Terrible Fates (BEN Drowned story)

Chapter 3

[Not exactly doing daily chapters but so far I am??? I'll see.~]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 3

Ben's POV

Smile and Ladon chased each other around the front yard, and I kept watch on the porch. The weather was pretty warm, but a nice warm. The sun is high and shining over everything. The forest should be looking really pretty, if I were to take a walk in it right now.

...Jesus, I feel like an old man, and I hate it.

"Ugh, I don't want to be old and boring," I groaned, laying across the floor.

"What?" a voice replied softly.

Startled, I flinched in my spot and looked over to see who spoke. Ao stood in front of the mansion doors, leaning over a bit to look down at me. Her clothes were casual, telling me she wasn't going out on any business like killing Corrupted or scouting. She still had her blue glasses, though she cut her hair a long time ago so now it reaches her shoulders (no more pretty braids...). Her eyes were still as bright and as green as ever, though they hold a more mature flare to them now.

"Nothing," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "I'm just talking to myself."

"You don't have to be boring if you're old," she remarked, taking a seat next to me on the porch steps.

I chuckled and responded, "Well, I won't be boring, because I'm never gonna get old!"

"Really?"

"I think so."

She giggled and looked out at the yard as Ladon and Smile bounded around each other. "Eventually, all of that playing will be too much for Smile," she stated, "Ladon will get bigger."

"God, I'm not looking forward to that," I muttered.

Ao tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, still gazing out at the forest ahead. I took this time to get a look at her body. She had shorts on due to the warm weather, allowing me to see the white markings that now completely covered her right leg. Her left leg was starting to become overrun, too, as swirled, tribal marks formed up to the middle of her shin. I wasn't sure what was going on with those tattoos, but it hasn't affected Ao in any way. She doesn't know how or why they're growing, but we all know that they'll eventually overtake her entire body.

"How is everything?" I asked.

She shrugged and said, "It's still the same. No progress in our search for Elizabeth. Masky and Hoodie should be coming back today. So far, Corrupted are beginning to show up in big cities more often... People are becoming more aware, and authorities can't do much to cover the truth."

"They're not seeing what they want to anymore?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what's happening but they're unfazed by magic less and less. At this rate, they'll see the reality behind what they think are natural disasters and human attacks. If that happens, there won't be stopping the hysteria."

I frowned at the ground, imagining all of the panic, and uncertainty, and fear. All of it would be a challenge to deal with, even though humans aren't strong enough to overtake us. Unless they have advanced technology like SCP did, then in that case we'd be screwed... Shit, maybe it will be a challenge.

"Well, that's good to hear some news," I started, "but I was kind of asking about you, personally."

She glanced over at me with wide eyes. "Oh, me?"

I nodded.

She stifled a wry chuckle and messed with her necklaces (one from her friends, the other from Jeff and Ellie). "Um, I'm doing okay. I've just been busy...looking for Ellie...and everything else."