Catalyst Chapter 5: Displacement

Read chapter 5 of Catalyst by dumbhd on NovelPedia.

The wind blows across the pavement, a small ember slowly passing Dash's frozen form, a fire still ignited next to them. Dash turns, his eyes shaky, his hands clenching and unclenching as he tries to grab onto something that isn't there, he doesn't even fully process that someone has died, that someone else's blood is on him and that a boy is laying flat lifeless, permanently, right behind him. " I did it because he was gonna kill me. I did it because he was gonna kill me. I did it because he was gonna kill me. I did it because he was gonna kill me. " His voice cracks, he tries to sob but doesn't, he remembers, freedom. He remembers what Terra does, maybe that's the right path, maybe he's soft. The fire goes out. He slams his face over and over, landing on his knees, crying, it finally comes out, " I deserve to die. " He grunts out, slowly ripping his blue skin off on the pavement as he slowly pulls his fingers across it, a trail of blood at his fingers. " I DESERVE TO.. " An agent arrives, a hand being placed on his shoulder, " Hey, kid, you okay? " He slowly turns, his eyes look like he just saw an entire family get slaughtered right infront of him, " Am i okay..? " " There's.. There's a dead child, right there, RIGHT BEHIND ME.. AM I OKAY? AM I, AM I? AM I OKAY? " He points at them, " THAT'S MY FAULT, I DID THAT! IT'S.. YOU WHY.. WHY ARE YOU.. " He gets up, " ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID? BLIND? " The agent, a middle-aged woman in full R.C.T operational uniform stares at him, Dash breathes heavily, ugly sobbing but furious. He slowly comes back to reality. Agent, dead body, confession. A u-turn, he runs to the edge of the Dam, the agent lifts her hand but hesitates for a second, as if they stutter physically, " Suspect has been located.. " He looks back, vans are parking, agents dropping out in full protective gear, talking in receivers. " Terra. Where's Terra.. " He skids to a halt as he makes it to the edge of the pavement, road-work signs in orange being pushed aside, " TERRA!! " He screams out to the bottom, " I gotta jump.. I gotta jump. I CAN'T JUMP! " He tries taking steps forward but his vision blurs as he tries staring down the terrifying vertical drop down. " Wait.. Why am I scared? Why am I acting like I should preserve my life? I've killed someone anyway, I'm evil anyway, I'll go. I'll go down, who cares.. " The agents start noticing, people in more specialized clothing appear, he's cornered. His scared expression tries to look serious but his sobbing doesn't stop, simply replaced by a determined look. he jumps down into the flowing water, screaming in fear as he approaches Terra, noticing Flame-Fist right above him. [-/-] Terra looks up, Flame-fists fist is a few inches away, he has no time to dodge. Flame-Fist drives his fist downward as he was right above Terra, the force of his fall, fist and his Ether all combining into one powerful strike. Terra is his directly in the face, he's sent through the sword and breaks it into steel pieces, flinging down the dam at terminal velocity, a shockwave shaking the whole structure. His smirk is gone, he breathes for air but he has been completely winded due to his spinal compression and force going across his whole body, plus the instant energy conversion making all the air leave his mouth. The crystals that were about to impale Ruby, break apart. He hits the deep water of the Dam after a few seconds, blood pooling at his mouth, `` I can't.. I can't breathe.. `` .. ... `` Terra! Terra! `` A black wall of darkness forms above him. A hand slowly reaches out to his face, `` You okay, Terra? I'm always here for you! `` Eyes slowly open across the darkness, it seems to be like a fluid, slowly melting onto his face, the hand approaching closer and closer. The darkness seems to breathe, it moves, it has mouthes, eyes, it talks, a familiar voice. `` I love you Terra! ```` I love you Terra! ```` I love you Terra! ```` I love you Terra! ```` I love you Terra! ```` I love you Terra! `` ``