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I am Ehab Ayyad ❤ a palestinian youngman from Gaza🍉🇵🇸, seeking to find safety and peace ☝️for my family if twenty members. We have been ❤🇵🇸🍉passing through all forms of torture and pain for almost ten months because of the war on Gaza.

Life is very miserable and tragic❤🇵🇸 as we are now deprived ❤🇵🇸🍉of all means of living. Drink water, healthy food health care and medicine❤🇵🇸 have become things 🇵🇸🍉❤of the past. We are dying dear friends. That is why I am asking you to help us break through this tough situation.Life in hot tents is incredibly sad and miserable. We are now experiencing the worst circumstances we have ever had in our life. The war has stolen happiness and life from us.

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nevertheless neverteles LOOK ITS TANGYYY these are two "failed-ish" watercolors i made with the 2 out of 12 artstyles i have omg

★ Soul Searching ★ 1

(Oh, look! Another Tang au)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(TW some descriptions of throwing up, but it's very brief)

Sunlight shines onto Pisgy's early in the afternoon, bathing everything in a warm, cozy light. The sign outside is shown brightly to the busy streets.

The weathering on the door and outside counter gives it a homey look. Everything to the way the windows are opened just enough to let the smell of noodles out, to the chalk announcement board with swoopy letters making its charm.

Inside the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, the sound of bubbling and the flickering lights above add to its atmosphere. The growing pile of to-go orders now shoved to the side so the chef can see the lobby.

Barely anyone is actually sitting in the restaurant. Just the chef in the back, with a green teenager and an older looking man with glasses sitting at the bar.

The chef seems to be fed up with the both of them. "Can't you two do something other than taking up valuable space while I'm working?!"

The man in the glasses just shrugs and smirks at the outburst, continuing to sip some noodles he grabbed from the ever growing to-go pile. "Pisgy, Pisgy, Pisgy. If we were to leave, who would give you such riveting conversation? And besides, we're patiently waiting for Mk to come back."

Pisgy just glares at the man before speaking up louder than the first time. "Mei is waiting for Mk to come back." Pisgy gesture with a wooden spoon to Mei, who's looking at her phone with an unserious expression.

The man with glasses just raises a brow in response. Pisgy sighs heavily before continuing his rant. "And heck, so am I! He's left so many orders here, I could probably afford to fire him if I sold 'em all myself!

"Now what are you even doing? Mooching off of Mk's generosity for free noodles, and just sitting in front of me with a smug look on your face like I'm an idiot, which I'm not! Your so lucky I don't kick you out any time you set foot in here Tang."

Tang just laughs in response, spilling some sauce onto the ground as he readjusts his glasses to look at Pisgy. "Oh please Pisgy, you know you love me~" He said in a jaunty tone, smirk never falling. "If you didn't, I would've been in the hospital by now! Probably with a wooden spoon lodged in my head."

Tang continues to chuckle, with Mei joining in soon after Pisgy stomps off back to the kitchen, grumbling up a storm.

"He's always so grumpy! Maybe he's a bit more ticked today because Mk 'ain't back yet for all those orders." Mei says to Tang absent-mindedly, eyes focused on her screen as she slouches on her stool.

Tang huffed, amused. "Hah, maybe. I just think he has his apron in a twist all the time." He giggles at his own joke before pulling a stained and well-worn book off the counter.

"Journey to the West ", a classic in Tangs' personal opinion. He immeadietly flips the long time annotated pages to a specific bookmark, stopping right on top of a bright red post-it note.

Most of his scribbles were how inaccurate some of the legends were, how the stories were twisted to be seen in a good light for an easier consumption, Tang guesses. It hurt him to see so many people enjoy these fake stories, but at least he knew most of the truth.

However, there were parts that were kept somewhat accurate. Those were the ones Tang liked to reread the most, ones marked with bright red, from the only version available in metrapolis.

1, 2, 3.

4 red post-its fly past his vision as he takes in the legends, smirking at some passages before the next page was turned.

An hour had passed if Tang had to guess. The pile stopped growing after Pisgy gave up on Mk coming back in time. He's now sitting next to Tang on the bar, with Mei sitting at one of the nearby tables, seemingly still scrolling on her phone.

Tang had been working on his fifth bowl of to-go noodles when the ground started to rumble violently. It shook everything in the shop; things like chairs toppled over and loose kitchenware fell to the floor.

