He Was Dying

Chapter Twenty-Four

As I turned the corner, I skidded to a rough stop, slipping on the wet rock of the tunnel. A dead end stared back at me, as well as a towering figure hunched over itself. Huge antlers jutted out of it's head, beads and strings hanging from the bone, scraping against the walls of the sewer.

  I let out a nervous, hesitant chirp. The creature huffed in response. 

"Brock.." I muttered out.

He shook his head, exhaling another growling huff as he pounded one of his hind hooves against the ground. He stood on his hind legs, bent over because of the cramped space of the tunnel. He even struggled to shake his head, his antlers barely letting him move. He stepped forward and I stumbled a few steps back. 

"You lived.." I said in disbelief. "You.. are here."

  Brock fought against the stone walls to dip his head slowly, respectfully. He spoke a jumbled mess of chirps and growls, trying to piece together the Other language. I managed to understand him enough, but it was still choppy.

"They're looking for us. I can't let them see me."

"Brock, we have to get them home. We have to get you home."

"I don't deserve it."

"Of course, you do."

Brock shook his head, the beads hanging from his antlers clinking, echoing. He stomped his hooves in protest. The breath he huffed from his muzzle was fog, the heat contrasting against the freezing cold of the tunnels that I even shook from. 

"I promised."

"..Promised what?"

"That he wouldn't have to see me like this again."

"If you can let me help you.. then he won't have to."

"You don't know."

I paused, staring up at his glowing eyes in confusion. "I don't know what?"

"How to help me."

  I was thrown back into the concrete wall by a powerful hind hoof to the chest, hitting it with a crack and falling into the water. I heard ringing rattling my ears and distant calls bouncing through the tunnels. He stomped towards me and I scrambled to my feet, bounding down the tunnel away. My shoulder ached, causing me to run with a harsh limp, but I had no choice but to keep pushing.

  Twisting through the concrete paths, I could constantly hear Brock, or whatever he was, chasing after me, hooves smashing through the water and antlers scraping against the walls and ceilings. My lungs heaved in my chest, heart pounding against my ribs. I stumbled to a sudden halt as I turned a corner, being faced by a flashing red light above a steel door. I looked over my shoulder, spinning as Brock rounded the corner, a roar rumbling in his throat. 

  "Brock.." I began. "Think about this."

"I've thought."

He charged towards me, head down. I yelped, ducking under his piercing antlers to be knocked down by a hoof. On the ground, he pinned me between the bone horns, placing a heavy hoof on my chest. He pressed down and I heard blood-curdling cracks beneath, hissing and biting back a screech. I kicked up, swinging my body and thumping my feet at his face. He stepped back, startled and regaining himself. He roared, the sound rattling the dim lights that hung from the walls. 

I slipped away, standing back up and resting a hand where he stepped on my chest. Despite the fact that he was slouching, he still towered over me, his hulking form like a massive wall of brown fur and bones that blocked the tunnel. I was trapped between him and the door. 

My entire body ached, but not from pain. It felt like a blanket was laid over me, a thousand people holding down the ends with all their might. It was exhausting and tugged on my body like nothing I've ever felt. I could tell it took a toll on Brock, too. He moved slowly, taking more time to recover from hits, and he didn't seem as powerful as before.

  I shook my head dismissively, flicking my ears back. I crouched, getting into a ready stance to move quickly. Brock steadied himself. He swung a front hoof at me, it missing and slamming into the wall beside me. I took my chance to try and knock him down, kicking his stomach. I was flung back by his antlers swinging at me, catching and slicing through my hoodie, throwing me back into a wall. I succeeded, however, as he tripped backwards and fell to the ground. From my spot, sitting against the wall, blood seeping through the grey fabric of my sweater, I watched as he struggled to stand, heaving until he eventually gave up, resting in the mud and sewage water.

  My head spun, my ears flattening against it in hopes to silence the ringing. It was as if my senses tripled. Every creak and drip in these sewers hit my ears, every awful smell, every disgusting feeling against my back and under my feet. It felt like I was.. melting. 

  Melting. 

This... felt familiar. 

I lifted my hand to look at it. Something dripped from my fingertips, streaming down my arm and pooling against my sweater sleeve. My eyes felt like they were twitching, malfunctioning, and it was unbelievably tiring. All I could do was watch as the black substance that formed from my melting skin covered me, a pale peach colour bleeding from being the black.

 My ears that seeped onto my skull twitched, and I looked down the hall. Brock was back, laying on the ground unconscious. Footsteps echoed through the distant tunnels, and I knew they were coming close. I let my head fall back and my hand settle in my lap, letting out a shaking sigh. As my skin melted away, dripping into a black goo that burned into my bones, my eyes closed.