Skeletons in the Closet

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Chasing after an illusion, that's what they were doing. Not that any of them were fully aware of that, in fact, had Kindall kept quiet, they probably would've ended up in an even more shittier situation than they were in right now. He watched, helpless as all of them were separated from each other again. "Ow!" he exclaimed, as Kitty was getting a little too close and personal for his taste.

"Ever heard of a manicure, lady?" He figured that someone named Kitty would have claws, but this is ridiculous! He huffed, he needed to be brave and headstrong, the same way he was when he he fought Salem's grotesque harpy form.

His lips pursed into a smile, but his eyes carried a sense of hesitation. He did a faux-salute, saying, "Roger!" in a hearty voice. And when the local corpse bride said to spread out, he did so. Everything seemed to be fine at first, then...a crack in the wind. Sounds of malicious machination echoed throughout Ethan's ears, and soon he could see that he, and everyone else with him, were surely falling to their demise.

With a pained groan, Ethan cautiously tried to get up, his legs shaky from the recent fall. "We sure have a habit for falling into dark spaces, don't we, London?" he said, half-jokingly while still rubbing his sore backside. At this point he wouldn't be surprised if he fell into a black hole and London would be there with him. He took in his surroundings, well as best as he could anyway, with the limited amount of light available.

He had a hunch that, if they didn't know any better, they were in an abandoned mine. A hunch that would be confirmed to be true when he heard a creepy voice from some nearby speakers, urging them to get into their vehicles, ones that looked like what happened if a mine cart and an arcade booth of Mario Kart, something that he was almost afraid to admit, looked pretty radical.

Giddy with unfitting excitement, Ethan eagerly entered his kart. Proudly boasting to both Marten and London that, "No hard feelings if and when I win, okay?" a cocky smile adorned on his face. He lived for moments like this, he put on his best game face the moment a luminescent yellow light lit up, his mindset was that he was determined to win. As soon as the green light lit up and signaled the start of the lap, Ethan began to furiously pedal, he felt a rumbling sensation, thinking it was an earthquake or a tremor part of the experience, but no...It was something much worse.

FUCKING FLOOR IT!


"JUST SO YOU KNOW, LONDON, IF THIS WASN'T A LIFE-OR-DEATH SITUATION, I WOULD TOTALLY BE KICKING YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW." Ethan exclaimed, his voice panicky as his legs worked the hardest they ever have as he tried to outrun the massive rock set to destroy them.
 
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CLICK. That was never a good sound and the grunette knew it. She just knew it. There was a part of her that had really wanted to let Kitty know that she was probably the worst person to send scouting ever. She had a way with... attracting things. Mostly chaos and danger. London would know! The few times she had ever played video games, especially those involving NPC enemy characters, Marten displayed an uncanny ability to "aggro" every living, in-game creature within a 50 meter radius around their party. Unfortunately that super annoying ability translated into life as well!

Hence why she should never be picked to do anything ever! "It's a landmine... I just know it..." She'd whimper under her breath feeling a tremble in her thigh as she fought with herself on whether to lift her foot and face the boom or grind it down and hold that shit until her friends were safely away. I knew I should have made one of those video wills! I had all the time in the world and what did I do? Watch fucking Breadwinners of all the accursed shows!

She wouldn't get to impress upon Kelsey to clear her cache and favorites - Or better yet just burn her entire computer~ before they pawned all her shit, or where she stashed her manga, or that London's limited edition Dark Souls set, birthday gift was hidden in that weird crawlspace under the dishwasher, or... Kindall! She'd gotten him a real-life, oversized magnifying glass to go with his Sherlock costume, because who didn't know that freaking Milton Kindall was going as Sherlock for Halloween? She was sure he had one, but this one was real metal, and the glass was a pretty, translucent blue, and...

Isn't it funny how your life flashes before your eyes? Only, about halfway through the important parts, you realize how short that shit was? And how maybe you should have smelled more roses and spent less time on social media... Marten had all these fun flashes as she and her bosom buddies fell to their supposed dooms into a yawning abyss of...

"Wahhh, London, Ethan... I love you guys so much! I'm sorry I killed us all. I'm sorry I said Overwatch was stupid! It's so fun, I lied because I hate Mei Ling!" The poor girl was probably just near PTSD as she maintained her prostrate position from the initial fall, lamenting her loss of companions in such a short time. No wonder war heroes were always so fucked up! Watching all your friends just... disappear? And Marten was notoriously sensitive, so what could she really do but blubber? For all of the seconds it took for ghost!Adelaide to read them their last rights and an Indiana Jones style boulder to rumble out for them.

Then she was running and screaming, "Oh fuuuuuuck!" and wondering why Peter had to be such a dick! Her kart was green, which she appreciated. And her face was red as she struggled to breathe from pedaling for her life down an unknown tunnel. You know what. I'm glad he's a dick! I hope he's a giant dick! So when I kick him in the pants he'll feel it all over his body by default!!!
 
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"We're...not gaining on her at all. Why?" Jace thought with a scowl, watching Adelaide disappear into the trees. No matter how hard he tried to run, the tree line grew no closer. A glance round at his friends told him that it wasn't just him; Kelsey's words confirmed it. They weren't moving at all. It was almost like they were running on a treadmill.

"I know." He remarked with an aggravated sigh to Milton. Only then did he look down and notice that the ground was above his knees, about halfway up his thighs. Perhaps it was due to the added weight of carrying his friend on his back? Whatever the case, they were sinking and it wasn't because of quicksand. The ground was swallowing them; and with each passing second, they sank deeper and deeper. "Well, shi--" The ground gave way before Jace could finish and in a flash the rest of the group was gone.

Tunnel #45 Ft. Jindle and Third Wheel Kelsey
"Urgh.." Jace groaned, blinking hard. It was dark, but he could just make out something colored on the edge of his sight. There was a weight on his chest, similar to the weight he'd been carrying on his back. Had he and Milton switched places somehow during the fall? With the spinning, reeling sensation in his head, Jace could almost guess that they were still falling; however, the hard thing beneath him suggested that he was stationary. He blinked again as that blur of color became almost all that he could see, then it became clear what it was. Reddish-brown hair, Milton's to be precise. He'd rolled over top of him. Jace turned his head, about to ask him to get off. Kindall's head lolled and then..

"Fuck!"

Jace's face reddened. He never would have guessed that his first kiss would have gone to one of his friends, especially not a guy friend - AND ESPECIALLY NOT MILTON. It seemed more suitable that, if it was to be with a guy, it might have been Ethan. He covered his face with a one large hand, wishing he had a tree to hide behind. It was weird, not just because it was with Milton, but because he didn't share in Milton's reaction of distaste. That didn't make it any less embarrassing though. Had Kelsey seen it? They would never live this down if she had...

"I-I'm fine." He croaked and sat up. He was still blushing, but the light that was now shining down on them was dim, so perhaps neither of them would see. It was just enough light to see that they were on top of what appeared to be a jellyfish. Fitting, considering the atmosphere reminded him very much of Ariel's cave in The Little Mermaid, where she kept her collection of objects from the human world. He stood finally and stepped aside from the Dance game whatchamacallit at Milton's behest, surprised to see it there. This was by far the most out of place thing they'd seen all night, right in front of the Charity Garden's painting and the creepy My Little Pony dolls. A voice that sounded strangely like Adelaide's resounded from nowhere and everywhere all at once. That made the dance game number two on that list.

"Dance?" Jace's eyes widened. He felt strangely uncomfortable with the idea. He looked down at the arrow pads as they lit up in rapid succession. "Step on it!?" He only vaguely remembered watching others play this game and had never played it himself. He was a first-person shooter game kind of guy. "O-okay, um, Kelsey! Get that side!" Jace stomped on the arrows, trying his best to keep up. Now he knew why he'd never played this. This was insane! "Why the hell did you pick this song?!"
 
Collab by @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades

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The blue jellyfish turned purple then red. Kelsey and Jace worked well together most of the time but they weren’t meant to be dancing partners. Kindall gave up keeping track of their missed beats. He estimated they were barely hitting a two out of five, which was way below twenty percent.

“Ethan might be right for once. He takes to the dance floor like Jo to cake.” Milton shook his head. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help? You have the reaction time of an old grandma, Kels. We’re surviving because of Jace.”

Kindall was competitive about most things save computer games. He felt that the achievements in the virtual world was as good as monopoly money in the real world. Absolutely useless! Their current predicament was in the grey zone. Part of him felt this was some alcohol induced dream yet there was this voice at the back of his head that insisted that this was a game of life or death. Milton wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.

Either way they were in trouble. The massive jellyfish sank gradually with each missed beat and they were very close to the murky darkness inside the chasm. Milton squinted. There was just enough light from the arrow pads for him to see the desperate looks on his friends’ faces.

“Kels! Do you want me to take over? Ethan would be shouting GAME OVER pretty soon if he was here.”
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On any other day, she would have scowled at Kindle due to his annoying comments. Today, however, was different - Kelsey was far too terrified to care about the attack on her dance skills. With the finesse of a flailing chicken, she stomped down on the lit up arrows. Each stomp was always a second or two too late. “I don’t know!” She screeched in response. “I don’t know anything about DDR! Frigging Ethan kept talking about this song so I picked it!” It was the truth, screeched out in all its ear-shattering glory.

“Kindle, use your hands.” Kelsey snapped. Who gave a damn about cheating at this point? If it kept them afloat, then good. Trying her darnedest, Kelsey moved to the erratic beat, leaping and stomping down in hopes of helping Jace. She didn't do much, really. Jace was still their current savior.

The jellyfish continued to sink.

Kindle didn’t need to wait for Kelsey’s okay. He was already on his knees, tapping the arrows before Kelsey’s feet touched them. He winced each time she ended up stomping on his fingers. He forgave her the first ten times but that last stomp really, really hurt!

“Fuck, Kelsey! You’re slowing me down. My hands feel crappier than my head. Maybe you should take a break?”

She didn’t know if letting the groggy Kindle replace her would be a wise move, but she wasn’t exactly in great shape either. Kelsey felt like she was trying to dance on jelly limbs. Before she could agree, Kindle rushed in and took her place.

Kelsey didn’t know what to feel, they were sinking fast and she was being utterly useless. It was around then, that she noticed a control panel that hadn’t been there before. The rabbit hole only seemed to grow crazier. “I’m going to try something,” she hissed as she left the boys to inspect the new device.

It was control panel with only one switch.

‘EMERGENCY SWITCH’ it read in bold red letters. Suspicious, the same way big red buttons were suspicious, but at this point, they had nothing left to lose. Taking a deep breath, Kelsey reached for the switch and pulled it down. The control panel lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Mission Start!” Mini P’s squeaky voice boomed.

His maniacal laughter filled the air as letters and numbers began forming overhead. They spelled out the words “Get a 52 combo”. Kindle frowned as he noticed the lighted arrow pads dimming and the music stopping.

“What’s a combo?” He asked Jace and Kelsey. The only combo he knew were those at McDonald or Popeye's. A burger or fried chicken served with fries and a coke.

He didn’t get a chance to ask a second question when Egoism started playing again. The arrow pads were flashing at three times their usual speed. He tapped the first arrow only to miss four in the process. He hoped that Jace was doing a better job. Their jellyfish was turning a deep strawberry red.

“Kelsey! Stop it!”


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The five tracks merged into a single smooth road. Charlotte’s face was pale as she clutched to her steering wheel tightly. She couldn’t believe how steep this incline was! Any steeper and it would be like one of those roller coaster rides on Coney Island.

