for a run, head on some steady laps and it started raining pretty heavily as you can see outside.” He nodded out into the clearing, where the thunder still occasionally rumbled from time to time. The rain continued to pour down. “And.. gods it is embarrassing but I stepped on a slippy patch of the cobble further back and tripped.”
He was relatively sure that the story worked because both appeared to shake their heads, chuckling softly.
“You’ve got to be more careful out there, especially if there’s all these maze trips Mohwee’s working on, I think that he wouldn’t be impressed if the maze leader broke his nose running through a storm.”
Anygel spoke, her tone holding no real malice, though it was interesting for him to hear that the other runner had been thinking through plans.
Squidney returned only a few moments later, carrying a few simple supplies. A rough change of clothes, a towel for him to dry his hair off and a separate small rag. She wandered over to him steadily, that same small smile still on her face. It was clear she could tell that Owen was slightly confused about Mohwee’s other plans so she began to elaborate.
“He’s not said much, but he does know that within the month he wants to head back. He’s really sold on getting that creature down so he’s working on getting another group together. Sorting out any weapons, it’s really not a lot but it’s something.” She spoke chipperly, humming once she was directly in front of him. “Tilt your head back a bit and hold this to it, should stop bleeding eventually.”
She did slightly prod around his nose with her thumb, with him mumbling out the most subtle ‘ows’ with the odd occasional touch. After a few brief checks she shrugged.
“Well it doesn’t seem broken, count yourself lucky. Just hold that until it stops and then you can dry off and hang out here until the rain stops.”
Owen hummed quietly, taking the towel in his free hand as well as the various other bits she had laid out, heading to one of the other rooms she had roughly set up.
“Thanks Squid.” Was all he mumbled before heading off briefly, he did appreciate being able to warm up easily. Though it took a few minutes for the bleeding to stop altogether, he stared at the cloth in his hand. The dark, splotchy patches made him shudder once more. He didn’t know if this would be a regular occurrence but he did know that it wasn’t letting up easily, and if it were to get any worse he didn’t know how easy it would be to hide.
Once he was sure he was appearing slightly more presentable he headed back into the main room where the other three were sitting comfortably, Squidney had set up a couple of spare plush seats so that her and Owen could sit down too. As he sank down into the chair he was met with a mug of the steaming coffee being passed over to him, he took it, once again grateful for the warmth. Though he knew that chances are with it would come more questions, or at the very least some discussion. After all he wasn’t about to sit here awkwardly in total silence. He also knew they weren’t going to do the same, as all three pairs of eyes seemed to be honed in straight on him.
"So.. are you going to explain why you were just running around in the rain?" Spidey spoke up, her eyebrow raised. “I mean we know you wanted to go on a run but, in this weather?”
Owen found that part much easier to work his way through, especially since Squidney had practically handed him all of the excuses he could ever need in the minutes prior. He took a swig of the coffee, the bittersweet heat once again warming him through. A shrug followed.
“Well since we discussed the whole.escape, kill the creature plans at that meeting I figured I needed to pick up the training. The weather doesn’t normally bother me, and it wasn’t too bad when I went out, I just got caught up in it all. Besides, we ought to start getting ready to run in this sort of weather if we’re planning on getting out. It might not be all sunshine on the day.”
Owen tried to keep his tone firm, yet focused. Not harsh, just strong enough that it was how he usually would discuss this sort of thing. Without devolving into a spiel like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. His efforts here were to avoid any attention, not bring more of it onto himself. The others spent a moment being quiet and he could feel the obvious scrutiny from Ayngel’s gaze specifically. He hoped, with every fibre of his being that she was not figuring out the reality, ready to bring the truth to light. Though that silence and tension seemed to slowly fade. The angel did place her mug down beside her, leaning a little closer in the chair where she was sat.
“Are you sure that’s all there is? You are looking a little peaky..” She asked after a second, Spidey humming from beside her. He was wondering at this point if he was going to have to start figuring out if maze make-up was a possibility, because maybe he could mask the pale notes in his face. Though he shrugged those thoughts away because arguably that would be more suspicious and he also noted he had probably spent too long being quiet.
“I’m fine, seriously I think I was just a bit cold. Trust me, one cup of coffee and a comfy seat and I will be back to normal in no time.” He chuckled, but he could still see those subtle notes of concern in each of the women’s faces.
“Promise you’ll be ok?” Spidey asked after a second, her tone was arguably more serious now.
“I promise.” He knew it was probably a bad thing to set up this many false promises, between the one he’d told Magic the day prior and now this one, he knew it was going to stack up. But he couldn’t exactly refuse. So instead he tried to make a joke about it. “Here, to go the extra mile…”
With that he drew an X over his heart with his finger, smiling ever so subtly as he did.
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
His little joke rewarded him with a light punch to the shoulder and some extensive eye rolls, which he was pretty sure he deserved. Especially considering that he was hoping the complete opposite, saying or not the sense of dread didn’t seem to shift from him then.
As the four of them sat there, steadily sipping on their coffee and lightly talking about whatever came to mind, Owen found himself staring back out into the clearing. Watching as the rain only seemed to worsen, they’d had lightning strike on occasion but it just seemed to be thunder and rain for the particular storm they were facing. He was actually quite appreciative to have been inside once it started to get heavier, though he was evidently lost in thought. He wanted nothing more than for a distraction to present itself so he didn’t spiral further into regret and dread. And that was when he had a thought, the best lightbulb moment to present itself as he glanced back towards the others.
“Hey so since the rain isn’t stopping any time soon I was just wondering if you’d be interested in showing me how to do some crafts again. Since it’s been a while?”
He specifically directed his question to Spidey and Squidney, because while he didn’t doubt that they’d probably looped Ayngel in by this point on the whole idea. He did know that they would figure out exactly what he meant quickly.
At first he was met with a mild confusion, though with one quick glance towards the rather large blue sussy resting in the corner of Squidney’s room things must’ve clicked.
As he was met with the suddenly joyful and almost wide eyed expression of Spidey.
"Wait.. do you want to make sussies?"
It had been so long since those days, he remembered when the clearing had been cleaned up after the creature came crashing through and everything had been rebuilt and other buildings had taken the spot of her prized shop. It was part of the reason he’d been unsure about asking, though now, seeing the look in her eyes as well as the near to giddy expression on Squidney’s face. Owen could tell he’d probably made a good call asking
“Y’know what.” It was Squidney who chirped up first. “I think that’s a pretty good idea!”
The group decided to work on the plushies in Squidney's workshop, as the idea of running through the rain again in order to get over to Spidey’s house to work with whatever materials she had there wasn’t too pleasant. Especially since Squidney made sure to emphasise that she did quite a lot of the required supplies they would need in her own workshop. They stayed seated upstairs for a while, until each of their coffees were finished and everyone was ready to make a move. Owen found that getting down the ladder ended up being far easier than trying to climb up it, being able to just simply slide down rather than applying the pressure to his leg actually helped quite a bit. And once they were all down in the workshop each of them sat down comfortably once more, leaving Spidey to quickly gather what supplies they would need. After all, she was the most familiar with the craft and in turn she knew exactly what to retrieve for them all. The four of them were situated around one main table, supplies and fresh mugs of steaming coffee splayed out everywhere, Squidney had quickly headed over to the corner of the room to get the little fire set up to keep everyone nice and warm while they worked.
Owen sat there, fighting back the feeling of sleep steadily pulling at his eyes, everything was so cosy he hadn’t really considered the possibility he may end up just falling asleep. He nursed the coffee steadily from that point, just hoping that he wouldn’t end up drifting off. Thankfully it didn’t take all too long for Spidey to come back and she dumped the equipment in a large pile on the centre of the table. There wasn’t much to work with, though he remembered how simple Spidey had said it was. The various stages of taking fabric and sewing it together, piecing various fluff pieces and details together until you had a sussy. Either that or you could go the extra mile and use the various wooden blocks people used around the clearing for different things to make more of a statue. In this instance, Spidey stuck to the first option. The table was covered in various tones and colours of fabrics, various strings and needles alongside the obvious stuffing to fill the fabric once all the other required steps were done. They’d never had sheep but the kenaf secret had managed to make things a bit easier for people, using the string for a variety of different purposes. Mainly stitches and now stuffing. In the end Ayngel decided to make hers using a very regal looking purple, Squidney went for a lovely warm toned yellow, Spidey settled on a clear leafy green and Owen went for a soft red, he knew exactly why he immediately settled on the colour but didn’t mention it. He wondered if Rasbi would appreciate another visit at some point.
“Okay so how exactly do we do this?” Anygel asked after a moment or so, looking between all of her organised supplies with a relatively confused expression. Spidey chuckled, collecting a spare piece of paper before scribbling down a series of rough designs for what finished sussies would look like. It was pretty much half an oval with legs and a block on the back. Where it would get complicated was where you needed to piece everything together. The main crafter of the group took a few spare supplies and began to demonstrate each step.
“Just watch and copy what I’m doing, you’ll pick it up pretty quickly. It only took a couple minutes for Owen to get the hang of it when I showed him last time. Right Owen?”
He looked back up from his rough attempt to sketch the main body onto the fabric to give a simple nod.
“Trust me it looks harder than it is, but she’s right you’ll get the swing of it sooner or later.”
He watched out of the corner of his eye as Spidey began to work through the steps so that Ayngel could follow along with her. Starting out by drawing the same rough shape outline onto the piece of fabric. Ayngel followed along not far behind, laughing about how weird the chalk felt all while Spidey ran over to grab some pins she had forgotten. Once those were collected she took a rough handful out.
“Ok so it’s pretty simple here, just stab through each sheet of fabric so that you’re outline is pinned to the other piece.”
Anygel hummed, taking some of the pins and doing as instructed.
“At least I don’t have to draw another outline, that chalk is….not nice.” She grimaced a little, though there was a subtle laugh which followed.
Owen had managed to pin everything in place pretty quickly and was already reaching for one of the pairs of scissors Spidey had laid out from her supplies.
“How far do I cut it again?” He chirped, hovering over the side of the fabric just outside of the spots he had pinned previously.
“Oh uhh maybe like an inch or so, it doesn’t matter too much, just enough to sew once you’ve cut the excess off. Same applies for each of them.” Spidey responded quickly, glancing back over at Ayngel again as she did so.
Owen could see that while they were talking through each step Squidney was already happily sewing the edges of the sussy’s body together.
Ayngel on the other hand seemed to be struggling with the early stitching steps, cutting had been simple enough as it was just following the line. Though he did hear her laughing as she did so.
“I don’t get it, the looping, does it just…?” She seemed to wave the needle around for a moment, trying to demonstrate what she had in mind. All while Spidey desperately tried to give an accurate demonstration of how
she
was doing the stitches. It was something which thankfully Owen was already relatively familiar with, especially since he had practice with the more medical side of it.
“Would it be easier to do one of the carved ones?” Angel snorted after a moment or so of more messy stitches and rough work. Spidey rested her chin in her hand and couldn’t help but laugh a little as well.
“Not if you don’t like chalk, carving wooden pieces gets messy.”
That had been the original one which Spidey had shown him, the various stages of using the chisel and breaking the dyed wood down into simpler shapes and forms. Those particular sussies had since been littered around the clearing; he knew there was one at the top of one of the tallest trees relatively close to Ayngel’s home. There were the few him and Rasbi had gotten in the early days. He knew there absolutely were more around though he couldn’t totally pinpoint where those would be.
The angel took a moment to think before eventually settling for what she had already gotten set up. Starting to try and figure out the sewing aspects properly, all the while Squidney sat across from her already flipping the main body of the fabric inside out so that she could fill it with the fluffy stuffing they’d set aside earlier. They ended up laughing quite a bit about how each of them were at wildly different progress points despite all starting at the same time.
Owen couldn’t help but keep a solid smile on his face throughout it.
And when Squidney finally managed to finish her first sussy, stitching it together to form a solid plush she was met by the exact response he thought she would get. It almost reminded him of the early days as Spidey leant across the table, pointing an accusatory finger in her direction.
“Okay you’re being real sus, how’ve you made one already!” Owen laughed heavily, watching as Squidney just giggled to herself and began collecting up supplies to make another plushie.
In the end they were all able to make something which roughly resembled the drawings Squidney had made. And Owen was pretty sure that he could argue this was one of the better days he had spent in the maze.
Notes:
As of finishing this chapter I have re-watched the maze runner and gotten a couple very mean ideas for future works regarding this series.....hehe
Chapter 7: == CHAPTER SEVEN ==
Summary:
"You want to make a flower crown with us?" She asked cheerily and all of a sudden her ‘plan’ became clear, they were looking for daisies to make said flower crowns. He could see now why Graecie and Acho were picking at the grass, they were slowly winding them together into what resembled a chain, Acho already a fair ways through making his own while Graecie had only really just gotten started on her’s. Though he had a feeling that was probably something to do with Magic and the water as Graecie’s boots were also discarded among the grass a little aways from them. Owen thought about it for a moment, he needed the distraction and as usual when it came to making memories with others around, the opportunity for the day had managed to present itself rather easily.
Owen and co make some flower crowns, there's some serious talks and someone's health begins to get a little worse....
Notes:
HAPPY NEW YEAR CHAT!!! 2025 Already, whatttt.
So here we are with our first update of the year, I've been working on this one because this is where stuff begins to split from the original. I love the old series but this is a re-write so new content, hints towards new plots, maze runner inspiration and a little bit of a hint towards possible backstory divergence??? WHATTTT.... yeah it's gonna be fun from here on out. :33TW: Mentions of blood, injury and slight technical gore. (The slight look at a rough looking sting.)
As always thank you for reading, I'll see you in the next update :D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sound of boots thunders through his ears. They’re all running now, he can hear each clunk of heavy metal as the armour rattles. Amongst the early advance the man can’t entirely recognise any faces, all of them are shielded by the essential plates of metal keeping them alive. The sand blows up around them, each running man making the advance, clearing through the first portion of grounds. Somewhere there’s a horn going off, a loud drone which fills the ears of every person on the field. Not one of them stops, it’s a signal to keep going. Loud and apparent, they are here to fight, not to relinquish their efforts. There’s some people shouting, never in pain, just a war cry. He knows it is just a part of the excitement of battle, the seconds before things escalate. The man holds his sword ready when he sees the first of them heading out of the walls, most are blocked by other soldiers.
A small group plots to take the side wall, the ensuing chaos of storming the front gate should provide enough cover for another attack to occur much easier than forcing their way through. It would guarantee harsher results. The man insists he is going with them, the sound of swords clashing is once again replaced by running, his expression never falters. No mercy to be given, the man present wants this done. He has no intention of waiting, the sooner they burn it to the ground the better. The closer they get the louder the sound of crashing water seems to get, the local river is raging and each of them intend to use it to their advantage. Bowmen drop once they get near, the army’s own archers taking them down without a moment’s notice. The man heads to the side gate, watching as higher ranks work to break it open.
“Now is the time for you little runts to prove yourselves.” He hears one commander shout, his angry Scottish accent booming over the field, he’s harsh and determined. This is war and he intends to win it. Each man stands ready and before they know it another battle cry fills the air. He watches as enemy soldiers file out, waves of them fighting back with their own swords. And part of him wants to laugh as he pushes his way through, slamming his sword down on anything which moves in front of him. He sees blood and hears cries from the wounded but he doesn’t stop progressing forward, no one is willing to. He’s met with one particular enemy soldier, their arm raised as they throw a flaming bottle of something over his head. The sound of smashing glass and sudden fire raging behind him, followed by screams is all that he needs to know the weapon hit its target. The enemy smirks and turns to run, no fighter but a runner. He’d always known they fell into the three categories. They would beg, fight or flee.
“I’ve got this one sir.” He shouted, making the chase. Heading down towards the river. Leaping over various rocks along the stony path, the sounds of battle begin to fade with each step. The terrain is unsteady, every hop, leap and precarious step forward is dangerous and he knows as much. The enemy is running, he knows this land better and yet the soldier trailing him doesn’t relent.
The water grows louder, the rushing river is right in front of him. The enemy is on a thin bridge, taunting him to come closer and while it’s one hell of a risk he takes it. Glory comes in ensuring that all loose ends are tied up, letting this one get away would be more of a difficulty than dealing with it now. The wood creaks under his step and within a second his opponent lunges at him, the smaller daggers they had hidden now being used as a fighting desperation. Not entirely a runner after all. They strike against metal and the soldier fights back, swiping with his sword. The other dips down, swiping at his knees. He winces as the blade makes contact, using his uninjured leg to kick back at the enemy. The bridge continues to sway with each subtle movement. The soldier is prepared to finish this, he raises he reaches up towards the opponent’s head making a grab for something. Likely a helmet, though he doesn’t get an opportunity to really look as said figure swings back at him, another slash at the small gaps between his metal armour. A thinly veiled swipe at his side, though it’s enough to leave a mark. Blood trickles along his side and once again he stumbles, throwing the enemy soldier back onto the ground. He stomps down, attempting to get it to stop moving. To finish this fight which has been entirely unnecessary, it has taken longer than necessary. He is missing the battle and his opportunity is fading.
He stalks closer, raising his sword up only to be met with the boot of it again. And this time he stumbles, an unmistakable error on his part as his body slams against the thin ropes supporting the bridge and tumbles up and over. The man hits the water hard and however much he tries to fight it makes no use for the current, he thrashes but the heavy armour weighs him down. It floods through the metal and begins to drag him beneath the surface, the tide doesn’t stop, it only drags him further downstream. The enemy slowly gets up and watches, never making another move. The man splutters, he coughs and desperately tries to breathe. Until finally he does go under.
He is dragged for some time until his head hits the back of a particularly jagged rock and his vision fades entirely.
===================================================================
The rain doesn’t stop until at least mid way through the morning, the thunder seemingly worsening as time went on. When all was said and done, Squidney had decided it would be easier to let her friends stay with her that night rather than sending each of them back out into the storm. And while he hadn’t been entirely sure at first, Owen did end up agreeing to stay with the others until the rain seemed to lay off enough for him to get home. He knew his sleeping habits as of late hadn’t been the best though he did appreciate the company.
He’d been delegated to one of the corners of the main room, each getting their own space while Squidney happily stayed in her room for the night. Owen couldn’t help but notice the floor he was on was directly above where he had slept on that first night all those months ago. He lay there, in his borrowed sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling for some time.
With the weather he found it weirdly hard to fall asleep, he wasn’t entirely sure if it was just down to safety or blatant paranoia but he knew it was likely due to some factor he couldn’t fully remember. Owen knew he’d mentioned to Guts about camping under the stars before and with his recent memories playing a factor he could piece together it was likely down to just knowing that rain masks anything that might sneak up on you. He also wrote his lack of ability to sleep down to those other worries, the bandage he hadn’t checked and the slight sweat which was crawling up the back of his neck.
He kept trying to think about those early days, how simple things must’ve been for both clearings. No worry of the creatures or where life may take them. Oh the regrets he had now. He lay there in relative silence until he finally did fall asleep.
The clearing is rather serene that morning, the sunlight streams over the walls and through each of the gaps of the branches in Squidney’s tree. Individual droplets glimmered in the light and the flooded portions of grass had mostly dried over the few hours in which everyone had been resting. A light breeze drifted through the air, swaying the branches ever so slightly. Owen awoke steadily, the sounds of chirping birds alerting him to the fact that it definitely wasn't late in the night now. He ran a hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a heavy breath. The sky was a vibrant blue now and from what he could see there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He sat up slowly, glancing around the room to try and spot if the others were awake too. Owen could see that Squidney and Spidey were still asleep though it looked like Ayngel had already headed out for the morning. As much as he did feel like he should say that he was heading out too, Owen didn’t really want to wake the others and he couldn’t just stay where he was all day either. He packed up his things as quietly as he could possibly manage and set off, reaching the bottom of the ladder he had to stop for a moment.
Bracing himself against the wooden beams as his vision spun momentarily. The best way he could possibly describe it was as if his head had been suddenly been forced under water and the pressure wasn’t stopping. He rested his other hand against his forehead, gritting his teeth momentarily. The ground was moving the longer he kept his eyes open so for a second he closed them, and that crushing feeling only doubled. That paired with the rising nausea the longer he stood on his feet made him want to head home immediately, he was suddenly regretting moving. Though he knew things would be worse if he did stay. Out here anyone could see him like this, anyone could suddenly start to panic. He had an appearance to keep up and to ensure that people didn’t go into a panic, he had to remain calm and composed. He refused to let this thing get the better of him, not when he had survived up to this point. He pushed his eyes open and began to walk back towards his home.
The walk wasn’t unbearable, though it wasn’t easy. His footsteps felt suddenly heavier than before and as much as he wanted to ignore it, he found it hard to simply push the pain to the back of his mind. Though he could be thankful he had a decent poker face, up to now no one had really questioned if he was okay. And the few questions he had received weren’t too difficult to deflect. He tried to just stick to the path, hoping that once he reached the end of it he could head back inside and take a moment to get some water and breathe. Though that train of thought began to slowly drift away once he saw a few figures sitting beside the pond closest to his house, resting on a blanket they had set up over the patchy grass. Though as he approached he could see this was one of the lucky dry patches and the blanket was more just a second comfortability.
Owen quickly dipped inside his house, noting that they had absolutely seen him heading over, so it wasn’t going to be possible to just avoid them. He had no doubt the longer he stayed inside the building the more likely it was for Magic to follow him in, requesting a carrot for Puddy. Which meant he didn’t have much time.
He knew that he needed to be quick now, so he dumped his bag down beside the door. It had luckily dried off since the day prior so it was the least of his concerns. Owen headed over to the various chests lining the wall beside his bed, rifling around for any spare bandages he might have. The supply was limited before he had started raiding it every day. But now it was dwindling more and more. He grabbed whichever roll was closest and paced over to sit on the side of his bed. Gritting his teeth once more as he pulled the boot down and off of his foot, wasting none of the precious time he had. He hadn’t barricaded the door this time, a stupid move on his part but he wanted to avoid suspicion. Sitting there he lifted the trouser leg up enough that he could unwrap the older bandage surrounding the wound. There wasn’t much to them but if he was in pain, then he wasn’t risking it. And so far he knew the only thing he could really do himself was to change the bandage and try to avoid infection.
Although that was easier said than done. Because once the fabric was off and he was staring at the stitched up skin, he knew he was in trouble. Mottled patches of borderline purple had begun to form around the spot he had been pierced so to speak, the pinprick area itself, though stitched together was a slightly darker black colour. There was no mistaking how it had slightly spread lower down towards his ankle and was edging up towards the back of his knee, the spots higher were lighter barely visible but they were there. Everything was pale and warm to the touch and it was the first time that he could say he felt scared to see an injury he had.
He froze. Staring at the sight in relative horror. Because this didn’t look like just a simple, small infection. This looked bad. Really damn bad. Most times he had been hurt in the maze; it was something easy to deal with, a slight walking aid here, some rest there. This was more than that, this was the toxin Soup and Ayngel had warned the group of beginning to work its figurative Magic and Owen was the assistant to that whole show. He could feel his hand trembling, that fear beginning to take over any rational thinking he had in those moments. It was actually Magic, laughing outside at something which snapped him back into place. Into his room in the clearing and out of his head, he stared for another second before taking the fresh bandages and quickly wrapping everything up again. He made sure that every single possible patch of discoloured skin was covered and out of sight, lowering his trouser leg again so that he had extra security.
If this was going to be a problem it was one he would face himself, however terrifying that would be. Owen had remained hopeful for most of his time in the maze, this changed nothing. He dragged the boot on and did it back up, grabbing his water bottle and heading back outside. Forcing the tears in his eyes away, he was not going to spiral yet. He couldn’t afford to.
He started walking over towards the others. It was Graecie and acho, magic was also there as he had expected but now she was quite happily sitting by the lake, her feet suspended in the cooling water. Swinging her legs back and forth so that subtle ripples formed across the surface.
"Morning" Owen piped up, the others turning to face him with a smile. He too smiled back, standing just shy of the blanket the other two were sitting on.
"Afternoon actually, was just past midday when you dropped your things off!" Magic chirped in with a giggle. He glanced over, an unamused expression forming briefly. The sort of look you would give your younger sibling when they came out with a bad joke, though he said nothing, simply smiling again and rolling his eyes. He could see that Graecie and Acho were picking at the grass, though the closer he looked, the clearer it was as to why.
Each little time they rummaged through the grass they would retrieve a daisy.
“What are you guys up to?” He asked, not entirely sure as to why they were looking through each individual flower they could find. He wasn’t sure if it was another hair dye situation or something else.
“How about you sit down and we can loop you into our plan…” Graecie looked up, patting an empty spot on the blanket in front of her. Another clear soft smile was on her face. She seemed to be in quite high spirits and honestly it was something he appreciated seeing. So it didn’t take him too long to take her up on the offer, curiosity still very obviously present in his expression.
"You want to make a flower crown with us?" She asked cheerily and all of a sudden her ‘plan’ became clear, they were looking for daisies to make said flower crowns. He could see now why Graecie and Acho were picking at the grass, they were slowly winding them together into what resembled a chain, Acho already a fair ways through making his own while Graecie had only really just gotten started on her’s. Though he had a feeling that was probably something to do with Magic and the water as Graecie’s boots were also discarded among the grass a little aways from them. Owen thought about it for a moment, he needed the distraction and as usual when it came to making memories with others around, the opportunity for the day had managed to present itself rather easily.
"Sure, I'm not actually sure how to though" he mumbled, gently brushing the back of his neck as he spoke. It was suddenly registering to him how things were beginning to feel a lot warmer now, the sun towering over the walls seeming like the reasonable option to most, though he couldn’t entirely tell if it was all down to that or also the fever beginning to bubble away. He decided he preferred to just enjoy it as the last bit of autumnal sun before everything shifted into the winter.
Graecie grinned for a moment.
"Well teach you first then you can make one for yourself. If you wouldn't mind though could you get some more? You can find them around the clearing in most places, especially in the flower garden near Magic’s trampoline. It's just we’re running out over here" She asked gently, her smile remaining persistent. He could see that as she was speaking she just kept steadily continuing with the line she already had, weaving each flower stem together. The chain just growing with each passing moment. “I know you only just sat down, sorry, but if you do go and grab some you can stick around here as long as you’d like. We’re planning to just spend the afternoon here since the weather’s nice today.”
After a moment of brief thought he figured that it probably wouldn’t be that difficult for him to go and find a couple of flowers to bring back, plus it would probably be a bit suspicious to insist that he couldn’t. So Owen nodded, managing to pull himself up steadily at first until he stumbled. It was as though all the blood had rushed to his head again, that same heavy thumping heartbeat and subtle ringing taking over as he blinked heavily. Fighting back the sudden dizziness which overcame him. The space around him felt like it was spinning, not totally dizzy but certainly enough to make him sway. He felt a sudden hand supporting him not even a moment later. Acho stood beside him, one hand on his shoulder, the other in front of him ready to try and catch him should he fall, the other man had a seriously concerned look plastered to his face. Internally Owen wanted to curse, because if he hadn’t been acting suspicious before this certainly wasn’t the best thing to explain.
"Sorry, must've just stood up too fast" Owen laughed, trying to avoid eye contact for those few moments as his vision slowly returned to normal. The support from Acho fading steadily. Though he could tell that the pink haired man was nervously looking at him still, not entirely buying the story but also not pressing too much further for now.
“Are you sure, we could get the flowers for you if you do need a minute?” Acho asked, glancing back over to Graecie who began to nod too.
“Yeah really we don’t mind if you’re not feeling great.” She spoke. Owen could see that even Magic had turned around to watch him and the look of concern on her face wasn’t fading away as easily. She had been there when he walked back from being stung, that moment where he thought he was going to black out. And here he was now, mere moments away from doing the same thing and she likely was going to quiz him on it later. He could see it all unraveling, the sudden dread beginning to make him feel worse. The guilt rising once more.
Owen forced himself to look back at Graecie and Acho, shaking his head and smiling.
“No really I’m okay, thank you. But I think I just slept in a little late and I’m still catching up with it, really I just stood up too quickly. You said the garden area has some?”
Graecie nodded quietly.
“Ok well I won’t be too long then.” He gave them a quick nod before turning on his heels and heading for said garden area. Not looking back once.
When he did reach the garden he did his best to stick to the patches where the bushes and foliage would block him from view of the others, he was doing his best at acting normal in front of the others but the terrible feeling of nausea wasn’t shifting one bit, no matter how much he tried to think of other things or sway his mind off it. Owen honestly appreciated being able to have a slight bit of space, even if he knew it wasn’t going to last for long. It gave him a chance to try and fight off the spinning feeling and the rising warmth across his forehead. He started to carefully pick each of the individual daisies which he could find, each specific flower that caught his attention being swiped slower than the last. It was a weird feeling when his breathing began to get heavier, there was no denying that he was getting worse.
Owen could see a particularly nice patch of daisies though, so he opted to take a breather there. Kneeling down in the grassy patch, his hands running through the grass as he tried to ground himself. But it felt like there was a sudden pressure on his ribs, a weight which wasn’t shifting no matter how much he tried to breathe. He knew this wasn’t a panic attack, from his rough year or more in the maze he knew the difference between that and whatever this was. No this was like something was stuck, like no matter how hard he tried or how heavy his breaths were, he wouldn’t get enough oxygen. But the longer he did try the more evident one thing became to him. He could taste copper, a bitter and horrible thing which only got worse with each moment. It wasn’t long before it felt like something was clawing at his throat, he coughed heavily. Bringing a hand up towards his mouth for the moment, hacking as each breath seemed to rattle through his chest. It hurt, each cough more violent and painful than the last. And then something warm seemed to catch his palm.
He drew his hand back and simply stared at his hand. The hand which had now been painted with a layer of crimson red, he could feel the same warmth against his chin. Blood. There was no denying it now. If he hadn’t been sure before, this solidified everything to him. His head continued to scream at him, the horrible pounding sensation doubling as his vision swam again. He didn’t want to pass out, though it seemed extremely likely in those seconds. But he didn’t. No, Owen just sat there. Swaying ever so subtly as he stared at the splatter, a mix of indescribable sadness, shock and hurt tangling within his chest, he didn’t know what to do or what to say. He wanted to cry, but nothing happened. He didn't understand why he wasn’t crying, maybe he was just numb to the concept at this point or maybe he was just accepting what would happen. That this was clearly a sign of what was to come, that this sting was slowly killing him from the inside out and it was a miracle he had made it this far.
But he didn’t want to think about that possibility. He didn’t want to sit here and wallow in the reality that his days were potentially numbered, that he was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Instead he wanted to do what he always did, continue on. Keep strong and survive for as long as he could. He made a promise to himself that he would make as many lasting memories as he could and giving up here and now wasn’t an option. No matter how much blood was physically staring back at him. He wanted to try. To fight. He took the cloth that Squidney gave him the day before, wiping the blood away from his hands and the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the flowers for a moment, picking the last ones he figured he would need, before walking away heading back to the pond where Graecie, Magic and Acho were situated. Leaving the patch of now blood stained daisies in the sun.
Owen took his time to get back to the pond, deciding to take his walk a little slower this time. He didn’t want to repeat the episode he’d just had, this was a precaution he was taking to ensure that. Though the walk ended up helping him think for a moment, to at the very least, get back into the driven mindset he had been in before. This was a nice day, the weather was lovely and he had some friends waiting to show him how to make flower crowns. He sat down again, gently placing the few handfuls of fresh daisies in the centre of the blanket.
Graecie immediately took a couple.
“Thanks, now just watch along and you can copy after.” She carefully pinched the stem of the flower and taking three others she lined them all up so they were side by side. From there she began to braid the stems together, as though she was doing a plait. It actually wasn’t too difficult to follow that step, though Owen did find himself fumbling quite a bit with the delicate stems.
“Yeah, you’ve basically just got to braid it, then take another daisy and place it in the middle. Continue from there.”
Owen had no doubt in his mind that she had done this before, as she kept weaving each piece together, repeating the process over and over. It took him a while to catch on but inevitably he did get the rough idea. Humming to himself softly as he did. Until finally he had a loose chain which was big enough to wrap around his head.
“Okay so what now?” He asked, relatively unsure of how to actually make it a ‘crown’.
Graecie chuckled, showing him the chain she had finished as well.
“It’s simple, just tuck the ends into the chain and it’ll be done.” She did as such and gently placed the fresh flower crown on top of her head, smiling happily.
And once Owen copied that step he had one as well, he put it on for a bit as well.
