#oc: Cora | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dioles-writes · 1 year ago

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• OC FIC •

Masterlist | Characters: Felix (he/him), January (he/him), Maddox (he/him), Akali (he/him), Avil (she/her), Alzena (she/her), Nyssa (she/her), Astley (he/they), Rory (they/she), Kuali’i (he/him), Wilder (he/him), Gunther (he/him), Adelio (they/he), Bliss (she/her), Winola (she/her), Mr Prader (he/him), Cora (she/her), Reagan (she/her)

Characters in purple all belong to @jiphenn and Winola belongs to @sleepsloooop

“Excited?”

Bliss smiled at Felix, stepping closer to him. She wasn’t in uniform yet, her short hair pulled back by barrettes. He grinned at her, already feeling jittery. “Mhm.”

Bliss glanced around, watching the cast members prepare for the play, but she seemed more subdued than usual. It was obvious something was bothering her.

“You nervous?” He asked. Bliss turned away from him, frowning slightly. “I’m not, but someone else is.” She motioned over to Kuali’i.

He was staring off into space, his expression unreadable. Bliss’ eyebrows furrowed. “He’s usually really confident but something’s up with him today.��

Kuali’i didn’t even seem to notice their staring, too wrapped up in his own thoughts. People bumped past him, but it was like they weren’t even there.

Felix hummed thoughtfully. This was his last year here, so maybe that was the reason for the nerves. And the vaccine did come out tomorrow, which was when they would find out if January was telling the truth about knowing how to hack their files…

“I’m probably just overthinking it.” Bliss elbowed him playfully, pulling him out of his thoughts with another smile. This one was genuine. “It’s fine, tonight will go perfectly.” She reassured him. Standing with her, he was sure it would be fine. Kuali’i was probably just stressed for no reason. And after this would be Winter Break, where he finally would get to relax. The whole Board Game Club was going over to January’s for a sleepover. He had nothing to worry about. Life was actually peaceful, for once.

A few minutes later, now fully dressed up in costume, Felix peered through the curtains, looking out at the crowd. It was completely packed. The theatre was filled to the brim, people whispering amongst each other. He saw Reagan and Paisley sitting in the front row, Reagan looking more anxious than Kuali’i had been.

“Nervous?”

Kuali’i stood behind him, putting a hand gently on his shoulder. “No,” he smirked up at him. “Are you?”

Kuali’i just grinned. “Nope.” He said it with so much confidence that Bliss’ judgement of him being nervous was now hard to believe. He was back to his usual smiling self.

“Excited, then?”

“Yeah!” Kuali’i’s smile grew wider. “We’ve all been working so hard so I know we’ll do great.”

“Okay, is everyone ready?” He could hear Mr. Blackburn calling out to everyone backstage. “Starting scene with Alard and Amanda, so the wind instruments get ready!”

Kuali’i fixed his hair one last time before waving goodbye to Felix. “That’s my cue to go, good luck!” And with that he ran off.

The play ran smoothly all the way to the start of the second act.

Felix’s big moment had come. He strapped into his harness quickly, getting into place. His first lines were delivered with ease. It was all going perfectly, just like Bliss had said.

“This is why humans and Dioles can never get along! All you care about are your own selfish ideals!” Desiree’s actor shouted with passion.

Felix scoffed. “Are you not the same?”

“No.” She retorted with disgust. “Because unlike you, we humans have a heart! You Dioles will always be nothing but heartless monsters.”

Felix felt himself begin to lift in the air. This was it. The percussion started building, the band growing louder and louder. This was what he had practiced for, his big moment, at the climax of the play.

“DIOLES WILL WIN!” He finished his monologue, his voice conveying pure, raw conviction, carrying through the audience.

But instead of Kuali’i shouting his next lines, Felix’s entire world was flipped upside down.

Alarms started blaring, the whole room filling with red flashing lights. “ALERT. ALERT. DIOLE ON THE PREMISES. DIOLE ON THE PREMISES.”

Felix’s blood ran cold. The entire band stopped playing, yet no one else moved. The entire theatre was still in anticipation.

There was a deafening crash. Cracks formed along the roof, splintering away, as a majority of the back wall collapsed. Debris rained down on the audience. Felix watched helplessly as people were thrown and crushed. Blood splattered the walls, the ground, the stage. Smoke filled the room. He was hanging mid-air, still tightly secured by his harness. He couldn’t move, couldn’t get down. He was completely stuck. Fear tightened around his chest. His friends were in that audience. Paisley was in that audience. Reagan was sitting in that audience.

“I came at the perfect time.” A booming voice echoed from above, laughing at the scene. Felix saw a flash of black, as a large creature emerged from the missing wall.

It was as tall, if not even taller, than the school. Its hands were jagged, pitch-black in colour, flinging pieces of debris everywhere. “‘Dioles will win!’” It repeated with another laugh. “Great delivery Felix!” It turned its head, revealing its piercing yellow eyes.

