"Hey, Katelyn!" Katelyn hears Dante's voice coming from behind her. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Oh, you know, same old, same old. Nothing all that interesting," Katelyn responds, shrugging her shoulders semi carelessly.
"Did Travis ever find you? He was looking for you."
"No, he didn't. Did he say why?"
"Yeah, he wanted to talk… about you," Dante confirms, emphasizing about.
"Me? As in, just about me, or about me and him?"
"He just said, 'I need to talk to Katelyn about Katelyn.' Just you."
Katelyn shrugs again, slightly confused. "Huh, weird."
Dante laughs. "I know, right? He pretty much always just seems to be thinking of himself and wanting to talk about himself. He might have a… heh, a special little something to ask you… I'll tell him I found you and-"
"NO!" Katelyn blurts. She meant to let Dante keep talking, but something seems wrong. "It's fine, I'll go find him."
"But," Dante retorts, "you don't know where-"
"Relaaax," Katelyn cuts him off again, "I know where to look. Besides, how hard could it be to find Travis?"
"Alright, but I'm coming with you so you don't disappear t- I mean, let's go find him together! Yay!"
Katelyn reluctantly lets Dante follow her, but little does she know of his ominous smiling behind her back.
"Dante? Garroth? Aaron? Laurence? Or even… um, Zane? Hello? Helloooo? Or… ah, Katelyn…? Are you here? Wait, where is here? Argh, I must've hit my head pretty hard… I can't see; it's too dark, but- Ack! Oh, gross! What is that smell? It smells danker than internet memes… hehe… ugh. I'm starting to wonder if… wait, how did I get down here?" Travis pauses briefly, listening for any footsteps. "Last I remember, I was chilling with Dante, and we were about to troll Garroth… but, nothing after that, that's it. Aha! I gotta get through to Katelyn, tell her I'm lost… wait, where's my phone?"
"Missing something?" A whimsical voice replies to Travis' crazed one-way conversations. "I know a way out, but you must give me something in return."
Travis looks around, trying in vain to see. The voice seems to be everywhere at once, sickly sweet and feminine, but deep. It reminds Travis mostly of Lucinda, but with a hint of Katelyn.
"Well, what's the price, lady?" Travis tries not to show his fear, looking down, sad but desperate for freedom. He sees a flicker of torchlight. Upon looking up, he sees a beautiful but masked woman, lovely in a multitude of ways. But in her colorfully painted eyes, there is a murderous glint, and on her carefully etched lips, the blood of many men. Travis gulps nervously.
"My name is Lalita. You must give me a kiss of true affection, like one only lovers give," the devilishly marvelous lady replies, licking her lush, blood-red lips impatiently and precariously. Travis looks up with widened eyes, his answer ready to come out any second.
"Excuse me, sir, have you seen this man? His name is Travis," Katelyn asks worriedly to an older gentleman, holding up and accurate drawing of Travis. She sighs depressedly as the man shakes his head and strolls off. She sits down on a nearby bench and holds her head in her hands, her panic rising in degree.
"Oh, come on, Travis, if you really wanted to talk to me, why would you hide?"
Dante puts a hand on her shoulder, intending for it to be comforting and calming, but it is instead startling. "Sorry about all of this wild goose chase business. If I had known he would be this hard to find, I would've taken him with me. But he'll turn up eventually, don't worry. Now, I gotta go. See you later, Katelyn! Hope you find Travis soon!"
Katelyn sighs. She thinks about all her fights with Travis, how they made up after them, and their overall confusing , rollercoaster relationship. "Oh, Travis. How did we fall in love? Seems like just yesterday you were catcalling me and seconds later you were lying on the floor with a black eye and bruises all over you… how did I fall for you? How did you improve and get more humble, and not just as a person, but as…" Katelyn pauses, committing her sad, lonely speech to memory. "... As my boyfriend?"
"Did I just hear Katelyn talking about Travis? Did she just confirm my ship? Eeeeee! I'm sooo happy!"
Katelyn is caught off-guard by Kawaii~chan's ninja-like meifwa quietness. She squeaks. "Eep! Kawaii~chan, when did you even get here? And how'd you sneak up on me like that?"
"I'm part cat, so I'm light on my feet-"
"I know that Kawaii~chan! I'm just wondering why you aren't with Zane or something?!"
Kawaii~chan blushes and starts backing away. Katelyn knows she has won this little skirmish. Kawaii~chan stands up tall and declares, "Well, I'm telling Zane," then promptly walks off.
Katelyn doesn't like just letting Kawaii~chan go, as she feels wrong doing so, but she decides that it is for the best. She gets up to take a walk when a little lost kid trips and falls in front of her. She rushes over.
"Oh, my gosh, are you okay? I saw you fall and- Abby?!"