Graecie clapped slightly, her smile growing now. “Looking good! And you said you weren’t sure what to do. Owen chuckled, looking side to side for a moment to properly show it off.
“Ah well, I’m a quick learner, what can I say?”
Acho chimed in as well, nodding.
“Well hey maybe another day I can show you how to make a fresh bouquet. How about that?”
The older man wasn’t entirely sure he could remember what a bouquet was but it sounded nice enough so he agreed after a moment of thought. Each of them sat there for a while, making a couple of other daisy chains for bracelets and necklaces. After a while Acho went to go and splash some more water at Magic, who had simply stayed swimming the entire time.
“You know it’s actually been pretty nice since the meeting. I think the whole leadership thing could be worth a go again. Especially since we’re talking about getting out sooner rather than later.”
Graecie looked up after a while, setting her last flower crown down as she looked over towards the water. Watching Acho and Magic joke among each other, splashing water at each other. Owen paused, looking back over at her.
“I mean we kind of had it, loosely.” He wasn’t entirely sure what to say, he had stepped back up since his conversation with Ayngel. However loose the system was, it was still technically in place.
“I know, I know but..” The girl messed with the fabric of the blanket. “I mean properly, actual meetings again, we can talk about things. Maybe talk to the others and get leader’s appointed from their sides. We could make a real go of this whole organisation thing. That was a glimpse into what could happen if we work together and…”
“It gave you hope.” Owen finished her sentence for her, looking over towards Magic who was laughing so hard that a couple tears were in her eyes. That joy, that happiness, that hope is exactly what he held onto during his first months. It was what he hoped to achieve with Apo and Rasbi one day. A group, hell his family. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, sighing after a second. “I…I have to admit. I was surprised to see actual unity for once. Even if people were ready to tear each other’s heads off at first.”
“Exactly.” Graecie took a breath. “I don’t want to push it but I feel like we owe it to them you know. We lost sight of things at first but if I stick to the clearing side and you stick to the maze, we could make it. I believe in it.”
Owen took a breath, sitting back briefly. His hand resting just above the bandages, he wasn’t sure what to say. Though he kept going back to what he’d been thinking earlier about fighting this, about ensuring that he didn’t just give up. Maybe she was right, maybe he did owe it to them.
“Me too. Let’s figure out a plan. Mohwee wants to kill the creature, that’s a start. We do that and then we can get out of here.”
He could see the proud look in his friend’s eye. She could see that spark again, the hope in his eyes seeming to flicker once more.
The moment then proceeded to be ever so slightly interrupted as Magic managed to splash what felt like a whole wave of water in their direction. Graecie yelped and stumbled back to her feet, laughing as she tried to swipe the water off of her arms. Owen could feel the water dripping down his hair again and as he sat there for a moment, he decided it was time for a little revenge. He took his boots off and rolled up his trouser legs up to his shins, doing his best to ignore the bandage which still was clearly wrapped around the lower half of his leg. He hoped that if he ignored it then none of the others would pay much attention as he strode towards the water. He dipped his leg into the water and as hard as he could possibly manage, kicked as much water as he could muster back in her direction. Magic gasped as the water hit her but burst into laughter a few moments later, shaking her head to get some of the water off of herself. Before once again trying to throw more water back at Owen. The two traded splashes for a moment, Acho using the ensuing battle as an opportunity to climb out of the water and go to sit back down in the sun beside Graecie. Each of them laughed about it all. Owen stood on the side of the pond for a few more minutes before deciding it wasn’t working entirely and he dived into the water as well. Sooner or later he knew he was going to have to ask for more bandages, at this rate he was going to run out.
He couldn't actually remember the last time he'd properly swam, it could've been months or it could've been years, the memory he had that morning made him wonder how well he even could swim. Though he knew he used to dip under the water in that exact pond to go to his underground base of sorts, so he knew he was a decent enough swimmer. Magic yelped as she realised it would be a lot easier for him to catch her now. And once again, the water began to be thrown back and forth. Though it was clear she was happy enough to swim with someone, he never once saw her smile falter.
Graecie called over after a second.
“You know if I didn’t know any better I’d say you two actually were siblings.” She was smiling fondly though, it reminded them of when things were simpler.
Magic snorted.
“Yeah Mr Grumpy does have a nice side sometimes.” She shouted back, resulting in the least amount of subtle side eye again from Owen, who as predictable, splashed her with another armful of water.
“Mr Grumpy?” Acho laughed, Graecie joining in too. Owen managed to swat his arm in their direction, splashing some subtle drops towards them.
“Her nickname, not my choice. Better than Mister serious maze guard and stuff” He made an effort to mimic Magic’s giddy tone as best as he could, laughing as well as he did so. It was his turn to earn that obvious side eye now. “But hey.”
Owen lay back, the water keeping him afloat as he lay on the surface. Magic still loosely still swimming around as he did so. He stared up at the sky, the blue colour still staring back at him. Deep down he wondered if Apo would be watching somewhere. He thought about what Graecie had said and he knew he wouldn’t object to the idea. He’d figured by that point he was like an older brother to her and she was like a younger sister to him, he’d say the same for quite a few people around the clearing. Heck it was probably why he found it so easy to look out for them.
“What of it? Don’t think I ever had siblings, I can’t remember them. But I sure have a few now.” He didn’t have to look in anyone’s direction to know they were smiling at him. Eventually Magic got out of the lake and went to sit back with the others. Owen took his time, enjoying the rare moment of peace he was getting. This was what he’d had in mind when writing that list of people he wanted to visit, of small things he wanted to do.
Although he eventually found himself dragging himself up and out of the water as well, wandering over and slouching back beside them again. Graecie insisted on them all heading with her inside and having a cup of coffee after all the swimming to "warm them up". Nobody declined the offer, it sounded like a pretty reasonable way to wrap things up, or at the very least just relax and spend time together a little longer. The walk wasn’t that bad, thankfully. And once everyone was inside Graecie quickly brewed up a cup for each of them. Owen appreciated it, making the most of the warming drink. He couldn’t say exactly how many he would be able to hold out for and while he was prepared to fight things, he didn’t know how well fate would choose to favour him.
By the end of the day, when he saw the sunset streaming in through the slatted blinds. Owen knew he was exhausted, he pulled himself up managing not to make himself dizzy. Fighting back the urge to fall asleep however, the caffeine clearly not having its usual effects. "Thanks for today, it's been lovely" he softly spoke with a yawn. They mostly just smiled and nodded, sharing the same tiredness as him, he had no doubt that once he’d headed out his friends would likely fall asleep too. Although magic stepped up, placing one of the flower crowns on his head. Having managed to pick up a fair few things before they headed to Graecie’s.
"I was thinking about what Graecie said earlier so I am making it official, I declare you the best big brother I could ask for" she said regally, following up with her typical jolly tone "it's been great the past couple days…thank you"
Owen couldn't help but smile happily at that, a slight tear dropped down his face. He too was thinking about something Graecie said and it was something he couldn’t easily ignore.
We owe it to them. He pulled her into a hug, much to the shock of the others. After all hugging was never his thing even in the few times he had been more cheerful with Apo and Rasbi. He took a heavy breath.
"Thanks magic, you're the best sister I could ask for" he smiled.
When he parted ways with the others, heading back towards his own heart he couldn’t help but feel the subtle bubble of something rising in his chest. A new sensation but one he was going to hold onto.
Because where there had been a serious sense of hopelessness, he now had a serious sense of hope. He had to fight. He owed it to every single one of them.
He needed to talk to Soup.
Notes:
One last note!!
I'm posting on Tumblr now!! It's craftyluci.tumblr.com if you wanna find me over there, I have a tag specifically for A Leader's Bucket list too...
So not forcing but if anyone ever wants to make anything based off of this silly little series, art or something feel free too!! And if you do pls tag me because I would love to see that sorta thing. /nf
But did wanna put that note there just in case.The support for this re-write has been incredible. Seriously thank you all for reading this again, happy new year :DD
Chapter 8: == CHAPTER EIGHT ==
Summary:
He steadily knelt down, picking up the letter and unfolding it. It was quite a simple note actually, though it was one which made him smile. Scouting Soup out today wouldn’t be as difficult or awkward as he thought.
‘Hi Owen.
It’s Soup. I was just wondering if you’d be willing to help me make some potions later today. Any time works, Mohwee dropped by the other day to ask if I could prepare some things when you all do decide to go and deal with the creature. Figured a trial run might be good. But it would help to have someone who’s a runner here to help me figure out what you might need.
Thanks. Talk soon.’ Owen chuckled to himself a bit, carefully folding up the paper and shoving it into one of his trouser pockets. This would be a good opportunity to talk about the sting, hell it would be a good chance to talk about possible ways to handle it going forward.Because making potions on hardly any sleep could never go wrong...right?
Notes:
Back again with another chapter woop woop, there's some fluff, some angst and an ending which was destined to happen from the get go. Here's the moment where some people realise something's going on....
TW: Injury description again, we look at that sting once more.Enjoy the chapter, hopefully gonna have another one up in the next couple of days. We're over half way through now....will the race begin?? Let's see.
Chapter Text
Sleep doesn’t come easily to him that night. Unlike other days where he had managed to slip into some sense of slumber and memories and dreams began to blend into one, that night Owen simply couldn’t sleep. He felt tired but he just couldn’t seem to drift off. He lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Through the slats he could see the night sky, the odd occasional star would be visible but it wasn’t easy to see everything. Part of him considered just getting up and going to sit outside for a while, a little fresh air might do him some good. Though he didn’t end up moving. His head was pounding, conversations from earlier sitting fresh in his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder if going to see Soup was a mistake, if making a big deal of this would only cause more upset if it didn’t work. He was at odds, conflicted. He knew that it was simple, he had to go and talk to her. This was just fear talking, the voices in his mind making him second guess things. Sure, he should’ve mentioned it sooner and he would likely be scolded to high hell just for keeping it quiet. But he had to say something.
And that was what was worrying him. None of the people in his or the other clearings had up to that point had an encounter with a creature up close and personal and survived. He could practically feel his body slipping, the nosebleeds, the crushing headaches and then managing to cough up a storm with the blood following. None of it pointed in a good direction, that paired with the wound steadily darkening. The signs of a worsening infection staring back at him every time he tried to change a bandage. He knew why he couldn’t sleep, he knew it was because he was scared. Every second this went on was another second of borrowed time. He was the first person in his clearing to be stung and he was promising people he’d be okay, when he didn’t know himself. All he knew was that he was keeping every tiny detail to himself, around a week now of post sting living and it was making him realise there was a very real chance this could happen again.
It could happen to any of them. To the group who would likely go to kill the creature and get out, to the escape party when they did manage to leave and anyone who managed to get stuck out in the labyrinth of walls. But it could happen to the people he cared about. Magic, Graecie. Soup…..Rasbi.
He kept tossing and turning with those thoughts for a while. Talking to Soup might fix things but there was nothing protecting them from this happening again, besides the knowledge that the creature had a stinger and that stinger was likely laced in some form of deadly toxin. He thought about those daily trips Magic would take, or about how many of them would be escaping. And what could happen if they didn’t know. It didn’t take long for him to drag himself up and begin rifling through the chests around his home again.
One simple precaution should his conversation the next day not go as well as he was hoping, one simple measure so that if this virus did manage to claim him the others would know what to look out for.
Owen managed to find one book, though he did have to tear out a few older pages of notes about the maze. He didn’t hesitate when doing that though, tossing them aside without worrying what was on them. He found the same quill he had used when writing the list of things he wanted to do and sat back down again, his headache beginning to stir up again. The dull droning, ringing sound begins to bounce through his ears. Though by now he was getting rather accustomed with ignoring it, however irritating it was. He flipped the book back open and began to write.
If you’re reading this then one of two things has happened. Either I have handed this book over willingly, sharing what information I have gathered so we all stand a better chance against those things or I am dead. I will not sugar-coat this. It is serious. While heading into the maze the first time to kill the creature I was stung. As Soup and Ayngel had mentioned during our meeting there is every likelihood that this stinger holds a deadly toxin. The very same thing is now, currently as of writing this flowing through my veins, I have seen first hand the effects. I am writing this now in order to avoid my mistakes being repeated.
First off it is essential if you do go after this thing again, stay away from the stinger. If the claw is near you then move, do not waste time. If it catches you then get back to the clearing as soon as possible. Tell someone. I didn’t and that was a mistake. You will know you have been stung if you are, it is a sharp pain like a pinprick. Depending on where you are stung this pain may be worse. Symptoms may start anywhere after five minutes. The first initial feelings will be nausea and dizziness, headaches will follow. I made it from the den to the levers before feeling like I would pass out, this is why you need people with you. The second day these feelings will only get worse, the nausea will build and you may find it hard to move or walk. Your vision may blur, it's hard to see and you run the risk of collapsing again. Light of any kind will make your head feel worse, it’s a heavy sensation as though you are underwater and it is beginning to crush you. I say this because it is serious, at this point the toxin likely is spreading. The affected area will be getting worse. Check in with someone. Immediately. Soup believes it to be some form of poison but I don’t know if that’s possible. By the third day your chest will hurt, rib pain will be the bare minimum and it can get worse from there.
Your muscles will feel tense, breaths will get heavier and this is where things begin to escalate. By this point you will be between days four to five, this is where the nosebleeds began. A buildup of pressure from the headaches most likely, the infected area will also be in more pain at this point. For reference I was stung in the leg and movement, while possible does begin to hurt. It could be a shallow throbbing to a full blown cramping, tearing feeling. Either way it is bad. The nosebleeds don’t slow and that dizziness will return again and again. Day six I was noticing it was getting hard to breathe, chest pain was worse and by now I was coughing blood. I believe at this point you are risking the line of no return. I checked the wound last night and it was bad. The wound itself has a central pinprick, this is from the stinger itself. The skin will be clammy, pale and sore. Six days in I have noticed that the central area is darkening, a subtle black tone which shifts out in vein like formations. These ‘veins’ are dark in colour as well, almost like a spider web. Some cruel sense of irony I suppose but those appear to start out light. They are spreading though, reaching the back of my knee and down towards my toes as I am writing this. I have no doubt that it is going to get worse, I cannot sleep and I do not know if that is another symptom or just fear. Either way I am doing something about it now. But if this does see the light of day consider it a warning, the best piece of advice I can give is to trust the others. Do not ignore it. It isn’t going away. These things are deadly. I will update as much as I can but please. Do not get caught by it.
Owen closed the book, tucking the quill down the centre pages before carefully placing it on the ground beside him. He sat there for a few minutes before deciding to look at that injury again. He pulled the trouser leg up and shifted the fresh bandages aside, staring at the various twisting patterns where the darker veins were getting clearer and clearer to see. The few purple hues surrounding the circular mass. He was quiet, he didn’t say a word. He just stared at it, sighing heavily through his nose as he laid back again. Staring up at the ceiling. This really hadn’t been what he expected, never during those early days would he have considered that one day while trapped in these walls he was in a race with death himself. It was a weird feeling. He wondered what Soup would say when he told her, if he handed the book over to her instead. Simply laying it all out on the table. His mortality staring back at him. He closed his eyes to take a moment to think again. Owen wasn’t sure exactly how long he lay there, he just knew that he wasn’t falling asleep still. Nothing was changing that and it began to make that feeling of dread feel worse and worse, this could be another symptom. He wouldn’t know until the morning and gods, it felt as though time was mocking that fact. The darkness of the night sky simply stared back at him, for what felt like hours.
Eventually he got sick of the waiting, the sitting and the staring. Owen got back to his feet again, there was this unbearable weight to it all which he despised, he was already stung and yet it felt like he was a sitting duck. Waiting for fate to get bored and cut him loose, some game likely orchestrated by the people running the maze to see what would come from it. It could’ve been any one of them but this was his burden to carry. And sitting inside, staring at the walls with nothing but his own thoughts was driving him mad. He didn’t bother to put his boots back on this time though, instead he headed out into the quiet of the night into the clearing. The moon had gone past the middle of the sky, telling him it was definitely getting closer to the morning, despite it not quiet being there yet.
He could feel the grass under his feet, the subtle patches where the rain from the days prior hadn’t entirely dried off. It was cold but it was grounding, better than the wooden panels in his home. The outside was just as quiet as the inside, except for some reason he felt instantly calmer once he was there. There weren’t many lights still on, which didn’t really surprise him, especially since it was so late. But the few specks of light he could see came from the stars above. Owen didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but he headed towards the name wall. He could feel the light pressure below him as he wandered along, the grass swaying ever so subtly as the late night wind drifted on by. Normally Owen would feel cold but tonight he appreciated the chill, a simple thing reminding him he was alive.
He stared at each of their names, where Mowhee’s had been scratched out and then filled back in with various yellow blocks upon his return. But it wasn’t really the name he was entirely looking at, the only other one to be carved out. Apo. Owen crouched down and ran his hand across it, his face remaining relatively neutral before he sat down, leaning back against the wall. The man was quiet, staring up at the various stars. Those simple lights that he appreciated through and through. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing but in all the weeks since Magic lost Ash, he noticed she would still sometimes talk like she was there. Owen wasn’t sure if wherever he was Apo would hear him, he just knew that he wanted to talk to his friend. He missed him. So he quietly began to speak, hoping that everyone in the clearing actually was asleep.
He chuckled softly at first, shaking his head. “If you were here now I know exactly what you’d be telling me. That I’m an idiot for risking it, for keeping it quiet.” Owen sighed, brushing his thumb over the palm of his hand as he sat there. Glancing between each of the stars. Wishing he would get some sign that he was being heard.
“..Remember when things used to be simple? We’d sit up in your house and talk about how one day we’d make it out, we’d get Rasbi and make all sorts of different cheesecakes. I miss it. Sometimes I wish I could do it all over but I think that’s part of the fear talking.”
He didn’t look at the wound again, knowing what would stare back at him if he did.
“I hate wondering about it but, you would’ve been alone out there. Scared, unsure..If you’re hearing this I’m sorry. I should have ran after you, I should have said something else in that prison. Anything besides what I did. I have always been afraid. I know that now. But I’m going to do something with that fear, I’m done ignoring it.”
Owen could see one of the stars was shining brighter than the others. He stared at that one specifically.
“This is the last promise I make. For you. I’m going to keep fighting for as long as I can. Whatever Soup says tomorrow I am going to keep going. And if I lose that battle, I’ll see you then. I miss you, brother.”
He got to his feet after that and headed back inside, weirdly enough he managed to fall asleep after that.
He was awoken by a subtle knocking at his door, followed by a thin letter sliding under it. Owen sat there for a moment, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the palm of his hand, staring relatively confused at the paper now sitting in his home. Usually most people would just knock and wait until he opened the door himself, which told him one thing, whoever was sending him this was one of the slightly quieter people around the clearing. Or at the very least they didn’t need him urgently. Which was probably a good thing because despite him sleeping for some time, he didn’t feel much better, instead he noted his head felt fuzzy again. He sighed, dragging his boots on this time and pulling himself to his feet, ensuring he leant on the walls and chests as he made his way over. He steadily knelt down, picking up the letter and unfolding it. It was quite a simple note actually, though it was one which made him smile. Scouting Soup out today wouldn’t be as difficult or awkward as he thought.
‘Hi Owen.
It’s Soup. I was just wondering if you’d be willing to help me make some potions later today. Any time works, Mohwee dropped by the other day to ask if I could prepare some things when you all do decide to go and deal with the creature. Figured a trial run might be good. But it would help to have someone who’s a runner here to help me figure out what you might need.
Thanks. Talk soon.’
Owen chuckled to himself a bit, carefully folding up the paper and shoving it into one of his trouser pockets. This would be a good opportunity to talk about the sting, hell it would be a good chance to talk about possible ways to handle it going forward.
He took his backpack and carefully placed the notebook inside, the one containing every little detail about what he had been dealing with the past week give or take. He slung it over his shoulder and headed towards the pond. He knew he could just immediately go over, from where the sun was in the sky it was about ten in the morning and Soup was definitely awake now too. But he knew he likely would be looking a little rough, so his first goal was just to clean up. He headed to the water’s edge and knelt down, it didn’t take long before he was met with the abysmal need to cough. The same dragging feeling against his throat was quickly becoming an annoying familiarity, though he did take the fabric cloth that Squidney had given him the other day. Holding it to his lips he coughed, once, twice, three times. All the while the build up of metallic copper tasting blood began to register. Once the feeling had subsided and he was confident it wasn’t going to be an issue he sat back, wiping at his face with the cloth and reaching into his backpack to retrieve his water bottle. He took a first swig, using it to clear out the horrible taste of blood, spitting the crimson liquid aside as he took another refreshing, cooling sip. It didn’t completely change the scratchiness now sitting at the back of his throat but it definitely made it a little more bearable. Once he was done with that he put it away and reached a hand into the water, leaning forward to carefully and gently wash his face.
He stared at his reflection as the water dripped down, he could see the few spots where his cheeks were subtly starting to get thinner. The ways that the bags under his eyes weren’t getting any better either. He sighed once more, shaking his head as he got to his feet. This spiralling situation was getting dealt with, one way or another. And he began to walk towards Soup’s house. When he made it to the door he hesitated outside, hand raised ready to knock. It was there that he felt his heart seize, the genuine dread of facing up to it all looming over him once more. He was about to open up again, let that weakness be on show once more. Something he had sworn to himself he would never do again, he knew Magic had been an exception but this was different. This would change a lot, this was a step towards putting fear back into a system they had spent the past week regaining some control over. He was about to admit he had been hiding a huge secret from everyone. Then a voice from behind him made him jump.
“Hey Owen! Y’know you can just go in right, she’s waiting for you.” It was Guts, carrying an armful of what looked to be various mushrooms and berries from around the clearing. They smiled at him, before heading past opening the door and ducking down to head inside. Soup spotted him and waved, ushering him inside. Suddenly this whole confession thing was seeming like it was going to be a bit harder than he bargained for. He decided that he would just wait it out, eventually he could broach the topic. He was happy he would get to spend some time with Guts as well, but he needed to do this with just Soup. Until he knew what he was dealing with down the line, only she could know. Owen took a breath and walked in, upon heading in he could see Soup’s outfit a lot clearer and it made him chuckle. She was wearing what looked like an apron of sorts and a set of goggles, different ones to Mohwee and Squidney but goggles nonetheless. She was covered in various splotches of colour, one patch he could make out as beetroot stains but the others not so much. He shrugged off his backpack, placing it in the corner of the room for the moment as she ushered him down towards the back of the room, where her kitchen and potion brewing setup was located.
“I promise you it’s all safe in here.” Soup chuckled, as if she could tell there was clearly something up with him.
“Lots of brewing but I’ve done all this before so I promise it’s all good. But if it does get a bit much take a breather outside for a second.
“I’d hope so, especially if this is the trial run.” He smiled, heading over to lean on one of the empty counters while she explained everything to him. Soup chuckled too.
“Well at least if there is anything wrong this time, which there shouldn’t be. We can iron any kinks out, and get a proper plan together. I mainly wanted you here to talk me through any big details of things we should need. You’re in there the most so it’d be helpful to hear anything. But you can also help with chopping up any ingredients as and when needed. Guts offered to help as well so we should get through this before the end of the day.”
He nodded, noting that Guts had since gotten comfortable in the opposite corner and was carefully chopping some of the collected mushrooms up and tossing them into a bowl in front of them, he noted they were wearing an identical set of the goggles to Soup. They gave him a slight nod in turn as well before getting right back on with what they were doing.
Soup continued with her little explanation. “Now I don’t trust everyone with this sort of thing but you’re here for maze expertise, Guts is here to help in general and also because they’ve explained they know a little about what we need to avoid. They also can do some sewing so could possibly be helpful with medical stuff down the line.”
The potion maker turned and carefully unhooked another set of the goggles from the wall behind her, holding them out to Owen specifically.
“Now there is a chance we make a combination which isn’t too good, the smallest differences could make a healing potion or a harming one. So in the event we do make something…” She grimaced, tilting her head side to side ever so subtly. “Not above board, we don’t want it getting in our eyes in the process. We have milk from Graecie in the event you do accidentally ingest anything….but it goes without saying…don’t drink these. Until we know what they are at least.” She was smiling but her tone remained entirely focused as she spoke.
“Let's try to stay alive and well for this okay friends?”
Guts gave a hum and a thumbs up, immediately getting back to the chopping board. Owen took the goggles and carefully slipped them over his head, tightening the fabric strap so that they sat comfortably over his eyes.
“Yeah, it sounds good. So, where do we start?”
She handed him a separate cutting board and handed him a hefty wedge of what looked like a melon, though it was more yellow in colour. He would even dare to say it looked a bit gold. Soup also passed him a small knife.
“You can start chopping this up into pieces, I know that helps to make the water breathing ones and…even though people have tampered with them before.. This time is important..” She trailed off for a moment. “Anyway, once everything’s chopped up I can take over from there. I just need you to talk about anything we might come across out there. Besides the creatures, that might be a little harder to plan for.”
Of course that little detail made his stomach drop again, though he did his very best to hide that. Owen took a deep breath, getting himself situated before starting to chop up the melon he had been handed. And with that he began to talk things through.
“Ok. To start there are a lot of traps, general arrow ones. You’ve seen first hand how those can go for people. Once we are out there we won’t be able to rest as easy, so if there’s any healing potions that we could get, those would be ideal.”
Soup nodded, leaning over her workspace to grab at an older notebook he had given her. She flipped through one of the empty pages and began to make notes, listening to every detail he told her.
“Healing potions. Right. Funnily enough that melon should help with that, then some powder, I have the one I’m looking for, it’s an orangy one that we found in our side of the maze a while back. The last thing is that wort stuff from the section Acho and Kyle came from.”
Owen raised an eyebrow at that, last he checked it near enough poisoned Magic. Soup could read exactly where his thoughts were headed and she raised a hand up.
“I know, I know. But there’s specific ways to use it for its medical properties, in food that’s where it’s a no go.”
He could see Guts shift semi uncomfortably in the corner, he tried to offer an apologetic smile, knowing they weren’t intentionally trying to hurt Magic by any means. Even if that event had gone particularly horribly. They nodded a bit but turned away after no time.
“Oh right, interesting. Well we could organise a group to go in and collect a bit more. You’d just have to avoid those creature things, what were those again Guts?”
He glanced back towards the taller demon who chuckled to themself.
“Oh you mean that piglin. Yeah I remember when people wanted to be friendly with it, you don’t know the half of it. Seems nice enough but could get ugly in an instant. Better to be cautious than regret it.”
They swiped a good handful of mushrooms into the bowl before taking a couple other ingredients. Owen hummed.
“Exactly. You avoid them, the section looks a bit concerning but it should be reasonably simple to get what we need and go.”
Soup nodded, motioning for him to continue. So he did.
“Then there’s the lava, I don’t know how much there is out there but I’ve nearly been caught by one too many of those traps and it could be worse deeper in. Anything for that?”
The potion maker continued making her notes, this time not looking up from her paper.
“Fire resistance. A little less ingredients, more wort and then this cream stuff. I think you found some in that side of the maze once before?”
Owen thought back.
“It looks sort of round? Red on one side and green on the other?”
Soup pointed her pen towards him, nodding quite a bit as she scribbled down that detail specifically.
“Yes, that one exactly. You get that it’s just water and bottles, but we can get those sorted out easily.”
Owen kept thinking about other potions they might need before Guts spoke up after a moment.
“You said the creatures might be difficult, what about something to give us a little more strength if we did need to fight them.” There was no denying that out of all of them Guts would probably be one of the only people who could go up against a creature and survive the ordeal, they weren’t invincible but they would be strong and their height gave them a hefty advantage.
Soup clearly wasn’t entirely keen on the idea but it was an option they would have to consider, Owen also wasn’t sold on it but for the moment he couldn’t explain his exact disdain.
“Strength potions. Similar ingredients to before. But in the same vein if you’re doing that then we may want invisibility. Not everyone is going to be able to fight those things and walk out unscathed.”
She made her notes and tapped the page one more time.
“I say this is a pretty good list. Is there anything else we might need? Anything that could help us in the long term.”
Owen took one more heavy breath, standing up to pass her the bowl of freshly cut melon he had been working on. Guts handed him the bowl of mushrooms as well. He looked down for a moment.
“I haven’t thought it through entirely, but there is a lot of maze out there. There’s a good risk we get trapped in a bad position at night. We can’t always see everything out there. If we can make something to avoid being in total darkness we could make night travel easier.”
Guts hummed.
“People won’t like travelling at night, but I think it’s a good idea. We don’t want to get stuck in a bad spot.”
Soup once again didn’t look completely keen on the idea but she did nod semi grimly.
“Night vision is the best bet for that. Same ingredients to the others but we’ll need some of those golden carrots you runners prepare all the time.”
Guts chuckled at that.
“Runners, gods that takes me back to the election.”
Owen couldn’t help but smile as well, thinking about that time. Back when they first gave leadership a go. When they managed to meet Magic and Bek for the first time. Soup seemed to cheer up a little once she heard the more friendly chatter.
“Remember hiding out in your basement, with all the chickens and playing music even though the creature could’ve heard us at any second?”
Guts laughed, nodding heavily. “
“How could I forget my chickens, you know they’re not as deep as the prison but most of them are still there. Do you still have your flute, we could play again sometime.” The man nodded too, he was smiling quite a bit now.
“Yeah that would be nice, I’ve got it somewhere at home. I’d just need to dig it out. We could put on a performance.” The demon across from him couldn’t help but laugh even more hearing that, they shook their head.
“We could get a band together.”
Owen laughed too, though he doubted it would be hard to band everyone together.
“You know what, I’ll hold you to that. On the last night we’re in here we’ll get a group together, play some music, have a campfire. Have a feast, a final toast to this place.”
Guts thought about it but eventually they agreed. It sounded like a nice idea, a good way to say goodbye to everything.
Soup began to work on brewing the first set of test potions from their mishmash of ingredients, leaving the other two to keep chatting amongst themselves. Owen could smell the sweet mixture beginning to boil and for a moment he almost forgot why he wanted to speak to Soup in the first place.
Almost. He decided to go and take a look at how the brewing process was going and that was when everything suddenly went downhill very quickly. He stopped midway in his walk over to Soup’s desk. Pausing as everything in the room began to spin, the heavy ringing in his ears began to rise until he could barely hear anything around him. His heart was pounding as he took a breath, dark circles were beginning to swim around the corners of his vision. He heard Soup say something, though it was muffled. He could see by the look on her face though that she was very concerned. He reached a hand out towards the desk beside him to steady himself. Suddenly his body felt very droopy, the darkness in his vision beginning to tunnel more and more. He tried to mumble something about just needing some air but it didn’t quite come out right. His eyes began to roll and once that happened he knew what was going to happen.
“Oh no..” He murmured, every syllable slurring as his body went slack and his knees went out from under him. In those moments Owen fell and he fell hard. His head hit the ground and everything went dark.
Chapter 9: == CHAPTER NINE ==
Summary:
He could see her face though, the look of horror glimmering in her eyes as she thought about the weight of what he was saying. It all lay out clear for her to see now. He could see the slight glint of betrayal in her eyes too, that realisation that this happened a week ago. That for some time he had been hiding this.
“The meeting…” Was the first thing she said, as if the cogs were turning, the realisation slowly setting in as to why he was acting the way he was.
Owen nodded solemnly, avoiding her gaze for a moment. He stared at the ground, thinking about how many other people might have had their suspicions as to why he was doing certain things the way he was. But that wasn’t his focus at that moment, his priority was just a conversation. He didn’t want to put more pressure on her, but he needed her to know he needed her help. Not for her to feel this was her fault, her mistake.Owen finally makes a call. An Outsider is faced with a difficult task, Owen receives a concerning diagnosis from Soup and a familiar face makes a reappearance
Notes:
Oh ho ho,,,,this one is definitely interesting. And the next chapter is going to be an interesting one to, this one might be the last one for a few days, depending on how long it takes to write up the next chapter because that one is going to be a LONG one. As for this one, well. Maybe there's some hints as to what's yet to come. Is the ending going to be the same or any different to last time.