Felix was frozen in terror. He couldn’t look away from it. He could hear screaming from below, growing louder as more people ran in. Dioles. They blocked all of the exits, attacking the audience. Felix managed to reach for his harness, desperately trying to claw at the lock and tear it open. It wouldn’t budge.

“Winola!”

It was Adelio on the ground, trying to lower Felix down. “Come here and help me!” Winola ran up to him, abandoning her screaming band members and helping him with the ropes. More blood splattered on the ground as the monster threw even more debris at people, Dioles overwhelming others.

Felix’s feet finally touched on the ground, his harness making a clear clicking noise as it was unlocked. Felix had never been more relieved. He ripped it off of himself, shaking all over.

Gunfire rang off, the gym teachers aiming bullets at the monster. It just laughed, swatting the bullets away. “C’mon, you’ll have to try a little harder than that! How about a real hero fights me?” It grinned, looking around. This all seemed to be nothing but amusing to the creature. Felix couldn’t believe his eyes. It couldn’t really be him. There was no way it was really who he thought that was.

“Fine. Guess I’ll have to use a hostage.” The monster laughed, scanning around the screaming crowd. Its glowing eyes finally fell on the stage. “Oh, how about you?” It reached down, giant hand stretching towards Felix, Winola and Adelio. It had claws that must have been taller than Felix himself.

It brushed past Felix, hands closing around the person only five feet away. Felix was finally free from his harness, yet he couldn’t even make himself move. Couldn’t make himself speak. He watched helplessly as the creature snatched his friend away.

“Let’s see, who will save this poor little defenceless human?” It dangled Adelio around, holding onto them by nothing more than his arm. Adelio’s face was twisted up in pain. The monster held them out tauntingly to the crowd. “Anyone?” It asked with a grin. “Maybe I’ll have to make things more dire.” It slowly squeezed Adelio’s arm, and his piercing scream filled the theatre. Blood exploded from its fist, showering the people below.

Felix sprinted at the monster, abandoning all logical thought. Adelio’s scream wouldn’t stop ringing in his ears. He dodged debris, leaping towards the creature.

He had to save his friend.

The monster kicked him squarely in the chest, and he went flying. He crashed into a wall, pain spasming through his entire body. Felix gasped, the breath sucked out of his chest. His head pounded. It felt like he had broke something. His vision blurred.

“No takers, huh?” The monster said to Adelio, dangling them directly in front of its face. “Guess I’ll have to find a more valuable hostage.”

Felix shakily got to his feet, just in time to see Adelio get tossed through the air, discarded like he was nothing. He ran at the monster again, his side burning in white hot pain.

“RODRIGUEZ STAND BACK!” Someone screamed.

It was Mr. Prader. He grabbed onto him, pulling him back. Felix could only watch as the monster reached down again, plucking up another victim. “Oh you’ll definitely have people willing to save you.” It laughed.

Felix screamed.

The monsters hand was closed around none other than his best friend, a horrified look on her face.

It was Bliss.

“Well who’s gonna save her?” It laughed gleefully. Like it was a fucking joke. Felix fought desperately against Mr. Prader, staring up at Bliss, panicked. He couldn’t let her get hurt. Not her.

“NO!” He screamed. “PUT HER DOWN! DON’T HURT HER!” He tried to wriggle free from Mr. Prader’s grip, to escape and save his best friend, but Mr. Prader wouldn’t let go.

“DO YOU WANT TO DIE RODRIGUEZ? I SAID STAND BACK!”

Teachers kept aiming bullets at the monster, all for naught, as they were deflected with ease. “NO!” Felix kept screaming, begging, “DON’T DO THIS. DON’T HURT HER.” His voice cracked with emotion. Anyone but her. Anyone but Bliss.

“HOLD HIM BACK.” Mr Prader ordered some random people, and they all grabbed at Felix, keeping him still. Felix fought against them, but it was five adults versus him. They pinned his arms back.

He just needed to get to his friend. He needed to do something.

The creature looked around again. No one else was running to Bliss’ assistance, other than the teachers whose bullets accomplished nothing. “Man.” The monster sounded almost disappointed. “Nobody’s willing to save you either? Guess you’re just not that valuable.”

It’s fist started to squeeze, closing in around Bliss. Felix’s voice was raw, yelling and screaming and praying for the monster to notice him. Just look at me already.

“GUNTHER.” He pleaded, “Please, don’t hurt her!”

Gunther didn’t even look at him. His friend, someone he had trusted, joked with, laughed with, who now just stood there, holding one of the people Felix cared about most and laughing as he squeezed the life out of her.

Cracks formed in the ground, snaking between his feet. Below him he could hear rumbling. The floor burst, and out came a violent stream of…

Water?

Gunther’s hand was forced open as it got sliced by a giant blade of water. Bliss went flying. Felix focused in on her, opening a portal underneath her and safely transporting her a few feet away from the fight.

