II

I have to be careful. I have to move slowly. They might get me… I stepped as if I were standing on an active minefield. They were everywhere, and one misstep could land me in hot water. This was what I had to go through every day when I walked on a sidewalk. So. Many. Cracks.

"Are you okay?" Kaylyn's concern snapped me out of my obsessive episode, my consciousness now focused on walking. "Um, yeah," I replied dubiously, "How much longer until we reach Zander's house?" As if the universe had an answer to my question, one of the many street lights dotting the suburban road we followed went out. Is it already six? Behind this light was a large blue house, a Chevy Malibu parked horizontally in front of it. Its two upstairs windows were dark, but all three ground-level rooms were lit with the fiery glow of oil lamps.

As we walked closer, I noticed a shadowy figure approaching us with what looked like a sharp instrument. It broke into a run, a thick liquid dripping from the object in its hand. Overcome with panic, I felt a cold chill run down my spine as- "Hey guys." Zander? A short, chubby boy with messy black hair stepped into the street light closest to us. He wore a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants, his slight smile visible only to those closest to him. He was reserved and focused, his comfortable clothing amplifying his quietly warm personality.

"Hey, Zander! It's been a while," I shouted unevenly, regaining my composure as quick as I had lost it. I was naturally anxious. Imagine if Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle were the same pony… Or Starflight and Sunny, if that's more familiar. I knew these two WIngs of Fire characters well, though dragons were no myth. Dragons have existed far longer than there have been records of them, and they are currently said to be extinct. At least, that's the assumption scientists make. I, for one, believe they're still alive somewhere. Of course I had reason to believe this. I had carried with me an item created by a dragon who could wield magic as a tool. These dragons were known as 'Animus Dragons,' and the items they enchanted were coined 'Animus-touched.' Their curse was to lose their soul the more they enchanted.

I realized with a jolt that I had been lost in my own thoughts once again, having missed Zander's greeting and Kaylyn's second, "Are you okay?" This was quite normal for me, as my intrapersonal intelligence was much more refined when compared to my interpersonal and emotional maturity.

"Hey, who's that?" Mikaila's voice broke through my barrier of thought, calling my focus onto her, "That creepy guy in front of the cool abandoned building." I craned my head and focused my eyes on the building she was directing me toward. The sign had faded with its paint, its original purpose undistinguishable. My theory was that it had been an old restaurant, but I was only going off of the size of the parking lot and windows. It could have easily been something similar. It seemed to emit a rotten aura, as if the ground around it had been corrupted by the restaurant's murderous appearance. What horrors could have occured behind those foggy windows and old metallic doors?

"Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the-" Kaylyn smiled gently, "Flower? Like, from Undertale?" I looked up at Kaylyn in shock, surprised she had responded to the man at all. She was a huge Fanfiction nerd like me, but was this too much? Or am I just being awkward? I should respond. "H-h~~" I tried greeting the man, but something about him stopped me from getting very far. His smile was warm, but under his skin ran dark energy, permeating his veins like blood. Something inside of him was telling me to run. But I didn't listen. I stayed beside my friends. One day my loyalty will kill me. I wasn't wrong.

"What? No, Flowey the… uh… ANyway," The man… 'Flowey''s smile was something to behold. It made him seem old and friendly, like a goofy grandfather. But that didn't stop me from being suspicious of his motives. "I have a challenge for you four, if you think you're up to it." My friends looked at Flowey intently, waiting for his response. No one seemed even a bit skeptical of this 'Flowey' who was about to tell us to do something utterly insane, "If you can spend an entire night in this here abandoned restaurant, I'll be impressed. I may even tell you a story!" Now everyone had become enamoured by Flowey's words, "Legend has it that at this very restaurant, one of the animatronics bit a customer! They say it was shut down in the 80's for harbouring murderous, bloodthirsty spirits!"

I looked frantically from each of friends faces back to Flowey's, searching for a hint of dubiousness. Is he joking? Is Kaylyn thinking? Zander bored? Mikaila anxious? Kaylyn let out a slight chuckle, excited at the thought of a FNaF-esque adventure. No one else looked even the slightest bit anxious. It was just me. Everyone else was completely under this man's spell. 'Flowey' had captivated my friends. "After Hot Topic and Skyzone, do you wanna come here?" Kaylyn's voice rang through my ears, killing my hope of escape. There was no way out. Zander nodded and Mikaila gave Kay-chan (Kaylyn's nickname) a thumbs up. It was done.

"Alright. Will you be here at eight o'clock?" asked Kaylyn, staring at Flowey's smile without noticing the darkness within him. His outer shell had tricked all of my friends, but I wasn't about to let it trick me. I dropped my hand into my pocket and began to squirm. After a few seconds of searching, panic set it. It's gone. The small animus-touched lapis lazuli I had carried in my pocket for protection was missing. "Hey, guys, can we stop at my house before we come back here?" I knew there was no chance of this working. They obviously wouldn't want to waste any time in returning. "Why?" asked Mikaila, a glint of cunning in her eye, "Is there something you lost? Something small and round?" How could she know? Mikaila's cunning voice was amplified by the smile growing on her face. This was a smile of understanding and humor, as if she were holding back a funny joke. Anyone else seeing her grin in my position would have asked her if she had picked up my rock. This was lost on me, however, my anxiety morphing it into a malevolent grin. "N-nevermind, we can just… Yeah…" I began walking at the back of the group, being careful not to step on any cracks. I had been defeated. I'll go back to my room. Somehow.