Mei screamed as her phone flew out of her hands and onto the table, Pisgy tried to stabilize himself on the counter while swearing up a storm, and Tang held up his bowl so nothing spilled out, one hand on the bowl the other holding on the counter for dear life.

It finally subsides after a couple of seconds, leaving the shop in disarray. "What the heck was that?!" Pisgy shouted as he righted himself back onto a bar stool.

"Ugh, I don't know, piggy. That was definitely stronger than a mega street race or an out-of-control party at the anti-gravity arcade." Mei answered as she sprawled across the table to take back her now cracked phone. She let out a small Aww, man! afterwards.

Tang had been gasping the entire time, seemingly trying to regain lost breath from the mysterious earthquake. "I don't know how *huff* you guys recover *huff* so quickly like that! Phew. It took all my strength just to save these precious noodles!" Tabg held up the bowl as some sort of proof, with half its contents missing.

"Maybe that's just because you're old, Tang." Mei smirked at him. Tang just scoffed after her with Pisgy giving an amused huff in the background.

Tang put his bowl of noodles back onto the counter before bending down to retrieve his book. It had a few noodle stains, but it's been through much worse than that. It isn't that bad.

Just as Tang sat back onto his stool, the restaurant doors burst open with a winded Mk in the middle of them.

"Mk! Where have you been? We've been stacked through the roof with noodles that were ordered ages ago! Our customers have already given ZERO STARS Mk!" Pisgy said, grabbing Mk by the ear and sitting him down across from him at one of the tables.

"Now you better have a good reason for this, or else I'm cutting your pay for a month with full work hours."

Mk seemed to go through a mix of sheepishness, awe, confusion, and shock before he answered in long winded rambles.

"Pisgy, Mei, Tang, the legend of the Demon Bull King is real! The Demon Bull King family took Monkey Kings staff off his prison, which I took in return to defend myself, and now he's probably out there wrecking everything! And now he's probably after me too because I have the staff and all those legends Mr. Tang told me were true, and now I'm freaking out!" Mk finished his ramble by lifting up the red and gold staff in his hand.

The restaurant was silent... before hysterical laughter from Pisgy and Mei filled the restaurant. "Bahahaha! You can't expect me to believe that kid! Those are all just legends!" Mei spoke up. "Hahahahah! Yeah, Mk! Are you sure you didn't get a concusion from that earthquake?"

Mk pouted as he raised the staff once again. "But I'm telling the truth! This is the Monkey Kings staff, and all those legends were true! You at least believe me, right Mr. Tang?"

But Tang didn't answer. He just stared at the staff blankly. His hands dug into the pages of his book until they were wrinkled beyond repair. "Mr. Tang? You okay there?" Mk asked in concern.

"That's... that's Sun Wukongs staff." Tang whispered through short breaths, still staring at the staff.

Mk quickly turned around to Pisgy and Mei. "See? At least someone sensible believed me."

Pisgy scoffed before challenging Mk. "If that really is the Monkey Kings staff, then why don't you show off some of its oH MY-"

But it was too late, as the staff elongated quicker than light and smashed straight through one of Pisgy's tables.

Mk showed them a bright smile. "Haha! See that?! That was freaking monkey power -"

Sounds of scraping metal and something hitting the floor stopped Mk mid sentence. Everybody turned around to face the bar.

Tang was on the floor, shaking violently with laboring breaths between small mumbling. His stool and book strewn to the sides as Tang kept staring at the staff, eyes unseen behind the reflections in his glasses.

Pisgy rushed over quickly, reaching out to shake Tang on the shoulder. "Woah, woah. Tang, are you doing alright there?"

But before Pisgy could even tough Tang's shoulder, his arm was swat away with a surprising amount of force. Pisgy cursed as Tang gasped and mumbled something out in response. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Pisgy. I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I just, I was shocked to see Sun- erm, the Monkey Kings staff in person like that, with the implications of the Demon Bull King back out again in out city."

Pisgy just huffed, "You're fine, Tang." Pisgy slowly put his hand around Tang's shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze.

"Thanks, Pisgy. I'll just... I'm gonna need some time for a moment. Go get Sandy; I'm sure he'll have some ideas about this." Tang gave a wobly smile as he slowly stood up.

Pisgy gave a scrutinizing look before seemingly giving up. "Yeah, you're right. He would know what to do." Pisgy turned back to the worried looking Mk and Mei. "Were gonna go meet my friend Sandy. He was THE MOST blood thirsty person I knew before..."

