Chapter 1: Falling Further
Keeva panted for breath, her throat sore from the screaming she had partaken in just a few seconds prior. She coughed, looking up at the immense distance she had just fallen. If she had to guess, far enough that she can't climb back up.
Her stomach twisted, making her curl up, and grip the fabric of her hoodie. It's been a day at least since she last ate. She'd ran off to the mountain to avoid another fight with her family, and gotten lost when a blizzard hit.
Then, she found a cave, tripped, and the rest was history. "God, this hurts." She muttered, debating whether or not this was worse than a period. She were leaning towards worse. Suddenly, she heard a strange shifting sound behind her.
*I'm going to hope that doesn't mean you assume I'm a hallucination.
She heard a small voice, and turn to the sound, seeing a… Flower… With an eye. Keeva sees her vague reflection in the wet shine of the eyeball, her mismatched eyes staring back at her… Yep, she was hallucinating. "What else could you be?" Keeva argued.
*Bit rude, but I can understand that kind of mindset.
*In any case, sorry if this hurts, but I need to get you focused quickly.
The floor shifts as a vine pushes itself out of the ground, before slapping her across the face. "Ow! Wha…" Keeva rubs her cheek slightly, understanding now that this is very much not a hallucination. The flower nods, closing it's eye in what Keeva assumed to be a frown.
*Sorry, but your life depends on whether or not you accept reality.
*I know that it's hard, but I need you to understand that what's happening here is real.
Her stomach cramped again, making her flinch, breathing in and out raggedly as the flower watched. The earth bulged slightly as another vine tore through the earth, holding something. It was a snail. The snail twitched, still alive.
*It's not much, but it's all I have right now.
*Best to eat now, we're probably running low on time to talk.
Keeva picks it up, and shoves it into her mouth. The shell crunches between her teeth, as does the slimy flesh. It tastes terrible, but she doesn't care. She just needs something to get her stomach to stop feeling like she swallowed a bucket of needles.
*I'm Flowey, by the way. Flowey the flower.
He holds a leaf out to her, as if to shake like a hand. Keeva swallows the mix of broken shell and slick flesh that used to be a snail, and shook his leaf gently. "Keeva." Unfortunately, she didn't have a title on the same level of creativity as his.
*Consider me the best friend you've got down here.
Keeva flinches again as a jolt of pain assaults her from her core again, as Flowey finishes speaking. "F*cking wonderful." She responds, barely caring. Flowey sighs, before looking back up at her with… The same look. But his tone felt more serious.
*Look, I get that you're unhappy. But this is serious.
*If you're not careful down here, you're practically guaranteed to die.
*Remember, no matter how friendly she acts, she's not your friend.
Flowey dug into the ground, the soil seeming practically undisturbed by his movements. If Keeva had to guess, from what he said, he's had practice. She heard the sound of footsteps from the darkness in front of her, they sounded too loud to be human.
Out of the darkness, two hands reached. Large, white-furred hands, like what she'd imagine on a werewolf, though without claws. The hands pressed into her shoulders, almost as if to comfort. The pressure on her shoulders felt too forced for that, though.
Keeva sees a goat-like face emerge from the shadows, it's pale green eyes front-facing. She wasn't an expert on biology, hell she was barely passing that subject at all with tutoring. But she knew a predator's eyes when she saw them.
*Oh dear, you look terrible.
*Come along with me, I shall make you a meal at my home.
Keeva kept silent, even as pain shot through her again from the hunger. The goat monster took her hands off her shoulders and held one out, clearly inviting her to take it. She hated the idea of going with her, especially after what Flowey had said.
But… The promise of food was too enticing. As much as she wanted to convince herself that it was, a snail wasn't enough to satisfy her hunger. If the goat was the one offering a meal, then so be it. She took the goat monster's hand.
*Wonderful, once you are full, we can have more proper introductions.
Keeva followed, walking as far behind the monster as she could while holding the hand that was offered. Her stomach growled, not just in hunger but in worry. But that could wait. She just needed to ENDURE it. For as long as it took.
