Fright clatters them both against the inside of their landing, jostling the glass. There are no signs of the Keeper having caught a ride with them, nor any inclination that they had obtained any bodily injury. For the time being, they are both safe.
Slater finds it difficult to breathe, his lungs constricting, throat closing in an effort to calm him down — it does nothing but prolong the pain. Instead of making a better effort, he is palms flat against the inner of the teleportation booth with his cheek plastered against the glass, slumped in on himself. While he is melting away, Bones is opening the door and stepping out for a better gasp of fresh air. He even twirls, allowing himself the moment to proclaim his excitement over being able to live another moment.
"That was a close one, wasn't it!" As if they hadn't nearly lost their lives or barely made it, Bones is once again all smiles and all teeth. "You know, why'd you pick this district?"
He gestures at the space around them, pointing out the dilapidated buildings that brush against the sidewalk. His fingers wave at abandoned storefronts, rusted 'Closed' signs, and cracks in the pavement. This district is devoid of life. It is filled with forgotten memories and junk that piles high in the distance. Area 13, where even the clouds are foggy and grey. It's almost a miracle that the teleportation booths still work in such an abandoned district. Though, technology in Karanoia was both a marvel and delight. Let alone within a rift.
Bones only turns around when Slater doesn't answer, crossing the threshold back into the booth to pick him up by the back of the collar. "What's wrong with you! Get up, we're alive~!"
He smacks him across the back then manhandles him into a standing position. With the force of his hits, he brings Slater back to steady breathing. "You know, you should get that checked out. I'm a doctor!" Bones was not quite a doctor, well. Actually, he was something of a doctor. A young genius, a prodigy. His anima, helped, too.
"Can you just be quiet." Slater chokes it out, rubbing his own chest. Annoyance really permeates his entire being right now, though he knows it's irrational to be this upset when Bones has only done his best. It's not his fault. It's not his fault. It's not his fault. If he keeps telling himself this, maybe he will begin to believe it. Slater can only hope for that, even though he wants to disappear and hide away. So far, the entire interaction just weighs on him.
Thankfully, Bones isn't really the type to be easily offended by a disgruntled introvert.
"There's no one in Area 1-3 anyway." There is a pause in his words, Bones teeters back and forth. "Well, no one that matters."
Anyone still living here are more than likely people who didn't want to participate in the city as a whole or they were abandoned after the Riot of '74 back years and years ago.
"They can hear you." Whether Slater meant in this moment or just in general, Bones looks around as if he was searching for the so called them. Who was here?
If there was no consequence, why should he care?
Slater finds the whole thought process a bit contrarian, but who is he to talk?
He starts down the sidewalk with more purposeful steps, allowing Bones to pick up the pace behind him. "So are you not going to explain why you thought hiding out in this massive junkyard... was the idea of the century?"
"No." The mouse of a boy is quick in response.
"There's more ways we can get impaled and die!"
"We're not going to die. I have a plan."
"What plan?"
Irritation bubbles up like hot magma, Slater longs to keep his composure — just barely — he does. He focuses on the cold of the sidewalk under his feet and on the feeling of his anima circulating within his veins. He contemplates calling out for a hint, something. Anything. He does not.
"It's a plan." No, he doesn't elaborate.
And Bones takes that as plain as he can, that Slater doesn't have a plan, he's just bullshitting in an effort to have control over the situation. It's kind of silly.
"Okay, so that plan includes not telling me anything at all and thus I have to instead act in a way that may or may not ruin your plan, just because I can do whatever I fancy~?"
Slater stops walking to turn around and give the younger one a glare befitting of Death. "Just follow my lead and-"
"Your lead is kind of wishy-washy. You're kind of a coward!"
This is the exact reason Slater didn't like this kid. "I'm not a..." Well, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't a coward. He was. "Just shut up, please..."
For whatever reason, Bones listens and the conversation peters out. Left in silence, Slater finds peace in the confines of his head and Bones finds peace staring up at the grey sky.
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Time passes so slowly here. Seconds are like minutes and minutes are like hours and hours are like days and days are like- well you get the picture. The world moves to a standstill within a rift, giving you ample time to think about well anything. Meditation gurus recommended getting lost in these places to find yourself or the answer to all your problems. Unfortunately, if you're stuck too long you never come out.
The worry sticks with him like a stain he can't get out. What if they can't get out? What if they can't escape? What if this run has him living out his life up to twenty-three and then — cut — that's it?
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Every tragedy feels like failure after failure after failure.
Slater stares ahead, re-imagining his life if he had never had the system. Never had this anima. Never had this problem. He imagines that likely he would be dead and he is envious over the version of him that could enjoy the ever-lasting sleep. He really just wants to sleep every day and moment of his waking hours.
Bones shoves him into the building Slater had lead them to, reminding him that he couldn't just fantasize about a future he has never had the privilege to have.
( It wasn't even an impressive building: an apartment cleaved in half seven stories up, broken windows, cold to touch, and graffiti nigh everywhere. While it wasn't impressive nor inviting, it still stood out. )
And Slater sighs, walking the rest of his way into the old apartment building as if he's walked these halls before. He has.
He moves around the space, feeling along the wall with the pads of his fingers. He's looking for a groove that should be here while Bones watches him with a mild interest. He knows the other boy can find ways to entertain himself, listening to him shuffle around the empty room for instance was entertainment enough. If Slater closes his eyes, he thinks he can focus enough on retracing a doomed timeline's steps in this room.
