Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yorick’s Resting Place, the dead of night. Per usual. All that can be heard among the delicate, somber-like whistling of the wind is the crunching of a multitude of footsteps padding softly among the grass— slowly, cautiously.

The silence of the pack is abruptly broken by hushed bickering— Elliot, the now former deliveryman for Builderbrother’s Pizza Place and 007n7, a former Robloxian hacker who’s son tormented the poor deliveryman out of a job. Despite being hushed multiple times, the pair kept uttering small words of insult toward each other.

“Alrite, das’ enuff!” Silently yelled Builderman, whom glanced around the darkness surrounding them before raising his tone. “If you two gonna keep bickerin’, you jus’ gonna bring the restofus trouble!” 

Unanimously, everyone had begun to nod their heads frantically, agreeing with said statement. Builderman raised his hand up to his chest  before speaking again; “John, I shall split the group among the both of us, you take the pizzaboy— I’ll make sure the exploiter don’t get far.”

Builderman glared at 007n7 with a slight squint, with a hint of bias. 007n7 let out an audible gulp.

Shedletsky nodded before stating his testament; “However, I believe we must split each subclass as evenly as possible to ensure our survival, dontcha think? We don’t want one group havin’ less of a survival rate than the other.”

Builderman agreed.

”Is this really necessary? There’s already so little of us…” Chance spoke whilst adjusting his fedora, “It’s just some squabbling, nothing we can’t get through, right?”

”They do this all the damn time…” Guest argued, “It’s better to not take the risk. But who am I to go telling you that? You take risks pretty often, don’t you, gambler?”

Chanced scoffed.

”Don’t you go—“ Chance raised his tone before getting hushed by Shedletsky. 

“You’re all too loud…” He let out an unamused sigh. “Chance, you’re coming with me.” He demanded.

Chance silently acted out an overdramatic groan. It was more of humorous incline than it was of disappointment.

After a while, the groups were successfully selected. A few minor complaints and whispers were shared across the survivors but there wasn’t much that could be done. They agreed that taking matters into their own hands was a death wish.

shedletsky’s team:

shedletsky (sentinel)

chance (sentinel)

elliot (support)

noob (survivalist)

Buildermans team:

builderman (support)

007n7 (survivalist)

guest1337 (sentinel)

two time (survivalist)

Shedletsky and Builderman grasped each other’s hand in a firm handshake before parting ways.

”Shall we meet up someplace else?” Shedletsky asked.

Builderman replied, ”Indeed.”

Shedletsky gestured for his group to follow along, he remained in the front, guiding them towards a small, concrete surrounded graveyard. He trailed his hand among the walls, feeling the texture drag along his fingers. 

“Here, we rest.” He sat, back against one of the walls. “However, I shall remain unrested to ensure everyone’s safety. There is a specific radius to which the hostiles can detect us, if that so happens, I shall defend as best I can to allow—“

”Alright, we get it.” Moaned Chance. “If you REALLY need to, my gun shall be here, but preferably, don’t lay a single speck on my baby…” He caressed his gun lightly with his pointer finger, slowly trailing it down toward the grip of the gun. The rest of the group backed away from him slowly and exchanged glares and glimpses.

”…right.” Slowly responded Shedletsky.

He pressed his hands together. “Well, goodnight!”

The group had begun to decide on their resting spots in this area, some in specific silently prayed for another day. Chance’s hat rested on his face which muffled his snoring to an extent. As the night slowly passed, Shedletsky had begun to ponder, patting at his robe as if he were searching for something he had dropped.

Though, nothing was left, only him and his singular sword. He thought back to the eld days,  SFOTH, to which he had long retired from. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut. His creation of hatred, manifest itself. He couldn’t dare tell the group, he couldn’t dare tell builderman. He was solely dependent on them.

He let out a slow, trembling breath before fluttering his eyes open once again, the sun had begun to rise. It hadn’t even felt like that long. He looked to those around him, getting long deserved rest. His eyes didn’t feel as heavy as they originally had been. Had he unknowingly let go of a burden so abruptly?

Shedletsky propped himself up, the fabric of his robe shuffled against his skin. He had promptly begun to wake everyone up with small shakes and “Good mornings.” Noob, he saved for last. Noob covered his face, staring directly at the sun. Shedletsky leaned over him, covering him in a shadow to then he could allow his eyes to properly adjust.

”Noob.” Shedletsky spoke sternly, almost scaring the poor man. “I know you’re a big snack guy…mind sharing a bit?” He whispered loudly, as if trying to poorly hide a secret everyone knew about. 

“Um…” Noob had begun to dig in his pockets, the rustling of chips and shakes of soda cans caused Shedletsky to perk up. “Yeah, here.” Noob handed him a bag of chips, to which he celebrated silently before unhesitatingly popped them right open.

“See—“ He spoke, his mouth half full. “Mm…This is why I wanted you— mm.. on my group…—“ He said through muffles. 

Elliot let out a small giggle. “Aren’t you supposed to be the leader here? Are you just exploiting this whole team in order to get some sort of buffet?”

Shedletsky shook his head. “Leave me alone, why dontcha? A guy can’t eat in peace now?”

”Thats not what I meant…” Elliot stammered, waving his arms in an X like motion. “I didn’t mean to be insulting or—“

Shedletsky let out a hearty laugh “Insulting! Ha! Relax, I’m jus’ joking with you!”

”Oh.” Elliot sighed. “Ha ha! Sorry…” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Shedletsky grabbed the deliveryman’s arm and dragged him along, “Come now,” he spoke “you’re the only healer we have, so let’s find you some aid just in case, okay?”

Elliot staggered backwards whilst being dragged along, adjusting his visor atop his head. “Wait— What about the other two?” He asked. Shedletsky turned around and looked him dead in the eyes. 

“Other two? They’ll be fine! They have a whole group with them—“ He cut himself off, scratching the back of his head “Oh, right, we split. I completely forgot.”

He smiled awkwardly at Elliot before beginning to backtrack and gesture the others along. Chance just so happened to be showing Noob an intriguing coin trick.

”Up ahead, there should be a house atop of a hill.” Shedletsky directed, the other three slowly followed behind him, Noob glanced down from the bridge to the discolored water. He tilted his head like a curious animal and dipped his hand in before immediately extracting it. 

He winced and began to wave his hand around in pain, letting out a small yelp. “Ow..! It burns! What is wrong with this water? Is it contaminated?” 

The rest of the group turned around, and Shedletsky rolled his eyes. “It’s poison, Noob. Preferably don’t touch things you aren’t familiar with.” He scolded, Noob held his hurt hand solemnly. Chance stopped in his tracks to let noob pass him before covering his mouth and letting out a small snicker.

Shedletsky held his arm out at the doorway of the house, stopping everyone in their tracks. He held a tight grip on his sword with his other hand, venturing inside. The building had no lights, it was a fairly small, open building. Atop a table there was a medkit, how convenient! Shedletsky slowly, yet swiftly snatched the handle of the medkit.

“Aha! There you are!” A loud, obnoxious voice spoke from the darkness. A fleshy amalgamation stepped into the light peering from the outside. Every step was a disgusting squishy sound. A rather small figure, with huge hands. C00lkidd.

”You thought you could hide from me, but I remember us playing tag— not hide and seek, silly!” He laughed playfully. Shedletsky gestured for the others to run, to which they nodded and slowly backed away. Elliot stayed in front of the other two, bracing, he was tense. C00lkidd diverted his gaze from Shedletsky to Elliot.

”Oh! You. Hmm…You look familiar!” He giggled, stepping forward once again. One. Two. Three steps closer. “Oh well!” Shedletsky’s grip on the handle of the sword grew tighter. Five. Six. Seven. Eight steps. He had begun to make his way around the table to which Shedletsky was behind. Nine. Ten. NOW!

Shedletsky unsheathed his sword, running towards C00lkidd. C00lkidd responded by tagging him, which ended up being a slow, strong punch directly to the face. Shedletsky staggered, but placed a swift foot behind him to catch himself.

Despite this minor setback, Shedletsky managed to slash c00lkidd across the chest. He stumbled backwards and yelped.

“I’m telling dad—!” Shedletsky ran, which cued the others to sprint off too. After around 4 seconds everyone was out of c00lkidds line of sight, to which the kid sighed.

”They don’t ever play fair…! Why is that? It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!!!” He stomped his feet repeatedly. He let out a sob. “I want my dad…!” 

Shedletsky wiped the blood off his face that had trickled down his nose. He let out an exasperated sigh. He looked behind him to see Elliot trailing directly behind him. 

“Eli, here.” He called out to him, Elliot quickly whipped his head around.

Shedletsky handed him the medkit.

“Oh! Thank you.” Elliot smiled, tilting his head to the side a bit. “Here…this’ll patch you up.”

He offered him a slice of pizza. 

”Ah. Thank you, Eli.”

”Anytime, boss! It’s the service, speed, and quality that matters!”

Shedletsky smiled. Elliot smiled back.

”Let’s go,” Shedletsky commanded “Let’s find the other two and regroup before c00lkidd accidentally punches a hole in them. In the meantime, maybe you can tell me more about yourself?”

”Of course!” Elliot accepted.

end of chapter one cause i dont wanna write all that happens in between YAY!

Chapter Text

Shedletsky sat and propped against the nearest wall, albeit a tad bit far from the group. Slowly lifting his head, he looked up at the moon, to which the light gently caressed his face, lighting up signifying details. Elliot noticed him, to which he slowly scooted himself across the grass to get to him.

”You’re going to dirty your clothes doing that.” Shedletsky said, still staring up with his eyes shut gently. He twiddled with his own fingers. “Eli, I’m exhausted. Can’t you keep me awake?”

”How?” Elliot asked, propping himself up beside Shedletsky.

”I don’t know,” responded Shedletsky. “Talk about something, really intrigue me.”

”A-Ummm…What’s your favorite food…?”

Shedletsky snickered. ”Fried chicken, was that not apparent? You’re just trying to make small talk. Tell me something interesting, a story…”

”Do you wanna hear about my experience with the c00lkidd hackings?” Elliot asked, Shedletsky slowly opened his eyes and tilted his head toward’s Elliot’s voice. “Sure.”

”Alright…” Elliot sighed, scooting a little closer. “It wasn’t really lethal to say the least, it was more of a nuisance than anything. Something you would really expect from a child such as him, you know?” Elliot trembled.

”It was absolutely agitating having to go into work that day, he kept blasting that stupid ‘Spooky Scary Skeletons’ song across the workplace— put a photo of himself everywhere as if it were propaganda to join his little imaginary group.”

”Sometimes he’d outright destroy everything, luckily it was revertible. I heard there were several instances of him hacking other games in a similar manner.” 

