Chapter Text
Everything happens so fast, it feels like he only sees the thing that looks like him for a fraction of a moment before it moves and before the light revealing it shifts. He turns and starts to run the moment his brain catches up. Pain shoots through his head like something is stabbing into his brain but through everything, all he can see is Myla’s light shrinking as she runs away.
“Myla!” He yells out after her, but she doesn’t slow down. That little light shrinks and shrinks before vanishing completely.
And then the ground is gone underneath his feet. The pain from the impact hits him a moment later as he feels himself flying through the air but can see absolutely nothing. He lands with a splash, the cold water making his side sting painfully. Where was there even water to fall into? It soaks through his clothes in an instant, fills his mouth with the taste of dirt and iron.
Everything is moving so fast, the thought of where he is now being drowned out by the voice screaming in his head for him to get away. He practically crawls out of the water as he scrambles to get back to his feet. There’s a soft splash behind him, so quiet in comparison to his wheezing and splashing and his own heartbeat in his ears that he almost doesn’t hear it.
It sends him into a panic, pushing off of the ground and sprinting away from it… only to collide with a wall and nearly lose his balance. He tries to orient himself, to turn in a direction away from the wall and from his attacker but he takes too long. Something rough wraps around his arm, wrenching him backwards. With no idea of where he’s even being pulled, all he can do is start to struggle.
A ripping sound joins the chaos, first in his sleeve and then on his back. The weight that’s been aching in his shoulders lessens as he's suddenly being pulled back by his backpack as well. Both forces pull in opposite directions, as if this thing was trying to rip him apart.
He hears glass smashing, feels plastic crunching under his feet, the chaos of everything pouring out of his torn bag echoing down the hall as he trashes desperately to just get something off of him! He waves his shield wildly and blindly, trying to hit this thing somewhere important.
What a brainless stupid idea it was to follow that damn shadow! He can’t believe Myla let him do that! He can’t believe Quirrel thought it would be a good idea to leave them! Why did anyone agree to come down here?! To save some stupid stranger??
Something swipes at his leg, the resulting pain causing him to collapse to the ground with a loud crack. His mind desperately tries to make sense of the directions and limbs assaulting him, but nothing he can think of makes sense. It’s practically on top of him now and yet no matter where he swings, he can’t hit it! Claws coil around his wounded ankle, what feels like a hand wrapping around his knee while something smooth grabs his hand and squeezes it until his shield clatters to the ground. He opens his mouth to scream, a last ditch effort to get help but it does nothing to stop the attack.
Fuck, what was he thinking? This is all his fault! Why did he wander off without Quirrel? How many times can he make the exact same mistake before he learns? When is he going to stop and think for once? If he had just one more chance, he wouldn’t make this mistake again!
All of his regret and wishful thinking is stopped by a sudden, white hot pain all across his torso that silences every thought in his head. Like a thousand tiny knives are stabbing into him all over his stomach, his screams die completely and abruptly. Everything grows tighter, like he might just pop.
The tunnel goes silent. There is no more struggle.
—
There are few things that Quirrel likes less than separating from its friends. Onboard, a little distance is okay! It has instruments with which it can listen into
different rooms, and it trusts them not to get into trouble. It can even be beneficial! Tiso needs time alone frequently.
However, when on an expedition… This kind of separation is never good. Too many variables it cannot keep track of, too many possibilities, and no way for it to intervene! Not a single good thing has happened to Tiso when they are separated. And right now, those horrible things are all it can think about.
It shakes its head, as if that could knock all of the files on hostile fauna out of its processors. This is not something it needs to think about! Myla is with him, and should anything happen it is certain the two could handle it together. Tiso is fine! Tiso is okay and will continue to be okay long after it completes this and returns!
The very minimal amount of native life it has seen has been somewhat disconcerting. Usually it would take that as a blessing, but down here? There should always be something scuttling away from light, someone keeping an eye on you. None of that is present at this moment, has not been present for some time. Even the dripping water seems uneasy, drop after drop seeming almost hesitant to fall lest their splatter draw something’s attention.
It is getting itself worked up again! The leaky pipes do not have emotion. As long as it can get back to them quickly, none of this will matter and everything will be okay.
This portion of the tunnels is thankfully only slightly flooded, allowing for hasty traversal. According to its records, this area was completely full of water not long ago. What little flooding remains is easy to avoid thanks to its dexterity, though there are no obvious signs of where the water has gone.
Although this exact scenario was certainly not in mind when it was installed, there exists a power-off switch for every set of tracks down here in case of emergencies. With the help of his database, finding it is relatively easy! Now the water should be significantly safer to travel through, and it will not have to worry about someone getting electrocuted… hopefully.
Quirrel wastes very little time rushing back to the others once its task has been done. They are both waiting on it, it is anxious about them, it only makes sense to be quick about this. Although it identifies a rare species of mushroom during its speed walk, it does not stop to examine it. No time! They can come back here later as a group and it can describe these mushrooms to Tiso as much as it pleases!
The only thing to slow it down is the sudden noise of footsteps. Panicked, if their pace is anything to go by, and quickly approaching! Quirrel’s hand goes to its blade. It stands, ready, for who or what might be approaching.
A wildly waving beam of light comes into view mere moments before its wielder does. The look of sheer terror on Myla’s face is an absolutely horrible sight, made worse by the fact that she arrives alone. “T–T-T—! Tiso! T-Tiso!” She stammers before coming to a stop. She violently gasps for air, looking behind herself. It follows her gaze, tries to listen but it hears no trace of its companion.
“Where is he? What happened?” It asks, but as soon as it takes a step toward the direction she came in, Myla grabs its arm.
“Th-there was some kind of monster! It— it looked like Tiso!” She manages to say. It looks into her eyes, and sees a terror so deep that it has nothing to compare it to.
It puts a hand on her shoulders, hoping to calm her some and get some kind of answer. “Where is he?” It repeats, but she is struggling too hard to breathe. Horrifically, she does not need to say a thing for it to get its answer.
“QUIRREL!”
Despite being so far away and so muffled, the sound shakes it to its very core. Before it has run any of the calculations, it has already torn itself free from Myla’s weak grasp and is running toward the source of the sound. Down the tunnel, around the corner, over the puddle and into the tramway. It sprints with reckless abandon, hand tight on its blade and ready to cut down whatever threat has come after him. A voice yells out after it, but it continues to run.
Nothing that could possibly slow it down can be done. It has to get to Tiso! It has to get to him before—
The gentle glow of its body illuminates a tin of canned meat, and then a canteen beyond it, and it comes to a sudden and abrupt stop. Smashed plastic litters the ground, magnetic tape dragged further into the darkness. Shreds of cloth both backpack and clothing are sprinkled among the small puddles. And worse— worse than just seeing the contents and remains of Tiso’s bag— there is blood.
When Myla’s light shines down the tunnel past it, all it shows is a trail of supplies and the sight that leaves Quirrel unable to move. Tiso’s shield lay discarded on the ground. There is no sight of him.
He is gone.