Finally, he feels the dip in the wall he's looking for. He presses down into it and steps back to let the magic work.
All at once the walls whir to life, a sky blue circuitry pattern lighting up the walls. A low rumble follows from both inside and outside ( one was further away, the Keeper ) as the ground began to fall away to reveal a set of stairs. The wall splits apart to give the two boys better entry into the hidden room.
"Oh! How delightful, how did you hear about this? Did you know about it already?" Bones questions and is the first to start heading down the stairs. Slater is close behind him, rolling his eyes at how easily he was impressed.
"It's my friend's set up," The answer is plain, Slater knows she would be in the city proper ( not within a rift ) and while they aren't friends yet on a technicality, they will be soon. "She's not here, so you don't have to worry about it." When he crosses the threshold, the entrance closes and they are left in the dark.
The stairwell echoes with their steps, down and down they go. Slater is thankful for the dark. It meant he could hide his face and also that the mouse spinning at the bottom of the stairs was all the more visible. Of course Bones couldn't see it, as it wasn't apart of his anima. This system was entirely Slater's and his own set up. "We can stay down here for a bit, the Keeper shouldn't be able to get down here." Which also meant that Slater could mull over how to escape far easier than he would have been able to mull over earlier.
Bones' grin could still be felt through his words, however, skipping down the steps without nary a thought. "You did have a plan! Look at you!"
"I told you." Slater doesn't miss the chance to scoff. "Now, I've just got to find the lights." He is careful about his wording, glancing over to where he had heard Bones voice as they finally get to the bottom of the stairs.
The light comes on within a few short moments, Slater knows no light was switched. He also knew that they could've both been out of here long ago.... The issue was that Bones was having too much fun to even consider helping out in that way. He would much rather prolong the issue than rip the metaphorical bandage off.
Now that there's light to encapsulate the room, it's revealed to be decorated with various other doors that lead to what could only be other rooms. Slater doesn't open any of them, simply cranes his head upwards in anticipation for the sound of the Keeper to be rustling around, eventually.
"Woah! It's so cool~!" Bones plops down into a beanbag, lounging out much akin to a starfish while Slater kept to himself against one of the walls. "This place will hold up, right?" While he sounds concerned, he's really not and Slater can tell just from the way he holds his smile and that bright gold eye stares him down.
"Yeah, it'll be fine... Silv knows what she's doing." Slater slumps down on the wall, bringing his knees up to his chest. The quiet should have been more comforting, it's not.
"Sillllv," Bones tests the name out on his tongue, "I don'tttt know if I've heard of her? Does she go to the school?" It's how he stares at him that makes Slater wonder if he should even be here with him. He hopes he forgets this interaction, that the rift will do something weird to his brain. That's more of a pipe dream than a reality. Bones was a boy with more secrets than he had.
Wetting his lips, Slater rolls his tongue around in his own mouth. "She's always in After/Dark."
As far as Slater knew, Bones didn't really frequent the convenience store nor did he even really explore Karanoia in any way that could be considered interesting. The curiosity was concerning, though, it's not like he could rewind the conversation or rewind the event.
Not when his anima was being faulty.
Stupid System.
"After/Dark... Oh! That place! I should visit more, I heard they make a really mean sausage and biscuit!" Bones chirps, crossing his ankles one over the other.
"Yeah... they do." It makes Slater's stomach churn with discomfort even though the flavor was nice and often settled nicely.
Above them, a distant roar can be hard. The Keeper had managed to track them down to this location, though getting in was a different matter. He was confident that everything would be completely fine. Completely confident.
Except for the anomaly that was Bones.
It is in this moment that Slater recalls what the boy had said prior, something along the lines of 'How are you going to account for me?' It was a sick ad twisted thought to be reminded of and Slater slowly begins to pick himself up. There wasn't any confidence left.
He is not safe here.
Neither of them are.
"...Why do you find this so funny?" He mutters under his breath and of course Bones hears it.
"What do you mean? Who are you talking to?" Feigning innocence, maybe he really is innocent and Slater's being overly paranoid and- No. No, he's not. He's being rational.
Slater's gaze is bitter as he looks around then dips into one of the doors he was previously not going to enter. It's got a rabbit sticker on the front and he walks in without turning on a light. He doesn't need one. He's looking for the escape. Another escape, this soon? Yeah.
"What are you doing? Where are you going? You said we'd be safe here!" Slater hears Bones calling after him, but there's unmistakable laughter in the tone. That son of a bitch thought this was funny.
Slater wants to just ditch him, though it was already too late for him the second he called his name that very first time. "Yeah, well... this Keeper seems like it's trying really hard to get in."
Which it was.
The walls above were rustling, echoing, and screaming in protest as the Keeper rammed its body repeatedly into both the floor and walls. It was dead set on reaching them.
Slater didn't want to wait for another crash, but it seems that Bones wasn't really listening either.
"You're being paranoid! It's not going to get in!" And the fool has the audacity to try and grab the back of his shirt to try and drag him away from the escape route he had just managed to open.
"Stop!" Unfortunately, the same moment he cried out was the same moment that the Keeper destroyed the upper walls. The shriek it released was far louder due to the close distance and even Bones had to release Slater to let out a tiny and sheepish—
"Oops."