Shedletsky nodded. Giving Elliot small gestures and auditorial cues he was listening.

”It’s…” Elliot paused “It’s silly, I know…I just thought it would interest you.” He said, a bit of disappointment in his voice.

”I’ve been listening, you know?” Shedletsky responded. “It doesn’t have to be some batshit insane story, I just…need to keep my eyes open.” 

“Have you played Sword Fight On The Heights before?” He asked, a groggily smug look across his face. Elliot deadly stared and shook his head slowly. Shedletsky snapped his fingers and clicked his tongue.

”Well— there goes my story…”

”No, do tell!” Elliot begged, resulting in a laugh from the other.

”Fine.”

”I own that game, the premise was just entirely to fight to the death, it sounds cruel— but believe me nobody was actually harmed! Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been approved.” 

He continued,

”Well, you know me, I absolutely PWNED everyone on that game LOL. It was MY game after-all. After a while, things started to shift and change without my control, something had…begun to stir up inside me, a hatred I couldn’t comprehend. After a while it just…dissolved, poof!” He gestured an explosion with his hand.

”Gone out of thin air. I thought everything would have been perfectly fine— but I found out my hatred and malice had personified into…something.” He shuddered, covering his mouth. His gaze shifted away from Elliot. 

“I can’t continue. You— the others for sure will lose hope in me.” He said, shutting his eyes again. “I can’t have that…”

Elliot looked down at his hands, his eyes followed Shedletsky’s own. “It’s okay, I understand.” He said, trying to resonate with him. He placed his hands into Shedletsky’s to which Shedletsky opened his eyes once more.

“Eli— I’m afraid.” He shuddered. Elliot scooted a little closer, their shoulders touched. 

“Why?” He asked.

”I’m dependent on you all, I made an oath to protect you all no matter what alongside David— Builderman. I don’t know what I’ll do if I were to lose someone so soon. Would that mean I’m a bad leader?”

Elliot remained silent, pondering. He wasn’t sure of how to respond, what to say. Shedletsky opened his palm to which Elliot held his hand and squeezed.

”Eli.” Shedletsky whispered.

”Hm?”

”Thank you, for conversing with me.” He said.

”Of course, anytime. If you need me for anything, I’ll be here!” Elliot said proudly. Shedletsky smiled.

”You’re so sweet.” He praised. Elliot paused for a moment. 

A moment of silence passed between the pair, and Elliot’s eyes locked onto Shedletsky’s. His eyebrows furrowed. After a minute or so, he broke the silence.

“Thank you.” 

“We’re venturing off in the morning, Chance might need medical assistance, I don’t think he’ll last— that buffoon…” Shedletsky stated. “The sky is turning blue, I can see it. Might as well get our few hours of rest, yes?” 

Elliot agreed, his eyes felt heavy and his head began to tip. He lied down on the grass, spinning his visor backwards. Shedletsky let out a long sigh, squeezing his eyes shut and leaving consciousness in a blink. He slept whilst sitting up.

The sun rose, a blanket of light covered the ground alongside a wave of heat from the suns rays which shined over the groups faces. Of course, Shedletsky was the last to sleep and the first to awaken. He rubbed his eyes and let out a silent yawn.

He glimpsed beside him to see Elliot, fast asleep, drooling with his mouth agape. He must be dreaming good. Unfortunately for him, Shedletsky gently shook him awake, which caused him to suddenly jolt up.

”Ah—! I’m awake…!” Elliot yelped.

”Good morning.” Greeted Shedletsky as he lifted himself up and happily strolled his way to the others. He lifted Chance’s hat off his face and fanned a few gusts of wind at him to which he angrily snatched his hat back.

”Boy, don’t you touch my attire…!” Chance demanded angrily, a raspy groggy sounding voice forced its way out of his throat. 

“My apologies,” Said Shedletsky, raising his arms up to his chest as if being convicted. Noob woke up on his own to the sound of Chance’s bickering.

”Ugh. What was the point of us splitting into smaller groups if we’re just gonna keep complaining and making noise!!” Noob complained. Chance scoffed, flipping a coin and gaining his first stack of weakness for the day.

”Good job,” Shedletsky mocked. “You’re gonna get yourself killed already.”

”Don’t be rash.” Chance said, palming Shedletsky’s face. “I’ll be perfectly fine! I got my gun right here!”

”Yeah, until it explodes.” Noob barged himself into the conversation.

”Well…I’ll be here to patch him up if that happens…!” Elliot engaged. 

Shedletsky led the group towards a new area as every individual engaged in conversation. The only few noises heard were the occasional ambient ones and the sound of Chance flipping a coin. However, a new noise erupt from the air, a sound similarly to a rattlesnake, swift chains being clashed against each other.

Shedletsky’s face dropped to one of intensity. “No.” He muttered, repeating it a few times moreover. Suddenly, a few chains wrapped themselves around his legs and he was stuck in place, he squirmed.

”Run! Go on, run!” He yelled, quickly jolting his head in the direction he wanted them to leave at, they obliged. He squirmed his way out of the chains and unsheathed his sword, to which he was abruptly attacked. He was met with a slash to his arm, another made contact with his shoulder. 

There, the creation of hatred himself, 1X1X1X1 stood, ever so slightly towering over him. Shedletsky slammed a hand onto his gash, slashing at 1X with his freehand to which he simply took a step back. Fuck. The two engaged in a small scuffle, however more blood was shed from Shedletsky than it was 1X.

Shedletsky quickly sheathed his sword and bolted away, a slight limp resulting from panic and bruise. However, the killer did not follow, why is that? Instead, he took the long way round into the darkness. Shedletsky breathed frantically, letting in small, almost desperate gasps for air. 

He collapsed on the ground beneath him, not having realized he had gotten a gash on his abdomen as well. “Gh—“ He choked. Elliot emerged from behind a natural barricade, a hand placed over his mouth. “Shedletsky…!—“ 

He dropped to his side beneath him, grasping the handle of the medkit that was bestowed upon him. “No!” Shedletsky yelled. “That…that is for you…” He stated. 

“Just…heal me up with a pizza, that’s all I ask…” 

Elliot obliged, staring down at him as his wounds turned to deep scars. “What is even in these things anyway…?” Shedletsky jokingly asked. Elliot shrugged. 

Elliot wrapped his arm around Shedletsky and hoisted him up. From behind the same wall, Chance cocked his gun, having 3 charges well prepped. Hopefully his aim is prepped too. 

“There—“ Shedletsky pointed towards a structure. “The castle…There are two ramps that lead upwards to the roof. We can seek refuge there, I believe.” Elliot nodded, Chance looked back at the pair.

”Where is Noob?” Chance asked, Shedletsky huffed. 

“I thought…he was with you…!”

”No! God dammit! I’ll go find him— Elliot, do a better god damn job at patching him up!” 

Chance ran off, gun in hand towards the darkness. Shedletsky reached his arm out, but to no avail, Elliot held him back.

”Come now, you need to heal.”

”I’m fine, Eli.”

Elliot shook his head. “No, you aren’t. Come now.” He walked Shedletsky to the castle-like structure, delicately placing him down on the concrete to which he then sat beside him, running a hand through his hair.

“Do you want to continue our conversation from last night?” Elliot offered. Shedletsky hesitantly agreed.

”I know how much you care for your leadership, but I also am aware how much you care for us. That oath, with builderman, yes? It was you who decided on it?”

Shedletsky nodded.

”It’s sweet, how much you care for all of us. You’ve made that very apparent. But, I think you should also try fending for yourself, not just for us. I think that’s where your codependency strives…but— I’m not entirely sure…” He let out a small, awkward laugh.

Shedletsky mumbled. “Do you think…they got themselves killed…?”

”Shed— Ugh… It hasn’t even been a minute! Get your hopes up.” Elliot scoffed.

Shedletsky lifted himself off the ground and fumbled around with his sheath. “I think I could use another pizza.”

”Not this time,” Elliot responded. “I’ll save it just in case the others show up injured.” Elliot stated, patting Shedletsky on the back.

Shedletsky took a huge chunk out of some fried chicken he had stored, healing himself overtime. He pressed his hand back to where his injuries had been, glancing around as if inspecting something. 

“Shedletsky.” Elliot called out.

”Hm?”

”You think we should get up and find them now? I don’t want to feel useless…And maybe it will get a burden off your shoulder to know for sure if they’re okay.”

Shedletsky nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”

He paused.

”Eli, please, promise me you’ll be safe.”

“If I’m with you, I’m bound to be.” Elliot responded. 

Chapter Text

“Chance!— Noob!— Where are you guys??” Elliot called out, Shedletsky shushed him. 

The two traversed through the darkness for quite some time, coming across several distinguishing landmark structures, but no sight of their two remaining group members. Shedletsky took in-mind note of his surroundings. 

Shedletsky glimpses at Elliot, whom has his hand rested on his arm. Shedletsky tilts his head curiously. “Are you hurt?” Elliot perked up and responded after a brief moment of awkward silence “Huh? No! I’m perfectly fine, I’m just anxious.” He rubbed his arm slightly. 

“How come?” Shedletsky asked. Elliot didn’t respond. He began to walk quicker until he was in front of Shedletsky. Shedletsky shrugged it off, deciding to not be bothersome about it.

The two ventured in silence, Shedletsky was unsure of how to converse with him. Earlier he was so tense, but now that the two are alone he has this warm, tender feeling that washes upon him whenever he even looks at or thinks about…Elliot. 

He felt his heart pounding a bit, not too abnormal that it would be incredibly apparent, but it felt like it was skipping beats. He decided to keep his gaze towards his feet as he walked instead of straight forward.

The sound of footsteps began to approach rapidly behind them, and Elliot spun around. It was Chance! Running for his life, sure, but he was alive! Noob also came just as swiftly, having drunken a soda. He bumped right into Shedletsky, who stumbled forward.

Elliot dashed forward and held his arms out to catch him, to which the pairs lips grazed each other. Shedletsky backed away almost immediately, utterly dumbfounded. His mouth was agape, unsure of what to say random noises stammered about. Shedletsky had both his hands on Elliot’s shoulders.

“I- Elliot- I- Geez- I am so…so sorry—!” He covered his mouth, his face shifting to a slight red. “Ugh…these guys need to- to- watch where the hell they’re going…!”

”SORRY!!” Noob yelled out. “We’re okay, by the way!” He added.

Elliot scoffed, pinching the rim of his nose. Shedletsky reached his hand out and grabbed his shoulder. “Elliot.” He called out. Elliot turned towards him and tilted his head.

