Tw: imprisonment, self-harm, body horror

This chapter gets very dark, very quickly and it doesn't massively affect understanding if you want to skip it.

It's amazing how weird time goes when you can't measure it. And especially when you're waiting to die for a week, trapped in a room where you can do literally nothing except pace back and forth trying to find entertainment. 

Until I find something else. 

It takes a couple 'days' (I count every time I wake up as a new day) to realise I can twist my trapped hands around just enough to scratch my wrists. And something about that, and the pain it creates, is comforting. Something I can control. And comfort becomes habit becomes obsession until when, 15 days later (yeah my system of days is really off), Grian opens the door to find me sitting there, scratching a wrist marked with pink lines where several layers of skin are gone. To be honest, I'm pretty proud of myself for making that much progress. But then Grian pulls me to my feet.

'Someone's here to see you.'

He drags me from the room. I stumble, barely standing (I gave up on walking when I started getting hungry) into the main room where a new non-skulky person stands, restrained by Tango, wrists tied up with skulk.

Skizz.

'Oh- oh my goodness...' I croak out, stepping closer. 'Skizz...'

'Skizz is just on time, Impulse.' Xisuma slips down from his throne, approaching me. I ignore him, still staring at Skizz. He's here. He came to rescue me. They're doing the deal I can't quite remember except the bit where I get to be free.

A shove.

I hit the ground. The skulk around my wrists extends, pinning me to the ground. Skizz screams my name. A laugh, something against my neck.

A sword.

'Now you can watch him die.'

'NO!' Skizz yells. 'DON'T HURT HIM! DON'T HURT IMPULSE!'

'SKIZZ!' My disused voice somehow lets me cry back. 

'Or...' the blade moves away. I still can't stand. 'We can make a new deal here and now. We know what you've done. We know you were never going to keep the first deal. But we can still let him go. All we need it someone else to kill.'

'Then kill me.'

'NO!' I fight for freedom I know I won't find. 'SKIZZ NO. SKIZZ DON'T. DON'T DO THIS. DON'T DO THIS!' 

'Silence.'

Something shifts in Xisuma's tone. I fall quiet from surprise and confusion more than anything else.

'There's someone else here. Grian?'

Grian flies away, through the skulk and away. I stay silent.

'Are you going to kill me then?' Skizz growls. 'Or are we just going to stay here doing nothing?'

'I'm being merciful. You can talk to your friend one last time.'

'Don't do this. Don't do this, Skizz. I don't even- I'm not living while you die. If you die I'll probably kill myself anyway.'

He doesn't reply.

'Skizz, seriously. Don't do this! You don't have to do this! I don't want you to! This isn't right!'

'Impulse I have to.' 

'Y- you DON'T!'

'I do. I...'

Skizz stops. I can't see what he's looking at until Grian shoves someone into view. 

Zedaph.

'Just as I thought.' A terrifying glee enters Xisuma's tone. An expectancy. 'One person on distraction, and one person...' He crouches next to where Zedaph lies, trying to stand. 'To actually rescue Impulse. Smart idea, if it actually worked. Now stand.'

Zedaph doesn't move. Grian's still standing behind him.

'I told you to stand, Zedaph. You do what I say.'

'No- no I don't...' 

'I think you do. Grian, make him stand,' I watch as Grian drags Zedaph to his feet. Xisuma wanders away, like he's got all the time in the world. 'Now, before our main event, we've got another show. Tango, you know what I mean. Grian, you keep Skizzleman from escaping.

The pair swap. I try to stand, fight. Skizz is stuck staring repeating a quiet 'no, no, no, no...' over and over and over. We're both forced to watch as Tango forces Zedaph to his knees, hands staying on his shoulders. Watching as skulk spreads from his hands, thick tendrils of it, all the way down Zedaph's arms and back. Listening as he starts to scream.

'ZEDAPH!' Mine and Skizz's shouting don't do anything to drown out the yells. All I can see is the skulk slowly covering more and more of Zedaph before the light catches on something shining beneath it.

Blood.

Horror drowns out everything else. I can't look away, can't move, utterly petrified as I realise the torture forced upon my friend. No. My friendS. Tango's hurting him. Xisuma made TANGO do it. 

The screams cut to muffled shrieks as skulk covers his mouth too, but doesn't spread further. Tango steps back. Zedaph doesn't move.

He can't move. 

He can't be controlled because of having magic. So he's being controlled by pure force.

And he's aware of every bit of it.

Xisuma laughs a laugh I never want to hear again as I break down in sobs. Tears shine in Zed's eyes too. Tango stares down, black eyes blank of remorse. 

'Now make him move.'

The horror isn't over as Tango holds out a hand and the skulk covering Zedaph writhes and twists, pulling him to his feet, making him turn towards...

No.

I scream, fighting more than ever against the tightening skulk, trying to free myself as Zedaph is forced towards Skizz, skulk spreading from his feet across the ground and towards him. Grian keeps holding him back, grinning as he starts to struggle. As skulk snakes up him towards his neck.

'IMPULSE I LOVE YOU!' He howls, 'I'M SO SOR-' He cuts off as the skulk tightens more and more. I continue screaming. Tango just watches, still controlling Zedaph like a twisted puppeteer. Controlling the skulk that wraps tight around my best friend's neck until-

Crack.

Skizz hits the ground.

Dead. 

I can't hear anything over my screams. Tears stop me seeing, but I can still see the moment in my head again. And again. And again. And again. The skulk trapping me disappears and I sprint forwards, falling next to him as everything in my mind breaks. 

'Go.' Xisuma's voice cuts through everything. 'And tell the hermits what happens when you fight the skulk.'

I don't move.

'I told you to go.'

'No...' Is all I find to reply. Xisuma growls. A moment later someone's yanking me away from Skizz, and Tango and Zedaph, away through the dungeon until I fight my way free and obey the skulk's command.

I run.

I mean, TECHNICALLY this isn't an Impulse villain arc so I'm still doing something different. 

But at the same time... Impulse needs hugs.