“Don’t rocks roll faster down a steeper hill?” She squeaked not daring to look back.

Without warning, the road bent upwards and the racers found themselves pedaling harder to move up the ninety-degree incline. They might have escaped the giant boulder but death waited for anyone too tired to continue.

Charlotte was in the middle of the group. Ethan and Marten were right in front of her. She wasn’t sure where Kitty nor London went. Her fear of heights stopped her from turning around. She didn’t need to look to know how high they were above ground.

“Come on,” she cheered between each shuddering gasp. “We should reach the top soon!”
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Kitty shuddered as the damp air whipped at her face. They were alive, but she couldn’t tell how high the hill went. How long would they be able to keep pedaling. Surely, He wouldn’t settle for such a trivial means of killing them… he seemed to live for the games and the excitement - big gestures that left people reeling.

“You, girl,” Kitty called out to London as she pedaled. “Just keep going.”

Adelaide’s voice spoke up again. “Halfway there, dears. You’re doing great! I have a wonderful thing to share with you.”

Charlotte felt a chill run down her spine. This can’t be good! She hoped it was going to be another boulder chase. That would be a mercy considering how much her legs were aching at this point.

There was a pause before Adelaide recited the first verse of a familiar poem.


“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth”



She stopped as if to allow the words to sink in before she continued. “Shall we see which path you’d like to take?” she asked cheerily. “Go right to take a leap of faith or go left to head down a path tried and true. Make up your minds quickly! Being indecisive is … dangerous.”

The path leveled off. All five racers were greeted with a three-way fork ahead. The smooth road heading to right had a signboard that read “Leap of Faith” and the rocky one to the left had a signboard that read “Tried and True”. There was also a third path in the middle. A road that disappeared down a cliff into a dark abyss.

“Which way do we choose?” Charlotte asked nervously.

They had to make the decision now, or they would all plummet down into the abyss.
 
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A mixture of fear, adrenaline, and the absurdity of Ethan's claims pulled a laugh from her. Well, an awful sounding shriek mixed in with what might be a laugh, anyway. "That's a lie and you know it!" It became more genuine as Marten cried out I-love-yous and admitted to actually liking Overwatch. "Ha! I knew you liked the game, Mar-dios!" London scrambled to straighten her wheels as the tracks disappeared. She'd been counting on those to keep her alignment. Steady, steady. Breathe. Growing up in Rockport City, she learned how to navigate crazy traffic and even crazier drivers. Pedaling around in a gokart should have been a piece of cake! Yet...

London whimpered as they reached a steep decline. Clutched the steering wheel so tight her knuckles whitened. She wanted to close her eyes, to completely forget about the boulder gaining on them, but that was the first rule of driving: Keep your eyes on the road. At least she could ease up on the pedals and let gravity help her out.

The relief died almost as quickly as she'd indulged in it.

"Joder! Seriously!?" London scowled, legs pumping to make the sudden incline. They'd lost the boulder, but she could quickly feel herself losing momentum. Fatigue crept up on her, the muscles in her legs twitching in warning. "J-Joder, I can't..." Her friends were getting farther and farther away, bringing with them what motivation she had left to pedal. Just before her endurance gave out, Kitty's voice snapped through the haze and pushed her to keep going.

Easier said than done.

Muscles burning, London tried not to cry in frustration and instead focused on keeping up with the older maid. If she had someone to pedal with then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Wrong. She quickly grew irritated, cursing what Spanish phrases she knew under her breath. When those ran out, she resorted to Spanglish. Then, English. It didn't help that the speakers overhead kept ringing in her ears.

"FUCKING SHUT UP ADELAIDE!"

A fork in the roach approached and London paled. What had Adelaide been saying? Had she been reciting a poem? What poem? London was so focused on just getting her legs to move that she hadn't paid attention; instead, listened more to the voice in her head that sounded eerily like Dori from Finding Nemo, telling her to just keep pedaling. As the fork got closer, London panicked.

A bumpy, rocky path labeled 'Tried and True' or a smooth road called a 'Leap of Faith'? Neither one seemed good; London didn't know if she could handle the rocky path right now, nor did she particularly look forward to any surprises. Crap.

"Wait-" London grew closer to the fork, yet no more near a decision. "Adelaide, wait, I- Guys, what did she say!?" The lady of the house did not come to her aid and there wasn't any time left for her to decide, even if her friends did pitch in. Taking a leap of faith, London yanked her steering wheel right.

But it didn't work.

London's gokart rammed against the edge of the middle road at the last second with a loud screech, just short of making it towards of her destination. She was stuck on the path of indecision. "No, I didn't want- Not this one! Adelaide, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Her cart went over the cliff and London let out a scream. Clutched her katana and Cyrptodex like a lifeline. Falling ahead of her was Charlotte, whom she hadn't noticed take the same route; the maid disappeared into an enormous, plastic clown's painted red mouth. The same red mouth that would swallow London next.



With a jolt, London tensed. Looked around. In place of her individual purple cart, she found herself in a multi-person cart with Charlotte. "Dios mi-oh no..." Her voice trailed off as the cart slowly began moving of its own accord. Around them appeared the scene of a graveyard. Goosebumps broke out across her skin. "I don't like this..." she whispered, scooting towards the middle of the cart. Her shoulder bumped against Charlotte's. In the background of the graveyard, red eyes cut through the darkness. London shook Charlotte's sleeve, grip tight, and pointed them out.

She yelped as hands began popping out of the soil. London slammed her feet down onto the pedals - only to find that there were none. "What the..." Desperate, she fiddled with any lever or toggle she could find. Yanked on something that brought the cart to a startling halt - a hand brake - and sucked in a breath. "C-Crap, sorry." Put the brake back. The cart moved forward again, but just as painfully slow as before. Grabbing the steering wheel, London managed to turn them left and right.

At least that was working.

Yet, at the speed they were going, whatever was clawing its way out of the ground would surely catch them. London bit her lip before stuffing her Cryptodex tightly into one of the cargo pant pockets by her knees. Gripped her katana with both hands and stood up shakily on the seat to get a better look around them. More hands shot from the ground; far too many to successfully play Whack-A-Mole with. A zombish moan rose from the graveyard like a ghost.

"Charlotte," she swallowed. "W-What do we do?"
 
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"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, MARTEN, I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'S SATAN INCARNATE!" Ethan said, practically shouting at the top of his lungs just so that his friend could hear him in between the totally batshit insane things that were happening right now. He didn't know how long he was pedaling, all he knew was that if he stopped even for a fraction of a second, he and everyone else would be facing imminent death.

Things were starting to get rocky, and not in the punny way that Ethan thought it would be. The incline itself nearly made him lose his grip on the steering wheel, if he didn't know any better, this track might as well have been Rainbow Road. When Charlotte thought it was good to share the random tidbit for today, Ethan quickly protested. "NOT HELPING, CHARLOTTE! NOT HELPING!" He said with beaten breath.

Were it not for the copious amounts of adrenaline he was feeling right now, the young man swore he would've fainted by now-whether through fear or exhaustion was another question altogether. It was at this point that Ethan could safely say that his legs were starting to feel like jello, not unlike a rough Friday night. He didn't even dare to look down, for he know that would only intensify his fears even more. He settled on a more lax pace, now that a giant boulder wasn't hellbent on crushing them to death, but the moment that Adelaide's ghastly voice spoke up again, Ethan quickly settled on a regular rhythm.

"This wonderful thing better be a fucking sofa bed, because my feet are killing me!" He didn't know whether it was better or worse to die from overexerting himself, certainly it seemed better than dying at the clutches at whoever ran Henbard Chateau.

Half-attentive, but still half-panicky, Ethan could only describe his decision as one that was made during the spur of the moment. Not wasting a moment, he quickly steered his cart into the left side of the fork. Ethan gulped, he chose this path half-heartedly, vaguely unaware of the consequences his choice would make. Before he could even contemplate what he was in store for, a bright light began to blind him, temporarily robbing him of his vision. Instinctively he closed his eyes...



Ethan didn't know where he was, but wherever it was, it was hot. Grunting, he opened his eyes to be greeted with the warm desert sun, it felt like he was being boiled alive. Far across the horizon there was nothing but sand, cacti, and rocks, maybe a tumbleweed or two. If he didn't know any better, he would've figured that he stumbled into a VR simulation of Fallout: New Vegas. Though, he didn't quite recall that game ever having the ability to ride horseback...

Wait, horseback?!

Gazing downwards Ethan could only gasp in shock as he realized he was no longer riding inside a sick mishmash of an arcade cabinet and a mine cart, but rather, he was manning a horse coach! The equine in front of him galloped forward to a destination unknown. "E-Easy there, boy!" He urged, trying to slow down the horse to a steady pace. He had never ridden horses before, save for virtual ones, so trying to get it to ease up wasn't quite the easiest thing to do.

Sweat began to trickle on the boy's forehead and he held up one of his wrists to wipe it off, only to realize that he had actually undergone a wardrobe change to fit with his current surroundings!

Gone were the fancy, but admittedly tattered, regal vampire get-up he was wearing before and he checked every inch of his body to see it had been replaced with what could only be described as Brokeback Mountain cosplay. Normally, Ethan would have been all over this costume, striking a pose and maybe give a wink or two, but he had half a mind to question why it was even necessary to doll him up like this in the first place.

Things seemed pretty alright, no imminent danger, just...aimless wandering. Everything felt like it was closer to Red Dead Redemption than New Vegas, admittedly. He could swear, that in the distance, there was an accompanying musical score to go with his travelling, something with a good bassline. Then, out of nowhere, the ground began to shake violently.

"An earthquake?!"
Ethan exclaimed, the horse certainly wasn't having any of it, thrashing left and right in a panic as Ethan tried once more to reassure it that everything was fine...in spite of the fact that they really weren't.

For a moment, things stopped, Ethan and his horse companion more than relieved. Only for the convulsing and vibrations to grow ever-more powerful, from beneath the sand a gigantic thing emerged. It was far across wherever they were but Ethan was confident that it probably wouldn't have any sort of difficulty attempting to catch them. A loud screech filled their ears, no doubt escaping from the maw of the creature, as it aligned its serpentine body to face the direction where Ethan and the coach was. "God. Fucking. Dammit."

"SO THIS IS WHERE THE LOCH NESS MONSTER'S BEEN HIDING ALL ALONG!" Even as he was urging the horse to gallop as fast as it could, Ethan still had the time to make a quip or two. Faster, dammit! Faster! He redoubled his efforts, the horse presumably trying its best to outrun the slithering fiends. It wasn't until the sky began to mysteriously darken did he slow down for a while, gazing up only to see a barrage of meteorites aimed directly below the sands they were treading on. "OH COME ON! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING VIDEO GAME IS THIS?!" Ethan shouted to the heavens, if he weren't busy right now, he'd give the sky one big middle finger and shove it right up its ass.

Clearly, the time for games were no more, panic rushed through his mind and there had never been a more appropriate time for him to put his game face on. Trying to maneuver the coach to the best of his limited abilities, Ethan redoubled his efforts in dodging both the slimy attacks of the serpent creatures as well as the huge flaming rocks that were dead-set on ending his life. Debris scratching and tearing at his flesh, Ethan sucked it all up. It felt like hours, trying to outrun those sand creatures, and the young man could've sworn he saw a run-down town on the horizon, at first brushing it off as nothing but a mirage, but as he got ever-so closer to it, the clearer the image became.