”I—“ He paused. “I am so. So. So. Sincerely sorry…” 

“For what? It’s fine, really. I need to go make sure the others are okay— maybe force feed them a couple of slices. Try to catch up.” He taunted, running off to catch up with the others. Shedletsky followed, albeit slowly.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest, his face grew slightly flushed. He hadn’t felt this way before, not for a long while. Not since BrightEyes. He rubbed his own cheek, trying to snap himself out of it. He let out a trembled breath before moving on. 

He had extremely conflicting thoughts, would it work out? Why would he feel this attraction toward a man, and why Elliot? Maybe the feeling would die down, but did he want it to? He was unsure of how to approach this. Did he truly want to pursue something like this?

“Hey! Come on, aren’t you supposed to be leading us?” Chance called out, gesturing for Shedletsky to hurry up with his arm reached out. Shedletsky nodded, and his expression grew stern. He progressed his way over to the front of the group.

"May I question if you two were being chased just now, or were you simply acting immaturely?" Shedletsky questioned, a tone of authority in his voice. Often having to be the authoritarian one as of recent. He had begun to miss the old group, Builderman. He had begun to question what has happened on their end for the past two days.

Chance shook his head and spoke.

"Immaturely!?" He scoffed. "Not at all, this idiot-" He paused, pointing at Noob who raised his arms up high as if he were being convicted of a crime.

"-Stole my damn gun! He could have accidentally shot himself, or someone else!" 

"Says the guy who's gun is constantly backfiring on himself, hm?" Noob argued.

The two had begun to bicker on their own, Shedletsky felt his eye twitch slightly. "Won't you two shut up...!" He hoarsely demanded.

Another pair of footsteps had begun to approach from behind, Shedletsky spun around with his sword in hand, blocking the way towards Elliot with his arm as if he were a potential target. Elliot hid behind him, bracing to sprint. The atmosphere was tense and slow, all pairs of eyes were fixated on the darkness. Soon, a figure emerged. It was 007n7!

The group soon let their guard down, however Shedletsky did not- 007n7's limbs were limp, as if being held up like a puppet. His head was soon forcefully lifted, a gaping hole being where his face once was. A gruesome sight, bloody, you could see the outline of the torn flesh surrounding the area as if it had been punched straight through like a cardboard box. Behind the gaping hole C00lkidd stuck his face through like a faceless cutout and laughed before gently placing down the body of his father.

"It's so nice to see you familiar faces!" He giggled, stepping closer inch by inch. "Our game isn't over yet, last I checked, I'm still it!" He taunted, pointing at the faceless corpse. "I made sure to bring papa along, if you hit me I'll be sure to wake him up! Papa won't like that..."

Shedletsky glanced around the area, looking for a spot to potentially loop the killer, his thoughts her ended abruptly by C00lkidd's walkspeed override, whom Noob took the blow for. Now set ablaze, he frantically began to pat himself down, letting out agonizing yelps and squeals. C00lkidd watched and laughed, thinking it was some sort of game. Elliot tried to make it over to help Noob, however he was held back by Shedletsky who dragged him and Chance along to escape whilst Noob was used as some sort of diversion.

Burning agonizingly for what felt like eternity, Noob shuddered a few breaths and pressed his index finger upon his burn marks. C00lkidd slowly stepped towards Noob, who responded by sitting on the ground weakly and accepting his fate. C00lkidd grabbed Noob by the throat, wrapping his entire hand around his neck tightly. "Tag!" He said. Noob let out a choked sob, gagging as a disgusting foam like substance oozed out his mouth.

C00lkidd squeezed ever-so-slightly, Noob's entire neck was crushed with a loud and abrupt crunch, the crackling continued once C00lkidd tightened his grip and threw the corpse to the side, his body landed with a loud thud before his limp body rolled to the side on it's own due to the sheer momentum he was thrown at. "You're it!" Taunted C00lkidd, whom ran off in order to hide from the new tagger who he was convinced would wake up at any moment now.

"We left him--" Elliot said, raising his tone. "We left him to die!? Shedletsky, why!?" 

Shedletsky did not respond. Elliot whimpered. "I thought...you said you cared for everyone, that even a single death under your command would devastate you. You don't seem to care right now, Shedletsky...!" Elliot pulled away from his grasp, to which Shedletsky gasped.

"Eli..."

"Don't you 'Eli' me!-" Elliot sucked air between his teeth. "tch- I'm sorry, I just can't bare to think of what could have happened...0007n7...Noob, what could have happened to the rest of builderman's group? Are they all gone? Already?"

Shedletsky looked down in shame, he shook his head frantically, he refused to believe it. "No." He said, in denial. "They have to be somewhere. Some people are bound to die- I just...If a life saves many more, that's a risk I'm willing to take." He defended, Elliot's eyebrows furrowed.

"If it were my life-"

"Elliot- No." Shedletsky cut him off.

Chance watched the two bicker, flipping his coin repeatedly, stacking weakness after weakness. The other two glared at him, Elliot tilted his head in confusion. Chance's luck wasn't going all that great for him. 

"Be careful," Shedletsky whispered loudly. "We're still in his damn radius, don't you ever learn?" 

"Oh. So now you care?" Prompted Elliot.

"Quit being so hostile all of a sudden, this isn't long term." Shedletsky sighed.

The trio traversed through the map, deciding to hide behind a strange array of thin rock walls perpetrating from the soil. Shedletsky collapsed to the floor in devastation, eyes wide. He groaned loudly before snapping himself out of it. He repeated incoherent sentences to himself. Elliot lie across from him, and Chance remained awake, staring down at his hat and a souvenir he had collected from the Noob before his sudden death. 

Shedletsky was rather solemn, he for sure had to have ruined his reputation among the two men. Especially Elliot. Had he let him risk his life to heal another? No. He couldn't possibly, he cared too deeply for him. His eyes had shut on their own, too heavy to lift, all he could do is keep his thoughts steady. 

He awoke in a place he didn't recognize. Had he been dragged here in his sleep? Did heavy slumber finally catch up with a swift punch to the gut? A figure in the distance, it was Elliot! He hoisted himself up to his feet and ran towards him, his face a slight red. "Eli!" He called out. Elliot did not respond, however he did turn face to face with him. 

"Elliot...I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Elliot mocked "You're sorry? Your naivete has led you down the wrong path, everyone shall die beneath your feet, you are the only one to blame for every death we shall encounter. You worthless scumbag, all because you couldn't help but fall for another? Another whom you will lose so quickly just as you did BrightEyes." Shedletsky blinked rapidly. "What...?' He asked.

Shedletsky was appalled by the sudden slander, placing a hand on his heart as if he were physically harmed. "Eli? What has gotten into you? All because of one death, why must you act so cruelly? I thought you were a sweet man."

Elliot stared at him with a deadpan expression. "You have tainted me with your own two hands. Your malice wilts everything it touches like a flower, beauty and the hope of humble beginnings crumble under your grasp because of your own selfishness." 

"You dare use my vulnerability against me, the vulnerability I was once to share!? You are so dear to me, why must you treat me this way?" Shedletsky sobbed out, grabbing Elliot by his collar and pulling him close. "You are lucky my hatred turns to something far greater, something that I cannot feel anymore. Don't you know what it's like to have a fraction of me practically hollow? It's agonizing, the balance between spirituality and mentality has been corrupted."

"And who's fault is that?" Elliot asked, jabbing his index finger on Shedletsky's chest. "Nobody but your owns."

"Elliot, you are so dear to me..." Shedletsky said in a soothing tone, trailing his hands up to Elliot's face.

Elliot shoved him away. "You are dead to me." He said monotonously. "You'd be better off dead."

Overcome by a sudden wave of rage, Shedletsky unsheathed his sword, slashing wildly at Elliot. The poor man tried to scream or let out a sound, but the sword cut and cut straight through him without remorse, the sound of metal hitting flesh filled the dead silence. Blood splattered across the scenery, gushed out onto the blade of the sword and trickled down slowly to Shedletsky's hands.

With one swift strike the man was decapitated. A thick blood of blood clustered as a puddle beneath Shedletsky's feet. He did not seem to be appalled at what he had just done. He loomed over the dark puddle. In the subtle reflection, it was not his own, there lie 1x1x1x1. Shedletsky staggered back in shock.

He hit his head back to what seemed to be a wall, to which he realized he had actually awoken! It was merely a nightmare. An awful nightmare. He took a moment to catch his breath, clutching at the cloth that covered his chest.

Chapter Text

The atmosphere is gloomy, dim, no visible tensity is shared between the group as they travel side by side. Elliot checks his watch, no rush hour. Shedletsky delicately sharpens the blade of his sword, and Chance is busy caressing his beautiful gun that he can barely shoot.

After a long while of traversal, Shedletsky comes across a medkit, cracked open, but the interior remained untouched. He takes it, inspecting it carefully. It seemed to have been dropped and abandoned. Whom would be in such a rush?

He decided he could use the resource for the trio. He gestured for Elliot to come over, who still had his other medkit that he hadn't used. "Here, Eli." He said softly, placing the second medkit in his hands. "Hold onto it, just in case."

Elliot nodded, though he raised a brow, seemingly because it was apparent he already had one. Chance begun to take note of this, tapping his index against his chin.

After a few more studs of walking, the trio came to a halt. It had been a long while since they had come across a killer, and they’ve been encountering the same loot over and over with no signs of life. Soda. Medkits. Soda. Medkits.

They decided to quit the walking and converse, to which Chance grabbed Shedletsky by his shoulders and pulled him to the side. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” He asked. Shedletsky responded with a nod.

”I seem to be noticing some substantial bias towards Elliot. Why is that? I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong! And if it’s merely because of my so called gambling addiction, you’d be mistaken!”

Shedletsky scratched the back of his neck, “Bias?” He said in a puzzled tone.

“Yes! Bias! You give him the pretty princess treatment whilst I’m sitting here fending for our lives on occasion! Why?”

Shedletsky was incredibly confused, but he did realize that Chance could have been noticing behavioral shifts. He rubbed his temples and sighed, wrapping his arm around Chance’s shoulder and whispering to him.

“Listen, ya’ gotta promise me you ain’t gonna tell him…or tell anyone for that matter.”

Chance blindly nodded in agreement.

Shedletsky sighed and began to speak, slowly and hesitantly confessing as if he just got caught in a lie.

”I think- I think I’m in love with him. I’ve been so worried of losing him I’ve been getting totally PWNED by these hostiles…But I don’t know how and when to confess! Would he even like me back?” He ranted, stammering over his words.

”He was already incredibly disappointed in me— And after-all we only work with each other for our survival, he doesn’t depend on me as I do him.” He paused and let out a long, disappointed sigh.

“He’s so sweet.” He twiddled with the ring on his finger “He reminds me of someone I used to really care for, but I do love him for him as well. It’s something someone like you wouldn’t be able to comprehend.”