Abby fits words in her immense amount of sniffles and tears, hugging Katelyn. "I… I'm so happy to see you! I lost daddy when a… a scary lady walked by and looked at me with an evil looking mask on her face… her hands were covered in a red liquid… it looked like… like b-b-blood! I was so scared th-that I ran away. Can you help me find daddy again?"
Katelyn gasps and hugs Abby back, not allowing her to see a woman fitting Abby's description. "Of course I'll help you find him. I was looking for something useful to do now anyway, so I have plenty of t-"
Katelyn's comforting monologue is cut off when the woman, Lalita's, hand grabs the back of Katelyn's neck. Abby gasps and screams.
"A young woman and a child. How sweet. I know you two aren't related, but, child," Lalita explains, looking at Abby now, "I know you want her to be your true auntie. I know your wishes, but I say when they are granted. This wish will never be fulfilled."
Abby's tears are now flowing in waterfalls down her face. People all around gasp, point, and stare horrified as Lalita suddenly jerks her hand, snapping Katelyn's neck. Abby screams, falling to the ground, sobbing.
Travis breathes a sigh of relief. He was lucky enough to escape her grasp for then, but he knows she will be back. He glances down in pain as his fresh wound pulses and bleeds. He winces.
"Alright, I have to get out of here without kissing this random stranger. My lips are only Katelyn's now." Travis stops to chuckle, breaking away from the intensity of the moment. "It honestly feels good to be so devoted to someone. Why didn't I admit this sooner?"
Travis tugs himself back on track. He grabs some extra air before beginning again. He exhales a bit, calming down from the excitement of thinking about Katelyn. "Anyways, I have to get to her again… what was that?" Travis gasps, thinking he heard a whooshing sound.
Sure enough, the phantom woman, Lalita, returns, more fresh blood on her clawed hands.
"Who'd you stab this time, huh?" Travis asks sarcastically. The response he receives is shocking, shaking him to his core.
"I killed Katelyn."
Travis coughs out blood as tears start forming in his eyes. "T-that was sarcastic, you know, heh. I… um, you weren't being serious, were you?"
"I hardly ever joke. It looks like I picked the right target then, hehe.. Your sadness will satisfy me for weeks!" The lady laughs maniacally, washing the sticky blood off her hands in a cauldron.
Travis lets his tears flow freely as he stands up painfully. "You… idiot! You must not know who you're dealing with, huh? Well, let me TELL YOU!"
Travis slams his fist into her masked face. The mask holds up at first, but soon shatters. But Travis' fist keeps moving with the powerful force of unscathed hatred for Lalita. It digs into the bridge of her nose and would have broken it if she hadn't fallen backwards. She looks up, panicked. Travis looks down at her, his eyes in shadow because of the light angle.
"I'm Travis. And I'm her boyfriend."
"Auntie Katelyn? No, get up, please!" Abby's tears flood the room in the form of a devastated cry. Katelyn's motionless body suddenly jerks to life as she gasps helplessly for air.
"Auntie Katelyn!" Abby leaps on Katelyn faster than Kawaii~chan used to pounce on any guys she found cute. "I thought you were dead!" Abby's tears soak Katelyn's shirt.
Jeffory comes over to his daughter and embraces her. He looks to his friend Katelyn sadly, but is also simultaneously relieved. "We both did. We're glad you're okay!"
Kawaii~chan, Zane, Aphmau, and Aaron all dash over to Katelyn. They remark her miraculous survival and group hug for a while, the crowds cheering for her. Aphmau, being the friendliest potato, is the first of the newcoming group to notice.
"Where's Travis?"
Katelyn, who was previously smiling weakly, widens her eyes. Her floodgates open and she begins crying. Through the pain, she explains her long quest of the day to her friends. She concludes her heart wrenching tale with a note of love for Travis just as Garroth, Dante, Laurence, Lucinda, and Cadenza all enter the spacious room.
Lucinda starts to tease Katelyn playfully. "I always knew you had a thing for Trav-"
Lucinda's friendly poking is interrupted by a cry of heartache and agony from the nearly lifeless Katelyn, who promptly passes out, face wet and neck bleeding perilously. An ambulance arrives shortly afterwards, coming to carry her to a more comfortable place to sleep and start to heal.
The question of Katelyn's wellness is on everyone's minds in the moments to come. A special place in the ER awaits her in a local hospital. It seems as though she won't survive the night, not even with one of Lucinda's best potions.
Travis' wound isn't faring any better than before. It is getting infected from his staying in this filthy area, under a bridge or in a sewer, Travis isn't sure. Lalita has provided an immense amount of torture for the rebel she has beaten into submission. Her methods are past ruthless, almost killing poor Travis after she fooled him with charm, and something close to mind control. His ego has gotten significantly lower in his dire time of need. His final cry of the night is one to be pitied with purest pity.
"Katelyn… I'll find you… and save you…"
He falls into a deep and painful rest.
