Fanfic - Cracks

[scaredykitty]

First person. Should be a few chapters at least. We'll see how it goes. Will get maudlin, possibly.

Everything burned. Or at least, it felt like it was burning. Everything hurt, everything was ash. I knew it wasn't, but it certainly felt like it. Thin black lines traced along my fingers and hands up to my elbows, the cracks as black as night and twice as cold. Every movement sent pain streaking down my back, making my eyes go hazy. It wasn't over yet, but maybe it would be soon. There were still things I had to do, to fix. Hopefully I could fix them before the pain overwhelmed me. I thought back to how it all started, laughing weakly at how simple it all was, how silly it seemed at the time.

I had felt them for a long time. As I watched from the outside, I could see them form, creating a spiderweb of cracks that ran the length and breadth of the server. I asked others if they saw them subtly, quietly. My questions were meet with blank stares. I had asked those inside if they saw them. I did not ask again after they turned hostile at the question, questioning my right to ask such things. I grew quiet, not wanting to affront those I saw as friends. And yet, the cracks grew longer, deeper. Each day, it seemed more appeared. I wasn't sure what to do, so I reached out to touch them, see what I could do about it. Perhaps I could fix them from the outside. I always was a sucker for wanting to help out, even when not asked to.

They were cold though, so cold. It felt as though my fingers were frozen, the pads of them numb as I swept a hand along one of the larger cracks. I shivered, lips parting as I pulled my hand away, breathing on my fingers to try and keep them warm. Slowly the warmth started to return to my fingers. I set my other hand against the wall to steady myself as I continued to blow warm air on my hand.

Perhaps that was the mistake. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered, and I would have wound up here anyway. I felt myself falling, (no, being dragged down, but that's impossible, right?) falling down, tumbling through the darkness and the cold before landing hard on the cold ground. I shivered from the cold, ruing the fact I hadn't worn something warmer. As I looked around, I realized where I was.

Going pale, I realized I had to figure out some way out, quick. I wasn't allowed here, I wasn't meant to be here. I pushed against the wall, only to find it a solid barrier, even colder and harsher then the cracks on the other side. No wonder they didn't see the cracks. There were none from this side. None visible, at least. Not yet. Pushing against the solid wall, I began to panic slightly, fearing for what would happen if I was caught. While I talked with the guys somedays, I wasn't quite sure what they would do if they found me here, where only they were allowed.

I was about to find out, as a heavy hand came down on my shoulder. I stopped pushing against the wall, going quite still. I wasn't scared, not quite, given I trusted the people on the server. Mostly. Sometimes they could be scary, when they got angry.

“What are you doing here?” the voice questioned, soft, quietly. Turning around, I found I was looking into deep purple eyes. I wasn't sure if that was better or worse then running into one of the others.

“I'm sorry Nebris, I'm sorry, I don't know how I got inside, I just touched the wall and suddenly I was falling, and,” I went silent as Nebris started shaking his head quickly, placing a hand over my mouth.

“Quiet. The problem is you're here now. Luckily you ran into me, and not Guude. Unless you like spending time in a dungeon,” Nebris said incredibly quietly and very quickly as he drug me away. I stumbled after him, following down into the earth through a series of well hidden caves. I tried to think of exactly what to say about the dungeon remark before filling it away for questioning later.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we walked in near darkness, Nebris' hand on my elbow was the only point of contact I had, except when I stumbled into him accidentally several times.

I heard him exhale slowly, seeming to ponder the question as he stopped. I knew he had stopped when I ran into him for what seemed like the millionth time, whispering unheard apologies. “I was going to say somewhere safe, but no where is safe, now is it? I guess...somewhere where you can sleep the night with the least amount of fear possible,” Nebris said with a sigh. I frowned, shifting in Nebris' tightening grasp.

“Why are we acting like this is some kind of spy game? Can't I just go to Guude, say hey Guude, I accidentally fell into the server, how about we get me out?” I said, shaking my head. It made no sense why I couldn't just leave. Eventually it would, but it seemed so silly and odd at the time. Nebris laughed coldly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine.

“You can't leave. None of us can,” he said quietly as he continued to drag me along.

“None of...us...?” I said, confused. I blinked as he opened a door in the side of the tunnel, light flooding through. I raised a hand to block the light before looking into the bright room.

I stared at the people on the other side as they stared back at me.

“Well, that does explain that then,” I said quietly. It really didn't, it only helped a bit to ease the confusion over why no one could leave. One of the people looked at Nebris with a frown as he leaned back in his chair.