Chance remained stiff in absolute shock, unsure of to genuinely comfort or make a humorous incline of this. He tipped his fedora to cover half of his face. He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I won’t tell anyone.” He vowed.  “But at least treat me with the bare minimum, you can’t be going head over heels!”

Shedletsky frantically nodded. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

A moment of silence passed.

”Wait, what the fuck do you mean I couldn’t possibly comprehend that—?!”

”Nothing.”

After a hearty meal between the trio, and Shedletsky sharing some of his more light-hearted humorous moments for once, the trio decide to venture off and see if they can find the separate group they had split off from.

Knowing that some have died, either because of naivety or a scuffle with fate, their hopes were not set high, they would have expected to run across someone at least eventually. 

The sun had begun to fall, and the empty darkness brought upon its cold conformity upon the remaining survivors. Still, not having stumbled upon a killer, the group had their heads up high. Shedletsky and Elliot were tense, they still hadn’t quite resonated.

Shedletsky decided to engage in conversation with the deliveryboy, to whom they had begun to warm up again. Personal life stories, basic interests, that kind of small talk. Chance sat this one out, watching the pair bond.

Remembering the striking conversation him and Shedletsky had earlier he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. If fate takes them down this path, what’s exactly the point? He scoffed, resulting in glimpses from the other two.

”Psh- What?” He played it off, swatting them away and averting their gaze. He raised his hands up, feeling the air delicately. Oh how he missed the ivory keys of a forte piano… He wasn’t quite good at remembering the songs he played. Besides twinkle twinkle little star for some apparent reason. 

After hours upon hours to no avail of life, specifically survivors, not killers- they had begun to rest up once more. Chance was complaining for a few hours straight about how uncomfortable it was beginning to feel whilst walking. 

Cutting his melodramatic act, he’d lie on the ground and do nothing for the rest of the night.

The pair on the other hand had begun to quarrel about past relations once more, enemies, friends, rivals. That kind of stuff. Shedletsky tapped his fingers together. 

“I miss Builderman. I miss everyone.”

”Oh, Shed, I’m sure they’re fine.”

”7n7 surely wasn’t fine.” He responded.

”Ah— Well…” Elliot winced “Nevermind.”

Shedletsky had gotten up, staring down at Elliot. “Thank you for conversing once more, glad to put the tensions behind us.”

Elliot nodded.

“Get some rest now, okay?” said Shedletsky

Elliot let out a small auditorial agreement and slowly nodded his head. 

As Shedletsky turned around and was about to walk elsewhere, Elliot pulled on the sleeve of his robe and pulled him down. Shedletsky sat beside Elliot, whom rested his head upon his shoulder. 

“Elliot?” 

“Hm?” Elliot hummed.

”Whatareya doing?” Shedletsky asked.

”You’re warm. Rest here for a bit, why don’t ya?”

”Elliot, don’t you find this peculiar?” 

“Peculiar? How so?”

Shedletsky’s face flushed, and he turned away. Elliot didn’t seem to notice. 

“I’d like to be your friend, Shed.”

Shedletsky tilted his head ”Are we not friends?”

”I always saw us more as acquaintances up until now.” Elliot answered.

”Well then, we’re friends.” Shedletsky responded, resting his head upon Elliot’s.

The two drifted off to sleep, arms wrapped around each other in a delicate embrace. Nothing too serious, nothing romantic. Two friends sharing each other’s warmth.

Chapter Text

Loud, thumping footsteps, a multitude of them pressing against the harsh soil. Builderman and the remainder of his group rush off. Chains clash among each other, and with a swift swoosh they fly past the group. Luckily they were just off, otherwise a multitude of them would have been killed. 

Builderman dragged Two Time along as Guest fended against a tense duel between himself and 1x, getting slashed up real bad, he keeps his dignity by fighting straight through his wounds. If he has to give up his life, so be it!

1x lets out a low animalistic growl, forcefully piercing through his own head with the daemonshank he possessed. His strikes seemed to have doubled in speed, they were sloppy, almost seemed like they were out of his control. Metal clashed against flesh, but Guest did not back down.

Guest charges his way into 1x, abruptly stopping him in his tracks. He’s met with a gash to the chest, after the second slash he successfully blocks, winding up a punch to which 1x steps back. Guest lunges forward as he punches and lands a direct hit to the face, dropping 1x to his knees. 

1x lets out a pained noise, stabbing one of his swords into the ground and slowly hoisting himself back up. Guest was only two or so hits away from death by now, and thus he had to make his escape.

Guest stumbles backwards before bolting off, running in zigzags like a diversion to catch up with the remaining two. Bloodied and battered, inflicted with poison, and his vision isn’t exactly working right at the moment. Two time stares right through him, seemingly no life in their eyes. Ironic, considering they have two lives. 

Guest felt a wave of unease. “Did we have to get stuck with…” He shielded his mouth and whispered “the enigmatic freakazoid…?”

"Freakazoid!?" Builderman chortled.

”Have some respect.” Builderman said coldly. “We are to respect all in order to ensure our survival, I would know.”

”Mhm.” Guest nodded, crossing his arms. “They just give me the creeps.”

”They give everyone the creeps, Guest. Even Chance, and you know how that fool is.” 

“Hey, hey! I can hear you two.” TwoTime said, tilting their head like a predator inspecting prey. It was uncanny to them.

Guest and Builderman slowly turned their heads toward each other. 

Though they didn’t say anything, one glimpse into their face showed exactly how they felt, it was unanimous between the two.

Guest trailed behind Builderman and TwoTime, quickly patching himself up with a medkit. He perked his head up to noises behind him, but pretended like he didn’t hear once they got closer, then, once he felt it was close enough he spun around and struck.

Shedletsky yelped, a blow right to the nose knocked him straight down with a loud thump.

“Oh! John! My apologies. I thought you were an enemy.” He bit down on his nails, helping Shedletsky up with a free hand. Shedletsky let out a hearty laugh.

”Oh, believe me, I’d have done the same if I were you! I ain’t afraid of no killer!” He said, hands on his hips. “It’s so great to see you! Are the others alright?” He asked.

Guest nodded. “They’re just up ahead,” He pointed towards the general vicinity “We had just escaped a small scuffle with 1x, I had to patch myself up before going on any further.”

Elliot and Chance inched their way towards the rest of the group, following behind Shedletsky whom was following Guest. Shedletsky and Guest shared their experiences from their point of views to fill them onto the current situation.

Thus far, it is now known only two people have died, leaving six to fend in a pack. As if there already weren’t so few of them to begin with. 

Elliot rushes towards the front of the group, with best speed and quality he delivers a fresh batch of pizza to those whom are injured. Those who received let out sighs of relief and Elliot smiled warmly.

Shedletsky and Builderman caught up on their own stories together, arms wrapped each others shoulders like a pair of old friends. Chance and Guest playfully squabbled, Twotime begged Elliot for a few more slices of pizza, never having really had it before.

Things seemed to be moving a lot more smoothly for a good while and several internal conflicts seemed to have been lifted from their shoulders.

 As the group engaged in conversation, Chance had begun to fondle with his gun, spinning it around his index finger to which everyone rolled their eyes, due to this, he accidentally presses the trigger with only one charge.

The gun, loaded with far more gunpowder than what is necessary, backfires on him. He staggers and drops the gun as he begins to pat himself down and fan the smoke away. Builderman let out a disheartened sigh. 

"Cantcha be more careful with that thing? Ya' don't even have experience with guns, if you pop your own head off we ain't to blame."

"He-ey, I like takin' risks, alright? It was just a minor slip up.” Chance said with a smile.

"Mhm. Whatever you say."

Builderman adjusted his hardhat. 

"I set up a dispenser in the corner of the map, if we make it in time I won't have to go through the trouble of makin' another. There, we can heal up a few extra that Ellie couldn't get to." 

Elliot nodded. 

"I don't really mind handing out a few extra servings, it'll be quick. It's my job, after all."

"You work plenty of jobs. Take a break."

"O' Spawn, for when will the round be over!" TwoTime preached. The others avoided eye contact with them, exchanging whispers. They seemed to have viewed them as insane, in fact they pitied them. Everyone went silent.

They ventured and eventually reached their pit stop, a cramped corner with a single dispenser roaring loudly. Those whom were still slightly scraped up stood in front of it, holding their hands out as if it were radiating heat from a campfire.

Not much was spoken that night. Guest yearned to be back home with his daughter and wife, long gone were those days as he shined his ring delicately, it hadn’t met the fog of time. For him, it would remain gleaming. Shedletsky’s on the other hand was visibly weary. A great contrast.

Elliot approached and placed a hand on Shedletsky’s shoulder, and once he turned around he smiled warmly. Shedletsky felt the heat rise up to his face and he struggled to let out an audible gulp, as if it had been stuck in his throat. 

Elliot was rather confused and raised a brow, but he wasn’t quite catching the memo here entirely. It would have been a frivolous thought.

“Um-“ Shedletsky placed a hand behind his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “Elliot, can I speak to you? In private.” He asked.

“What?” Elliot clicked his tongue. 

“Fine, but let’s not go too far.”

Shedletsky nodded.

He led him to a small little area not too far away from the group, just to the point where the rest couldn’t see them. He just hoped nobody noticed them sneaking past, especially Chance, that bastard.

Chapter Text

“So.” Elliot said, crouching down slightly to avoid detection. “What do you need to tell me?”

Shedletsky opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking for the words in his mind. He thought about just wasting his time, pulling him to the side and coming up with some blatant lie to avoid the burden of rejection.

He thought for what felt like an eternity. He came to his decision, though it was incredibly concessive. If he were to confess and be let down, he thought they would at least remain friends. Elliot isn’t a cruel man.

He gulped and then let out a relieving sigh, having loosened the knot in his throat. “Eli—“ He paused, and took a deep breath. Elliot was concerned at his sudden anxiousness.

“Did you do something?” Elliot asked, leaning back. Shedletsky began to wave his arms and shake his head frantically. “No! Not at all, I don’t believe so?” Shedletsky answered though it wasn’t really a concise answer.

All the heat rose up to Shedletsky’s face, and he turned his head away to avoid making it more awkward than it already was. Elliot was finally beginning to catch on. He sighed, and opened his mouth to speak.

”Shedletsky…”

“Eli— I’m sorry.” 

“For what?”

“I couldn’t possibly. I’m such a fool.” He said, disheartened.

Even before the two had begun to know each other better, being forced in a dire situation led Shedletsky to protect Elliot under dangerous circumstances, everyone else was no exception, however being the only member of the line up that could instantaneously heal was a necessity.

