After the events of Generation loss, you'd think that The Hero had at least somewhat peacefully passed on, leaving Showfall to continue their quest for entertainment. However, somehow, the box doesn't kill him, at least not yet.
This is the extended version of a oneshot up on my account under the same name. For the TDLR version, look there.
CW/TW// Graphic depictions of violence, major character death, blood, extreme injury, described gore, and ofc GenLoss SpoilersKeep reading
It was no use even fighting anymore. Ranboo had stopped thrashing against their restraints long ago and now just waited for the release of death, or at least to be put back into a sleep-like state and too numb to realize they were back in the show. The room they were in was hot from all of the monitors and wires. Even those strapped around his wrists were burning hot and digging into his skin unpleasantly. They let pained wails fall from their mouth whilst they waited on the audience to make their decision, crossing their fingers in a silent prayer that death was waiting on them. His wrists ached not unlike their legs, which threatened to buckle beneath them in what was sure to be only more pain.
They writhed for a second more as Hetch, someone he had considered a friend, who he had laid his freedom in the hands of, asked them to make one final plea to whatever sick fucks continued to watch their agony.
“JUST LET ME DIE!” Ranboo wept, making eye contact with the camera shoved in their face. They let their eyes shut as they cried, memories of home flooding back into their head. They missed their home. A pit welled in their stomach as they thought about the family they vaguely remembered looking for them but only ever finding some beaten and bloodied corpse. Ranboo wondered if there would ever be closure for those people they barely knew, or if they would be fully disposed of and thrown away like a broken toy. Finally, after what they probably would have said was eons, Hetch’s voice returned.
“The audience has chosen…” He began, his voice lilting a bit cockily. “For you to die!” His voice rose a bit more, almost eager to watch the death of the person that he himself had cultivated.
Ranboo leaned their head back and let out a breath of relief, tears still streaming down their face and mingling with the abrasions they had gotten when their mask had broken. Hetch fell silent once more as the box slammed shut onto Ranboo’s face, piercing through their skin with a horrible sting. Hetch’s microphone clicked off and the hot room was still, though only for a moment. A warmth ran down Ranboo’s neck and onto his shoulders. The spikes that impaled their face held their muscles mostly still but their brows furrowed as they continued to cry, honestly surprised that they hadn’t yet died. Their knees finally gave way under them and they remained suspended only by the wires painfully boring into their skin.
Tears mixed with the blood that spilled from their face, causing an unpleasant sting to make them even more aware of the box lodged into them. Their whole body shook painfully as a high-pitched whine reverberated through their entire head.
Pain.
Pain was real. Pain was more than just agony and hurt and misery. Pain, at least to Ranboo, was freedom. Freedom from Showfall, and worrying and watching everyone he loved die over and over again. They held onto it and forced themself to stand up and kick at the wall behind them, just trying to make any noise they could. They parted their lips a bit but found themself unable to even scream. Their kicks sounded like dull thuds to them, though it could have been the box or panic dulling any sound they may hear.
They pulled their head back as far as it would go but they remained unable to pry themself from its spikes. He tried to pull himself from the wall with what little remaining strength he had, only causing the wires to tighten more and certainly make the burns they had much much worse. A small squeak forced its way from his throat.
They panted a bit and just cried. They were nineteen years old. Practically still a kid, and yet they were going to die cold and alone and afraid. They let their mind wander to the friends that were surely put into the next show by now. There was no way Ethan, Vinny, Niki, or anyone else could know what the truth was. Perhaps the only people that could even hope to break free were dead, as Charlie almost surely was. He could only assume that Security had all but shredded him by the time he had hit the kill switch, and they only vaguely remembered taking their bow.
If they were lucky, maybe Sneeg had been left alive, but they couldn’t find themself even hoping he was, for death was certainly the preferable alternative. Becoming The Hero was a curse, not a blessing. Charlie and Sneeg were better off dead than Heroes. The few memories he had made with them flashed by with the terrible overture of that awful ringing sound.
They balled their hand into a fist and furrowed his brow tighter, wanting to pray for forgiveness, but also for his friends to be able to join him in death, or for their deaths to be faster than theirs was. Their brain became foggier as they struggled to hold on. Their mouth forced out the shapes of The Lord’s Prayer.