He let out a sigh of relief, only to immediately regret doing so when he became aware of the fact that one of the creatures had already caught up to him, hissing at him and glaring at him with murderous intent. He gazed downwards for what felt like a milisecond to see a slingshot placed next to him. Furrowing his brows, Ethan shouted with discontent, "REALLY?! NOT EVEN A FUCKING REVOLVER?! DAMN IT, WHY ISN'T THIS GAME CO-OP?!"
 
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"Don't ask! Just do it!" Jace barked at Milton finally between gasping breaths. He was struggling to keep up, always just a second behind the game. It looked rather clumsy, the way he and Kelsey flailed and stomped in their attempts. They were about as graceful as those inflatables with the long arms that swayed and bucked in the wind in parking lots and store fronts. Between the two of them, Kelsey was worse off. It was just best that Milton take over, even as slow as he was likely to be.

Turned out, Kindall didn't even have to use his feet. He slapped the arrows with his hands, only to get stepped on by Kelsey. That had to hurt. It started to seem like a good idea; however, as surely the reaction time would improve if Jace didn't have to fumble to stomp the arrows. He considered this only for a hot second; there wasn't time to really give it any thought. He shot Kelsey a couple of sideways glances.

"Kels! Don't do it!" Jace hollered, dread washing over him as she pulled the switch down. It was always a bad idea to push buttons, so it undoubtedly went for flicking switches and pulling levers as well. The miniature pumpkin's little voice filled the darkness around them then. "Mission? Combo?" Things got a million times worse when the game continued, going ten times as fast as before (which didn't even seem possible).

Sweat dribbled down the side of Jace's face. The arrows became a blur of color beneath his feet, indistinguishable from each other. Jace slowed before stopping altogether, hands on his knees. "I can't... keep up... too fast..." He breathed and plopped onto his bottom rather hard, forking his fingers through his hair. Watching the lights was making his head spin. Thankfully, he wasn't epileptic.
 
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What the heck is this incline?! 176 degrees?! She was a self-proclaimed health nut, but this was ridiculous. Her calves burned to high heaven and the muscles in her quads were doing things they'd never done before. Marten was happy for the darkness lest she look down and be mortified with the human body, as she sometimes was. It burned so much, she wanted to give up, but there was no stopping with a giant, rampaging stone looming behind them all.

"Shit, I can't keep this pace! There's no way!" Her breath hitched with the effort it took to even speak. She really wished that her iPod was on her. At least music would give her a beat to set her cadence on! She needed something high tempo. Anything! Well not anything... Brief recollections Caramelldansen made her mentally cringe.

She spent so much time contemplating something to keep her going that when Adelaide's voice came again, prompting them to choose a side, she was almost taken aback. It seemed taking her mind off it had numbed some of the pain. Go figure. Well that and the screaming. The rollercoaster drop had not been appreciated by the grunette. At. All. It was just screaming... All the screaming.

But of course, when she caught her breath again, she had to make her thoughts known. "Guys! Somehow I don't think that-! Uh, guys?" Ethan had taken off to the left, and London was behind her somewhere. She was going to pick with her gut on this one. She had wanted to tell them that "Tried and True" when dealing with this Peter-thing didn't seem like a very good idea. The people who'd been stuck here for ages had probably gone that way, so she veered swiftly to the right thankful for the momentum off the prior drop. Of course her stomach felt like it was having a bout of gastroenteritis but... That was actually sort of normal with vigorous exercise.

Not that it mattered. The road was strangely flat... Maintaining much of the speed from their play at Indiana Jones, Marten did her best to maintain the acceleration while she pondered. She didn't like this change. "What happened to the incline?" She muttered apprehensively looking all around for something other than open pathway. Something was up for sure. There was no way something called "Leap of Faith" was actually just a flat road!

Where were the hairpin turns?! The sheer drops?! Oil slicks?! Heck, even some wheel popping, spiky tape was something she could imagine, but this road was... flat. Marten didn't buy it. She was happy her wheels had come with straps for her feet to stay grounded with, because she was digging in for the long haul!

There was no doubt that the cramping in her stomach was indication that she was about to hit the glass ceiling of fitness. Gripping her wheel tightly she pumped her way through the inky darkness unnerved at the sensation of being watched when she could barely see the path in front of her. Her sweat was starting to leak into her eyes and blur her vision, but she wasn't going to stop her furious pedaling to wipe it. So far it was a strangely straight shot with no obstructions. What did she need to see for? Geez, I need a song! She was going faster and faster, but her legs were burning again and the cramping was working its way up her left side. Ugh, I hate this part... Stupid metabolism.

Too bad it was so dark on this road, she would have noted that her ensemble had changed. She'd gone from Miku to Speed Racer! No longer sporting a skirt but a sleek catsuit of white and red racing stripes, which was certainly an indicator of the sharply increasing incline if the road itself wasn't. She was feeling that burn in her thighs again, but she wasn't letting up! Was she going up again? Ah, ballsacks!

This was why she hated cardio. Maybe if she went as hard as she could, she would meet up with all her friends again, though? She couldn't hear anything else besides her own measured breaths, which made her assume no one had chosen this path besides her. She'd give her all to find them again. It was her fault they had been separated again after all. In retrospect, cardio was probably a light sentence for the crap she had put her best buddies through this evening with her forgetfulness and practically painful goodwill toward men.

The high rate of pedaling was killing her regardless, but the cramp was letting up at least. Oh yea! That's right! Fat-burning baby! Hah! A breathless laugh of relief would leave her for all of a second before she realized the sharp turn that she was about to ram into! "What the hell?!" Where had this shit come from and oh-- "The Fuck?!" There was no time to stop! Her heart didn't even have more than a moment to stutter as she turned the wheel ever so slightly into the curve, using her own weight and the cart's torque to compensate for her inability to brake successfully at the speed she was going. Not that she even wanted to! She wasn't even sure anything would have been enough to save her from toppling off the edge of the freaking world!

She had been distracted. Her body hurt, her feelings were shot, her companions were scattered! Kendall's bat which she had wedged into a corner as a weirdly shaped pin to Kitty's items had dug mercilessly into her outer calf as she pedaled. And all her thoughts were buzzing like an out-of-tune radio station. The burn from the almost straight up incline had nearly broken her muscular depth perception so much so that in her breakneck desire for acceleration she had missed the sheer enormity of the Hot Wheels-style, 60-degree curving incline she'd been gunning up!

But that wouldn't have been so bad, if the Evel Knievel Jump-of-Doom hadn't been the cherry on top.

As she shot out over a chasm to make the Marianna's Trench jealous, Marten finally figured out the perfect song. I believe I can fly~!

And then she screamed, long and loud as she fell parabolically toward the opposite, receiving edge, unable to keep her eyes open, just in case she didn't make it! She did manage however to make brief eye contact with those large, red eyes viewing her from the darkness. So that's why I felt like I was being watched... I hate fucking sadistic, tentacle monsters!

The connection with the other side of the ravine was not only physically jolting, but mentally as well. Marten managed the most hysterical of laughters, before the adrenaline and unnatural rushing of blood swooned the shell-shocked girl into unconsciousness. Her cart wouldn't make it much further of her own power without the aid of a track, and she knew it. She couldn't help wondering if, considering she was alone, it wouldn't have been better for her to have fallen.
 
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Collab between @Fox of Hearts and @Fox of Spades

Red We're So Dead Redemption
Ft. Sneks

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What in the world was causing such a racket? It sounded as if World War II was replaying right outside. Aching all over and irritated (mostly irritated) by the loud noises, Kitty cursed beneath her breath. The Rabbit Hole had never been kind to her, but this had been her most hellish experience so far. Where was she even? It took a moment for the disorientation to wear off. Kitty realized she was sprawled out inside a wooden carriage of sorts. Groaning, she gathered herself and crawled towards the light. After a moment of fumbling on her knees, she heard the distinct sound of irritated screams.

She crawled out of the baggage compartment and found herself beside a rather hunky piece of man meat. "What in the world?" Eyeing the dashing cowboy, she couldn't help but allow her eyes to wander over his toned body in appreciation. "Hellooo handsome." Nowhere near Han's level of delicious, but he was eye candy all the same. In this world of monsters and mayhem, one learned to appreciate eye candy in all shapes and forms. Such a shame the other boy - dark, chocolatey goodness - was nowhere in sight. The loud rugged one would have to do.

It was then that Kitty noticed her own outfit. The maid's dress was gone, and in its place, was a rather ...distracting cowgirl outfit that accentuated her bosom and other womanly features.

She was just about to sidle up to a certain hunky cowboy when she realized the world was literally falling apart. For the first time since she'd woken up, she noticed three things:

1. Meteors were falling from the sky
2. Sand serpents (giant ones) were trying to kill them
3. The hunky cowboy was eyeing the wimpiest weapon in existence

"Don't just stare at it!" Kitty snapped. Because Ethan hadn't reached for the slingshot yet, Kitty snatched up the weapon. "Try to calm the horses down. I'll see what I can do!"

Kitty disappeared back into the carriage. There weren't any projectiles, but there was a conveniently placed pile of tomatoes. It would have to do. After scooping as many as she could into her arms, Kitty exited exited the storage compartment and reappeared by Ethan's side. She fired tomato after tomato at the sand serpents, some shots rang true but most missed.

Unfortunately, those that did hit, did absolutely nothing.

"You might want to start praying now, cowboy." Where was Charlotte when you needed her?

Kitty disappeared into the carriage one last time and reemerged with a pitch fork. When a sand serpent tried to go for one of their wheels, she let out a battle cry and pulled back her arms. Using the added momentum, Kitty drove the metallic prongs into the snake's ugly face. The attack was strong enough to draw a black blood-like ooze from the serpent, but as soon as she'd stabbed one, two more appeared to aid their screeching and injured friend.

This was truly the end for them.

The stretch of sand before them began to stir. It was subtle at first, but eventually dust whipped painfully at their skin as cacti were rippled violently from the ground and tossed into the air. In a matter of moments, it became horribly clear that a sand whirlpool had opened up before them. If they kept going, they would be swallowed into the earth. If they stopped, the sand serpents would tear them to pieces and gobble them up before they could so much as blink.

"I hope you've said your prayers."



Crash and Burn
Ft. Bacon

The brightly colored go kart collided with hard asphalt and Marten found herself flying out of the vehicle and onto the ground beneath her. The cement was hot beneath her, and the skies above hinted at a clear and sunny day.

Marten was back in the Red Copper parking lot, lying amidst familiar surroundings. Behind her was the bed and breakfast, the red sign as bright and welcoming as it was the day before. Everything was almost normal.
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"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey, bitch!"

Looming above Marten's prone form was another Marten. They were exactly the same height, and Other Marten, sported the exact same green hair. The only difference, was the dark, oppressive energy that seemed to emanate form the doppelganger. The green-haired lookalike held a greasy bacon cheeseburger in one hand. She held Kitty's veil and bouquet in the other.

"Looking for something?" She smirked cruelly before making a show out of eating the burger. "You know, maybe if you weren't such a Godawful klutz, you'd still have these items. You're such a blonde." Other Marten rolled her eyes. "You left the fucking box in the library earlier. Keep this up and your friends and that dweeb you like will all be dead before daylight."

Other Marten snapped a finger and an obstacle course popped up into existence.

There was a tire course, a rock climbing wall, a muddied crawl beneath barbed wires and at the very end a rope climb to the top of a rickety wooden structure. There was a table at the very top, and a golden ring was perched on it.

"Race you to the finish line?" Other Marten tossed her half-eaten burger at Marten's face before she dashed off toward the tires and began to clear the first obstacle with ease.

Other Marten was as fast - if not faster - than her dazed counterpart.