“I care for you deeply, I truly do.” Shedletsky said, rubbing his temple. “I care for you far too much, in a situation such as this it’s exposing my vulnerability.”

”Do you understand what I’m getting at?” He asked. Elliot slowly nodded. 

“I’m not the best at confronting these sort of things, I’m usually not all that serious whatsoever unless It’s extremely necessary. You for sure know that, everyone does. I haven’t felt this way for anyone in a while.” 

“I don’t know what to do or what to say without worsening the relationship between us. Every night, I have nightmares for specific reasons I don’t entirely wish to share. I won’t go in depth. It torments me. You have been in them recently, I’ll tell you that much.” 

Elliot whined. 

“Shedletsky—“

Shedletsky continued to speak over him and his pace began to pick up as he began to stammer over his words.

“I don’t- I don’t know- I’m sorry for wasting your time like this. After all, what would the others think? I’ve already hidden so much. I- I can’t bear to ruin my relationship with all of them. With you! I'd give up my life for you-- all of you! If you'd just let me, I'd been dead a long time ago, don't you think?”

”Shedletsky!”

”Our abilities that have been bestowed upon us compliment each other so well. I swore to help you all, I haven’t been on top of that lately and— gah!”

He tapped his fingers together nervously. He was in dire need of reassurance.

”I just wanted to know, do you feel the same—? You understand what I'm getting at, yes-?“

Suddenly, Shedletsky felt a hand on his face. Elliot cupped his cheek and pulled him in close, staring him dead in the eyes. It was a quick moment in reality but to them it felt so slow, both locked a gaze onto each other before Shedletsky was pulled down again.

Their lips connected briefly and separated just as fast, Shedletsky couldn’t even properly process it. The both of their faces were a slight flushed red. Elliot wrapped his arms around Shedletsky’s neck and pulled him down again.

“Eli—“ Shedletsky gasped.

Elliot pressed his forehead against the others.

Shedletsky looked down at him with half lidded eyes, pressing his palm against Elliot’s cheek as Elliot rubbed the back of his neck. Their lips connected once more for a slightly longer duration of time than the first. Elliot rubbed his back soothingly as they held each other in a warm embrace.

“Your hands are rough.” He said. Shedletsky looked taken back.

”Ah, I’m sorry.”

”Don’t apologize. It’s okay.” Elliot reassured. “I really don’t mind. I was just pointing that out.” 

Shedletsky was visibly tense and his hands were sweaty.  

Shedletsky laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. There was a moment of silence between the two as they shifted their bodies and lie on the ground together, holding each other close. 

“Goodnight.” Elliot mumbled.

Shedletsky responded:

”mm..G’Night.” 

They felt each other’s hearts pounding out of their chests. They both drifted to sleep in each other’s arms, a loose part of Shedletsky’s robe was wrapped around Elliot like a blanket, though it wasn't all that big to cover him entirely, it was just loose.

Silence.

Dead silence fell upon thee.

Step forward toward the darkness that envelops your mind.

Footsteps echoed, Shedletsky’s own, walking down an invisible corridor so vast it is as such he began to warp, it was merely an illusion. Down the hallway he saw BrightEyes, his deceased ex-wife. He thought about what she might say, he was afraid of confrontation. He hoped to seek answers of her demise.

Had she been watching over him? Would she be angry? Happy? Desolate? He did not wish to find out, but thus the only way he could walk was forward. The closer he got the more it felt like the walls were closing in on him, he wanted to suffocate right then and there.

He reached his arm out, a finger grazed her shoulder and she spun around. She smiled warmly. After a bit she spoke, or he was assuming she did. The passage of time wiped the memory of her voice away, and thus her lips moved but her voice was inaudible.

He tried to envision it, a melodic sound that run his ears to no avail. He placed a hand on her cheek and his eyebrows furrowed. He mouthed: “I miss you.” to her. She too grew weary. She had mouthed something, and from reading her lips he inferred she said the same. He reached for the glasses that hid the memory of her beneath, but she pulled away. He pouted.

He turned around and clenched his fists tightly til his fingers grew ghostly and white, sinking his nails into his palms. He let out a silent sob. Suddenly, he felt a hand pull his robe. It was Elliot! So sudden. Where had BrightEyes gone? Elliot had mouthed something, but Shedletsky couldn’t quite infer what it was, it was too fast, too panicked.

He held him close, squeezing tightly, Elliot embraced him back. He pressed soft kisses against his forehead, just as he would brighteyes. The moment was interrupted abruptly by Elliot getting dragged away— the silence broke out into loud clashing and banging of chains that caused Shedletsky's ears to ring.

Shedletsky covered his ears and cowered, his pupils dilated.

Elliot was sliced into pieces, flesh scattered across the floor of the void, blood pooled underneath him slowly, soaking into his clothing. His face remained, staring directly at Shedletsky with lifeless eyes, no light in them, instantly drained of all they had left. Shedletsky thought of brighteyes. Ravaging at his flesh was 1x1x1x1, whom mercilessly cut him to unrecognizable bits. 

Blood trickled down the swords he wielded and he stared down Shedletsky. As he moved closer he imitated Shedletsky’s movements like a mirror, staring back at his own reflection behind no barrier. Shedletsky gasped for air, he was enraged, not afraid. The two circled each other like vultures. The moment his hand made contact for his sword 1x lunged directly at him. Their swords clashed together savagely, sending out sparks as metal hit metal.

1x raised his arms and pointed the swords at Shedletsky’s back, without realizing Shedletsky had backed up into it whilst preparing a defense. 1x struck downwards, impaling himself and Shedletsky together, they were stuck as one and the same. Shedletsky gasped desperately for air, it came out hoarse as his hands trembled and grabbed the blade, slicing his palms open.

He tried to pull it out by the blade, only cutting his hands repeatedly as blood poured down, hitting the floor and splashing into smaller droplets. 1x bobbed up and down, as if he were laughing. Shedletsky scowled, and pushed himself against 1x, pushing the blades out of his body. Blood splattered out his back.

When he patted himself down, there were no wounds. Nothing. It had never happened, had it? Suddenly, he jolted awake, scaring Elliot out of his slumber as well whom began to mumble something intelligible. Shedletsky clutched his chest tight, and his right eye in specific felt heavy.

”What’s wrong?” Elliot asked groggily.

After a moment of silence Shedletsky responded, avoiding looking face to face with Elliot:

”Nothing at all.”

Chapter Text

Slow, fleshy footsteps squelched between the grass. It was a group of them, heavy and slow, the soil shifted underneath for every step taken.

C00lkidd and two clones of himself that held pizza boxes. The two clones seemed to have traversed in sycophantic alongside C00lkidd, leading him towards a specific area. The survivors resting spot.

He let out a playful giggle, clutching the toy sword in his hand. It was scorching hot, but left no mark on his flesh. He had simply believed it was the harsh texturing of a solid-foam sword.

It was bright outside, the birds chirped and greeted the morning sun, the perfect day for tag! Maybe his friends would get exhausted faster in the grueling heat and he’d finally be able to tag someone!

He was excited to show his dad once he woke up.

He was napping for quite some time - he thought - maybe he was roughhousing a little too much.

He was a rather competitive kid, whom was complimented commonly for his brute-like strength. It was a pleasure to find a group who didn’t shame him for a skin condition such as his. 

He ventured forward, picking up the pace, but not too much as to grow exhausted. He conserved his energy. He knew he was getting close as he heard the loud, bumblebee-like whirring from Builderman’s machinery. From his point of view, it was actually a beehive!

He never knew builderman liked to keep bees.

He reached his hand out to them, and the bees had gone defensive and began to sting him repeatedly, he yelped and began frantically waving his arms around. A flash to reality. It had been a turret. It locked onto him from a distance, shooting out pellets that slowed the kid down.

Everyone perked up at the noise and began to run off. 

C00lkidd was in pain, it hurt! His flesh was rather sensitive considering the condition. He slammed his fist down on the beehive, causing it to collapse. He gasped as all the bees that had stung him dropped to the floor. “Oh, no! I’m so sorry…” His voice echoed. 

He had to catch up with his friends, no time to waste! He bolted at immense speed, leaving his minions behind. There, he saw one! A pale individual with a tail perking put of a hiding spot. C00lkidd chuckled, slowly approaching. 

Two Time trembled.

”O, Spawn, please allow me to live another day…” They said hoarsely.

C00lkidd approach agonizingly slow, clenching his fist. His friend was just behind this bush!

He sped up and stopped behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Tag, you’re it!” He said. A white flash to reality, he had punched Two Time, sending them flying forward. They had hit their head on a rock, to which a large gash on their head had formed and bled profusely.

They groaned in pain, digging their fingers in the soil and ripping out blades of grass as they tried to crawl away.

”Get up!” C00lkidd said, jumping up and down with glee. He accidentally landed on Two Time’s leg. A loud cracking sound was heard, and Two Time let out a shriek as their leg was bent inward, breaking the bone to sharp fragments that pierced through their flesh. 

“Come on, get up!” C00lkidd cheered, sounding a bit more demanding. “You can do it, buddy!”

C00lkidd jumped up and down on their back repeatedly, trying to awaken them as such. Two time fast asleep beneath him, drooling a large puddle. C00lkidd accidentally stepped on it, recoiling in disgust.

It was warm.

Reality. It was no drool, it was blood. A fountain of it poured from Two Time’s gaping mouth. C00lkidd jumping on his repeatedly had put so much pressure on his ribcage it had perpetuated inward, piercing their lungs and intestinal tracking. Their innards were smudged and crushed into a swollen pile of red, thick chunks that had disposed of themselves out his mouth.

Even as their ribcage collapsed, they were alive to feel it pierce, unable to let out a sound. It was agonizing. C00lkidd pouted at them.

Then, the body began to twitch. They were getting up! Bones that had previously broken cracked and snapped back into place, forming his body back into shape. The internal injuries were fixed - however - a newfound appearance took form.

Their bones began to shift inside their body and bursted out their back, forming themself into wings that resembled the spawn they oh-so adored. It was agonizingly painful, as if they didn’t just die, they began to tremble as they dropped to their knees.

C00lkidd cheered.

“Yay!” He jumped with joy. “Your turn! Come catch me!” 

Two Time turned around and took a step back. They were smiling smugly at C00lkidd and refused. C00lkidd pouted, huffing angrily. “What…? You don’t wanna be it? I don’t wanna be it anymore!” He whined and complained, Two time began to run off.

Two Time breathed heavily, letting out small gasps for air. They were alive! Alive! However, they felt much weaker, far more frail than they had been before. 

”NO!” Coolkidd screamed. He then heard shuffling behind him and turned around. The mighty knight, Shedletsky!