Gunther was laughing maniacally. “FINALLY.” He yelled, shaking his hand. “THANK YOU AVIL!” His eyes focused on the girl with a familiar blue-and-purple ponytail, now standing in front of him, water floating around her.

Felix finally pushed away from the people holding him, instantly sprinting towards Bliss’ side. He dodged water and fallen debris, landing next to her and checking her pulse.

She was alive. He sobbed, eternally grateful for Avil.

“GUNTHER WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Avil shouted, hurling more water blows at him. He laughed and flashed a row a razor-sharp teeth. “Killing these humans.”

Blood was dripping from Bliss’ head, her eyes glazed over. She was sprawled out in the rubble, unresponsive.

Felix didn’t know what to do. Gunther and Avil were still fighting, debris and water going everywhere. He needed to get her somewhere safe. He couldn’t leave her here. She’d be crushed. He had to find Reagan and Paisley… had to find Akali. He didn’t even know if Adelio had survived. He couldn’t focus, the sounds of Dioles fighting and gunshots firing too distracting. Bliss needed a hospital now. But there was no way he’d get out in time. He glanced back at Gunther, terrified and completely lost.

“BUT WHY?” Avil screamed again, hurling even more water at Gunther.

“BECAUSE I’M A DIOLE CAN’T YOU SEE? YOU SHOULD GET IT. ALL TWELVE OF YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND.”

Felix turned back to Bliss, carefully picking her up and slinging her across his shoulders. His heart was racing. He had to bring her somewhere safe. He had to get her out of here. He glanced around. The entire theatre was coming down.

There wasn’t anywhere to go.

“ALL OF THE BOARD GAME CLUB SHOULD UNDERSTAND. RIGHT GUYS?” He smacked the water away, laughing again. He sounded deranged.

Felix didn’t care about him anymore. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get Bliss help. There was no use hiding anymore, not after Gunther’s announcement.

Still holding onto Bliss, he opened up a portal and stepped through, praying this was the right decision.

Winola limped, pain shooting up her leg for every step she took.

Adelio hadn’t woken up.

He was slung over her shoulders, his mutilated arm slowly pouring blood, soaking her clothes. Winola didn’t know how much time he had left, didn’t know if he would even make it, if she found a way to a hospital.

Still, she searched for an exit, trying to stay undetected by the other Dioles. There seemed to be no escape to this place. Water bursted out of the cracks in the ground, the blood from her gunshot wound and the dead audience members making it slippery to walk. Smoke burned her eyes, but she kept pushing on. She wasn’t going to give up now. She had to get Adelio to a hospital.

The blood loss was making her dizzy. She had tied her sweater around her leg, but Adelio was weighing her down even further. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest.

“YOU!” Someone yelled.

She picked up her pace, trying to readjust Adelio in some way that was less painful for the both of them. He was completely out of it, his arm still gushing blood.

“COME BACK HERE!” The person screeched again, and Winola could hear them sprinting after her. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Winola didn’t care about anything except getting Adelio to safety. She didn’t care if she died doing it. She would have preferred it, honestly.

A hand closed around her shoulder. She ignored it, praying they weren’t armed. She couldn’t deal with another bullet wound right now.

She could still hear Gunther raving as Avil fought him. “JANUARY, MADDOX, FELIX, WINOLA, NYSSA, ALZENA, WILDER, RORY, KUALI’I, AKALI, ASTLEY, AND YOU, AVIL. WHY DON’T YOU JOIN ME? YOU’RE ALL DIOLES AFTERALL.”

Winola pulled away, glancing around for another way out. Gunther laughed again. “Looks like I broke the club oath. Guess you’ll have to kill me.” She could hear the grin in his voice.

Someone stepped in front of Winola, stopping her in her tracks. It was Felix’s older sister, Reagan. Her brown eyes were wide, her face ghostly pale from Gunther’s announcement. She looked nauseous.

“WHERE IS FELIX?”

“I don’t know.” Winola mumbled, really tired of the Rodriguez siblings. She moved around Reagan, still determined to find some way out.

Gunther’s screams echoed through the theatre, deafening. “SO WHO WILL IT BE? AKALI, AVIL, JANUARY? MAYBE YOU SHOULD WORK TOGETHER SINCE THE REST OF YOU CAN’T DO MUCH.”

“YOU WERE WITH HIM, WHERE IS HE?” Reagan gripped her hand, oh so desperate. She looked at her with tears in her eyes, like she would die if she didn’t find him.

“I already told you I don’t know.” Winola said, getting annoyed. Adelio was bleeding out. He needed help more than Felix. “I need to leave.” She tried pulling away again.

“FELIX CAN GET US OUT OF HERE.” Reagan screamed. “I NEED TO FIND HIM, PLEASE.”

“Then stop talking to me and look for him.” Winola rolled her eyes.