“Who is this? Why did you bring him here?” the person said, frowning as he shifted uneasily in his chair. Looking over at him, I wasn't sure where dirt ended and person began. Maybe he was just a giant dirt block. He turned his attention towards me as he noticed I was staring, causing me to blush and look away.

Nebris' pulled me closer to him, protectively. It didn't help with the blushing. “This is Van. He apparently fell into the server. Considering unlike the rest of us, he isn't suppose to be here at all, I thought it wise to bring him here and hope for the best while we figure a way out,” Nebris said quietly. The others in the small room shifted uneasily.

“We don't exactly have a lot of room,” a voice from the back said. Craning my neck, I looked over to see Shree curled up on a chair, sniper outfit dishevelled, goggles around his neck.

Hanging my head, I shuffled uneasily. “Sorry. I could just...just wander off somewhere, find a place to hide. Or go find Guude and ask him what the hell is going on,” I said, exhaling slowly. Shree laughed softly, shaking his head.

“Oh Van. It's not that easy anymore. We can't get out. And if you go talk to Guude, Guude comes and finds us and beats the ever loving shit out of us for still being here despite you know, not being able to leave. So we'd really appreciate it if you didn't go to Guude or get caught, because several of us don't want to relive that experience,” Shree said with more venom then I thought he'd be able to muster.

“Although...” Nebris said quietly, licking his lips. “Although, I could take him to Guude. Guude has been getting antsy about the fact I haven't found anyone. He'd be the best candidate to “find” since we could convince Guude that it really was an accident, and with him here, maybe Guude will actually try and figure out a way to get him out of the server, therefore letting the rest of you off as well.”

The dirt covered guy shifted in his seat uneasily, fingers...well, maybe his fingers digging into the soft fabric. “You know what would happen. If you're going to do that, at least tell him the truth of what will happen to him,” he said quietly. I shivered, not sure I wanted to know what would happen.

Looking back, I really shouldn't have asked. Maybe it would have saved me the heartache of knowing what was to come. But I asked anyway.

“What will happen?” I said, turning towards Nebris. I froze as I saw the look on Nebris' face.

“He'll experiment on you most likely. Well, he won't, but he'll certainly watch. His advisers will though. If you want to see how well that turns out, just go ask Espie how he feels about the whole ordeal,” Nebris said quietly. I swallowed, hand curling up tightly.

“What did he do to Espie?” I said as calmly as possible. Nebris leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling.

“I heard my name called, what's up?” a new voice said, popping into the doorway.

Oh.

What appeared to be a young enderman stood in the door way. Bright red marks scarred his skin, old wounds and scars marring the dark surface. The latticework of pain etched into his skin reminded me of the cracks on the server walls, warm instead of cold though.

“We were just talking about what Guude did to you,” Nebris said, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

The enderman looked directly at me, gaze unwavering. “Did you get the answer to the question, then?” he asked, more politely then I would have in a similar situation. I nodded, swallowing slowly. He smiled faintly, broken teeth staring at me before he turned and left.

The silence in the room last far longer then I wanted it to, stretching out for several uncomfortable minutes while no one knew quite what to say. I finally sighed, earning several inquisitive looks. “I don't have to do anything right now, do I? Because I'm sure it's late, and we're all tired, so maybe sleep?” I said, trying to smile, trying to remain calm and at ease. I wasn't quite sure what I had gotten into, but sleep would surely help.

Shree smiled at me, lips parted slightly while his eyes remained cold. “Sure, you can sleep. I'll take you to the dorms. Nebris needs to talk to Dav though, get some things sorted out,” he said quietly as he stood up, beckoning for me to follow. I followed him out of the room through a series of short hallways and interconnecting rooms. I saw several other people hard at work, tending various tiny farms, trying to eke out an existence this far underground. Finally, I found myself in a small room filled with beds. Two people were sleeping alongside the wall, curled up next to each other. I craned my neck to try and see who they were before giving up.

Quietly, I said to Shree, “Where can I sleep?” Shree shrugged, waving a hand lazily around the room.

“Where ever you want. It's not school, there's no assigned beds. I need to go talk to Nebris. You'll be safe here. Mostly. Sleep well,” Shree said quietly before leaving. Shrugging, I looked around the room before crawling into the nearest bed, fully dressed. Sleeping naked did not seem like the smartest thing to do anymore. I fell into a deep, dark sleep, filled with nightmares of various shapes and sizes.

Comments

[hawser]

I like the dramatic feel in the beginning and the overall storyline! :D

[scaredykitty]

Glad you like it so far :)