Their voices faded out of the restaurant as Pisgy ushered them out, with Tang left standing in the lobby. He just stood and let his smile drop for a moment. Eyes seemingly glazed over as he slowly walked back to Pisgy's bathroom.

His thoughts became louder and louder as he got closer and closer, collapsing as they started to become akin to stabbing his skull. Tang grits his teeth in pain as he lurches forward. Tears ran down his face along with black liquid out of his mouth, dripping onto the tile. He threw up.

Dark liquid and chunks of what looked like characol flooded into the toilet. He coughed violently before sagging onto the floor, mouth tasting like ash.

Tang takes off his glasses and puts them to the side as he puts the toilet seat down and flushed it. He sat on the toilet seat and forced himself to take deep breaths.

He thinks back to Pisgy, Mei, Mk, and that fucking staff... he hopes they'll be ok.

Previous || Next

Chapter 10 has been posted!

This is soooo good! I LOVE IT! I, too, can't wait for Season 5

journey to the west is an underated gem (and i need lmk s5)

IM SO PROUD OF THIS PIECE AND LIKE GROWLSSS the lighting was so scary to face but i did it. yipee!1! :DDD

So cool to see you responded to my ask! Your idea is super good, and I can see Wally having a crisis over it. I really like this au so far, and can't wait to see where you take it!

Hello! I really love your designs and idea for Nightstuck AU so much! I feel so sad for wally tho.

Anyway, I was wondering if Wally would try to go into the forest surrounding the neighborhood? Or go down the road that we can see on the website go offscreen? I wonder if, when he keeps walking for a while, he can either see the trees start to lose shape and color, or start to see the road become crumbly, with the area in front of it getting blurrier.

I actually have an idea for this exact thing, soo glad you ask!!!

Realizing that Wally can't wake his neighbors up by himself, he decides to look for help outside of home.

Home is surrounded by a deep yet colorful forest and he heads into that (equipped with a flashlight of course!). After walking in a straight line for what felt like hours he finally notices something in the distance. Picking up speed this 'something' seems to be a couple of houses!

Totally out of breath he reaches this place, still in hopes to find at least a single person who could help-

Only to realize he's back home.

(This definitely makes him question his reality-)

Yeah I thought of making an animation or little comic out of this, that's why is more of a story ^^' But I like your ideas aswell!!!

I also thought of designing the place around home a little bit. You know, give them a little lake, some fields or something :)

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★ Soul Searching ★ 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tang had been in that bathroom for hours, taking deep, controlled breaths to calm himself down. He would never have wanted this to happen; not ever.

Mk, not knowing what he's gotten himself into drives his thoughts to that staff. He kept thinking back to Mk, too, how he would have that thing for the rest of his life...

He really hoped this was just a horrible dream his head made up.

However, his delusions were soon broken as the doors to the noodle shop slammed open. "Tang! We need to leave for Flower Fruit Mountain now!" Pigsy yelled throughout the restaurant.

Tang came running into the lobby. "What!?" He had a distressed look on his face before he shifted it to one of bewilderment. "Wait, that place actually exists, too?!"

Pigsy just grabbed Tang's hand, dragging him out of the building before responding. "Yeah, that place apparently exists, too, and we need a map to get there. That's why we need you and all your books on those myths you're obsessed with to make it there."

Tang stalled at that, looking back at the noodle shop. "Well, I left it in the shop... y'know, the one with all the sticky notes..."

Pigsy just stared, sighed, then let got of Tang's hand. "Just go quickly. We need to get there as soon as possible."

Tang just nodded before running back into the restaurant and sitting down onto a bar stool. He took the book off the counter and erratically flipped through the pages, settling on a hand drawn map.

He stared at it; taking it in that this is reality now. He took a final deep breath before pocketing the book and heading back outside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"AHHHH-"

Pigsy rushed through the city, carrying Tang on his back. Tang, seemingly not being used to this speed, was screaming in terror the entire time.

When they finally reached Sandy's boat, Tang was panting and leaning on one of the rails. "Don't just, *huff* pick me up and run like that again!" He managed between breaths.

Pigsy just scoffed. "It was the quickest way to get here. You would've slowed us down on foot." Tang seemed offended, but before he could respond, Sandy came out of the boat door and onto the deck.

He hulked over Tang and Pigsy before bending down with a smile on his face. "Hello there! You must be Tang; nice to meet you!" Sandy took Tang's arm and yanked it up and down, leaving Tang a bit disheveled.

