Continued from here.
Chapter Four
"Who's Your Daddy Now?"
At a time indeterminate...
"I had them!" cackled a woman.
"I had them and they slipped away! They might be under the house!"
"I'm looking now, Marguerite." Wanda then spoke in a sing-song voice, as if she was being playful,
"Jude! Makoto! Come out now!" Her words echoed throughout the backyard.
"You two must be somewhere!"
Moving toward the porch, the witch heard moving coming from under the house. Wanda laughed as she bent down.
"You two are just like my boys. They too like to hide under the house!"
Fearing what Wanda would do if she saw them, Makoto began to squirm in an attempt to retreat deeper into the crawlspace under the house.
"Makoto!" Jude grabbed Makoto's arm.
"Don't move." The boy stared back at him, eventually nodding. They waited, not breathing, waiting until Wanda's face appeared behind the wooden barrier on the edge of the crawl space under the house.
"Go!"
The two boys began to crawl, coughing as dirt and dust drifted into their faces.
"We're not getting out of here," Makoto said, his voice tired.
"There has to be somehow, someway... I can contact Kyoko!"
"Just move!"
The dust and dirt grew thick and Jude felt it form a physical hold around his leg. He cried out in surprised as he was dragged toward Wanda. Makoto made a grab for Jude's arm, but he was pulled out of Makoto's grasp.
"Wanda--!" Makoto watched on in horror as Wanda ripped the wood aside to get to Jude.
"Oh, Jude. Why did you've to do this? You of all people. Why?" Once she pulled the boy out, he was tossed hard into a lawn ornament.
As Jude went flying, Makoto turned around and started crawling toward Wanda.
"Wanda... I know this isn't you. I know you're trying to break free but you need to try harder. Don't give into despair... Please, I believe in you, Wanda!"
"Makoto. I am despair."
Suddenly, a light surrounded Jude. He disappeared without a trace.
"Come out, Makoto. Now."
"... Wanda, I beg you..."
Makoto did as the Scarlet Witch commanded. He crawled out from under the house and stood before her. He stretched out his arms.
"I'm right here, Wanda. I'm your friend. Don't you believe in me, too?"
Grabbing the boy the throat, Wanda tossed him across the lawn.
"All I want is my family."
"B-But Wanda..." Makoto weakly stood to his feet.
"I am your family... and Kyoko and..."
"When i rold you about Shane, about BOB, you thought I was crazy!" Wanda kicked the boy in the stomach as she yelled.
"You, the Avengers, the Coalition, even my own twin. All of you have betrayed me. Why would I call you family?"
"I-It's not that I didn't believe you..." Makoto groaned, unsure if he should bother trying to get up again.
"I just thought you needed help. You still do, Wanda."
Wanda stood over him as her hands started to glow.
"Just die."
"Wanda, don't!"
"Wanda..." A woman Wanda knew but Makoto didn't recognize had burst out of the trailer in the middle of the backyard. She stared Wanda down, holding a protective arm out toward Makoto.
"Wanda, he's right, this isn't you! You know it. It's that damn girl..." The woman bit off a curse.
"Look what you're makin' me damn do, Wanda! Just, please, I don't think you're as far gone as the others, I don't!"
Wanda seemed conflicted. She held her head and groaned.
"Zoe, leave... Go!"
The woman, Zoe, took a few cautious steps back. She looked to Makoto.
"Run, boy!" She took a few steps toward the trailer.
"Wanda, get going. Go back in the damn house. Anything to spare this one!"
"Go... go!" Zoe made a run for it, seeking the safety of her trailer. Makoto got to his feet and made a run for it as well toward the forest.
"Geeet out!" Wanda screamed, shooting out a light that shot toward Makoto. Before he could escape, he was enveloped by the light and he disappeared.
Wanda dropped to her knees. For now, she was all alone.
At a time in the present...
"Damn, shit... I won't even bother to ask if you're okay," Bullet said to Nancy, biting her lip as she examined the other girl's burned hand. She went to grab Nancy's gun before offering it back to her.
"Guess it's no good to you for now, but it's still yours."
"I can help carry you again," Teddy offered.
With Daddy's corpse on fire, it was unwise to approach him to get a good look. Likewise, Noembelu's codex and her axes were as lost to the flames.
Daddy's axe was on the ground, having been dropped in the attack at some point.
"Someone's touchy," Lucas said to Leon.
"You haven't caught on to how the gift works yet, have you? The family's only a part of her gift. Either way, my dad's not interfering for now, so it's time for y'all to get moving. Right when you get to the upper hall, there'll be a map under my dad's old football helmet. He loved that thing."