He clutched his foam sword in hand and raised it, bopping C00lkidd on the head. It grazed him, and the texture stung. He was dazed. Shedletsky ran off.

He lifted his hand up to his head and inspected, there was glitter! He laughed intensively, a new game! He had to capture the knight and take over the kingdom. It was brilliant!

After all, his friends didn’t play tag very fairly.

He took out a sword of his own, it was bursting with imaginary flames, white, red, and orange paper flailing wildly in the wind. He chased Shedletsky down, charging at him with intense speed, he slashed the sword at him. Shedletsky let out a gasp as it came in contact with his skin.

It erupted into flames and Shedletsky let out a loud scream, catching the attention of both Guest and Elliot who began to rush toward. Guest charged into the child, knocking him down to the ground. Coolkidd flailed underneath him and threw a punch.

Coolkidd tagged him.

Guest raised his arms up to his face and blocked, twisting his body and winding up before throwing a hard punch, knocking Coolkidd’s head right into the ground, causing him to bounce back up and hit the floor again from recoil.

He tagged him back.

“No fair…!” Coolkidd whined, covering his face. 

Shedletsky patted himself down in a panic  before the flames grew too high. The kid had the firebrand! That was one of his god damn swords! Elliot ran over to his side and shoved a pizza in his mouth, Shedletsky let out a yelp that was then muffled. 

“Come on, let’s run!” Elliot demanded.

Shedletsky took his hand, running to the rooftop of a castle-like structure, observing the others from above. He noticed Guest running the opposite direction, and Builderman nearby, whom he called out to and waved his arms.

Builderman noticed this and made his way up the steep ramp, deciding that the flat surfacing was the perfect spot to block off with a sentry. And thus, he began to build, holding the screws in his mouth as he hammered away.

Shedletsky, still holding Elliot’s hand let go gently to interlock fingers with him.

Elliot turned his head towards him.

His face was still stern.

Elliot rubbed his palm with his thumb soothingly.  Shedletsky inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly exhaled out his mouth.

Elliot leaned his body towards him, touching shoulders.

As Builderman finished his construction Shedletsky pulled away abruptly. Elliot flinched and pouted.

In the meanwhile, Two Time had begun to stumble over their own feet, far away from the group and the surroundings not being of such that they recognize. They were hyperventilating, clutching their chest.

They bent down, hands on their knees.

Coolkidd had spotted them, and took the time to strike, charging at them with immense speed. They heard this, and side stepped. Coolkidd slowed himself down on the soles of his feet and reached out, pressing his fingers on their stomach. 

”I said: You’re it!” 

Two Time had been blown back. Coolkidd’s fist gored through their stomach, leaving a gaping hole of red. Two Time went limp, and fell on the ground. 

Coolkidd pouted. “Why does everyone I play with fall asleep?” He questioned, lightly kicking at the sleeping person.

Crunches and crackles of the bones in their body filled the deafening silence in the air. 

Coolkidd went to search for the others, he was on a streak tonight!

As he ventured blindly through the area, he noticed the castle! That must be where the knight is resting, he thought.

Builderman and Shedletsky spoke, deciding on what to do next.

”Shed-“ He said “Take Elliot with you, and go, find the others and go someplace far.”

Shedletsky shook his head.

”What about you, man?” 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll buy us some time one way or another. We can use all the time in the world.” He said, patting his machinery, hearing the clanking.

”Dave,” Shedletsky paused, murmuring something. “You’re like a brother to me, man. What if you die? I can’t let that happen.”

”Keep the others safe, Shedletsky. We made a promise.”

”You are a part of that oath, Builder, you are no exception.” 

“I will do what I must to ensure the safety of our friends!” He raised his tone of voice, Shedletsky shoved him back as a reaction to the hostility.

“I’m not going to sit here and let you get holes punched into you by a ten year old child, that’s obscene!” 

Conflict was the thing they needed the least right now. They needed to come to a consensus soon, otherwise they would all be at risk.

Builderman glared at Elliot, whom was watching in silence.

”You,” He spoke “I understand how fond ya’ are of my friend here, I bestow my trust upon ya’ once I die. He’s a reckless combatant, so do patch ‘em up for every scuffle he endures, O.K?” 

Elliot nodded.

As maniacal giggling got closer, that was their cue. Builderman took a step forward as he saw the figure climb his way up the opposite side of the building. Elliot took Shedletsky’s hand and dragged him along, to which he hesitantly obliged.

The two gained a distance, refusing to look back.

10 steps.

9 steps.

Coolkidd inched closer to builderman.

8 steps.

7 steps.

Slow, agonizingly slow. 

6 steps.

5 steps.

The turret had sensed his presence, swiftly turning around and locking onto him.

4 steps.

He threw a large, boulder like object at the turret, jamming it and causing it to jitter slightly, but it did not back down, even as it sparked.

3 steps.

Builderman began to slowly back away behind his construct. He contemplated if he should run.

2 steps.

Coolkidd lunged, despite the slowness, the turret was broken once the kids body made contact. He forced his way through.

1 step.

Builderman squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. There was never a chance for him, even if he did run.

He embraced his fate. Hopefully, Shedletsky doesn’t find his body in disarray.

Speaking of Chance… He was completely and utterly lost! Dumbfounded, he called out a multitude of names with his hands around his mouth. 

“Elliot? Elliot!— Gah!”

“Builder? Shedletskyyy~!” He hummed, prolonging the last syllable of Shed’s name.

”Where did these bastards go?” He groaned.

He messed with the shades that covered his eyes, getting them to glare in the light. Boy, did he look good, and he knew it. He struck a pose, to which he heard a monotone laugh behind him.

”Eh—?”

“What are you doing?” Guest asked.

Chance’s face went red from embarrassment. Why’d it have to be him?

”Euh…Nothing.” He tipped his hat, putting on his usual poker face. 

“Where are the others?” He asked, twisted his body toward him. 

Guest shrugged.

”Damn—“ Chance snapped his fingers. “Shame. Guess it’s just us for now…” He smiled awkwardly to Guest’s small nod.

Guest rubbed his knuckles, bruised. 

“You alrite there, man?” Chance asked, reaching his hand out to touch his.

”Yea,” Guest replied “I just punched the shit out of a kid, though.”

”Wow, that’s sick.” Chance smiled smugly. “I’d shoot the little bugger if I could, but I filled my gun up with a little too much gunpowder.” 

They both went silent.

Guest tilted his head and squinted his eyes.

”Why would you do that?”

”I like taking risks. You know that.”

”I can’t stand you.” Guest said.

”You know, I really like me.” Chance responded, Guest walked past him, bumping shoulders. 

Chance gasped dramatically at the disrespect and followed behind him.

It was time to find the others.

Chapter Text

Traversing through the endless dark, the sun had set, cloaking the scenery in the moons embrace as it arose. Gruel and slow, it brought a long danger, nothing about the dark night sky brought comfort.

The twinkle of the stars had brought no interest to anyone below, only following the belief that each star is a lost soul, dead. They shined their light on the earth long after they were gone.

Deafening silence filled the air, wind gently grazed the grass, gently trailing through it with a gentle hand. Why had everything gone so wrong oh so fast? Who was to blame? Was there anyone to blame besides their fate?

Chance didn't take it all that seriously, believing it was some sort of sick game he was forced into. Kind of like the hunger games!

He believed there was some prize at the end of he had just lived long for enough.

His poker face remained unbroken, though his innards felt heavy due to a sense of unease.

He followed behind Guest, dragging his feet below him.

Guest pondered, yearning for the comfortability of home, for his wife and kid.

“Whassa matter? You look tense.” Chance said, snaking a hand up the others back and gripping his shoulder firmly, causing him to shiver.

Guest’s lips quivered.

”Nothing.” He said, his voice monotonous. 

“Eh? It’s something.” Chance responded.

”Mind your own business.” 

Chance scoffed, crossing his arms, but he wasn’t one to argue.

”Alright, buddy. But you gotta tell me eventually.”

”Hiding stuff won’t get you anywhere around here.”

Guest shook his head, ignoring the irrelevancy. He pushed forward, walking towards a group of dim-yellow lights in the distance, Chance followed behind him rather precariously, unknowing if any of the killers had been following them the whole time.

He was a rather irresponsible man in this group, and despite his best efforts he is not one to provide much help himself. 

He was entirely, utterly irrelevant. 

He knew it well, and it shook him to the core.

Could he be tough, like Guest? He had the potential to do so, he just had to be a tad bit more serious. But, Shedletsky wasn’t all that serious…and he still provided just as well. Was he simply an outlier?

He felt like he had to hurl out his insides, the weight on him was heavy. Why should he live up to comparison? 

He thought about Itrapped.

What would he think? He left for a reason, yes?

' Noob ' he thought, that poor thing. He looked just like him, like Itrapped. Never will the days go of being constantly reminded of who he once had. Would he have died just as brutally? 

Something drew him to that man a long while ago, before they had split. Perhaps Noob had just given him the comfort of familiarity. 

They were both gone for sure.

He gulped, an audible gulp. A knot formed in his throat and he needed to loosen it, but his mouth felt so dry, coarse and rugged. He felt so weary and weak.

The only thing that sustained him was the money he had and the casino he owned.

It is his only relevancy, to Itrapped. The money, his limiteds. Not him. Never him.

He had little experience with guns besides pressing them to his own head and pulling the damn trigger with the full expectancy he'd live.

Nothing would change if he weren't. 

He had to try harder. He couldn’t let someone like Shedletsky or Builderman down! 

…

Had they still been alive? They couldn’t dare turn their back for a moment. The two began to pick up the pace once they heard the maniacal giggling of the child whom approached.

Venturing through the wooded areas, they stopped at a blocked off passage, two men, similarly to builderman had set up barricades, behind it were… Cabins?

‘People were living out here?’ Chance questioned.

Guest let out a relieved sigh.

Shedletsky and Elliot made their way towards a brightly lit area, halfway surrounded by fence lining and…signs of life.

People…?

…

People!

There were people! They watched as they walked by, their footsteps along the small path as they made their way towards a group of cabins. 

One was especially large, around two floors, the floorboards of the porch creaked slightly as they stepped among it. There was the sound of rummaging inside, and then silence. Shedletsky opened the door, it opened outwards.

He went to step inside. His foot was caught on a wire. He stumbled forward, arms flailing as he dropped to the floor with a loud ‘thud!’, his sword clattered against the floor.

The sound of wind gusting among the air and electricity whirring caused him to widen his eyes, forcing his upper body off the ground in a swift panic. He hoisted himself up with his palms, grabbing his sword in the process.

He remained on his knees, pressing the tip of the blade on the ground to keep himself upright.

“Dusekkar!” Shedletsky yelled out. 

