She Who Keeps The Dead Down.(Worm/Old Kingdom)

I couldn't breathe.

"What's the matter Taylor, thought you'd feel right at home in there?"

The sheer, overwhelming stench of rotten blood and worse flooded my nose which each breath, forcing convulsions as my body tried to eject food that wasn't there. Holding my breath didn't help either, it just made me feel lightheaded.

"Please! Em-Emma, let me out!"

"'Please! Em-Emma l-let me oout!' What a weak little bitch."

The laughter from outside redoubled at that, and the hope that someone,anyoneout there would see how, hownot okaythis was and do something died a little.

"Well, since you like it there so much, why don't you just stay in there? It's not like anyone else wants you here."

The ringing silence that followed her words was a damning confirmation. A surge of panic bolstered me, jolting a sudden inhale that only had me choking on my own bile as the urge to heave reasserted itself.

"w-wait! You can't do this! You can't (cough) l-leave me here!"

"But of course I can. I'm strong after all. and you're nothing but a weak, little, worm. Have fun!"

"Emma!" But it was too late. I could already hear the sounds of a crowd moving along. The hope died a little more. But surelysomeonewould let me out? Maybe they were waiting for everybody else to leave first? That must be it. I focused on taking calm measured breaths and fought off the nausea as best as I could.

That was when I became aware that I was not alone in there.

It began with a scurrying feeling across my shin. At first, I thought I'd just brushed against something at the bottom of my locker. I'd been doing my level best to ignore the filling in my locker, the squishiness against my legs, the congealed lumps inside it. The smell was far harder to dismiss. But then I felt something run over my wrist. And as if that was some kind of signal, I suddenly became hyperaware of all thebugsin my locker. My calm, measured breaths turned into quick, panicked hyperventilation.

I couldn't see them in there, but I could feel them, and my imagination filled in the blanks with helpful nuggets of information I'd picked up in Science class. Did you know that cockroaches can eat just about anything? Including human flesh? Or that there's a species of fly that literally lays its eggsinside its still living victim,and then when they hatchthey eat their way out?

I strained myself to listen to the hallway outside. I couldn't hear anything, it must have been empty. Now, now would they let me out? No one would see, and I certainly wouldn't tell.

Please? Surely someone would let me out. Surely someone had some sense of decency.

Unless they assumed someone did it already...

No! Someone had to help! They had to!

The walls, already too close, too small closed in further. They were an iron band around my chest, crushing the breath out of me. The hope slipped closer to death, as the panic grew. My short, quick breathes, constricted as I was, came to a fever pitch. Even the fetid smell took a back seat to the abandonment occurring.

What if... (I felt lightheaded) What if the trio told everyone that they let me out, so no one bothered?

What if they threatened everyone, and they were too afraid to help?

What if nobody came?

My head felt... fuzzy. I discovered that my legs were tingling, and I could barely feel them. Were... were the bugs eating me already? How long... was I in here for?

Everything was going black... except for the stars. Two vast, unknowable beings, shedding pieces that shone like stars as they fell from the heavens

[Destination]

The word had weight, meaning in ways that couldn't be explained. It echoed through my head like a horn in a cave.

[Agreement]

My head was beginning to hurt. Were these gods? Was I dead?

[Trajectory]

I felt a surge of sadness for my father. He deserved better than me. Better than a daughter who would leave him too soon. Some cynical part of me noted that he would probably join me soon too.

[Agree- concern]

I felt more than saw them. Six, bright lights surrounding the maybe-gods. They fought with bursts of light, back and forth. Then I saw her.

She was tall, and skeletally gaunt. Pale of face and dark of hair, she wore a black cloak. Gray waters licked at her feet, waters that I somehow knew carried the chill of Death. She walked towards the battle, towards the maybe-god that turned to face her and-

ENDING.

The word, sound, something, I didn't understand it, but it rang with the toll of the final end. An ant, crushed by an unknowing passerby. A well-fed bull led to slaughter. Church bells, tolling a final dirge for somebody who would never hear them, could never hear them. The sound of the universe coming to an end, everything crushed into a point, collapsing under its own density.

But it had a far worse effect on the gods.

The far one flickered, like a candle in a gentle breeze, but the closer one went out entirely.

[Fear]

The wounded being fled, evading its would-be captors. And I fell and I fell and I...