[Note: As cheesy as it may seem, I'm totally picturing this chapter and the next one (choice 1) with this background music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmkSRC-i... but you're free to ignore it and read it as you see fit. I did use the music to write this, though. Just saying]
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"What the... why...?!" Raphael asked no one in particular as he managed to spot your unconscious body on top of a bench that was nearly across the whole room. You were dangerously close to the edge, which already had his anxiety levels spike. He also briefly wondered how he managed to see that far... perhaps his previous intuition was right, and this shrinking somehow freshened and reinvigorated his body.
'At what a price though' He annoyedly shook his head, focusing on what was important right now.
He was the more relaxed parent out of the two, but that didn't mean he didn't care about you. Paternal instinct was kicking hard, and his mind flashed back to one of the happiest moments of his life, which had been your birth. Despite having cared for Ariadne for a few years already, he and Miriam had gotten her as a toddler, so, going through pregnancy and a newborn baby was still unknown territory to the young couple.
Caught by surprise, as Miriam's pregnancy had already gone 15 days past the date she was expected to give birth at, the two panicked as they rushed to the hospital, having no money to spare on a taxi. Fortunately, Sheila happened to be at home and saw the ruckus going around, and after finding out, she was happy to give them a ride, despite having recently given birth herself. He chuckled at how Sheila made it look easy while he and his wife were suffering.
After a quick and otherwise uneventful ride to the hospital, Raphael stayed with Miriam every step of the way, not wanting to miss a single moment of his firstborn child's birth. He was even a little surprised that Miriam insisted on giving birth naturally without anesthetics, despite the doctor recommending a c-section to make things easier, and arguing the child was a little big to naturally deliver, but Miriam felt it was bullshit and chose to do it her way, as her own mother had done, apparently. That was a long and tense afternoon, but, just around the time the sun was setting, a boy had just arrived into this world.
The feeling of happiness was overwhelming, he thought that it may even have surpassed what he felt when he finally married Miriam. He almost couldn't believe it, the boy in Miriam's arms, with rather long, black and wavy hair, he was his flesh and blood, mixed with Miriam's, of course. As soon as the nurses allowed it, he eagerly held the newborn child in his arms. On that day, he silently swore an oath that he'd try his very best to raise him into a fine, young man that could one day fend for himself, but even after his care was no longer needed, he'd always be there for him to guide or help him however he could, for as long as life would let him.
That silent oath rang back into his mind. His heart pounded harder, faster, pumping increased amounts of adrenaline-laced blood across his body, he got this. He had to. Without further questioning, he began running, his mind was set upon one single goal: To reach that bench, climb it up, rescue his son and get to somewhere safe, and hopefully get help, but the first three steps were the critical ones. The wind chilled his body as he started running, and he could feel his feet landing on the floor, then propelling him forwards. This was the hardest he ever had run for anything, but he needed to pull it off, no matter the cost.
Shortly after, much to his, and your misfortune, the floor began to shake, like an earthquake, though not strong enough to knock Raphael off his feet as he kept on running, but he became aware that something big was coming.
'Or someone, to be more accurate' he thought. His heart beat even faster, now with panic adding to his adrenaline rush.
Even though he was breathing fast, he slowed it down but also took deeper breaths. A trick an old friend of his, who was in the Military, taught him. A way to shut down the sympathetic nervous system, which was largely responsible for the blind panic most people fell into when in a terrible situation, but that clouded one's mind and prevented them from thinking straight. Raphael was aware he needed to keep his cool, for even the smallest mistake could cost him dearly.
Once again, his intuition had been right, as the floor shaking intensified, and out of the corner of his eyes he could see that colossal people, girls to be precise, were walking into the room.
'Of course, this had to happen right when they need to change clothes...' He sighed, whether they were changing to start P.E or because they had just finished was of little relevance to him, what he knew, was that a whole new threat had been just added to this hellish mix. The tremors intensified, and he could perceive that there were many of them going at once, each corresponding to some girl's footsteps.
His eyes widened when he first saw darkness shroud him, he made a sharp turn to the side to narrowly avoid being crushed under a gigantic sneaker, and to whom it belonged to did not matter, he wasn't going to look up and find out, he still needed to keep looking forward. The bench you were on seemed to be miles away, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to reach you. Much to his chagrin, that terrifying event was only the first of many, as he once again found himself under a massive elongated shadow, another girl's foot, which again, he narrowly avoided by making a turn to the side, the ominous booming quake that ensued when the colossal shoe touched the floor rattled his entire skeleton, a grim reminder of the unfathomable weight he had just avoided.
P.E class tended to be one of the more packed classes in terms of group size, as the school boasted a massive gym, as well as large changing rooms, but to Raphael, that meant that a lot of girls were just going to start walking around, and while they wouldn't know any better, to him, their feet constituted a raging stampede he needed to avoid at all costs. Most strangely, the chatting and occasional giggling helped him rehumanize the girls, as they had quickly become but mindless monsters in his mind, monstrous titans who cared not for what, or who lay beneath their feet.
