Chapter Text
The blonde stepped deeper into the dim forest, tripping as a result from the exposed tree roots that grew out of the ground. It was tense and covered beautifully, though he couldn't see anything as the result. There was no actual light, only streaks of moonlight that managed to peek through the trees. Yet the beauty of that wasn't enough for him.
He couldn't stop but think about Till's face. The way the maggots just rested there where his right eye should've been, possibly dead already from the cold. The way his right eye socket is completely gone, the way his nose was gone, the way... he couldn't even explain it properly. It was all so uncanny. He should've died right there, in the plane. He shouldn't even be breathing right now. Yet he is. And what worried him more was that they didn't know if he got more serious injuries than just that.
He didn't wish to think about it, not one bit. Even if he has to encounter it daily now. It was painful, he felt tense and uncanny looking at Till and his deformed face. He couldn't say he was in any better shape, but Flake could still breathe, still see properly. Till only had one broken eye and a hole for his breaths to go through and come out of. Not to mention a weird... raspy but quiet noise with each breath he took and exhaled... It was horrible, too overwhelming. It was as if he was the one experiencing it all, not Till.
He attempted to distract himself by feeling around the forest using his hand, his hearing took the job for everything else. The forest smelled like rainfall had swept through, with a hint of moss and trees. He felt the bark of the trees that he followed under his finger tips, feeling the smoothness of one tree and the roughest of another one. His sight was useless, he couldn't see anything past his nearby surroundings...
until now.
He notices a building in the distance. It looked blocky, bricks stacked on top of each other. Windows lined up almost too perfectly, both horizontally and vertically, a door to the side of the building. It had cracks in the bricks, huge cracks that resembled years of just existing, of usage. The windows looked to be old, stained, but not broken.
Flake just stared at the building, watching as the moonlight from the sky emitted its thing onto it and let it glow. He had suddenly gotten anxious again, but this time with dread. Was someone here? Did they leave? What if they weren't alone with Till? What if this land was inhabited by somebody?
Flake didn't waste time turning around to leave, this was getting way too creepy. He had to find Till, he didn't want to know right now if what he saw was a residential home or an abandoned building.
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The man stared to his left at what he sees to be one of his friends, Oliver, lying on top of a dead body. Oliver, surprisingly, had the mask on that they used at the barn, when Christoph blew up the car and abandoned his side chick there. But the haired one didn't want to think more about the bald one.
Christoph was so tired, so cold. He felt how the cold was affecting his teeth, which were numb already. He felt light pain in them, he felt the freezing cold in his gums, specifically his left side. Yet, he had no idea why.
His legs felt a lot lighter, but his body also terribly ached. The strong metallic smell of his surroundings wanted to make him throw up, vomit all of what was left in that stomach of his. Oh, how he wished to. Though, he couldn't. There was nothing left to spill out except his own contents.
His breathing was shallow, his limbs not wishing to cooperate with him. He wanted to try to move out of there, to get out of the horrors of the terrible metallic scent. His head was hurting so much. Felt like 100 kg against his lighter body.
He closes his eyes, to rest them, while finding something to rest his legs against. But... he couldn't find anything. Anything that swore to be near him when his sight conquered the surrounding areas before him. That set him off, alerted him too much.
He was rather a tall guy, surely his legs could support against something, anything. Yet...
When he acquired the ability to pry open his eyes, the sight before him was... horrifying. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, but no words came out of his mouth. Nothing came out of that mouth, not even a simple scream of horror.
But another sound, another voice just beside him echoes.
"So, you are also awake?"
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Time passed fast.
Near the bonfire that Flake gracefully fed every once in a while, both the blonde and the shorter one sat on the ground. Flake had somewhat restricted the other one's head to his lap, keeping him in place by holding his other arm on his neck. Till kept pulling away at random points in pain, yet at the same time, it would be really impractical to restrict him on the ground and get snow on the exposed flesh, even worse if it was sand.
