♋ PCG 18

[crusthatecean]

[He isn't familiar enough to think twice before eating what just looks like another strange type of fungal food product. He doesn't feel the effects until later, when the feeling of intense terror and hallucinations overtake him. Even then, plagued by horrifying visions and the sensation of his vascular sac beating in his thorax so violently that he feels it might burst, he isn't aware this is not real or unusual.

In his visions, the walls are splattered with colorful gore. He's hunted by unstoppable predators he can't hope to flee or leave behind. He and everyone he knows is going to die. And worst of all? Preventing this was his responsibility, and he's failed. He's more than failed. All of this was his fault. The red lines cracking through the sky, destroying everything and everyone and ensuring their last safe haven will be gone is the same color as the red running through his veins. He is the cancer, and he will destroy everything he loves.

The sensation and knowledge is unsurprising. His worst fears come to life is something that by now, he is all too familiar with.]



[Action; 1338 Benny]

[Early in the afternoon, soon after the mushrooms have taken their effect, Karkat can be found in the family room of the house. He's still lucid, but he's pacing and clutching his garden sickle, and occasionally looking around at the walls and jumping at shadows. There's something clearly very wrong here; he looks either like he's about to bolt or like he's about to be sick, and he's muttering to himself.]

Oh god. Oh man. Fuck. Fuck. Oh man. Oh god.

[Phone]

[Karkat's voice over the phone is trembling badly; rather than his usual angry and loud tone, he sounds panicked and hollow.]

Okay. Fuck. Okay. I need everyone to fucking listen right the fuck now.

Those red lines earlier mean that Mayfield is going to be destroyed. We're going to need to find a way out, everyone, that's...that's something we can do. Shit. Okay.

If that's not enough, Gamzee, he's gone completely shitfucking off the fucking deep end again. He...fuck fuck fuck. If you see him around, stay away from him. Oh god. He's incredibly dangerous. I...shit, shit, I'm sorry, I promised I wouldn't let this happen, it's all my fault for not...I'm sorry...

You probably won't hear from me again, so don't wait for me to find a way out of here any way you can. I'm so sorry, you guys, I fucked up everything.

...Bye.

[He hangs up and won't answer any calls, but you may find him at or around 1338 Benny. He has definitely deteriorated from earlier, though, and it's evident from the way he'll react to anyone who approaches him that he may attack you with the sickle he's brandishing.]

((OOC: Sorry to post again so soon! I will still backtag the other post too. Feel free to action tag in response to the phone call or just in general, he'll mainly stay around his house but if you prefer he can be outside. Thanks!))

Comments

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

I don't -- to who?

[He's getting pretty fucking worried here - Karkat is crying and Gamzee has no idea why, except that it seems to be his fault.]

I don't got a motherfuckin' clue what you're going on about, best friend. What the fuck's going on?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Jade. You killed Jade.

Are you going to kill me?

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

[He sucks in a startled breath.]

Jade's dead? When? I didn't even know -- wait, you think I pulled some kind of nasty shit on her?

[Then the rest of what Karkat says catches up to him and he recoils, shocked and appalled.]

What? No. No, of course not, I wouldn't ever lay a claw against you, that ain't what best friends do. Motherfuckin' messiahs, why would you even all be asking that?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Don't. Don't. Don't pretend it wasn't you. You left all those messages, you taunted me. I would have understood if it was me. It fucking makes sense. I fucked up so many times and my blood is...I deserve to be culled. But she isn't even a troll.

[He raises his sickle, his hands shaking too badly to be able to hold it steadily.]

I don't want to hurt you but I have to. I owe it to the others to stop you but it won't be so bad if you kill me instead.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

I'm not pretending shit, I ain't got any remembering for doing any of that nastiness. And ain't nobody gonna be culling you, not if I can help it.

[His eyes widen when Karkat raises his sickle, raising his own hands in the universal gesture of peace.]

Best friend. Chill. Put that thing down. It's Gamzee, bro. You know I ain't gonna hurt you.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Sorry.