With the new area open to the group and Lucas ushering them forward, there was no reason to stay in the main hall, especially considering the stench of burning meat and death was permeating the area. Still, Shane was in no condition to move, considering he was still on the ground, sweating and squirming occasionally. Noot Noot stamped his foot whenever someone tried to move Shane, indicating the doctor penguin didn't think it was a good idea further.
"Is someone gonna stay with him?" Owen offered, not wanting to be the one. There was a silence in the air before someone spoke up.
"I can stay with him," Makoto said, entering the main hall from the monitoring room exit.
"Better me than... someone more useful."
"I will stay with Shane as well. Besides, I'm an old woman. I'll only hold you all up."
"You both sure about this?" Captain America cautiously asked. Makoto nodded his assent.
Kyoko only sighed softly at the end of it all. So much blood had been shed in such a short amount of time... The evil that lurked here was certainly hungry for life to feed off of, be it the Dark Presence itself or something that lurked within it. She could only hope that there was a way to restore the lives that had been lost, but in a situation where all she could do was hope, there was little of it that she could feel at this present moment.
Life wasn't always that convenient, after all.
"..."
As Makoto and Agatha offered to stay behind with Shane, she looked at her so-called "husband" for a brief while, blinking once. To an extent, she almost pitied him. The Ultimate Lucky Student had his moments of ultimate unluck, it seemed, stemming as far back as the Coalition Civil War, and possibly even beyond. He always meant well... or so she believed, but the friction between intent and action was a loose one that caused even the best of people to slip up. Makoto Naegi had sinned, and there wasn't much evidence to argue the contrary with, that much was certain.
Waves of emotions she was not familiar with swam into each other, confusing the Ultimate Detective briefly, but... this was beyond all of them right now. So she could only say one thing.
"... Stay safe, Makoto."
Ahem.
"Okay. Let's move forward, everyone. The sooner, the better."
And with that, she turned her head away and moved to the front, leading everyone to the new area that Lucas had so generously unlocked for them all. At least no trap awaited them when they stepped into the next hall.
Beside the map was a vase full of the
Wundagore Everbloom. The map indicated a few new areas on the upper floor.
"There's the recreation room. Don't worry about grandma's room, it's closed off. Then there's the bathroom, and finally, you'll see another room labeled as the kid's room. That's mine an' my sister's old room. You fellas better not fuck up any of my trophies!"
At a time in the beyond...
"This isn't right... not at all!" Billy turned on Mrs. Altman and held a threatening hand out toward her.
"Billy!" Teddy cried. It was quite clear now he was a part of this illusion as well.
"That's my mom!"
"She's not."
Mrs. Altman only smiled.
"Why, Billy, first you cheat on my boy and then you threaten his mother. You have been very, very naughty. You seem to have caught on, so I really must wonder... did you think someone like me would disappear so easily?"
Teddy grabbed a hold of Billy, but Billy's eyes glowed blue and he tossed his boyfriend off of him with a magic blast.
"Teddy, she's not your mom... she's that parasite... She's--" As Teddy got up and charged Billy once again, the young reality-bender shot off a beam of energy at Mrs. Altman, causing her to explode into a strange sort of goo. Teddy screamed and dropped to his knees, though that was not the end.
Mrs. Altman began to reform.
"Where do you think you are, young Billy? You and your friends, they've fallen so far. It is here where I sleep, don't you know?" The woman held out a hand toward Teddy. A strange substance shot out and began to consume him.
"You treat mother with disrespect."
"... Mother."
"Mother" extended her parasitic power to others, grabbing at many of the guests of the wedding. Billy and the Young Avengers seemed at a loss for what to do.
"Come now, can't we all get along?"
In a flash of lightning and raw power, Wanda appeared before Mother.
"You dare invade this place? This was supposed to be something special for my son--!"
"How dare I? How could I not? Your actions caused this, Scarlet Witch. Your own fractured mind has created imperfect illusions. The slightest provocation causes them to topple like a tower of cards. I was called here, and I shall feast off the power of your boy. There is no meddling God of Mischief this time around. I will not lose again."
"Not while I breathe!" Wanda's eyes went bone white and fire danced around her. Mother looked unimpressed.
"Then perhaps you should cease to breathe."
Mother shot out her parasitic energy toward Wanda, but the Scarlet Witch retaliated with a battle cry. A white light exploded out from her, enveloping everyone. The group was tossed into the ether, where they fell, and fell, and fell...
***
A scene was forming.