Tang quickly fixed his outfit and hair before Mei popped out of the open door and started to speak. "Hey Sandy, is Pigsy back with Tang yet? We really need to get going."

"Over here, Mei." Pigsy gruffed out, getting Mei's attention. "Hey, you guys are back! Now Mr. Tang, you really need to give Sandy that map." Mei stated before walking back into the boat.

Tang just sighed as he walked forward to Sandy, taking his book out of his jacket and reluctantly putting it in the awaiting hands. "The map is at the end of the book. Please be careful with it."

Sandy smiled at Tang as he straightened his back. "Of course! I won't let anything happen to it. Let me treat you to a cup of tea when this is over."

Tang smiled back. "I'll hold you to that." He promised as he walked by the boat door and sat down on one of the deck benches.

Pigsy frowned at that, a worried look passing over his face as he looked at Sandy. "Something's wrong. I don't know what, but something's wrong with Tang." Pigsy looked back to where Tang sat down. Tang is staring at the open ocean, seemingly lost in thought.

Sandy hummed, "I could tell. That's why I offered some tea. He's stressed over something, but I'm not entirely sure what."

Pigsy sighed. "Let's just get this over with. Find the Monkey King and let him handle this." Sandy nodded before going back inside the boat, leaving the door slightly open.

Pigsy gave one last glance to Tang before going inside the boat and closing the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boat ride was long for Tang. The inevitable slowly creeping forth as they got closer and closer to Flower Fruit Mountain. The waves became more fierce as they progressed.

Tang could already feel the heat and smell the ash as they approached they outer ring; a ring around Flower Fruit Mountain that consisted only of volcanoes. The lava in the water stops boats from getting through with all the volcanic rock in the way.

He still can't fathom why he's even here again. All they needed was his map to get Sun Wukong so he could go clean up one of his poorly-dealt-with problems.

But he's already on the boat, getting closer and closer to the one place he has tried to avoid all these years.

Tang just sighs as he looks towards the choppy water surrounding the boat. Sea breeze blowing through his hair and the occasional sea spray flowing up to the deck.

He almost misses the water as Sandy carefully docks the boat at the edge of the volcanic ring, taking out metal stakes and large rope to secure it. Mk jumps out first, followed by Mei, then Pigsy and Sandy.

"What is this?" Mk shouted out loud, gripping the staff tightly. Tang walked up to the rail, leaning over it so Mk could hear. "It's the defense measure of Flower Fruit Mountain. This ring of volcanoes protects it from unwanted visitors."

"Wait, does that include us?" Pigsy suddenly asks. Tang just shrugs at that. "Well, we better be quick, anyways. Demon Bull King isn't just gonna disappear." Mk suddenly says as he goes running into the ring.

"Mk, wait on us!" Pigsy calls out to an Mk growing smaller and smaller. "At least watch out for the lava walls!" Tang shouts to Mk, if a bit frantically.

"Wait, what- OOMF" Mk fell back onto his butt as magma spouted from a crack in the volcanic rock, simmering the edges of his Har.

"You better run after him." Tang groaned, rubbing his temples while leaning on the rail. Sandy and Mei immeadietly ran to Mk's side while Pigsy hesitated, looking back to Tang.

"Aren't you going to come with us?" Pigsy asked, leaning on the rail before looking to Mei, who was frantically patting Mk's head to put out the flames with Sandy fanning Mk with the same motive.

Tang's small smile strained on his face as he also looked to the trio. He took another deep breath before looking back to Pigsy. "I don't think I'd be useful out there. What could I do if a random villain showed up? Bore them to death with my constant rambling?" Tang huffed at his own comment.

"You guys will be okay without me this time. Besides, I don't want to go out in that heat and ruin all this hard work." Tang flipped his hair for added effect. This got a small chuckle out of Pigsy, so Tang counted that as a win.

"Ok, I'll stop botherin' ya. You can look after the boat while we're gone. Don't set anything on fire." Pigsy said with a serious tone. Tang full on laughed at that, doubling over the rail.

"Haha! Don't worry about it, Pigsy. I'll be fine. Just make sure you and everyone else stay safe on the way there, too. Also, make sure to step back if you feel vibrations under your feet."

Pigsy huffed in response, picking himself off the railing and starting to walk towards the group. He waves back to Tang before booking it up to the group and pulling them back before more magma could roast them alive.