The whirring stopped, and a solid object was dropped, rolling on the wooden floorboards until it slowed to a halt.

”John James ‘Telamon’ Shedletsky III! Is it truly you! My, oh my, this cannot be true…!” 

‘Oh boy. The full name was not necessary…’ Shedletsky thought in response to a small snort from the man behind him.

“John James?” Elliot taunted. Shedletsky rolled his eyes and averted his gaze, holding his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

“Matt! Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

”Indeed it is, my friend. Why, have our troubles come to an end? My powers grow weary, for I’ve passed my prime. I can only hope your strength hasn’t gone to the passage of time.”

Another figure emerged, slow and precautious. 

Elliot helped Shedletsky up off his knee, who patted himself down. He stared up toward the two, a smile on his face. He raised a brow towards the second.

“Who might the other be?” Shedletsky asked, tilting his head to the side like a confused animal.

 The other man placed his hands to his hips, slouching down slightly. He tapped his foot frantically, almost angry in a way. His face was hidden, so it was hard to tell his expression, and he did not speak.

”That is Taph, it seems he cannot speak, but that doe not mean he is particularly weak. He handles the traps, the explosives galore, please watch your step or there will be gore.”

“LOL. I think I figured that out the hard way.”

Elliot let out a small laugh.

Shedletsky tapped his chin, leaning in as he raised a brow. 

”Taph, eh? Don’t ring a bell.” He shrugged.

“He is quite fond of Builderman, he believes it is mutual. Though, I find his perception of their relationship unusual.” Dusekkar explained, causing Taph to roll his head against his own shoulder and cross his arms.

Shedletsky inspected the man up and down. He made a mind map of every minute detail.

”Demolitionist?” He asked.

Taph nodded.

”I see.”

Elliot leaned against the nearest wall and slid his body down til he reached the floor, to which he limply sat and closed his eyes. He wasn’t tired to say the least, just agitated. He felt like a vein was going to pop out of his forehead.

”Who is your friend, John?” 

Shedletsky spun his head around to stare at Elliot.

“Eh?” 

“My friend, his name is Elliot.” He stated, avoiding eye contact with the deliveryman across from him. 

Elliot took note of this.

“Elliot, I see, but how can this be? Trapped in a purgatory, a reckoning, I say! For when will this havoc end, one day?” Dusekkar yelled, his head tilted up as if speaking to someone amidst the sky. Shedletsky looked up as well, feeling sickly.

“What?”

”A game, a sick game, we are products of pleasure. Our strength has been stripped, forced into endeavor. The one above has watched us, each death we’ve endured, just to put us back on our feet with our memory obscured!”

”John, isn’t it concise? They have us trapped to experiment on us like mice! You are blind to its grasp, each round every round. The fallen ones scream our names, but we cannot hear the sound.”

”They watch us as the timer ticks down, and down, and down, and down, and down.”

Shedletsky was wide eyed as well as Elliot.

Their mouths agape, yet no noise escaped.

Since when was all sanity lost? Everyone was going batshit insane one way or another! If it wasn’t respawning, it was some superior being that controlled purgatory.

”What.”

”The hell.”

”Are you talking about.”

Shedletsky asked, monotonous, pausing his sentence with each emphasize.

Silence ran past, and Taph eventually walked away, setting up another tripwire at the entrance. It was going to be a long night, for sure. 

‘Ah, man. Everyone is losin’ their marbles!’ Shedletsky thought he was trapped with a bunch of borderline schizophrenics! 

”You wouldn’t understand, John.” Dusekkar ended abruptly, levitating his way to a small couch. “Find someplace to rest. There should be a smaller cabin, right across, do not protest.”

“You got it, Matt.”

”A round should start soon, but this place is safe.”

’Round?’ He questioned, only in his thoughts, had they perpetrated out his mouth he may be berated for his usual idiocy.

“I see, so why do you trap it up?”

“I don’t. Taph does, just in case. The memoir of protestants and riots have failed to erase …” Answered Dusekkar. 

Shedletsky nodded, not in a gesture of understanding, but in a way that confirmed he was listening. He shifted his gaze to Elliot and waved his arm, telling him to come forward.

The two left, smiling warmly and waving at the people who surrounded the cabins. They turned and watched their movements in sync, it was almost unreal. Shedletsky rubbed his eyes and turned away, a sense of unease caused his stomach to drop.

“Hey!” A voice called out. 

Shedletsky and Elliot turned their heads toward the noise, seeing a man hopping up and down and waving his arms frantically. It was Chance.

”Shed! Ellie! How the #### did you get in there? They got this #### all blocked off!”

Shedletsky raised a brow.

”Lol. Blocked off? Wasn’t blocked off when we got here. Can’t you just climb up it?”

Chance turned to Guest, who turned to him. Guest offered out his arms and crouched down to which Chance stepped on his palms, having the other man hoist him above the planks. He jumped and fell, hanging off the planks by his stomach. 

He let out a grunt as all the air left his lungs from the impact. He clawed the rest of the way up and gestured for Guest to do the same. The two men who guarded didn’t seem to mind. They sat there and stared as if waiting for interaction.

Chance cheekily grinned at the two and skipped his happy ass off. Guest dropped to the ground with a small thud of the dirt against his shoes, staggering forward.

Chance and Shedletsky approached each other, winding back their hands and dapping each other up, both grinning. Chance lowered his shoulders and looked around. 

“Shed, wheres Builder?” 

“He-“ Shedletsky paused. “-Should be here soon.”

“Theres people in that cabin over there, a previous coworker of mine as well, they shall tell you everything you need to know.” 

“Oh, really? Great!” Chance cheered.

As Chance skipped his way inside, he fell upon the tripwire, being caught by the back of his collar by Guest. He let out a choke as it hit his throat, clenching his teeth. Shedletsky covered his mouth and snorted before rushing off in the other cabin, slamming the door behind him. 

He turned around, dragging his foot behind him. Elliot was there, sitting on the ledge of the bed.

”Eli.” He called out, catching the mans attention. 

“Yes?” He answered, adjusting his visor. Shedletsky gulped, loosening a knot in his throat. He let out a trembled breath.

He climbed into bed, wrapping his arm around the other’s chest and dragging him down, getting a yelp out of him.

“Goodnight!” He smiled.

”Oh, …Night.” Elliot replied.

Chapter Text

Tonight, the morning failed to arise, held back and locked away through chains like a God’s power being ripped away. The sky was lit only by the moon and the chiming of a clock woke the others out of their slumber.

Elliot began to stir, tossing and turning his way out of bed only to be met with the sight of Shedletsky, already awoken, robe and shirt off. He was reaching toward his upper-back, rubbing his fingers over a particularly pink, deep scar. There were two, gaping holes, specifically near where his deltoid muscles are.

It didn’t seem to pain him despite the wince he let out, sucking in a whistle of air through his breath. Elliot inched closer, pressing his hand on the other’s back, causing him to jolt and let out a small yelp.

“Eli-“ He gasped, jerking his head, causing a sprain in his neck. He reached his hand up and rubbed it. 

“What’s this?” Elliot asked, observing the scars closely. “They’re huge! They’ve healed pretty well. How old are these?” 

Elliot’s abrupt interrogation caught Shedletsky off guard. He opened his mouth, but no words fell for a brief moment.

”They’re old,” He said “I don’t exactly remember how old, but I wish to spare the details on how they happened. Is that okay with you?”

Elliot shook his head. 

“Nah, Tell me.”

Shedletsky sighed, exhausting all the air in his lungs before inhaling sharply. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine as Elliot trailed his hand over the scarring, rubbing soothingly. 

“They’re wings - or - they used to be wings.” He said, turning his head to glimpse at the other through the corner of his eye. “I chopped them off.”

Elliot jumped back slightly in shock. 

“What? You did it to yourself?” 

“Yes,” Shedletsky fired back almost immediately.

”Why? Shed-“ 

”They were too much of an attraction to killers, and they never exactly worked, it was a setback more than anything.” He explained. “Couldn’t tuck them in properly and they were incredibly prone to injury. So, I chopped them off.” 

Elliot furrowed his brows, his face melancholic.

Shedletsky turned to look at him, and Elliot’s face turned even sadder than before. Shedletsky’s face softened and he pressed his palm to Elliot’s face, rubbing his finger in a circling motion on his cheek.

”I’m alright. If it makes you feel any better, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would!” He said, cracking a smile.

Elliot looked down. “How’d you do it?” 

“Pain is easy to bear once you’re put in a situation where you have to constantly withstand it.” He explained, shifting his body and turning away from him again.

”No, I mean, like-“

”Oh, with my sword, duh.”

Elliot muttered something under his breath, intelligible.

Elliot hugged him from behind, his arms wrapping around the other’s waist as he melted into his warmth. He had looked outside, beginning to question how long they had rested for, it was still dark. Shedletsky noticed a while ago. The sun had never risen.

“Do you hurt yourself often?” Elliot asked.

”No!” Shedletsky yelled out. “Of course not! It was a one time thing!”

”Well, gee, no need to raise your tone with me! It was a genuine question!”

”Well, maybe //you// should your questions to yourself!”

”Sorry //I// have compassion! Like any normal robloxian with decency would!” Elliot raised his tone, matching up with that of Shedletsky’s.

It was merely a small, joking argument, but it went silent afterwards as if a twinge of tension fell between the two. A moment of silent passed, Shedletsky’s grip on his robe grew tight, the fabric pressed between his fingers.

Elliot noticed this and rubbed his hands against his, locking fingers with the other. He felt the other’s body soften from the tension in his muscles, leaning downward. Elliot smiled, though it didn’t compliment his saddened eyes.

”Sorry, this is late, but you had wings?”

”I don’t want to go into detail about that.” Shedletsky replied.

Elliot let out a huff and nodded.

”You know I love you, right?” Elliot asked.

”Of course, I love you too.” Shedletsky responded, a smirk tugged at his lips.

Elliot leaned in, raising his visor and pressing his forehead into the warmth of the others neck, pressing his lips to the scar and trailing them up til his head rested on his shoulder. Shedletsky’s lips quivered.

Suddenly, Elliot felt his back pushed against the mattress, Shedletsky looming over him. He let out a soft gasp only to have their lips met. His arms hooked around Shedletsky’s neck, Shedletsky’s hands rested on the other’s hips. 

Elliot tilted his head, deepening the kiss. His mouth was pried open by the other and he felt the warmth of Shedletsky’s tongue invade.

Shedletsky straddled the other, causing Elliot to squirm. He felt all the heat rise to his face as his wrists were grabbed, being raised and secured over his head. Suddenly, the cabin door creaked open and footsteps made their way inside.