All Dogs go to Heaven

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Joseff was the epitome of content. He lay on his back with his legs curled against his body. His belly was bulging bigger than anyone had ever seen before. This was heaven! Here the flowers were chicken nuggets, chicken wings grew in bushes and sausages hung like vines from kebab trees. The place was almost perfect! All that was missing was Matt.

At the thought of his beloved human, Joseff began to whimper. Just thinking of Matt brought back a faint memory of the young man’s scent. It made Jo even sadder. He rolled onto his tummy and began to whine. “Uuuu uuu ...” He really, really wanted to be with his owner again. All this food couldn’t replace Matt. Never ever!
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Castor lifted up his head from where he lay dejected on the grass. He couldn’t believe how shallow and gluttonous the flea bag could be. Was that mutt whining about a tummy ache? Letting off a guttural growl, the doberman got onto his feet and trotted over to the stuffed piglet. He placed a paw gingerly onto Jo’s stomach and pressed down. He rolled his paw around trying to illicit a response from the whining pooch but all he got was more whimpering. Castor’s growled in disgust. He couldn’t believe a fellow dog could sink this low! Even a puppy knew when enough food was enough. The proud dog snorted and left Jo to whimper in the grass. He figured that the stomachache would be a valuable lesson for such glutton. Castor fell back on the grass with a loud growl. This was proving to be such a troublesome day!
 
Collab between @Fox of Hearts and @Cartoonicat

London’s Sacrifice
ft. The Big Bad Wolf

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Charlotte never heard of zombies before. The groans and moans reminded her of Henbard on stormy nights. Such clunking and rattling don’t scare her that much anymore. The hands were a different story. She had a hunch that these people might not be as nice as Miss Kitty.

“I don’t know, Miss London. The cart’s awfully slow. I fear that we need to run.”

“Okay, I’ll cover-”

Sadistic Peter seemed to have heard them, because a bright light engulfed them suddenly. London and Charlotte felt their stomachs constricting as their legs became heavier. When they were able to see again, the women found themselves dressed in heavy Victorian gowns. Their skirts were barely flat thanks to the hoop skirts underneath the layers of lace, silk and satin. London’s was a rich burgundy red while Charlotte’s was a vivid peony. Both of them were wearing red hooded capes.

“This reminds me of Red Riding Hood,” Charlotte exclaimed. “I was reading that story to Ella the day Joseff walked into Henbard.”

Hands flying to her cinched waist, London frowned in confusion - then disdain. “Oh come on, she groaned. Mumbled something about getting jipped of a cool magical girl transformation. Frowned down at the heeled boots on her feet. Some shuffling later the Cryptodex that had been in her cargo pants pocket dropped to the floor of the cart.

A rather unpleasant thought crossed Charlotte’s mind after she mentioned that fairy tale. Her blue eyes widened in horror. “I … We better run, Miss London! The Big Bad Wolf is coming!”

“What?” London’s head popped up from bending over the floorboards, fingers grazing the worn spine of her journal.

Charlotte’s words couldn’t be any truer. A wolf started howling in the distance. His cries were answered by several others. Their cries threw the clawing hands into a frenzy. It wasn’t long before the women found armored knights, decaying archers and rotting axe-wielding woodsmen bursting from the fragile soil.

“D-Dios...”

Charlotte felt her heart leaping to her throat. God please help us! Let us escape this mortal peril! As much as she’d love lightning to strike down their enemies, she knew wishful thinking wasn’t going to save them. She stumbled onto her feet and began climbing out of the cart to give London more room. The dark-haired girl grabbed the Cryptodex and her katana before scrambling out of the cart behind her.

“I say we run until we reach Grandma’s House, a church or holy ground.”

Reading ghost stories was thrilling for the children but she wouldn’t want to live in one. At least, not this kind of story. This one made her think of those scary Poe and Lovecraft stories Master Salem loved reading. The type of stories that gave her nightmares for days!

London looked skeptical. “Grandma’s House? Isn’t that where the wolf is actually at in the story- Ah!” She narrowly evaded a hand breaking out of the ground, her dress almost getting grabbed. Scowling, she fumbled with top layer of her dress as she ran and tried ripping off the under layers for ease of movement. Every time one fell away, a new layer appeared just as perfectly ruffled as before. “Son of a…” a glimpse of green shone in her peripheral, hands freezing in place. Her gaze lifted.

Off in the distance, many pairs of phosphorous green eyes opened wide. Thin green lines appeared beneath the eyes. Some opening wider to reveal sharp teeth illuminated by the same green light. A heavy scent of phosphor began permeating the air. The animals sounded like wolves but their eyes and jaws indicated they were a lot more canine.
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Oh no. Oh no, no, no no. Wolves? Werewolves? Hounds of Baskerville? Whichever, London definitely liked those less than the zombies. At least she could hope to outrun the rising corpses, but dogs were fast and she was not. Especially in this damned dress!

“Nevermind - Grandma’s House sounds fine,” London swallowed. Scrambled desperately to hitch the front of her dress up but, with so many heavy layers, found it impossible. She cursed under her breath and balled the fabric in her hands best she could with both of her own items to carry.

As they ran, adrenaline slowly ebbing away the pain in her legs but her new attire doing little to help their agility, she wondered if Charlotte was as naturally wary of dogs as London herself. Anything with sharp teeth and the ability to bite, really. She remembered first meeting Jo - how she’d been standoffish and distant until the fluffy Shiba Inu finally lowered her guard with persistent nuzzles and a curly, wagging tail. Thought back to her introduction with Kenai and how he’d reminded her of a wolf. Only when Jace had her feed him a treat and explained the significant personality difference between his dog and Matt’s did she come to appreciate Kenai as more than a scary set of teeth.

But now, as they ran through the graveyard scene, London doubted tummy rubs and tasty snacks would get the pursuers on their side.

A yelp sounded beside her and London skidded to a stop, the weight of her dress carrying her forward. “Charlotte!” The maid had fallen and, a few steps behind her were several clambering zombies. Inhaling sharply, London hurried over and tried pulling Charlotte to her feet. Bending over forced her to suck in a breath; the metal wires of her corset poked and prodded her midsection. The feeling was familiar, as this was not the first time she’d worn a dress or heels, but that had been for cosplay. For something fun! As much as she’d hated all of the outfit’s frills, she would much rather have Ciel Phantomhive’s ball gown than this authentically stuffy thing. “C-Come on,” London grabbed her hands and made to haul her up, ankles buckling atop unsturdy heels.

“I’ve twisted my ankle,” Charlotte hissed as she collapsed on the ground once again beside London. “You need to go!” She gave London a little push below the waist. “You can’t get caught with me. Go! The rest need you!”

Eyes flicking from Charlotte to the horde getting closer, London chewed her lip. Took a step back. “But we-... you-...” They needed Charlotte. London needed Charlotte. How was she supposed to get out without her? How could she be expected to leave her behind?

Charlotte made sense, but London did not want to leave her to be stuck in Henbard forever. Or, worse, catch up to them as one of Peter’s monstrous transformations. If she still had her rosary, she’d give it to her, but Kelsey had that now - wherever she may be. Less than an hour ago she’d have smacked herself for being so stupidly sentimental and would have easily left Charlotte behind, but now?

“Miss London!”

London’s hesitation gave their pursers a chance to catch up. A grey werewolf appeared behind her and hauled her up by the waist. Charlotte tried to grab him by the ankles but London’s feet made contact with her face repeatedly. The maid had to back off or risk getting blinded.

Letting out a shriek, London flailed in the werewolf’s grasp. “S-Stop!” She’d seen how these horror films went: Bloody, and right for the jugular. On instinct, she smashed her Cryptodex and the butt of her sword into the beast’s snout repeatedly.

The creature barely flinched. He bared his fangs at this vicious Red Riding Hood before he snapped his teeth onto the edge of the book. He tried wrenching it out of her hands. The book began twisting and stretching as the two played out their mini tug-o-war.

“No, stop!” London dropped her katana, the wooden sword clanking to the floor, so as to grab her journal with both hands. He couldn’t take it; not her Cryptodex. She vaguely registered the sound of ripping pages before her arms flung back and hit her in the face, only half of her precious journal clasped tightly in her fingers.

Upon realizing what happened, her heart dropped.

“Leave her alone!”

Charlotte grabbed the fallen katana from the ground and stabbed upwards. The tip shoving swiftly and violently into the werewolf’s groin. The creature let off a high-pitched whine, dropping London on the floor. He curled up in a dog-like fashion as he rode out the waves of pain radiating from his nether region.

Sitting up with yet a further bruised tailbone, London barely let herself acknowledge it. Instead, she shot forward to grab the two halves of her Cryptodex, hands shaking. Her lip quivered, several of the pages torn beyond comprehension. The werewolf’s half - the half that had all of her notes on Henbard - had been drenched with saliva and punctured with holes. She clutched the pieces in her hands, knuckles whitening.

London snapped. She rose and slammed her boot onto the werewolf’s face with an enraged scream. The creature’s body popped like a balloon beneath her heel and she stumbled forward. Startled, she stopped to stare: Nothing remained of the incident except for her ruined Cryptodex. Suddenly, London felt hollow.

“Miss Kitty … really knows a lot,” Charlotte wasn’t even sure how to phrase her thoughts. Kitty had taught her and Wendy self-defence before and her number one tip was to kick men between their legs. Charlotte still wasn’t sure why or how that would work. “Please support me! We can try running like we are in a three-legged race….”

She reached for Charlotte. Her body felt weak, drained, and her mind in a dark tunnel. All she could think about were the written pages crinkling from sharp teeth and drool. If the pages stuck together - and she didn’t have time to dry them separately - nobody would be able to read them.

Ever.

“Try binding my injured ankle to yours,” Charlotte elaborated as London helped her up. “Tear off part of your skirt and use it to bind our ankles together.” Quietly, London did exactly that.

The two Red Riding Hoods remained silent as they struggled to move quickly across the graveyard. Their progress was hampered by the occasional ankle grab or opportunistic werewolf. The former was dealt with a stomp while the latter would receive a brutal katana whack to the face, courtesy of London.

Just a little more! Charlotte could see a pair of iron-wrought gates up ahead. She couldn’t help rejoicing despite the severe pain coming from her ankle. She gritted her teeth and gave London’s waist a gentle squeeze. She could feel her partner picking up the pace too, which meant they were almost completely in sync. A rather pleasant development considering how upset London seemed to be with them at the beginning.

Red rays of the rising sun began breaking through the ink black sky the closer they got to the gates. As more light poured into the desolated land, the undead shrieked in agony before crumbling to dust. The werewolves were conspicuously absent. Neither woman seemed to care. They were too focused on getting out of the graveyard in one piece.

“London, look! I think we’ve reached the end of this part of the Rabbit Hole!

Beyond the gates was a steep cliff. A small golden door floated in the air a little beyond arm’s reach. A key sat snugly in the keyhole waiting for someone to open the door. Where the door lead to didn’t bother Charlotte at all. She was so relieved to be out of this place that she practically dropped to the floor beside London. Finally, she felt safe enough to sit down and rest!

As they approached the gate and entered, London had said not a word. Removed her arm from around Charlotte’s waist, her own limb feeling heavy, and let the maid rest. London joined her on the ground, setting her Cryptodex pieces out in front of her.

London was glad to be out of there, truly, but as she stared down at her hard work torn in two, she couldn’t stop her throat from tightening. Drew her lips into a thin line. Carefully, she set to separating the pages only to have one rip right in her hands. A sad, angry laugh bubbled in her throat and she began to cry. Grabbed the half of her journal and threw it against the gate.