Tang had waved back, watching as the bickering group slowly faded into the smoke and ash. After their figure were no longer visible, he let his face fall before heading into the boat, locking the door and sliding back against it.

He put his head into his knees, wrapping his arms around himself.

"You'll be fine." He whispered. "You have moved on from it all. You can't be affected by his mere presence or mention anymore." His vision started to blur.

Then Tang fell back into old habits, taking deep, slow breaths to regain his composure. In, wait, then out. Again and again.

After many rounds of breathing, he was finally able to raise his head, letting it smack against the boat door. He groaned, slowly stood up, and finally made his way to an actual chair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tang had found himself wandering around the boat, picking up anything that seemed interesting and just rolling with how everything worked.

The cats had been avoiding him, hissing at his presence and then jumping onto the nearest surface away from him. Tang had just sighed as he picked up a boat manual and sat as a comfy blue couch.

The book was nothing particularly interesting, but Tang needed something to keep his brain occupied (and to silence his anxiety). It worked for the most part.

However, his thoughts always wondered to Mk. Why was he even able to lift the damn thing, how he had found that place where it was buried, and what his connections were to Sun Wukong.

Tang was sure Mk had no ill intentions; his feelings were like an open book to Tang. This is how he had noticed the shift in Mk to begin with; how he had changed drastically.

And what was Sun Wukong planning with a successor? Tang could tell from the smothering gold covering Mk's spirit. Why would he let someone else wield the staff so suddenly, giving all his powers to a literal teenager?! And how would this affect everyone Mk is close to!?

Tang couldn't focus on the manual anymore.

He sighed. Stop thinking so much about it. This has nothing to do with you, he thought. You're completely fine; unaffected. It's not like he would've-

*WOOOOSH*

The boat creaks as a harsh gust of wind sends it tilting back and forth. Tang fell onto the ground with the furniture sliding along with him. With the therapy cats strewn across the entire inside, Tang quickly ran to unlock the door and look out from the deck.

He blanched at what he saw. Freaking PRINCESS IRON FAN was BATTLING THE GANG.

How did she find them!? Shit shit shit shit this was bad. He couldn't tell much from the distance, but Tang knew that this lady was mainly going against Mk. The continuous recoil from the staff was enough indication.

Plumes of smoke kept rising up at odd angles, with rumbles coming quickly and shaking up the boat even more. Tang quickly jumped over the rail and grounded his feet to the volcanic rock.

He started to madly pull out the metal pegs one by one, throwing them up onto the deck and wrapping all the rope on his shoulders as he could feel the gang getting closer and closer. The recoiling had stopped, and this is what worried him the most.

He barely took the small quakes into account as he finally got the last peg up on the deck, quickly jumping, grabbing the railing, and pulling himself over again. He could see them running straight for the boat, and he quickly through the rope/pegs into an open container before shutting it.

Now, he could clearly see their silhouettes as they ran from the now VERY active volcanoes. He could see Pigsy, Sandy, Mei... wait. Where's Mk!?

Tang's train of thought was shattered as everyone jumped up onto the deck, making it dip before Sandy rushed to the wheel. He steered that boat away from the ring so fast that no one had time to get inside.

Now they're silently speeding away. Total silence encompasses everyone out on deck. Pigsy was sitting down, arm around Mei's shoulders. Tang was right next to them, gripping the rail as he looked blankly at the ocean.

"What happened." Tang voiced blankly. Pigsy looked up with a concerned expression. "Tang....." Tang snapped his neck to look directly at Pigsy. "What. Happened." He repeated.

Pigsy closed his eyes for a second, slowly rubbing a sobbing Mei's back. "She... she was after the staff and took it from Mk. In the process she... she blasted him and sent him flying somewhere, and we don't know where he is or if he even survived the blast." Pigsy's voice wavered as he responded.

A shocked expression took over Tang's face before he schooled it into distraught expression. He never said anything back for the entire ride. Just looking back out at the ocean, a blank look stuck on his face.

He knew Mk wasn't dead. Before they ran, Tang could still clearly feel the strong thrum of Mk's spirit, even if it was weaker than before.

But Tang couldn't tell them this without proof; proof Tang couldn't willingly give. So, he kept quiet and eventually put a hand on Pigsy's shoulder for the remainder of the ride.

When the boat was finally parked, only Sandy moved to secure it and turn the engine off, eventually joining everyone else on the deck silently.