We're going to find out soon. For now you're going to notice some interesting differences with someone's backstory and ohhh I am excited to get into that stuff :>TW: Once again we get a look at the wound, mentions of alcohol as well.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter, see you with the next one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
His head was pounding. That was the first obvious thing he noticed as he awoke, the horrible feeling as though his head had been slammed against something. And that was when it slowly came back to him in pieces, the soldier, the chase, going over the bridge, being pulled under the water and the rock. He didn’t dare to move at first, it was impossible to tell exactly where he was. The only thing that registered to the soldier was he was face down in the dirt at the side of the river bank, the water was still flowing over his boots. Though he knew he must have gone rather far down stream, the speed was nothing compared to what it had been when he first hit the water. He just knew that he was in pain, his body aching horribly. From the leg wound to the mild head injury, the idea of moving didn’t seem very appealing. It seemed even less so when he began to hear rhythmic footsteps marching relatively in his direction, it was hard to tell exactly where they were coming or going given he still had his face resting in the dirt. But he could tell clearly whoever it was was heading nearby and was getting closer with each step, part of him hoped it was his army coming to look for him. He hadn’t quite made high ranks yet but he was sure they wouldn’t miss him, he would be noticed as missing and be reported as such.
But there was that thought which gnawed at him, that this would be too simple if that were the case. The water had taken him far out, it had likely left him some districts away from the camp they had raided. Which would leave him stranded, at the mercy of whoever was patrolling this area. Be it human military or not. The marching continued, while he was disoriented he could tell there wasn’t a massive group, but there was certainly more than one person higher up the bank. He wondered if there was a road, a path, anything or if it was just his imagination. A bleeding head wound which was slowly leaving him to die alone in unknown territory. The man blinked slowly, his eyelids feeling heavy once more. He knew he had to remain conscious, at least until these people either left him there or until they spotted him. He could not afford to be at the mercy of the enemy here, lest they slaughter him as they had his home those years ago. When the footsteps stopped entirely he strained his head to the side as best he could. Spotting the slight hints of metal he wonders for a moment, is this his military? But his thoughts are quickly thrown aside when they begin to speak.
“He’s not one of ours. Water must’ve dragged the bastard down here.” The first one spoke, caution dripping over every word.
“Must’ve been. Heard of the raids getting worse. I have no doubt this one ain’t a high ranker either. Either way, Chescribe’s will want to know of this. ‘Specially if the war ends up right on their doorstep.”
That name sounded familiar. It was a last name, relatively high in terms of power. District eight to be exact. Quite possibly the worst place he could possibly have ended up. The soldier winced, his hand flexing ever so subtly as he made a move to try and reach for something, though he found his hand wasn’t moving very far at all. Though instead, he was met with pain. He grumbled to himself, knowing that the bones in his wrist were likely broken as well. Gods only knew what had happened while he was out, besides him being dragged halfway across the continent. One of the people watching him hummed.
“He’s alive. I’ll do you one better, we bring him to them.”
They were going to take him. He knew that. The soldier tried to squirm, shifting his other arm from in front of him through the mud to sit by his side. He spent a minute trying to drag himself up, with little to no success. He heard the hum of the other one.
“Could do, don’t look like he’s going to do much himself here. Besides, he could have some information. Either way, leaving him here to die or get away ain’t going to do us any favours. Better to just deal with it now.”
The soldier listened as the boots began to head in his direction, the heavy metal clanking as it made its way closer and closer until finally they stopped on either side of him.
“Come on lad. Make it easy and they might patch you up enough to live.” There was some slight sarcasm to the person’s tone, either way the soldier didn’t have the energy to look back. Though he did try to shift his leg enough to kick at one of them, warranting a rather unamused sigh. The soldier groaned, coughing.
“You won’t take me alive….” He was prepared to curse them out when the other one spoke again.
“Just knock him out. Hate to say it but the longer we stay out here the worse he’s getting. We don’t owe him life but where there’s one there could be more.”
There was a hum of agreement as they both came to the same conclusion and with little to no warning he is met with another heavy thump to the back of the head as the world bleeds into darkness.
When Owen awoke again he noticed almost immediately the room wasn’t spinning, he also noticed that his head hurt. Not just a random headache like the sting had left him to face day in day out but a clear, painful headache as though he had hit it against something. And as the ceiling became clearer to him and he blinked away the heavy sleep blurring his vision it all came flooding back to him.He could feel the cold, damp compress resting against his forehead, likely against where a bruise was beginning to form. He was in Soup’s house, he had collapsed in Soup’s house. For the second time in years he did consider cursing, he considered saying quite a few things. Because if explaining the sting before would be difficult, explaining it now would be ten times harder. He began to sit up, shifting slowly to try and see if Soup was around at all. The bed he had been laid in creaked subtly with the movement and it was then he saw her sitting in the corner of the room, she sat up almost immediately after hearing the sound and Owen could see her eyes were red, evidently puffy. She’d been crying, he could tell that almost immediately. He steadily swung his legs over the side of the bed to sit there, he shuffled a bit closer to where Soup was sitting. And that was when she began to speak, her eyes starting to brim with the obvious tears once more.
Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” Her voice continued to falter with each word, her breaths coming out short and shaken. Owen leant over, resting his hands on the arm rests of the chair she was sitting in. Watching as she ran her hand over her face, trying to stop the tears from flowing.
“Woah, hey, what do you mean, why are you apologising?” Owen knew this was his fault, his fault for ignoring the sickness, for hardly getting any sleep, for pushing himself to move so fast when he knew he was ill. And yet here Soup was….and she thought it was all down to her. She hardly moved, though she did make sure to glance away, back down towards the spot on the floor where he had collapsed earlier. Truth was he wasn’t entirely sure how long it had been and he wasn’t entirely prepared to ask. Though he could see from the evident look of guilt on her face it wasn’t just five minutes or so.
“I was brewing more than one potion at once, no windows open or the door..you collapsed Owen. You were out for hours and that’s my fault.” She took a breath. “Are you okay?”
That guilty feeling which he had been trying his hardest to stomach now began to boil to the surface once more. He had been hiding the sting to avoid this very thing from happening but now he was face to face with it hurting the people closest to him. Owen took a breath, he wasn’t going to let it get any worse.
He shook his head, starting small.
“Hey…breathe okay.” Owen paused. “Soup. It is not your fault.” He could see her shaking her head a little as she got to her feet, walking past him to the other side of the room. She began to pace a bit.
“It is. This happened with Acho and the water breathing and now this. It’s a pattern Owen.”
He stood his ground, not following after her but standing up fully. He took a breath.
“It is not your fault.”
She laughed, not a hearty one. It was mixed in with a sob as she turned back to face him, glancing around the room as she spoke.
“Then who’s fault is it Owen? Because like I say this has happened more than once now.” She hiccupped, taking yet another shuddered breath.
He stood there, closing his eyes momentarily before opening them again, a new certainty on his face.
“I’m not going to let you believe you are a danger here when it is not your fault. Okay. I needed to talk to you before we made any of those potions you are blaming yourself for. It’s on me Soup.”
She raised an eyebrow, her teary eyes now full of pure unrivalled confusion. Though she remained quiet. Owen slowly knelt down, slipping his boot off as he pulled his trouser leg up. He saw her take a step closer as she spotted the bandages wrapping his leg. He didn’t look at her yet, his hand reaching towards the fabric as he began to unwrap them, taking his time.
Until the dark mass of veins and the evident sting stared back at her. Only then did he look up, meeting her confused and frankly shocked eyes.
“I got stung by the creature Soup. That is why I passed out. It isn't your fault.” He could feel his eyes welling up ever so slightly as he stood back up, making no effort to hide the truth any more.
He could see her face though, the look of horror glimmering in her eyes as she thought about the weight of what he was saying. It all lay out clear for her to see now. He could see the slight glint of betrayal in her eyes too, that realisation that this happened a week ago. That for some time he had been hiding this.
“The meeting…” Was the first thing she said, as if the cogs were turning, the realisation slowly setting in as to why he was acting the way he was.
Owen nodded solemnly, avoiding her gaze for a moment. He stared at the ground, thinking about how many other people might have had their suspicions as to why he was doing certain things the way he was. But that wasn’t his focus at that moment, his priority was just a conversation. He didn’t want to put more pressure on her, but he needed her to know he needed her help. Not for her to feel this was her fault, her mistake.
He heard her sniffle, causing him to look back up at her once more. She was running a hand through her hair, shaking her head as she did so.
“No…no this isn’t happening. That’s not…no.” He could tell this was crushing her, the fear of another person she cared about dying to those things. He walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. Soup sobbed slightly, he saw the fear in her eyes as he pulled her into a hug. Shushing her gently.
Owen took a breath in those moments.
“I wish I could tell you it wasn’t. But it has been like this for a week. It’s not getting better and…” He sighed, thinking back on his conversation with Ayngel some months back. About keeping his feelings to himself, for the better of the group. And as much as he knew now that was likely her way of handling her fears, he knew he couldn’t do that. However much it hurt to ask for the help, he knew he needed it.
“I need your help. Because you are the best chance we have at a medicine, at some answer of what to do. And I don’t want this to be your burden..but I trust your potions Soup. More than I trust my chances without them.”
He could hear her take another shuddered breath as she stepped back, wiping her eyes once more she nodded.
“I can try. But Owen. I’ve never done this before, I don’t know where to start or what to do. If I can’t fix this…”
He could see her shaking once again and he simply stared back at her, a serious, determined look in his face.
“All I’m asking is for you to try. If not.. I know what to do.” He wasn’t about to tell her what he would do, because frankly he knew his options weren’t good. And if nature was going to be resistant to their tampering, well he would have to stare that reality head on. Even if it meant he wouldn’t see them escape.
Soup clearly wasn’t keen on that, but she simply nodded.
“Where do we start?” Owen asked, seriously hoping that there would be somewhere to start.
Soup nodded back to the spare bed he had been resting on earlier.
“Sit down over there, I need to take a look at this sting as you call it. Get an idea of exactly what we’re looking at. Realistically I could see if healing potions help but I need to see this up close first.”
Owen hummed, wandering over and sitting back. Soup slid one of the spare chairs over and rested it so he could sit his leg up properly. He did as Soup asked, seriously hoping that she was able to see something he couldn’t. Anything which might give him a better shot.
She brought over her own chair and sat down, carefully beginning to examine the wound up close. Soup was careful to look at every specific detail, though she did raise an eyebrow.
“You stitched this up yourself?” She could see the obvious lines from the string, her expression was somewhat unreadable as he nodded, confirming that he did in fact let it get that far. Soup hummed.
“Well you’re lucky that it didn't cause a double infection. Stitching it up might have made it worse. Isolating the sting area.”
She pointed towards the main centre of the dark mass, the spot where he had been stung. Soup took a breath sighing once again after a second. She pointed to where the ‘veins’ began to stem off, rising up to his knee and down to the lower half of his foot.
“That’s why this is likely spreading so easily, but then like we said at the meeting…it’s a stinger, likely designed to get in deep. I will say, the best way I can describe what I’m thinking here is that it's like frostbite.”
Owen. To say the least, looked extremely confused in that moment as to what she could be meaning.
“What?”
Soup leant back in her chair, while still pointing towards various points of the sting. She started on the outskirts, where the black veins were faded the most.
“Okay so these are likely veins, smaller ones but important nonetheless. The ones on the furthest here, near your knee. That is like the first degree, chances are if you deal with it then you can recover the area. Then you get lower.”
She began to point closer to the sting’s centre but not quite the direct point where the stinger had caught.
“This is more like the second degree. That’s where it’s getting blue. It’s bad and would take a while to get back to normal but there’s still a chance.”
He could already tell where this was going, as she slowly pointed towards the main mass of veins. The angry dark patch against his leg, where the stinger had struck true and had slowly led him to this point.
“And that’s the third degree.”
Soup nodded grimly.
“Essentially. Could even tip into fourth degree. That’s where ‘fixing’ this gets hard, I don’t want to kill your hope but.” She hesitated, looking back up towards him. He could tell there was obviously something bouncing around her head, a problem. An evident thing which was wrong with this whole equation.
“Please…just be honest. What’s the problem?”
She took a heavy breath.
“At that level you likely can’t save that level of damage. And there is a certain time frame for this sort of thing, leave it too long and it starts spreading. That infection is only going to get worse the longer we leave it.”
Owen took a breath, nodding. The realisation hitting him like a brick that this was in fact, worse than he was hoping for. He could feel the tears building up yet again, his chest shaking and his hands trembling as he tried to keep calm. Though there was one obvious question he needed to ask.
“So. How long is that timeframe looking? How long do I have.”
Soup didn’t look like she wanted to say, though it was obvious she had a rough idea.
“I’m sorry.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Soup?” He asked. Surely it couldn’t be that bad, surely there was some time he would have. A month, a few weeks…
“It could take anywhere from three to ten days before the leg is entirely taken over, by which point the toxin will have worked its way through your bloodstream enough to possibly be lethal. You’ve spent a week hiding this so being realistic, not a lot of time. Three to four days. A week if you’re lucky.”
Oh.
That was not what he was hoping for at all. He sat there, completely frozen as Soup immediately got to her feet, rifling through the potions she was able to brew in the moments before he had entirely collapsed. She held out a healing potion.
“I know..just. I can try. You asked me to try and I’m going to try. There’s options, there’s things I can try, we know it’s some form of toxin and I can work with that. But first, drink this. It might help ease some of the pain for now.”
Owen took the potion and took a slow swig, though he knew how these things worked. You had to drink it all in one. So steadily he nursed the potion until the bottle was empty.
“I need you to do one other thing.” He sat up, lowering his leg as he steadily recovered the wound with the bandages. Dragging his boot back on once again.
Soup nodded silently.
“I need you to keep quiet on this. Unless you figure out a solid cure, a solution to this. No one else can know.”
She stared at him in relative disbelief.
“What…but you saw how hiding it went. Owen this isn’t good, you need to tell people.”
Owen simply shook his head, getting to his feet.
“No. No. I told you but I won’t give anyone false help this will work and I won’t tell them that I am on borrowed time if there ends up being a solution. Please Soup. I’m trusting you here, please trust me.”
She clearly wasn’t keen on this either, but after a moment of no response she did finally nod.
“I won’t tell anyone. But try to take it easy, give it a good fifteen minutes to settle in before you drink or eat anything else. I’m going to get right on this.”
With that he nodded and decided to head back out, he just wanted some space now. He wasn’t sure if there was much hope he could hold onto but he promised to fight so he was going to give this a chance. Even if it was the last one he had. He knew there was one idea Soup hadn’t proposed, something he knew all too well she was considering. But one he wasn’t exactly willing to think about yet, because if it came down to it. That had to be a very last resort. In the distance he saw the remnants of Redd’s tower and he had a thought, because if he took it easy it would take him about fifteen minutes to get there. And he knew exactly what to look for once he did reach the building.
The building wasn’t anywhere near as stable as what it had once been, he could tell that just by looking at it. He could still remember the time Guts had decided to blow it up, it had been a long time ago now but the dynamite they had found definitely worked its magic. The explosions had echoed through the clearing, the people who had tried talking them out of it had to run before they were caught up. Rubble had been blasted around the area, they’d spent weeks clearing it up and even then people were instructed to stay out of it for their safety. The metal rungs which made the supports remained and a few of the lower floors were still reasonably put together. But the main concrete walls, especially surrounding the floors where the explosion happened, were blown to pieces. There was a massive hole in the side of the south facing wall. Owen wasn’t honestly sure if heading up there was the safest idea but he figured it would be safe enough.
He remembered when the business man had been in the clearing, when he showed him through each floor and each room. There was one he was looking for specifically, one of the highest floors. Redd’s personal storage area, it was full of anything he could possibly want or need. It didn’t take Owen long to get up there, it had evidently been raided before Redd had left. Most supplies and barrels had been empty, any of the guns and bolts being confiscated when Apo had escaped. There hadn’t been any trust then, a tense time. Owen wasn’t too worried about those weapons though, no he made a personal effort to search through each of the barrels. Though eventually he was able to find one specific barrel in the very back of the room which was full of exactly what he was looking for.
Beer. By all means he wouldn’t always go for certain drinks, but there wasn’t a lot of choice for him here. He wanted a distraction and he could vaguely remember a time where he had tried one bottle. It wasn’t particularly good but it had a certain warmth to it. So, against any better judgement he took an armful of bottles before making his way up to the roof.
Once he did reach the roof he had to forcefully kick the metal door open, over time it had gotten stuck closed pretty well and even if he could ask someone for a key, the one person who was likely to have it had been gone for some time. Luckily the kick was enough, sending the door flying back with a harsh creak. He made his way to the edge of the roof, making sure to keep enough distance so that anyone who would look up wouldn’t see him. He wasn’t about to do anything rash, this place simply had one of the best views in the clearing with it also doubling as one of the few places he wasn’t likely to be bothered. So he sat down, getting himself comfortable as he sat the various bottles down beside him.
He didn’t start drinking right away, instead he looked out over the clearing, the place that had been his home for the past year or so. Owen knew it was pretty hard to keep track but he could assume how long it had been. The more he thought about it the more the weight was setting in and he felt a lump rise in his throat. He wished that the circumstances could be better. If felt like he was on a ledge now, his hope swaying side to side with each option that presented itself. He made a promise that he would try and fight, so he had to wait for Soup to try. But he couldn’t help but wonder if that didn’t work. It would leave one last ditch attempt which could save him, but the cost of that option may not even make it possible for him to escape. Or at the minimum would prolong any escape by months. And that was if he lived. He wanted to see the outside world so much, he wanted to know what it was like beyond the walls and what life he could live if he was free but now he was being forced to accept that may not even be a possibility. He stared at his leg. And reached for the first bottle. He opened the first bottle and took a long sip, the liquid was rather bubbly, it had a strong wheat like flavour and it wasn’t appetising in the slightest. Owen wasn’t sure exactly how old it was but he supposed there were worse things he could be dealing with, maybe the worst part of it was how it tasted warm and strong. But he wasn’t drinking for the taste, he was drinking to try and bury the concerns, to ignore them for long enough that maybe Soup would have her solution all cooked up.
By the time he had gotten through the first few bottles, heading through the fifth one he was realising it too wouldn’t fix anything. The most it provided him was a mild distraction, a slight buzz to ignore the pain and a subtle warmth which sat in his chest. Weirdly that was the thing that annoyed him, he’d believed in his chances. A slim hope after letting himself believe it wouldn’t be worth it. And now he wasn’t sure whether he was coming or going. He turned one of the now empty bottles through his hands, staring at it. He could feel that anger bubbling up again and without really caring about the weight of his words, he threw the bottle over the top of the roof as hard as he could possibly manage.
“Why can’t this whole thing just be over.”
Things were quiet for a few moments before the subtle smashing of glass was heard below. He took another and threw it again, before laying back so that he was staring straight up at the sky. He could see that the sun was steadily reaching the later afternoon point and the doors would be closing within the hour. He simply watched the sky, knowing there was no real thought behind why he was watching it. He was just tired, so utterly tired.
Though that was when he heard footsteps making their way towards him, a mild panic began to set in as he wondered how long whoever it was had been there. How much they had seen, what they would ask. He was about to sit up when the footsteps stopped and the figure loomed over him. Owen was met with a relatively tattered red suit and a balaclava of a slightly more vibrant shade, as well as a pair of sunglasses. Before he had a moment to say anything the man he was looking back at beat him to it. His nonchalant tone was clear as ever.
"Hey could you stop throwing bottles off my roof"
Owen sat up rather quickly after that, looking extremely confused at Redd. This was the first time in months anyone had seen him and he couldn’t entirely tell if it was a hallucination or not.
“Redd?”
“Who else would I be?” If he could see under the sunglasses, Owen would assume that he was receiving quite a heavy amount of side eye, just from the other man’s tone alone.
“That’s not what I mean, you’ve been gone for months? Why…how are you back now?”
Redd quite simply just shrugged in response, as he wandered over and sat beside him. Ever so slightly leaning his legs over the edge. Owen couldn't really tell what he was thinking, it was relatively difficult to understand with the mask and glasses but sometimes it was pretty self explanatory, though this time he couldn’t tell what he was thinking about as to why he had been gone for so long. Or if he was even really staying. One brief look at the small pile of empty bottles from the man plus the subtle glance at the now half finished one in his hand, only to turn around and face the same direction as him told Owen what the businessman was thinking. Both of them watched the sky in silence for a while.
"What are you trying to forget?" Redd eventually asked, keeping his face towards the subtle beginnings of the sunset, Owen turned to face him slightly confused at the question.
Redd sighed, picking up a beer bottle for himself. Owen watched as he slowly unscrewed the lid, flicking it off of the roof without another word before lifting his mask up just enough to drink. With that Redd took a very long, quick sip before speaking once again.
"Talking from experience here, people in this place don't typically drink that much unless they're trying to forget something or if they're having a party, you don't look like you're celebrating and not to be rude I didn’t see any party when I came in.. so what are you trying to forget?"
Owen took his own sip, staring out at the sky. It didn't matter if he told Redd, as much as it was weird to say. He knew Redd likely wasn’t going to stay for long, he had left for a reason. Likely only really coming back for the same thing he had taken from him. It wasn’t easy to find a good drink in the maze, if there was any at all. Redd wouldn’t tell anyone, he wasn’t a leader anymore, he wasn’t really even wanting to be part of the clearing. This conversation was stuck between them. Even though he had just told Soup not to say anything barely a few hours before, he decided to just do it. He didn’t have much to lose by telling the truth. He sighed heavily to himself.
“Well. I got stung by the creature. And there’s a very high possibility that I’m not going to live to see the end of the week and even if I do there’s a chance it’s going to cost me something I don’t want to give up. So I’m on borrowed time and only you and Soup know.”
Owen decided not to entirely elaborate on that last part. Simply taking another very long swig of his beer. Ignoring the rough taste at this point. Basking in the silence that followed. Redd took another sip as well, seeming to think about what the hell he should really say to that. Before settling on a simple answer.
"That's a bummer dude." He mumbled.
Owen simply nodded, looking at the bottle in his hands, was this really what he would spend what time he had left doing. Sitting on top of a building that was falling apart, drinking until everything went quiet? He rubbed his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that the answer to that was an obvious yes. For now he wasn’t too bothered how he spent his time. Especially not if his options weren’t good either way. His one saving grace was a slim chance. And yet he was desperately clinging to that like it would save him. When in reality, he had no idea what would happen. He knew he could take the easy option Soup offered, but if that didn’t work then he would be left in a bed for his last days. And he didn’t want that.
"What's your biggest regret?" Redd spoke once again, cutting through the silence and ripping Owen from his ever spiralling thoughts. Though it was another completely random question that came out of the blue. It didn't take Owen long to figure it out though. He knew out of all his options, all his choices. One thing he would do over and over, and it wasn’t the sting.
"Pushing Apo away, ruining my friendship with them." Owen sighed, that was his deepest regret. The thing that every single thought came back to. Losing his brother, finding that skull in the doorway and knowing that no matter what he did from there, from that point on he would never get the chance to make it right. Sitting with that feeling for months. Wishing he was with him just to have someone to lean on. It was a simple option.
Redd was quiet. As though he was in deep thought about something, he too gently turned the bottle in his hand. Keeping his focus on it momentarily before looking back straight at Owen.
“Ok then listen.” Owen did, for once. He was going to hear him out entirely here. “He’s still out there. Some people said they’ve seen him. They think that he’s out there somewhere. You want my two cents. Go find him, fix that regret while you still can.”
There was something to his tone, something which Owen couldn’t quite piece together. Though he had a feeling Redd knew exactly where Apo was, that that was where he had been the entire time. He didn’t press it though, because if Redd was telling him to go and look then he was willing to let him come back.
“You think I should go?” Owen asked, receiving a simple nod from the other man.
“No offence but what’s the worst that could happen, way you’re talking about this you’re dead either way. Worst that happens out there is what would happen in here, would you rather die with that regret or having fixed it. Besides.” Redd sighed heavily. “I think he’d want to see you anyway.”
Redd was right, after all he was at rock bottom and he couldn't possibly sink any lower. Having Apo there would make everything that little bit better.
"Thanks Redd" Owen smiled slightly, it was a half assed smile at best but it was enough. “So are you staying here?” He asked now, thinking that maybe if Apo headed back, then Redd might stay. But he was met with a simple headshake. A clear no.
“Nah. I prefer it out there. Made it this long. Just came back to pick up some drinks.” With that he tilted his bottle to the side. There was no convincing him to stay.
“Ok. Well good luck then Redd and thanks. You give some good advice when you want to.” Owen held his bottle out too, listening as the glass clinked in a very simple ‘cheers’ motion.
Both drank their drinks as the sun started to set.
–
Redd knew exactly where he was heading to once he and Owen had finished their drinks, he had collected everything he could possibly need and was back into the maze before anyone else could spot him or ask where he had been or where he was heading to. To say he had made it this far was an understatement, he’d been living. While things hadn’t been the best, he had made a decent go of things out in the stone labyrinth. Frankly he did prefer it to the clearing, his options back then had been bleak and even if he were to suddenly be welcomed back in with open arms, he knew he wasn’t keen on just sitting with the others acting like nothing happened. When most of them were happy to turn a blind eye on one of their own.
He headed back through the various paths, looping back until he reached the familiar path home. Redd made sure to get back in time before things got too dark. But he was in no rush, simply wandering along until he could climb up to the simple gap in the wall which led to the condo. Or at least what they had named the condo.
He sat the backpack full of drinks on his bed, heading over to the small desk on the other side of the room.
“Yo. Never thought I’d say this dude, but you’ve gotta back. Some shit’s going on or something and I think your old pal Owen could do with a friend. He’s looking for you.”
The person in question turned around. He was still wearing his dark black jacket, the pink t-shirt still present from his first outfit. His hair was brushed back, just hiding the stumps where his horns had once been. His red eyes focused on Redd, clearly deep in thought for a moment. Redd could see the look of uncertainty on his face and hummed,
“So, you ready to go home, show your face to them again Apo?”
Notes:
HEHEHEHE...
Little cameos woop and that backstory information.....we're getting answers next chapter so feel free to drop any possible theories for that :>>
Chapter 10: == CHAPTER TEN ==
Summary:
Owen hadn’t really realised how much he actually needed Apo until he was gone. He was going to find him though, as soon as the sun came up he was going to head out.
"I'm coming to find you bud, I swear I'm going to bring you home" He whispered an obvious determination shining through every word. He took the book and gently tucked it into his bag. Owen knew there was a long day ahead of him so once he was certain he had everything he could possibly need he headed to bed, he was going to need every minute of rest he could possibly muster.
A long awaited search happens, we get glimpses into the past and find out why Owen is in the maze. And a reunion occurs. :))
Notes:
Okay I will admit. This is a behemoth of a chapter, it is just over 14k words of backstory, angst and general lore. It is packed and there may potentially be some foreshadowing to future things too. It is the reunion chapter and it was by far one of the ones I was looking forward to writing the most.
As for one of the dynamics featured, the memories are purposefully a little vague. That may or may not be because there will be a prequel once this is done to fully go into those details because writing a certain gal here was way to fun not to do again...
That being said some TW's going forward:TW: Death, blood and violence, mentions / implications of canon typical fantasy racism.
That being said this is a big one, so enjoy. See you in the next chapter.
Chapter Text
The man lay in his bed. It wasn’t really his but they had been telling him for at least a week now that it was his. That this was where he would spend his time until he was healed and then from there he would either be shipped off to the cells or somewhere else. It all came down to him. He wanted nothing from them. He in all actuality would have preferred to have died on the river bank, at least then he could argue it was a death in battle. Some honourable sacrifice or sorts. Anything but this. The room was simple, composed of the bed, a bathroom attached, a desk which was primarily empty besides a tray that had been left there earlier in the morning. Light streamed in through the window, illuminating more of the space. This was no dungeon. He had tried to take the window route out but it was locked, and no matter how much he had tried breaking it he did not have the strength to move any of the furniture to do so. He hardly had made it to look out of the window to decipher that the fall would likely kill him alone, or wound him to the point he could not move and then his predicament would only be harder.
So for that first week he had pretended to be unconscious whenever anyone came into the room to deliver things. The second week he had been caught out doing that and had to resort to a hunger strike, he didn’t know what they were feeding him and if there was any chance he was going to make it out of here he refused to be lowered to their level. The guards always looked at him with distaste, hatred. It was something which made him crave the handle of a blade, it was those looks that made him wish that his army would come to find him. Though every day he could hear snippets of conversation which told him that no one was around, no one was coming for him. Though the soldier remained in denial for as long as he could, because that would leave him trapped with them. That would mean that they had all the control and he had nothing. Each day up to that point he had been receiving cups of medicine, brewed by local potion makers. They said it was the finest medicine they had, he believed it to be a ruse. They wanted their hostage to stay alive of course, there was some plot to this. He tried to resist taking it at first but guards told him that not taking it would leave him in pain. And at first he managed that pain well, at first he was able to ignore it. But it had gotten worse over time, that first week. After days of ignorance he had begrudgingly taken it, he was still alive. Albeit disgusted his life had gotten to that point. When the guards dropped off his meals he would curse them out, call them every possible name in the book. Argue he would rather die than be held by them here.
One of the men who had taken him came to visit. He had explained that they wanted to see him alive, not dead. They needed to know what he knew, they wanted to end the war. The soldier had spat back at him. Insisting the only people he would talk to were his own men, his own people when they came to pry him from the hell he had been placed in. That soldier had shaken his head at him.
“I pity you. You can’t even see what is right in front of you lad. Pray you get better. Not everyone is so merciful.”
It was a harsh dig, a clear comment about how he had been left. But he knew there would be complexities to his rescue. It would happen eventually. This was the kingdom of district eight, the central point of the capital of the district. You would have to be crazy to try and raid it. Which meant that the soldier knew he was going to have to bind his time. The royal doctors would come in to change his bandages and it was one of the only times he would allow anyone close enough. Though he hated every second of it, glaring at anyone who touched him. Whether they were bandaging him up or not they would not sway his resolve. If their plot was to gain his trust overtime then they would fail. He was sure of that fact. It didn’t change the fact that his dreams were full of flames and isolation. Of fear and of the fact that he was alone.
The third week they sent in a different guard. A food delivery and then he would leave, though this time the guard warned him that he would be receiving a visit from someone else later. That he could remain ignorant to his circumstances for as long as he wished, it didn’t change the fact that he would be here for as long as it took for him to talk to them. There would be no other option. The soldier had managed to stand again at that point, getting to the window and staring out onto the grounds outside. A garden of luxurious greens stretched out for what felt like miles, it reminded him of home. Of the fields. There were no signs of anyone coming to find him. It didn’t take long for the doubts to start settling in. There were crafty details to these people and there had to be more to it. He used most of his energy moving around the room, trying to figure out if there was any way out.
The day after he was too exhausted to move and was left on bedrest. His food was delivered but he didn’t reach it until the late evening, when the land outside was pitch black and the people moved away from his door to turn in for the night. More would return, which hadn’t left him much time. The food was fine. It was fine. There was no laced poison between the various layers of bread. There were no toxins laced into the chicken and grains they had left for him. The water was fine. The soldier hated it, but his stomach didn’t swell with sickness that night. He didn’t feel hungry, but he whispered an apology to his father for the weakness. No one came for him that night either, the soldier knew he was going to have to make his own destiny, he had to escape for himself. That was the last day he had tried to bother resisting.
The soldier had kept his empty food tray ready. The early morning rays of sunlight beamed down on his face as he started to wake up, he felt healthier than he had on previous days but that didn’t change the fact that he could not stay here. This was their ploy, to heal him enough that he could face a trial. Be executed for being against their tyranny. The soldier refused to fall on land where he would be forgotten. So when he knew it would be time for breakfast to be delivered to his room he stepped to the wall closest to the door and raised the pan up high enough over his shoulder that it should do some form of damage. Usually his guards wouldn’t wear helmets while visiting him, he knew why but it made his job significantly easier. When the door clicked and steadily swung open he heard someone walking in, the soldier waited, bidding every second for the moment that the figure did come into view. And the moment he saw the back of the figure he brought it down on their head, he knew it wasn’t enough to knock them out but it was enough to buy him a few seconds and with that the soldier sprinted back out of the door. Hearing the guard that day calling out for him. Running hurt, it pulled at his ribs and his leg more than he had possibly fathomed it would. His solid escape attempt was now seeming more like it was going to be a failure. The soldier made a mad duck for the closest corner, pushing himself down the corridor as best he could. Though he knew his leg was damaged, it hadn’t healed enough yet. He was limping through a building he hardly knew the layout of. He could hear armour shifting behind him, trying to find where he had gone. The soldier wasn’t going to stop, he pressed a hand to the side of his leg. Dragging himself further and further until he reached the steps down through each floor. It was a simple spiral design, which made leaning on any walls ever so slightly more complicated, but it meant that at least it would be familiar.
