Chapter-7 : Hatred.
What does one experience when faced with death?
It is a question asked by scholars from every corner of the world.
Some claim that a person's true soul is only revealed when face-to-face with their demise, whether it be a cowardly rat or a brave lion.
Others claim the human mind simply cannot comprehend death and tends to freeze, not in fright but rather due to the brain's inability to understand, a shock in the smooth-turning cogs of one's mind.
What went through his mind when faced with death were neither of those things, after all with no experiences or memories, his mind was akin to an infant born the day before, an aged body to suit.
Death was simply something he couldn't fear or rather he hadn't 'lived' long enough to fear his demise.
The torrent of gray crashed into his body like a freight train, knocking him out of the frozen clutch and dragging him along the hallways.
It was agonizing, the parts of his body that met with slime sizzled and melted away like wax.
'They could've helped...'
His flesh sizzled, but his heart was taking it's first breaths with a multitude of new sensations he'd never felt before...
A piercing stab in his chest... what feeling was this?
A falling feeling in his gut... what feeling was this?
A dull throb in his head... this is?
But one reigned over the rest.
A rising nauseating one...
A pit of boiling tar within his gut, bubbling and leaving the terrible after taste of anger and blood on his tongue.
He would soon realize that he had learnt of the darkest and most volatile side of humanity.
The primordial emotion rooted in malice and bloodlust.
Something he would perhaps not understand for a long time...
Hatred.
Squelch
Vision vanished in his right eye... his right side burning in pain, he could feel skin melting and blisters breaking.
The world was an awful shade of red.
Through the remaining bloodshot eye he caught a glimpse of his hands, reduced to bone, he could see some bits and pieces hanging off.
...
Shudder
'It hurts.'
'IT HURTS!'
His mouth opened in what appeared to be a scream, though no sound escaped due to the slime having dissolved his throat to a near gooey mush of bloody flesh.
His hands clawed at the slime which had now stopped moving, god knows where, focused on devouring him. His torso was nearly stripped to the bone... and yet he lived.
Dark and light spots danced in his vision, his tinted world dimming at the edges as his thoughts drowned in a sea of numbing pain.
...
'Floating...'
'Calm.'
...
He was in a dark place, the pain a distant memory in the recesses of his mind, he felt extremely at ease, floating on a warm sea.
It was warm but cool as a gentle breeze brushed past his face.
What he saw when he opened his eyes were orbs...yes orbs, there were white orbs floating around everywhere... hundreds... thousands... maybe more, like stars in the night sky.
'Am I dead?'
...
'How beautiful.'
He was silent, blankly staring at the sky and floating-snow like spheres.
An orb moved closer, like a curious animal, hovering around his vision. It was small compared to the rest moving rather quickly.
...
'What's death?'
...
'Is this death?'
...
'I don't want to die.'
It was not a statement of emotion or desperation, he'd never felt those things, it was one of logical observation.
He reached out his hand.
'I want to live.'
He did not know how...but he wanted to.
The orb stood still, hovering near his outstretched fingertips, a pulsing warmth emanating from it.
He felt a warm sensation in his eyes, he wasn't hurting in the physical sense...it was a strange feeling.
'My eyes are...'
'Leaking?'
He was crying...
It was the infant's first cry.
'Rusty...Hammel...atleast Freya...could have.'
...
The calm waves rumbled to a boil, tears kept flowing but not of sadness.
The dark cloud had once again settled over his heart, the orbs once calmly floating like specks of pure white snow had turned blood crimson, shaking like leaves in the wind.
'I'll live.'
The calm sea boiled, his eyes bloodshot.
The curious orb now crimson and shaking wildly, moved slowly.
'I'll live... I'll survive...'
His fingers twitched restlessly as the orb moved closer vanishing into his chest.
...
'Pain....'
'I feel it again.'
A crazed grin broke out on his face, his bloodshot left eye flying open, his bony fingers clawed at the slime, a murderous vigour in his grip.
'I'll live... I'll survive.'
He clawed and bit at the slime, throwing pieces of it away, like two animals clawing and trying to consume the other.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
"Blirp...Bloorp..Brr"
"Keep your mouth shut Freya."
The three slimes moved down the halls,sticking close to each other, with Rusty leading the three.
"We...just did what we had to."
Rusty spoke, maintaining a stern tone amidst the turmoil of his heart.
"He was just stupid...brought it upon himself.
In fact...he should be thankful we even helped him that much and let him tag along."
He spoke aloud, trying to convince himself more than the others.
"Blirrr..."
Hammel rumbled, agreeing with Rusty's decision. To him their safety took first priority over a stranger they met just a day ago.
"Brrrlooo"
Freya blurped, a deep sorrow present in those pale pink eyes.
Rusty ignored her, choosing to focus on their current situation.
"The First isn't coming closer, we can presume it went the opposite way, maybe turning left at the previous fork"
He purposely left out any mention of the nameless person who had been dragged along with the monstrosity.
'Maybe forgetting about that is for the best.'
Rusty reassured himself, the tangled strings within his gelatinous body emitting a faint blue pulse.
As they moved along, the hall ended in what seemed to be a giant wooden door, closed firmly and dust-ridden with time. They all stopped, looking around for any other doors or openings.
'Guess that's the only way. '
Rusty turned toward the group of three.
"Listen up."
...
"GLINT WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!"
the pale golden slime jumped awake, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, professional grade acting that he wasn't asleep.
Rusty let out a soft plip.
"Listen here..."
His eyes moved to Glint making sure he's listening this time.
"We have no idea what lies in there, when we move through that door"
He spoke sternly, his eyes glancing at the imposing door, like the entrance to a grand bastion.
"If it's anything dangerous... just run."
"Is everyone ready?"
Rusty turned to the door, floating a bit lower as to be careful.
"Brrr...Brroop."
"No Hammel...we don't have a choice."
...
"Let's go."