Reagan opened her mouth to protest, before her eyes landed on someone behind them. “FELIX!”

Winola kept looking for a way out.

All the exits were being blocked, either by debris or Dioles she was in no condition to fight.

There was a large hole in the wall, except Gunther was blocking it.

But she had no other options.

Avoiding the falling debris, she quietly made her way to it, carrying Adelio.

“SHE’S A DIOLE!”

People started pointing Winola out, all staring at her with animosity. She tried to escape them, to just get to the exit, to help Adelio.

A blast went off, stunning Winola. She blinked, trying to ignore it, to just keep going, but she found that she couldn’t move. Something warm seeped through her other pant leg, stinging.

Someone had shot her again.

Her legs buckled, and she was knocked to the ground. She couldn’t move her legs. Adelio was laying just in front of her, unconscious. People ran away from her in fear, leaving her laying there on the ground.

She propped herself up on her elbows, gritting her teeth at the fiery burning in her legs. Her head spun. Her vision faded in and out.

Her arms shook, giving out underneath her. She was so weak. She could feel herself slipping away, barely able to even stay awake now.

Then something started to lift her up. She closed her eyes, and everything went fuzzy.

Felix found himself in Bliss’ house.

He’d been in this exact foyer probably a hundred times over the years, all the way back to when he was only five. He’d spent countless days here, hanging out with Bliss, talking to her about anything and everything, gossiping, complaining to each other, laughing and joking around.

But tonight the house was cold, dark. Unbearably quiet. He wished there was somewhere else to go, somewhere else he could portal that wouldn’t immediately get him killed.

“HELLO? SOMEONE? HELP!” He screamed, met with nothing but complete silence. Her parents weren’t here, they would have been in the audience, watching Bliss play on the cello with the band. There was nobody home. He could feel blood seeping through his clothes. Bliss was even worse off. He couldn’t think straight, panic taking over.

He leaned down, laying her on the ground, trying to be as gentle as possible. He reached into his pants pocket, where he thankfully had left his phone in. With shaking hands he called 911.

“PLEASE, HELP. A DIOLE ATTACKED MY FRIEND. SHE’S GOING TO DIE.” He screamed into the phone. He rushedly gave her address, his voice trembling with pure desperation. “SEND AN AMBULANCE. PLEASE. HELP HER.”

He was met by a steady but firm tone on the other end of the line. “Sir, we’re going to need you to calm down. Please tell us what happened.”

He looked down at Bliss again. Her head was bleeding worse now. She was scarily pale. He needed to stay here with her, make sure that she got the help she needed. He needed to protect her.

But his sister was still at the theatre. She was defenceless. She wasn’t a Diole. And she was stuck there with Gunther. He needed to find her. He couldn’t leave his family. If Reagan got hurt, got hurt because of the Board Game Club, because of Felix, he would never forgive himself. He had to go back, had to go find her. He couldn’t just abandon her, abandon Paisley, abandon the Board Game Club.

He remembered a few months ago, laying on his bed, Bliss’ head resting on his chest. It was the night after his 16th birthday party, the first time she’d ever slept over with him. It was just the two of them. They’d stayed up all night, talking and eating birthday cake.

Laying with her, talking about nothing really important, the two of them trying to suppress their laughter, he’d felt completely content. It was perfect. His life was finally settling down. His powers were under control, he had the Board Game Club, and he was even passing most of his classes. She’d smiled at him, so full of warmth and happiness. He could never stay in a bad mood around Bliss. She was just so full of complete love for the people around her. And when she smiled at him, he’d felt so normal. It was the best feeling in the world.

But he was a Diole and she was not.

And he couldn’t stay here and wait with her, as much as it killed him. Reagan could be hurt, could be dying. He needed to get back and help the rest of the club. He stared at his phone. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“I have to go.” He said hoarsely, wanting nothing more than to just stay with her, to ride to the hospital with her, make sure she was safe. “Please, please send an ambulance.”

He took in her face one last time. He prayed that he would get to see her again. Hug her again. He opened up another portal, back into the theatre, and Bliss’ house disappeared.

He landed back in the rubble.

The theatre was still in chaos. He glanced around, looking for Reagan, holding back tears. He didn’t even have time to grieve, not when he was surrounded by blood and fighting and gunfire.

“FELIX!”

He whipped around. Reagan was sprinting at him, her eyes wild. She didn’t seem to be hurt. Her hair was out of its original braid, flying around her face, and she was covered in dust, but other that that, in one piece. He ran towards her, unbelievably relieved that she was okay, that Gunther hadn’t crushed her. She grabbed him tight. “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE.”

“Where’s Paisley?!”

“THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO LEAVE.” She screamed again, looking at him in despair.

Avil and Gunther were still fighting, water splashing everywhere. “No, not yet!” Paisley was nowhere to be seen. “We have to find her! And I can’t leave them!” He gestured to Avil and Gunther. “I have to go help!”