Silently, they mouthed: “Our father, who art in Heaven-” before stopping at the sound of footsteps. He wasn’t sure if what he heard was real or just his delirious state. They clung to the sound regardless. The soft tapping of shoes grew louder and the distant sound of voices drew much nearer. They strained a bit to listen to them through the soft whine in their ears.
“They have to be this way! I watched them get pulled through here!” Charlie. That was Charlie’s voice. It shook terribly, and Ranboo could only assume that he was crying. What had sounded like one pair of footsteps fell into two. They hoped the second set was some sort of emergency personnel. “They’re hurt- I can just tell- Hurry!” His voice grew more frantic than it already was.
“Charlie- Charlie wait-” Sneegsnag’s voice joined him. Both sets of footsteps stopped, though one took longer than the other. “Charlie- No, look at me. What are you going to do if we get there and he’s already..?”
There was an almost inaudible sniffle before Charlie’s voice returned. “He’s not! But if you keep fucking stopping us he will be! So please, keep your fucking feet moving!” He must have started walking again.
After a moment, Sneeg’s footsteps joined Charlie’s again. Ranboo’s body went limp as they focused their energy on just surviving until the two found him. They contorted their face and tried to yell but the pain quickly became unbearable. Finally, both footsteps drew close and stopped.
A soft thud echoed throughout the room as one man hit the floor. Charlie’s sobs shook his entire body, but still he rose up and began to untie the wires from one of Ranboo’s wrists. “They’re burned, you have to help-” He forced out. Shortly, both wrists were freed and Ranboo was laid on their back.
The spikes lodged into their skin slowly slid from their face, and what little vision they had became hazier. Their heart rate slowed despite the nervousness that had begun to set in. Somewhere along the way, their apathy to dying had shifted into a desperate fight for survival. A heinous squeaking sound made itself known on the outside of the box as their breaths picked up.
“Sneeg, Sneeg they’re alive- They’re breathing-'' Charlie tugged on the box more as the darkness around Ranboo began to spin. A beam of light poked its way into the box as Charlie wrenched it open. Ranboo’s eyes were filled with blood and practically useless, but they tried to make out the silhouette of his rescuers. “I need you to stay awake for me, can you do that?” Charlie asked, sitting up the boy before pulling them to their feet and wrapping one of their arms around his shoulder. Sneeg took the other arm and leaned Ranboo’s head back, their body completely limp at this point.
Charlie took Ranboo’s hand as both men hauled Ranboo out of the building. Surprisingly, very few staff was out and about, a sure sign that another show was underway. They burst out of the mall, the hot sun beating down on Ranboo’s face as the remnants of their mask had now fallen away. They let out a small sound of relief before Charlie reminded them they had to remain awake just a bit longer. Their body continued to shake badly and their breaths were quick and shallow, but they were alive and awake.
Ranboo’s friends lugged them to the first building they could find, where they phoned 911 as quickly as possible. Sneeg had to be the one to speak as Charlie had broken down crying too much to force anything out. Finally, Ranboo was loaded onto a stretcher as various EMT’s began to tend to them. A medley of beeping machines filled Ranboo’s ears as they were hooked up to a few to check their vital signs, none of which were looking great. The beeping machines soon became indistinguishable from their ringing ears.
“Wait! Wait!” Charlie yelled, though Ranboo was beginning to feel the painkillers they had been administered. “You have to let me go with him, I’m not that injured please-” He spat quickly over the hushed murmurs of blood loss.
“We can’t do that unless you’re immediate family. He’s going to need surgery as soon as possible,” One medic spoke to him as another’s voice blended with it, confusing the patient even further over some sort of blood transfusion.
“I’m his brother, let me in-” His voice came closer, mixing with all the others and causing a spike in Boo’s respiratory rate.
“Sir, please-” The medic began.
“I’m his brother, I have to stay with him.” The EMT quieted as Charlie’s hand found Ranboo’s again. “It’s gonna be ok, you’re safe now. Sneegs’s fine, they’ll bandage me up here once you’ve stopped bleeding. Fuck, you should see me dude,” Charlie spoke softly as he tried to comfort the other, his voice not stopping until Ranboo could no longer perceive it.
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AN: Hello! I decided i was actually gonna sit my ass down and write again after being MIA forever. I have a new special interest to I figured I'd create some self-indulgent Genloss stuff cause why not. I'm still debating the ending of this though but idk. Don't expect weekly updates, I'm stupid and hate everything I've ever written. That being said, replies, reblogs, and likes are appreciated!!