Tang couldn't take it anymore. "We can't just sit here doing nothing." He suddenly sputtered. Everyone looked to him with concern. "Demon Bull King and his family have already taken too much from us. We can't just sit here and do nothing while they continue what we already tried to stop." Tang looked up to everyone.

"Mk would've kept going. He would've wanted everyone to be safe and to be happy again. We have to finish what we started. For Mk, and for everything else we might lose at the end of this. We need to be strong for Mk, to honor his memory by helping his last effort. We can at least try for his sake."

This seemed to have shaken everyone out of their grief, even if by just a bit. "*sniff* yeah! We need to kick those guys butts for what they did!" Mei shouted out, wiping her tears as she stood up.

"There will be many robots trying to kill us, that with the added main family will not be east for us alone." Pigsy warned, rising back up next to Tang.

"We know. But we have to do something. Anything to help fight against the Demon Bull King. For Mk." Tang stated

"For Mk!" Mei shouted.

"For the kid!" Yelled Pigsy.

"For MK!" Sandy exclaimed.

For Mk.

Previous | Next

A World Without Him

Chapter 17

Tang's shift went on routinely.

Grab from the basket. Try to scrub out the stains or top layers of grime. Throw the piece into the machine. Let it run along once it's full. Go until the baskets empty. Ignore the worker taking and refilling the basket. Rinse and repeat.

That's how everything went; no pleasant chatter or white noise to cover the rumbles of machinery or the whispers of the actual workers. Oh, yeah, he forgot to mention that apparently they weren't considered actual workers as they were under “tent arrest”, which was just a polite way of saying they were slaving away under the “official” workers’ scrutiny.

He was lucky to even be allowed his own station instead of being an errand boy, though, as he saw some running around delivering soap or baking soda to whatever worker yelled out the loudest. Maybe it was because he wasn't making a scene and seemed to be mild-mannered with just a little intimidation. It's not like they're wrong, though.

The staring had also gotten a bit worse from there, as they seemed to get over the shock of his presence and start to test his limits. After a bit, the soldiers patrolling and workers coming for the baskets were not very subtle with their discomfort around him anymore. They seemed to be waiting for him to slip up and make some kind of mistake as he continued those tedious patterns of scrubbing, throwing, and silently screaming in his head.

It was easier to zone out when Tang didn't have constant looks directed at him 24/7. His mind and body were tired from the constant stress now, and he thinks his ankles would give out any minute from how long he's been standing and shuffling in place.

He wanted nothing more than to yell screw you to this place, and fall asleep back in his apartment; he wanted to sink away from all these prying eyes.

Maybe this was why he started to disassociate more, letting the piercing stares and scrutiny fall into the background as he let muscle memory do most of the work. Maybe this was when his mind started to blank with his head then trying to fill in the space, subconsciously bringing back some old friends to fill the void.

‘Everything is going wrong. What are we even supposed to do against that thing!?’

Tang sighed internally as he was brought back to reality. He thought, since he now had Cian yapping into his ears whenever it wanted, he would be free from the other annoying voices. There was no such luck to be had, though.

‘______ is already on the problem. The setup is going through and ____ get everything back __ the way it was. ____ whining.’

‘Well I'm so _____ for being a bit worried that it's got some grubby mitts on ____ now. How ___ we even going to get the _______ back up again?’

‘Ughhhhh…’

They didn't stay for long and faded out soon after he noticed them. Tang relaxed a bit at their departure, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

He knew they had something to do with what was happening with his head (as Cian used to also be “just a voice”, and it turned out to be something way more than something like that) but he didn't want to try interacting with them yet. He knew they didn't look too kindly to him, and seemed anxious when he seemed to notice their existence.

He didn't want to know what would happen if they figured out he could hear them the entire time. It's especially risky to try and interact with them now since he knows they might be able to interact with the world like Cian did, maybe to even more serious degrees if they were more powerful.

Thinking this much about everything was starting to hurt his head. I don't even know where these stupid voices are coming from in the first place, less so why they're messing with my life! He thought, accidently ripping a piece off of a tent in his stupor.

He cringed at that, and then carefully put it into the wash for someone else to deal with. He really needed a nap, and maybe a good story to fill his mind with distractions. But almost no breaks are allowed in here. He had learned just how harsh this place was when there was a big commotion two rows down in front of him.

One of the other workers (the one who refused to get up from the ground near the start of the day. Tang recognized the guy from the burn marks up the side of his face) was forcefully dragged out of the building when he tried to sleep on the floor. Wherever they were taking him, it didn't seem good as the guy knocked over baskets and other cleaning supplies, and Tang really didn't want to find out for himself.