She gripped his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin. “SHE ALREADY LEFT.” Her voice cracked, she looked like she was two seconds from bawling her eyes out. “SHE SAID THAT SHE’LL MEET US. WE NEED TO GO.” She was pleading with him, begging.

“THERE, THE DIOLE.” Someone Felix didn’t know screamed, pointing at him angrily.

He hesitated, wondering for a second if he should just leave with her, let January figure this out on his own. But he couldn’t. They’d signed an oath. He wasn’t like Gunther, he wouldn’t break it like that. He had to help them. Gunther would kill them all if he left. He couldn’t lose both of his best friends.

“GET SOMEWHERE SAFE! I’LL BE BACK I PROMISE.” He stepped back from Reagan, opening up a portal.

“FELIX-“ Reagan screamed, reaching for him. He’d never heard her sound so desperate before.

But it was too late.

He landed on top of Gunther, trying to keep his balance as Gunther swung out and ripped more of the wall apart.

“Huh? A fly?” Gunther laughed, ignoring Felix. Felix kicked him in the eye as hard as he could, enough to at least stun him a bit.

“FUCK YOU!” He screamed.

Gunther just blinked, barely even phased. He laughed again. “You’ve been training for how long and that’s all you can do?” He reached up, giant hand closing around Felix before he could think to dodge.

Felix clawed at him, trying to squirm out of his grasp. He screamed in frustration. “I HATE YOU!” He tried to kick at his eye again, but Gunther just pulled him away. He dangled him by his arm, just like he had with Adelio. Felix was probably fifty feet up in the air. Enough to kill him if he fell. Gunther’s lips curled into a smirk.

“You always did amuse me, you know.”

Felix had never hated someone more.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU RUINED EVERYTHING.”

Gunther used his free hand to swipe away the bullets and water that were still being shot at him, but he seemed slower. The water pressure had evidently started to affect him. “Oh, I’m doing you all a FAVOUR.”

“MY LIFE WAS FINALLY GOING TO BE NORMAL!” Felix screamed back, so overcome by rage that he didn’t even care if Gunther dropped him. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND. HOW COULD YOU?”

“Normal?” Gunther laughed harder. “Your life never WAS and never WILL BE normal.” He threw Felix. “You have to accept that in this society you’ll be nothing but a MONSTER.”

Felix flew through the air, opening up another portal and landing in a heap on Gunther’s shoulder. He got to his feet again, staring at him in disbelief.

“LOOK AT YOURSELF.” He yelled. “LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE DOING. I WOULD NEVER DO THAT. I WOULD NEVER HURT SOMEONE LIKE THAT.” He motioned to the mess of blood and bodies below, the Dioles that kept attacking. “IF YOU HAD JUST PLAYED ALONG THEN WE COULD’VE HAD A NORMAL LIFE!”

“THERE’S NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT US. HAS JANUARY RESTALL TAINTED YOUR MIND WITH SO MUCH FALSE HOPE?” He laughed. “I’M NOT LIKE YOU GUYS, I DON’T RUN AWAY FROM MYSELF. I DON’T CARE HOW MANY PEOPLE I HAVE TO HURT FOR MY OWN FREEDOM!”

Gunther grabbed onto more debris and hurled it.

“YOU’RE FUCKING CRAZY!” Felix couldn’t believe this was the same guy who had sat and laughed with him on Monday, sitting in the club room, playing board games with the rest of them. Had he known all along? Had he sat there while knowing he was going to do this?

“WHAT ABOUT YOUR GIRLFRIENDS? YOUR FAMILY? YOU HAD FRIENDS. DON’T YOU CARE?”

“I’m doing this for THEM.” He hissed, flicking Felix away. He stomped, cracking the ground and causing several chunks of the roof to collapse.

Felix opened another portal, landing on the ground lightly. “YOU THINK THEY’RE GONNA LIKE YOU NOW, AFTER YOU MURDERED A BUNCH OF HUMANS?”

Gunther narrowed his eyes, laughing. “This truly shows how we were never really friends.”

Felix thought about all the times he had hung out with Gunther. How Gunther had saved him when he had broken his leg in a fight, how Gunther had been one of his closest friends in the Board Game Club. Months of jokes and conversations. Gunther was one of the only people he could be fully himself, not having to worry about being a Diole. Gunther was cool, strong, and good at fighting. He was charming. Felix respected him; looked up to him, even. He was everything he wanted to be.

He didn’t want to admit how much that all really hurt, how much Gunther’s words stung. He had trusted him. And it was all nothing?

“HOW COULD THEY POSSIBLY WANT ALL THIS?”

“OH YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING.” Gunther spit back, seething.

“THEN TELL ME!” Felix screamed, waving his arms around. “TELL ME HOW ANY OF THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE SENSE?”