Katelyn awakes with a start, only to see Dante, Zane, and Kawaii~chan sitting and waiting for her to wake from her deep slumber. She silently wonders why it is them, when Aphmau or Abby and Jeffory would be the most likely to visit in Travis' absence.
She thinks better of asking. She yawns sleepily, stretching her arms and legs, not even noticing the lack of feeling in her neck. Dante looks absently at a clock, right past Katelyn, but finally notices that she is awake. He calls to the others, to which Zane and Kawaii~chan react in opposite manners.
"Great, she's up. Can I go home now?" Zane growls, glancing at the other two.
"Katelyn, you're up! WE were so worried about you, RIGHT, ZANE?!" Kawaii~chan stabs Zane sharply with her elbow.
"OW! Right, Kawaii~chan, right… hmph."
Dante tells them that they are free to go whenever they desire to leave. Kawaii~chan understands Zane's motives and excuses herself for cookies that have yet to be baked specially for Katelyn, at once also promising Zane cupcakes.
"We're so relieved you're okay," Dante speaks up when the couple has left. "Nobody was sure at first, not even the doctors." He pauses. "I gotta tell you something, now that we're alone…" Dante smirks strangely, then continues.
"I know where Travis is."
Travis is dying. Not figuratively, but quite literally. His entire figure is scarred and bloody, serving distaste and fear to all who may lay eyes on him. He suffers in every waking moment, longing to see his beloved Katelyn again.
He hears footsteps and gusts of wind, signals of Lalita's awaited appearance. It is the noise that occured when someone opened the door to this disdainful underworld. Travis sees it all in his memories: Lalita would come, whip in hand, ready to serve him a harsh, fierce, blood-splattering strike, then his bleeding back would finally crack under the pressure and cruel reign of the whip. He braced for impact. But it never came.
"Go on, whip me. I dare you! I'm… I'm ready to die. But that means I'll see… Katelyn. I have nothing else to live for. Do it! I wanna see her in a- in paradise! TAKE ME!"
Travis feels himself being lifted by the shoulders, and with much pain, he stands on his weakened legs. He glances up, waiting for a hateful strike. He instead sees something he doesn't expect- rather, who he doesn't expect:
Katelyn.
"I must be seeing things," Travis whimpers as he crumples back to the ground, bones aching. He sighs wistfully as he grows cold again.
"Did you really think I'd die when you were still missing, Travis?"
Travis looks up sadly, depression on every part of his face. Suddenly he sees that his eyes are not deceiving him. He jumps up with newfound strength and hugs the slender figure in hospital patient's attire, blood soaking the thin gown, but neither of the lovers care. Their joy is indescribable; they have so many stories to tell. Travis loves the sudden change, and Katelyn is more content with seeing him than she ever has been before.
Her rest, though she did not know it, had lasted nearly a week. Travis' torture had lasted close to one and a half weeks, scars covering his back, showing through his torn shirt.
But they forget that they are still not alone.
Dante cackles wickedly, morphing into a creature unlike any they had seen prior to this experience. Its cry is a hollow, ghostly howl that only a creature of legend is said to have. They gulp nervously.
Lalita appears from around a corner, scaring Travis out of his wits and into Katelyn's arms. They stare up at the giant anthropomorphic wolf-like entity as it emits a low purring sound, Lalita's hand stroking its fur with gentle care. It grimaces, licking its chops as if painting a mental red X on its next snack: Katelyn and Travis.
Travis whispers a solemn farewell to the world: "I wish I had more life left to live, so that I could tell you what I wanted to earlier this month…"
Katelyn cocks her head to one side, confused "What?"
Travis grins. "I was saving up for a gift for you!"
Katelyn blushes, her cheeks turning a lovely bright pink. She has a feeling Dante, or the fake Dante, was right from the start. Meanwhile, Travis sticks his tongue out at Lalita and the wolf creature, pulling it right back in at a low growl and a threatening snap of its enormous set of sharp, pearly white teeth.
A great deal of murmuring is heard coming from another section of the tunnel system. Katelyn drops Travis and attempt to roll past Lalita and her monstrous pet. It seems to be the most effective way presently. She carves a path for Travis as well if he wishes to follow her. She ducks around the corner, tripping over something. She yelps as she falls over, looking behind her at the offensive debris that caused her fall.
But it wasn't debris; it was Dante!
"Dante?! What are you doing- Oh wait… I get it. The wolf thingy stole your essence so that it could become your clone and locked you down here so no one would get suspicious, am I right?" Katelyn guesses, running low on breath. She was very accurate.
Dante holds up his pointer finger as if to want to make a point, but once his mouth is open, he decides he can't find his words, so he closes it again and puts his hand back in his lap.
Travis rounds the corner speed walking, then calmly informs them of the vicious wolf-man combination waiting just yards away, gaining on them every second, sniffing for Travis' scent trail so it can finally earn its meal. Travis, having now delivered the news, runs off in the direction of the door, screaming.
