He struggled to get to the surface, it seemed so far away, yet just out of reach. It was as though something was holding him back. It was encircling his legs, holding on tightly as it was trying to pull him under deeper. Turning his head to face his attacker, he was faced with this horrid looking abomination of a creature. Those grotesque tentacle-like appendages were clinging desperately to him, dragging him ever closer to rows of its razor sharp teeth. He strained, but couldn't get loose. There was no getting away. This is how he was going to die. He gave one last attempt at freedom, finding for some reason, he was actually getting closer to it. He still had a chance.
He broke through the surface as his eyes snapped open. He was lying down. Wasn't he just in the water? Was that just a dream then? He realized his breaths were coming out fast and shallow. Panic was still present in his body, coursing through him. The next thing he noticed upon waking up was the stiffness the plagued his aching muscles. Why was he so sore; what did he do in his sleep? He had a vague image in his head, but he couldn't quite shake the fogginess from it and was left with snippets of memories as his most recent dream was fleeing him. Prompto eased his eyes open, wincing at the sunlight that poured in as it ambushed his still sensitive eyes. Why was it so bright? He pushed himself up into a sitting position as he leaned on one arm. Everything seemed to pulse with a light and dull throb. It wasn't enough to be painful, but it was definitely annoying.
"About time you woke up. We're already getting ready to go." He glanced up at Gladio, who was standing right outside the tent, arms folded over his chest. Gladio thought a moment before asking his next question, "Were you having a nightmare or something? You were twisting and turning an awfully lot."
Prompto groaned as he pushed himself the rest of the way up. Pressing a hand against his forehead, noticing the light sheen of sweat that coated it and replied, "Ugh, what the hell? What happened last night?" He rubbed his hand in circles, trying to clear out some of the cotton that filled his head.
Gladio peered over at the younger, "You don't remember? Well, you did seem out of it last night. So it wouldn't be surprising if you forgot."
Fractions of visions flashed behind his eyes, but it wasn't enough to piece together. "Hmm, I had the weirdest dream, I know that much. There was teeth, and this horrible smell. But I can't remember the rest." He concentrated harder on remembering, only to come up blank.
Gladio hummed to himself. "Ignis thinks you were probably sleep walking. Must have gone too close to the edge and fallen in." That and what Prompto had just told him, it did seem to add up.
Prompto looked down, trying to consider the possibility. It did explain a lot, but it still didn't feel right. Something just felt...off. Wrong almost. "I remember waking up on the ground, but nothing before that." He admitted, all recollection of the previous night lost to him. "I don't think I've ever sleep walked before though."
"If you have, you wouldn't remember it anyway." Gladio reminded.
Prompto sighed to himself, "Yeah." He said under his breath. "I guess you're right." He wanted to accept that to be the explanation as to what exactly happened, but he just couldn't. He jumped when there was a light weight placed on his shoulder.
"Come on, Ignis saved your breakfast for you. Also your vest, socks and shoes are right there." He pointed to one of the corners of the tent. He removed his hand and left Prompto alone to get himself together.
He reached over and dragged his clothes over, immediately pulling his vest back on. It was incredibly rigid, and saturated with the essence of the swamp. Not exactly ideal anymore, but it would be salvageable. Next were his socks. Pulling on his right one he flinched as a pain throbbed from beneath his pants leg. He pressed on it experimentally, getting the same results. Lifting up the material he automatically saw the source. Deep purple bruises adorned his flesh, wrapping all the way around. His dream came to mind again. But that was just a dream.
His fingers traced along the marks as he was lost in thought. Did that actually happen? Or perhaps he just banged it against the rocks when he fell in. He let the thoughts simmer a bit as he finished getting his socks and shoes on, ignoring how his muscles protested against being used as he stood up, especially those in his leg. He gave it a tested step forward before exiting the tent.
The other three were busy cleaning things up and gathering their supplies as he subtly ventured closer to them. Ignis was the first to notice his presence, "It's nice to see you awake." He greeted. "I left your share of breakfast over there." He pointed to one of the chairs that were still out where a plate sat with a couple pieces of toast on it. Ignis had decided to go the light route again, which Prompto was grateful for considering he didn't really feel like eating to begin with.
"Thanks." He said as he picked up the offered food. Now that he was actually looking at it, it seemed a lot more unappetizing than it was. But, he didn't want to seem rude, so he forced himself to take a bite out of it. The taste caught him off guard. It tasted different, not a good kind of different either. He chewed and swallowed anyway, almost gagging on the peculiar flavor.
Waiting until the others were focused on something else, he broke off a bite-sized chunk and tossed it into the water as a fish popped up to claim it. At least they were enjoying it, it was better than it going to waste anyway. Prompto repeated this until there were no traces of toast left. The one bite he ate still left an unpleasant aftertaste in the back of his mouth, lingering there far longer than he would have preferred.
