Chapter Text
Ros felt numb; her body felt numb. She no longer felt like this was her body. At first, she thought it was the dark and empty environment of the null that caused this dreadful feeling. But after being so kindly brought back, the feeling had not gone away. Instead, it became more apparent.
She tried to get used to it, deal with the constant numbness, and regain some of her usual whimsy, but she failed miserably.
The keepers had toyed with her, breaking her beyond repair, a pain so great that her mind chose to forget, no longer remembering what they had done to her. Maybe it was better that she didn't remember.
She wasn't doing great, and it was quite noticeable. Her body had grown pale, her skin cold, and it ached with phantom pains of injuries that she couldn't remember. She had grown distant from others, their loud voices hurting her ears. She only went out at night or stayed in the shade; touching the sun's rays made her feel like she was burning alive.
She didn't hang around others long enough, her mind tending to wander off, and as she drifted, she heard a new voice. No.... not new but strangely familiar, she could have sworn that she heard it in the null. Like a sweet lie that was whispered in her ear, making her believe that he was dangerous.
She hadn't realized that she was shaking. Her grip had tightened around a bow that she hadn't realized she had drawn out. Her eyes snap to the voice, locking in on the person who may potentially be the threat.
She felt like she couldn't breathe. Maybe she hadn't been breathing at all. Is any of this real? Is that person even there?
She raised her bow, loading it with a diamond arrow, her hands shaking as she aimed. Taking a unsteady breath as she let the arrow fly. She missed the arrow barely grazing his face. Leaving a nasty cut on his cheek, making his blood flow. The guy let out a startled yelp, slapping a hand over his wounded cheek.
Mistake, she made a mistake.... everything hurt, she could hear yelling in the distance, but she couldn't make out what they were saying, she could only hear static. Her throat felt dry, her breathing had quickened, and she didn't know what was happening. She didn't know why she was reacting this way. She needs to do something, anything, to make it STOP!
In a frantic haze, she grabbed her spear and started walking towards the guy. The closer she got, the more she felt like she was losing herself. The scent of blood had become richer as she drew closer; it was almost unbearable.
She only managed to snap back from her ever-growing hysteria when she was right in front of him.
"Rossss!!! Why are you shooting Lukey?" A voice questioned, full of concern in its tone, but not towards the injured guy.
"Yeah, Ros. Why are you shooting at me? I've done nothing to you!?" The person whose name is Lukey raised their voice. They seemed mad at her.
"I... I'm sorry...." Her voice sounded distant, voided by the lack of use. Was she really sorry? Did it even matter? What she is going to do is far worse. Why was she doing it again....
She had closed the distance between them, piercing his chest with her spear. She could hear him choke on his blood. His once white clothes quickly turned into a blossoming red as he bled through staining her clothes as well.
Drip
Drip
Drip
Something was off... why wasn't he dead yet... why couldn't she let go of him... why did she taste metal... oh... oh... no...
The taste of blood filled her mouth; she hadn't noticed that she had bitten him and was feasting on his blood. The metallic taste of blood left an overwhelming aftertaste that stuck to her throat.
Why, why, why, WHY?! This wasn't supposed to happen! How could she let this happen!?
In her panic, she shoves him off her, tearing the piece of his flesh where her fangs had pierced, letting go of her spear in the process. Her breathing had quickened, she rested a hand against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart....
She can't feel her heartbeat... That can't be... She's alive, she's breathing. Why isn't her heart beating?! She feels sick, she covered her mouth, feeling like she was gonna vomit. She feels the sticky substance of blood cover her hand she looks at it with horror.
Her eyes land on the body of Lukey, spear still buried deep inside his chest, his breaths are shallow, his hand holds the spear, as he coughs and heaves blood. The spear had prevented him from bleeding out further, prolonging his current suffering. His eyes were staring directly at her; she could tell he held hatred towards her. He looked so disgusted by her, she couldn't blame him for feeling that way.
Her eyes wander to his neck, seeing the bloody mess she had left behind, she didn't expect her bite to be this strong. The wound gushed blood; his vigor spilling further to the ground ever so slowly. He would have bled out if his lungs weren't filled with blood, slowly drowning him from the inside.
His body lay there, what felt like years, but was merely a few seconds before finally turning into dust and disappearing. The only evidence that he had ever existed was her spear soaked with his blood, staining the ground with unspoken sorrows.
A hand grabs her shoulder, drawing her attention to it. Emerald eyes meet hers, he gives her a reassuring squeeze, trying to comfort her, he says something, she can see his lips moving… but she can't hear him speak; she can't hear anything for that matter that isn't good...
She slaps his hand off her, backing away from him. He seemed surprised by her reaction, not expecting her to deny his help. She didn't mean to do that; everything just felt too much and so little at the same time, like the world was closing in on her, and everyone's eyes were on her.
She does the only logical thing: she runs. Panic had clouded her mind; she didn't know where she was running, she only knew that she needed to.
She only stops when she feels something crush her, knocking her off her feet. She tries to get up, but the sheer weight of the object and her zero to no left energy make it impossible. Her breathing becomes shallow, and it all fades to black….