He glanced back over his shoulder and began to move down the stairs, making his way down as best as he could. While his assumptions probably wouldn’t be perfect he knew that to get out into the garden area there were at least five or six floors which he would have to go down, with their likely being some level of protection on that bottom level. The soldier didn’t stop moving though, not even when he heard other guards calling out to him specifically. Though he did notice when he started to feel that familiar warmth trickling down from the back of his leg, where the bandages had encased one of the few wounds he had sustained from the battle nearly a month prior. The soldier knew he didn’t have too much further to go once he got to the second floor, even as the dizziness began to set in he continued to push himself forward until he was able to make it to the bottom floor. Predictably the area was crawling with guards, making it nearly impossible to get any distance to the place. The soldier cursed to himself but began to make a move for the doors, he could see the grass faintly in the distance, just a glimpse through the open gateway.
People were already moving in his direction. He reached for one of the statues closest to him, shoving it to the side when a couple of royal guards dared to get close, one managed to fall while the other backed up. It gave the soldier a perfect opportunity to snag one of the dropped swords, he brandished it out in front of him.
“Take a step closer. I dare you. I am a Keldor damnit, I have been trained for this exact moment. I am leaving and I will kill anyone who tries to stop me.”
He shouted as loud as his tired body would allow him to, continuing to back up as best as he could. Glanding between each of the guards who were continuing to edge towards him. When one made a swipe at him the soldier thrust the sword forward, striking the metal and staggering a few feet back. They kept coming, he brandished the sword ready. Managing to strike one of the guards under the armour plating, he heard a sharp yelp when that sword struck true. He didn’t care though, frankly he knew there was worse he could do. He could get out of here and one day they would return ready for a fight. He kept walking backwards, as another guard lunged at him he felt their sword slash against his side. He managed to duck out of the way but not before he heard a horrible tearing sound from his side, something which could only come from the stitches.
Suddenly his organised, trained moves became sloppy again. As desperate survival took over, he was swinging the sword wildly. His vision was worsening slowly, as he shook his head, trying to keep his bearings. Through the gaps where guards were beginning to approach him he swore he saw two obvious figures peering out from a separate room. One was taller than the other, wearing a brighter red sweater of sorts. Her white hair fell past her shoulders and two red horns poked from her head. The other was carefully held behind the taller girl. She had the same white hair, though her horns were a darker black colour. Her hoodie was a more mahogany red colour, and there was a clear red streak in her hair. Both of them were watching him in silence. Until finally the older one of the two stepped forward.
“Listen, sir. Please. You’ve torn your stitches, you won’t make it far out there. Please, let them help you.”
The soldier glanced down to his side, where the dark crimson was starting to pool against the fabric of his shirt. He glanced back up at the girls and that was when his knees gave out from under him, the blood loss rendering him immobile. The last thing he had seen before everything went dark was the younger girl covering her face and one of the guards reaching out to him, his best guess was to block the gap between him and the girl.
Which was where he found himself, staring up at the ceiling after a week of rest. He was back to stage one, refusing any of the medicine that they wanted to give him. They kept coming in, leaving food.
It had been a month and no one had come to get him. The only people who knew he was alive were these ones. He was truly trapped and he knew his options now were even less than what they had been before. His side constantly kept crying out to him. And no matter how much he tried to figure out some reason as to why he was still stuck here, alive. None of it fit the stories he was trying to spin. Of how they would know he was being held by the very people they were hunting. How they likely were just letting him heal to kill him anyway. None of it made much sense to him now.
This was mercy and yet somehow, against all odds. That felt worse than death ever could. When the door opened this time he sat up slowly, staring out. Expecting another one of the trained guards to walk in, leave the food and walk out as though he were nothing more than a prisoner. Except he didn’t see that. Instead it was the girl, the older one of the two.
She headed in with a bowl and a cup of water. She walked over and held the bowl out directly to him, as well as the cup.
The soldier didn’t know what to do, every time besides this one they had placed it on a table. Outwardly made sure they were out of reach when doing so. Treating him like a wild animal who could attack them at any second, while this person dared to get closer. Though her face was clear, a thin line made up her lips and her brows were furrowed.
“Take it. It’s soup. The medicine is in it, makes it easier for you to eat it with your wound.”
She spoke softly but sternly and at that point alone he realised something, this was one of the Chescribes. Likely the eldest daughter. It didn’t change matters, he simply stared at her. His expression was laced with disgust. He couldn’t afford a moment of weakness.
“Most of your lot know to keep a good few feet away, I could kill you right here. Princess.” He spat, sarcasm trailing over his words.
She hummed, nodding.
“You could. But I don’t think that’s in your best interest. No offence but if your plan is to make it out of here then you need to rest, heal and avoid attacking any more of our people. Now, eat the soup. Mr Keldor. The medicine will help you. Since you refuse to take it normally.”
She held it out to him, simply waiting until he finally took it. But he didn’t take a sip, he just held the bowl in his hands. Glaring back at her.
“Look. I understand this has been difficult to come to terms with. But we helped you, when we could have left you to die those soldiers decided you deserved a chance. It has been a month and your people have not gone to where we found you once.”
He said nothing to acknowledge she was even talking, in turn she sat the cup down beside him. And got a chair, dragging it over.
“The guard’s aren’t going to have that conversation. Most of them have seen what your army has done. They couldn’t care either way. I want you to try and have the chance we are offering you here. Your army only ever saw you as a tool, for them to use in their war. If they cared for you they would be here. They would have made some effort to look for you.”
“Shut up.” He spat, gripping the bowl tighter. His hands holding onto the sides of it as best he could, his eyes full of anger and bitterness.
She did not get up from her seat.
“Do you know they found you exactly a month ago. The most we have heard from the army is casualty lists. No care for missing soldiers.”
She could see the smallest twinge as his hand shook, and while she couldn’t tell whether it was from anger or realisation she knew he was hearing her at least.
“Your last name is listed on one of those lists. Your name is Owen correct?”
“That doesn't concern you. Get out.”
Beyond his slight outburst, there was little to no response from the man in front of her. He simply sat there in silence, glaring at his own reflection in the soup now. She took a breath, getting to her feet.
“I am sorry. But this is the thing about war, nothing good comes from it. I’ll come to see you later, check if you have eaten.”
The girl got to her feet, and Owen could feel the rising feeling of uncertainty. The memories of his father’s voice echoing around his head, the constant training. He hadn’t heard any apologies from anyone in years by that point. He didn’t like her. He didn’t like his predicament, though hearing it had been a month. Hearing that people thought he was dead. It hurt. It hurt more than any wound on his side ever could. He was really that expendable to them? Really?
As he heard the door open he looked up. “Wait.”
She did, pausing where she was and glancing back over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised. She hummed. Owen took a breath, he kept his tone stern. But he did speak finally.
“If I take this medicine will you just stay. For a while.” He hated saying it, he felt weak. Pathetic. He knew that his father would despise him for even asking. He would hate him for not making the move to make another attempt to escape.
She smiled ever so slightly, it was subtle but present enough. “I can. But no funny business. The whole bowl.”
He sighed and agreed, as reluctant as it was when he did so. He did know he had been alone with his thoughts for a month and maybe, as much as he disliked it. Having someone there for a while might help. He began to eat the soup, grimacing at the slight chalky taste to it.
“I know it might taste bad but that is the same medicine. Genuinely.” She hummed. “My mother made the same thing for me when I got sick, it has an aftertaste but it helps.”
Owen finished a mouthful of the soup, staring back up at her.
“If this is some attempt to kill me. I will break out of here again, and this time I will be better prepared.”
The girl sighed.
“Well I have it on good authority that it is just medicine and soup.”
He was quiet again.
“You know my name now. What’s your’s. It’s only fair.”
He never usually asked their names, though he never normally was concerned enough. How many he had managed to kill without even caring what their names would be or have been. This time though it was something he couldn’t avoid.
“It’s Cherry. Most people call me Cher for short.”
“Cherry?” Owen raised his eyebrow, clearly confused by the premise of the name. Though his reaction did get a small chuckle out of the girl. “Like the fruit?”
“I know. But it is true, like the fruit. My younger sister is called Rasbi if you would believe it.”
He did. It was certainly an interesting introduction to the sisters to say the least. Those daily visits continued for some time, eventually he did find himself getting used to the taste of the medicine and he slowly found himself getting used to the company.
A month later they moved him into a normal room, the space was slightly larger and with it being closer to the other rooms he heard more chatter. Owen was certain that was Cherry’s doing, she had been rather blatant about the fact that he was likely just in need of company. At first things had been tense to say the least. Any mention of his army and he would insist for her to leave, to get out of his sight. He had first thought she would give up and keep her distance. But she persisted, returning every day at least once. Like clockwork. He was starting to get used to that aspect of the routine. Daily visits. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he had first thought.
“So what was it like in fifteen? I've heard it's mostly farms unless you're in the capital, then it’s more like this place.”
Owen shrugged, he was working through one of the later cups of medicine. He still had a relative stubbornness to him, though he was at a point where he was trusting they weren’t feeding him poison. He had also long since realised they had no plans to take him to be executed.
“It was fine. What, finally planning an attack?”
She chuckled, shaking her head. Sitting in her usual chair now. “No. I just thought you would prefer talking about home rather than just sitting in silence. It’s been two months now Owen, if something were going to happen it would have been a long time ago.”
He took a breath, placing the empty medicine cup beside him.
“Fine. Yes it was nice, I never explored the whole district but my division was alright. We lived around a town, the outskirts had a training ground and you would go through some fields to get to it, the forest area surrounded most of the district. The houses look old but there was a grand manor in the centre of town, though it could have been a castle. I lived there until I was fifteen.” Owen stopped there, reaching for his water. Cherry passed it to him.
“Huh. And that was when you joined the army then?”
He nodded, purposefully leaving the detail of his home being burnt to the ground. Of his family dying in the flames. Of their kind being the ones to do it. Though Cherry frowned somewhat, as though she could read part of what he was thinking.
“Why do you want to know so much about my home?” He asked, seriously wondering now. There was more to this than just some simple chatter. She glanced back to the door, then back to the man laying there.
“My parents are trying to set up a friendship with District fifteen’s prince. They think it could help for some diplomatic solution. Rasbi’s too young so it’s my responsibility. He’s paying a visit next week. I wanted to learn a bit before he arrived.”
Owen scoffed, though he could see the clear interest in her eyes and the slight disappointment as he chuckled at her explanation.
“Look. I appreciate the sentiment that you want to learn about our district, but a diplomatic solution? That is never going to happen. No army will willingly lay down their swords until they have won. I have seen enough raids to know.”
Cherry hummed, leaning back again.
“Well. It is worth the try. Look at you, two months ago you were threatening to kill any of us who got close. Now you’re having conversations. Time will tell.”
The ex soldier rolled his eyes at that.
“I don’t have much choice.” He retorted, though the words had some light heartedness behind them. He absolutely did have a choice, he knew that now. It was just that he preferred this to the silence, to having her sit there and just watch him. Like a hawk.
Cherry laughed.
“You know that door hasn’t been locked since you moved in here.” She said it so plainly that it made his face fall and his throat seize.
“What did you just say?”
She nodded, smiling. “We moved you in here because it was better for you. Easier for you to move around when you wanted. That door has never been locked, you could have left at any point Owen. So…no choice?”
She stood up, opening the door and nodding to the hallway. “Easy as pie.”
“Shut up.” Was his only response, though he couldn’t help but smile a little bit. Gods. It really had been that easy hadn’t it. He never even tried to open the door. He decided not to read into it too much. They sat there for a while before Cherry needed to go, she collected his empty bowls and as she was about to slip out the door he said one clear thing.
“Thank you Cherry.”
It was enough to get a genuinely soft smile on her face as she left, nodding to him as the door closed. And lo and behold, when he listened. He never heard any key locking it. Though he made no effort to move, it wasn’t that bad in this room. It beat a cold tent.
After another few months he would likely argue that the demon princess was the closest thing he had to a friend. He didn’t worry about the company or hearing about the various important details of her friendship with the prince of his home district. She was telling him updates regularly, to the point that he was starting to enjoy hearing about each story. She would sneak him remnants of the cake they had for tea parties or fancy sandwiches their maids had prepared for events. And in turn he listened. He also tried to give her some subtle history information so she had more to talk about. Yes, he was getting to the point where he would call her a friend. One day Cherry had come to him in the early hours of the afternoon, he had been sleeping rather well when she knocked on the door. Opening it ever so slightly and sliding inside, offering a hand to him.
“Come on.”
Owen ran a hand over his eyes, raising an eyebrow. “What? Cherry what time is it?”
She laughed, realising he had been asleep the whole time. “Gods. It’s two, you’ve slept through lunch but come on.”
He slung his legs over the side of the bed. “I can stand myself. Thank you.” He pointedly still refused her hand, not quite at that point yet, despite their friendship he preferred to hold onto that independence, even if it may bite him later. Owen took a moment to get to his feet, though once he did he noted that he hadn’t walked very far recently.
She headed to the door, opening it.
“The doctors think you need some fresh air and since you’ve been less than hostile lately I offered to take you for a walk outside. You’re always looking out at the gardens.”
“Less than hostile? That is certainly one way to put it. I thought we were past the point of sheer tolerance.” He chuckled, actually smiling, even if it was a subtle one. And the two began to walk out, heading down the familiar spiralled staircases.
The gardens were in fact gorgeous, rows of hedges which lined the walls had been trimmed perfectly so it was organised, huge pine trees sprouted in even intervals. Flower beds were lain out in patterns so from a height it would create one gorgeous image. The sky was a glorious blue and while there were a few odd clouds in the sky, Owen could appreciate that it was a lovely day. He walked slowly, behind Cherry. A huge smile on his face as he wandered along. Taking his pace steadily to avoid irritating his leg any further, after all it had taken a while to heal up fully after his ‘escape’ attempt.
“Nice out here isn’t it?”
Owen was the one to nod this time. “Yeah it’s certainly something.” The two followed the path through the gardens slowly, walking at a leisurely pace. “Though, it does feel like you brought me out here to talk without anyone hearing.”
Cherry hummed. “You’re perceptive at times aren’t you. Look I’m going to be honest, I’m going to propose an idea to them. It is a little out there, but while we’re not best friends you have come very far. And I know you want a purpose. You pace around that room all the time, you used to be a soldier. You don’t do the whole sitting and waiting thing.”
Owen said nothing, he just continued to walk. His leg aching subtly but not enough for it to be an issue. He wasn’t sure where this was going.
“So..Gods this is wild. But we’re past the point of you being a problem so I wanted to ask. They think, alongside this relationship with the prince..”
He cut her off. “Relationship?” Owen raised an eyebrow, causing Cherry to swat a hand in his direction, like she was wafting away a fly.
“I’ll get to that just…” She took his hand and dragged him over to a bench, sitting down for a moment. Owen let himself be dragged, sighing heftily as he was brought over. He sat down beside her. “I think it could work in our favour if my right hand guard was a human, specifically someone who used to be in the army. It sends a message of trust. Like I said all that time ago, a diplomatic solution. It is your call, you would have training of course, but it’s a job. With a chance for you to earn your keep instead of feeling like we’re just pitying you.”
Owen was quiet. Utterly silent for a moment, blinking. Cherry was also quiet, not entirely sure what he was thinking or feeling.
“...you want
me
to be a royal guard?”
“No.”
He looked even more confused once she said that.
“I want you to be
my
royal guard. I trust you and quite frankly I would rather have someone I now see as a friend by my side than just another armoured stranger. It might be a long shot but I didn’t want to just drop this on you and assume you would take the position.”
Now. Owen would have refused if he had been asked of this before, months prior he would have laughed in her face, he would have despised everything to do with the offer. He hated being in the same vicinity as her, let alone to be constantly tasked with working for her.
But this time he bowed his head, trying to hide the fact that there were actual tears brimming in his eyes, all his training had left him believing any signs of weakness like that were a problem. And he knew his training would tell him to refuse as well. But unlike signing up for the army that day in the rain, this time he was doing so with care rather than anger.
“It would be an honour.” He looked back up again. “Now, you said relationship.” He chuckled, and she laughed. Beginning to explain that their plan of a diplomatic solution was going well to say the least.
When she came back to him the next day, a grin on her face he knew that the position was his. Or at least it would be, subject to daily training and a serious discussion with Mrs Chescribe. But beyond the scrutiny he made a promise that day, that he would look after her as much as she had looked out for him the past four months. And with that the agreement was set and Owen began to feel like his life was getting to the point he had wanted when he was a boy. This was what true honour felt like.
Those early training sessions were rough. Getting back into the swing of wearing plated armour and lugging a heavy sword over his shoulder took it out of him, whatever energy he usually had was drained significantly quicker. He was allowed to eat dinner with the other fresh recruits and while he could usually feel eyes on him during that time, Owen simply kept his head down. It was like the early days in the army, except this time he wasn’t going to have to fight through the ranks. He just had to earn his place. He sparred with more of the trained guards, being taught techniques to evade things he had once used to attack. Crafty people indeed. Though he was beginning to respect it.
During one of these sessions the time was cut short with a subtle whistle from the doors, both Owen and the guard training him looked over. Meeting the eyes of the younger daughter, her eyes focused on the both of them.
“Sorry. But Owen, my sister is looking for you. She wants to talk to you about something.” She nodded towards the doorway, indicating for him to follow her. He did as such, heading after her and down the corridor. The training hall was on the west side of the building, where general living quarters and everything else was on the east side. At first the two of them walked in silence until he spoke up.
“Rasbi right?”
The younger sister nodded, keeping her hands in her jacket pocket as she walked.
“Ah well it’s nice to finally meet you then.”
Once again she hummed. “Oh, yeah it’s uh. It’s nice to meet you too I guess, Cher wasn’t lying when she said you weren’t the same was when you came in.” He could feel the subtle side eye from her and he lowered his face as well, nodding.
“Yes. Well. I am trying to be better now, you have my word on that.” His response rewarded him with another small hum.
“Uh, yeah, okay. I..” Rasbi had sighed. “If she trusts you then I suppose I trust her judgement. I just don’t know you very well. She talks about you a lot so..I guess you’re not as bad as some of those soldiers out there.”
Owen wasn’t sure what to say to that, he had no doubt if he hadn’t washed up here that he likely would be as bad if not worse. He was a very angry, hateful person and he was still coming to terms with that, even if he was changing he still had to acknowledge he was involved at one point. He took a breath and nodded, stopping once they reached the door to Cherry’s room. Rasbi knocked on the door and the familiar voice of the older demon ushered them both in.
She stood in her room packing a simple back of things, there was a smile on her face.
“Hey. So I’m being sent off to district fifteen for a few days, just to check in with the prince. Now since Owen’s going to be a guard soon enough he needs to stay here and with you staying here too Ras…I’m asking you to stick with him until I’m back okay?”
Rasbi glanced back over her shoulder at Owen then back to Cherry.
“Oh uh, yeah that’s fine by me. All good.”
Owen nodded as well, knowing that this was probably a test. They could have left any guard on duty to check in with Rasbi and yet they were very specifically choosing him. Or maybe it was just because she trusted him, she had said that before and it likely applied the same here. It didn’t change the fact that he knew this was his responsibility now and he had to look out for her. So that was what he was going to do.
“You have my word. I will look out for her until you return.”
With that she left for her trip. Leaving Rasbi and Owen to actually talk. He didn’t realise it then but this would be one of the closest friends he ever made.
–
Owen had spent the majority of the night planning to look for Apo, packing his backpack with anything and everything that he could possibly need. The entire time he found himself getting flashes of his time before. Of faces. Of Rasbi and an older girl who looked just like her, he could just about remember her name.
Cherry. He chuckled to himself ever so slightly, another friend of his with a fruit related nickname. Though he didn’t reminisce long on the memories, instead he just kept pacing around his room, looking for other things. One of the specific items he looked for was up on one of the shelves, he had stored quite a few books up there as well in recent months so it wasn’t a surprise that when he retrieved a spare portable clock he ended up knocking one of the books off. Owen recognised it almost immediately, the familiar leather binding and the pages now flipped open to reveal familiar handwriting. He dipped down, picking up as he gently flipped through it, reading over each little detail until he reached one of the last pages. It was the friends list Apo had written, Owen wasn’t entirely sure when it had been written but he did stare at his own name on the pages for an uncomfortably long amount of time. The idea that despite everything he said, despite how harsh and horrible he had been to them, he still wanted to be his friend. He wiped at his eyes, trying to get rid of any tears catching his eyes. Owen hadn’t really realised how much he actually needed Apo until he was gone. He was going to find him though, as soon as the sun came up he was going to head out.
"I'm coming to find you bud, I swear I'm going to bring you home" He whispered an obvious determination shining through every word. He took the book and gently tucked it into his bag. Owen knew there was a long day ahead of him so once he was certain he had everything he could possibly need he headed to bed, he was going to need every minute of rest he could possibly muster.
–
When Cherry had returned she immediately knew that things had gone well. Owen and Rasbi didn’t actually realise it was the day she was set to return, as such they had spent most of the afternoon in the training area practicing rough sparring. She’d wanted to see what he had learnt and in the process practically begged him to show her how to use a set of the wooden dual swords. Apparently they looked reasonably cool to her and she wanted to see what they could do.
Owen was in the middle of showing the younger sister some of the swings he had been taught, evident ways to wield the weapon she had decided to take interest in when there was a clear clapping from the doors.
“My sister is going to be fighting her personal guards before she’s even eighteen. Nice work, looks like you two are getting along.” Cherry was standing there, her hair wrapped up behind a simple bandana. She took it off after a second. Owen knew it was the easiest way for her to make it through district fifteen, after all the war was still going on. Any visitors seen heading into the capital would have to be on their side otherwise gods only know how they would react, Owen knew that district like the back of his hand and he knew there was no way that with the way he was taught, any of their guards would be keen on her presence.
Rasbi dropped her wooden weapons and sprinted towards her sister, leaping up and hugging her as tightly as possible. She laughed.
“I completely forgot you were back today! How’ve you been?” She was smiling, her usual soft and joyful expression clear on her face as the two sisters spoke. Owen let them do their thing, quickly working on packing everything up for the day.
Though he did eventually hear both of them calling over to him. Apparently it was getting close enough to dinner for them to head off anyhow. Owen was dragged along with them, because she wanted to catch them all up on how things were going.
As they sat at their separate table, Cherry began explaining how things were clearly beginning to burn out. More and more encampments were resigning and while tensions were still elevated, projections were suggesting the war would only last another five years at most. To say Owen was shocked was an understatement, he had heard of boogiemen rising up from his district. Of people going on rampages all on their own and now peace might actually, in theory be possible? Were things actually going to work out in their favour?
–
He awoke to the shallow metallic creaking that indicated the doors were just about to open. While Owen had long since gotten used to the noise, there was a certain weight to the doors opening that day which he hadn’t even considered before. This was going to be a pretty essential day, he didn’t really have as much energy when he woke up. And given what Soup had told him the day prior, Owen had a feeling this was going to be his last chance to look for Apo. At least for a while, so he didn’t wait too long before getting to his feet, slinging his pre-prepared backpack over his shoulder. Walking towards the doors Owen began to plan out a clear route he was going to take, he wasn’t sure where Apo had gone. Or where he could go but he knew that there were a few places worth checking. The last time he would have been anywhere if he was out there would have been to drop off the skull, which…left the search area to the entirety of the other side of the maze. It was going to be a long day.
Owen reached the doors, noticing that the gap was likely only just big enough for him to squeeze through so he decided to give it another second or so. Ignoring the subtle throbbing headache already settling in, he knew if his leg got any worse while searching he was already prepared. His old brace from his first serious injury was wrapped up with a set of small sticks and a spare scrap of fabric he could use as a tourniquet. Owen knew it wasn’t the best set up, but it would do. He leant over to flip his lever to let anyone who might wonder where he was of his whereabouts when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.
“I really don’t think you should be going in there in your condition Owen, you need all the rest you can get. Especially if you don’t want to make the ‘frostbite’ situation any worse.”
Her voice was quiet but he could clearly pick up on the determination in her tone, as well as how she had subtle bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept at all and if she had it definitely wasn’t enough.
“I respect that Soup but if what you said about this whole thing is true there is something I need to sort out first.”
“You know running out there is only going to end up with your symptoms worsening. Whatever problems you are dealing with, they will get worse if you don’t rest. Owen please, no one here wants to lose you and if there is a chance you can beat this then you need to do what’s necessary to do so..”
Owen took a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as the doors finished opening with a heavy clunk.
“Soup. I don’t plan on leaving, but if this whole idea, the whole search for something to fix this doesn’t work. Then I need this, I need to make sure I have done this. If I don’t I will regret it for the rest of the time I do have.”
To say the look she gave him was a sad one would be an understatement, her expression softened as she took a breath. Nodding grimly.
“You’re looking for Apo aren’t you?”
Owen raised an eyebrow. “Wha-” He was very confused as to how she could have possibly known that was where he was heading to. But her cutting him off allowed for a reasonable explanation.
“Magic told me he might still be out there a couple of times. Look, just.” She reached into the usual satchel which was usually hung over her shoulder. Taking out a potion bottle full of a blue liquid, Owen once again looked confused.
Soup just kept her arm held out. “Drink it.” She insisted. “It’s not a long term solution but I've figured something out and it’s more of a deterrent but it should make the next few days a but more comfortable for you. And it may buy me some more time to figure out a solution.”
Owen was hesitant, popping the cork out of the glass and taking a sniff before recoiling. Grimacing as he did.
“What exactly is it?”
She crossed her arms, staring dead at him. “Two different recipes for a health potion, a painkiller I concocted when Krow had an accident in the maze once, a couple dabs of strength and some spinach for health.”
“Sounds like a lovely health cocktail there.” Owen chuckled. “Spinch.” Soup did not get the reference and just shook her head.
“Just drink it.”
He nodded and chugged the liquid. It tasted awful, he couldn't help but gag as soon as the potion bottle was empty, the aftertaste that the cocktail left behind made him shudder for a moment. He stared at her with a look of shock in his eyes. He held the empty glass bottle back out to her, genuinely looking as though he had just witnessed horrors way beyond his comprehension.
"I know it tastes bad but I promise it will help.. for now." She mumbled. Owen forced a smile to his face, knowing that the aftertaste was still swirling. He would quite happily take scallions over it but he was just going to have to ignore it.
“Okay thank you Soup. I promise I’ll come back in one piece.” He turned back to the doors which were now fully open, flicking his lever he began to walk towards the maze only to have soup grab his shoulder. He glanced back one last time. She was smiling sadly too.
“Be safe, friend.” With that she let him walk in.
Upon heading in, uncertainty was at the forefront of Owen’s mind, after all Apo had been gone for years and what was meant to be his body had already been found. If he really was alive, on that slight chance that Squidney or Magic had actually seen him, that he was by some miracle alive, where would he even be? This had been his concern earlier, the maze stretched out for miles in at least two directions. The other doors hadn’t opened but he had a hunch that they wouldn’t really have led him to Apo anyway. Which left him with a predicament. He could head towards the levers or head in the opposite direction, the way they had headed on their first few days in the maze. After a while of debating the options to himself, he decided to tackle the right side of the maze first. He had so many memories within those walls and he knew that if he were in Apo’s position and he didn’t want to be found, he probably wouldn’t stick to the side of the maze which people regularly headed through. He started out by searching the area of the small base they found early on, it was roughly set up at the corner just a ways down the corridor from him. The bed, chests and lantern were still there. Everything had been left exactly how it was when they found it, Owen could tell that just by looking at it. Of course Owen knew that Apo wouldn't realistically be staying there, it was too open and any creature could walk right through at any moment, to put it bluntly it just wasn't safe. But he held onto the sliver of hope that maybe there was something left in one of the chests. Owen knew that wouldn’t be the case though, thick cobwebs littered the walls and there was a thick layer of dust which had long since settled over everything.
He sat down on the edge of the long since abandoned bed for a moment and placed his head in his hands with a sigh. He wasn't sure where to go, how to find him. Truth be told he hadn’t even entirely thought through what he would say if he did succeed in his mission, how exactly was he supposed to go about apologising for what he had said to him, for pushing him away, for ruining their friendship, for being so cruel when he was clearly dealing with enough already. He knew that it was going to be difficult going to find him but there was so much they'd have to talk about were words even going to be enough? It was these doubts that made everything so much harder, he was holding onto the slim sliver of hope he had left. Not quite ready to face the possibility that he may not be able to find him, let alone get through the sections he wanted to search alone. But no one was there to drag him along, Owen had to do it for himself. He sat back up after a while of thinking, shrugging the backpack off of his shoulders and rooting through it until he found the book and a quill. Owen didn’t waste a second, it was important he did this and got back to searching so he simply scribbled a note onto the page. There was so much that he could've written but he simply wrote something short and to the point.
Hey Apo, please if you're reading this just come home. I miss you. We miss you. - Owen
He stood back up wobbling slightly as he did. He was thankful that he was at least prepared for the rest of the walk as he unclipped the javelin he had packed from the side of his backpack. Maybe it wasn’t completely ideal, but he just had to hope that it worked well enough as a walking aid for the rest of the journey. He stepped over to the barrels that sat next to the bed and carefully placed the note on top of them. Though after thinking about it Owen realised he needed something to keep the note in place, just on the off chance that it suddenly got windy or one of the renowned creatures decided to barrel through the area. Owen crouched for a moment and began to dig through the various barrels and eventually he found something. Cookies. They were stale and hard as nails. Obviously, considering they absolutely were the batch they had found in this exact spot months prior, hell likely years at that point. Owen chuckled, the duo had left them here in case anyone else would ever stumble across the area and need them, though now upon finding them, obviously nobody had taken them. It was a wonder they weren't mouldy, although they were definitely inedible after all that time. A perfect paperweight he supposed, and it was currently the only real available option to him, so it would have to do. He placed a couple on the corners of the note, and scribbled an extra part onto it just to ensure if anyone did find it, they didn’t make the mistake of eating quite possibly the oldest food in the entire place..
'p.s don't eat the cookies'
Owen made a mental note that if Apo found the letter and came home after his search they would bake more of the cookies together, ones that they could actually eat. They could make cheesecake and pie and just spend some time together like those good old days.
With that left behind as precaution in case he didn’t find Apo, but he came back to the clearing. Owen gathered his barings, slipped his backpack back on and began to head deeper into the maze. Making sure he put what weight he needed onto the javelin. He followed each of the corridors, noticing various things that he had found during the early days. The first tree in the maze that Mohwee had constantly wanted to explore, the various huge red topped mushrooms which sprouted from the walls. He could remember how simple it was when it was just the three of them, the fruit trio days. Owen chuckled softly to himself, those days were some of the best ones.
He kept looking around, each corner, each little cutoff which could possibly house his best friend was seemingly empty. There were so many corridors that stretched further and further away, but as for signs of life there was hardly anything. Par vines and plants at the very least. Until one section. He had rounded the corner and despite being met with what appeared to be a dead end, Owen was immediately met with a sense of familiarity. He could vaguely remember the fact that looming at the end of the corridor, tucked neatly into one of the walls was a room. A room which you would miss entirely if you weren’t careful. His mouth fell agape for a moment, somewhere he could have easily been staying was no less than twenty minutes away. It was practically right around the corner. He wasn’t sure if Apo would be there, but it was worth a shot. He headed over, replacing the javelin back against his backpack before hauling himself up the wall to the gap. And he carefully headed into the room.
“Apo?” He whispered at first, calling out into the silence. “Apo are you here?” Truthfully Owen didn’t expect to get an answer, but he did.
“You just missed him, Maybe five, ten minutes.”
Owen practically jumped, though he relaxed when he spotted Redd sitting on what appeared to be a bed. Opposite from him was another one, empty but clearly lived in. The slight smell of smoke and alcohol drifted through the air. They were here.
“Redd?”
The business man hummed, nodding. He had a bottle in his hand, drinking steadily.
“Yeah you got me. Welcome to my abode, real good place here.” Owen glanced around the room as Redd spoke. At first he saw the stone cheesecake that Apo made him while he was in the prison. The corner was chipped ever so slightly now and it was weird seeing it again, but Owen lifted it up, placing it into his bag when Redd didn’t even acknowledge it. staring at the rest of the room he noticed a couple of things: the desk which was now here, the various supply chests and as he was glancing he spotted a letter left on the desk. He picked it up, seeing that it was addressed to Redd.