Avoiding those titanic feet became increasingly harder, it seemed that as soon as he evaded one, another one's shadow engulfed him, giving him almost zero margin of error, all of his dodged had to be flawless, or he'd end up as a meaningless stain under their soles. He kept running towards the bench, and then, a horrid realization hit him. So far, he assumed you were safe up there, and he only needed to reach you, but he realized that you were in an almost as dangerous location, and you were still knocked out, to make it worse.
'Holy Virgin, please, I only ask but two things... please, let my son be safe up there, and lend me the strength to reach him. It's all I ask for, Holy Mother...' He silently prayed. He wasn't the most religious man by any measure, but he didn't believe he was too bad either, he was a happily married man, who loved his wife and children, and now was betting everything he had into saving the one that needed him the most.
He wasn't sure if his plea was even heard up in Heaven, but it didn't hurt to try. He ran even faster, making strides as long as he could get them to be. He dodged left and right, running faster, or even slowing down to avoid the incoming feet all over and above him. But his eyes were mostly fixed on the bench you were on. He absolutely had to reach it before anyone took a seat. Once again, he prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe that she make that bench invisible to the girls' eyes, or that they simply choose any other.
It was one gigantic foot after another, Raphael was feeling worn down, but he forced his body to keep going, he even somehow learned to time the quaking that ensued after each foot touched the floor, avoiding that they make him trip and fall, and even using some to impulse himself farther ahead. This was the most tense thing he had ever done, and mentally laughed at those who, back in his homeland, thought the most daring thing one could do was bullfighting.
'Heh. I'd fight a hundred bulls over this any day' He thought, but then his eyes widened and sharply stopped as yet another massive tennis-clad foot landed with an intimidating quake right in front of him, blocking his straight path. Growling in annoyance, he ran around it, but was forced to stop again as another foot also landed in front of him.
'Argh! Why do they have to make this so difficult?!' He resumed running around that foot as well. He also wondered why were so many girls walking around so much, it almost seemed like it was on purpose, though he knew it wasn't the case. Still, every time a titanic shoe-clad foot landed near him, they only became more terrifying, but he harnessed that fear to compel himself to run faster.
Arduously, avoiding countless of those gargantuan feet, seemingly stomping on the floor in an attempt to violently rob him of his life, he got closer to the bench. His tired heart beat even faster than before, though his muscles were already aching, wanting to call it quits, but he wouldn't let them...
==========
"What the... why...?!" Raphael asked no one in particular as he managed to spot your unconscious body on top of a bench that was nearly across the whole room. You were dangerously close to the edge, which already had his anxiety levels spike. He also briefly wondered how he managed to see that far... perhaps his previous intuition was right, and this shrinking somehow freshened and reinvigorated his body.
'At what a price though' He annoyedly shook his head, focusing on what was important right now.
He was the more relaxed parent out of the two, but that didn't mean he didn't care about you. Paternal instinct was kicking hard, and his mind flashed back to one of the happiest moments of his life, which had been your birth. Despite having cared for Ariadne for a few years already, he and Miriam had gotten her as a toddler, so, going through pregnancy and a newborn baby was still unknown territory to the young couple.
Caught by surprise, as Miriam's pregnancy had already gone 15 days past the date she was expected to give birth at, the two panicked as they rushed to the hospital, having no money to spare on a taxi. Fortunately, Sheila happened to be at home and saw the ruckus going around, and after finding out, she was happy to give them a ride, despite having recently given birth herself. He chuckled at how Sheila made it look easy while he and his wife were suffering.
After a quick and otherwise uneventful ride to the hospital, Raphael stayed with Miriam every step of the way, not wanting to miss a single moment of his firstborn child's birth. He was even a little surprised that Miriam insisted on giving birth naturally without anesthetics, despite the doctor recommending a c-section to make things easier, and arguing the child was a little big to naturally deliver, but Miriam felt it was bullshit and chose to do it her way, as her own mother had done, apparently. That was a long and tense afternoon, but, just around the time the sun was setting, a boy had just arrived into this world.
The feeling of happiness was overwhelming, he thought that it may even have surpassed what he felt when he finally married Miriam. He almost couldn't believe it, the boy in Miriam's arms, with rather long, black and wavy hair, he was his flesh and blood, mixed with Miriam's, of course. As soon as the nurses allowed it, he eagerly held the newborn child in his arms. On that day, he silently swore an oath that he'd try his very best to raise him into a fine, young man that could one day fend for himself, but even after his care was no longer needed, he'd always be there for him to guide or help him however he could, for as long as life would let him.
