ROT

Chapter 1

Months later...

"Liam?" Moldy opened her eyes to Scenty's voice. She stretched out and yawned. "Liam, is that you?" Liam answered, sounding insecure yet so confident at the same time. "Uh, yeah! Sorry I was gone for so long, I'm still not quite sure how to-" Moldy sighed and tuned out the rest. The hopefulness on Scenty's face alone made her heart break. She couldn't deal with watching Liam's words break her spirit yet again. She sighed. It had been months now. Liam never seemed to want her and her friends to go. Moldy looked up at the sky. Oh, Liam... She had very...complicated feelings about the situation. She always heard some sense of longing in his voice whenever somebody asked about leaving. She was sure the longing was for them, he'd made up enough excuses to make that clear. Clear to everyone! Everyone but, well...she sighed. Moldy wished she'd stop pinning all her hopes on the idea of going home and just accept the people around her. It would be nice to go home, yes, but it would take a miracle to do so, especially with how Liam was acting. Moldy opened up her arm instinctually, before Scenty even walked over. Before she even knew it, a scented candle had walked over and was crying on her shoulder.

"What'd he say this time?" Moldy had learned to block out her friend's speech whenever the subject was on going home.
Scenty was crying too hard to respond this time. Moldy patted her back, soothing her. She was the only one who hadn't seemed to just...accept their life would be lived on the Plane. The only one who was still upset by Liam's excuses. Probably the only one he makes the excuses for anymore.
"H-he says he knows how to send us to other dimensions now, just not the right ones. Apparently there are m-mi-millions..." Scenty stuttered out the word and paused to cry. Moldy drew her closer and patted her again. She was very used to this by now.
"Don't be sorry." she said as soon as Scenty opened her mouth. "Scenty, Liam's lying, you have to know that. Can't you hear how desperate he always sounds whenever we ask to leave?! He never sounds like that, except for when that topic comes up. The Plane is it, Scenty. It's all we're going to get. I know it's hard to hear, but..." she looked down. "But it's the truth. It's not ideal, and yes, I'd be..." she stopped for a moment to think. "happier, I suppose? If we all went home, but look at the people around you. This really isn't the worst group of idiots in the world to be stuck with." Trust me, I'd know.
Moldy sighed. Scenty was crying harder now. She sighed yet again. "Look, Scenty, you have to understa-"
"NO!" Scenty sobbed. "When he first sat down in that chair he said the computer would take a while to figure out. He's just still figuring it out! I'm the only one who seems to believe in him anymore. He-he knows what it's like to be here! Liam died here, he suffered on The Plane just as much as any of us!!" She looked up at the sky. "Liam suffered the most of any of us. He'd understand."

Moldy sighed. One look at Scenty's tear-stained face told her there was nothing she could do or say. Once she got an idea in her head, nothing could change Scenty's mind about it. All she could do now was comfort her. Moldy moved her right arm and winced. When Airy had respawned her, she'd come back with mold still growing on her, and it was making her arm feel numb. She was used to this, of course, she'd lived with it and a blind eye for almost a year now. But not only was it especially bad today, Moldy was also feeling extra spiteful today. One could perhaps say it was in part because of Scenty's breakdown. She looked up at the sky, knowing Liam was listening.
"Hey! Liam!"

No response.

"Hey, over here!" she yelled louder. "You can respawn us, right?"
Still no answer.
She only knew her hand was in the air because she could see it. "Liam, my mold is spreading again! I want to know whether or not I'll be ok if I'll be alright if I die again!"

"Oh, sorry, Charlotte! Didn't hear you before!" The lie was so obvious Moldy couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, yes, don't worry!!" Liam sounded nervous, he always tended to nowadays. "I learned how to respawn!! It took forever, don't even get me started, first I had to-"

"You're sure?"
A shocked pause. "M-Moldy, would I lie to-"

"Yes."

A hardened voice came out of the sky. Moldy could detect a hint of defeat in it, though. "I can respawn anyone, anytime. Ten times better than anybody else could."

Moldy smiled. "Good job, bagboy."

"Thank you! You know, I was thinking of your mold specifically when I learned to respawn! Can't have one of your best friends in such horrible pain, right?" he sounded slightly crazed.

Moldy stared up at the sky for a moment. Liam was a puzzle, alright. Not wanting her mold to hurt her, but actively dishing out hurt almost every time he spoke to Scenty. She was too tired for this.
"Liam..." That was Bryce's voice. Moldy turned her head to see the soda bottle himself, just barely out of view. "You can respawn us?"

"Yes! Yes, I can!" that was pride, definitely pride in his voice.
"That must mean you know how to use Airy's computer."
Silence.

Bryce's hand was on his forehead. "Liam, you and I both know you can't just go back and unlearn-"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT DIMENSIONS TO SEND YOU ALL TO!!!" Scenty was crying again now. "You were there with me, Bryce, you know how hard it is to find-"

"Liam, we both know this is just you buying time. How hard is it to FIND TWO UNIVERSES-" Bryce was cursing now. Scenty was crying harder. Moldy sighed, looking up at the sky.

Oh, Liam...