Hey Redd,
I don’t know when you’re going to wake up but I figured it would be easier on you if I left before you woke up. I hope you change your mind and come back one day, I’m sorry. I won’t tell them. But thank you for your kindness these past few months and your company. You’ve been a good friend. Thank you, goodbye for now. - Apo
Owen heard Redd chuckle behind him ever so slightly.
“I did tell you I had somewhere. Anyway, you should go. He was saying yesterday about going to check something one last time before going back. So you might still catch him out there.”
The runner folded the letter back up and set it down on the desk once more, patting Redd on the shoulder as he turned to go.
“Thanks for looking out for him, Redd.” He didn’t know what else to say to the man. He already knew there was no convincing him at that moment to come back with him. The only person who would have been able to do that was Apo and that clearly hadn’t worked either. “Take care of yourself.”
Though as he was about to hop down he felt Redd snag his sleeve. His grip was tighter than Owen would think for, and there was a seriousness to his voice that he hadn’t heard before.
“You take care of him. Any of them hurt him, that’s on you. Please. Look after him.”
He had said he was done with promises, but this one felt right.
“I promise, I will look out for him as long as I possibly can, Redd.” That was apparently good enough, getting a small nod. Though that was it. And walking away Owen couldn’t help but feel mildly guilty for leaving him there, even though he knew it was what he wanted in the end.
Heading out into the corridor once more Owen found his sense of hope skyrocketing, because Apo was alive. He had been the whole time, he wasn’t entirely sure how he managed to pull off the skull trick and frankly it did concern him. But this was happening, every time he had struggled to piece together whether or not he was actually gone. Just trying to accept it because if there was ever the slim chance, it seemed to fade away as quickly as he had gained it. Maybe he was jumping the gun but this was the closest he had been to getting his friend back and he was not giving up now. He didn’t retrieve the javelin this time, instead he took a breath. Hoping that he could just hold out long enough to find Apo and get home, if everything went to hell after that he could accept it. And with that he began to run.
Owen ran through the corridors, leaping over whatever traps got in his way. He bounced on his feet as he turned corner after corner. He kept running until he was out of breath, taking deep gasps of air he decided to start calling out again.
“APO?”
There was no response of course, Owen was trying to think of where the man would possibly want to go before heading home. Maybe he had wanted to try and find Bek but all things considered he seriously doubted that. The maze was unpredictable but he couldn’t figure out what he would need to do, what essential thing lay within the walls of the maze that was urgent.
He tried calling again but with each heavy breath, each rattled painful breath Owen noticed that he could taste the crimson bubbling up again. He had definitely pushed his luck already, he rested a hand against the wall closest to him. Clamping his eyes shut as he took slow breaths through his nose. If he collapsed here then he was dead, there was no denying that. So he just kept taking slow breaths, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as though his ribs were going to break. It didn’t stop the copper flavour sitting at the back of his throat, so with one last heavy breath he hunched himself over and coughed as hard as he could manage, spitting whatever blood dared to come up onto the cobbled ground. Once he was sure that was dealt with he took off again. Because he’d had a pretty good idea what Apo may be wanting to say goodbye to.
Following the directions up ahead of him, Owen managed to find himself climbing down the ivy into the dead end which Squidney had apparently seemingly vanished from. It made sense to him now, how they had missed this and how she must have gotten away. Likely looping around the entire jungle and bumping into Ayngel along the way, truthfully he hadn’t gotten into the details with her. Especially not since she said that it was a hard time for her, from never going into the maze to being thrown into practically living there full time. Owen took a breath and walked towards the section, he could see the specific wall up ahead of him and judging by the fact that no one was there he had a feeling Apo was already gone. He had missed him by a few minutes, sure he was likely heading back to the clearing but if he wasn’t there then there was no chance.
Stopping in front of the levers Owen reached out to brush a hand over them, thinking about everything. His life in the clearing, running the maze, his friends. Apo. How had he let this happen, how had he let everything fall apart? He wished it was simple, like the old days. He wished that he hadn't pushed Apo away, that he hadn't ruined their precious friendship. He would happily spend the rest of his life looking for his brother, he would happily spend the rest of his life making it right. He took his javelin back out again, deciding that he would have to head home for now. It hadn’t been long since he wandered into the maze, but between stopping to briefly talk with Redd and his small coughing fit, time had been getting on and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to run like normal.
So he turned around, heading for the familiar paths and it was when he turned the corner, about to walk down the first of the paths he knew off by heart that he spotted them. Someone in a black coat, although their green cardigan was slung around their neck like a scarf and a fishing rod was clasped in their hand. The familiar brown hair made him know instantly who it was and for a second he wasn’t sure if maybe he had passed out and this was some twisted dream. But he called out to them either way.
“Apo?!”
He turned around, looking at Owen with evident shock in his face. His familiar red eyes were wide as he stared at him. He paused where he was standing, saying nothing at first until he quietly spoke.
“..Owen?”
He slowly lowered his bag and the fishing rod onto the ground. Both of them stood there in silence for a moment. Owen didn’t know exactly what to say, so still holding his javelin he began to walk towards him. He could see the sudden flash of nervousness on his face, holding his hands out slightly.
“Listen.. I know things weren’t great when I last saw you and you have every right to be mad. Redd said you were looking for me and I just want to go home-”
He was cut off by Owen throwing the javelin to the side and stepping forward suddenly, hugging him as tightly as physically possible. The demon let out a small yelp of surprise, staring back out into the space behind them, for a moment he had thought that this was going to end in a fight but now. Now he knew it wasn’t. At first he had his arms held stiffly on either side of him but once he realised that Owen wasn’t mad at him he wrapped his arms back around his friend, resting his head on his shoulder.
Owen laughed a little, sniffling.
"I thought I'd lost you" His voice was quiet, he still wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to say. He just knew that as long as he lived, he would never push him away again.
Apo gently rubbed circles into Owen's back, trying to comfort his friend. There was the clear weight of guilt between both of them, Apo knowing that now, if he could, he would’ve told him. He wouldn’t have left like that and he would have come back.
"I'm sorry" They whispered. “I just thought people would hate me and it would be easier for them not to have to come after me. I did see Ayngel and I couldn’t bear facing the others, I figured it was better.”
Owen shook his head. “No. No never. People were mad sure but people regret how it happened. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have pushed you away Apo. I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Eventually Apo pulled away, leaning back and that was when he noticed exactly how he must have managed to make it look so real. Because Owen couldn’t see his horns.
“Apo..what happened to your horns?”
He was hardly finished with the question when the sharp pain began to cut through his own head. He heard Apo speaking, reaching a hand out but he closed his eyes.
And then everything came flooding back to him.
–
From what he could tell, this time his memories were years down the line. The armour he was used to wearing didn’t appear as awkward anymore and he was pacing down the hall of somewhere familiar. Though initially he couldn’t quite pin it.
The hall looked quite nice, dim lighting and red carpets, and various rooms for people to wait until they were called up. This was the stage area in district 15, the colosseum of sorts, prepared for large scale announcements and planned out events.
Owen was heading to one room in particular, knocking on the door rapidly for a moment. A simple rhythm he had gotten used to, a way of her knowing it was him specifically.
“Cher? Speaker’s saying it’s time to go. Are you ready?” He called, hearing some slight shuffling around in the room as she opened the door, nodding for him to come in.
“Come in, come on.” She laughed, taking his arm and dragging him in. The door closed behind him. He stood there, looking rather confused until she walked over to the middle of the room. She looked a few years older than his earlier memories, her hair was longer and she was wearing a fancy red floor length gown. Cherry twirled in a circle, the fabric flowing around her. She held her arms out.
“How does it look? You think it looks good enough for this?”
Owen chuckled, smiling.
“Yes. It looks good. Now come on, you're going to be late. Don’t want to leave the doting fiance waiting now would you?”
She walked over, lightly swatting at his shoulder again, there was the ring on her finger now and he could see her beaming about it.
“No..no. Can you believe it though? Years of trying to push for this change, years of hope. It all comes down to this. An actual peace treaty.”
Owen nodded, they had spent months talking it out. Various meetings between officials all while the war was reaching a decline. Most people recognised that, though few didn’t. They were announcing it today, everything out on the table. The engagement, the plan for peace and prosperity. The guard could remember a time this would have crushed him, but now he was ready to celebrate with them. After this Cherry had insisted they take a walk out through the forests he spoke so highly of back then.
“You did it. To think there was a time I argued against this. I’m proud of how far it’s come.”
She gave him a quick hug.
“And I’m proud of how far you’ve come. Now I thought we were going to be late.”
With that they began to head to the central area, Owen was set to hand Cherry over to the prince and head to the side of the stage to ensure a safe way out for the both of them. There was other personal security for the prince. Then the two would be cued to walk on stage, there would be a speech and the event would progress from there. Of course usually this would entail a dance, and a feast. This was a big event after all. The four of them, the happy couple and their two head guards had spoken things out and after their main dance Cherry was free to go on her walk. Things were supposed to go well, they had planned everything out. Owen hadn’t seen it coming. Gods. He wished he had seen it coming. When they made it to the waiting area Owen shook the prince’s hand and said he would see them both later and with that he headed into the room, standing to the end of the stage where they would enter from.
He could see the various people in the crowd, most people seemed nice enough though one somewhat familiar face seemed to be at the front row. The general of District fifteen’s coveted army, a specific Scottsman he had tried to forget, if Owen had any say in it he would not have been here. But he supposed that the man must have been notified, he seemed to be in good spirits. People made their way to their seats and steadily some hopeful music began. Owen watched as their speaker made his way up onto the stage, a joyful smile on his face as he reached the podium. The light chatter slowly settled as he finally spoke.
“Okay okay, settle down everyone. I know you have all been dying to hear the news. And I am here to confirm that the rumours are indeed true.”
Owen tried his best not to smile a little at that, of course in recent months people had been piecing it together. As various details of their ‘friendship’ were made public and as Cherry was sighted more and more with the coveted prince. Of course people were realising what was happening.
“Can everyone please welcome to the stage, Mr and Mrs Chescribe.” He was set to take her last name, the wedding wasn’t for another few months. Ready for the summer that year, though the public was to believe it had already taken place. For the sake of the argument. There was an obvious cheering around the room, though the general seemed to be utterly silent at his place in the front.
Owen watched as Cherry and the prince walked by, she smiled at him waving quickly before turning to wave at the crowd of people from districts both close and far away. He couldn’t help but turn his attention to the two of them as they stood up there. He was proud to see that this was where things had ended up. The speaker started talking once more.
“As you know the negotiations between our districts have been difficult, but these young loves have shown us that together we aren’t so different. And so we are pleased to announce peace has come to our nations. These two stand as a symbol of peace to our lands, a testament to the best of each of our races. No more fighting, no more needless death. Together we will explore the world as two distinct races joined together.”
The speech wasn’t half bad, Owen saw the applause begin momentarily, he wasn’t supposed to move but he along with the rest of the security began to clap, this was good. The banner they had printed up simply saying peace at last was dropped and for a split second…a short moment. Things looked like they were going to be okay.
And then he stood up. The general of fifteen stood up and pointed square at Cherry and screamed.
“This is a fucking joke. After everything, do you think that this is worth it? Pathetic, foul beasts and you want to try and cosy up to em. What sick, vile decisions are going on here. Can’t you see that this is wrong. Nothing but a sham.”
He began to walk towards the stage, eyes wild and angry. Owen glanced towards Cherry once more, seeing the sudden look of fear in her eyes as she recoiled back. The prince held an arm in front of her. There always had to be one didn’t there.
“Sir, will you please step off of the stage?” The speaker spoke, trying to keep his light hearted composure. “Security a little help?”
Owen watched as two of the armed guards made their way over through the centre row of chairs down to stand behind either side of the general. And then the speaker cracked the joke. One simple joke, one prod at the already angry bear. And things would never be the same.
“Looks like our general doesn’t know when to call it quits hey everyone?” And the laughter followed, it looked like the general froze for a moment. But Owen recognised that look, glaring straight ahead with murder in his eyes. He was truly cold in that moment, expression neutral and Owen knew it was about to be a tether snapping. He nodded for security to take him when he watched as the general stooped down and picked something up from under his seat and his heart sank. A crossbow.
He barely had time to shout before a round was fired right at one of the guards behind him, immediately the body dropped and the screaming began. The general tore away what mock suit he had been wearing to show his own armour, prepared for an attack he had clearly had planned just in case this event didn’t go in his favour. Owen shouted for the other human guard for the prince to get them both out of there. He watched as the crowd began to run, the general took one of the swords of the ground and swung at whatever security got in their way. He was a good ten steps away from the stage. Maybe a minute at most. His heart was racing as he watched the general wipe out anyone who got in his way. Somewhere in the mix he reloaded his bow, firing a round straight through the head of the prince’s main guard. Cherry screamed, covering her mouth with her hand. And Owen knew he had to move as did the prince who took Cherry’s arm and they were running, he thought it was fine. The door was right there and once they were out he would follow. He would make damn sure they made it out. And that was when Cherry’s heel caught on her dress and she tripped. The prince made it to the door but turned back, screaming for her as the General walked towards her, the bow already loaded with another bolt.
Her eyes were wide, brimming with tears as Owen ran. Drawing his own sword as he sprinted heavily to get to her. She turned onto her back, trying to crawl backwards as the general looked down at her. Raised the bow and fired without another word. Owen tackled him no less than a second later. He used as much force as he could to knock the weapon out of the general’s hands, punching him square across the jaw and pinning him in place as best he could. Screaming out for other guards to come and help subdue him. He heard the general’s callus laughter as he recognised him.
“So this is where you ended up, you pathetic traitor. How’s it feel to know it was for nothin.”
The other guards surrounded him, pinning him to the ground. More were going to take him away and for a second he thought it was over. Until he heard the wheezing and his chest seized. No. No.
Owen glanced over his shoulder, trying his best to ignore the manic laughter from behind him. He was met with Cherry laying there, an arrow sticking straight out of her eye and a pool of blood forming under her head. The dark red colour pooled down through her hair, leaving a streak identical to her sister’s, except this wasn’t some sweet similarity it was a horrible realisation setting in. That he couldn’t save her and that he had failed..
He leapt over, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Running a hand through his friend’s hair, the prince had already been dragged away. He could hear the faint screaming for the man.
“Hey, hold on okay. There’s medics on the way. Just keep still. I know it hurts.” He could see the tear stains down her cheek. Her hand slowly reached up, it was shaking horrifically. He took it, squeezing her hand tightly. And she spoke, it was raspy and slow.
“Hey…Owen…It’s not your fault.” She coughed, the small line of red trickling down her lips. “I need you to promise me something.”
He nodded, this was one of his best friends. “Anything.”
“...Look after Rasbi. Protect her, please…don’t let her forget me.”
And in that moment he was met with the terrible realisation that she was going to die. It broke him, his body was shaking as the slow sobs took over. He could hear each breath slowing. So he nodded.
“I swear. I will protect her with my life.”
When she smiled, he wanted to remember it. She was tearing up again as her breaths slowed completely. And everything went still.
“Cherry?” He asked, but he was only met with the silence and the quiet laughter as the guards hauled the General out. And Owen held his friend’s body close, sobbing into her shoulder. She was gone. And while she said it wasn’t, it was his fault.
The next day when he was hauled into a room with her parents and her fiance he knew what was coming. They screamed that he was supposed to protect her, that their daughter was gone because of him and that now the peace they had just brokered threatened to boil over once again. Owen was silent throughout all of this, the weather outside was abysmal. Dark clouds loomed and the rain never stopped once. They grilled him on everything. And then the queen said one simple thing.
“You know. I wonder if you were in on it the whole time, your old mentor or something. What. Come into our home and act nice, then when my daughter is happy let her die?”
And he felt as though he had been stabbed. A pain he couldn’t physically explain, just shock mixed with every other possible feeling of grief had handed back to him again.
“No. Mrs Chescribe, all due respect I tried…” He was cut off by the prince.
“Not enough.” He stood up, opening the door to reveal two men in padded black armour. Their weapons were heavy metal crossbows and both waited for their orders.
“We have had the main perpetrator sent to the highest security prison we have. But you. You were closest to her and you didn’t save her and now I will never ever get her back. Her family shouldn’t have to see you around here. I think this is for the best.”
The men seized him and began to drag him. He didn’t know where he was being taken, he saw five letters surrounded by a shape but it was too blurry to entirely remember. He just remembered the tear stained faces of those closest to her as he was walked out of the room. He could see Rasbi pacing towards him, her own face darkened by eye bags and tear tracks. She had a long black coat on and a scarf which he recognised, both belonged to her sister. He was prepared for the next set of curses when he heard her speak.
“Where are you taking him?Yeah I’m speaking to you, what the hells do you think you’re doing??”
The men didn’t respond to her, Owen had to look over and answer her question.
“I don’t know Rasbi but they want me gone, I didn’t protect her and I am truly sorry for that. Goodbye.”
He wanted to fight it, to honour his promise to Cherry but maybe this was the way to do that. Though the younger girl shook her head, grabbing at one of his hands.
“Don’t do that, don’t. It was that asshole who hurt her, not you. Please. Don’t.”
Finally the men spoke, their tones monotone and uncaring.
“Miss. Step aside. We have our orders.”
There was a look of clear anger and bitterness on her face as they spoke, her fists clenched and Owen could see she was going to make a decision which he would never forget.
“If you want to take him. Then you have to take me as well.”
The last thing he could remember was the headline.
‘Ex royal guard sent to maze to appease district eight following the loss of Princess Cherry Chescribe.’
–
“Owen?” He heard his name called out with clear concern once, then a second time until finally his eyes opened and he found himself sitting against the wall of the maze. His eyes were wide, brimming with tears as Apo knelt in front of him.
“Hey, you just clutched your head and went down…are you okay?”
Owen took a few heavy breaths, clutching at his chest. Suddenly, he was hit with grief again and the feelings of anger and betrayal. The images of familiar faces flooding his mind until finally he just nodded.
“Yeah..yeah, memories. I..”
Apo nodded. “I get it, trust me, they’ve been coming back to me lately too. It’s okay. Want to stand back up?”
Owen nodded after a second, smiling. He decided in that moment he didn’t need to know where Apo’s horns went, it didn’t matter. He was alive and that’s what did matter. And while he could remember things from before, he wanted this moment to be happy. Because whatever this place was, beyond it just being a maze. Someone was watching, and he wanted them to know that memories or no memories. They weren’t going to make him hurt his friend.
“Ready to go home?” He asked.
Apo chuckled. “Never thought you’d ask old friend.” He nodded, walking over he placed a hand on Owen's shoulder. The older runner glanced down at it, knowing exactly what was coming. He was thankful that the memories hadn’t rendered him too imobile.
"Race ya." Apo finally laughed before turning back and running towards the clearing, Owen shook his head laughing and began running after him. The two ran through the corridors, leaping over the long since diffused tripwires and through the water parkour areas which looped back towards their boxed home. Apo would occasionally look back to see if Owen was there, which he naturally would be, only a few steps behind a massive smile on his face. The sun was starting to set but they didn't care, they just kept running and laughing. The joyful sounds bouncing off the walls as they rounded the last corner to get back, the doors were beginning to close but neither seemed too worried. Hell it was like Apo had never actually left, he missed this. Apo leapt through the doors, shortly followed by Owen. The two laughed until the doors finally shut with a heavy, resounding thud and Apo spluttered happily, throwing his hands in the air. A huge smile on his face as he spoke
"We did it! We’re home."
Chapter 11: == CHAPTER ELEVEN ==
Summary:
Owen made his way through the trees, reveling in the soft weight of the grass shifting beneath him as he wandered. He brushed a hand over the bark of each tree, trying to memorise the details. He wasn’t too sure if she would be at home, she had been keeping to herself in recent weeks. While he had visited on occasion there started being times where she wasn’t there, times where she preferred to be alone. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of her not being there, he thought about Cherry and the promise he made to her. He wanted to just spend one day if he could, maybe it would give him the clarity he needed.
Owen wandered through the same few patches of ground until he found the doors, the space which led directly to her treehouse.
He took a breath and called up.
“Hey Rasbi? Are you there, it’s been a while…I wondered if you might want to go and do some baking?”Another reunion, someone has to face a difficult decision and we get some fluff for some people who really need it.
Notes:
OKAY!! After this there'll be three more chapters of this part woooo, it's definitely going to be interesting writing those out. The next one is mostly going to be the same but the two after that should likely be big re-writes so there might be some time between posting them.
Either way hope you enjoy :DD
Chapter Text
Of course once both of them were back in the clearing they knew it was probably too late to go and reunite with other people, Owen was doing his best to keep his breaths level as Apo glanced around at how things were different, he had walked ahead a few steps. Leaving Owen to flip his lever back to normal, it was only a second but it was enough for him to cough briefly and get his breaths back after the run. His leg was aching worse now but he knew he would just have to take it easy now that they were back.
“So…one issue.” Apo chuckled, upon looking around. The hotel was there but staying there on his own when there was a chance that some people might be unhappy just stumbling across him wasn’t the best option. Owen came to that same conclusion less than a minute later. Laughing once he realised that he didn’t really have anywhere to stay anymore, his home had long since been torn down and he wasn’t about to send him back to the prison for a stay.
“I have a spare sleeping bag if that’s okay? Might not be the best option but we can figure out setting you something else out that’s better in the morning?” Owen offered, knowing that it probably was the only option besides just hoping the hotel was okay. Apo nodded, it was more than enough.
“As long as there’s a roof and no creatures, I’m happy.”
The two wandered along, Apo was still looking around at the path quite happily. Making it to Owen’s house they headed inside, with Owen heading over to go and look through the chests to find the spare sleeping bag he had. While Apo immediately placed over to Puddy, leaning down in front of the pig.
“Now who is this little guy?” He reached out, gently petting the pig as he glanced over to Owen. Genuinely curious, last time Owen had a pet was Puddles the cow and that had been a significantly long time ago.
Owen chuckled to himself, dragging out the sleeping bag and laying it down around the patch of ground he found to be the comfiest around his home. It was in the pen, but Magic had stayed there once and insisted it wasn’t too bad.
“That’s Puddy. I found him out in the maze opposite to ours maybe a couple months after you left. I’d found a rough trap and was going back to look at it when I stumbled across him, I couldn’t just leave him out there.”
Apo smiled. “Puddy….nice choice. And yeah I don’t blame you. Leaving them out there would just be mean. I mean you remember how much we cared for our pets in the early days. Bella, Dandelion..”
Owen nodded, walking over and tossing Apo a carrot. “Oh yeah. I think Dandelion’s still in Graecie’s bunker actually. And there’s one more…Berry’s still probably down in the fruit trio bunker. I know Rasbi used to go and feed her a lot.”
To say that Apo’s eyes lit up at that would be an understatement.
“Okay we have to go and see her tomorrow, Rasbi too.” With that he turned back to Puddy, feeding the pig the carrot. Receiving a cheerful ‘oink’ in return.
Owen patted the demon’s shoulder lightly. “He’s going to be one of your best friend’s now. Magic usually sneaks in during the morning’s to give him something so it’s you and her up there.”
Apo nodded. It was clear he’d missed these sorts of things out in the maze, the ability to have a pet. Owen doubted it would be an easy thing to keep track of out there.
“Anyway, lots to do tomorrow. Might be an idea to turn in now.”
They both agreed it was probably best to get some rest and get comfortable. Though, while Apo managed to fall asleep after some time, Owen found himself staring back up at the ceiling again. He was once again going over his options, he knew that realistically his time was stretched thin and having Apo back now was going to make it easier to take those days as it came, but it didn’t mean his choices were any easier. Soup had said that the second choice was always there, a risk that wasn’t optimal but would likely remove the risk of the infection building and reaching any vital organs. The medicine would help but it wasn’t permanent. He glanced over to where Apo was trying to rest, spotting how Puddy still continually trotted around. He thought about Magic and the promise he made to her and the promises he made to Graecie. And then he thought about his job, his purpose, his whole time in the maze being centred around being that runner.
He closed his eyes. He could wait, give it a few days as Soup had needed. Come what may. That had to be a last resort. It had to be.
His dreams were silent that night, not plagued with memories which made it difficult to actually sleep. No, Owen managed to sleep through most of the night and through into the middle of the morning. When he did finally stir he noted how groggy everything felt, to the degree that he had to stop and think as to whether or not the last day actually happened or if it were a figment of his imagination. But when he looked to the pen and saw Apo still fast asleep, puddy curled over his sleeping back, also asleep, Owen smiled. Knowing for certain that it wasn’t a dream, he’d actually found him.
Which was another clear reminder he had to try and fight whatever this was, however this was going to go. He had to stay alive for them, for him. And for her.
This time he was quick, taking his notebook and leaving a simply scrawled note pinned to the wall besides the door.
Morning, or afternoon whenever you’re reading this. I remembered I had to check in with Soup before I could do anything else and didn’t want to wake you. I’ll come find you once this is all sorted and we can go see Rasbi - Owen.
He did take one brief look back, his usual concern rising again. Would this be like the other times? He returns only for him to be gone again, lost to the wind….Owen shook his head. Because he knew this was real, his best friend, his brother was here to stay this time.
The walk was quiet, he didn’t pace there. He was slow, each step seeming to be somewhat unsteady. If it didn’t arise suspicion he would start using his crutch again, the stick had been a good enough help back when his leg was injured. But he knew the millisecond he did, more people than just Soup and Redd would put something together. For now he was just going to keep going as he always had.
This time he didn’t hesitate to knock on Soup’s door, he made it there and immediately raised his fist up. Knocking heavily on the wooden surface until it swung open steadily. He was immediately hit with the sickly sweet smell of potions again, except this time it was more muted. Owen doubted that Soup had slept again, when he glanced towards her he could see it in her eyes. If she had slept it was minimal. She slowly nodded for him to come inside.
He wandered in, going and sitting on the side of her bed again, looking at his boots as she wandered to get the fresh bottle of medicine.
“...You know you should get some rest. I don’t want you neglecting your own health to save mine okay.”
Soup took a breath, slow and tired. He could see her pinching the bridge of her nose as she slowly checked each bottle. Trying to find the best of the batch.
“No offense Owen but time isn’t of the essence here, I can rest once I’ve helped.”
Owen chuckled to himself, running his hand over the back of his neck where subtle beads of sweat had managed to form. One simple walk was getting him tired now.
“I know about time. Still. You can’t help if you’re passed out, or dead from exhaustion.”
She shot him a subtle look, one which made him realise it absolutely was hypocritical of him to be saying that.
There was a thick silence for a while as she walked over with the bottle, holding it out to him.
“...”
He took it, she didn’t need to say anything to know what she was thinking. The bottle felt heavier in his hand than the day previously, he slowly glanced up at her. She took a breath.
“We spoke about this, each day it’s going to get worse. You’ll need higher doses until I find that solution.”
Owen hummed. “I take it
this
isn’t that solution.”
Soup shook her head. “No. It isn’t.” She ran a hand through her hair as she stood there. “I know you don’t want to but I really think you should stay here for a day, let me see if there’s some checks I can do. Figure something out.”
He began steadily swigging the potion she had given him, more of the health potion had been mixed in. He could tell that judging by the sharp flavour he was met with.
“No. There’s people who would notice if I just vanished for a day, it’s suspicious. Besides, what tests could you run here?” There was a subtle harshness to his tone. One he didn’t entirely notice right away.
Soup sighed semi exasperatedly, though he knew she wasn’t as annoyed as she was concerned. To say none of this was ideal would be an understatement.
“I don’t know. But I could take some blood, see what potions have what effects. Figure out what is actually helping you and what is making this worse.”
Owen shook his head. “It’s making itself worse, that’s how it is. Toxin doesn’t just do nothing.” He coughed once the potion was entirely gone, it was one cough which turned into a series of heavy hacks.
Soup wandered over to her kitchen side, taking an empty bottle and filling it up with water. The quiet background ambience began to drown out as ringing took over his hearing, Owen sat there, trying to focus on anything besides that simple ringing sound.
“I know.” She said softly. “But I want to be honest with you. We’re trying to fix a problem we don’t know the entire root of. It’s a toxin, yes, it is slowly harming you. But we don’t know what the cure could be.”
“If there even is one.” He retorted, a sharp sting but he was watching her every move. It had been two days and she would have some suspicion. Some instinct where this was heading. He saw her tense up. “There might not be. Right. That’s what you’re thinking.”
She heavily set the glass bottle down on the side.
“No. I’m thinking that these things take time. You runners had hardly encountered these creatures before, none of us have been stung besides you. All of this is a first. I’m trying to help. But you are more worried about upsetting people, about them finding out than about your options. About where this could go.”
Owen shook his head, his jaw clenching shut for a moment. “I am trying too. I’m staying hopeful because I want to stay. I don’t want to tell them that I might not. We don’t know how this is going to go.
Do we?
” He emphasised his question this time.
“No.” She said quietly. “But I do know what I told you.”
Owen shook his head. Not this again.
“And I already refused. It is not negotiable.” He coughed again, grimacing as this time he was met with blood trickling down his lips. “You said you would help, but not that. I want to live but not at the cost of everything else. Not at the cost of being a runner. It’s who I am.”
She held the water bottle out towards him, saying the one simple thing which set it in motion. One simple thing which led to him knowing that time was being stretched thin.
“Owen, it is a horrible thing to ask, I know. But if we can’t find a cure, then it’s the frostbite metaphor we talked about. We can take the leg, and you could live and there are ways to ensure you can still be a runner. You might heal slowly but you will be alive. It’s a select area, we isolate that and it won’t spread further. I just…I think you should think about it.”
He reached up with sudden force, a sudden, quick burst of anger rising through him as he struck the glass bottle out of her hand. Sending it flying across the room, shattering it entirely on the floor as he shouted.
“You are not taking my leg. You can figure out another solution or you can give up. I get there may be solutions, ways to keep going..but this is too much.”
He calmed down almost as soon as he had lashed out, he paused. Glancing between the broken glass and the almost horrified look on Soup’s face.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed, resting his head in his hand. “I didn’t mean to shout at you, this is just a lot. I want to be useful and it could take months to heal, months where I can’t help out there. The second I tell them that this is happening, that’s when everything we’ve worked towards crumbles and what…. Because I made a mistake. Why should they suffer because of my mistake?”
Soup wiped her damp eyes and walked over, sitting down beside him.
“They shouldn’t. But they won’t be Owen. They do care for you, even if they don’t show it much. You have to understand though, if we can’t make a solution then they don’t want to lose you. They won’t suffer if you tell them, you’ll have support. It was a mistake, but that shouldn’t be a burden you carry alone. And you don’t want to die. I can see that in your eyes, the only way you’re going out is if you’re protecting them in the process. This though, this isn’t that. Please. You gave me time, now I’m asking you to think about this.”
He took a breath, raising his trouser leg again. Seeing how the ‘veins’ were creeping higher with each day, darkening with each step he took. Worsening. A slow deep freeze which was killing him from the inside out. He was quiet, eyes welling up.
“I can’t. I’m a runner Soup. I promised to be a leader, I can’t just..”
She placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know. I know, just breathe okay. This isn’t an instant decision. But this could save your life. Just rest, think about it ok.”
Owen nodded silently. “I found Apo yesterday. I know you’re right, I can’t leave them but none of this is easy.”
Soup nodded once more. “I know, I wish it could be. But it’s going to be okay. Just hold onto that hope. You’ll be okay.” She could see his shoulders still shaking ever so slightly and leant over, gently pulling him into a hug.
“I’m going to keep working on these potions okay, just come back tomorrow. Let me know how the medicine is working, if the symptoms are lessening. I’ll take another look at the sting and I swear to you. We will figure this out. You are not dying okay.”
He just sat there for a moment, silence clinging to the air around them.
But then he nodded, dragging himself away again with a heavy nod. Hold onto the hope, it’s what he had to do. Simple enough.
“Yeah. Okay. And I will think about it.” He didn’t need to elaborate on what he meant, the weight of his words did that enough. He was silent when he left, forcing a smile to his face even if the subtle glimmer in his eyes was dim. It would be enough to hold up the act for today, after all. He made a plan for today, he wasn’t going to ruin that.
When he got back to his house Apo was just beginning to stir, the signs of sleep still present as he ran his hands over his eyes. Yawning heavily before turning to blink slowly at Owen who was heading into the room.
