Excerpt from my verity/mob fic :)
“You’re so stubborn, Mob. Let me take care of it for you.”
That damn tone of voice again. Too sweet and caring, yet somehow implying that Mob was in the wrong for refusing help.
“I don’t want you to take care of it. I’ll go to the village tomorrow to get it healed.” Mob grumbled, already securing the sticks against his shin and ankle. He began wrapping it all in tight cloth to keep his joint still.
Verity watched as Mob wrapped the splint with frayed focus, his hands clammy and trembling. He watched with those glowing yellow eyes as the fabric slipped from Mob’s fingers once.. twice.
Mob yelped as tendrils of black mist suddenly clamped around his jaw. They squeezed tight, enough to muffle any protest as Mob tried to wrestle away.
As Verity’s shadowed form slowly rose to half-height, those void yellow eyes stared right down through Mob with an intensity that bordered on cosmic.
Mob tried to kick himself backwards on his shattered ankle, only to cry out as the joint twisted and jostled.
“You’re being unreasonable,” That familiar voice was lower now, smoother in a way that made Mob’s stomach turn with fear.
“Your ankle is shattered in three places,” Verity continued. As if to strengthen his point, he gave Mob’s half-splinted foot a light flick with two shadowy fingers. Just that little bend of pressure made Mob clench his fists in agony.
“Ver- you-! Get off of me!” Mob protested, his voice muffled by his squished cheeks.
One of those fists flew up to grip the shadowy hand still clamped around his jaw, but Verity continued.
“Even on crutches, you’ll pass out before you make it to the nearest village.” There was no more happy lilt to Verity’s voice- no fake concern- just cold facts.
“I don’t care!” Mob growled, raw and feral like an animal trapped. His chest heaved with quick, shallow breaths— a pitiful comparison to Verity’s cold, still form. He thrashed, writhed, twisted– and when none of it worked, his free fist flew upwards towards that misty figure’s face.
When his fist phased right through the blackness, Mob nearly turned over from the wasted momentum. His crazed green eyes flickered up to Verity’s void yellow ones, and Mob’s stomach clenched as he watched that smoky yellow smile twitch at the edges.
There was one moment of stillness, broken only by Mob’s frantic breathing.
The next moment, Mob’s back slammed against the oak floor with a sharp thud as he was dragged away from the wall by the shin of his injured leg.
He cried out, his torso instinctively twisting while his fingers dug desperately into the flooring. Wood splintered under his nail beds as he tried to anchor himself against the sudden force.
“NO! Verity! Wh- STOP!” his voice broke as he yelled out. The creature’s body burned like black fire, and its yellow eyes were dilated into glowing pinpricks. Its arm, eerily human-shaped, wrapped tightly around the back of Mob’s knee as it dragged him with single-minded focus.
Mob kicked and swatted uselessly at Verity’s towering form while he frantically patted at his waist for his sword. His damn sword. He’d dropped the extra weight before crawling back inside. His stomach clenched tight as every small movement grinded his broken bones against the flesh of his ankle.
“VERITY! Get OFF! I didn’t-“ His protests melted into a series of tight, pained groans as he was dragged through the front door. The door nearly swung closed against his head, but he managed to twist his shoulders away in time. The morning sun lit the foggy ground while the bubbling lava pit shone like fire from under the trapdoors.
Verity dragged Mob right in front of it, then let his injured leg fall to the ground, discarding him completely. Mob barely managed to slow the fall and keep his ankle from crashing against the grass. Still, the movement sent a wave of pain like hot iron slamming into his leg. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth to choke back a gag.
His vision swam as he tried to focus on the shadowed figure stepping toward the lava trap. He watched as Verity began to open the trapdoors one by one.
No.
“No no no no- Verity, what are you-? Why are- oh my god,” his voice trembled as he frantically searched for any possible escape route. He couldn’t go around the house. The wall would block him in. He couldn’t get to the gate- he would have to drag himself over the trap to do that.
Inside.
He frantically scrambled backwards on his elbow and his good leg, already feeling the heat of the lava intensify in the air with the open doors.
“No, no, no- what the hell-?” he whispered shakily under his breath as he reached for the doorknob. Adrenaline kept him moving quickly as he scooted himself back through the door.
His eyes stayed glued on Verity as he stood to his full height and turned slowly to look at Mob. That glowing smile was misshapen now.
Mob’s breath hitched into quick, fearful huffs as he watched the towering form step closer to him. He managed to close the door and lock the deadbolt just before a hard fist pounded against the door.
