Chapter Text
There was no way he could outrun them. So he hid instead: curling up into brambles, pressing himself against trees, trying not to make a sound as he crept through the forest. At least the barking had faded away. He didn't know if he could handle any more of that.
Rounding another tree, his attention on the crudely drawn map he held, a sharp gasp made his head jerk upright.
Standing in front of him, rapidly raising a walkie-talkie to his lips, another cult member stood in shocked suprise.
Sarnax reacted without thinking. His fist came up, aiming for the walkie.... but in his panic, he missed. With a resounding 'crack!', the guards jaw slammed shut, several teeth shattering as the fist connected with it. He was lifted off his feet an inch or two before collapsing to the ground.
Panting, eyes wide with fear, Sarnax gazed down at the fallen man. Had he...?
A rising and falling of the chest made him let out a sigh of relief. He leaned down to scoop up the walkie and the jacket the other man was wearing: it was too big, but the darker colour would hide him better in the forest than the white uniform they all wore. And it had a hood he gratefully pulled over his bald head. Leaving the crumpled form behind, he continued as fast as he could away from the scene.
Stuffiing the crude map back into his bag, he slung it back over his shoulders, feeling the few meager supplies he'd stolen hit him in the back. There wasn't enough in there for another day, but that shouldn't matter.
Through the trees ahead, he could see the lights. One of the others, before they had left, had called it a 'city'.
That's where he was headed. The last hope he had for escape.
Behind him, the barking began again, much closer than expected. Panic overcame him, and he bolted, running full speed towards the break in the trees. Distant yells, and more barking followed him, but he didn't care. The lights were right there, just a few more steps, and-
Darkness. He spun in a circle, searching desperately for the lights he -knew- he had just seen.
Nothing.
A burnt hand closed around his arm, yanking him back into the forest with hardly any effort. He struggled in vain, his mouth open in a silent scream as more and more hands emerged from the darkness to wrap around his limbs... the smell of burnt skin was forcing its way down his throat....
He couldn't breathe....
He couldn't -breathe-....
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He bolted upright, mouth open wide but unable to make a sound. A wave of nausea hit him, and he quickly stumbled his way out of bed, reaching the small garbage can just before his stomach expelled its contents.
'...that's not how that ended... that's -not how that ended-.... you -know- that's not how that ended...''
Wiping bile from his lips, Sarnax sat back against his bedframe, rocking back and forth. The panic was rising again, his breathing quickening to an unbearable level. In desperation, he reached up to his hair, tangling fingers in and -pulling-.
After a few moments, the pain finally overrode the panic. He felt his breathing calm... his heartbeat slow from the rapid fluttering he had experienced a moment ago.
'...you escaped. You are free, far from that forest. There is nobody left to search for you. You are safe. Calm yourself.'
...he just couldn't sleep too long. That was it. He had fallen asleep at midnight... it was three in the morning now. That was too long. The dreams only came if he slept too long.
Making a mental note to set better alarms, Sarnax began cleaning up his mess, grabbing his bag from its hook. There were all sorts of quiet areas at all times of the night. He would just go study there until classes started. Anything to not sleep anymore tonight.
Quite deliberately, he ignored the violent shaking of his limbs as he locked his door and strode off down the hall, once again tucking his head deep inside his hood.
Trying to ignore the last remnants of nightmares that chased him into wakefulness.