(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

A Midsummer's Nightmare - Chapter 1

Storytime: I got back from college classes today feeling really upset. I wasn't in a good head space at all to get anything done. Even though I had spent time in between classes storyboarding for another idea I'm currently working on and had initially intended on producing a rough draft once I got home,  I was fully contemplating just going to bed early and saying 'f*** the rest of the day' without getting anything else done.

Needless to say, my body said no and woke me up three hours later. Rather than lay in bed feeling like crap, I decided to browse on my computer to distract myself instead. 

Looking through my notifications on Wattpad, I had two people (I'm assuming they just stumbled upon my book today) binge read and vote on every chapter. That, combined with a really nice comment on Tumblr on an inspired story turned what was a really crappy and emotional day into a pretty nice evening.

I want to say thank you, it really turned my mood around and made my day, and to celebrate the good vibes, I'm releasing a story I had planned to post tomorrow a day early~

Enjoy the angst?

Chapter Warnings: Blood (Marrow?), Character death

***

"Goth, where are you?!"

Goth was startled into awareness. Darkness surrounded him and he was alone with only barren ground as far as the eye light could see.

Where am I? I'll figure it out later, that shout just now... that sounded like Palette!

Picking a direction he thought the voice had come from, Goth started running. His eye sockets widened as the sound of metal and bone clashing and crying echoed in the distance.

Pushing his feet to move faster, a white object appeared in the distance... Palette! He was holding something tightly to his chest... and it was crying. Goth's soul bottomed out when he realized the bundle was their son. 

What's Pastel doing here?!

A shadowy figure advanced on Palette, slashing at him with a maniacal grin on their face. Palette used his roller in his left hand to block the attacks while cradling their screaming son to his sternum with his right. His clothing was torn in a few spots around his arms and legs as the assault pushed him back, but he adamantly refused to let anything get through to the child.

Goth tried to rush forward to help them, only for his feet to become rooted to the spot. A quick glance revealed shadowy tendrils wrapped around his legs and torso. He struggled, clawing against his bindings, cringing at the way his bones creaked in protest at the pressure.

"AH!"

Goth's skull shot up at the noise, his own struggle forgotten. The roller had been knocked from Palette's hand, opening him to a direct attack that severed his right arm at the elbow. He grunted as a kicked knocked him away from Pastel. The child fell to the ground, screaming and crying in fear.

"Palette! Pastel!" The hooded skeleton screamed, trying to wrench himself from the shadows holding him down once more. 

Goth's voice didn't seem to reach his husband that was now struggling to lift himself using the one arm he had left. As Palette attempted to crawl toward Pastel, shadows began to wrap around him as well, impeding his progress.

The shadowed being strolled toward their child. As marrow seeped from his wounded arm, Palette screamed, "Leave him alone! Don't hurt him, please!"

"Pastel... oh stars, Pastel!" Goth panicked, frantically doubling his efforts to escape the shadows surrounding him.

The figure ignored them as it lifted Pastel up by the neck, the little one calling out desperately for help, "D... daddy! Mo... mom-AGH!" He choked as the hand tightened, squirming and writhing in the shadow's grip. Goth caught the metallic glint of a moving weapon.

"NO!" Both parent's cries echoed in unison as the weapon pierced the struggling child, producing a marrow-curdling shriek before giving way to silence. Both skeletons broke down in distraught tears as they watched their boy fall to dust.

Merrily dusting off their hands, the shadow stepped over the remnants of little Pastel and made their way toward Palette. Goth's soul constricted as he yelled, "Palette... Palette, get up! Run... please, run!"

I already lost Pastel... I can't take losing Palette too!

The taller skeleton continued to lay prone on the ground, the visor of his hat obscuring his face as he lamented to loss of their son, oblivious to the threat inching closer. 

"Please get up, Palette! Please! I still love you!" Goth sobbed as the shadow towered over him, raising the weapon into the air, "STOP IT!"

Goth's pleas were in vain as the weapon embedded itself in Palette's back, eliciting a sharp, wet gasp from the skeleton as a faint cracking sound resounded through the darkness.

A cough and a sniffle came from Palette as his body began to crumble, "Goth... I... I c... couldn't... I'm... s... so sorry... I failed..." Tear tracks glistened on his cheeks despite the lack of light surrounding him.

"No... please, no...," Goth whimpered, the will to fight leaving his body as he watched his husband disintegrate as his son had, leaving behind a pile of clothing and dust.

He clenched his teary eye sockets as the figure rounded on him. 

Let them come, I have nothing left to live for... my son and husband are gone.

"You couldn't save them...," a voice whispered with a sickly sweet lilt to it. The shadow circled the hooded skeleton, taunting their bound prey, "Your family cried out for you, they needed you and you let them down... so pathetic, so useless... they're dead because of you, you know."

Goth's frame rattled as he shook in the shadow's hold.

It is my fault. They were in danger, and I couldn't do anything to protect them... now they're mere piles of dust.

The figure donned a cheshire smile as they reeled back with their weapon, preparing to deliver their final blow. Goth tilted his skull up, tear streaking down his face as he chose to relive the memories of his once happy family rather than open his sockets and watch his own demise.

"I'll see you both soon," he breathed softly right before white-hot pain ripped through his body.

***

Word Count: 850