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Fragment and Finite | | Solo | Fail Rate: 70% | 30 Tags | Any Rank | 2 Spots |

The darkness was all around her.

One moment it had been beautiful and bright, almost like before the Fall. The dogs had celebrated and warmed themselves in the sunlight, reveling in the peace after so much time of fear and darkness. They had tossed aside their lights, which had become suddenly useless in the natural sunlight. But then, just as quickly, clouds had covered the sun. The world went dark, and the terrified dogs found themselves without a light to ward off the monsters in the dark.

The only thing Bramble knew was chaos. Frantic in the sudden dark, the dogs began to run. Where were they running? Bramble didn’t know. Her legs moved on their own, carrying her as fast as they could. Each stretch of her muscles brought the little Sheltie mix blinding pain from her injured shoulder, but the fear and adrenaline drowned it out. All Bramble could do was run, run, run, past landmarks that would have been familiar to her in the light, but seemed threatening and evil in the dark. Where had Tulla gone? One moment they had been together, and the next her friend was gone. She ran past other dogs, never realizing they were there. Her world had become a vast plane of darkness of which she could see no way out.

Without her light, she stumbled over the debris that littered the ground. Voices whispering right behind her, all around her, screaming int he distance, making her terror rise and rise until she was nearly screaming from fear. Fumbling like a blind pup, she made her way desperately up a pile of rubble, yelping as she tumbled down the other side. In the pitch black, she couldn’t tell which way was up as she rolled down, end over end, picking up speed until she landed with bruising force on something flat, smooth, and hard. The force with which she slammed into this wall caused it to shatter like glass.

She fell, like a bird with a broken wing, landing harshly on the ground below. Though she had broken through glass with painful force and then proceeded to land amongst the shards of glass, her thick fur protected her from most of the cuts that another dog might have suffered.

The pain was blinding and almost unbearable. Bramble had landed on her injured shoulder, which was now a fiery pain that she couldn’t ignore. She wanted to cry out, but felt a strange need to stay quiet. She panted harshly instead, trying not to make too much noise. For a moment, there was no other sound besides Bramble’s panting, but that false calm was quickly broken when something landed a few yards from Bramble. The little dog jumped, startled by the sudden sound and movement. It seemed another dog had fallen into the hole that Bramble was now in. This dog, however, did not stay quiet.

”AUGHH!!!” the dog screamed, ”My... my leg!” it groaned, it’s voice a high whimper.

Though Bramble couldn’t see anything, her brain had caught up with her ears. She remembered the loud snap that had sounded when the dog had hit the ground. It must’ve broken its leg. Bramble tried to get to her paws, wanting instinctively to help the other dog. She dragged herself over to him, realizing that it was another Dim. She had seen him--and smelled him--before, which was how she recognized him now. She tried her best to comfort him.

”Shh... It’s gonna be okay,” she rasped, ”I’ll... I’ll get you out of here.”

She started to try and get him to his three good legs, but every movement jostled his broken limb. He was screaming and crying out and begging her to stop, to not hurt him. She tried her best, but he refused to let her move him.

It was then that she heard the deep chuckle. Bramble froze, her terror from before coming back in force. She turned to see a bulky shadow partially outlined with a blue-ish glow. What seemed like millions of glowing blue eyes were staring down at Bramble. Every corner of the dark hole was filled with Infected. Bramble was surrounded.

She was going to die.

The realization hit her suddenly, almost with the same force as when she had hit the ground. She certainly felt like the ground had fallen out from beneath her paws. She was going to die, here in this hole with a dog she couldn’t save.

The biggest shadow moved forward a step, ”Hello there,” it said, voice thick and sickly sweet like honey. Bramble had never been so terrified in her life. She didn’t know what to do. Her body was frozen, refusing to listen to her orders to save the Dim! Run!!

A sharp-toothed maw was exposed, glowing blue fluid dripping from dangerous fangs. Bramble moved, stumbling into the injured Dim and making him yelp. ”Get up!” she whispered harshly, her voice a rasp of terror, ”GET UP!” she half screamed, pushing and shoving at the dog, who had quieted to whimpers. He had curled up into a ball, blocking out Bramble’s desperate pleas and the cackling of the swarm of Infected that waited, poised to strike and kill them both.

Getting frantic, Bramble gripped the Dim’s scruff with her jaws, trying as hard as she could to move him by force. He was too big, his body a dead weight. Bramble couldn’t do anything for him. She refused to give up, pulling and pulling till she felt her teeth would fall out of her gums. Without meaning to, her fangs had broken the other dog’s skin. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her voice had failed her, and all she could do was rasp out little whimpers.

There was nothing she could do. As the Infected closed in, growing restless and wanting to attack, bite, kill, Bramble made the hardest decision of her life.

She ran, leaving the injured Dim behind to his grisly fate.

There was nothing she could do, she told herself as she scrabbled up the side of the hole she was in, managing to claw her way to a crack in the wall and squeeze out into the open air. Nothing she could do.

Bramble had failed. She had survived to live another day, but that meant nothing to her. Cackling laughter rose up behind her, though that was quickly drowned out by the screams of the dying Dim.

She felt her heart shatter into pieces, never to be put back together again.