He quickly woke himself up by slapping his cheeks and went back to his work after that instead of gawking any more at the scene. His body probably couldn't take another harrowing experience like that this week lest he collapse onto the ground. Maybe I would be brought to where they were keeping Zach if I collapsed.

Anyways, after what felt like hours of scrubbing and washing after that incident, the loud sound of a bell rang throughout the camp, signaling what Tang assumed was the lunch break. He was probably right based on the looks of relief that came over all the other peoples’ faces as they started moving away from their stations.

Tang quickly went with the crowd, moving with the wave of people trying to squeeze through the entrance doors with everyone else. His stomach had started growling an hour ago, and after he almost ate a detergent pod thinking it was another one of those gross breakfast bars, he really didn't want to wait any longer.

But before he could even get close to those doors, he was pulled out of the crowd by his sleeve and almost landed onto another station at the force. Looking up and about to argue with whoever stopped him, he realized it was the Head Soldier from earlier, and quickly bit back his retort.

The guy was gruff, obviously. He had a buzz cut and a 5 o'clock shadow that didn't help hide any of the guy’s wrinkles. He also had a branded military cap unlike anyone else in the building. Tang didn't look that closely at anything else though, mainly because the guy looked down at him with a snarl and furrowed brows before speaking up, too loudly in Tang’s opinion.

“Don't go wandering off now. You and the other low-lives eat in your tent away from the workers and soldiers. Wouldn't want you all to conspire or have fights to break out, would we?”

Tang didn't answer the rhetorical question, yanking his sleeve out of the guy’s hold as he looked away from his gaze. Seeing a small commune of people near the back of the building, he quickly walked away and started going towards them, seeing Carlson near the back which solidified that this was probably his group.

The Head Soldier slowly walked behind him until he was back with all of them near the back, and then clapped loudly to get everyone's attention.

“Go with your assigned team back to the tent and take your lunch break. Remember that it's only 25 minutes, and if you're late you'll have to report to me for appropriate punishment. Now shoo.” He waved a hand before walking out of the building's back door, leaving the group alone with the 3 chaperone soldiers.

They were almost immediately ushered out of the room by said soldiers, many of them having to speed walk back to the tent from how fast these guys were going. Tang quickly looked around the place, trying to see everything in a new light compared to yesterday.

All he could were groups of people sitting at picnic tables further away, digging into their bowls like dogs who haven't been fed in weeks. Their faces held many scars and bruises, but no emotion as they ate, scarfing down all the brown stuff they could around a fire before the next bell would ring out. One seemed to lock gazes with him, crazed eyes looking into ones of apprehension. But that was all he could see before getting forced back into the tent with a shove along with the others.

Many grunts of disapproval were let out before everyone slowly went back to their own devices. Tang swallowed heavily, standing in place for a bit after the rush, and then quietly went back to his bed while swerving away from the other inhabitants.

He just sat back down onto his cot after that, letting the white noise distract his head from anything else. He only stares at the ceiling, if you could call it that, not bothering to move even when hearing the tent flap open and the clinking of metal signaling the food is here. He didn't feel that hungry anymore.

He stayed that way for a bit, letting his situation finally sink in after the hectic time he's already had, and it's not even 1 o'clock yet. He squints his eyes, letting the world blur and refocus at his will. He flinched as a hand landed onto his shoulder, and it quickly retracted at his reaction. It was Rick, holding two bowls of whatever this place was serving to them.

Rick didn't seem that deterred by the reaction. “Woah there, didn't mean to scare you that badly, heh. You seemed all out of it, and your slop was getting cold, so I brought you a bowl.” He explained, setting down a bowl onto Tang's cot next to his hand.

Rick continued his speech as Tang took the bowl, smelling it carefully before taking small sips bit by bit. “I get why you're so high-strung. No one likes being put into time out, doing all these dumb errands while we get ordered around by those damned workers who think they're better than us. You were probably also interrogated, which is no one's favorite thing, and you seem to not know anything about this place or why everyone here is so weird. So scared and alone, I reckon.”

Tang slightly squinted his eyes at the last part, but he just nodded along anyway, finishing the bland soup(? all he knew was that sludge was in a bowl, but it might just be its own ecosystem by now judging by the weird slimy chunks here and there) and setting the bowl back onto the cot.