"Oh boy, never would've thought Travis would run scared from this giant, ferocious, hungry wolf because he's too scared to fight it… oh brother, what a shame," Katelyn yells sarcastically after him, hoping to encourage him to fight the monstrosity.
Travis returns with a branch, trying with all his might to pick it up off the cement floor of the sewer-like hideout hole. Katelyn comes over, snatches the branch, and smacks the beast upside the head, rendering the wolf unconscious.
"I like this branch you picked, Travis, it's sturdy," Katelyn nonchalantly mutters, examining it casually, its leaves brushing the ceiling. She smiles, adding onto its description, "It's about as trusty as you, too."
Travis blushes, sure it was meant to compliment him. He sidesteps closer to Katelyn, his hand lightly brushing hers. She glances at him, cheeks turning the lightest shade of crimson. He puts him closer arm around her side, ever so gently skimming her backside, then putting his hand on her waist as if nothing happened. She avoids his loving gaze, simply looking down with burning cheeks.
Their sweet moment is interrupted by Lalita, who throws a shuriken between Travis' ribs right below his chest, in other words, his solar plexus. Katelyn yelps as he crumples to the ground in pain.
"How could you? Oh, right. You're an evil JERK!" Katelyn uses her powerful legs to thrust herself across the small gap and plant her fist in Lalita's face. But she has learned to dodge thanks to Travis' punch earlier. Her movement is swift, effective, and intelligent, maneuvering herself in such a way that a hard punch can be packed into one of three of Katelyn's available pressure points. Lalita throws her fist violently into the back of her victim's skull. Katelyn stops suddenly, turns around, and gives Lalita a beating she'll recall for decades to come.
Before the situation gets out of hand, Dante calls 911 to inform the police of Lalita's acts of bizarre savageness and repulsive attempts of seductive acts toward many masculine targets and victims.
He also calls for an ambulance for Katelyn and Travis, as Travis was suffering from blood loss from the shuriken and from the torture, and as Katelyn's skull had seen better days, ones without unusual, vibrant pains in the back.
A whole colony of cars, trucks, and vans soon came careening down the street toward the mentioned area. Travis is set on a stretcher, while Katelyn, able enough to walk, claims a place next to him in the back of the van.
She looks down at her outfit and thinks self consciously about her appearance. She shakes the awkward thoughts out of her head. She shifts her gaze to Travis, lying peacefully on the stretcher. She stands up, leaning over to kiss his forehead. The van jolts to a stop, bumping her to kiss his lips. She blushes, Travis blinking awake while their lips are still attached. He notices immediately and swiftly encloses her in his arms, pulling her closer. The doors get stuck while opening, saving them from being exposed for a few more seconds. In that time, Katelyn tears herself away from his romantic grasp.
Katelyn puffs out a breath of air quickly, head throbbing. She hops out of the van's back doors when they open, making sure the assistants pull Travis' stretcher out with extreme care and caution. She personally sees Travis to a room, then contentedly follows a nurse to another room for a quick head scan, checking for brain or skull damage.
While they are taken care of, Dante calls all the others, telling them about Travis' and Katelyn's location, but mercifully saves the telling of the stories for the loving voyagers who lived it out.
Arriving at the said location, Aphmau, Aaron, and, of course, Celeste, come to visit the two. They find the room, seeing that they are not the first ones to arrive there. Everyone else who was called has already gathered. Travis' and Katelyn's spaces, previously separated by a curtain, are now joined together as one larger room, as they were stationed next to each other by caring older nurses. They were overjoyed at the idea of young love and insisted that the two be close together, as close as possible.
As Travis makes the story seem action-packed and dramatic, Katelyn corrects him for honesty's sake. Many things like: "That crazy lady had, like, four arms and stabbed four katanas into my gut at once!" "She threw a shuriken into his solar plexus," and, " I was on death's door." "He passed out, but I knew he was gonna be alright once we got here." Travis found it compelling to complain about how many corrections and comments Katelyn stuffed into the story. "Can't you just have the fun-or let me have the fun, I guess-of fortifying this with strong threads of excitement?"
Katelyn responds with an equal comeback. "Or you could try to tell the whole truth, like you might have to in court someday."
Dante, Garroth, Laurence, Kasey, and even Aphmau stand up screaming "OOOOOOOH" as Katelyn's sick burn sinks in. She smirks.
"We are not about to do this…" Travis mutters, and continues on, his dramatizations less intense.
But they have no idea of the danger they are still in. It lurks right under their unsuspecting noses. A fight they will fear they cannot finish.
It is…
An indescribable…
Giant…
Delicious…
Plate of Kawaii~chan's special cookies (Featuring Zane)!
Mwahahahahahaha~! Nya~!