”Shedletsky! Elliot!” Chance exclaimed before his face immediately dropped. He was so appalled in fact, his shades almost fell off his face to compliment toward his reaction, his eyebrows raised. He blinked.

Shedletsky spun around, arm still pinning Elliot against the mattress as a string of saliva connected them together. His eyes widened and after a moment he cracked an awkward smile at Chance. Chance slowly inched his way out the door, glimpsing back and forth.

”My bad, man, I’ll knock next time.” 

The door slowly closed, Chance tilted the door handle so it didn’t click. He pressed his back against the door, running a hand through his hair and under his hat. He was met with absolute no context, making the vision all the more worse.

Shedletsky loosened his grip, staring back down at the other as he got off, throwing his iconic BLAME JOHN shirt back on only for it to be covered by the red and gold robe. “Gee,” He laughed. “Guy should learn some manners, shouldn’t he?” 

Chapter Text

Shedletsky made his way out the cabin with Elliots hand in his. Their fingers interlocked. He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, moving the hair out the other’s face. Elliot smiled up at him. Their romsnyiv moment was shortlived, promptly interrupted by Guest.

Shedletsky immediately halted the romantic gestures, waving to Guest as if nothing had been happening prior. Guest’s eyes narrowed with skepticism, but he shrugged it off as he entered the main ‘lobby’ alongside Chance and Dusekkar.

In there, Dusekkar was talking about the potential of their deceased friends making a comeback. Not like a revival, as Two Time believed, but as a form of eternal punishment- Their sole purpose. Shedletsky didn’t believe it, but was pressured to venture on by Elliot, who was terribly optimistic.

He let out a defeated sigh, staying nearby with his sword clutched in hand. Dusekkar held his staff tightly, awfully tense. Him and Elliot were rather frail - being a mere form of support and all, he only hoped that the remaining few had some form of competence.

Guest nudged Chance slightly, causing him to jolt up in surprise, almost detonating his gun. He shoved Guest back, scowling angrily. 

"Idiot!" He yelped. 

"My apologies. I just wanted your attention." Guest explained.

Chance sighed, pinching the rim of his nose, pushing his shades back up. "Just - Don't do that again - I could have shot Duse on accident or something."

He paused, taking a deep breath. "What do you need my attention for?"

"No reason." Guest said monotonously. Chance shook his head angrily.

Elliot and Shedletsky laughed silently behind them, holding onto each other's shoulders. They gazed into each other's eyes, going silent. Shedletsky gulped.

A timer ticked down, til it hit zero. There were no signifying differences to the area, but Dusekkar seemed to grow worrisome, the expression carves on his face scrunched to discomforting distortion.

The tension, the air felt thin, sparking up through their noses with a twinge of a burning sensation. Elliot and Shedletsky held each other’s hands, interlocked.

Thus, the round begins.

The hunt.

“Shedletsky?”

…

”Shedletsky!”

…

”Shedletsky!” Elliot called out.

Shedletsky jolted up and gasped for air, clutching his chest and immediately spazzing out, falling onto the grass again. He groaned in pain, bleeding from multiple incisions and gashes. Elliot too was bleeding.

A round had started a few minutes ago, Shedletsky and the others decided to venture out. All besides Taph. Dusekkar was telling them about the potential of their fallen friends being alive. It was an unlikely scenario, but they held hope.

The killer was Jason.

At first, Shedletsky let his humor get the best of him. That was until he found Jason invulnerable to his attacks when enraged, getting hit with a dastardly combination of hacks and slashes. He almost died right then and there, using the remaining strength he had to pull himself away.

Droplets of blood fell atop the blades of grass, splitting into several smaller drops. Shedletsky’s chest heaved, his lips quivering as he tried to speak. His eyes locked onto the man above him.

“…Elliot?”

”Oh, thank god, Shed!” Elliot gasped, immediately dropping to his knees beside him. He clutched a medkit in his hand, one that was gifted to him from before. He began to tend to the others wounds. Shedletsky flailed in rebellion.

”No! It’s— It’s for you…”

Elliot sighed, staring down at him.

“Shed, I have another one, I’ll be fine.”

Shedletsky clenched his jaw tight, slamming his hand down on a gash to his side.

“Every second counts, if you patch me up you might not-“

Elliot shushed him.

”Pessimistic.” He scoffed, bandaging up visible wounds until the blood no longer soaked through. Once he was satisfied with his nurturance he cracked open another medkit, running off to help Guest whom caught his eye. Shedletsky reached out for him, but he was already far gone.

A sound of a clock ticking down rang in his ears. He kicked his legs, forcing himself back on the floor as a loud groan of pain followed. Ticking. Ticking. Ticking. It drove him mad, it made him aggravated. With his hand still clutching his side, he limped his way toward the noises of struggle, trying to rush himself.

Guest charged into Jason, knocking him back and leaving him vulnerable. Jason stumbled forward only to be hit with a slash to the back from Shedletsky. He was stunned. Shedletsky readied himself to strike again, but he rendered himself unable to do so. Something forced him back. 

“Shedletsky, what are you doing!?” Guest yelled, placing his foot behind him, readying a block as Jason picked himself back up.

”I- I don’t know, I…” Shedletsky stammered.

Jason kicked himself back up, jamming his machete straight through Shedletsky’s chest. It broke through his sternum, letting out a loud crack as it shattered from sheer impact. Shedletsky found himself unable to gasp for air as the machete was forced out, blood splattered against the killers clothes.

He hacked at him again and again, to his left, his right, blood spilling from the multitude of wounds before the blade jabbed through his stomach. Jason lifted his leg up and kicked the other man to the ground. Shedletsky was limp, blood trickled down his gashes, warm against his flesh. Jason stared. His mother was surely proud. 

Elliot’s eyes widened at the scene. His hands trembled. He didn’t speak, he did not cry. It was surreal. It was beyond something he could process before being dragged away by Guest, his feet dragging behind the other as they left Shedletsky to die. 

Die?

Too soon, so soon?

Shedletsky’s fingers twitched, as if his muscles remembered the movements they could make. He hadn’t gotten the chance to close his eyes before his death.

He awoke.

He patted himself down, checking himself for the fresh gashes he had just endured. None. He did notice the fact that he was not in his previous attire. He was in his grey robe. He felt a heavy weight amongst his back, his wings. 

‘No, this cannot be.’ He thought. 

He stared around himself, the sound of crackling and crunching beneath his feet. Ashes across the air. He coughed. As he turned around, he had saw an unpleasant sight. Many, many people, burned to ash. They looked like husks, blackened husks, turned to nothing but the form of what they once had been.

Their muscles torn, contracted. Their skin crisp like the blackened sky that loomed above them, the skies that they had once reigned. The skies they had flew upon as gracefully and swiftly as the avians they were. 

He shuddered, leaning down on one knee to touch one of the burned. The flesh crumbled in his hand, smearing against his skin as the ash blew away, carried by the delicate winds of the heights. Hundreds of bodies surrounded him, crushed beneath his feet. He slowly stood up straight, spreading his wings.

“Telamon?” A voice arose, footsteps behind him approached cautiously.

A heightdweller stepped foot on his property, wings darkened with ask. Too close. Far too close. He spun around, his wings following behind him with a slight delay. The gust of wind that followed blew the corpses burned flesh away. 

“No, stay back!” He yelped, only to see the other burst into flames instantaneously. It screamed, dropped to the floor, flailed around wildly. The flames met their high, as if trying to reach up to the sky with sprawling hands just as the deceased that grasped out to the persecutor of their fates.

Eventually— it stopped moving as the flames continued to eat their way through the remains before extinguishing. Slowly and agonizingly such as the victims.

”Cowardice. Telamon, you cannot escape the flames of which engrave your fate.”

Shedletsky gasped, clutching his chest as he felt the heat rise within it. He coughed, sputtered out frantic breaths and gasps for air. It felt like at any moment he could…

burst.

He awoke. 

Elliot stood beside him, holding him close as they lie together in a pool of blood. Stomping grew closer and closer. His lover tugged on his bloodied shirt, trying to pull him up. He begged tugged and shook him, trying to get a response.

“Shedletsky, please get up…” Elliot said in a whisper. Shedletsky let out a weak groan.

”Shedletsky, please, get up.” He repeated, his head quickly turning to the sound of the stomping. “Please…”

Shedletsky reached a hand out, tilting the others’ head to look at him. He lifted himself up, cupping both his cheeks in his hand as he placed his forehead against the other’s. He closed his eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to his nose before pulling away.

”Run.” He said.

”Shedletsky—“

”Go, run.” He repeated, he demanded.

Elliot gently broke away from his grasp before sprinting away. Shedletsky looked up to see the killer looming down at him. 1x1x1x1. He was met with a jab to the stomach, then to the chest. He was lifted up by the swords, the metal slicing through his skin. He winced, grinding his teeth together. 1x stared up at him, completely and utterly silent. Shedletsky let out a choke, blood sputtering out of his mouth. 

He glanced around for Elliot before the blades were forced up, cutting straight through him as he fell limply to the floor. 1x continued to slash as him wildly, even as he was unmoving. His body spazzed with every hit he endured before…

He awoke. Back at the cabins. Patting himself down frantically, he breathes out a heavy breath. One of relief. Like a heaviness had washed over him. He glanced around, snapping his head left to right.

Empty, all besides a plentiful. Taph, Noob, Two Time, and Builderman. Those that had been torn apart, left behind, broken and disheveled had fixed themselves anew. Quite a different sight, had they been held in the clutches of death before being let go. Shedletsky shook his head, rubbed his eyes, his fingers poking through his eyelids. 

It was a dream, another dream, it had to be! And yet those gone did not disperse. 

He could not comprehend it.

”John,” Builderman called out, a hand placed on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” Shedletsky stared at him with glossy eyes, shaking his head without a word. How could he be okay? How could they all be okay? They were dead! Or - so He thought, that the grasp of death would hold them ever so tightly. 

“How?” He asked.

”What?” Replied Builderman.

”How are you -“ Shedletsky stammered. “How are WE alive?”

”I don’t know.”

Shedletsky let out a breathy sigh before asking what was on his mind. What was always on his mind, “Where’s Elliot?” He glanced around in a frenzy. “Where is Elliot?” He asked again. Two Time looked to Builderman, who looked to Noob, who looked to Taph, who responded with his usual silence.

”I need- I need to keep him safe.” He emphasized in a whisper, stumbling backwards through the cabin door. “I need to keep everyone safe.” 

(WORK IN PROGRESS, I HAVE WRITERS BLOCK. THE CHAPTER WAS ABOUT TO AUTO DELETE.)

Chapter Text

Hey, sorry, kind of got hyperfixated on team fortress 2 + writers block, discontinued momentarily until I get back into forsaken