That silent oath rang back into his mind. His heart pounded harder, faster, pumping increased amounts of adrenaline-laced blood across his body, he got this. He had to. Without further questioning, he began running, his mind was set upon one single goal: To reach that bench, climb it up, rescue his son and get to somewhere safe, and hopefully get help, but the first three steps were the critical ones. The wind chilled his body as he started running, and he could feel his feet landing on the floor, then propelling him forwards. This was the hardest he ever had run for anything, but he needed to pull it off, no matter the cost.
Shortly after, much to his, and your misfortune, the floor began to shake, like an earthquake, though not strong enough to knock Raphael off his feet as he kept on running, but he became aware that something big was coming.
'Or someone, to be more accurate' he thought. His heart beat even faster, now with panic adding to his adrenaline rush.
Even though he was breathing fast, he slowed it down but also took deeper breaths. A trick an old friend of his, who was in the Military, taught him. A way to shut down the sympathetic nervous system, which was largely responsible for the blind panic most people fell into when in a terrible situation, but that clouded one's mind and prevented them from thinking straight. Raphael was aware he needed to keep his cool, for even the smallest mistake could cost him dearly.
Once again, his intuition had been right, as the floor shaking intensified, and out of the corner of his eyes he could see that colossal people, girls to be precise, were walking into the room.
'Of course, this had to happen right when they need to change clothes...' He sighed, whether they were changing to start P.E or because they had just finished was of little relevance to him, what he knew, was that a whole new threat had been just added to this hellish mix. The tremors intensified, and he could perceive that there were many of them going at once, each corresponding to some girl's footsteps.
His eyes widened when he first saw darkness shroud him, he made a sharp turn to the side to narrowly avoid being crushed under a gigantic sneaker, and to whom it belonged to did not matter, he wasn't going to look up and find out, he still needed to keep looking forward. The bench you were on seemed to be miles away, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to reach you. Much to his chagrin, that terrifying event was only the first of many, as he once again found himself under a massive elongated shadow, another girl's foot, which again, he narrowly avoided by making a turn to the side, the ominous booming quake that ensued when the colossal shoe touched the floor rattled his entire skeleton, a grim reminder of the unfathomable weight he had just avoided.
P.E class tended to be one of the more packed classes in terms of group size, as the school boasted a massive gym, as well as large changing rooms, but to Raphael, that meant that a lot of girls were just going to start walking around, and while they wouldn't know any better, to him, their feet constituted a raging stampede he needed to avoid at all costs. Most strangely, the chatting and occasional giggling helped him rehumanize the girls, as they had quickly become but mindless monsters in his mind, monstrous titans who cared not for what, or who lay beneath their feet.
Avoiding those titanic feet became increasingly harder, it seemed that as soon as he evaded one, another one's shadow engulfed him, giving him almost zero margin of error, all of his dodged had to be flawless, or he'd end up as a meaningless stain under their soles. He kept running towards the bench, and then, a horrid realization hit him. So far, he assumed you were safe up there, and he only needed to reach you, but he realized that you were in an almost as dangerous location, and you were still knocked out, to make it worse.
'Holy Virgin, please, I only ask but two things... please, let my son be safe up there, and lend me the strength to reach him. It's all I ask for, Holy Mother...' He silently prayed. He wasn't the most religious man by any measure, but he didn't believe he was too bad either, he was a happily married man, who loved his wife and children, and now was betting everything he had into saving the one that needed him the most.
He wasn't sure if his plea was even heard up in Heaven, but it didn't hurt to try. He ran even faster, making strides as long as he could get them to be. He dodged left and right, running faster, or even slowing down to avoid the incoming feet all over and above him. But his eyes were mostly fixed on the bench you were on. He absolutely had to reach it before anyone took a seat. Once again, he prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe that she make that bench invisible to the girls' eyes, or that they simply choose any other.
It was one gigantic foot after another, Raphael was feeling worn down, but he forced his body to keep going, he even somehow learned to time the quaking that ensued after each foot touched the floor, avoiding that they make him trip and fall, and even using some to impulse himself farther ahead. This was the most tense thing he had ever done, and mentally laughed at those who, back in his homeland, thought the most daring thing one could do was bullfighting.
'Heh. I'd fight a hundred bulls over this any day' He thought, but then his eyes widened and sharply stopped as yet another massive tennis-clad foot landed with an intimidating quake right in front of him, blocking his straight path. Growling in annoyance, he ran around it, but was forced to stop again as another foot also landed in front of him.
'Argh! Why do they have to make this so difficult?!' He resumed running around that foot as well. He also wondered why were so many girls walking around so much, it almost seemed like it was on purpose, though he knew it wasn't the case. Still, every time a titanic shoe-clad foot landed near him, they only became more terrifying, but he harnessed that fear to compel himself to run faster.
Arduously, avoiding countless of those gargantuan feet, seemingly stomping on the floor in an attempt to violently rob him of his life, he got closer to the bench. His tired heart beat even faster than before, though his muscles were already aching, wanting to call it quits, but he wouldn't let them...
RandomAnon
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May 12, 2023
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