“Morning.?” The demon yawned, though Owen could immediately tell that Apo had no idea what time it was, morning, afternoon or evening. He chuckled.
“Yeah, morning. Do you need some time to wake up properly?”
Apo yawned once more, nodding as he did.
“Yeah…yeah, might need a sec before showing my face. I probably look like I just woke up.”
Owen blinked slowly, chuckling again as he headed over to the chests again, rifling around for anything that could be classed as a breakfast. Some loose fruit and a couple of carrots for Puddy was essentially all that he could recover.
He tossed the carrots over to the pig before wandering over and handing Apo one of the apples, coincidentally.
“That’s because you did just wake up.”
Apo nodded, taking a decent bite out of the apple, humming softly as he did.
“So…..how much did I miss while I was gone?” Apo asked through a mouthful of fruit, Owen steadily wandered to sit back down on the side of his bed. Trying his best to ignore that he honestly wasn’t feeling hungry at all and that the apple in his hand was doing nothing except making him feel more nauseous. He tried his best to just focus on the question, there had been months of searching, exploring and general things happening around the clearing. He figured there was a timeline he should follow.
“Well. Honestly there was quite a bit. After you left, a few things happened. Everything was pretty tense at first. Guts rounded up all the weapons and Redd just went to the prison. He wanted to go down there. I don’t know how much you knew but Bek tied Magic up, left her to die out there. I’m assuming you know enough because you’re not with her now and it looked like you were staying with Redd.”
Apo hummed, nodding as he listened.
“He mentioned a little. And I realised Bek just wanted me there because she didn’t want to be alone, it wasn’t anything to help me..everything just caught up with her I guess?”
Owen shrugged, either way she was out there alone now. No one had seen or heard from her and after everything she did, what she did to Magic. He didn’t much care about where she ended up.
“Maybe. But that’s not important. Some suggestions were thrown around about killing people, that we trusted others too much. It didn’t go anywhere thankfully but like I said. Things were tense. Out there I’d found some machinery, cranes of sorts..”
Apo almost immediately glanced up at that, eyes widening.
“You saw one too?”
Owen had the same reaction, eyes widening. When they went back it was gone, he had thought for some time that maybe it wasn’t there. Or that things had been moved. Either way he doubted he would ever get reassurance on it.
“Yes….wait you saw one out there.”
Apo hummed. “Yeah, me and Redd went out past these walls. There were these blade-like things, really sharp so we tried to avoid them. The walls were huge, way bigger than anything we’ve seen usually. We climbed up one and there it was opposite us, had some metal beam attached but it wasn’t moving.”
Owen nodded, though this was definitely catching his interest. The series of questions as to what they could be doing out there beginning to flood his mind steadily.
“I’ve seen those walls you were talking about. I saw one of the watchers too, Magic was friends with her but..she’s gone.”
Apo was quiet again now, staring at the apple in his hand.
“So. Huge walls, cranes which lets be honest…are probably building more maze. And we know for sure people are watching us.”
Owen let out a heavy sigh, getting up and walking over to retrieve his backpack from the doorway. He bent down and opened it up, pulling out the camera he and Magic found in the maze earlier in the week.
“It gets better. They have cameras.” He gently handed the device to Apo, who put down what was left of the apple, clearly not feeling as hungry anymore.
“Oh. Well that’s not weirdly ominous at all.”
Owen sat back down, this time in the sand next to Apo. He reached over to pet Puddy as he spoke.
“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair, settling it at the back of his neck. He could tell this was a horrible realisation, that the theories they had of being monitored, being watched were correct. “We’ve not mentioned it to the others yet, we managed to scrape together some group organisation again. It’s not perfect but we’re making plans to get out of here soon enough. I think saying something now is only going to cause panic.”
Apo shook his head.
“I don’t know. Keeping something like this, it’ll come out eventually. And we’ve seen how secrets rip things apart here. I’m not saying to mention it immediately but, sooner rather than later.”
With that the demon passed the camera back to Owen, getting up to go and grab his own boots from the doorway. Feeling significantly more awake than he was before.
“There anything else I should know?”
One thing. One thing that he could easily mention now, one huge bomb of a thing he could
tell him that would no doubt crush any good which could come from today. He thought about what Soup had said, about support….and he bit his tongue. Shaking his head.
“Nope. Just that I’ve not seen Rasbi for a while so it might take a bit to find her.”
Making sure they had everything they could possibly need, both of them headed out from the building and out into the clearing. They stopped by one of the gardens, collecting what rough berries and fruits they might want to use later on. The other necessary ingredients had been steadily packed into their backpacks, Owen had immediately noted that Apo must have gone looking in the night at one point because his old one from the fruit trio bunker was now firmly back on his back. Walking through the trees Owen began to take his time, every step more deliberate than the last. He was thinking about what Soup had told him, thinking about how he was stuck between a rock and a hard place in the worst ways. What choice was this?
He felt a hand gently shake his shoulder as they walked along, Owen immediately glanced over. Meeting Apo’s evidently concerned eyes.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? You seem a little out of it..?” Owen was quiet, looking down at the ground. He made a decision.
“..Honestly I don’t know.” He swallowed the lump that was rising in his throat. “But I think I need a couple days of just.. Spending time relaxing. Spending time with you all. I promise when I’m ready we can talk about it, just not right now.” He smiled, genuinely this time. “This is supposed to be a good moment. Fruit trio reunion. Okay.”
Apo nodded, but the hand didn’t shift from his shoulder for a good moment. Giving it a tight, reassuring squeeze.
“Ok. But I’m here this time, whenever you are ready.”
“Yeah. Thank you Apo. Seriously.” Owen took another breath, glancing further through the trees to where the area Rasbi lived was situated. “Now, why don’t you head down to the bunker and I’ll bring Rabi down once I find her.”
Apo agreed and like that they split up, each heading in their own respective directions.
Owen made his way through the trees, reveling in the soft weight of the grass shifting beneath him as he wandered. He brushed a hand over the bark of each tree, trying to memorise the details. He wasn’t too sure if she would be at home, she had been keeping to herself in recent weeks. While he had visited on occasion there started being times where she wasn’t there, times where she preferred to be alone. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of her not being there, he thought about Cherry and the promise he made to her. He wanted to just spend one day if he could, maybe it would give him the clarity he needed.
Owen wandered through the same few patches of ground until he found the doors, the space which led directly to her treehouse.
He took a breath and called up.
“Hey Rasbi? Are you there, it’s been a while…I wondered if you might want to go and do some baking?”
There was silence for a moment, a thick and clear one which hung over him for a moment. He waited and waited some more but there was nothing. Until a familiar face seemed to hang out from the side of the branches, glancing down at him before smiling. He could see the smallest glimmer in her eyes, she was happy to see him.
“Oh hey Owen..uh yeah that sounds nice. You want to go down to the good old bunker? ..I’ve been meaning to get Berry some food.”
“You practically read my mind..and who knows, I may even have a surprise for you too.”
He could see a little glimmer of light in her eyes, the spark of hope he had missed the past few months. She grabbed a few things and hopped down from the tree and like that they both began to walk.
Honestly it felt like nothing had changed, like she had been there all this time. There wasn’t any awkwardness after there being distance, no, they just picked up right where they left off. Though he could take a rough guess at what was plaguing her mind, some of the same memories had been twisting his brain ever since they flooded back. Rasbi probably knew the real killer wasn’t here, but how much of her memory would be telling her that she could trust the people around her… that was a different weight entirely. He wanted to ask, so he broached a small branch.
“...So I haven’t seen you for a while. You been okay?”
And there was the subtle awkwardness as she messed with her jacket sleeve, staring straight ahead of her as she took a breath.
“I…I don’t know. Be honest. How much do you remember about everything before here?”
Owen took his steps a little slower, walking along steadily. His own gaze on the grass in front of him.
“...Quite a bit actually. I remember my parents, home…the war.” He could feel her eyes now at the side of his head as he kept walking. The look was urging him to continue. “I remember the river….and being hauled out of it. And I remember her.”
Rasbi nodded, stopping where she stood. Her boots are digging into the ground.
“I keep seeing her face in my dreams. Her sitting on the end of my bed talking about someone they saved. I can’t remember her name, just her face and then I remembered the night they said she wasn’t coming back. And them blaming you.”
She looks up, staring straight at him. He can see a fire in her eyes that he only remembered from the time she had backed him up. Insisting that wherever they took him, she was going too. A similar glance any time they trained before then. But it’s a fire nonetheless and it’s one that threatens to consume everything around them. He has no doubt if he were the one to have done it that he would not be taking another step. No, a dagger would be ripping through his chest. He can see that glimmer too. “I haven’t remembered much more but I know if I came here then it’s for one of two things….I want to believe that you’re my friend. Because you’ve done nothing but protect me…but these memories, they hurt. And I don’t know what comes next. I don’t know why I’m here. So I stuck away, I wanted to figure it out.” Her mood has definitely shifted, but he wanted to have this talk. It needed to be said.
Owen nods.
“I couldn’t save her. I was less than a step away when it happened. I didn’t kill her.” He sees a breath she must have been holding release itself as her shoulders droop, the tension leaving them altogether. “But your parents figured given who I was, who he was…that I had to have known. I didn’t but I failed, I wasn’t going to argue when they had just lost one of the two most important people to them.”
Rasbi is looking up at him again, subtle tears in her eyes as he speaks. As it clicks into place.
“Why am I here Owen?” Her voice quivers a little.
“Because you were the only one to step in when they took me. You said wherever they were taking me, they would have to take you as well. And I promised her I would look out for you. Keep you safe.”
Rasbi croaks, it’s a clear choked sob and he takes a step over. Resting a soft but firm hand against her shoulder. She takes another breath.
“One more question.” He nods. “What was her name….they won’t let me remember. What was her name Owen?”
“Her name was Cherry.”
Rasbi sobbed, though it was a mix between a laugh and a sob. A sound so raw that he could tell the grief was ripping her apart again and he let the hand on her shoulder slip as he pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his back, resting her face against his shoulder briefly. He could hear the muffled, quiet laughter for a moment.
“The original fruit duo…Of course it was. Cherry.” She spent a moment before leaning back, looking up at him with a smile on her face. “Thank you…I uh, I’m glad it wasn’t the other option. I do trust you it’s just-”
Owen shakes his head. “Believe me, I understand entirely. Now come on, we’ve got that surprise to get to.”
Of course he did turn to walk back again but the universe had to keep its game going, and as soon as he took a step it felt like his leg went out from under him. Partially because it had.
He could see the ground coming at him as he made his way down, until his knees were in the dirt and Rasbi was standing beside him, holding under his shoulder and blinking at him with worried eyes. Her lips were moving, she was saying something but it isn't registering to him at first. Just ringing and pain and exhaustion, when everything did tune back in he could hear Rasbi repeating herself.
“Hey, Owen? Are you okay, say something. Can you hear me?”
He nodded, chuckling a little as he slowly got back to his feet. He couldn’t look straight at her, he couldn’t stare her in the eyes and lie. But he had to, for now.
“Yeah. Yeah it’s nothing, I’m fine. I just managed to twist it earlier, must be playing up.” He could see the skeptical look in her eyes, the way she definitely wasn’t completely buying it. He did have luck on his side in the cruel ironic way, that leg had always been a source of trouble. “Hey, you know how it used to be. Same leg every time. Surprised it’s still working as well as it is.”
That got her to shake her head, she definitely was still concerned but for the moment she had relaxed. Continuing to head towards the bunker until they reached the ladder which led down to the space.
Owen headed down first, taking his time to get down the ladder until he reached the bottom. Once he was there he saw Apo fussing over Berry at one side of the room, he waved for him to hide just out of the way for the moment. He nodded, stepping out of sight briefly. It didn’t take too long for Rasbi to get down too, she glanced around briefly. Smiling more now that she was somewhere familiar again. Owen chuckled.
“Okay, now close your eyes.”
Rasbi did, albeit she did look rather confused as she covered her face. Owen waved for Apo to come out now, walking him over so that he was a few steps away from her. It had been quite a few months, things hadn’t been left on perfect terms. But there was no denying they missed each other, the times where it was the three of them. Owen was just praying that this went well and didn’t end in any arguments. He took a slow breath.
“Okay. Now you can open them.”
She did, blinking briefly before stopping and staring at the figure ahead of her. Apo stood there smiling sheepishly, knowing the same thing Owen did, that their last meeting had been months prior. Rasbi glanced between both of them for a moment more, silent. Subtle tears began to build up in the corners of her eyes.
“You’re alive…?” She asked, taking a step towards Apo. Her eyes wide, a small smile pulling at her lips. Shock tracing her expression. He nodded, smiling too. It was hard to ignore the tears forming in his own eyes too.
“Yeah I am. And I’m sorry… I promise I’m not going anywhere again-”
His sentence was cut short though as she stepped forward suddenly, slamming into a tight hug. Rasbi chuckled a little, smiling as she stood there.
“It’s okay….I thought I’d never see you again..I missed you.”
Owen smiled at the both of them, it turned out however much they had wanted to hate him at the time, to move on without him. It wasn’t that easy, they did need each other. And this moment was sweet, it proved that. Though it wasn’t long before they were turning to him, dragging him over into the hug as well. He obliged, wrapping his arms around the both of them as best he could. Making the most of the moment. The fruit trio was finally reunited and gods knew that he was going to make every second count.
Eventually they pulled away from the hug, Rasbi lightly coughing into her own sleeve. Trying to get back to the main focus now. Apo had actually lain all the necessary ingredients out on the counter before the others managed to get down to him so now it was just a matter of getting things going.
“Just like the old days.” She was grinning ear to ear now. Apo nodded, chuckling softly as he headed over to the other side of the room, collecting a few old aprons. Graecie had helped Spidey make some as a gift during the early days and any time that the trio would bake those aprons never seemed to be far, Apo tossed each respective one over, Rasbi’s had a subtle pink shade to it and stitched onto the pocket with a dark mahogany colour was her name, the respective fruit from her nickname was sewn onto it. Owen’s had a lighter orange shade, his name sewn in a darker orange with a green leaf poking over the O, an orange was sewn just. Apo threw his apron over his head last, his had a reddish tint to it, the stitching done in darker red with the apple placed beside his name. Three matching aprons, now they were slightly worn and frankly a bit dusty but they were still loved nonetheless.
“Yup pretty much! So…are you in for some….baking?” Apo picked up a wooden spoon, pointing it directly at them both. They had technically both agreed now but it was still a laugh.
“Of course I am. Still have to make the ones we never got round to baking.” She nudged Owen’s shoulder and of course he nodded as well, they had planned to before everything went wrong but he was trying not to think of that now.
“Exactly, besides it’ll be good to spend time together again. It’s been too long.”
And with that they began to get to work on the few goods they had specifically planned for. Apo was very particular about getting to make the cheesecake and the ‘apo’ pie. So they started with the pie first, each working on their own respective jobs. Apo and Rasbi stuck to one side of the countertops, cutting up apples and setting up the sugar filling mix. While Owen stuck to the other side, preparing the dough in a different bowl. While he was doing that though he found his eyes drifting to the bag of flour as a semi-mischievous idea struck him. He continued to act as normal, taking a first handful of flour to place on the side to make sure the dough didn’t stick to the counter top. When he reached over for the second handful no one actually questioned it, which gave him more than enough time to act. Owen took a hefty handful of the flour and without wasting another second, he threw it straight at Apo.
He heard the subtle yelp and coughing as the powder managed to hit his target. Owen could hear subtle spluttering and wafting at the flour which was now everywhere. He had to hold back his laughter as best he could, though it didn’t last long as he heard a shrill voice calling at him.
“Hey” Apo didn’t hesitate either, leaning over to snatch a handful of flour too before full force pelting it back at Owen. After only a few throws it looked as though there was a thin layer of snow covering the ground, though it wasn’t. Rasbi was just laughing at the both of them. Owen coughed, brushing as much of the dust out of his eyes as physically possible, ready to throw yet another handful when Rasbi intervened.
“Okay okay, let's call a truce…after all. Last few touches and everything is ready to bake.” They managed to finish everything up without starting any more major food fights, getting the cheesecake and the pie in the oven without further issue.
They set up some makeshift bean bag seats as they waited, deciding it would be easier to just stay down in the bunker to enjoy the final baked goods. While there wasn’t a lot of chatter during that time, Owen appreciated just spending some time with them. He noticed the small nagging regret pulling at him, he knew that he was going to have to make a choice in the next few days. He couldn’t keep the act up forever. But for now he was happy too. Tomorrow would be the last day he kept things quiet, either it would be it or he would have to make that tough call. And looking between the others, his family. He was starting to get the feeling that he knew which option he was going to go with. After a while the baked goods were removed from the oven, and they all sat down with a slice of pie, they had decided to save the cheesecake for later.
They sat there in the warmth of the bunker for what felt like hours, just talking through things. And Owen couldn’t help but take a mental photograph of it all, thinking back to his promise. That he was going to fight this. He smiled. One more day, it wasn’t going to be that hard of a decision.
“You know. It's been a while since I’ve said it.” He glanced between the both of them. “You guys are some of the best family I could ask for. Thank you for today.”
Rasbi leant over to gently nudge at his arm and Apo sat there with a huge smile on his face.
“Awww. Well I’m glad we’re all together again now. Love you guys..” Rasbi spoke happily and Owen couldn’t help but think about how nice the moment actually was. It’d be a day he remembered for a very long time.
Chapter 12: == CHAPTER TWELVE ==
Summary:
And for a moment Owen thought he was here to ask him about what he had wanted to tell him, about how he said he wasn’t ready to talk but he would be in a couple days. Suddenly that pressure was back on his shoulders again, frankly he wasn’t actually ready to tell Apo yet. He wanted to spend a little bit more normal time with him and Rasbi before dropping that big of a bombshell. Though he did hum, nodding ever so slightly.
“I was wondering. Out there I found this fishing spot , it’s pretty nice. Not too far from where me and Redd were staying. Maybe you, me and Rasbi could head out there later? The doors only just opened and honestly it’s nice getting to see you both again so figured it was worth asking.”Some nightmares happen, a clearing member is struggling to make a decision and hold onto a horrible secret and once again we get some fruit trio fluff.
Notes:
Ohhh we're getting into it now....
This chapter is a bit shorter but that is mostly because it's two pieces split up, the next chapter will pick up with the campfire. Most likely the penultimate chapter, though that will depend on how long the one after that is. I have the ending in mind. I just need to write it down, it's crazy that we're back here again. Close to the end of this fic...though there's a whole world to be explored.
I said this series would have three works...welp. That's now five. Potentially six if people want a prequal for Cherry, Rasbi and Owen but we'll see..This one took a bit, uni shedule is pretty busy at the moment but I'm aiming to have this fic done for the middle of February.
Again thank you all for the support up to now, I've loved reading and responding to all the comments. Enjoy this chapter, I'm starting the next one ASAP!!
Last thing if you have any theories for this work or future pieces feel free to hurl them at me, I will happily read through. With that, here's the next chapter, enjoy :DDAlso slight TW: Minor blood and injury mentions during the start of this chapter.
Chapter Text
From what he could tell he was back in the den again. The space was practically shrouded in darkness as he came too, eyes slowly shifting around, taking in his surroundings. The first thing he knew was that there was pain. His eyes slowly wandered down towards his leg, where he could see scratches. The fabric of his trouser leg was shredded worse now than it had been before and there was a subtle line across the ground from where he must have dragged himself away. His breathing hitched as he went to take another drag backwards only to be met with the rustling of leaves and the sharp prod of branches against his back. His eyes darted back up, trying to figure out what to do. The blood from his leg was a darker black colour, Soup’s words flooded back into his mind. Frostbite metaphors for dying skin, for spots where toxin was slowly killing him. He took a breath, he couldn’t remember walking here. He couldn’t remember leaving Apo and Rasbi but then the more he thought about it he couldn’t remember much at all. He just knew that he was here now, the likelihood being that this sickness was starting to take over more than he thought it would. He never had been much of a sleepwalker.
Owen kept nervously glancing around, trying to find anything which could get him back to his feet. Anything which could aid him enough that he could get out of there and back home without any more issues. Though his search didn’t give him much hope, his backpack was tossed ahead of him. Too far for him to simply reach over and grab it, and even when he did try to put pressure on his leg it just buckled under the pressure. Causing him to scream momentarily, eyes clenching shut briefly. That was until he heard the first metal claw clunk against the ground ahead, just behind the corner. He continued to desperately try to shuffle back, each movement causing the branches to shift and rustle, a noise which wasn’t helping him any more than his leg was. He was praying that the creature would just turn around and leave, would crawl back into its den and ignore his existence all together. Anything to avoid it turning that corner, anything to avoid facing the fact that the second it did he was screwed. A small part of him wanted to scream for help, to see if anyone would come and help him, drag him away. But he bit his tongue, knowing the second he cried out the thing would be upon him in a second. His best hope would be to get up and run, but he couldn’t.
Each steady clang made him face that reality head on. The shadow of the thing got closer until it edged around the corner, slowly crawling towards him. The heavy metal claws dragging across the stone ground. Owen’s heart was racing more, his hands suddenly getting significantly more clammy as it made its advance. He wanted to get home, he wanted to see the others again, he’d only just gotten Apo and Rasbi back. It wasn't fair to just leave them like this, it wasn’t fair at all. He wanted to see Graecie and keep his promise, he wanted to see Magic one more time. Gods. He wanted to go home. Owen can feel a small dampness under his eyes, he didn't move to stop the small tears. Simply watching as the creature growls guterally in his direction. Clearly aware that he’s there. He takes a slow breath. Watching as the claw rises. His eyes widening in pure horror as the stinger shines in the slight light from the area and without any more warning it strikes down towards him.
Owen doesn’t know how he manages not to scream. He just knows that he is shooting up from the beanbag chair within a second, sweat clinging to the back of his neck. His heart pounding heavily as he took odd, steady breaths to try and calm himself. His eyes darted around the space, trying to judge if he was in fact still back there. But it doesn’t take him too long to realise that he’s still down in the bunker. His breaths shook with the odd cough, his chest only feeling tight as he tried to remain calm. It was just a nightmare, one which felt so horrifically real he genuinely believed he was there. He could see Rasbi and Apo still sat in their own respective ‘chairs’, fast asleep. He ran a hand through his hair, steadying himself as he sat back down briefly.
He was okay, he was safe and most importantly he was alive. No creature had caught him…though he supposed that part wasn’t entirely true. Either way he knew that things were alright for now. His heart eventually stopped racing quite so hard and he was able to relax again, smiling at his two, completely still friends. He supposed they likely wouldn’t be awake for a little while so he got to his feet and decided to head home to get Puddy some food.
Before heading out he made sure to sort everything out he would need to. Taking the blanket they must have rested over him off of the ground and folding it back up to place on top of the bean bag chair, cleaned up the few messy bowls they had left behind and wrote out a very rough note explaining where he was in the event that they did wake up before he got back. With that he headed over to the ladder and made his way back up to the surface, heading out into the clearing Owen realised pretty quickly that while it was the morning it was only the very early hours of it. The sun was just about to rise over the walls, light streaks of pink and orange began to blend through the darker blues and the stars were beginning to go out of view. The clearing was still asleep, the odd light was still on but most buildings were still shrouded in relative darkness. Owen made sure he wandered slowly, quietly taking each step as and when he needed to, glancing around at his surroundings. Honestly he’d forgotten how serene the clearing could be at night, when you broke it down to just the grass and the walls it could be quite peaceful. The path was simple, except for the fact that the pain in his leg was getting more and more noticeable with each step. A nagging sensation which pulled and twisted and clawed through his skin, crawling up past the sting area. Tomorrow he knew he was going to have to make the call, this couldn’t continue for much longer, he knew that. It was part of the reason he was trying to savour these moments of quiet peace and calm, the moments where he could just wander along and weigh up his options. Making it back to his door Owen knew there wasn’t much point in feeding Puddy quite so early, there was still a chance the pig would be asleep too. Instead he opted to head inside and drop his backpack off by his bed, quietly looking through one of the chests in his room until he retrieved a mug and some coffee. He prepared the mug, heading out towards the tent where a regular campfire was still flickering away.
He sat himself down by the fire, getting himself as comfortable as he could on one of the old rickety wooden chairs. He held the mug between his hands, holding it just close enough to the flames that the drink would warm up. Once it was boiling and the steam was rising he took it away, leaning back against the chair. He could feel the exhaustion pulling at him then, not just a usual lack of sleep but the sort of exhaustion which drags at your nerves, the kind which is hard to ignore. Hard to fight. He sat there, taking steady sips of the coffee and watching the sky for a while. Watching as the colours blended together and faded overtime, the sunrises here were arguably quite nice even with the ominous presence of the walls. He took a breath, staring straight through the blue colours which were beginning to peek through. A small part of him wondered if Cherry was watching, what she would be telling him now. He imagined it would be some scolding, some lecture about how he needed to take his injury more seriously ....part of him wondered if her and Graecie would have gotten on well. Gods know the usual worrying would be dialed up a ton. He chuckled softly to himself, smiling ever so subtly at the thought. He could hear quiet footsteps heading in his direction though, boots crunching over grass as whoever it was made their way over. Owen glanced in the direction and once again was met with Apo.
“Morning.” The demon nodded at him, smiling softly as he sat down beside him. “I got your note. I think you figured it out well enough but you managed to fall asleep before us last night so we got you set up and then we ended up falling asleep too.” He chuckled quietly, holding his hands in front of the campfire. Humming briefly.
Owen nodded, taking a sip of his coffee, enjoying the peaceful moment.
“Yeah I had an idea..blanket and all. Sorry for just heading out, I didn’t want to wake you both up. Rasbi gets home okay?” He assumed if Apo were here now then Rasbi was likely awake as well. His assumption had to be close enough as he was rewarded with a subtle nod in response.
Though Owen could tell there was definitely something else on his mind, his friend was sitting there watching the flames. A small but noticeable quiet fell over the space.
“So…”
And for a moment Owen thought he was here to ask him about what he had wanted to tell him, about how he said he wasn’t ready to talk but he would be in a couple days. Suddenly that pressure was back on his shoulders again, frankly he wasn’t actually ready to tell Apo yet. He wanted to spend a little bit more normal time with him and Rasbi before dropping that big of a bombshell. Though he did hum, nodding ever so slightly.
“I was wondering. Out there I found this fishing spot , it’s pretty nice. Not too far from where me and Redd were staying. Maybe you, me and Rasbi could head out there later? The doors only just opened and honestly it’s nice getting to see you both again so figured it was worth asking.”
Owen blinked. It wasn’t entirely what he was expecting to come from this conversation, honestly he was expecting the secret he had managed to keep quiet for about a week or so to come spilling out and for everything to go to hell. He wasn’t totally certain that running around the maze was the best idea, to be blunt he wasn’t even sure he would be able to run, what with his current predicament seeming to only get worse with each passing day. The last thing he wanted to do was push his luck and collapse in the middle of the maze. That would be the worst way to ‘explain’ the issue at hand. Though he thought about it, he wanted to spend more time with them both before telling them. Before asking what to do, because he kept taking this decision like a jump rope. Certain one moment and unsure the next.
He was quiet. Though eventually he smiled.
“You know what, yeah. That sounds lovely actually. I can pack a small bag quickly if you want to go and grab Rasbi?”
He got to his feet, hand still holding onto the back of the chair to ensure that he stayed on his feet, not fumbling at all. As he was about to walk away Apo spoke again.
“Hey, I’m not going to press you on it but..you sure you’re okay? You just seem distant.” The concern lacing his concern was obvious. A heavy weight to every single word.
The older man took a breath, thumb brushing over the patches of wood as he was quiet for a moment. He could tell him, but he knew now wasn’t the time.
“I just had a weird dream. One of those realistic ones, it jumped me a bit. I know I said we’d talk in a couple days and I’m holding myself to that, but tomorrow. Okay?”
Apo’s eyes still had that glimmer of concern but he did not slowly.
“Okay. Well hey, hopefully this takes your mind on whatever’s going on up there ok. I’m here when you want to talk.”
Owen hummed softly, smiling though he was having to fight back whatever tears threatened to spill in that moment. He just coughed lightly, using it as an opportunity to look away.
“Yeah. Thank you Apo, seriously.” Owen took a deep breath as he began to head towards his house again. “I’ll get my stuff together. See you in ten.”
Once he was inside his house though his composure shattered, he sank to the ground. Sitting there for a moment, hardly making a sound as the warm tears trickled along his face. He just stared at the ground, thinking about it all. This was all going to a point, there were two paths splitting from this moment. He was holding on but he knew that time was wearing thin. Truthfully he knew this one trip could be one of the last times he actually headed into the stone labyrinth, or at the very least be one of the last times for some months. He ran a hand through his hair. Taking a very steady breath he dragged himself up, he had ten minutes give or take to sort everything out. Firstly he made a quick effort to change his bandages again, doing his best to ignore the fact that those subtle dark veins were suddenly significantly darker, more noticeable against the ever paling skin. Then he packed the bag he said he would, a simple backpack consisting of a bottle of water, a slightly older beaten looking fishing rod and a few dried snacks to get him through the day in the event that they spent longer in the maze than expected and then lastly he headed around the back of his house to head over to Soup’s house to get his dose of medicine. He had briefly considered just trying to make do without it but considering how things could go horribly from there he decided against that, though he didn’t stay long. Only stopping in briefly to pick the bottle up and head back out again.
By the time he made it back though the other two were sitting comfortably waiting by the gates. Rasbi had her own fruit trio backpack sitting on her shoulders and if you didn’t think about it too much you could argue that things were exactly how they left them. As though Apo had never been gone to begin with. He chuckled, heading over. Rasbi waved at him as he got closer, while Apo just had a small smile on his face. He was going to be leading the way this time, ensuring that they actually ended up where they needed to and not off in some random part of the maze. Standing there Owen couldn’t help but notice how Apo had replaced his lever now, with it feeling actually normal to have it back up there now. The three of them reached over, flipping their respective levers before heading in. Though immediately upon heading in Owen realised this wasn’t going to be a complete cake walk, his pace was somewhat slower than the other two. Trailing behind as they took the odd corner and headed through the corridors, he found himself pushing his pace just a little more. Trying not to draw too much attention to the fact that a normal walk was managing to tire him out ever so slightly. The medicine was helping with the pain but it wasn’t completely stopping the effects of the toxin taking force, which was the obvious problem. Time. And his severe, complete and utter lack of it.
Owen was doing his best to ignore that fact though, spending today with his friends was supposed to be a good time. A time before his life would return back to being a fight. He wasn’t even going to entertain the other option in those moments.
After a while of walking, gentle conversation and light laughter Apo managed to point ahead to a small turn which led to a ledge of sorts, below was a section entirely full of water and just from a glance Owen was able to see some of the fish swimming around. The walls entirely encased the section, essentially leaving it as an otherwise normal dead end, ivy draped down each side. Owen and Rasbi were the ones to really glance around at their surroundings, taking in the area. It wasn’t much but they could understand why he would come here, for the middle of a death maze it was rather serene. Each of them got situated, carefully sitting on the ledge which leant down towards the water. It took a few minutes for them to actually set up the equipment but then they were ready.
From there it was simple. Apo had taught them the basics of fishing a while ago so there were some basic words exchanged over what would need to be done, since it had been a while since those days.
“We got here at the perfect time actually.” Apo hummed, methodically hooking a piece of bait onto the end of the fishing hook. Taking his time so that the other two could copy if they needed to. “Normally they’re out in the mornings or the evenings, for food. Dawn and Dusk are best but the doors only just opened so…not too bad.”
Rasbi chuckled, nodding ever so slightly as she managed to hook a piece of bait as well. “Just like the old days then…Out here fishing.”
Owen hummed as well, managing to sort his own piece of bait out after a little more of a struggle. Before they actually caught anything they placed a bucket they had brought with them down beside them, prepping it for the event they actually managed to catch anything. Depending on what they were trying to do they would either keep the fish or let them free again, sometimes it came down to whether or not they needed the supplies. Today it wasn’t utterly necessary to keep everything they caught, though it wouldn’t hurt to haul in some supplies. Initially nothing seemed to cross their paths, despite it being a closed off area it was still taking time. Though inevitably they were able to get a bite.