Till was talking about a poem idea he had gotten during the other one's disappearance as Flake removed his maggots, the little white worm pets that found comfort in the open flesh, in the exposed nerves that tickled and hurt with each touch and in the cracks of the skull. Flake sometimes, accidentally(?), dug out dead, black flesh and managed to open up blood clots that had formed before, making the man bleed once more.
Till often had to stop talking as he felt the skinny fingers brushing against the exposed nerves, wincing each time and pressing his lips together tightly. And even if some of them were numb enough, it was still enough to make him jolt in uncomfortable ways. He kept on trying to hold his damaged face, only to jump from the pain it provided. He kept forgetting that he isn't immune to such things, even though his memory shouldn't have been affected that much. It was disturbing Flake's work, so he restricted his head to the warmth of his lap.
But then again, Till was such an anomaly right now that he could never understand. He doesn't get it. He, Flake, is still questioning how he is alive, once even doubting if Till was even alive or if the man he saw was a mere hallucination. A mocking hallucination to tell him he wasn't okay in the head. Yet physical sensations of him tell him otherwise.
And also, the way Till talked freely about his poems was new. He used to stay quiet and only reveal potential band lyrics to his mates, but right now, he seems so passionate about sharing this one particular idea. Flake didn't know how to react to that, didn't know if to feel uncanny, to feel unease, or to feel happy, but he knew not to judge. They are both weird in their own ways.
"Your hands are really, very, melancholically, accidentally, soul breaking, freezing cold," Till commented, staring right into Flake's soul.
"I'm aware. Yours are also cold," the blonde replied, removing another maggot that was covered in junks of black flesh. He looks at the maggot for a moment before flicking it into the fire, the junks of flesh following it.
His mind drifted back to the horrid feeling he keeps being reminded of. He still felt odd and a bit uncanny from Till's unfocused stare, not liking how intense it was. He wished that Till would just close his eye and go back to sleep or something, not stare at him. Even if it was unintentional.
Till doesn't respond back, just staring ahead against the blonde's wishes as Flake kept working on the maggots, wincing each time he pulled them out.
But the blonde had another idea in his head...
"So... Till," Flake began, "I noticed something while I was in the woods."
"Yeah?"
"I saw a building, looked abandoned yet not abandoned at the same time."
"You went inside?"
"Nah," Flake spoke as he pulled out another white worm out of the warm hole it called home for a short while, already flicking it into the fire and burning it. Though, his gaze never left Till's once beautiful face. He already missed it, to be fair. It hasn't even been a day and he already missed the face he loved to look at, even if only for once.
"You're a pussy," the shorter man commented, taking a deep breath from exhaustion. His breath and breaths that followed and breaths before were raspy, Flake could hear how something was restricting the airflow in a way that caused it. He wanted to clean out his airways, because he was getting annoyed with it, yet it would be too invasive to just... dig in and dig it out. If he could, he would very well stick a finger into Till's airways and clean it.
Though, despite the annoyance, Flake stayed quiet, continuing to deport the maggots from their new warm home to their ultimate deaths in the huge fire. He was taking his time to form the words, trying to figure out how he wished to say his wish, "I was thinking of going there together."
"Are you insane?"
"Hear me out," Flake paused, "You become my ultimate ears and I become the eyes. We can explore the thing while making sure we aren't being followed or anything."
"You're paranoid. No one is here besides us."
"I'm serious."
Till took some time to form his response, crossing his arms over his chest. The ache that once filled him in the plane had disappeared, only leaving specific areas of concern to continue doing so. His left arm was one of them. He didn't know what was going on with that, he couldn't look either. If he lifted his sleeve, he would probably damage it more with the sudden cold than do anything good.
"Alright."
"I'm almost finished with your face, then we can go," Flake replied as he pulled out another worm, already seeming satisfied with his work. Till's face was more red, from the lack of maggots and from him picking open dried blood clots, making them bleed. His fingers were stained with Till's dried blood, tree bark and dirt, disgusting to himself. He could smell them, and he would very much throw up if he could.