Setting the plate aside, he joined the others in cleaning up and preparing for their departure, ever attentive of his surroundings. Just this constant feeling of restlessness was nesting in his chest. He pushed it away, trying to smother it and tell himself he was being irrational. It was this swamp; it was eerie and it was throwing his senses into overdrive. Things would be better the moment they got out of this place.
"Prompto?"
He perked up at his name being called. Noctis was standing next to him, looking at him intently, "Hmm?" He asked, wondering how he got so close without him noticing.
"You've been standing there, just staring. Are you alright?" Noctis held a level of concern in his eyes. This was a bit strange, even for Prompto.
The blonde looked around, seeing that most everything was taken care of, "Yeah." He replied slowly, bewilderment evident in his features, "Just zoned out a bit I guess." That uneasy feeling thinned out and he finally felt a little more relaxed. It was a nice change of pace, but it still didn't make any sense to him. "I'm alright." He continued, devoid of emotion as he pushed past Noctis to help with the remainder of the supplies.
Noctis stood there for a few more seconds before going back to what he was doing. He didn't want to push the matter further, even if it was obvious that something wasn't right. Prompto may have been denying that it was fine, but he had been standing there for nearly five minutes, and that...that was not fine.
They had to set off again once everything was cleared, and soon enough, their clothes were once again thrust into the world of grime disgust. The material quickly absorbed the muddy water they trudged through, soaking through and coating their skin. Prompto shuddered at the contact, grimacing as he did so. 'Not too much longer.' He told himself. 'Just relax, and you'll be rid of this place before you know it.'
Just like before, they had resorted to walking rather close to one another as the further they got from the haven, the more dense the fog became. It was nearly impossible to see two feet in front of them at some point, and even Ignis had a few moments of doubt as to whether or not they were still headed in the same direction. It felt as though this place had no end. He was now beginning to question whether or not he should have even trusted that man's words. He had no proof after all that anything was out there. It was nothing but rumors. Rumors and speculations.
Noctis must have had the same thought as his frustrations were now beginning to build up, "I swear, if this ends up being a waste of time." He crammed his hands into his pockets and tilted his head back slightly to look towards the sky, not that he could see it anyway.
"Noct, please do try to have more self-control." Ignis responded to his outburst with a sense of calm and authority. "Having some sort of optimism for once wouldn't hurt. You should give it a try sometime."
Prompto gave a light laugh from the back, "Please, Noct and optimism go together about as well as Gladio and shirts." He nudged the larger man in front of him with his fist in a joking manner.
Gladio smiled at that comment, "Yeah, and about as well as you and the ladies." He nudged back with his elbow.
Prompto gave an exaggerated gasp, "So not cool." He pouted, feigning hurt. "I only have eyes for one." He said in his 'daydreaming' voice. His distraction caused him to accidentally run into something, it felt like a piece of a tree and he struck it with his sore leg. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out, but still let a quiet hum escape. He leaned forward to try and attempt to grip at the offending limb.
Gladio heard this unusual noise and glanced over his shoulder. "You alright back there?" He asked, looking at the blonde who was now standing on one leg while rubbing the other.
"Mmmhmm." His voice came out high pitched and strained. "Old tree carcass." He pointed towards the water where he guessed it was. He then gave a thumbs up, "All good though." He straightened up and half walked, half hopped to catch up.
Gladio nodded, "Try to be more careful. If you hurt yourself, I'm not carrying you." He waved a hand as he turned back and carried on walking ahead.
"Hey, wait up." Prompto called, taking quicker steps so as not to get left behind. It wouldn't take very long to lose sight of them after all. "I've been meaning to ask," He started as he began walking next to Gladio, "Have any of you guys noticed anything, I don't know, off."
"Only you." Gladio answered, actually rather honestly.
Prompto's face fell a little,"You know what I mean. Like something s watching us. Or like it's following us. Now, I know we've been over this, but I just thi-"
"Prompto." Ignis cut him off. "Gladio told us about your dream." He took a deep breath, "And that's all it was, a dream. That combined with your sleep walking episode; it would make sense that you are feeling the way you are, but you have to understand the difference between imagination and reality."
The younger fell silent as heat rose to his face in embarrassment. He felt like a child being scolded for lying. He was the only one making a big deal about this, so maybe he was blowing it out of proportion. 'It was just a dream. It was just a dream' He told himself repeatedly 'Get it through your head already.' "Alright." He said flatly, letting himself fall back a little bit. "I won't mention it again." He assured the others as that uneasy feeling he came to dread began creeping back up on him.
He scanned around one more time, just for good measure, surprised that he could actually see a bit better now. Looking back in front of him, even the others seemed clearer. The fog was thinning out. After so long they could finally see properly, and as they went, they found more of their bodies to be above the water's surface until it was just their feet that were covered.
"It's about damn time." Gladio said, squinting to look through what remained of the fog. "Looks like there was some truth to that guys claims after all." Prompto peered around him to see actual land for the first time in what felt like forever. But for some reason, it didn't change how he felt. Tight uncertainty still surged upward from his chest.