“Maybe you’ll find out, if you make it to Paradise.” He started to morph again, growing larger in size, the ground collapsing even further. Cracks formed under Felix’s feet, and he was forced back farther.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

But Gunther was finally finished. He didn’t even look at him, instead using his sharp claws to continue to break the building.

Felix gave up trying to reason with him, portaling back up to his head and trying to poke his eyes out, distract him, do any sort of damage against him.

Gunther was seemingly getting stronger and stronger, effortlessly deflecting Avil and Felix’s attacks while dodging bullets. Felix had never made so many portals consecutively. His whole body shook with effort. His face was dripping with sweat. He stumbled, and Gunther tossed him through the air again. He managed to create another portal, this time rolling roughly on the ground. He felt sick. He couldn’t keep going like this for much longer, and he was sure that Avil couldn’t either. Gunther was still standing tall, wrecking the school. He didn’t even look bothered.

Gunther was always stronger than all of them, better than all of them. He knew it. Everyone knew it. Felix’s portals were nothing compared to him. He was no match. He wasn’t even sure if the entire club working together could overpower Gunther. It didn’t matter anyway, because the rest of the club was nowhere to be found. Maybe January really had abandoned them all.

There was a sharp bang. Felix’s shoulder exploded with pain. He coughed, blood soaking his jacket.

For a split second he could almost understand Gunther. Their bullets were doing nothing against Gunther’s monstrous form. The only person causing any real damage was Avil. The two of them were on their own against him. And yet the teachers were still shooting at them. Only a few minutes ago Mr. Prader had held him back, tried to protect him. Felix hadn’t hurt anyone, he was actively trying to distract Gunther long enough for Avil to finally land a hit on him. Yet it didn’t matter, all they heard was “Diole” and suddenly he was the enemy, a criminal; not a student.

Felix had been hiding - running - since he was six years old. He couldn’t remember what his life had been like, for the short time that he was normal. Before his parents died. Before Reagan found out he was a Diole. Before she took him away from their grandmother, before it was just them. He was only six. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t evil, or wicked, or some sort of murderer. He was just a scared kid who had just lost his parents. But suddenly the world had decided that he was too dangerous.

“You’ll be nothing but a MONSTER.” Gunther’s words repeated in his head. There were people running away from him, staring at him like he was the one that had wrecked the school, that had crushed those people. They were scared of him. He could hear them screaming, shouting “DIOLE!” at him. Like there was no difference between him and Gunther, not in their eyes. He wondered bitterly if Gunther was right. If he really was running away from himself, if he was a coward.

But Bliss was somewhere bleeding out, possibly dead, because of Gunther. She was innocent, the one person Felix knew who didn’t seem to hate Dioles. She always spoke lightly about them, commenting on how neither humans nor Dioles could be inherently good or evil. “If a Diole can kill someone, then so can a human, and vice versa.”

Gunther wasn’t right. He was no different than them, attacking the school, laughing as he crushed Adelio’s arm and discarding them as if they were nothing more than a toy.

Felix crouched behind the rubble, trying to catch his breath. He wouldn’t let Gunther hurt anyone else. He had to find a way to be actually useful, because kicking Gunther in the eye wasn’t doing anything but annoying him and tiring Felix out. His shoulder stung. He was pretty sure that he was going to pass out from exhaustion. Every single muscle in his body hurt.

Keeping low, he searched the rubble for something sharp. His hands closed around a piece of jagged metal. Standing up shakily, he managed to open another portal, and slipped into it.

He landed on Gunther’s head once again, but this time he wasted not a second before attacking. Gunther didn’t seem to notice him, and he was becoming much more sluggish against both Felix, Avil, and the constant gunfire. Felix prayed this meant that they were actually chipping away at him, even if it was just slowly. Felix raised his arms above his head, arcing the weapon down with all his strength and impaling Gunther’s eye.

Gunther hissed, grabbing Felix and flinging him in the air. Felix flew up at least twenty feet, away from the school this time. Disoriented, he created another portal, slashing out at Gunther’s other eye.

Gunther merely closed his eye, the debris deflecting off of his hide. Felix twisted in the air, caught off balance, and Gunther took advantage of it, swatting him away. Felix opened up another portal, almost missing it, and fell back down to the ground, this time rolling roughly through the rubble.

The debris had started to float into the air, raising around Felix and Avil as they continued to fight. Gunther didn’t seem to pay it any mind, destroying more of the school.

January.

Felix hoped he was somewhere around here, hoped January had some sort of plan. Because Felix sure didn’t have one. He prayed the rest of the Board Game Club was safe. That someone would come to help them. He really wished Akali was here right now. He was the strongest in the club, next to January and Avil. He would’ve been able to take down Gunther much more easily than Felix was.

Gunther grabbed him again, but this time he was caught off guard, catching his breath down in the rubble. His claws closed around Felix, pinning his arms down. This time Gunther didn’t throw him, instead raising him higher into the air. His yellow eyes flickered dangerously. Felix’s heart sunk. It was the same amused look he had while holding Bliss.