Till, however, had already closed his eye, having nothing else to add to the conversation. He had put his hands calmly on his stomach, intertwining his fingers together with the tips of his thumbs pressed together softly. He seemed so much at peace, despite the reoccuring aching parts of his body he desperately wished to relieve. Flake honestly adored it, how Till could keep his composure when he was peaceful like this, even when he was aching constantly all around his body.
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Flake was now dragging Till around the forest, keeping his grip on the other one's wrist tight. They walked across the same, familiar path that Flake crossed earlier, now with just more precaution. The path still involved exposed tree roots and a lot of big rocks too stubborn to move by the kick of a foot, however, Flake was already familiar with it all.
Till became the ultimate ears of the two, reporting every strange noise he heard while the blonde kept a look to their surroundings. He specified to the shorter one what he saw, not leaving out any important detail that may entertain the other's imagination. He wanted Till to imagine the things, get a smaller picture of it. He can still see his imagination, right?
The forest still smelled nice, of that rainfall-ish smell, the moss, the trees, it was all comforting... yet visibility was still limited quite a bit. The darkness never left, the streaks of moonlight never left. They all seemed to stay in the exact same place as before.
It didn't take them long to slowly approach the building that Flake rumored about, something they still had to explore. It looked the same as before, cracked bricks stacked on top of each other, stained, old, perfectly aligned windows, glowing the same way as it did when first discovered. That was another relief, it meant that nobody was there right now.
Flake stared at it for some time, his inner mind debating on entering it for shelter and potential food or disappearing away once more. He felt in unease thinking about entering it, felt uncomfortable even thinking about it.
Till just looked ahead, like he always did nowadays. His face had stopped bleeding from drying up every last bit of blood, thankfully. Some of it had bled down the remaining of his jaw, leaving red streaks of dried blood on the remaining of his skin. Some left tiny beads from the edges of the disaster called his face. It was relieving to Flake that he wasn't losing any more blood, he had already lost a significant amount respectively. To lose more would be catastrophic.
The blonde thought about everything, their conditions, the warmth, food and water and even medical care... it could all depend on the building before them. Really. Their essentials were mainly food and water, things they desperately needed. They haven't eaten since they arrived at the airport, they hadn't drunk water since they were on the plane peacefully. They hadn't actively looked for those things either, which only risked their bodies shutting down permanently.
He considered the options carefully before ultimately deciding to go forward. It was for the best, for the two of them. For their health and safety.
He let go of Till's hand, the warmth suddenly replaced by the cold air. He didn't like it, but he felt it was no longer necessary. He had inspected the ground for any sort of pumps that may lead the other one to trip. They didn't want to deal with more pain and suffering, especially to the horrid face.
But before he even got the chance to turn around and say anything, a warm hand already reached out to hold his shoulder firmly. Flake looked back at Till with surprise, seeing the mild annoyance in the shorter one's face.
"I was just about to tell you that the path is smoother going forward."
"I'm not used to walking alone like this."
"Then you can practice."
"I am not walking alone. Give me a stick at least."
Flake remained quiet, trying to find anything to fight against it. He had no energy for it. He would've kept arguing, but he was already stressed and tired that he just couldn't. And even if he kept arguing, Till wouldn't really change his side.
And besides, the shorter one was right. The blonde never saw blind people without walking sticks on the street even when the ground was stable, why does he expect him to walk around without one in an unfamiliar place? He never really saw it that way, but now that he thinks about it... It makes sense, a lot of sense.
With a heavy sigh that would've cost souls, he surrenders. "Then hold on," Flake finally muttered as he began walking, letting the other one catch up and follow him smoothly. The hand remained on the sacred shoulder of the blonde's, allowing Till not to die trying to get there. It was a lot better this way.
They reached the building slowly, growing bigger and bigger in Flake's vision as they approached the door. The taller one pushed it open gently, a creaking noise echoing into their delicate ears.
The inside was way too dark to see anything. The light from the windows emitted streaks of it on the ground and nearby shelves, but it wasn't enough to light it up entirely. From what he could see, this most likely was some sort of a lobby. It had wooden shelves and cabinets everywhere, but also had wooden seats everywhere. It wasn't the biggest room ever, but big enough to include 20 people inside. And even that estimate is a stretch.
