He Was Dying

Chapter Eleven

I could still see him as I was dragged by the force who carried me away from the gate. The metal creaked eerily and roared with squeaking gears. The sound of steel slamming against steel echoed across the yard. My ears folded over my head, my eyes slowly closing. The only senses that were left for me was touch, and scent. Of course, I still had hearing, but it was fuzzy and muffled. Sight was an unlikely option.

I began with examining my surroundings with touch. The hand around my mouth felt rough and leathery. The arm that stretched under both of mine and around my torso was of the same texture, but sharp metal objects stabbed at the skin.
My back was pressed against a thick fabric, as if an apron, that was swollen with blood.
I could then piece together easily that I was being held by the Trapper. Great.

My feet were lifted off the ground and I was on his shoulder. So much for touch. I tried my best to use what I had left on the metaphoric table, which was scent. The smell of the rusty metal and ash of my yard faded away, and I was hit with the sickening stench of rotting animals. The crackling of dry corn filled my ears, the scratchy feeling brushing my feet and hands.

Why were we in Hillbilly's yard?

The wind rippled against the scenery of the area, corn shucks crisp from the heat of years of sunlight. The odor of decaying trees floating in the air, and the vents of my chest scrunched up under my hoodie that I still wore. The aroma made me want to vomit, not to mention the stink of decomposing cows and pigs.

Trapper came to a stop. His fingers dug harshly into my back and he threw me to the ground, dust from the dirt rising in clutters around me. I shook my head, attempting to rid of the partial ringing that bounced about in my skull.

My eyes shot open wide, panic surging through my viens. They stood, surrounding me. I sat up quickly, trying to shuffle backwards, stupidly assuming that would bring me to safety. My back thumped to a stop, and I was against the cold cement of the Hillbilly's abattoir.

Trapper stepped once towards me. Nurse floated back and forth a few inches. The hammer in HB's fist swung side to side in silent rage. Wraith didn't even move, they just stared.

"H-hey, guys!" I stuttered in our language, nervousness rattling my voice. I tried stalling with smalltalk. "Long time no see, huh? The weather is pretty good?"

An eery orange light glowed through the fabric of Nurse's bag. "Don't even try, Omega. You know what you did." Her voice sounded small and far away, as if she were speaking through a telephone.

"It cannot be forgiven."

"We warned you about the consequences."

"You betrayed us in the worst possible way."

My head was constantly moving, looking at each one of them as they spoke, approaching closer by the second.

"Do you not remember the other?"

"You know what happened to him."

"And that will happen to you when It gets its hands on you."

Wraith was the only one yet to speak, which I didn't expect them to. Wraith was that one who never spoke, but if they did, they'd say something super intelligent or something that makes you question your entire existance. So if Wraith were to ever open their mouth, you best to take whatever comes out seriously.

  The crackling of bone marrow came from Wraith, the snapping of a wood-like material silencing the other three. Wraith had demolished part of their face in half horizontally, as if in undertaking the form of a mouth. My mind and hope alike was shattered as four words erupted from Wraith's throat.

"YoU hAd OnE cHaNce."

My words failed me. All of their eyes burned into my skin, past the fabric of my clothing. Silence is such an uncomfortable thing, don't you think? Although this one seemed to last forever, it didn't stay long.
  "Surprise!"

A figure leaped onto Trapper's back, causing him to stumble and nearly topple. Another yanked at Nurse's wrinkled dress and head bag. Someone else revving the chainsaw in Hillbilly's hand, causing HB to injure himself. A fourth kicked Wraith in the legs.

  Still on the ground, I watched in shock as chaos ensued in front of me. The figure who attacked Wraith rushed towards me, and so much was going on through my mind I didn't realize who it was.
    "Omega, come on, we have to go!"

He pulled on my arm, urging me to stand. My saddened and helpless eyes stared at him as tears dribbled from my mouth. He turned to me, noticing I was crying. "Omega, please. They're in all five yards, looking for the hatch.

    I blinked. "T-they?" I turned my head, looking to the battle on our left. Nurse had teleported away, and Hillbilly was laying in the dirt, leg sawed open by his own chainsaw. Trapper was on the ground, an enormous barrel atop his torso so he couldn't stand.

Three others stood infront of me, standing proud and confident about their successful ambush. One held their hand out to me. "We have to get somewhere safe, Omega, until they report back to us. Do you know a place?"

I remained silent, but forced my stiff legs to move, standing. I wiped the tears from my jaw. Beginning to slowly walk towards the direction of my own yard, I could tell the four were unsure of following. But after a moment, they did, one set of footsteps pattering against the dirt after another.

  As I pushed through the corn field, making a path, I could hear them having a conversation behind me.
"Does he not remember us? Did they do something to him?"

"Maybe his mind has a reset once the doors shut?"

"Guys, he could probably just be in shock. He might have not registered yet."

Silence as we reached the wall. The top was a few feet above my head, so I just simply jumped up, large paws grasping the brick ledge, using the wall as support for my feet. Looking over my shoulder, I stood on the slim brick barrier. Their clothing was scratched and torn, bathed in dirt. But the original colours were still visible.

    Blue. Red. Red. Purple.

I leaped down, towering over them with intimidation. I could tell they had to stop themselves from stepping back in fear. My skull then shifted into its smile-like shape. They all grinned back at me. "You guys didn't have to come back."

   Luke stiffled a laugh. "At one point, we weren't be able to. The fog was so thick out there, we couldn't tell which way was up or down."

Delirious nodded, hands in his hoodie pocket. I could still see the teeth marks that dug into the fabric. "But Bryce, being a blonde beacon of light, managed to lead us back to the door and convince us to save you." Bryce's face turned light pink in a blush.

"We got in right as the gate was closing," Evan added.

  Quiet swallowed the atmosphere once again, until I turned and scaled the wall again. They approached, attempting to climb the chipped bricks. Bryce was to my right, his calmness relying on if he thought he was going to fall or not. He was panicking.

From the top of the wall, I gripped the collar of his jacket and heaved him over, a small, startled squeal escaping his lips. I continued this for the other three, and we were back in my yard.

  The heavy scent of ash punched my senses in the face, the odor overwhelming the common smell of rusted metal.

This wasn't supposed to happen.