Gentle arms wrapped around London’s waist from behind. She tensed at first, then melted into the contact. Charlotte gave the raging, crying London a tight hug before turning her around and hugging her again. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

She felt bad for not being able to offer anything other than hugs and platitudes. She knew the poor girl was hurting a lot considering how she lost something precious to her. The tears were making her want to cry too. Poor, poor, Miss London!

In response, London returned the hug so tightly it seemed she used Charlotte as an anchor. Should they find a way out of Henbard, the Cryptodex would have been a record of their nightmare. A way of trying to understand what happened. Now, it was gone. She cried into the maid's shoulder until there were no more tears left to shed. Sniffling, she leaned back and met Charlotte’s eyes. “T-Thank you,” she said, “and… thank you f-for... saving me earlier.”

Her Cryptodex entries were gone, but she'd made it out alive. That had to count for something.

Charlotte’s face grew warmer when London thanked her. She muttered a soft “you’d have done the same.” Her words were so gentle that London probably missed them. She began soothing London’s messed up hair and taming the strands into a neat braid. Once she was done, she retied the ribbons of London’s hooded cape.

“I’d offer you a cup of tea or cocoa but there’s nothing here. Maybe we could get some on the other side of this door? A warm drink always makes people feel better.”

Wiping the last few tears away, London nodded. Rose to her feet and helped Charlotte stand, grip steadying to compensate for the maid’s twisted ankle. Her eyes went towards the ruined half of her Cryptodex, limp against the gate. After making sure Charlotte would be alright standing in place, she went to retrieve the journal from the ground. Even if it was ruined, London would not leave it behind for Peter’s collection.

“Let’s go,” she said, coming up on Charlotte’s side and looping an arm around her waist to help her walk. From there, they stepped through the door.

On the other side they found themselves atop the roof of Bellwoods Elementary School’s belltower. While London had never been a student there, she recognized it from her drives through the town. Looking down, she did not see any activity down below. No students, teachers, janitors or campus officers. London’s knees felt like jello as the height finally hit her:

They were very high up.
 
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Ethan's attention immediately drifted to a person, an honest to God, actual living being with him! He sighed in relief, looking to see who it was. Subconsciously, he was hoping it would be London, her avatar in Adventure West Online was a gun-toting cowgirl that did quick work of their enemies, and while her skill probably wouldn't transcend into real life, he was still hoping it was her nonetheless. Sadly, that hope came dashing right through when a disembodied voice said that perturbed him ever so slightly.

Sweat began to trickle even quicker throughout his body, his face becoming red as a soft, luminescent blush rose to his cheeks. Ethan began to laugh nervously, he had always liked getting compliments and praise whenever he was in some form of costume or mask, whether it be cosplaying or underneath his wrestler persona, but now...all he felt was slight embarrassment. "I-I...Uh...U-Um..." he began to stammer, stuttering as he tried to find the correct words.

He peered to see who his co-op partner would be, his eyes widening in dismay as he expressed his surprise. "Should've known it was you, pussycat." He scoffed, he gave her a good look-around, from top to bottom, and he stifled a chuckle. "Oh, I'm sure you're a COWgirl alright..."

His meeting with Kitty felt like a distraction, it wasn't until the neighing of the horses-he could've sworn there was only one or two before-that made him steel his focus again. Ethan admitted, he never was the type to pour points into stats like Charisma or Speech, in RPG games. but he was still willing to try nonetheless.

He figured that trying to agitate them more than they needed to wasn't going to help them any, so he cleared his voice and tried to soothe equines to the best of his abilities, stroking their fur and issuing commands in a calmly panicked voice, trying to blissfully ignore all the carnage that was going on around them. Meteors? Nonsense! Sand serpents about to tear them apart! Illusory!

He gulped as he could've sworn that the screeching noises that the serpents bellowed only intensified. Whatever Kitty was doing, it sure wasn't enough. "Trust me, I'd LOVE to get down on my knees and start serving someone in the only way I know how." Ethan could barely believe that he just said such a statement.

His face lit up when Kitty was brandishing a pitch fork, and gazed in awe as she effortlessly thrust it into one of the snakes that were stalking them. Was this woman part amazon by any chance? He whistled and hollered, cheering his companion on for her valiant effort. Though, his smile and optimism were gone the moment even more of them started to huddle around their horse carriage.

Ethan cursed under his breath, his fear was beginning to outweigh the adrenaline. A fear that would slowly intensify even more, as the winds began to shift around him, dust billowing in all directions as tumbleweeds and cacti were forcefully being sucked into some kind of vacuum. He groaned, shoulders slumped in defeat. "Just...Just fucking kill me already, daddy." At least he would die by succ.
 
Dmi2hvn3-hJoVBgLPXrS87zwXSMlm3elJg_eUXmBuiAvTebvRXcOAToocVuTLIM3z_GWNPu_CDU-YZqtKWZmD19NzBLClZa-lDyNyOmuz4_G_7rFAj_rtRz4w-9eLvybujghAaPV
"Grkh! STFU. Who the heck... Is... Talking?" She awoke groggily only to stare at the carbon copy of herself with dazed confusion. Lightly rubbing her head for bumps and blood she took in the harsh monologue with both irritation and wonder. Had she hit her head on that unholy cart? Probably. That landing had been killer. She had sworn she was falling right into that darkness too. Not that this was at all much better. Marten stood on shaky limbs. They still hurt from all that dumb pedaling. And this bitch of a double was talking to her like she knew her, leaving the grunette even more peevish. Between soreness and trash talk this was up there with the top 10 worst wake up call ever. And Marten was not a morning person.

Preparing to tell the other girl just where else she could stuff that burger, Marten was caught off as the same item came zooming at her, plopping grossly onto her face and then smearing down her new outfit disgustingly. Well, damn. Now she was upset. "You tramp!" Roaring her rage the young adult took off after the taunting menace with a scowl to rival Castor's rape face, using long legs and angry adrenaline she nimbly walked the rubber lining of the tires to clear the obstacle. She didn't quite have time for leg lifts at the moment, nor the desire.

That thing had Kitty's stuff. And that stuff was the only thing keeping the woman from maiming her or something. Kitty had claws and she was way more afraid of them than she was of herself! Plus, she didn't want to leave the woman in this demented place. Kitty was catty, but she deserved to go to that big litterbox in the sky just like all her other friends. "Get back here you cactus bitch!"

They rounded up to the rope obstacle with the doppelgänger in the lead. Marten's first thought was to climb up after the girl, but she thought better of it. She didn't need to win the race with speed. She just needed to catch that golem skank! Viciously grabbing her opponents rope, she would pull and shake it with all her might to dislodge the other girl, hoping she could succeed and get back Kitty's stuff. She also thought with vicious glee, "I'm gonna shove some dirt in after that burger." Nope. Definitely not one to be woken.
 
[Collab with @Fox of Spades and @Fox of Hearts]
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Kindall wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He focused on slapping arrows as fast as he could. It was 90% luck and 10% prediction. Ethan might be onto something when he said there was a pattern or … a beat. Not there was a beat he could detect at all. Not even with his many years of violin lessons. He guessed Ethan was wrong about a beloved game for once. Something he planned to bring up when his roomie least expected it.

Now only the uppermost part of their jellyfish’s hood was above the swirling blackness of the abyss. The darkness was almost absolute. A strobing red light from their feet allowed them to see how close they were to one another. Kindall hunched over pressing buttons faster than Ethan could ever hoped to achieve in a PVP duel while Jace and Kelsey looked on. A 5-combo! That was the only thing keeping them alive…

Combo Break!

The jellyfish dipped lower. All three found themselves floating. They were helpless kittens in the center of the Dead Sea. Their only foot support was long gone. Kindall knew that struggling was futile, so he lay very still on his back. He was finally at peace after that weird dance-athon session. He shut his eyes for a moment before looking upwards. Millions of stars mocked the trio from above. The scene reminded him of Life of … Pie? Pi or Pie? He wasn’t sure which.

All he recalled was the scene on the raft and of course the poster with the tiger. It was one of those movies that they watched one evening after a Seasonal Spice recording session. He wasn’t even sure why they watched it. Only the fact that Jace, Marten, Matt and London were there too. Jo was out cold after one too many gulps of eggnog.

“Does this ring a bell, Kels? Some boy named Pie almost got swallowed by a giant whale-fish thing. This was when the ship was about to hit the bottom. Not sure if I remember it right. Ethan was shouting about Pinocchio and you were throwing popcorn at him.”

He paused in his musing to throw out the one question he wanted to ask. “I didn’t get to see the actual title. Didn’t care enough to google it either. But … what sort of pie did his parents name him after? Apple?”

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It was over. They were going to die, and Kindle’s last words were going to be about some stupid movie they’d watched one night. He might have found peace in the act of accepting their demise, but Kelsey hadn’t. They had lives to live and homes to go back to, and if they perished now, it would be all her fault.

It was all her fault.

That was the last thought that tormented her as the three of them floated into the pitch black sea. The jellyfish was gone and there was nothing left they could do. Kelsey closed her eyes, one hand reaching for Jace while the other tried to grab at Kindle. It was a sick sense of comfort, knowing that her friends were going to be there with her till the very end.

I’m sorry.

Those were words she wished she could say not only to Kindle and Jace, but to every one of her friends and to her family. The words never came. It was like the darkness was choking her with its infiniteness. Kelsey merely held her friends tighter as they continued to sink.

When it felt like they’d finally reached the end of their rope, a large shape stirred from within the dark. It was almost impossible to see, but the faint glow emanating from the stars above allowed them to see what the large creature was - it was a whale.

The whale circled around them before approaching with its mouth wide open. Before the group could so much as do anything, they were gobbled up whole.

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The jellyfish continued to sink in spite of Milton’s efforts. It didn’t matter whether he got a combo now or not; it was too late. Jace’s eyes stayed focused on the arrows until they disappeared into the inky blackness along with the rest of the jellyfish’s hood. He felt himself lift away from it, or perhaps he stayed in place while the jellyfish continued to descend. Whatever the case, he and Kelsey and Milton floated atop the blackness. Or was it water?

“Is it really over? All of this...and for what? To drown?” A knot closed Jace’s throat and his eyes began to sting and burn. The glowing stars, the only light in the nearly-stifling darkness, became blurry. Jace closed his eyes.

“All of this… Salem, the Putts’s, Ella, and Wendy… Was it all for nothing?” The question loomed over his head like a dark cloud, replaying over and over. “Kelsey… Ana… We tried. I’m sorry... We failed…” Jace swallowed hard. The only thing keeping him from tears at that point was the feeling of her grip on the sleeve of his jacket. He moved to place his hand on top of hers.

A bittersweet feeling washed over him, a mix of anger and peace. Was it acceptance? How could he accept this? This couldn’t be the end. He couldn’t admit defeat yet. This sick bastard had tortured and played with them in unspeakable ways. It wasn’t over until that pumpkin was smashed into oblivion. That feeling of peace receded quickly, replaced by a deep-seated fury.

“Pi. P-I. As in 3.14159265.” Jace answered Kindall finally, wasting no time thinking of how impressive it was that he even remembered that. “And no, I don’t think this is like that. This is more like…” Something moved in the darkness and pulled his attention away. What was that? It had to be pretty big to stand out in this darkness. It was a…. a…. Whale.

“Pinocchio.” Jace finished as the animal closed its mouth around them.


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“Pi, huh? Might be a good name one day.”

