Hey! Got nothing to do, so here's the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews!
Growing pains and broken lullabyes
Todd groaned, and slowly woke for the second time, carefully avoiding to jump up immediately. One lump on his head was enough for today, dammit! Warily, he slowly shifted his head to the side, and slid out from the low ledge that he was lying underneath. Ignoring his muscles protesting, he pushed himself up off the floor, wincing when the dirt and loose rocks ground against his raw hands.
"Ok, so… still alive, still aching like a bitch, still in a fucking cave. Nice to know that I hadn't dreamed that up. And still talking to myself. Just great."
He slowly pulled his head up, and took a proper look at his surroundings, grimacing when some unexpected light shot straight into his eyes, making his head throb in returning pain. His body still ached, but not enough to be a hindrance. For sunlight to reach this far inside the cave, it must be about noon. Breathing slowly, he fisted his hands and tried to stand. Fresh pain shot through his legs and arms, making him feel like he was being electrocuted. Screaming, Todd dropped to the floor, his newly forming bruises throbbing, adding to the pain.
His skin, something was happening to his skin! The burning feeling slithered across his body, and where the burning went, the skin burned, blackening at the edges, crisping and boiling at the same time. He clawed at the chunks of flesh, ripping at them with blunted nails. Slowly, with each piece of blackened flesh stripped from his body, the pain lessened, enough to make tears run down his cheeks, but not as bad as it had been before. Panting, whimpering at the pain, he scraped at the remaining chunks of flesh on his arms and legs, and screamed when the process began again, focusing on his torso, back and face. His screams of agony lasted long into the night, frightening what wildlife remained away from the cave.
Wake.
Sniff, Taste the air. Pain and Blood and Fear. Run away, need Water.
Blood on floor, Flesh on floor. Sweat and Tears in air. Hear water, Sweet water, Crawl to Sound, Blessed Coolness.
Drink, Swim, feel on body. Fear sweat gone.
Silver flash. Food. Catch, silver squirms, squeals. Bite, tear, rip. Warm blood. Prey running, gone. More food, brown fur. Claw, bite, eat.
Fullness.
Run back to safety, blood and flesh still there. Clear away, bury.
Tired. Sleep.
The burning had stopped at dusk. But Todd had passed out from the pain hours ago. When he woke, he was lying on the ground, curled up in a ball. The roar of the water was closer this time, louder. Water dripped from the rocks on the wall, and tiny crystals were imbedded in the wall, glimmering in the weak light. The blood and flesh had gone, but here and there were splotches of drying blood, and the place smelt like cooked meat and bile. He guessed he must have thrown up in his sleep. His skin had stopped hurting now, and instead was ultrasensitive. It had changed colour too, and instead of his usual grey complexion, he was a pigmented green colour, with lighter stripes on his arms, legs, stomach and face. His clothes were in tatters, ripped from his clawing at them, and even burned in some places. Guess he didn't imagine that after all. He laughed hysterically, tears pouring down his face, with the cave echoing back the sound until it drowned out its source. Then, after a silence that was so fragile, it could be broken with a single sigh, the sound of small, tiny sobs were heard. Until, finally, a cracked, quiet voice was heard.
And she sighed,
Hush a bye
Don't you cry,
I will keep you safe tonight
And she cried,
Hush a bye
Please don't die,
I couldn't keep you safe tonight
The lullaby crept through the cave, wrapping around the walls, swirling around the small body of Todd, tightening around him as he softly sang, over and over, in his cracked and broken voice, with the tears slowly falling down his face, as the darkness enveloped him, as if to cradle him to sleep. And he stayed that way, softly singing, until he fell into an exhausted and dreamless sleep.
A/N:
If you haven't guessed, the silver flash that was almost eaten was actually Pietro. Don't worry, he's fine. He's just got a couple of bite marks on his arm and in need of some stitches. And some painkillers.
Also, the lullaby is one of the ones I made. It's a bit morbid, but I think Todd's in a morbid mood right now.
Review or die!