[He really does look sorry; tears are rolling down his cheeks, but he takes a slash at Gamzee. It's too hesitant and too shaky to be in a position to really hurt him; at best, it's only in range for a shallow cut.]

I'm so sorry.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

[He hisses as the sickle cuts him, more in shock than in pain, but ignores it - he's always had a pretty high tolerance for pain, and it's a shallow wound. He's more worried about Karkat; it's pretty fucking clear even to him by now that one of them is not in their right minds here, and it's probably not him. Probably. But the important thing here is to make sure everyone walks away from this alive and relatively unscathed until whatever's happening stops happening.]

It's fine, it don't even hurt. You win, okay? We're all cool now, everything's back to normal. Come on, bro, cut out the strifing and we can slam back one of those starmonkey elixirs and go watch one of your movies.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

[His eyes widen as he sees the indigo blood on the blade of his sickle; to his mind, it looks like far more than it is, and he drops it, letting it clatter to the ground.]

Oh god, Gamzee, I'm sorry, fuck I'm sorry, I just can't...

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

Shhhhh. It's okay, we're both okay. Ain't nothing bad happened.

[He sighs in relief when Karkat drops his sickle and, thinking it's all over, attempts to pull him into a hug.]

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

[He's not going to return the hug, he's just going to tremble. Physically, the hug and what Gamzee is saying makes his heart rate slow a little and the panic slightly abate, but he's still under the effect of the drug, which only makes him think his mind is playing tricks on him.]

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

[Well, he's not talking about either of them killing anyone, which is a step up. He rubs Karkat's back, trying to get the trembling to stop.]

You back to normal yet, bro?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

You should just kill me already. I won't be angry. It's what I deserve.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

Why do you keep repeating all that honkrageous shit? I'm not gonna cull you. [He actually sounds a little hurt here.] I wouldn't ever, you know that. And that ain't ever something you deserve.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

But you said you were going to kill all of us.

Why are you doing this?

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

I did? [He frowns, searching his admittedly rather shoddy memory.] Fuck, I don't remember ever up and spouting that biznasty, sorry. Unless you mean murdermirthing all you motherfuckers with how hilarious my jokes are, honk.

[He tries to keep his tone as light as he can, inviting Karkat to...well, not laugh with him, he never does that, but at least call him an idiot and grumble at him.]

Doing what, best friend?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Back in the veil. You don't remember it now, but.

[He presses his face into Gamzee's shoulder, still not returning the hug.]

Best friend, best friend. Punchline blooded motherfucker. Stop. Just stop.

Stop pretending to be my friend.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

I'm not. [There's genuine hurt bleeding into his voice now, along with desperation.] I'm your friend -- I've always been your friend. You gotta know I love you a whole motherfuckin' lot, why are you doubting a brother's words now?

[He takes a deep breath, not sure if he wants to know the answer to his next question but asking it anyway.]

What happened back in the veil?

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Please. Just stop pretending to be him.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

Bro, the only impersonation I'm all putting on right now is of a motherfucker who you're starting to scare pretty bad. Pretending to be who? Tell me what you want me to stop or start and I'll do it.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Okay. Do it. Get it over with.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

[If he were anyone else, this would be the part where Gamzee starts to get frustrated. As it is, he just pats Karkat's back.]

You gotta tell me what you want me to do first. I ain't a sponge-reader, soooooorry.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

You know what I mean.

Just kill me. Then everything will be okay.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

No.

Fuck, I don't know what the town's all done to make you this shithive, but that ain't ever an option. If you wanna take it out on me or whatever, that's fine, but I'm not culling you, okay? Not now, not ever.

[crusthatecean.livejournal.com]

Please.

[Pressing his face harder against Gamzee, leaving his words quiet and muffled.]

I deserve to. I want to.

[miraculls.livejournal.com]

I can't. I won't. You don't -- [He makes a frustrated sound in his throat and tightens his hold around Karkat.] I don't know what I gotta say to convince you or what lies the town's all making you see and feel, but you're a motherfuckin' miracle and my best friend. You can ask me to do anything and I'll get on it faster than a clown on pie, just not that.