Kindall’s hand found Kelsey’s and he clutched it tightly. He could tell she was feeling a lot more scared than he was. He didn’t quite know why. In this dream world, anything was a possibility. Anything other than death. That’s how dreams work, wasn’t it? He learned that long ago while having sleepovers with Ethan. Kid Ethan would wake up screaming. Apparently, there were monsters chasing him. Whenever he probed further, Ethan would always admit that he’d wake up before getting eaten. This was probably the same!

Kindall noticed something looming out of the corner of his eye yet he didn’t care enough to take a peek. The dreams was ending soon and he’d prefer spending his last moments staring at the stars. Crystal clear skies like this was rare in the real world. Pollution was everywhere even far up North. He guessed the only place left to stargaze was 62 miles above the ground. He sighed contently as shadows fell overhead.

“See you in the real world, Kels! Jace!”

What was that movie called? The one with folding buildings … Incision? Inspir … Inception! He must have been thinking of that movie before bed or he might have accidentally discovered the tesseract-thing Kelsey and Ethan were screaming about. Something related to the Simpsons of all things. Kindall’s eyes opened wide.

The place was bright and cheery. He could hear birds singing and insects buzzing around. There were frogs too, somewhere. All this yellow, greens and blues made him think of the Beetle’s Yellow Submarine, childish and surreal. Heck, the place looked like a place from that Super Mario RPG Ethan played back in the fourth grade! He hated this place already! The cheesy happiness was making his headache worse.

“Where the heck are we?” he grumbled trying his best to remain lying down.

The three of them were on a giant lily pad. To be precise, they were on a giant lily pad that was floating down a stream. The stream was so wide that the banks looked like distant islands. Reaching it would take far too much effort considering how fast the water was moving.

Kindall finally sat up. “I think I hear rushing water. Not a waterfall but rapids.”

He pointed towards the foaming surface. “We better start bracing ourselves! These are going to be choppy waters.”

Whether the lily pad would withstand the force never once crossed his mind. Actually, it did but his mind was too busy grappling with the fact that they were heading into rough waters to dwell on that question too long. All he cared about right now was keeping their tiny crew safe. He pitched himself forward and grabbed the left curled edge of the lily pad. A bitter taste was rising from his throat. However, he managed to hold himself together long enough to shout one last instruction.

“Jace! Kels! Call a direction quick!”

He emptied his stomach into the blue waters shortly after. His hands remained gripping the sides in anticipation. The foam was getting heavier which means they needed to make a decision now. Do they steer to the right or left? Going straight ahead meant they’d be pulverised against the jagged rocks.

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“. . . . Real world?” Jace opened his eyes to bright sunlight beating down on them, prompting him to shut them again. Milton’s last words echoed in his ears and the vast cavern that was his blank mind. What did he mean real world? This was the real world, as dream-like as it seemed. Then, perhaps it was best to let him think otherwise for now.

He hesitantly blinked his eyes open, squinting against the bright sunshine and bright colors. What the hell just happened? There was darkness and a whale and… what? Jace couldn’t seem to process the transition from whale to..where were they? He looked down at the lily pad beneath him, at the droplets of water spraying up from the churning stream. Were they inside the whale or was this a separate place entirely? Was the whale a portal to another place within the Rabbit Hole? It was too bad Charlotte wasn’t there; she might be able to answer his questions.

Something else niggled on the edge of Jace’s conscious. Dark eyes traveled a few inches to the right to his bare legs. “Uh..what?”

“What the fuck?!” Jace yelped, face flushing a bright red. Gone were his jeans and sweater and leather jacket; on was the embarrassingly small piece of fabric that was a sorry excuse for swim wear. “I really don’t need this shit.” He ground between clenched teeth.

“Rapids?” Kindall’s shouting prompted him to turn, as much as he disliked the prospect of his friend seeing him with little to nothing on after their exchange. He moved to join Kindall and grabbed the edge of the lily pad.


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The real world… in a way, Kindle’s obliviousness to the severity of the situation helped. Kelsey closed her eyes, and with her friends’ hands in hers, accepted that they had reached the end of the line - except they didn’t. Instead of ending up in some whale’s intestines, they found themselves on a giant lily pad in the middle of a raging river.

It wasn’t much better but, for now, they were alive.

“Guys?” She noticed how her friends were dressed in nothing but swim shorts before noticing her own bathing suit. If they hadn’t gone through the craziness that had been Henbard, the oddity of it all would have broken her mind. Perhaps the way Kindle was dealing with it all (pretending it was a dream) was a coping mechanism of his.

“What… what are we even supposed to do?” Her own question was answered by Kindle’s scream. Realizing they really had no time to process their transition from whale mouth to lily pad, Kelsey threw herself forward and reached for the curled edge.

“Left, just go left!”

Together they managed to remain afloat, but as they continued their river adventure, the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder.

A little ways ahead of them was a waterfall and a drop that seemed to lead to nowhere.

Jace felt his stomach drop at the sound ahead. It wasn’t even that he was particularly scared of the idea of waterfalls; however, whether or not you survived a drop depended on the height, how deep the water was below, and how many rocks there were to smash into. He wondered briefly if going right would have made a difference, but this was Henbard; there were likely just as many horrors waiting down the path to the right as there were in the middle and to the left.

Their tiny raft continued to sail onward, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. As the sound of the raging waters grew louder, the trio held onto each other before their tiny boat went over the edge and into the unknown rapids below.

They fell but they never hit the bottom.

Suddenly, the trio found themselves shooting up into the air and crashing into the hard concrete below. They were drenched and sprawled out on the ground in Bellwoods’ community park. The old fountain was gushing behind them.

“What?” It seemed like they were constantly repeating the same word today. Kelsey groaned as she took in her surroundings from her place on the ground. They were still in their swim wear, but they were back (at least it seemed like it) in Bellwoods. “Kindle? Jace? Are you okay? Are we alive? Bellwoods?” There growing panic in her voice was palpable. “Are we back?” Almost every part of Kelsey knew this was another of His cruel tricks, but a small, tiny part, just wanted to believe they were home.

The park was familiar, everything from the rusty old benches to the small playground. It was nothing big, just a small patch of park for people to enjoy on the weekends.

The water at the bottom never came. There was no holding of breath or kicking towards the surface; but that would have been better than slamming onto concrete. Jace groaned in pain. He would probably need to go be tested for a concussion after tonight.

“Yeah…” He answered Kelsey, rubbing his head as he sat up. His heart fluttered at first at the sight of Bellwoods’ park; however, skipped a beat at the knowledge that this was still Henbard. “No.. This isn’t Bellwoods. Can’t be.” He glanced around. Everything seemed real. “I wonder if this pretend Bellwoods is limited to this part of the park? 'Cause I'd really like to go home and get some clothes..”
 
The Desert → The Crane's Convenience Store
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Ethan's rather risque comments were the highlight of Kitty's absolutely hellish day. Oh, she liked him. She definitely liked him. He kept his sense of humor in the midst of inescapable death, and that was something she respected. Maybe if he were at least 10 years older... though even at his current age, he was already a strapping young lad who was more than easy on the eyes. Too bad they were going to die. "Thanks for the laugh, partner."

At this point, there was nothing else they could do. If they ended up dying, Kitty had already come to terms with death. She supposed anything was better than spending an eternity playing games in hell.

The ground beneath them gave way and their carriage disappeared into the rumbling earth.

Darkness fell over them, but instead of death, the wild western duo found themselves elsewhere. Kitty didn't recognize the place, but Ethan would... if he paid attention. He and Kitty had been transported to the storage room at the Crane's convenience store. It was small and dusty, and the only light came from the tiny light bulb that dangled above them.

"He sent us to a broom closet to die?" Kitty scowled.

They were surrounded by boxes of canned goods and an assortment of pumpkin dolls (the one tourists seemed to love) that looked exactly like the miniature pumpkin that had taken a liking to tormenting their group.

Kelsey's father was the town reverend but her mother owned the small convenience store that the group sometimes went to for coffee or other afternoon snacks. Everything from the storage room, to the shelves, and the small tables inside the store were exactly the same. If Ethan decided to inspect things later, nothing would be out of place.

"Listen kid, I don't mind getting up close and personal." Kitty and Ethan - considering the cramped space - were standing rather close. "But we should leave while we can." After reaching to pat Ethan affectionately on the cheek, Kitty began groping around in the darkness. She eventually found the doorknob and the two managed to enter the shop proper.



Outside Red Copper
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Instead of playing by the rules, Marten decided to do something else - perfect. Other Marten merely laughed as she held onto her rope. That green-haired dweeb might think she's hot stuff, but Other Marten knew otherwise. She would always best Marten when it came to playing dirty and being mean, the other girl was just far too nice, and nice and good meant weak.

"What's the problem, loser? Too tired to run your own race?"

The gleeful smile on Other Marten's face turned into something far more sinister. Instead of completing her own obstacle course, Other Marten purposely let go of her rope and jumped. If Marten wanted her so badly, Other Marten would bring the fight to her weaker counterpart. Before Marten could move, the double landed on her, knocking her onto the ground.

"You wanted a fight." Other Marten wasted no time and straddled her reeling opponent. She pulled her fist back and clocked real Marten in the jaw, before grabbing Marten by the collar of her shirt. She pulled the girl close so they were almost forehead-to-forehead. "I thought you knew better. Cheaters never win."

And just like that, Other Marten started to turn to ash alongside Kitty's items, the obstacle course, and the ring that waited atop the rope course. In a matter moments, Marten found herself alone, lying on her back outside the Red Copper Parking Lot.

As Marten remained lying on the asphalt, a shadow fell over her.
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"Marten? Is that... is that you? What are you doing on the ground? Are you okay?" Matt had reverted into his natural state, that of a flailing father duck. He offered her a helping hand. "Where are the others?"
 
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Oh she was going to mess that shit-eating cretin up! There hadn't been any time to react between getting glomped by a surprisingly heavy weighted double and clocked in the jaw. Spitting to the side and hastily running her tongue along the aching side of her cheek for blood, the secret blonde glared with honest intent to maim while baring her aching teeth for good measure at the despicable creature, "Cheaters huh? I guess that means your time is getting short, right Peter?"

She wasn't scared of him or his funhouse anymore. She had passed her bedtime well over acceptable limits, worked out heavily, and experienced so many fear-induced adrenaline rushes that she worried she would never experience a thrill again. For all intents and purposes, she was done playing games. "I'm coming for your happy ass! You hear me! I-- ah, Matt?" She meant every syllable to that monster too. She would get back Kitty's things, and she would return that sissy punch 20-fold. If that's his punch then I'm freakin' One Punch Man. She had an older sister, a younger brother, and a gajillion cousins. He'd have to do way better.

The grunette's attention was shaken to the other blonde of their pack that certainly shouldn't have been there. When the heck had the scenery decided to change. This fake place... Marten would have preferred the dark. As a matter of fact, wasn't there at least going to be the red eyes? At least then she would have had something to flick off.

She had heard the stories. She knew this ploy. Not_Enrique, er no, Not_Matt this was Not_Matt... But could she let him know that she knew that? Putting on a winning smile, she'd forgo his offered hand by sitting up smoothly, "I'm alright. I just got knocked down by a brat is all. No skin off my back though. What are you doing roaming the lot? Cleaning duty again?" No she'd play it normal. She had to find her friends, and if they were going to be anywhere, it was Not_Bellwoods. On another note, where the hell was her bat? She wanted something to hit with just in case Matt went... What... Dog? Probably. On her.

