Rivulet ran. She kept running. Just run. No other thoughts. It didn't matter where she was anymore, as long as it wasn't there. Suddenly, the tripped over something. "ACK!"
She hit the ground with an oof. Then she looked up and around her surroundings. She was in a forest. She put a paw to her head. "Ugh...headache." Slowly, she got up. Until it hit her. I just left Camille! And my friends! "OH ARCEUS I'M SO SORRY!" She turned around abruptly- until she realized. Her eyes widened. "W-where am I?"
Rivulet looked towards the sky. It was sundown. But, wasn't it just night time?! How is it already going back to night?? She was spiraling. Where was she even? A forest. Of course. Obviously. All she had to do was retrace her steps and get back to the town. Couldn't be that far.
She quickly started padding into a random direction. "As long as I don't stray off path, I'll be fine."
"Really?"
Rivulet jumped up and screamed. "AAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Camille tilted her head. "Why are you screaming?"
Rivulet stared at Camille. "Thank goodness! Do you know where we are?? Wait, do you-uh, ah, how far have we gone?" She noticed Camille's heavy breathing. "I'm-I'm sorry for leaving you! I-"
Camille sighed. "We kept running and walking and resting for so long. I don't know how far we've been going for!
"...What?"
Rivulet jolted awake. Her heart was beating. Slowly, she looked at her paws, then tried to lift one up. It was shaky, and it felt too tired to move.
She looked around. "Camille?" Silence. Then she realized where she was. But she didn't give her any time to process it. "CRUZ!"
* * *
Cruz drank from his alcohol bottle. "Look, fuckers, I don't wanna have to fight you, but I fucking WILL. TAKE IT BITCH, TAKE IT-"
Keith growled. "Shut up."
They were surrounded by security, walking down the street. One of the guys laughed. "You know, maybe we should just let the guy keep his whiskey! The poor guy wouldn't be able to afford any more with the amount of currency he has!" The rest of the security members laughed.
"Keep laughing," Cruz said. "'Cause it'll be the LAST. FUCKING. TIME. YOU WILL. BEFORE I GET YOU CRYING TO YOUR FUCKING WHORES OF A MOTHER."
Keith slapped Cruz. "I SAID SHUT UP."
A security guard suddenly grabbed Keith. "HEY! NO VIOLENCE."
Keith froze. Then relunctantly agreed. "Fine."
The guard laughed. "Weak! Look at him, giving up immediately."
Another guard laughed with him. "I know! He's just accepted fate."
The two laughed, along with the rest of them. Cruz decided to join in for the fun of it.
"He's literally the definition of a slave!"
"Can you imagine being him?"
"Man, we need more people like you. TO SUFFER!"
Keith closed his eyes shut.
"Hey, we need you to see!"
"Nah, leave him be. He's already lost like a baby."
Baby. Keith kept his eyes shut, closing them tighter. Listen, you're just an eevee. I don't think you're ready to learn yet. Keith's mind started spiraling. You're useless. You always mess things up. Who'd want to be friends with you? Keith shook his head. Stop. Stop. He was drowning in the thoughts. Weak! Can you imagine being him?
He suddenly opened his eyes, and stopped. All of them looked at him.
"Hey!" One of the guards said. "Who said you could stop?" They all laughed again.
"MOVE IT!"
Keith stood his ground, a feeling taking over him. He suddenly grinned. Then he laughed like a maniac. "Move? ME?!" Keith pointed dramatically at himself. "WELL... I would...but what's in it for me?"
The security guards stared at him in desbelief. "Uhh, you don't get anything. Idiot." They laughed again.
Ember stared at Keith. "Wait, wait, what are you doing?"
"Just standing up for ourselves, no?" Keith smiled. "Watch." Then he turned to the guards. "So...you don't want to give anything for me, eh?"
"Pfft, obviously not," one of them replied.
Keith laughed. "Oh, fine then." Then he melted into the shadows below him.
The guard suddenly froze. "Wh-what? Where'd he go??!"
The whole security force started scrambling around. "Find him!"
"Maybe you shouldn't tell me what to do, next time..." a voice whispered behind a guard. And in a second, the guard's neck snapped. He fell to the floor, lifeless.
Ember stared at the body, his expression terrified. "Wh-...?"
Cruz dropped his bottle, and it smashed onto the floor, shattering. As soon as it happened, all the guards fell silent. Then they all fell to the ground.
Keith's voice hissed behind Ember. "They're all alive. Except for that one who talked back."
Ember felt chills go down his spine. How'd Keith get right behind him? He turned around quickly, but he wasn't there anymore.
"Hurry up!" Keith called. He was ahead of them now, walking back down the street to the mansion. "Gotta find Rivulet."
"HELL YEAH!" Cruz ran after to catch up to him, grabbing another bottle and chugging the alcohol down.
Ember stared at all the bodies on the ground. "How-" A sharp jolt in his head cut him off, and he screamed in pain. Shh... Ember looked around. There was no one around him. Where did the voice come from. What?
"Ember! Hurry up you fucking fire hazard!!" Cruz called.
Ember looked at Cruz. Then he shook his head, and went after them. "Don't go fast!" But the voice was still there. I'm coming for you next. Then he slammed into a street lamp, going unconscious.
