Days Union Oneshot Book [DISCONTINUED]

POV: Caretaker plants a C4 into Velvian Elos

A/N: I was about to go to bed but inspiration based on a recent Velvian Elos event hit at the wrong time lmao please help it's 1 A.M. at the time I finished this

Credit to @NE0NKITTYTEETH for the joke title ^^

!!!TW: Needles, misuse of hospital medications, rotting, body horror, and overall gory and gross stuff!!!

Edited so I could add in the song above bc it feels fitting and I like the funny second thoughts band :D

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Tick. Tick. Tick.

The grandfather clock in the hospital room ticked with every passing second. Throughout their stay at the hospital, Velvian had learned the intricacies of the clock: how the ticks between seconds and minutes and hours each sounded different, the angle of the rusted pendulum's swing, the age of the wood that it was crafted out of, and the fact that its time deceived them two minutes too fast. Every time it ticked heavily to the time for their meals, Velvian would perk up from their bed before slinking back down again at the realization they would have to wait two more minutes before the Caretaker arrived.

And yet, the clock never seemed to lie with the times for their blood to be drawn or for their next injection. Once the clock alerted Velvian of the designated times for their medications to be administered, the door would swing open to reveal the Caretaker's silhouette in the doorway, their figure traced out only by the pink glow of their many eyes and unwavering smile. With every qualm that Velvian addressed about the clock two minutes too quick, the Caretaker would giggle and somehow convince them that it was the right time.

By the time Velvian could comprehend the social cue to respond, the needle had already poked into their bloodstream, filling a vial with their blue blood or their veins with agents meant to fight off whatever infection their arm had taken on. And they felt too drained and tired to argue their point once more, so they would fall back on their bed and thank the Caretaker before their exhaustion got the better of them and dragged them into another deep slumber.

But this time was different.

Velvian clutched the wrist of their right arm in their left hand and stared in horror at the finger that had just grown back. The black flesh and bone of the finger they had severed were now shriveling and rotting like a dying fruit fallen far from its tree. Their breath quickened as their legs both flesh and metal felt like jelly under the weight of their upper body. Their head whirled in a mix of exhaustion, shock, and horror until they could hardly focus on staying upright anymore.

While they managed to collapse without bashing their head on the nearby table, the dizziness only intensified as all they could do was squeeze their right wrist until their arm felt numb again. The flesh squished and compressed to the will of their tight grip, their fingers twitching involuntarily and contorting themselves into impossible positions. The extreme hyperventilation ached their lungs and ribs as choking sobs escaped in between gasps for air. The rest of Velvian's body burned with pins and needles while their right arm remained fatally numb to any touch or squeeze.

And above it all, the clock continued to tick, tick, tick.

"Wh-What the hell is happening..?" they whispered, the mere use of their voice urging them to vomit. As they swallowed the lump in their throat down, they squeezed their eyes shut and directed all of their focus to deeper, slower breaths. As their breaths slowed down, their body relaxed and the sensation all over their body faded. Their head began to clear from its dizziness and splitting ache until the pain was mitigated enough to allow more thoughts to flood their head. Eventually, their calmer state allowed them to free their right wrist from the crushing grip of their left hand.