Slowly, Gunther started to squeeze.

Felix screamed. His entire body lit up with pain. He had never felt like this before, every single muscle and bone in his body in agony. He couldn’t see, couldn’t think. All he could hear was himself screaming, his throat raw. Blood gushed from his bullet wound, dripping down Gunther’s fist. He screamed louder.

He couldn’t breathe.

He could feel his ribs folding in on each other, and his lungs felt like they were being crushed. The edges of his vision were blurring red. He could feel all the blood rushing to his head. he felt like he was going to explode. He wished he had said goodbye to Reagan. Wished he had said “I love you” one last time.

He was going to die, killed by one of his only friends.

Tears streamed down his face, he gagged. Stop, he wanted to beg. Please stop. He couldn’t make himself do anything except yell out in pain. Things were falling out of the sky, but his vision was so blurred that he couldn’t tell what it was. He didn’t even really care anymore, too focused on the way poison seemed to be sloshing around in his rib cage.

Someone grabbed the collar of his shirt, and the pressure ceased. The last thing he saw was a mountain of rubble come crashing down on Gunther with alarming speed, before he melted into shadow.

“You’re such an idiot.”

Someone grumbled, their monotone voice familiar. He was laid down on the ground gently. Bright LED lights blinded him. He must have been far away from the theatre now.

He blinked, and Akali in all his sweaty, blood-covered glory came into focus.

Felix shook, unable to say anything. His entire body still hurt, and his head felt foggy. Akali stood up, giving Felix a once-over quickly to make sure he was okay. “I’ll be back.” He vanished into a cloud of black smoke again.

The entire school was eerily quiet now. Felix couldn’t hear Gunther any longer. He laid there, shaking all over, his adrenaline rush finally fading.

“FELIX!”

Someone grabbed him, helping him to his feet. “WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE.”

It was Reagan, looking even more terrified than before. He managed to stand, feeling dizzy. He leaned against her, holding onto her side for support. “My friends,” he croaked. “I need to find them.”

Reagan just scooped him up, the action both done with utmost care but also urgency. “NO.” She was still screaming. “WE NEED TO LEAVE.”

Felix pushed against her weakly, but she wouldn’t let him go this time. “NO.” He yelled back, determined to not leave his friends. Not when they needed him the most. “They’ll die!”

Reagan looked at his shoulder wound, which was bleeding even worse after Gunther had almost crushed him. “You’ll die!” She stared at him incredulously, her voice taking on a desperate edge.

“Please. They need help!”

Reagan’s face hardened. Her jaw was set stubbornly, and she shifted so that she held him more tightly against her chest. “Reagan, I made a promise! I can’t just abandon them!” Felix pleaded with her. He couldn’t lose Akali and Bliss in one night. Paisley was gone. He wasn’t even sure if she made it out alive. Reagan started running down the hall, ignoring Felix’s protests. “YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.” She shot back angrily, turning down a hallway.

Someone sprinted past them, and Felix noticed a flash of bright red hair. It was Wilder, running in the opposite direction.

Felix tried to jump from her arms and follow him, but he was too weak from the fight, and Reagan too stubborn. He screamed Wilder’s name, hoping Wilder would hear him, notice him, tell him where Avil was, where the rest of the Board Game Club was.

Wilder blatantly ignored him, disappearing into the dust.

Of course. Felix had never been more frustrated, being held back by his sister while Wilder ran away from him, not able to get over his petty grudge when they all were probably going to die. He punched at Reagan, each action causing his shoulder to burn even worse.

Reagan picked up her pace, not even paying attention to his weak attempts at fighting her. He’d never felt so utterly pathetic.

He started screaming, begging her to please, just help him find his friends. Please, let go. He couldn’t get Bliss out of his head, the way she looked laying in her empty house, blood pooling around her, as Felix left her, alone. He couldn’t stop the images of Akali, Avil, January… all with their eyes rolled back in their head, blood soaking through their clothes. He knew they wouldn’t survive if he left with Reagan. He would never see them ever again. He knew he’d never be able to forgive himself if they died.

Reagan didn’t even acknowledge his screams, looking around wildly for some sort of exit.

A door beside them swung open. Standing there was Maddox, looking more disheveled than usual, face wide with shock. His eyes were glowing blue, searching behind the two of them hopefully, like maybe January might be there.

“MADDOX!” Felix screamed, never more relieved to see him in his entire life.

Maddox grabbed onto Reagan, pulling the both of them inside and shutting the door once again.

Reagan stumbled, almost dropping Felix. The Board Game Club was gathered around the room, all behind Maddox. “WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING HERE?”

Felix used the distraction to break free, landing on his feet clumsily and managing to lean against a desk. Maddox looked at Reagan, his eyes were wide. “Is it just you two?” He asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Reagan glanced around, suddenly panicked again. “WHO ELSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE?”