Rasbi was first, reeling her line in suddenly as something pulled at it. Apo cheered, trying to keep somewhat quiet so as not to entirely spook any other fish they might want, though it didn’t take too long before the fish was dragged from the water and carefully tossed into the bucket. That was how most of their day went, with Apo catching more cod and Owen managing to get a few salmon. Rasbi wasn’t doing too bad either, gathering a reasonable mix.
“You know there’s a golden one.” Apo said plainly as they continued, aiming to catch a couple more before they headed out. His comment ended up rewarding him with a few small side eyes from the others, Owen and Rasbi looking confused and rather disbelieving. The demon hummed, nodding, not taking his eyes off the water. Though he did tilt their head in his friend’s direction.
“I’m serious, I’ve only seen it once or twice but it is out there. Redd didn’t believe me but I’ve seen it. I think you guys would find it pretty cool if we were to find it.”
Owen thought about it, he could see the glimmer of pure interest and curiosity in his friend’s eye so he agreed. Maybe they could find it one day, if they had the chance to.
“I think it would be. The rare golden fish….” He tried to picture it, though he could hear Rasbi chuckling softly from beside him.
“Gold scales or fish made of solid gold?” She was chuckling to herself, working on reeling in another salmon when Apo reached over and lightly shoved her shoulder.
“Not a solid gold one…god.” He was laughing though.
However by mid-day the trio was pretty sure they had managed to catch a good enough hall, the sun was beginning to pass the centre line of the walls and they decided it was probably best to head back in advance. Something which would give them plenty of time to cook up a good lunch.
They headed back towards the campfire where Owen had been sitting earlier that morning, the fire continued to gently rise. Embers flickering up the wooden planks and logs which were left behind. It wasn’t the strongest fire they had but it was one that never did them wrong, something which was only furthered by the three of them setting up their haul to cook a decent fishy dinner. One fish each was enough, the rest could be set up into storage.
“It’s getting colder now anyway so uh…might actually be easier to store them.” Rasbi commented, carefully turning her fish over as it cooked over the flames. Apo hummed, coming to the same conclusion. There was no denying that winter was coming in, steadily. It could snow any day, that would be the interesting part. They’d not had any particularly heavy snow yet, the odd flicker here and there. But this time around things were noticeably getting colder, a hefty chill in the air. It was partially why this fire had been blazing for so long, because it was central. Anyone who needed it could get to it without concern.
Owen hummed as well, taking his fish off from the heat. Taking a decent bite from it.
“Yeah get some barrels out here and you’ve got all the cold storage you want….sooner or later.”
Things got quiet again after that, each of them focusing on finishing their fish. The wind continued to whistle past them until finally Rasbi spoke up again.
“So. You two have had ideas for today, I think it’s my turn to give a suggestion.”
Both of them raised their eyebrows, curiosity wavering for a second. They gave her the chance to explain what she was meaning though.
“Seeing as Apo’s back officially now, what if we got everyone together for a campfire, like the old feasts… except a little less…uhhh well. Not like how the last one went.”
Owen smiled, a fond and warm smile. “I think that’s a good idea, really good.” It would be nice to see everyone, or at the very least as many people who would happily show up. Apo however chuckled briefly, his eyes didn’t hold any malice so it wasn’t the entire idea he wasn’t keen on. Just one part of it.
“Maybe not a celebration for just me being back…Wasn’t exactly the best terms I left under.” He shrugged, taking his water bottle from his pack to take a large swig of the cooling drink. “Maybe instead just ... .for all of us being back, for the new leadership being set up and for friendship..I guess?” He wasn’t sure with the last point, but it didn’t actually sound that bad. The clearing had reached a relative middle ground. A point where they were all genuinely willing to work together, despite past attempts crashing and burning there was some hope with this one. Mostly. Owen took his own water bottle from his pack, coughing lightly to clear his throat. He raised the bottle up towards the sky, smiling still.
“To the leadership, to the clearing, to friendship and hey…. To fruit trio. Back together again.” Rasbi followed suit, raising her bottle up. Apo did too until all three of them were joyfully cheering.
“To the fruit trio.”
Chapter 13: == CHAPTER THIRTEEN ==
Summary:
Taking rough blankets and sleeping bags, cushions and spare pillows and only once he was utterly certain he had collected enough did he head back towards the campfire. With Rasbi and Apo’s help they got the last of their side of things sorted and completed, lighting the campfire so that the embers began to overtake each branch. So that eventually there was a roaring fire that everyone could sit around and from there the three of them got comfortable. Sitting to one side of the fire as they waited for everyone else to show up.
Fruit trio hosts a campfire, someone is faced with a choice and stuck between a rock and a hard place they're forced to face the secret they've been trying to hide head on. The penultimate chapter before shit gets real.
Notes:
Ohhh boy this is a big one. It's about 2am as I finish this author's note so it might be a little bare bones.....anywho! Penultimate chapter, I've decided that the next one is just going to be a really long one rather than splitting it up into two. That might take a few days longer to write so bare with me on that one. This has been an amazing journey though so I promise I will have more to say here next time but for now I will simply say thank you for reading up to here, hope you enjoy the chapter!!
Onto the important bit:
TW: Mentions of blood, sickness and suicidal thoughts / ideation.
Please be aware when reading it gets rough towards the end, once he heads into the maze. Though the theme is present throughout the chapter so just be aware of that.
Chapter Text
The rest of the day went by in a blur, Rasbi had almost immediately headed off to go and talk with people to get things organised. Leaving Apo and Owen to set up anything they might need, they came to the conclusion that while this campfire was good. It definitely wasn’t enough for everyone to sit around comfortably. Which left them the afternoon to set up a new one somewhere that they had the space and get some seats and tables set up. So much for taking it easy, Owen figured if Soup could see all of this going down she would lecture him for a good while. Though he did decide that it was best to not let it come to that, hauling himself up and making his way towards the treeline. Apo followed a little after, having to collect a few axes so that they could actually collect whatever supplies they would need to.
It didn’t take too long to reach the denser parts of the forest, where less trees had been harvested. It left them plenty to work with, enough that they could set up some rough seats and firework; though they both knew it was going to take a few trips at least to set everything up. Apo whistled to Owen, tossing him one of the axes so they could get to work. Each wandered over to a respective tree, raising their axes and bringing them down against the bark.
“So, there’s a good bit of space near the elevator? That could work for the campfire?” Apo asked, raising his axe up again, taking a heavy breath through his nose before bringing it down again. Owen was going through a similar process, though it was hard to ignore that his hits weren’t anywhere as strong as what they normally would be. Each swing was laboured, the tiredness showing. He brought the axe down against the tree, humming as he did so.
“I think that could work. Might be worth setting up the seats first. Just stick to whole logs to make benches?” He asked, seriously hoping that would be the case, chopping up individual seats would be its own effort.
Apo chuckled, striking the tree once more. “Probably a good idea, it won’t take that long for everyone to get together. Are you going to be okay with dragging them over there?” He asked, there was no doubt that he knew something was up with Owen but he couldn’t entirely pinpoint what it was. Not until he would tell him himself.
Owen was quiet for a moment, as though he were fully mulling it over. The elevator was essentially across the clearing, a pretty decent distance over the hilly terrain to drag a whole log. Even with help from Apo that would definitely be something that knocked the energy out of him. He raised the axe once more, feeling the sweat beginning to build at the back of his neck. Owen brought the axe down with some force this time, his own tree beginning to groan a little with the hits. He was just getting to the halfway mark. At least this wasn’t taking too long. He could just push through.
“Yeah. I can do it, besides, I’ve got a helping hand so if it is a pain then you’ve got half too.” Apo chuckled, tilting his head as he continued to work on cutting his tree down. “You’ve got that right. Still, these are going to be heavy. I don’t know about you but I’m taking a break once we’ve got that sorted”
Owen nodded rather simply in response to that, Apo didn’t even know the half of it. He was frankly worried that he was going to need a break halfway into dragging the first log over, let alone once they’d dragged the second one.
Eventually both trees collapsed, the logs crashing down to the ground with heavy hits. The leaves of the surrounding trees shook subtly with the newfound breeze. Though both knew that wasn’t entirely it, next they had to cut the canopy portion of the trees away so they were just left with the main logs. Apo chuckled.
“You know this isn’t what I pictured I’d be doing once I got back.” He wandered over to one tree, leaning over to hack away at the end where most of the leaves and branches were. Owen did the same, both getting to work. The process was definitely taking longer than expected, with the sun having drifted well past the mid day mark. A slight darkness was beginning to set in, leaving room for the sunset. The sounds of the metal hacking against the wood echoed through the forest for a while.
“Well hey, it could be worse right?” Owen commented, just trying his best to ignore how his forehead was beginning to feel warmer. Exhaustion working its way through his body. This wasn’t it, they had to drag them yet, then collect the firewood.
Apo hummed. “It could be….could be back in the prison…”
Owen glanced back towards him. “Hey. It’s alright, that’s behind us now. Onto better days right?”
The demon nodded, though there was a definite doubt to his expression. They still hadn’t had that talk yet, still hadn’t discussed that those better days would likely be tinted with regret. That those better days were going to be shrouded with struggle and turmoil, maybe there would be better days. It just wasn’t going to be an instant thing. Would it?
“Yeah. Gods…. You wish you went with Rasbi too? This is exhausting.”
Owen snorted. “Don’t you know it.”
Of course once that was dealt with there came the matter of actually dragging the logs across the clearing. Both agreed that lifting them was out of the question entirely, so it was a matter of carefully pushing them through the grass and over to the spot they had agreed upon. Owen took a breath, preparing himself because he knew that this was going to be significantly more difficult. He took the simple part of the job, while Apo was the one cautiously walking backwards. At first he hadn’t minded the idea of doing it himself but he quickly realised that if he were to have done it then he absolutely would’ve fallen over, there was no doubt in his mind that it would end horrifically. So once they were sure of who was doing what they got to work. Slowly and agonisingly dragging the hefty log through the clearing. Owen wasn’t entirely keeping track of time but he knew that it took a lot longer than they had hoped for. His vision flickering with darkness every few steps, each moment of forcefully pushing it through the grass more difficult than the last. Each step shooting fresh waves of pain through his leg, he didn’t like the realisation that the medicine wasn’t working as much as it usually did. That things were no doubt getting worse than what they had been before. Occasionally they would get glimpses of Rasbi, darting around the clearing and knocking on doors and the smallest part of him wished he had taken that job instead. But he ignored it, just continuing to push the log forwards until they reached a point they were happy with. There was no ignoring the heavy breaths which left his lungs once it was in place though, he took a seat on the log, leaning over and breathing through his nose. Apo sitting in the grass not too far away. Both could see the sunset beginning to set in, they knew they couldn’t wait around for too long, there was still one left to drag over as well as whatever firewood they’d need. Though neither made the move to get back up first, each too tired. That was until Rasbi wandered over in their direction. Chuckling softly to herself.
“Uhhh, you guys still alive over here?”
Apo rewarded her question with a simple thumbs up and Owen did the exact same, both too tired to actually move. Though inevitably Owen dragged himself up, if he stayed there any longer he would fall asleep and he wasn’t doing that. It was too risky now. He held his hand out to Apo.
“Come on. One more, we’ve got this right.” Apo didn’t entirely look convinced but he did take the hand, dragging himself back to his feet and following Owen back through the treeline. Despite knowing that time was fleeting Owen’s steps were slow, he couldn’t ignore how his arms were shaking and how his ears were subtly ringing now. The breaths he took were steady but they rattled through his ribcage. He watched as Apo overtook him, taking one end of the tree in his hands nodding for Owen to take the other end. He did, but not before wiping at his nose. He didn’t look at it, didn’t look at what he already knew would be there. Instead he just opted to keep his head down and push. The log dragged through the grass, following the same path they had taken before. He could feel the crimson warmth against his top lip and each time Apo glanced behind him to make sure he was heading in the right direction Owen took the opportunity to swipe the blood away with his shoulder. Until finally they made it back, positioning the log beside the other one.
The soldier sat down against the wood, bracing his elbows against his knees. Resting his head against his arms he took heavy breaths. Biting back the darkness which swirled against his vision for the second time. Apo said something about heading back to collect the firewood, though he didn’t catch it entirely. Barely able to process the words without hearing the dreaded ringing. He was certain that if he didn’t get it under control then he would pass out. His head was swirling, his stomach churning as a fresh level of nausea built up. The sweat hadn’t subsided either, a thin layer forming over his forehead. It was cooler in the early evening, that didn’t change the fact that he felt as though he were both on fire and utterly frozen all at once. Soup had warned him about this, warned him that pushing himself was only going to make things worse than how they already were. That he needed to rest, he supposed that was something he should’ve listened to. Now he was sitting here, thoroughly regretting his efforts. Even if it made for a good evening, he knew his energy was fleeting. He wasn’t going to be doing much the next day which meant things were getting worse. He closed his eyes momentarily, still trying to get the air into his lungs. He could hear footsteps again but it definitely wasn’t Apo. He quickly wiped whatever blood was still dribbling from his nose as he looked back up, relief washing over him as he was met with Soup. She sat down beside him, keeping her eyes forward as she handed him another bottle of the blue liquid.
“Drink it.” Her tone was serious, like there was obviously something else she wanted to say. Something she was going to hold off on saying until he did drink the potion. Like every other time he carefully popped the cork out, taking a deep breath before tilting his head back and chugging the potion to the best of his abilities. It was heavier, no doubt a stronger solution to the other times. His second dose of the day. All it did was confirm his suspicions.
“Given how I’ve just seen you dragging these over here…I’m assuming you’ve not said anything?” Her words were still serious.
Owen nodded, taking a heavy breath. He still felt somewhat winded. “No. Tomorrow, I’m telling Apo but I don’t know about the others.”
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, Soup began to run her thumb over her other palm. Still not looking right at him yet.
“You need to make your choice tomorrow. I don’t want to rush you but these ingredients are getting lesser here. Which means more trips, trips you can’t do.” She took a heavy breath. “I don’t want to rush you. You know that. But time’s running out, that’s the last bottle I have. It’s a stronger dose but….I’m going to ask you. And I want an honest answer.”
Owen took a breath but nodded quietly, facing the harsh reality of her words. That was the last bottle of medicine, there was no more stalling now.
“....Have they actually been doing anything? Or is it just giving you the energy to get through the day.”
He took a slow breath. “The latter.”
Soup was quiet as she nodded, wiping something from under her eye. They both knew what that meant. If this sickness is not getting better with medicine then the ‘frostbite’ was at the worst stage. Which meant two options. He loses his leg or he dies.
And without another dose he has a day, no more than that to make a decision. He was doing his best to ignore the heavy shaking which wracked his body, how his hands were trembling. Until Soup placed a hand on his wrist. Looking dead at him.
“You have to be honest with yourself here. What do you want to do?”
His eyes only stared at the grass on the ground, thinking about everything which had led him here. He couldn’t say he needed time to think about it anymore, so instead he just took a breath.
“I’ll come to you tomorrow. Let’s just have tonight as one good memory okay.” It was enough of an answer. Soup accepted that was what he wanted for now.
“Okay, but try not to be too late. We still have
some
time left.”
With that she got up, heading back towards her house. Which probably was a good thing, as Apo returned only a few moments later. Carrying an armful of various smaller logs and branches. He carefully dropped them back onto the ground in the centre of where they’d started setting things up and began piling them up to make a rough campfire.
“Soup forget to grab something?” Apo asked briefly, still mostly focused on the ground in front of him. Owen was quiet for a moment, trying to just keep his composure.
“Oh yeah. She said it might be a good idea to get some extra blankets and cushions just in case we don’t have enough seats. She just wanted to talk quickly.” He got to his feet, making sure Apo had the fire covered as he headed off to get some of the other supplies they had discussed. Now making note of how they were going to need those blankets and cushions to keep his story somewhat consistent. Before he could completely head out though Rasbi returned, carrying quite a few bits from the fruit trio bunker. General leftovers from their baking as well as whatever baskets of fish they hadn’t used earlier in the day. He watched her set them up carefully for a moment before deciding to head off for a moment.
Heading into his home he didn’t immediately begin to collect the things he needed. Instead he sat there, on the edge of his bed messing with the laces on his boot. Untying them slowly, carefully dragging the shoe off and resting it on the ground. He wasn’t sure if looking over the wound again was the best idea, he knew what he was going to be looking at. So he didn’t. Instead he just slowly, carefully unwound the bandages. Leaving them on the ground before pulling the boot back on again. After today it wasn’t going to matter if he hid it anyway. He had a plan in mind. A way to finally decide what he wanted to do with all of this. It wasn’t entirely foolproof of course, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. If it was staring him in the face ready to claim his life, then he was prepared to fight it or to welcome it open armed. But being here wasn’t making that choice easy, no matter how much he claimed he was ready to fight it. He’d been hiding it for a reason. Tonight was a nice night, a good memory. He got back to his feet, pushing away whatever emotions threatened to cloud his judgement as he began to collect the supplies. Taking rough blankets and sleeping bags, cushions and spare pillows and only once he was utterly certain he had collected enough did he head back towards the campfire. With Rasbi and Apo’s help they got the last of their side of things sorted and completed, lighting the campfire so that the embers began to overtake each branch. So that eventually there was a roaring fire that everyone could sit around and from there the three of them got comfortable. Sitting to one side of the fire as they waited for everyone else to show up.
Magic and Graecie were the first to arrive, Magic was skipping ahead as usual with a large smile on her face as she went to sit in the grass. Graecie wasn’t far behind her, smiling too. It was clear she was carrying a few large pitchers of coffee for everyone to have a little, for the moment she set them down on one of the logs. Heading over to Apo, he looked slightly nervous but she simply opened her arms. Engulfing him in a warm hug.
“I’m glad you’re still with us, friend.” There was no denying that there were some subtle tears in the corners of his eyes upon realising that people weren’t as furious with him as he remembered. His ‘death’ had more of an effect on people than he’d considered. Eventually she did pull away, going to sit back down besides Magic. Reaching over to pour, each of the people already present a cup of coffee. She chuckled softly as she did.
“You know it’s nice seeing you three back being friends again, you weren’t really yourselves without each other. It’s nice.”
Owen and Rasbi nodded first, they had no doubt in their minds it had been difficult. They’d tried to lean on each other’s shoulders but at the time they had their own ways of dealing with things, shutting themselves away for a while. Though now they were swearing they wouldn’t repeat that, they were going to try to rely on each other. Owen couldn’t help but acknowledge the guilt he felt with that moment. He didn’t dwell on it for long, mostly because more people were beginning to filter in.
From there Soup and Guts arrived, both seemed relatively cheery. There was an obvious weight to the potion maker’s shoulders, though she hid it as best as she could. Keeping a soft smile on her face. Guts was carrying a couple of stuffed pumpkins, they explained that Soup had helped out with them earlier in the day. From what they explained that had started almost immediately after Rasbi had gone to talk to them individually. Owen had no doubt in his mind that was when Soup must have made the dose, likely the second Rasbi had mentioned who was doing half of the heavier lifting. Guts also headed off briefly but returned moments later with a cheesecake, insisting that Owen had a little bit. They had made the dish a few times for him during the long months and he really had appreciated every time, this was no different. It was a very good cheesecake. Then Mohwee and Oeca showed up, slightly shoving each other the entire way along. They carried their own food, from what he could see it looked to be steak and potatoes. Their usual go to dish whenever they decided to cook, Owen remembered a time when he had tried a portion during the early days and he had to say they definitely weren’t bad cooks. He didn’t take any, politely declining when they sat down and offered. He’d been sticking to a vegetarian diet ever since the creature had made its way into the clearing and he wasn’t about to break that.
Though he was morbidly curious as to what cows Oeca must have gone after, he knew Graecie was likely thinking the same thing as she quietly side eyed the two guys. Turning to face him she simply shook her head, mouthing at him.
‘If it’s Dandelion I swear I will not let him hear the end of it.’
Owen nearly snorted the coffee through his nose, biting back a laugh, he knew she wasn’t kidding. If Oeca laid a hand on her pet cow there would be a level of rage in the clearing he frankly would be terrified to see. She chuckled too, smiling as she took a sip of her coffee.
More people streamed in from there, Squidney and Spidey wandered over bringing their own cushions to get comfortable. Ayngel and Krow headed over too. And then Kyle and Acho showed up last. It was weird seeing almost everyone again, even though Redd was out there somewhere and Bek was likely still out in the maze…it was nice having most people sitting around comfortably. Light chatter going around as various pieces of food people had brought were passed amongst everyone. Spidey had managed to find some marshmallows and was happily sharing them out with people so that they could toast them, Graecie had made some fresh cookies for people too. There were noodles and pasta which had been made by Ayngel, Owen actually stuck to those for the most part though he didn’t mind taking a few marshmallows from Spidey.
Magic actually decided to make a few rough smores with her supplies, something which spread around the campfire with most people taking one. Things were going significantly better than past attempts, it was really beginning to feel as if they were one whole clearing rather than fragments of groups.
Ayngel spoke up after a little while, glancing around at everyone.
“"This reminds me of home. It's lovely. Thank you for organising it, everyone." She was smiling. A genuine warm smile, one that most people hadn’t seen from her for some time. A smile which was actually shared by almost everyone from the second clearing, a small glimpse of how life was before.
Krow actually raised its own coffee mug upwards slightly. “You know what, yeah. This isn’t bad. I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot but I think we can actually make this work. Be a proper group or whatever.” Though it was acting as though it didn’t care, there was still enough of a smile on its face. “Here’s to the future.”
“Yeah glad to have you here bozo!” Oeca shouted over towards it, causing a few people around the fire to laugh. Though the laughter was eventually replaced by the sounds of clinking mugs and light chatter once more.
As things got darker people finished off their main foods, the last of the marshmallows were passed around between everyone and Rasbi and Apo ran off to go and collect some cocoa for the group. Graecie shuffled over to sit beside Owen for a bit, she lightly nudged his shoulder.
“Y’know I meant it. You seem more like yourself again with those two back. I’m happy you’re doing a bit better. And thanks for running this, I know it was you three’s idea to do this today. It’s nice. Really nice.”
Owen smiled too, taking a slow and steady sip of his coffee.
“Yeah….they’re like family. You don’t realise how much you need people until you lose them, I’m just lucky I managed to get them back.”
Graecie nodded, leaning against his shoulder a bit. She was like an older sister to him at times, always checking in when he needed her. He felt his shoulders relax a little, knowing that whatever came from that night. He couldn’t argue that his time had been well spent.
“And hey, if we’re talking family. I’ve still got an older sister figure right next to me….even if I’m actually older.”
She laughed a little, shaking her head. “God, this clearing’s come far from those first days huh…”
Owen nodded once more. That it had. Eventually Rasbi and Apo returned, passing out separate cups of hot cocoa for everyone. The stars began to glimmer in the sky above them, a perfect night. As the flames continued to burn away, people began to share their stories from their time within the maze. Oeca and Mohwee recollecting the time where he had gone missing for the hundred days and while there had been a time where he was furious and frustrated about the experience instead they simply chuckled. Acting as though they were merely brothers who had a mild disagreement instead of one being accused of trying to kill the other.
“We were headed down the corridor..” Mohwee recounted dramatically, glancing around at everyone. Most people knew what had happened though there were still people who didn’t. “When we managed to catch one of the tripwires in the first corridor, I was down for the count. Everything was in pure chaos..this one blocked the way off which if you asked me didn’t help his case.” He shoved Oeca’s shoulder, chuckling as he did.
“Yeah well hey, I was trying to stop people from seeing something they weren’t ready to see. They seriously thought I was going to kill you…dude.”
Mohwee shook his head.
“Nah nah, only way you’re killing any of us is if you start playing that fucking knife game again man.”
Owen wouldn’t lie he had almost forgotten those games, where Oeca would happily throw a knife into the sky and wait for it to fall. The aim of the game being to avoid getting stabbed, frankly it was wild. Though at the end of the day Oeca was still young, he was a good mapper at the end of the day. Not a murderer.
“Anyway. I don’t remember running out into the maze but by the time I made it back…Boom! There was this huge ass wall in the way stopping me getting home. I came back once and Owen managed to get a weapon and some food to me but god.” He shook his head. “A hundred days surviving on scallions sucked.”
They shared some shorter stories until Mohwee stood up again.
“Hey, uh. I know we’re being light hearted tonight but I did wanna say quick.” He took a breath, glancing around at all the familiar faces. At the people he’d gotten to know over the last few years. “It’s good to see we’re actually getting a sense of community here. We’re working together now, trusting each other. Even if it’s small steps it’s in the right direction. We’re going to get out of here soon. I know it. Thanks for this. It’s a reminder of what we’ve got to fight for, what we’ve got to come next. Here’s to us and the hellish road ahead.”
There was cheering once more as everyone raised their cups to the sky, cheering for the future. For the journey to come. Owen felt that hope rise in his chest once again and then felt it fall as quick as it had risen. He knew it would come down to the morning. So he sat back for the time being, trying to just make the most of the time while it lasted.
Everyone sat around after that with their warm drinks chatting for hours. Story after story was passed around, both clearings telling tales from the lives they lived. The occasional laugh would cut through the conversation, it was lovely. After a while people started trickling away, tired and ready to turn in for the night. Owen found himself getting ready to set his plan in motion. Most people had spent their time around the campfire until the early hours of the morning so it wasn’t going to take too long for the doors to open, he would just have to wait for a while longer. Eventually he took the initiative and he pushed himself up, with another yawn.
"I'm going to turn in for the night, but thanks for this it was nice" he smiled walking in the direction of his house, though once he was sure that he was out of sight he headed for the doors.
He had to lurk behind the specific walls they had built around the doors to ensure he stayed out of sight of anyone that might decide to walk by. The sun was starting to rise by that point so he made damn sure he was ready. Owen wasn’t sure if he was going to do anything stupid, but he knew if the fight was leaving him then it was going to be his choice. And if he was still holding onto the fight then it was fine, he could walk back and go to Soup like it had never happened. But he knew that if he sat and waited any longer then he would crack, the choice wouldn’t be his and gods it was just cruel. Seeing their faces every day, making promises he knew deep down he wouldn’t be able to keep without making a massive sacrifice.
When the doors began to open he didn’t hesitate, slipping past through them and walking right into the maze. Little did he know that he wasn’t the only person in the maze in the early morning.
Owen wasn’t entirely sure where he was walking, he had a rough idea. There was the water spot just past clearing two, a place far enough from the clearing that it could be just him and his thoughts. He wasn’t quick by any means, his breaths rugged and slow. He was coughing more now as he walked. The sun rose quicker than he walked and for a while the ringing overtook more than his thoughts. He figured it had to have been about an hour before he made it to the section, the water crashing down into one clear point from various pipes. He assumed it must be some form of filtration point. It was one hell of a drop. His eyes were focused on the water, the noise was loud enough that it managed to drown out the ringing which rattled through his skull. Sweat clung to the back of his neck once more and his hair clung to his face. He knew he was tired. Exhausted even and out here, he supposed it just came down to a few small steps. That faint line he had danced around from the moment he had been stung. He wanted to fight, but he also knew that Soup said taking the leg might not guarantee his life. It could help but it was a risk.
He sighed heavily, eyes fixated on the water. One step.
His foot moved forward that one small step, not enough to go over but enough that he was on the edge of the drop. Another move and he would fall. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to fight whatever riptides lay down there. He was ready to move again when he heard the voice and his eyes jumped back up across the way, staring dead across. Pointedly refusing to turn around and face him.
“Am I interrupting?” Apo was quiet, standing there as though he were a deer caught in headlights. Unsure of whether he should move or not. Though he did speak again, the weight was clear in what he said, every single word heavy and laced with obvious concern. “I think that we need to have that talk now.”
Chapter 14: == CHAPTER FOURTEEN ==
Summary:
Owen kept glancing around, trying to get something from this place. Trying to understand what he was missing, what he could possibly be missing to be stuck here when he spotted it. The figure sitting on the side of the ledge, her white hair flowing. Her red dress was the same one she had worn on that day.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The girl spoke, even though her voice sounded wrong. It sounded like someone else, softer, older…it sounded like home. Owen could only stare in utter confusion as he continued those steps. “And it’s not exactly what you think it is.”
So maybe this was death.
This is the end.
Notes:
Ok holy shit this is weird...
So back in I believe September I had the idea to come back to this silly little series after a good couple years and honestly I cannot emphasise enough how glad I am. Revisiting this story has given me so much more passion to write, it's allowed me to rebuild on a world and toy around with new concepts and work from old ones.
The support has been actually incredible and seeing everyone's comments about my little au has made it all the more fun working on, that being said I knew this was going to drift from the original so if you prefer the original ending that is still out there for people to read.I'm going to start working on the next part of this fic which'll pick up almost immediately after this one in a week or so? Depending how my schedule is looking because this au is only just getting started guys! There is a lot yet to come, some fluff moments some serious, soul crushing angst. But besides that once again, thanks for coming back to read this. Thanks for all the kudos, for reading it, responding to it. Seeing everyone's comments makes my day sometimes, seriously :DD
So for the last time for A leader's bucket list, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyTW: Mentions of suicidal thoughts / ideation, near death, and discussions around loss of limbs. So please be careful when reading, this chapter might be a bit heavy at points. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Of course the seconds which followed were awkward to say the least, an obvious, uncomfortable tension present in the air. Owen didn’t turn around yet, eyes still fixed at the wall across from him. No longer staring at the water and the quick release it was supposed to offer. He knew Apo was standing there, watching him. This hadn’t been how he wanted this to go, hell he didn’t know how this was going to go himself. He figured something would snap him out of it, drag him back and remind him he promised to fight, he didn’t think this would be that thing.
“You followed me?” Owen found himself asking, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say at first. There wasn’t an easy way to explain this, especially since Apo didn’t know why he was there. He didn’t know about the sting at all. He slowly turned to face his friend, his brother. Who’s eyes were laced with a mix of anger and pure, dreaded concern. Fear.
“It’s a good thing I did. What are you doing?” The subtle harshness to his tone was noticeable. Owen took a heavy breath, staring down at the ground. Eyes catching the trouser leg which hid all of the answers to those questions.
“I’ve just been trying to make a decision. Fighting it or not, there’s a lot that you’ve missed. A lot that’s happened in the past few weeks.”
Apo took a breath, stepping closer to reach towards him. Eyes still entirely uncertain.
“Then let's go back okay? Please. We can all talk this through, you’ve got me and Rasbi now. We’ll get help sorted..”
Owen grimaced, eyes still focused on his trouser leg. Knowing the mass of darkened flesh, twisting veins and pain would be staring right back at him. The words Soup said about how taking the leg might not even guarantee survival. This had seemed like his choice, a way to avoid the inevitability of it.
“You don’t understand. It’s not…this isn’t about the clearing, or the responsibility.” Owen knew he couldn’t avoid it anymore.
“Then help me understand Owen. Because I can’t, I won’t let you die here..okay. You’re my brother. Please.”
He took one more breath.
“I don’t think there’s much of a say in it, Apo.”
And with that he knelt down, his hand brushing over the fabric as he pulled it back and up. Rolling his trouser leg up so that it sat against his knee. So that each and every inch of the blackened veins were on show, the present sting mark standing out clear and true. And there was no pretending what it was. Even Apo couldn’t deny that it was bad. His eyes widening as he looked down, only to shoot them straight back up. His face paling even more than it had been moments prior.
“...What the fuck?” He asked, voice seeming to shake again.
Owen didn’t hide it anymore, standing back up as he took a breath.
“A few weeks ago. Me, Mohwee, Squidney and Kyle went to the creature’s den to try and kill one of those things. And it failed and in the process I got stung.” He hated saying it, admitting it to someone else. Admitting that this had been something he was hiding for weeks, something that he was now having to fully face up to. “It hasn’t gotten any better, only worse. Soup says there’s two ways this goes. Either I lose the leg, which doesn’t guarantee I live. And if I do I step back from everything, I don’t know where that leads….”
Apo cut him off then. Eyes no longer meeting his friend’s.
“..Or you die. So, so this. Was just, what to stop it from killing you first?”
Owen shrugged.
“I don’t know. Maybe I wanted that? But I’ve been trying to fight this for weeks, but in the back of my mind I’ve always known there was the possibility it didn’t end well. I guess I came out here to know if I was willing to fight or if I just wanted it to stop.”
He knew Apo wasn’t speaking at first. Then he felt the demon practically slam into him again, arms wrapping around his shoulders. Hugging him as tightly as possible. Owen could feel his eyes beginning to water, the tiredness and exhaustion finally creeping up on him. The burden of keeping things mainly quiet seems to crash down around him for a moment.
