Random Prompt

The strangest thing happened just a few weeks ago. Wen could recall it even now, the faintest hint of tea under his nose while eyes found rest on the back of his beloved. It was the weekends, they were to celebrate with an experimental dish, and bring the joyous exchange of wedded passion from dining to bedding. Yet the plan was interrupted by the unwelcome shaking of the table, followed by what he assumed to be the rest of the world. Confusion first struck him, followed by the ear splitting roar of some indescribable force. A hand reached out to beckon towards his love, but the answer was darkness, for the back of his head must have been struck, knocking him out of his senses. The young equine woke up with a shout, the name of his husband echoing out without response. Then, he opened his eyes, greeted by the pitch black save for the faintest ray that stretched from above. Rubble had overwhelmed him, forcing him down and trapped in a mound of bricks and ruined furniture. His first concern was immediately directed towards the well-being of his partner, only to be denied of an affirmation. Silence, an answer that pained him more than he thought possible. Agony, desperation and profound fury had him lunge the nervous wreck of his body out from the weight that pinned him. Too feeble to stand for more than a few moments, stuck in what could only be described as a collapsed cave that he once called home. Cramped, dark and the only way out is to climb at the window a good level above him. A shame he did not possess the strength, curled up and gasping for air.

It was only after an hour long recuperation did he begin to have the mind to make sense of his situation. He could barely see, the air left a frigid, stale impression on the tongue and it must have been some time since he last ate or drank. It was during this moment of evaluation that he glanced at his hands. He screamed. While the dominant right remained the same, the left was infested by a strange fungal infection. Or, at the very least, he considered it an infection. An unsightly array of mushrooms sprouted from the surface of flesh and fur, emitting luminosity that warded off the worst of his dimly lit environment, replacing darkness with the unfortunate news of it taking the limb for its home. The panic left him fumbling for another hour, trying to understand what had come of his body, leading to a few experiments to better grasp the nature of his condition. Immediate removal through force proved fruitless, for it had clung to a nerve which sent up jolts of pain so intense he abandoned any further attempts. The digits, alongside muscles remained with the same freedom of movement as before, and while he could not say for sure how the fungal invaders managed to cope with the fluid motion of his arm, he was grateful nevertheless that it did little to impede his freedom. The bioluminescence was in fact something he found of desirable quality, for it wasn’t long before it was immediately adopted as a literal “hand-held” light.

Exploration had him realize he was in his dining room, and so he must not have moved since his blackout prior to this disaster. The rest of his abode are in shambles, with exits walled off and unbudging to his physical persuasion. The only thing to do was climb towards the window above, which he did not plan to investigate until he was sure of where his beloved was. Time spent in search felt painfully endless, leading only to frustrated grunting and the occasional moments of sobbing. No evidence offered peace of mind, though he felt a twinge of relief when there was no body to prove that the ruined home had crushed his spouse. With that in mind, the final challenge was to leave and embrace whatever was outside. He wondered what could lead to such destruction, and by the time he donned upon the truth, his head had emerged from the window. He fell out, taking in fresh air before it was knocked out of him as he landed on his back. Tired wheezing, a moment of respite, and he stood on an uneasy equilibrium. The scenery to brace from there on was staggering. The entirety of his neighborhood had been reduced to the same state of his home, ruined with barely a trace of their former glory.

“God help us.” And that was all he could say for days after.