This was not good. She had fought herself. And won! Because Peter had run like a bitch! I definitely won! Marten: 1, Peter Pumpkinpuss: 0! However, if Not_Matt was going to be as potentially difficult as transformed Salem, then she doubted her ability to take him on by herself. She didn't see Milton's bat, which caused all the more irritation in her. She would either have to find it again... Or that demon had it. "Grrr... you know what Peter, just keep showing your ass. It's a much more sensitive place for me to stick my fist." Her voice was an angry grumble as she stood up, dusting off her suit and taking in her surroundings. She'd make sure once she got ahold of that chump he'd wish Ethan had gotten to him first.

They were in the Rabbit Hole after all. If her mimic could punch her in the face, then Peter was pulling out some stops, which meant that the chances of encountering more hostiles was... more likely than not. And that meant that, her and her friends, wherever they were, would have to pull out some stops as well. It was time to level up!
 
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"Eh, what can I say?" Ethan said, a wry smile on his lips, even as they drew closer to their untimely ends. "Much better to die laughing than to die frowning, know what I mean?" The young boy would be lying if he wasn't about ready to shit his pants from fear right about now, masquerading his fear with a veneer of comedy was his way of coping with things. In what seemed like the very last moments of his life, he remembered a passage from an old play he Kindall made him watch once, "Laugh at the pain that poisons your heart!"

He bellowed like a madman, almost making him seem like he was crazy. But he let it all out, everything until the laughter turned into tears. Dammit, not like this...He never got to tell Preston just how great his booty was. 12/10 ass, supreme buttocks, no one else could've compared.

A rumbling and a tumbling, and then...they were gone. The earth beneath them had practically swallowed both of them hole. He suspected the multitude of crashing meteorites might have had something to do with that. At least he knows why the Loch Ness Monster(s?) are gone now, they've been wiped out extinct by this meteor shower!

Darkness, it was the only thing that he could see, although that might have been because he was still closing his eyes, braced for impact any second. Wherever it was, it was hella cramped! He heard of "Seven Minutes in Heaven" but he never expected Heaven to actually be a closet. He had always envisioned it to be a bit more...space-y. It wasn't until he heard the voice of his rootin'-tootin' pardner, Kitty, did he feel safe.

"I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I've been deep inside of one." Ethan cracked another joke. Trying not to get too distracted by stark reality of their distance.

And the reality was that she was close...A little too close to be exact. Again, Ethan could feel a warm feeling filling up his body, darned adolescent pheromones! He had to diffuse the situation one way or another, and he had to break the bad news to her sooner or later. "L-Listen, Kitty. I've got a boyfriend waiting for me at home so...let's maybe not make this any more awkward than it needs to be?" He coughed under his breath. Hoping he got the message across, or did she already know from the start and was just playing the part of a tease?

Shaking off thoughts better off unsaid, he exited out of the closet-a lot easier than his last time inside one-and wandered in an all-too familiar location, well, at least to him anyway, he had no idea if Kitty was even remotely aware of what had happened to Bellwoods ever since she disappeared that day. "Now here's a sight for sore eyes..." It had felt like months ever since he set foot in the Crane family's convenience store. He always discreetly disliked it whenever Kelsey's dad was in charge for the day, he gave off vibes that Ethan didn't exactly feel were...welcoming, so to speak. It was strange though...Everything was in tip-top shape, not a single chair out of line but it felt...off. It was almost like it was some sort of replica or Sims creation.

His curiosity piqued, Ethan began to look at every nook and cranny of the convenience store. It felt...natural, but at the same time so alien. From the little details, the fucking tip jar, the magazine racks! Maybe that's what being stuck in the same place does to one's psyche...He couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't what it seemed.
 
[Collab with @Fox of Spades]
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She wanted so badly to believe that they were home, but Jace was right. All of this was far too good to be true. They’d seen enough tonight to know that Henbard for full of treachery and deceit. She wondered how Kindle was taking it. He renounced her supernatural theories whenever he could, but this was beyond any of that or any theory she’d shoved in his face.

“Kindle?” She shot him a worried glance.

She was worried about everyone, including herself, but Kindall was the staunchest disbeliever off all things ghostly and magical. His reaction earlier (the denial) was proof enough that he was trying to cope by playing this off as a dream. It worried her even more. This was real and London and Marten and Ethan and Ana were nowhere in sight.

Kelsey’s stomach tightened into a knot. She felt sick again.

Please, please, God, let them be alright.

And because there was nothing else she could do, she looked to Jace and answered him as if what they were going through was just part of another crazy summer adventure. Her voice betrayed her though, there was none of the cheery mirth she often had when they were prepping for whatever shenanigans they wanted to get into. “You and me both, Jace.” She winced when she noticed just how little Jace and Kindle - mostly Jace - were wearing. “You guys must be awfully cold. We could stop by the convenience store and grab some clothes.” Similar to Jace, she didn’t know how much of Bellwoods Peter had recreated, but what else could they really do. “It’s closer. You and Kindle will catch a cold before we get to your house,” she said with a frown. “And Kindle’s already sick… we need to find the others too.”

Kelsey motioned for the boys to follow but stopped dead in her tracks.

Mr. Clyde (she, Jace, and Ana’s elementary school principal) was standing before them. He was a tall and willowy man, and the worried expression he wore on his face made him look sick. “Jace? Kelsey?” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “Is that you? Thank heavens we’ve found you and your friend.” His eyes flitted to Kindle for a moment, but for the most part, he was eying both his former students. “It’s 15 degrees out. Why are you dressed like that, you’ll catch a horrible cold.”

He cut to the grass to reach the fountain. “You all disappeared last night. The townsfolk organized a search and rescue and most of them are still looking for you all in the woods. You should all come with me to Red Copper, I’ll get you some warm drinks and some weather appropriate clothes,” he said as he motioned for them to follow.

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“Fair enough.” Jace said with a shrug as a shiver went down his back. The cold air passing over his wet skin only served to make it feel colder than it was. While he was hesitant to go to the convenience store, Jace had even more apprehension about going home - or rather the replica of his home that Peter had created. He didn’t want to see something happen to his family, even if they were just replicas of them. Would he even be allowed in the convenience store dressed as he was? He was sure there was a “No shoes, no shirt, no service” policy. He didn’t fancy the idea of all the patrons seeing him in little to no clothes, if there were any patrons.

Jace started to follow Kelsey, halted by a familiar old face. He was surprised to see Mr. Clyde in the Rabbit Hole. Of all the people he could have imagined he’d see there, Mr. Clyde didn’t even make the list. Even more surprising was the fact that the man remembered them. How many generations of students had he seen in his years as a principal and he remembered two faces that hadn’t been in that school for at least a decade?

“I don’t trust it..” He whispered to Kelsey, eying the man warily. “Then again, I don’t trust anything in this hole.” More importantly, hadn’t the man said there was a search party? If Butzy had modeled all of this after Bellwoods, then did that mean it was morning outside Henbard? Did that mean that there was a search party looking for them? In the end, what choice did they have but to go with him?

“I don’t see why not? I could go for a sweater right about now.”

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She didn’t trust it either, but they had nothing else going for them. In fact, everything had worn her down enough that she was willing to reach for whatever straws peter left for them. She leaned in to whisper in Jace’s ear. “Not like we can do anything else, right? Might as well get those sweaters… from Mr. Clyde.”

What would Red Copper look like in this strange world? It seemed that He had a keen eye for details and could make things rather believable when he wasn’t shoving them through some messed up horror house version of reality.

Kelsey reached for Kindle’s arm and tugged him along. “Let’s go before you get even sicker, Marten will kill us if we bring you back half-dead.” The last bit was said in jest, but Kelsey was hoping it’d bring back their spaced-out Sherlock.

Mr. Clyde smiled politely, never interrupting as the group spoke amongst themselves. When they were finally done, he pushed up his glasses once more. “Wonderful, let’s go then. Follow me, kids. Ooops, sorry, none of you are kids anymore. Time flies.”

There was something just a little bit off about his demeanor, but it was subtle, something none of them would notice if they didn’t look hard enough.

“So Jace?” Mr. Clyde spoke. “How’s your family? Been awhile since I’ve seen them. Why don’t you two tell me a bit about your new friend.” He nodded to Kindle as they took long strides out of the park and in the direction of the Red Copper Inn.
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“Well, I guess we are to you.” Jace shrugged off being called a kid. While they were not kids anymore, by comparison, they might as well have been. Mr. Clyde knew them as kids and was likely to always think of them that way. Then again, this wasn’t Mr. Clyde. Of course, knowing they were in the Rabbit Hole made a difference, but there was something off about the man that Jace just couldn’t put his finger on.

“Uh, they’re..uh, good I guess. Still doing the same old, same old.” Jace’s answer was about as vague as vague could get. If this had been Mr. Clyde, he would know better about Jace’s family and not have to ask. His dad was in town frequently and was bound to run into the man. Bellwoods wasn’t that big. What it seemed like to Jace was that the replica Mr. Clyde - that Peter - was trying to get information. Why should he need to, though? The Yancy family property was surrounded by woods. Couldn’t Peter just lurk out there and watch? Or was it too far from Henbard? Was it possible that, perhaps, Peter didn’t know as much about Jace as he might have the others?

This thought offered Jace a little bit of comfort. Maybe, just maybe, that meant he wouldn’t see anyone he knew that was important to him. Not his mom or dad, not his sister, and hopefully not Kenai. He didn’t want to see them here as London and Ethan and Milton had seen Matt. He wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“I’m surprised you don’t already know.” Jace remarked with a raised brow. “We’re, uh, college friends.”

“How would I know?” Clyde smiled. “I haven’t seen you and Kelsey since high school graduation.” It was true, which meant Peter didn’t lack knowledge but was trying to play the part of Mr. Clyde as truthfully as he could. “Glad your family is doing well though, say hi to your folks for me, alright?”

Without another word, the man exited the park, ensuring he stayed a few steps ahead of them.

Kelsey followed alongside Kindle and Jace as they walked in the direction of the Red Copper Inn.
 
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Matt reached for Marten's arm but stopped himself when she ignored the offer and helped herself to her feet. "Brat? I didn't see anymore out here earlier, but yeah, cleaning duty as always." He offered her a smile, rubbed the back of his head like he always did when he was feeling sheepish or uncertain. It was clear that Peter had an eye for detail. "Really though, where'd you guys head off too? I was worried sick. Really Marten, six in the evening means six in the evening." He frowned and wagged a finger in front of his face as if he were scolding Joseff for rummaging through his sock drawer. "You guys know the White Woods are spooky at night. Gosh, I sprained my leg in broad daylight. Who knows what could have happened to you guys."

Red Copper had never been the most lively of places. but it was a little odd how no one was there at all. It was just Matt and Marten and the long stretch of concrete that covered the entirety of the parking lot - a sea of asphalt that seemed to stretch farther than it originally did back home. The sun continued to shine hotly above them despite the cool October breeze.

Marten didn't seem to be all there. Matt tapped her on the shoulder. "So the others, where are they? Last night when you guys didn't come back. The mayor and everyone sent a search party." The amicable smile he wore on his face fell. "You know after Kelsey went missing..." The word seemed to pain him. "People have been extra worried. Anyway, I'm rambling, you must be really tired. We should head inside Red Copper and get you rested - oh it's Jace and Kindle! You guys found Kelsey too!"

The more Matt spoke, the less like himself he seemed to be.

Mr. Clyde lead Kelsey, Kindle, and Jace back to the inn with a broad smile. "Matthew Lyons."

"Mr. Clyde. You found them?"

