BLIND | DreamSMP

IX - Breakfast

The turbulent water was darker than the midnight sky, a few dim stars winking a melancholy goodbye as he plunged into the roiling waves, forced under the surface until he snapped out of his shocked state and began to struggle, wildly flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to swim upwards.

At first the motions were determined, but his resolve quickly faded when he realized there was no way of knowing if he was even swimming in the correct direction; everything looked the same in the inky blackness, a sickly green hue adding slight color to the distorted world.

He stopped moving, letting his arms float loosely in the freezing water. His shirt billowed up as he sank lower and lower, giving up on escaping and resigning himself to whatever might come next.

He would drown down here.

The thought scared him and he glanced around, wondering if he should start swimming again. Maybe he could still reach the surface.

But it was too late. The last of his hope was expelled with a small breath, producing pearlescent bubbles that spiraled away from his listless form.

Was it wrong to let go so easily?

His lungs burned, the lack of air causing black and purple spots to pulsate in the corners of his vision.

He wondered where he would go.

A trail of bubbles shimmered as they floated upwards, lungs now empty.

His ears pounded, the pressure intensely uncomfortable.

And finally he breathed, sucking in the water around him, choking violently as his body struggled to cope with the heavy liquid. The spots worsened, throat and nose burning in protest as he doubled over, clutching at his neck, coughing involuntarily but only managing to swallow more water.

His surroundings blurred in and out of focus, a thick fog clouding his brain. Everything seemed so distant, hazy, a surreal dream.

The inky water seeped further, flooding his arms and legs, surging into his torso, engulfing his mind in the dark liquid, claiming a body that no longer felt like his.

His vision flickered, once, twice, three times-- and then nothing.

----------

Tommy jerked awake, panting heavily, gasping for breath. Sweat dampened the pillow and bed sheets he lay upon, the uncomfortable clammy feeling causing him to scramble out of bed, kicking off the blankets, stumbling slightly as he navigated the unfamiliar space. His whole body ached, whether from the intense cold he had stumbled through the night before or the hard mattress he couldn't tell.

Tommy spread his arms wide, stretching the sore joints and sighing in relief when the stiff muscles popped and cracked. He ran a hand through his greasy hair, frowning at the texture. It had been a long time since his last bath, a fact apparent by the strong and unpleasant stench emanating from his clothing and self.

Wrinkling his nose at the smell, Tommy took a few steps forwards, intending to head downstairs where Phil and Techno would be, perhaps with a breakfast-- the thought made his empty stomach growl hungrily-- but an inconveniently placed stool interrupted his plan, and Tommy ended up falling towards the wooden floor, barely managing to catch himself with skinny arms, narrowly preventing his face from slamming into the ground. The stool rolled away from him, clattering noisily as it went.

Tommy swore loudly, scrambling back to his feet just as he heard Phil ascending the ladder.

"Tommy? Are you alright? I heard something fall--" Concern bled into Phil's voice, raising it an octave higher.