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They never meant it to be like this; yet here they were.
Red followed Nex’s instructions at first. They pulled and plucked out the flowers but they never stopped growing right back. And with all of the stress of CK’s revival, and Eye’s attempt, it would overwhelm them every single time they attempted to cleanse their skin of these flowers.
The blood and pain that came with every flower that was uprooted from Red was becoming too much for them to handle. Their body was weak enough, but with the constant state of delirium and unconsciousness from blood loss, Red only became weaker.
They grew tired of trying.
Maybe it was an unconscious decision; or perhaps they knew what doing this would lead to, but they stopped. Red let the flowers on their skin bloom and flourish as if they were the centerpiece of their own private garden. Sure it became harder and harder to move, but that was fine. Everything will turn out to be okay.
Red was curled up in a corner of their bed, having woken up and come to the realization that they were currently trapped on the bed. The plants had grown larger vines, effectively rooting them to the mattress. Every movement they attempted to make sent white hot pain up their spine.
Okay..okay. How do they get out of this situation..??
Red used a bit of energy to tug at the vines, only to feel more pain rack through their body. They managed to rip off a small chunk of the “parasite”, (as Nex called it), before they became sluggish and lightheaded. There was so much blood; more than usual.
Red felt their vision start to swim and darken as they stayed in the same corner. Their eyelids grew heavy, and they began to doze off; only interrupted by faint knocking at the door.
Red sluggishly blinked as the door opened, light flooding into the room as Dice stood there with a tray of cookies that looked like they'd seen better days. Red for once, wasn't upset or bothered by Dice's appearance; they were relieved. Dice was here they didn't have to die alone.
"dice...d-dice is that you..??"
Red nearly choked on their own blood when they called out for Dice, their body shaking with the pain of speaking and looking up. Their head hurt like hell, and their eye was blurry, but they could make out the figure of Dice there; and that was all that mattered.
"please..pl-ease dont leave me here.."
Petals fell from Red's mouth as their words came out broken and shaky. Dice seemed to notice how Red was acting, and stared at Red for a moment.
” …Dice will not be leaving you ! Dice will stay ! “
Dice’s cheery, robotic voice filled the room as the plate of “cookies” was set down on some kind of surface. They were here because Chance had sent them to make Red feel better.
” What happened? Is there anything I can do to help? “
Dice scooped a vine into their hands, only for a hiss of pain to escape Red’s lips. They shakily grabbed the vine and set it back down, looking up at Dice with a look of despair. It hurt. So, so much.
"d-don't touch that... p-please.."
Red thought for a moment. What could Dice even do to try and save them?? There were flowers in their lungs they could FEEL the vines and petals climbing up their throat. They couldn't be saved; it was too late for them; yet even now they didn't want to be alone. Tears started to stream down their face as they let their head slump down, sniffling and crying.
"i-i stopped trimming the flowers.. i-i let them g-grow and now they wont stop."
This was pathetic. Venting to a robot who was made by someone who Red was sure would be glad if they died right here and now.
Dice stared for only a moment before speaking again.
” Oh! We did not mean to hurt you. It was an accident! “
Dice tip-toed around the vines, crouching down to wipe Red’s tears away with their scarf. It was better than using the cold metal of their hands. Dice was torn between getting someone to help, or staying with Red until their ultimate demise.
” It’s okay. You’ll be okay ! Calm down. The flowers will stop, you'll be fine ! “
Red didn't seem to want Dice to leave them there, and it was okay! Dice had no intention of leaving anyways!
Red smiled softly at the feeling of Dice wiping away their tears, finding it comforting in a way. They knew they were trying their best, and that was all that mattered right? Red felt their head lean forwards into the feeling of the scarf on their face, coughing out another petal in the process. Everything ached; was this how Eye felt when he shot himself?
"a-are you s-sure they'll stop..?"
Red mumbled, fear still clinging to their words, but it was quieter now. Almost as if it was giving up. Red couldn't help but think of what Eye would think. They were supposed to go to Eye’s house tomorrow. Eye would be disappointed if they didn’t show up.. Or how CK would react to them dying in such a pathetic way. Would he laugh? Would he keep that smile on his face and continue his day like nothing happened?
The thought of that hurt.
Maybe….maybe if Dice was able to get someone to help them, they would live.
"d-do you know who's h-here today in hq..?"
Dice was sure they would be okay! Well at least to Red they were. In reality, Dice knew that Red was gone. Dice knew Red was going to die here and now, but there wasn’t any harm in lying to make Red feel better in death right?
” Mhhmm! Hundred percent! Just calm down! “
Sometimes a lie was just…better than the truth.
Dice internally went over who clocked in today. Everyone did but Valerie.
” Oh, Yeah! Most of the others clocked in today! Except Valerie cause I do believe she’s on break.. I can go get them! They’ll be able to help FOR SURE! “
"please...ple-ase get them.. "
Red watched as Dice sprang up and placed a small die next to Red, then walked up to the door and pausing in the doorframe as Red looked for the words to say.
Red needed help. They needed someone to save them. They NEEDED to live. The more Red panicked the more flowers would sprout and bloom. An idea wormed its way into their mind. If they died here, they needed to make sure it was hidden from Eye for as long as possible.
"dice... do me a f-favor ok..? i-if i die, m-make sure Eye finds out last."
This time when Red coughed, a whole flower fell out of their mouth, which in turn made Red begin to internally panic more.
"go...find someone.."
Red could hold on until someone came to help. Red could do it. They just needed to hold on for a little longer. Dice said they would be okay, and they somewhat believed them..!
"....a-and thank you dice. for everything."
Dice nodded, their smile ever so present on their face. That was an order they could fulfill easily! Both the one with Eye and the order to find a governor. Dice always knew where everyone was, so finding them shouldn’t be too hard!
“No problem! This is what friends are for !! I’ll make sure everyone finds out before him! You can count on me! ”
Dice knew there was no if.
The door tilted and closed on its own, encasing Red in darkness once more.
Red sat there. Dice would come back soon. The small die that Dice put next to them made them chuckle (although the action was painful.) and it brought a smile to their face. Everything would be okay. Dice said so, and Dice wouldn't lie right??
red knew there was no use in fighting it. holding onto false hope was all they could do.~~
It was quiet in their room. They didn't hate it, but it wasn't really ideal either. The vines, which were ever so persistent, wrapped around their limbs tighter; encasing them where they sat. Red's head hurt a lot, but it would be okay once Dice got here.
They just had to make it a little longer.
Everything would work out in the end.
Red kept repeating that sentence to themselves in their head like a mantra. They repeated it until the words didn't feel like words anymore, just letters in weird spots. They were going to live.
Red ignored the fuzzy, mushy feeling in their brain as a poppy began to bloom on it, roots nestled in the fragile organ. They ignored how numbness spread, and how their limbs became even more weak. They were waiting on...something.
Red was tired.
It couldn't help to just close their eyes while they waited right..? A vine tore it's way through flesh behind Red's neck and slowly began to wrap around it, squeezing as their throat bloomed as well. A single red poppy sprouted in their mouth, silencing any pleading Red would've made if they were strong enough.
Tears were streaming down their face, yet they couldn't feel it.
Their eyelid drooped, and for a single, fleeting moment, they understood.
They understood they were meant to rot; that their skin was meant to decay, and their bones were meant to crumble. Maybe it was the flowers blooming in their brain, maybe it was some sick fantasy they had, but they still understood.
Red blinked sluggishly one more time, before succumbing to the numbness that consumed them.
Dice would be here soon. And Eye would forgive them if they were a little late to tomorrow’s dinner.
The door remained closed.