“..You could’ve told me. You know I would’ve helped, even if I can’t do much…gods. This whole time.”
Owen nodded, but remained mostly quiet. He knows that realistically there wasn’t anything Apo could do, or could’ve done. He found him four days ago, by that point the sting was practically as bad as it could be. He could feel his ears ringing again, the subtle build of pain pulsing through his leg once again becoming noticeable.
“Yeah. This whole time. I wasn’t going to tell anyone, Soup only knows because..it doesn’t matter but I didn’t want her to blame herself.”
Apo sighed.
“There is so much I want to say. I would call you an idiot but, well I think you know that enough by now. Just. God. Please, if you need someone to tell you what you should do here I can, just fight. Please. You have to, you’ve never given up on anything before, don’t start now.”
Owen chuckled through his nose, he knows that’s not true. There’s plenty of examples of him giving up his leadership, letting the guards drag him away and subsequently dragging Rasbi into this hellscape. Though this time, even if he is exhausted to his very core. His body practically screams at him to rest, to sleep, to do anything besides stay standing. He knows that this time he owes it to them to try.
“Soup wanted me to make my decision before midday. Or before it got too late in the day at the very least. I guess this is that decision….I just wanted this whole thing to end. One way or another but maybe I can hold out a little longer.”
That heavy, tense silence pierced the air again. Of course, the weight of all this was obvious. This had been a quick, horrible decision but it had been one that was obviously coming from the weight of it all, the belief that one way or another he was dying. One way or another, whether it was his choice or not. It was something they were going to have to talk about, though both knew they needed to do that within the clearing because if it was something he had considered then they needed to look out for him more, make sure he was willing to lean on those around him instead of this. Though leaving it too late outside could just cause issues, if they were going to talk about this it had to be a conversation they had somewhere safe.
Apo took his friend’s hand and squeezed it tightly, glancing back up the path.
“Ok. We need to go back then. Now.”
Owen did find himself hesitating but he nodded after a moment, letting Apo lead the way back. His legs carried him as best as they physically could.
He knew that it wasn’t going to last long, even in those moments he could feel his body betraying him. His legs moving slowly forward, even as Apo tried his best to pull him along. The sweat clinging to the back of his neck didn’t seem to shift at all, only getting worse with each passing second. Owen could feel his breaths becoming more and more heavy, rugged. He coughed into his shoulder, eyes immediately catching the blood which stared back at him. It was darker now, splotches seeping through the fabric. He took heavy breaths, trying to keep one foot in front of the other. Even when the sunlight began to feel like it was burning and the exhaustion began to drag at him, Owen just kept telling himself over and over what he had to do. He had to move. He made one more promise, he said he would try to hold out longer. Apo could hear him coughing, he stopped where they were standing. Turning back to stare at him.
Owen knew his vision was getting blurrier with each second, though through that he could see the way his friend’s hand was shaking. How his eyes were wide as he looked over him, it was hard to acknowledge the fact that this was where things had gotten to, how his lips were no doubt tainted with blood and his skin likely looked significantly paler now than it had in the past few days. He took another few steps, hauling Owen’s arm over his shoulder. Taking more of the support once again. They’d only made it to be outside of the second clearing. There was still so far to go.
“Come on.” The way his voice began to tremble once more, he knew there was a chance they didn’t make it back. Owen wasn’t going to say it and neither was Apo, though when they started moving again things were slower once more. It was hard to ignore how his leg practically dragged against the stone. It wasn’t going to get much easier, there was still the portion of wall they would have to climb up and over to even make it through to the jungle again. They could see it up ahead of them, just one of many obstacles which was going to make this so much harder than they would have thought it would be.
Apo was huffing, dragging Owen along as best as he physically could.
“Okay…once we get there just try to keep on your feet. I’ll climb up and pull you up, then once we’re up there I’ll lower you to the other side.”
It was a simple plan, he could respect that. The only thing was it required him to stay on his feet. It required him to have the energy to stay strong even for a few moments, even when his body was screaming at him and his energy was fleeting. He nodded, though he knew. He knew. This was going to take a moment.
When Apo rested him against the wall, the cool stone pressing against the back of his skull, it took him a moment to register that his friend had even begun to make the short climb. His eyes just stared further down the hall, losing focus some ways down. He could only really consider how much effort it was taking to stay on his feet now, maybe it was a cruel irony, choosing to fight, agreeing to hold on a little longer so maybe he could try to live only for the universe to slowly take the chance. He could hear Apo shouting something, trying to get his attention. He was slow when he began to look up at the demon, whose arm was stretched out down over the ledge for him to take. It took all his energy to reach up and take the hand, holding onto it as tightly as he could. Watching as Apo began to drag him up the wall. It took a good moment, Owen knew by this point he was practically a dead weight, most of the energy in his body draining overtime. Every second passing only left him feeling more and more drained.
Once he was at the top of the ledge he lay there briefly, Apo sat beside him trying to catch his breath. Extension from hauling him up there had taken its toll, though they knew they couldn’t rest for long they did both need a moment. Owen could see the dark specks beginning to pool in the corner of his vision once again, the darkness threatening to drag him under once more. He knew, realistically, passing out now would be a death sentence for the both of them. His rapidly deteriorating condition was already bearing an issue but if he fully went under then that would be full dead weight, all resting on Apo’s shoulders. But even then he knew it would be a matter of time. He took another breath through his nose, the air was cool against his skin. The fever beginning to bubble up once more wasn’t a good sign either. He could feel a hand shaking him again, snapping him out of the momentary delirium, Apo was once again lifting him up.
“Okay, come on. Once we’re over here it’s a mostly flat path. You can’t afford to sleep yet. Not now.”
Getting down from the ledge was somewhat easier, Apo slowly lowering him down to the ground and hopping down after him. It wasn’t too long before his arm was slung over his shoulder once more and they were slowly trudging their way through the maze.
It took a while before they were back to the usual winding paths of maze, beyond the jungle and into the first sector which they had been used to for some time. Stepping through from the jungle and into the lever area was where everything went from bad to worse. Owen could feel how heavy his breaths were getting, the slow pained wheezes which racked through his ribs and shook his chest. How each breath resulted in another cough, at first it was small. A slight trickle of blood registered against his lips and the taste of copper burned putridly against his tongue. But then those coughs worsened, his throat feeling like it was on fire. As Apo kept trying to keep walking forward, Owen found himself stopping. Slipping from the support and hunching over, pressing his hands against his knees.
This time, when Apo began to speak all he heard was muffled nothingness, a mangled mess of sounds which were covered in a hazy layer of fog. His brain was making no sense of it, the sun bore down on him. His vision circled, swimming and twisting. Owen could feel his eyes beginning to drift again. He tried to stand upright, and tried to look over at his friend. He could tell that there was concern in whatever he was trying to say, as Apo began to make his way back over towards him. Except he knew this time there was nothing stopping him falling, not really. It was like the strings holding him up had been cut and when his knees buckled and his body gave out, hitting the cold cobblestone below him.
He stared up at the sky, a pair or two of hands turning him over. One face he could vaguely recognise as Apo was staring down at him, shaking him. The other, he couldn’t entirely pin. Their dark brown hair was tied up and they were wearing something attuned to a purple shawl but that was all he could tell. Things were too bright, the warm embrace of sleep felt welcoming in those moments. So while it hurt to let it take him, he let his eyes drift closed, the hands shaking him for a moment before. And then he was left with nothing.
The next time his eyes opened he knew it wasn’t exactly real. It was hard to tell what it was specifically, a horrific hallucination as he sat on the line between life or death or if it was death itself. Whatever came after staring him in the face.
All he knew was that everything was blinding, a bright white everywhere he looked. The ground a slightly duller grey, if he squinted hard enough it was as if the ground led to a centre square before dropping down to nothing. Owen didn’t say anything at first, trying to scan around at everything. Taking in heavy breaths as his eyes scanned everywhere, he noticed pretty quickly that it didn’t hurt that much now, no horrific rattles followed his breaths. No blood trickled past his lips. Nothing, it felt normal.
“...where am I? What the hell is this place?” He kept looking around, eyes trying to pin onto something.
Anything
. Just so it wasn’t just him and the silence. He knew he wanted to run, head in any direction, scream at whatever this was to let him go. Pinch himself so that if this was a dream he would just wake up but nothing seemed to work. As he began to run he knew it wasn’t going anywhere, it was as if the directions themselves meant nothing. Never ending paths of nothingness. He tried heading towards where the centre square was, where he could see the subtle grooves which were different, the pattern which registered ever so subtly against the rest.
But even then that felt like it was taking an eternity, a never ending battle. As though his legs were buried in quicksand and cement and he was wading through it all, an excruciating effort which meant nothing. He knew he was fighting for something, a way out, a way back but even that was becoming fuzzy. A haziness which he dared to continue to rebel against.
He thought that staring at that water would grant him some release from it all, let him go peacefully rather than going through all this. The fighting, the struggle. But now, here in whatever personal slice of hell this was, he just wanted to wake up. He kept walking. And that never ending distance just followed him, each step more begrudged than the last. Each step slower than the last. Each step weaker than the last.
Owen kept glancing around, trying to get something from this place. Trying to understand what he was missing, what he could possibly be missing to be stuck here when he spotted it. The figure sitting on the side of the ledge, her white hair flowing. Her red dress was the same one she had worn on that day.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The girl spoke, even though her voice sounded wrong. It sounded like someone else, softer, older…it sounded like home. Owen could only stare in utter confusion as he continued those steps. “And it’s not exactly what you think it is.”
So maybe this was death.
To say that Apo was panicked was an understatement. He had just watched his friend hit the ground, out like a light. One moment he had been standing and then the next he was just gone. Apo knelt over him trying to get Owen to say something, to do anything. Hell to just give him a signal he was still fucking alive would be great. His situation wasn’t made any easier once he realised they had been followed the whole time, the woman popping out from the jungle like a bad smell, lingering behind him until he had collapsed and now she was standing right beside him as well. Looming over, she looked up.
“I know this isn’t the best time to reunite but uh…I think he might need some help.”
Apo slowly looked up from where Owen was laying on the ground, his face pale as a ghost, eyes completely closed and a thin layer of sweat forming across his forehead. He stared at her. Deadpan expression plastered to his face. He couldn’t believe she was alive let alone reappearing at quite possibly the worst moment to do so.
“Yeah no shit.” He ran a hand through his hair, meeting the subtle horn stumps once more. He knew that Owen said his time wasn’t the best but he had been praying that maybe there was just a little more, enough to get back to the clearing.
“Woah, alright I’m just trying to help.” Bek turned to look back at Owen, she couldn’t truthfully remember a time he looked quite this bad, albeit maybe he looked a bit panicked the last time she saw him but…well this was new. “I heard you both arguing from uh…” She didn’t really elaborate much beyond that, skipping on. “And maybe it’s a good thing I did? You know, I can help carry him.”
Apo didn’t trust this one bit, they hadn’t seen her in months. He’d been filled in on most of what she had done before breaking him out up to this point and now suddenly she was back again, prepared to just…play nice again. He considered arguing briefly, saying how it was entirely possible that people wouldn’t even want to see her back but he knew how hypocritical that would be. And to say the least, it wasn;t the main thing at the front of his mind. No. The priority now was to get Owen back to the clearing as quickly as possible and frankly, he needed the help.
“Fine. Fine, just grab an arm. And no funny business, we’re not friends Bek. I just need the help.”
With that she nodded, reaching down to grab one arm while Apo took the other, each slung the motionless arm over their shoulders before beginning to make their way towards the clearing. He would admit that this was a little easier, not so much to carry himself now. The weight of his friend was split between two people, and in turn it was making getting home quicker.
“...Just so you know I’m not sure about staying.” Bek spoke, cutting through the silence.
Apo once again just shot her a subtle side eye as they walked forward. “....I wasn’t asking you to.”
Bek nodded. “I uh. I know, I just…I think after how things left off people might not be too happy to see my face. Hell they might think I did this.” She nodded in Owen’s direction. The man in question was still very much unconscious, his head hanging limply against his chest. The colour had all but drained from his face, leaving him clammy and pale. For all purposes he did look almost dead, if it wasn’t for the uneasy wheezes coming from him, the slow laboured breaths rattling his ribs then they likely would’ve thought he was.
“I doubt it. But they probably won’t be happy. For more than one reason.”
From there the pair just walked in silence. Apo quietly occasionally mumbled to Owen, just begging him to hold out a little longer. To fight like he promised. To stay.
Owen made his way over to the figure, sitting down beside her. She did look like Cherry, every detail down to the specks of bright red in her eyes, her red horns poking out from her hair.. The dress she wore the day he failed, the last day he was allowed to see her. He could remember the funeral would have happened after he was taken away. It was weird how his memories were trickling back in now, specks of the past staring him in the face. Though it wasn’t her voice, that belonged to someone else. He was sure of that, he’d heard Cherry’s voice numerous times and this was different.
He didn’t comment on it at first though, opting to stare out over the drop he had seen. The four walls which lead down to the clearing. Or at the very least something similar to it, the ground was there and if he squinted hard enough he could see the blocky outlines of buildings he had grown accustomed to over the past year or so. Except the main detail was that there wasn’t an ounce of colour, nothing but blinding white and subtly darker grey stared back at him.
“Where am I? How are you here, you…Cherry you died. You’re supposed to be dead” He asked again, once he was ready to try and figure this out, for a moment he was only met with silence. At first he expected her to tell him it was obvious where he was, that this was in fact death staring him in the face, this was whatever came after. An unsteady quiet built up in those seconds which was practically deafening. Eventually though the girl beside him hummed.
“Unfortunately that is the case. I’m not either of the people you think I am, your brain is trying to latch onto the memories it has. Hold onto something to fight while you, your body…well. While it’s letting go.” Cherry, or at least the vision of her glanced over at him. “The voice is supposed to be a more comforting part, someone you held close. Your memories are a fragile thing and you needed to think of someone beyond your fellow Outsiders. So that’s what this is. And that’s all this is, call it a hallucination, a comfort. Whatever works best, it is your mind though.”
He sat there in silence for a moment as well, trying to come to terms with it. So he wasn’t dead, not yet at least. But he was close enough to it that he was here, with his body falling apart his brain, his mind was spinning up some vision to try and comfort him while time ran out. While no doubt Apo dragged him through the corridors, fighting for something he wasn’t entirely sure he could come back from.
“..So. I’m dead. Or dying.”
The girl on the wall nodded, though it was half hearted. “Almost. But I think you knew that the moment you got here. It’s peaceful. It won’t hurt.”
He blinked, steadily once or twice. Hearing those words, that deep down he knew. He knew standing over that ledge, staring into the watery abyss, he knew dragging himself through the corridors. But he also knew he had made that promise, he knew he had left Apo alone out there. If he was really dying he wanted to be awake, he wanted to be able to say goodbye. It was a choice then and he wanted that choice now.
“ Okay but…surely, surely I can just wake up. Right? You said yourself I’m not dead yet.”
The hand of the figure reached over, settling over his wrist. Staying there for a good moment as his eyes darted over the shapes in the version of the clearing in his head.
“You know it isn’t that simple. You were ready to die rather than keep letting that toxin eat you alive, slowly ripping you away. You’re in a position where your body is struggling to keep up with it all, the sickness, the pressure.” The girl spoke softly and in the back of his mind he knew he recognised the voice, soft like a summer’s day, friendly and familial. Yet it didn’t stick out, he couldn’t pin it. He could only focus on the horrible details he was hearing.
“...So I’m stuck here? No. No I can’t, I promised Apo.” He got to his feet, eyes darting around to see if there were any clues for how he could wake up. He pinched his arm, hard but it was as if the feeling didn’t register.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy either. The girl sighed once more, getting to her feet as she took his hand in hers.
“Look. The only way you can wake up again is to convince yourself, convince yourself of what you were afraid to do. Fight.” She looked down over the clearing, nodding for him to do the same. Which he begrudgingly did, this time the shapes were a little clearer. “But you have to understand things will be different, you’re afraid of the change, of surviving but losing yourself in the process. Convince yourself and maybe, maybe you’ll be able to get the chance.”
And with that he found himself standing in the doorway to the clearing, the girl was a few steps ahead of him now. Things were still a blinding white colour, except now the details were clearer, the levers surrounded him. Each name pinned to the boards, each person held their own respective memories. He ran a hand over each of them, walking slowly.
The people he promised to fight for, to protect so long ago.
“These names, each of them is someone close to you. Someone you wanted to fight for once.”
Owen nodded, he knew that was true. It was why he had found himself running for the vote in the first place, getting the position of leadership so he could at least semi guarantee the people around him were safe while they were adventuring. The girl continued.
“You’ve always been good at keeping things to yourself.” It did feel like a semi backwards dig at his predicament, though he supposed it was fair to say. Especially if this was all just one big hallucination, one grand thing in his sick, delirious mind as the toxin took over. Though she didn’t seem to stop. “It is why you’re here after all, Soup told you to lean on someone. It was worth it, you have to see that now. These people here, they are the closest you’ve had to family for some time. If you could tell them now, what would you say?”
“That it isn’t worth hiding it, not really. God. I would take the lectures now. I should’ve left something, letters. Anything just to let them know.”
Owen knew this was what he should’ve done, he should’ve written letters before he left. One to every single one of the people he had met, each page telling them the most important thoughts of how he really felt. He stared at the ground.
“Well, the thing you can do now is let yourself see it. If you could tell them, if you could get those thoughts out. Remind yourself who you’re fighting for, what would you say?.”
The first name which he was faced with was Graecie, he chuckled softly. They’d believed things were going to work out for once, even with his luck being what it was he had hoped that maybe things would.
“I’d tell Graecie how strong she is. That it’s okay to have those hard moments but that she’s one of the best of us, I’d tell her how much hope she gives the people around her. I’d tell her I’m proud. I’m so proud I got to lead alongside her.”
One of the first people he had viewed like a sister.
Then it was Mohwee. Someone he hadn’t seen eye to eye with from the earlier days, hell he had punched the guy on one occasion trying to keep him out of the maze.
“I’d tell Mohwee he’s got this place figured out, if there’s anyone who can make it out of this place it’s him. He’s smart, I’m glad I got to work with him to scout out the maze more the past few months. I’d tell him none of this is his fault. I’d tell him to keep going because he is going to beat this place.”
He kept looking over the names. Oeca was next. And Owen knew exactly what he’d tell the kid.
“I’d tell Oeca that he’s a lot more than just some kid, he’s got the mapping thing down to an art. I don’t doubt for a second that he’s a good runner, that he should never forget that. He deserves to find himself some peace outside of this place…and that he needs to just watch for traps.”
Squidney was a little closer to his heart. One of the first people to really show him kindness when he had made it into the clearing.
“God. I’d just thank Squidney, for giving me somewhere to stay on day one. That I will never really be able to repay her for that kindness, I’d tell her she’s strong too. I have no doubt about that, she’s one of the beating hearts of our group.”
The next one was a lot harder, to narrow down everything he would say to her into a short burst. Getting years worth of thoughts to come to the forefront of his mind. Rasbi. Now she was one of the few he really regretted not seeing more in the past few months.
“Where the hell should I even start? I mean, thanking her isn’t enough. She stood up for me, she lost her family and ended up here simply for sticking by my side. I would give anything to actually look her in the eyes and thank her for that again. I know I’d apologise, for hiding this from her, for not visiting her more in the past few months. That I love her like a sister too, she’s been more like family than most of the people I knew before this place. That she’s tough and she can survive this place, she’s a fighter like her sister was. She can make it. And she will.”
He knew deep down there was more he would say, more he could argue a case of but he was prepared to keep that, to hold onto it like a glimmer of hope in of itself. He wanted to say everything to everyone’s faces and he knew that he wanted to say about his promise to her directly, not through some dream.
Apo was the next one and it was just as hard as Rasbi in the moments prior.
“Apo is my brother. I’d make damn sure he knew that, I’d make sure he knew in the end, when it mattered. When we were getting through the maze I wanted to keep my promise. It was never about giving up on them, either of them. I’d make sure he knew for sure that I regretted each and every time I pushed him away, even if I thought it was right at that moment..I would give anything to get that time back. I would call through a thousand creature pits if it meant that I could just spend one more day with them both. The fruit trio is one of the best things to ever happen to me and god knows these people kept me alive a lot longer than anything else. They are my family. Through and through.”
He kept going though, because he knew he could spend all day talking about those memories. Talking about how much they meant to him and how he would do it all again, not to change it because he had no regrets there. He just knew that he would love to relive it all, each silly moment with his siblings.
There wasn’t too much he could argue for Redd, he did regret not speaking to him as much though he was appreciative of the time they did speak.
“As for Redd I’d just..I’d tell him thanks, for giving me the push to actually go looking. I know that he gave up having his friend around to make things easier but, I’m grateful I got that time. And I know that without him I probably wouldn’t have. I hope he’s okay out there. Really.”
For Spidey he knew he would thank her for being a good friend too, for teaching him how to make the sussies. Because even if it seemed like a simple memory it was one of the memories from his time in the clearing he was happy to cherish forever.
For Guts he thanked them for keeping him safe and alive after everything went to hell after the election, for giving him a safe and nice place to stay when he wasn’t sure where to run. He thanked them for their kindness and hospitality over their time in the maze, he wanted nothing but the best for them.
Then there was Magic, his hand ran across her sign. Directly above her lever, part of him wondered if she was running about in the maze now as well, back to her usual exploring antics.
“I. I’m so glad I met her, even if we didn’t get on at first she’s another in the line of sister’s this place gave me. She lights this place up and I really just want her to be safe, I know she’s got Graecie and Acho looking out for her and I hope she knows that I’m happy she showed up here that day. I’m proud of her for staying strong after everything because god knows she has been through enough already. I hope she’s okay with keeping an eye on Puddy if she has to, I know she’s going to give him way too many carrots but I’m okay with that. She deserves to be happy.”
He didn’t have much to say about Bek, he just hoped wherever she was that she was alive and that maybe one day she would be able to make up for everything. He knew that maybe she could turn things around if she was willing to give it a go. Maybe.
For Krow he knew that they had hardly known each other, realistically they had only spoken on a handful of occasions. So for the moment he kept things simple, just hoping that it would find its own peace down the line.
For Anygel he just wished her the best, he said that if he could he would tell her that it was okay not to keep things to herself. That she could trust the people in their clearing, even if sometimes things were rough they were one group now and that she deserved some peace too.
Then there was Soup. He hummed, also brushing his hand over her lever sign.
“...I would want to thank her too, she’s spent the past week or so just trying everything in her power to keep me alive. She never failed me and none of this is on her either, she’s one of the kindest people I know and I would thank her for just being there when I needed a shoulder to lean on.”
And for Kyle and Acho he mostly wished that he got to know them a little more, he knew that Kyle was definitely made out for leader material if he looked out for the people around him. And like that he was back face to face with the girl again, the voice still unfamiliar but the face of someone he knew, the whole thing was still extremely disorientating. Though he knew nothing felt any different, he was still here. The blinding white staring back at him, surrounding him entirely.
“I don’t understand…how am I still here? I thought you said..”
The girl took a breath, wandering further through the clearing. Owen didn’t hesitate to follow her, though once that white light got even more unbearably white he stopped where he stood.
“You’re still holding back, your body is still out there somewhere. You have no control over that Owen, you can convince yourself but it’s on you to wake up. Why do you want to fight?”
He was quiet, his hands bunching into fists by his sides. He had to wake up, through all the promises he made there was one he knew he made before the others. One which stood out against the rest.
“Why do you want to live? What’s your purpose here Owen?”
He took a breath, looking up at the face he hadn’t seen since she died. Staring at the eyes, where he knew one had been taken in reality. Where the blood had matted with her hair as she had lay on the ground of the stage, as other soldiers pried her away and he was left with the horrendous promise and a pile of guilt.
“Because I made her a promise. I swore to her, to Cherry, that I would keep Rasbi safe no matter what it cost. I can’t die without seeing that promise out, if she’s still trapped in these walls then I have to be there too. I will NOT give up on her. I might’ve failed Cherry but I won’t fail Rasbi.”
There was a smile on the girl’s face and this time her voice actually sounded like her’s. She only spoke one word before the blinding white faded away.
“Good..”
...
..
.
When he did open his eyes he knew he was back in Soup’s house, the familiar wooden roof slats were clear up ahead of him. Which made it clear Apo must’ve dragged him back, though he knew his vision was twisting, spinning and the dark circles in the corners of his vision weren’t fading. He was awake now but he severely doubted that was going to last for all that long, he could hear brief snippets of conversation being exchanged. Some mumbles about his leg and about chances.
All he could feel was the throbbing pain, aching through his skull from where he vaguely remembered it hitting the ground. The screaming pain from his leg which was not easing up no matter how much he tried to avoid it. He was laid back on something, a pillow keeping his neck stable. Owen could feel a cough working its way up the back of his throat. Realistically he knew that his time was being stretched incredibly thin and so he had to make the most of his consciousness, even if it meant fighting against every reflex in his body, every desperate fleeting urge to fall asleep again. He reached an arm out, stretching far towards whoever was closest to him and he held onto their arm as tight as he physically could.
While his vision wasn’t perfect he was sure it was Soup, the blurry features of her face were just enough for him to know it wasn’t Apo or the other person, though laying here now he did have a suspicion that person had been Bek. He watched as Soup’s mouth moved.
“.....re…….ou….kay?” The words didn’t entirely register, jumbled up letters with no full meaning. He took a heavy breath, his ribs aching from just that simple movement alone. Owen took another few shorter breaths, doing whatever it took to get the energy to speak. He’d been avoiding it, fear of change, fear of it not working….just fear in general holding him back from taking it as a chance. But now, staring that chance in the face he knew he had to at least try.
“....do it.” He grumbled, each word sounding slurred and pained. Speaking hurt, it felt like claws were ripping through his vocal chords. “...take the leg. If it’ll give me a chance. Do it.”
She had nodded, there was something in her eye attuned with concern. He had a feeling this wasn’t really something she did regularly, though he felt the band he kept tied around his arm shift, the pressure releasing from his arm before being locked tightly just below his knee. His head was tilted upwards momentarily, he heard something about painkillers, about how he would be asleep for a while but she was going to take care of him. And in that moment Owen did what he should’ve done from the very beginning, he trusted them.
–
The next time he woke up there was definitely a lot more clarity with the world around him, everything was dark par a few smaller lanterns kept around the room. Owen knew pretty quickly that it had been done, there was an obvious aching but he didn’t feel as close to death as he had in….
He lay there, becoming rather aware of the fact that he couldn’t tell exactly how long it had been. It could have been a couple of days, it might have even been a few weeks. He swallowed the lump in his throat, reminding himself that this was a chance to live. To stay with the people he wanted to, to fight. But it was difficult to just come to terms with, this was no doubt going to be very different. He knew he’d come close to this a couple of times over the years but now he was faced with it and he wasn’t entirely sure what to say or do. He just tried to focus on his breathing, the slow breaths through his nose no longer burning quite as bad. He kept scanning the room until he landed on one of the two people still sitting in the room, her eyes were open and there was no denying that she looked tired too. But the second she spotted that he was awake she was smiling again, getting up from her seat and walking over to him.
“Hey…so I lived?” He asked, trying to keep a rough smile on his face.
Soup chuckled softly, nodding. “Yeah, it would look like it.” She was whispering, no doubt to keep Apo asleep. He was curled up in a chair besides where Soup had been moments prior, looking a lot more comfortable.
“You might be confused so just to clear it up. Apo and…Bek dragged you back, she’s staying for now over in the hotel, it was a whole separate thing. You were a mess as expected, you were a bit out of it but I was able to get everything…”
Soup hummed softly. “I did have to take the leg, if you’re in pain just tell me and I can get you another potion. After that you were out for a while, your body needed time to work through the toxin.”
Owen nodded, so she had been reasonably close with the frostbite metaphor then.
“How long was I out for?”
Soup tilted her head from side to side momentarily.
“A few days, just under a week. Apo and Rasbi had been visiting a lot, swapping places, checking in. Graecie and a couple others too.” The potion maker chuckled softly to herself. “You sweated through so, so many bed sheets. I’ve been keeping an eye on you, it’s taken a lot of potions to keep everything regulated but you being conscious and talking is a good sign. A very good sign.”
She let him look at where the veins had stopped, from what he could tell and from what she was explaining the toxin should’ve worked its way through fully. It was just going to take a while for him to get any form of prosthetic sorted out, apparently Soup and Squidney had been talking about it for down the line though. He was aware there was going to be a lot of resting for the next few weeks or so, so the routine of sleeping and taking his potions became a procedure. Owen couldn’t hide the fact that it was a lot but he noticed that with the potions he was feeling much stronger.
Apo had woken up during their talk, jumping up and heading over to pull Owen into an incredibly tight hug, laughing to himself a bit.
“Oh god you have no idea how fucking happy I am to see you awake. I really thought that was it out there.” He slightly shoved Owen’s shoulder, sitting back down. “Seriously, don’t do that again. Ever.”
Owen chuckled softly, he still felt pretty exhausted, he knew he would but he knew that it meant for now his conversations had to be short.
“I won’t. I promise. Thanks for getting me home, seriously.”
Apo had nodded, both knew that realistically neither of them would leave the other. Not like this, not yet. He did excuse himself though, heading to go and get Rasbi to tell her the good news. Within a good ten minutes she was bursting into the room and hugging him again, sharing the same curses and telling him what an idiot he had been. Something he knew was probably going to be a common theme overtime. That was how those few weeks went, between sleeping, talking to visitors and taking his medicine it was a quiet time. Soup had made sure his bed was comfortable and he began to get used to having a roommate.
One morning though Apo came in and Owen asked if they could head outside for a while, Squidney had been in to drop off some crutches to make it possible for him to head outside for some fresh air. Soup had agreed as long as someone was with him, for the first few weeks it was going to be difficult for him to actually go very far. And with his energy still being quite low he didn’t mind the extra company. The demon chuckled, nodding.
“Sure, just know that it’s a bit cold out there.”
Owen hadn’t entirely been expecting what he would be met with. The two took their time, heading out into the clearing ensuring that he was ready to head out before they made their way through the doors. Almost immediately they were met with a layer of snow, thin pale white powder which entirely covered the clearing. Weirdly it felt like the early days. The two didn’t go very far from Soup’s house, stopping outside Owen’s home. Apo had still been staying there during the days where he wasn’t visiting him, so Puddy had been kept in check. Both sat down on the verge outside the building, where the grass almost formed steps. Owen was careful to keep his leg off of the snow as best as he could, setting his crutches down beside him as they looked out over the clearing. It was quiet at first, the odd snowflake still dropped down from the sky and while that white was a little nerve wracking at first, Owen did find himself smiling after a while. He’d made it through to winter, he hadn’t thought he would at first, truthfully. But gods he was happy to be alive.
Apo broke the silence after a minute or so.
“You know it’s funny. I was terrified of coming back at first, I thought everyone would hate me for what I'd done, I mean they were well within their right to do so but still.” Owen glanced over to look at his friend who was bunching up a snowball in his hands.
“But then I realized that it didn't matter. After everything, people just want to support each other. Sure there’s conflict and we don’t always see eye to eye and I know it wasn’t right but..we survive. This place is so much bigger than just us. And yet when things get rough we band together. The past is in the past. I knew I'd see my friends again and I think that's what matters. There's nothing more important than that, than the present. Then right now.”
Owen hummed, even now he could see that. His friends banding around to lift him up when he was physically at his lowest.
“Every second counts right.”
Apo nodded.
“Exactly, and sure maybe we don’t have forever but this whole thing reminded me of that. That we don’t have forever but we have to be here for each other when we can. And that’s what really counts. Thanks for sticking with me.”
Owen chuckled. “Where else would I go?”
And the two sat there, making the most of the peaceful moment. One they could finally enjoy no strings attached.
Notes:
A long road ahead chapter one coming soonish ;)
If you're reading this little bit, hi hello, hope you're having a good week
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CraftyLuci on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 02:32PM UTC
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LiLPastel on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 02:33PM UTC
Last Edited Mon 06 Jan 2025 02:33PM UTC
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CraftyLuci on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 02:45PM UTC
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LiLPastel on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 03:05PM UTC
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MiddyMidnight on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 01:57PM UTC
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CraftyLuci on Chapter 8 Mon 06 Jan 2025 02:26PM UTC
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