"That I did, boy."
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Kelsey stopped in her tracks when a familiar voice called out to them. It was Matt and Marten, and while she would have been elated to see them in any other situation, she didn't know if it really was them. Was this what London and Ethan meant when they talked about seeing Matt earlier in the basement. She didn't walk another step even when Mr. Clyde kept going.

"It might not even be them,"
she whispered.

"Guys!" Matt continued to yell. "Guys, what's with the getup? You'll catch a cold out here. Marten and I were just about to go inside. You should join us. Where's everyone else?"
 
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"A boyfriend, huh?" Kitty managed a wry smile despite it all. "He must be a lucky fellow." She laughed a little, noticing how awkward and embarrassed Ethan looked. Teenagers and young adults were always so easy to embarrass. She was long past that age. "Don't worry, kid. You're a little too young for me anyway." There was a pause, and suddenly the air shifted a little. "Make sure you get back home to him and the folks who matter to you, alright? Even if Charlotte and I, and everyone in this Godforsaken house can't, you guys still have a chance to make it out of here."

They were in the convenience store now, and Kitty had noticed just how carefully Ethan was looking around.

"Do you know this place, kid?" She smiled bitterly. "It's one of his cruel jokes, using what he knows about you against you. The rabbit hole is unpredictable, so we need to be extra careful." She walked alongside Ethan as he perused the store. "Will you tell me about Bellwoods? What year is it now? What's happening there?" Kitty was well aware there would be nothing for her to go back to. It wasn't like she could leave anyway, but she wanted to know. She just wanted to know.

"When I think about Bellwoods, I think about the life I've lost, but then I think about Charlotte and Wendy and Salem and how young they are. They didn't even live half their lives before they were taken here." She stopped herself before things got far too grim. They already had enough to deal with right now. "It's unfair."

Everything about Henbard was unfair.

Kitty browsed through the shelves until an old woman walked into the store. She didn't recognize who it was, but Ethan would. It was Matt's grandmother. She was dressed in a floral patterned shirt and a pair of brown pants. "Ethan dear? What are you doing here? All of your friends are already gathering at the red copper?"

Kitty's lips pulled into a tight frown.
 
Collab between @Fox of Hearts and @Cartoonicat

A Leap of Faith
Ft. Mr. Ramen

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A cup of tea was all she wanted. This was as far from a cup of tea as she could ever get. Charlotte’s fingers grew number by the minute as she and London gripped the iron weather vane on top of the roof. Falling seemed to be a recurring dream this visit.

“I remembered a lady called Mary Poppins,” she spoke, trying her best to sound as calm as possible. “She was a governess who was able to walk around on the roofs with an umbrella... would you dare try walking around on the roof if you had an umbrella?”

As crazy as that sounded, Charlotte wouldn’t have minded trying at all. Anything was better than relying on this metal rod to save them from a back breaking fall. The maid didn’t even want to speculate how bad they’d be if the inevitable were to happen.

Looking around, the dark-haired girl's already pale skin seemed to grow even lighter. She looked something akin to a ghost. "Uh, I'm not- I'm, uh, n-not very... not very good with heights?" London swallowed, fingers visibly tightening around the iron weather vane. "S-So, uh, I don't think I'm on, uh, M-Mary Poppins' level just yet." If Charlotte were to look close enough, she could see London's knees quivering, threatening to buckle. "I, uhh... I'm n-not really a fan of anyth-thing dangerous."

After a brief pause, a thoughtful look broke through the terrified expression on her face, if only mildly. "Well, ah, aside from... from... fighting m-monsters, apparently- ahh!" A blank, dry page from the Cryptodex fell from the broken spine and drifted through the air. London made to reach for it but let it go after half a second, nearly losing her footing. She swallowed. "That'd be... a l-long fall."

“Miss London! Miss London!” The voice was polite, warm and totally familiar. It belonged to an elderly man of Asian descent standing on the ground below. A face that London would have recognized in a heartbeat if she glanced down. His bowler hat, his oversized exaggerated Harry Potter glasses and well-pressed suit would scream his identity a mile away. He was none other than Mr. Nori, the manager running Kawaii Cafe’s cyber room on the 2nd floor.
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Eyes widening, London stared down at the pair on the ground. "Mr. Nori? Mrs. Nori?" Her lips parted in surprise and for a good several seconds, she simply gawked. "W-What are you-..." Her eyes fell on the huge trampoline held between the two of them, both dressed in their Sunday best, with a large ramen bowl logo in the middle. She almost laughed at the irony: Mr. Ramen, the ramen bowl she'd drunkenly felt guilty about eating while out for food with Kindall, had been own sort of odd alcohol-induced projection of Mr. Nori and his veteran war stories. However, London found herself more confused than anything.

Confused, and then longing. She closed her mouth, lips frowning. Without looking away from them, she raised the question: "They're not real, are they, Charlotte?" London already knew the answer despite having asked it. The sight of them tugged at her heartstrings; they were familiar faces, the few people she considered friends before Bellswood, and the fact that Peter knew about them did not bode well.

Worse yet, since he seemed to know she cared about them. London tried not to think of the day she, her mother, and the Noris moved from Rockport City to Bellswood Hollow to open Kawaii Cafe together. The old couple was practically family at this point.

“This is the Rabbit Hole,” Charlotte’s voice was laced with skepticism. The maid knew He had many tricks up his sleeves but using loved ones against guests was something He’d never done before. She shuddered. Master Salem had a theory that He was learning. Learning, growing ...changing. The very thought that the real Master was becoming more intelligent made her blood run cold. “I guess... we don’t have a choice,” she admitted. “We can’t stay here forever. Our strength will give out eventually and we’ll fall.”

“Miss London,” the man called again.

“Miss London, we’ll catch you!” the woman called out shortly after.

Charlotte looked down then back at London. “They don’t look very strong but ... I guess it’s a leap of faith.” Her mouth twisted into a pained smile at the irony. A Leap of Faith, the turn the two of them missed earlier. Perhaps in a very cruel way He was hinted that they should have taken that path rather than go down the middle one. They needed to take this opportunity now whether they liked it or not.

“Don’t be scared. You know me! I’m strong as an ox,” Mr. Nori shouted out his usual reassurance. The same one he gave Beth whenever she fretted about him injuring himself while unloading their supply crates from the delivery truck. London's stomach churned at Peter having used direct quotes; he definitely had an eye for detail.

Charlotte stared at the trampoline one last time as if bracing herself for one heart jolting fall. Possibly the biggest one she’d ever have in Henbard. “I can go first. Or do you want to?”

Indecision. That had been London's downfall twice now. Though, truthfully, it had plagued her for years and years, derived from a lack of self-confidence outside the realm of video games and cosplay. She knew Charlotte was right; they did not have a choice. "N-No," she said, loosening her fingers around the weather pane just a hair. If there was any time to start breaking the chain of indecision, it was now.

Even if her throat, her mouth, became painfully dry at the prospect of free falling. Peter could dissolve the trampoline and the Noris at any moment - could easily kill her. But she'd likely fall anyway if she were to stay there.

"A leap of f-faith," she nodded, "just like you said." Yet, London found herself frozen. She wanted to move, but couldn't. Why couldn't she just move? This always happened. She'd make a decision - like talking to Matt, for example - but lock up at the last minute. Then the moment would pass, and she'd be left with regret. "Totally... t-totally moving now."

She wasn't moving.

"O-Okay, ah, um..." inhaling slowly, London pursed her lips. Lined herself up with the trampoline and hesitantly closed her eyes. Maybe in the dark, falling through the air would be less scary. It was just a trust fall; in seconds, she'd open her eyes to see Marten looking down at her, arms looped under her own, with a bright smile on her face. Would high five Kelsey and Ethan and Ana for being so badass by jumping off the roof of the school's belltower. Be nagged at by Kindall and Jace for the reckless, dangerous behavior. And Matt-

Wind blew through her hair as she jumped, the breeze tugging at her clothes as she fell, ripping a cry from her throat because this isn't going to end well-this isn't going-... She clutched her katana and broken Cryptodex to her chest, waiting for impact with the ground. Waiting for Peter to pull back and let her crash.

Her back hit thick fabric and she sprung upwards, returning to the air several times, each bounce becoming weaker. Only when she landed safely on the trampoline did she open her eyes, pupils looking up at the sky overhead. "I... made it!"

“Well done!” Mrs Nori praised.

“See it wasn’t so hard! Now you better get up so we can catch your friend next,” Mr. Nori chimed in.

It took London a second to gather her bearings and crawl off the trampoline, heart hammering in her chest. She felt wild, electric, much like how she had fighting off Polly at Stilton Creek.

Their responses were warm like the real Mr. and Mrs. Nori but they seemed a little too scripted. Back home, Mr. Nori tended to be the chatty one while his wife would hang around smiling and nodding. She seldom said anything unless she was helping London with her Math homework. Maybe he's not as attentive as I thought...?
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There wasn’t much time for London to further process the situation. Charlotte landed in the trampoline with a loud thump. The sister wore an unnerved look on her face as she scrambled to her feet. Charlotte stood there for a moment with a dazed look on her face before she busied herself with adjusting her skewed skirt. Doing such a mundane task gave her enough time to process the craziness of it all.

Mr. Nori and Mrs. Nori stood side by side. Their trampoline spread out on the floor like an abandoned picnic mat. Mr. Nori turned towards his boss’ daughter. “We’re so glad you are safe. Why don’t you follow us back to the Red Copper for a cup of tea?”

Mrs. Nori nodded. “Yes, yes. A cup of tea while we let everyone know that you’re back. Your mother has been worried sick.”

At the mention of her mother, London visibly tensed. Went from bright eyed to solemn, nervous. Guilty. The dark-haired girl opened her mouth to speak but no words came out except: “Oh…”

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow. Miss London’s mother? She felt a second chill run down her spine. Had the children been gone that long? There was no way the Master could have known how people behaved in a search party. Then again, this wouldn’t have been the first time he observed people combing the forests to look for his guests.

No! It’s impossible! Tonight was the longest night. He always left after midnight. Only Him. The rest of them remained trapped inside unless He gave them permission to leave. Not wishing for her uneasiness to worry their guest, Charlotte responded to the invitation with a smile of her own.

“A cup of tea would be lovely! It was very … drafty on the roof.” Charlotte finished lamely. She wasn’t sure how much these “people” knew about what they’ve been through. Either way, she didn’t think it was very smart to start unburdening herself to potential spies. He might use it against her one day.

Mrs. Nori placed a hand on London’s arm and began leading the girl away. “I’m sure Rosie made some cookies. Matt’s grandmother is so sweet.”
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London figured these weren’t the real Mr. and Mrs. Nori. She’d be stupid to think they were, no matter how much she wanted to just sit down with a warm bowl of Mrs. Nori's homemade ramen and listen to their stories. Let their voices lull away all the bad that Henbard had etched in her mind. She knew to keep them at arm’s length.

But her mother? London feared she’d see her mom at the bed and breakfast; feared she’d see her familiar rosy cheeks, pulled into a smile, and break under the weight of disappearing without so much as a goodbye.

Her fears had shifted as the Nori’s mentioned Matt’s grandma. She was indeed a sweet person, just like her grandson, but all London could think about now was the fake Matt from the cellar, bloodied and dying in her and Kindall’s arms. Falling from the top of the school bell tower had left her feeling invincible, but now London felt smaller than ever. She did not want to see Mr. and Mrs. Nori here; did not want to see her mother; did not want to see Matt. How could she ever look him in the eyes, now? So much for that New Year’s resolution to actually talk to him.

Yet, she could not bring herself to move away from Mrs. Nori as the old couple lead them away from the school.
 
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