The Great Escape

After I'd put up the post, we took a moment to get ready before we jumped off the edge of the cliff. It was strange, feeling yourself falling but seeing nothing around you. It felt like ages before suddenly, we were out. One moment there was just a void, and the next, I was rolling across the ground, the crunch of gravel a welcome sound. I was so happy to be out, I almost didn't realize the tall, pale trees with black leaves. Then Shadow pulled me to my feet, with a sword in each hand, offering one to me. I took it, confused, until I noticed the growling behind me. I turned, and barely got the sword up in time to block the claws of one of those fucking denizens. Just my luck, our exit dropped us next to a fucking pack of them. The ugly fuckers started getting closer, and Shadow steps up next to me, raising his sword, and said "I can't open a portal. The effects of the loop must still be wearing off."

I looked back at him, thankful my mask covered my horrified expression. "So what the hell do we do now?"

"There's nowhere to run in this place, we'll just attract more. All we can do is buy time until I can get us out of here."

"Buy time? That's your plan?"

"You have a better one?"

I sighed, looking back at the denizens. "Fuck."

With that, we got ready to stand our ground. Now I will say this now, I don't know how to fight with a sword, never used one before, so it was only a matter of time before I fucked up. Shadow was watching my back, and I was defending myself from one of them, I went to swing my sword, but it was two high, and it grabbed me and threw me to the ground. The sword got knocked from my hand, and I only had time to throw my arm up as it pounced on me. It's claws tore into my arm, and I could feel them raking against bone. I screamed like hell, and I honestly wrote myself off. But just when it reached for my face, a knife buried itself in it's skull, and Shadow kicked the thing off me. I looked around, and those things were surrounding us. I looked down at my arm, it was a bloody mess. I looked at the ground, my voice shaky. "You should get out of here. At this rate, I'll pass out from blood loss. I -"

He cut me off, his voice even. "I'm not leaving you here. We agreed to get out of here together, and I don't go back on my word."

I looked up. He still had the sword in his hand, and he'd drawn a knife in the other. He seemed... calm, and he had a look of resolve to him. I watched as he blocked a denizen from grabbing me, splitting it's belly open and tossing it in the path of another one. He sidestepped another as it attacked from his left, and stabbed it through the eye. I honestly thought he might be able to take them all on, and then one rushed for me at the same time one rushed him. He should have defended himself, but instead he protected me. He ran the one headed for me through, burring his knife in it's temple. He'd only just turned around as the other denizen raked a claw down his face, slashing his eye open. He stumbled back, and the thing grabbed him by the leg, dragging him to the ground. I watched blood spray from his leg before he managed to retrieve his sword and slash it's throat. He staggered to his feet, and took his position in front of me again. Blood was pouring from his leg like a waterfall, it had to have cut several arteries. He was really going to get himself killed defending me. I slowly picked up my sword and got to my feet, looking over at him. A jagged cut ran down his face, and his right eye was closed, but I could see blood streaming down his face and from under his eyelid. I turned to the denizens, doing my best to steel myself, at least take one of them with me. But then, they backed off. At first, I thought they were afraid, but then I saw Shadow looking behind us,  and realized He was standing on the path. I shuddered when I saw it, nearly dropped my sword. Then, to my astonishment, Shadow stepped toward it, doing his best to stand straight, and pointed his sword at it. Despite his injuries, he still managed to maintain an even tone.

"Listen well, you thrice accursed abomination. I will not run from you anymore.  Before my life is over, I will see you destroyed."

My jaw dropped. He'd just lost his eye, and could barely walk, yet here he was making death threats to a something that could easily have ripped him in half at that very moment. Slendy tilted his head, and I expected tentacles to come out any second. Before I got the chance to say anything, Shadow turned towards me, and suddenly there was a golden portal next to us. He grabbed my good arm, and dragged me through with him, the portal closing behind him. Now we were in the front yard of a huge mansion, and I saw people coming towards us. It was at that point Shadow collapsed, and I fell to my knees, dizzy from blood loss. I looked down and saw a little sliver necklace in my hand, and that was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

~

Turns out the little necklace was one of his "healing charms". I've had the thing with me for most of the day, and my arm's almost back to full strength, though I think I'll have a few scars to show off. While his Resistance friends were hesitant to trust someone in a proxy mask, Shadow insisted I was safe. His injuries are healing pretty quick, but he still hasn't open his injured eye, so I think I was right that he won't see out of it anymore. I'll wait until we're both back to 100% before I talk to him next.

♪Melody