On The Downward Spiral: A Cold Light - Part 2
@notthebasement Continued from here: https://notthebasement.tumblr.com/post/168513227222/on-the-downward-spiral-a-cold-light ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Laurie tensed up as a shimmering light lit up the stairwell. It wasn’t a beacon, but it was just bright enough to put her on edge. She quietly moved herself towards the wide open window behind the stair railing… just in case.
‘Maybe a Flashlight? Everyone knows not to waste those…’ Laurie could still sense Dwight’s perk… his strong heart beating in unison with her own...but why would he- She paused. The wood of the stairs had ceased creaking... Whoever or whatever it was... it had stopped... Laurie could here sniveling; someone was crying as though in deep sorrow. Their voice cracking with hiccups...
Laurie stood, quietly making her way towards the mouth of the stairwell. There, sprawled in the center of the stairs, was a small, dark figure, burning with odd patches of glowing golden light... Laurie immediately recognized the way the shoulders shook in hitched cries, even without seeing his bespectacled face, or the dirt-smeared work attire. “...Dwight?” She repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, a small crack tinging it as she felt her heart break at the sight before her. He looked up, Laurie couldn’t contain the gasp of shock. His face... it was half-hidden behind the same bizarre light... the golden embers were singed into his features, what she could see of his face was tear streaked and reddened with anguish; the picture of absolute misery... and with it Laurie could see the hatred, the self-loathing. She immediately climbed down the stairwell towards her dear friend. As she approached, an odd sensation took precedent of his perk’s helpful nature… it was off-putting… roiling about in her stomach and behind her eyes.
Something was very, very wrong… he looked like he was maybe struggling to breathe… like he was in pain. “Dwight, wh-what is this stuff? Does it hurt? Are you okay?” Laurie scooted over awkwardly, bringing a hand up and gently placing it against Dwight’s shaking arm, trying to stay mindful of the bizarre light, before immediately drawing it back in surprise; the embers… they were freezing to the touch, not fire at all... her fingers tingled painfully, the harsh cold needling into her finger joints like frozen knives.
“Wh… what…” Laurie was at a loss, this was a trial. Time was of the essence; No pink auras or heartbeats just yet, however, it wasn’t wise to just stand around doing nothing… but Laurie was terrified, what could this strange gold, light-stuff be? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Dwight was in pain... Just seeing him like this was making Laurie’s chest hurt.
“Dwight, please, tell me what’s wrong... what is this stuff? I want to help you...”