Tags:
Task = 30
Art with shading/background = 20
1,149 words = 8
Total = 58 tags

Description
Fragment and Finite | | Solo | Fail Rate: 70% | 30 Tags | Any Rank | 2 Spots |

The darkness was all around her.

One moment it had been beautiful and bright, almost like before the Fall. The dogs had celebrated and warmed themselves in the sunlight, reveling in the peace after so much time of fear and darkness. They had tossed aside their lights, which had become suddenly useless in the natural sunlight. But then, just as quickly, clouds had covered the sun. The world went dark, and the terrified dogs found themselves without a light to ward off the monsters in the dark.

The only thing Bramble knew was chaos. Frantic in the sudden dark, the dogs began to run. Where were they running? Bramble didn’t know. Her legs moved on their own, carrying her as fast as they could. Each stretch of her muscles brought the little Sheltie mix blinding pain from her injured shoulder, but the fear and adrenaline drowned it out. All Bramble could do was run, run, run, past landmarks that would have been familiar to her in the light, but seemed threatening and evil in the dark. Where had Tulla gone? One moment they had been together, and the next her friend was gone. She ran past other dogs, never realizing they were there. Her world had become a vast plane of darkness of which she could see no way out.

Without her light, she stumbled over the debris that littered the ground. Voices whispering right behind her, all around her, screaming int he distance, making her terror rise and rise until she was nearly screaming from fear. Fumbling like a blind pup, she made her way desperately up a pile of rubble, yelping as she tumbled down the other side. In the pitch black, she couldn’t tell which way was up as she rolled down, end over end, picking up speed until she landed with bruising force on something flat, smooth, and hard. The force with which she slammed into this wall caused it to shatter like glass.

She fell, like a bird with a broken wing, landing harshly on the ground below. Though she had broken through glass with painful force and then proceeded to land amongst the shards of glass, her thick fur protected her from most of the cuts that another dog might have suffered.

The pain was blinding and almost unbearable. Bramble had landed on her injured shoulder, which was now a fiery pain that she couldn’t ignore. She wanted to cry out, but felt a strange need to stay quiet. She panted harshly instead, trying not to make too much noise. For a moment, there was no other sound besides Bramble’s panting, but that false calm was quickly broken when something landed a few yards from Bramble. The little dog jumped, startled by the sudden sound and movement. It seemed another dog had fallen into the hole that Bramble was now in. This dog, however, did not stay quiet.

”AUGHH!!!” the dog screamed, ”My... my leg!” it groaned, it’s voice a high whimper.

Though Bramble couldn’t see anything, her brain had caught up with her ears. She remembered the loud snap that had sounded when the dog had hit the ground. It must’ve broken its leg. Bramble tried to get to her paws, wanting instinctively to help the other dog. She dragged herself over to him, realizing that it was another Dim. She had seen him--and smelled him--before, which was how she recognized him now. She tried her best to comfort him.

”Shh... It’s gonna be okay,” she rasped, ”I’ll... I’ll get you out of here.”

She started to try and get him to his three good legs, but every movement jostled his broken limb. He was screaming and crying out and begging her to stop, to not hurt him. She tried her best, but he refused to let her move him.

It was then that she heard the deep chuckle. Bramble froze, her terror from before coming back in force. She turned to see a bulky shadow partially outlined with a blue-ish glow. What seemed like millions of glowing blue eyes were staring down at Bramble. Every corner of the dark hole was filled with Infected. Bramble was surrounded.

She was going to die.

The realization hit her suddenly, almost with the same force as when she had hit the ground. She certainly felt like the ground had fallen out from beneath her paws. She was going to die, here in this hole with a dog she couldn’t save.

The biggest shadow moved forward a step, ”Hello there,” it said, voice thick and sickly sweet like honey. Bramble had never been so terrified in her life. She didn’t know what to do. Her body was frozen, refusing to listen to her orders to save the Dim! Run!!

A sharp-toothed maw was exposed, glowing blue fluid dripping from dangerous fangs. Bramble moved, stumbling into the injured Dim and making him yelp. ”Get up!” she whispered harshly, her voice a rasp of terror, ”GET UP!” she half screamed, pushing and shoving at the dog, who had quieted to whimpers. He had curled up into a ball, blocking out Bramble’s desperate pleas and the cackling of the swarm of Infected that waited, poised to strike and kill them both.

Getting frantic, Bramble gripped the Dim’s scruff with her jaws, trying as hard as she could to move him by force. He was too big, his body a dead weight. Bramble couldn’t do anything for him. She refused to give up, pulling and pulling till she felt her teeth would fall out of her gums. Without meaning to, her fangs had broken the other dog’s skin. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her voice had failed her, and all she could do was rasp out little whimpers.

There was nothing she could do. As the Infected closed in, growing restless and wanting to attack, bite, kill, Bramble made the hardest decision of her life.

She ran, leaving the injured Dim behind to his grisly fate.

There was nothing she could do, she told herself as she scrabbled up the side of the hole she was in, managing to claw her way to a crack in the wall and squeeze out into the open air. Nothing she could do.

Bramble had failed. She had survived to live another day, but that meant nothing to her. Cackling laughter rose up behind her, though that was quickly drowned out by the screams of the dying Dim.

She felt her heart shatter into pieces, never to be put back together again.

Tags:
Task = 30
Art with shading/background = 20
1,149 words = 8
Total = 58 tags