Felix took in his surroundings, and his heart ached. This was the room where he had broken Gunther’s rotting old guitar. He could recognize the closet in the back, where Gunther kept all his school supplies. He’d hung out here a few times, on the days when he was too bored to make himself go to class. Gunther had always greeted him with a crooked smile.

He hated how much he wished Gunther were here right now, hated how much he missed his friend.

Maddox continued to stare at Reagan, his blue eyes making him look unnerving. He tapped his foot, becoming even more impatient, but didn’t respond.

“Akali was with me,” Felix said, his voice ragged. “I don’t know where he went.”

Maddox nodded, looking like he would have done anything to hear January was okay. He stared down at his watch nervously.

The room went completely silent as a huge explosion rang off in the distance. Felix was horrified. Had Gunther survived being buried by debris? Was it not over yet?

A heat wave hit the room, and everything clicked into place.

Wilder.

Felix had no clue what he was doing, but he hoped he was helping Avil. He hoped January and Akali made it to the room soon.

“One minute left and we’re leaving.” Maddox declared, looking up from his watch again.

“What about January?”

Felix couldn’t have been more shocked. Maddox and January were a pair, and you would rarely find one without the other. The two were constantly together, laughing, joking, walking to class with each other. They were best friends. Maddox knew January better than anyone else, even knew how to calm him down when he got into those freaky states where he seemed like he wanted to kill you. Maddox and January were two halves of a whole. Even Felix knew that. Maddox couldn’t seriously be thinking about leaving without him.

Maddox kept glancing at the door. “He’ll…” He faltered for a second. “He’ll be fine.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

The sound of rushed footsteps echoed outside in the hall. Maddox was immediately at the door, having practically thrown himself across the room. He swung it open.

Akali, January, and Astley carrying Wilder.

There was no Avil.

“January!” Maddox ran up to his friend. “Are you hurt?”

January shook his head, in a daze. He had a faraway look in his eyes.

“Is Avil…?” Felix trailed off, already knowing the answer. His voice sounded incredibly small. This didn’t feel real. No one would look at him. They all stayed silent. He swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. She’d been his first friend in the club, the first one who actually seemed to like him. She was kind, compassionate, and probably the only person who had genuinely been impressed by him.

She was only fifteen.

More footsteps sounded from down the hall, stomping loudly towards them. Maddox looked around at the group, his face was set. “We need to get out of here.”

“Where?” Felix asked, feeling lost. Maddox glanced back at the door again, his answer immediate, said without hesitation.

“Chumps Jr.”

Any other instance Felix would have groaned, protested, rolled his eyes. But right now he didn’t even care. He was grateful Maddox was taking charge, because he felt like he was about to fall apart. He’d lost too much tonight. He moved robotically, opening up another portal, the simple action taking everything he had left.

It weakly flickered to life, not big enough to even crawl through. Felix could feel everyone’s eyes on him. He was their one ticket out of here, yet he could barely even stand, barely even create a portal. The footsteps were growing louder and louder by the second.

The portal slowly opened wider, Felix feeling like he would pass out any second now. The footsteps were even closer now. Felix’s whole body shook with the effort of it all.

Finally, the portal opened. But so did the door.

Rory was the first one through. They hopped through without a second thought, dragging Kuali’i in behind them.

At the door was Ms. Cora. Her dark brown eyes were wide. At her side was a familiar large gun, the one that she kept in her classroom at all times. But it wasn’t pointed at them, instead resting on her hip, her hands already occupied, holding a scared-looking kid. He was curled up in her arms, and he couldn’t have been older than seven. With a start, Felix realized it was one of Winola’s siblings. He couldn’t remember his name. The kid had bit him at the beach once, that he was sure.

Ms. Cora looked at the club, and then the portal. Her hand twitched, instinctively reaching for her gun.

Felix grabbed Reagan, shoving her into the portal. She screamed, but by then she was already gone. Astley picked up Winola, who was bleeding from both of her legs, too weak to move, and stepped through as well, Wilder still slung across his back.

Ms. Cora disconnected the gun from its holster, kicking it to the side. “Look, look, I’m not here to hurt you.” She looked toward the figure laying on the ground, which Felix realized for the first time was Adelio. It was hard to tell if they were still alive or not. “I just need you to leave so I can take him.”

One by one, the remains of the Board Game Club stepped through. Felix took one last glance at Ms. Cora, who was patiently waiting so that she could pick up Adelio and get him help.

He stepped through the portal, and the school faded away around him.

#this is my roman empire #dioles tag #oc: Felix #oc: Bliss #oc: Kuali’i #oc: Gunther #oc: Avil #oc: Mr Prader #oc: Winola #oc: Reagan #oc: Akali #oc: January #oc: Cora #ocs: The Board Game Club #my ocs #oc fic #oc writing #ocs

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