Crossposted from my ao3 account, rapono. Please check out my ao3 for more and updating fics, as this account is basically dead and inactive.
Shoulders slumped, body sagging, you stared down at the dull green glow of the walkie-talkie, standing quietly in the near darkness.
You were exhausted. You'd barely made quota last shift, and the constant stress had made you weary, yet unable to rest. There was a tension, nestled behind your ribcage, a constant pressure festering in your chest, but you ignored it.
You were alone, again. A wrong turn in a maze to only too late realize you could no longer hear your coworkers' voices in the darkness. Well, at least not in person.
The radio crackled with their constant chatter, making sure you didn't miss a beat of whatever inane nonsense they rambled on about. Complaining about this week's rations. A leg cramp. Gossip.
You were tempted to turn it off, but the silence was worse.
Wandering aimlessly, you spotted a plastic fish on the ground, and picked it up, pocketing it. It wasn't worth much, but something was better than nothing. You hoped your coworkers were having better luck, but your hopes weren't high.
Your flashlight flickered, battery half drained already. Dread nipped at the edges of your mind, the anticipation of wandering in the darkness. You'd almost walked into a Bracken last time, catching the glow of its eyes a moment before contact. You'd squeezed your eyes shut, hoping you hadn't stared to long, before it was gone.
"Hey, you still alive over there?"
You didn't register the words from the radio until they said your name, snapping your attention into focus, and you stopped. You fumbled with the device for a moment, as you heard them start to carry on, theorizing how you died.
"Yeah, I'm still here."
The catwalk creaked, as you stared at the dim light of the walkie-talkie, waiting for them to reply.
"Good, didn't want to have to go looking for your corpse."
You didn't respond. You're tired of this, of restless sleeps, of monsters breathing down your back, body riddled with bruises and bite marks. You didn't have the energy to argue, especially if you didn't want to risk being left behind.
Your posture slumped with a heavy sigh, metal walkway creaking slightly under your weight. You wanted to go home.
There was a slight movement in your peripherals, of shadows shifting, just barely. But you were not given a moment to process, before long fingers curved around your collarbone, and gripped tight.
You tensed up, squeezing the receiver, as you screamed. Your grasp slipped, as you were violently yanked back, ripping both the scream and radio from you, as your items clattered loudly to the metal floor.
In that beat of forced silence, from behind you, came the sound of rustling leaves.
Oh. Of course.
Despite the initial scream of terror, you didn't fight it, going limp as your felt its claws tighten. It was going to be over soon, you'd finally have some rest, just a quick snap, and you'd have nothing left to fear.
Out of all the ways to die, you preferred this the most.
But as you stood there, baring your neck for it, the snap never came. Instead, with your back pressed against its towering body, its hands snaked downwards, crossing over each other across your chest. Its claws hooked to the sides of your suit, with arms wrapped tight around you, it squeezed.
Not a strangulation, nor the break of your neck. A hug.
No, you'd died. You had to be dead, this just was a pleasant hallucination as your brain shut down. A thought to comfort you in your final moments.
That was, if you didn't hear the crackling and tinny voices of your coworkers calling your name from the radio lying on the floor.
The arms were real, pinning you in place, able to hear its raspy breath next to your ear, feel the small shifts in its living body. A weight settled on your helmet, as the Bracken rested its head atop you, the rustle of its leaves growing soft, slower, like it was relaxing.
The cacophony of worried voices still buzzed from the dropped device, but you ignored it, as you relaxed in the monster's embrace.
The festering tension in your chest loosened, just a little.
With a sudden tug, your feet slipped out from under you, as with a rustle of its leaves, the Bracken began to drag you backwards like it would a corpse. You didn't struggle, claws dug into your sides almost painfully, arms tight around your limp body, as you left the range of your fallen flashlight and were pulled into the darkness.
You closed your eyes, too afraid of seeing something else in the dark, something that might break this spell with a shot of panic.
The constant noise of static-laced voices eventually grew silent as you got farther, until the only sound was the back of your boots, dragging along the metal and concrete floors.
You wondered what it would do with you, with still-living prey.
Eventually, the sound of the floor changed to something different than metal grates and concrete floors, something much softer, not giving much resistance against your dragging feet. And then, the dragging stopped. Curiosity getting the better of you, you opened your eyes to light.
Oh. The strange wallpapered room. It had brought you there.
You heard its leaves flutter, as its grip on you loosened slightly, before you found yourself being lowered to the soft carpeted floor. Limpness left your body as you sat up, confused, before you were pulled against its chest once more, and you realized it had sat down along with you.
It had placed you down in its lap, its long legs extended out on either side of you, and for the first time, you realized the creature wasn't pitch black, but deep red like a beet.
Huh.
You let your body go limp once more, leaning against its chest, and heard its leaves flutter softly. The weight of its head rested on your helmet once more, and you felt it too, relax with you, clutching you close like a giant plush animal.
You felt, safe.
Your eyes slipped closed once more, as the two of you fell into comfortable silence, your tired mind wandering.
It was going to eat you eventually, why wouldn't it? Just because it was being kind and gentle with its prey didn't mean it wasn't going to devour you once it grew hungry. You were just easy prey it made complacent, saving for later.
Still, that didn't bother you, your prey animal instincts quiet, silent. You wouldn't struggle when it came (if it came). There had to be a price for this comfort, this moment of bliss. The company didn't allow for nice things.
You were so very tired, weary, exhausted.
The Bracken squeezed you, pressing you tight against it, and you felt the tension behind your ribcage unwind. The weight had lifted.
Whatever was going to happen to you, you didn't care. This was worth it.
Breaths slowing, heart quieting, you felt your mind gradually slip into darkness, exhaustion taking you in its embrace. Sleep consumed you with ease, as you willingly walked into its jaws, falling asleep in the Bracken's arms.
Out of all the ways to die, you preferred this the most.
"Shit."
They'd found your items, just as the last of your flashlight's battery ran dry. The walkie-talkie still crackled with chatter, growing silent with the discovery, the plastic fish you'd found laying right beside.
"Well, I think they're dead."
Their flashlights roamed the room, and saw no body to take back with them, paranoia setting in, a hand trembling.
"Bracken. I think a Bracken got them."
They gathered up your things, not wanting them to go to waste, as they frantically checked their backs, searching for a monster that wouldn't come looking for them. A constant anxiety to linger with them until they left, and a guilt, to haunt them even longer.