In a suburban home, a door unlocked and a young woman stepped through with a key in hand. Shutting the door with her foot casually, she looked around the room.
"Troy? Where are you?"
The house was clean, it always was clean. The woman sighed loudly as she marched down the hall.
"Troy, it's Annette, Where are you? Your car, it is still here."
"Annette."
Troy stood in an adjacent room, his arms crossed. He looked at Annette with a disappointed gaze.
"Surprised I'm home?" he asked.
"Does that interfere with any plans of yours?"
Taken a back by Troy's tone, the woman shook her head, clearly confused.
"What plans? I was just letting you know I was home. I know how you hate being surprised." That last sentence hung in the air with a clear tone of slight bitterness.
"Yeah, I don't." He stared at her for a moment.
"Don't sit down. I just want to know. Is there something you want to get off your chest?"
"What? No. You're treating me like I'm one of your students. What is this about?"
"Jesus, do you have to turn everything into something like that? You seem to have a problem so I'd very much like if you expressed it. It should be a nice surprise if I'm home early."
Troy looked away.
"Or would you rather be talking to someone else?"
Annette's eye widened before narrowing.
"Oh my God, you think I'm cheating on you. Is this about Logan being in my office this morning? He's just a friend."
"I'm supposed to be the good guy and believe that, I know." He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.
"I've worked with Logan for years. I know the man. I've seen the looks. Even if you might not realize it, Annette..."
"I thought you had OCD, now you also read mind?" Annette was all mixed up. She was sad, hurt, and angry.
"Why can't you trust me, Troy? It's been almost three years. I've put up with all of your quirks and Why? Because I love you!"
"Excuse me?" Troy lifted his hands to make the gesture for air quotes.
"You 'put up' with my quirks?"
She sighed.
"God, I can not, Troy. What do I need to do to make you happy? Is my love not enough?"
"Annette! I--!" The man groaned. He closed his eyes and reached up to rub at his head, having a slight feeling that he and Annette were no longer alone. When he next opened his eyes, they were not in their home any longer, but inside a room surrounded by red curtains.
Standing nearby, watching them, was the group who had died. Billy was with them, the only carryover from the illusionary wedding. The man and woman known as Troy and Annette suddenly looked as if they were lost. They did not speak, only swayed in place.
"... What just happened?" Billy asked. He looked out of it himself.
Cast List
@Takumi as
Amir Halgal [Otoyomegatari]
→
@Cromartie Sarkissian as
Arno Victor Dorian [Assassin's Creed]
⇝
@Kaykay as
Beatrice Waltrud von Kircheisen [Dies Irae]
⇝
@Midnight Maiden as
Belle French [Once Upon a Time]
⇝
@dalecOoOoOoOoOper as
Dale Bartholomew Cooper [Twin Peaks]
→
@Gummi Bunnies as
Kiyohime [Fate/Grand Order]
→
@ShiroKiyoshi as
Klein Ullyr Green [OC]
⇝
@Ryu Keiko as
Koriand'r [DC Comics]
→
@Verite as
Kyoko Kirigiri [Danganronpa]
⇝
@Leon Moretti as
Leon Moretti [OC]
⇝
@Bomb as
Lola [Fairy Fencer F]
→
@dark as
Marcus Wright [Terminator]
⇝
@Mason Moretti as
Mason Travis Moretti [OC]
→
@Krieg as
Nancy Wheeler [Stranger Things]
⇝
@Yun Lee as
Noembelu [Street Fighter]
→
@Crow as
Nono Morikubo [The Idolmaster]
⇝
@Archmage Jeremiah as
Percival of the Round Table [Sonic and the Black Knight]
→
@LuckycoolHawk9 as
Phil Connors [Groundhog Day The Musical]
⇝
@ShiroKiyoshi as
Rant T. Mouse [OC]
→
@Gands as
Raven Darkholme [X-Men Cinematic Universe]
→
@York as
Reiner Braun [Attack on Titan]
→
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as
Rumpelstiltskin [Once Upon a Time]
⇝
@Minerva as
Saeko Busujima [Highschool of the Dead]
→
@Otto as
Shen [League of Legends]
⇝
@Glostechk as
Six [Little Nightmares]
⇝
@Seishin Ryuu as
Spartan-B312 [Halo]
→
@Jeremi as
T'Challa [Marvel Comics]
→
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as
Tekhartha Zenyatta [Overwatch]
→
@J A Y F R OM T H E 6 I X as
Teth Adam [DC Comics]
⇝
@The Batter as
The Batter [OFF]
⇝
@thatguyinthestore as
Toffee [Star vs the Forces of Evil]
⇝