Rick sat a hand onto Tang's shoulder again after the scholar was finished, letting the lack of flinch be the acceptance he needed as he gripped the shoulder harder. “So~, I have decided to be your guiding light, your navigator, or whatever you want to call me throughout your camp experience! We'll never really be in the direct line of fire, by the way, as we're most likely going to be running around for the people working in the background. So I was thinking I could fill you in on this total mess we call an HQ, and you could stick by me when I need it! So, what do you think?”

Rick stared into Tang’s eyes, a sharp grin on his face as he waited for a response. Tang got a feeling of deja vu yet again. Why do I seem to be involved with more dubious deals than usual? This is starting to become a pattern. A very concerning pattern…

But before Tang could even try to think of a response, a hand dragged Rick’s own off of Tang’s shoulder.

“I think you should stop harassing us new guys. Nothing good will come from forcing us to be your personal errand boys like the workers do to us. A bit hypocritical, don't you think?” An unfamiliar voice spoke out. It seemed familiar to Tang, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he'd heard it from. He didn't think too hard about it anyway as Rick's eye twitched annoyance before he started to retort loudly.

“Hah! Please, I was just being friendly to our new member. He would obviously be eaten alive in here unless he had some help from a pro. I was just offering my help, like a good samaritan. Gotta get outta this tent someday, ya know?” He narrowed his eyes as his grin fell slightly.

“It's not like you can talk, either. I haven't seen you around before, so you don't know this place very well. Are you trying to act all heroic in a “noobs stick together” sort of way? ‘Cause that won't end well for you or him in this place, trust me.” Rick spoke with venom, his laid-back tone with Tang vanishing in an instant as he spat at the newcomer.

Now that Tang thinks about it, he hasn't seen this guy in the camp either. He definitely would have remembered this guy, mainly with how bright his eyes were. They were a light yellow, bordering white in some areas, with some wisps of pure black hair falling in front of them from his short, messy hairstyle. His voice was smooth, almost comparable to Cian with how he spoke. He held a grin like Rick, but it didn't seem as sharp as the other's was.

Maybe this guy was one that he had just missed in the chaos of the morning and last night? That was probably it, as Tang didn't remember Rick from the tent until he introduced himself in the bathrooms. Tang just shook his head at that and focussed back into the present when another bell went off throughout the camp, signaling the end of lunch and stopping the two's argument for now.

Rick laughed, but it was one without humor. “Well, I guess it's time for us to go back, huh? I'll let you have this one today, as I really don't want to be put back in the Pound when someone intriguing finally shows up in this tent. You better get moving though, those soldiers really don't like when they're put on Guard Duty, especially when it's just for bums like us.”

Rick waved a hand beside his head as he walked away and took his untouched bowl with him to dump into a trash can outside the tent, shoving the now empty bowl to whichever unsuspecting soldier was closest.

Tang looked away from where Rick had gone and looked to the guy beside him. The cold guy glanced at him for a second, something gleaming in his eyes the scholar couldn't decipher, before silently ignoring his presence and stepping out of the tent himself.

That was weird. What Tang’s only thought before readjusting his cracked glasses and carrying his bowl to the front. The guy with greasy hair stared at him from his own cot as the scholar walked out, his own bowl halfway finished and halfway on the floor. Tang just ignored him, again, and gave his bowl to the soldier beside the trash can.

But before he could actually enter the building again, a soldier grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around so they were face to face. “Are you Tang?” The woman deadpanned.

“Oh, uh, yes I am. What's the problem?” He answered, nervous he'd already done something to warrant this place’s wrath.

“Your friend finally woke up in the infirmary, and we have some questions we'd like to ask you when we arrive. Now, follow me, and don't go wandering off like some others in your tent; remember that we have eyes everywhere, so keep your hands and feet to yourself. Let's go.”

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I am Bilal from Gaza, displaced to Egypt after 150 days of great hardship. I came here with some of my family members, leaving behind most of our loved ones and places of memories.

Life in Egypt is full of challenges. We are here without a residence permit, and prices are very high, making it difficult to secure our basic needs. We try to adapt to the new circumstances, but every day we face new problems.

The longing for Gaza always hurts us. We think of our family and friends who are still there, and every contact with them deepens our sense of distance. Despite all these difficulties, we try to hold on to hope and look for ways to improve our situation.

If you can provide financial support, even if it is small, it will make a huge difference to us in these difficult times: [https://gofund.me/ba5b76e9]

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