Flake began worrying a little, glancing around the room, trying to find something to use as his source of light. He firstly checked his pockets for anything. When he found nothing, he glanced to one side of the building. That side only revealed a big shelf with books on the ground before it, some bottles in boxes on the shelf also revealed their light. He then looked the other way. It was the same layout, but special. Because that's when his eyes spot a small plate with a candle and a matchbox to his right, his eyes lighting up.
"Stay right here," Flake alerted before leaving Till to wander for himself, the warmth of the other hand replaced by the disliked cold air. He followed the light of the moon, letting it guide him to the next light source.
He felt so relieved at that moment, finally some actual light...
He grabs the matchbox, sliding the inside open with his fingers. He makes sure there are still matches inside, and usable matches. Once he has made sure, he grabs one of the matches, scraping it against the box to light it up. The tip of the stick now began to live with a small flame, which danced to absolutely nothing. He began to set it on the candle when all of the sudden...
A click sound came and went, and suddenly the whole room was lit up. The light hurt Flake's eyes, the sudden light unpleasant, forcing them closed for a short while. It took a little adjusting before he opened them again.
He looked at Till, who had placed his hand on the wall and was slowly approaching. His steps were slow, calculating, making sure he wasn't stepping on anything other than the floor. The blonde glanced at the wall, noticing how Till might have used the light switch he couldn't see before. Smartass.
As the shorter one slowly approached, Flake made a note to check out their surroundings before interacting with him. The room didn't look like anything ordinary, looked abandoned while also okay. There were books on the ground that fell off the shelves, a lot of small bottles also suffered the same fate. The mess was everywhere. The shelves seemed to be filled with medical books, the bottles with a clear substance that they didn't know of. There were a lot of wooden chairs against the white walls and on the floor. The walls were possibly covered in mold, though what mold is the question. The floor was light blue, stained with a yellow-ish color. It had a distinctive smell, something medical while also nature-like.
To each side of the room, there were black doors. They suffered the same fate as everything in this room, stained... old... mold. The doors were open, and Flake peeked inside from afar. There were hallways, same appearance as this room. Lots of waste and books on the ground.
He then finally glances at the shelf next to them. There were primarily small bottles in boxes, somewhat neatly organized. There were papers as well, barely organized properly. They were moist as well, trapping mold into it like it's a cult.
The blonde grabs the papers with visible disgust, taking a glance at the writing. It was in English, something he somewhat understood at this day and age, and began reading it out loud for Till.
"LSD drug research... from 1975?" Flake raised an eyebrow, sounding more surprised than intended. However, the man beside him seemed a lot more intrigued with their discoveries than the blonde was, the way his eye seemed to betray his excitement.
"It's 23 years old?" Till asks, but by the tone of his voice Flake could tell the man wanted to try it. He wouldn't allow it, what if there was something horrific inside of it? Some sort of ancient disease that god planted into it since 1975? Oh Jod, he couldn't bear the pain of being alone once more.
"Yeah," Flake paused for a moment, "though I wouldn't trust it to be good."
"I bet it is good, though. Imagine how good it must feel to be above the clouds under that."
"What?" The blonde asked with a bit of a worrying edge. What is he talking about? Above the clouds under the influence??
"You go above the clouds with good shii."
Flake stared at Till like he had grown three heads to his torso, as if Till had somehow turned into something humanly impossible. He honestly didn't know how to react to Till and his immediate obsession with... drugs. Sure, the six men used to do drugs sometimes, it wasn't so obsessively. And even then, Richard had been at risk of getting into addiction.
The taller man just sighed heavily and calmly, "Okay, I can see your vision. But we also have to explore everything else, buddy."
"Buddy?"
"Let's go," Flake said finally, grabbing the other one's arm to drag him along, not letting him finish.
As they began approaching one of the black doors to their right, they suddenly heard another set of footsteps... or the bouncing of one at the entrance. A familiar voice, or two, echoed through the room.
"Where are y'all off to, Gentlemen?~~~"