Update? Okay! :D
KND (C) Mr. Warburton
CHAPTER FOUR
That night, back at the Delightful Children's mansion, the remains of the laser were still in a crumpled heap beneath the fallen ceiling. However, something had gone unnoticed by everyone:
A small hand protruding from the twisted metal. At first glance, one would think that the owner of the hand was surely deceased. But this wasn't the case.
The fingers on the hand twitched, then gripped the steel pole to its right. As it struggled to pull the rest of the person out, a dark lavender sleeve was uncovered. A patch of scorched golden hair appeared.
"...H-Hullo?" A small voice called feebly.
The boy looked around warily, blood spattered over the left side of his face. There was a large gash across his temple, starting at the center of it and ending in the middle of his forehead. A trickle of blood trailed from his mouth; one of his front teeth had been knocked out.
"...Anybody here?" He cried.
He strived to wrench himself free, writhing and fighting against the rubble that held him fast. Exhausted, he collapsed against a steel plate. His leg was crushed between an enormous gear and a chunk of titanium. The pain was just staring to hit him, sapping at his strength.
"...I could use some help!" He shouted miserably.
Growing desperate, he grabbed the metal pole that he used to hoist himself up before and wedged it between the gear and the titanium. Gripping the pole tightly, the Aussie started to pry the two parts apart. Blood started flowing to his injured leg again and he bit his lip, choking back a scream.
Just before he was about to pull his leg free, his hands slipped and the gear came crashing back down, flattening his leg again with a splash of red liquid. He screamed in agony, tears streaming from his light purple eyes.
Chest and stomach heaving, he wiped sweat from his forehead, hissing when he brushed against his gash.
"Someone help me..." he sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut, hoping to make the fiery pain go away.
"In need of assistance?"
He snapped his eyes open and whipped his head around to face five well-dressed children. Their blue eyes bored into him and they smiled creepily.
The boy sobbed with relief, reaching for the blond kid's hand. "Yes, yes! Please, my leg, i-it's smashed between two pieces of metal..."
The blond kid jerked his hand back in disgust. He attempted to cover up his action by straightening his red tie.
"Not to worry, Wallace," they growled, "...we'll free you of your predicament."
They grasped him under his arms and started to pull; he immediately started to shriek in pain.
"Stop! Stop, you're gonna rip my leg off!" He screeched.
They released the groaning boy, huffily placing their hands on their hips. "Do you want our help or not?"
"Yes," he gasped, "...but I want all my limbs, too!"
They smirked at the injured kid. "Perhaps Father could help you. Please be patient while we fetch him."
"No!" He yelped. "Don't leave me!"
The Delightful Children stopped. "What's the matter with you?" They sneered.
He started to cry again. "Can't one of ya stay with me? Please?"
They shivered collectively. "Why on Earth would we do that?" They started to walk away.
"Wait! Don't go..." He trailed off, as the Delightfuls showed no signs of stopping.
He slumped over again, a hollow look in his eyes. His face had gone pale from blood loss. He waited for a bit, trying not to move, as even breathing caused pain to shoot up from his leg and through his body.
"We're back."
He smiled instantly, twisting himself around despite the agony it caused. "Yay!"
The Delightful Children were obviously not expecting this response, as they stared at the happy boy with utter confusion for a few moments. They quickly shook it off and stepped back, revealing Father. He was in his usual silhouette suit, a pipe dangling in his lips, his hair slicked back, and his eyes a burning yellow.
"Well, well..." he purred maliciously. "What have we here?"
"G'day, mate..." The boy wheezed. "A little help, please?"
Father sniffed snootily and flicked his hand slightly. The gear that was mangling the Aussie's leg was engulfed in flames and flung across the room, smashing into the wall. The Delightfuls then carelessly pulled the blond out of the debris and onto the floor.
"Thanks, mates..." He said, relieved.
"Do you have any idea how this happened?" Father asked impatiently.
The boy set his jaw, thinking. "Well, I woke up, jammed into that wall over there...this place was completely empty. But I saw that broken laser, so I went to go check if anyone was here. While I was searchin,' I guess I knocked somethin' over, cause a whole bunch of crud came topplin' down on me and squashed me. One piece walloped me in th' face and knocked me out cold. So here I am!"
Father, who was puffing away at his pipe, jumped a bit, as he was not paying attention at all. "Yes, well...Might as well get you patched up before you die or something..."
His eyes widened. "Wh-What?"
"Where are the other emotions?" The Delightfuls demanded.
The boy looked confused. "Others? There were others?"
The sighed, exasperated. "Of course, you idiot! Where are they?"
He looked downcast. "I don't know. I guess they left me."
"We don't blame them!" The Delightfuls sneered. "You're a piece of work!"
He looked away sadly. "I'm sorry."
"That's enough," Father said sternly. "Take what's-his-face to the medical lab. I have plans for him. Go on!"
"Yes, Father..." The Delightfuls muttered.
He nodded and briskly walked out. The Delightfuls looked spitefully at the wounded boy.
He smiled awkwardly, shrugging. "So..."
"Oh, shut up and wait for our butler to take care of you." They strode out, obviously irked by the task of taking care of an enemy.
The boy watched them leave sorrowfully. He stared at his bloodied sneakers, mumbling to himself.
"Why does everyone forget me and leave me behind? Am I annoyin?' Clingy? Ugly?" He murmured, feeling his heart sink with every word.
"Perhaps they feel that you are slightly insane for talking to yourself, sir."
The blonde looked up at the mansion's butler. He was in a pressed, black suit, had white hair, a pointy nose, and excellent posture. He looked down at the kid with indifference and a hint of curiosity. Next to his was a small, blue wheelchair.
"That makes sense..." The Aussie sighed. "I seem to be th' only one who enjoys my company."
The butler grunted quietly. "Shall we seek medical attention for your wounds, sir?"
He nodded. "I would like that. I feel like passin' out."
The butler helped the youngster into the wheelchair and hurried down the hall, pushing him in the chair rather quickly.
"I hope that you are comfortable, sir?"
He nodded. "As comfortable as I can be, I guess. What's your name?"
The butler hesitated before answering. "You may address me as Alfred, sir."
He smiled. "No need for bein' so formal, mate. Call me by my name."
"That would be Wallace, correct?"
He shook his head, but stopped quickly, as it made him dizzy. "No...I'm one of his states of bein,' though."
"Which one would that be, sir?"
"I'm Loneliness."
Alfred slowed a bit before continuing. "I'm sorry to hear that, sir."
Loneliness blanched at Alfred. "Ya don't like my name? Is it stupid?"
Alfred shook his head curtly. "Oh, no, not at all, sir. I just thought that your lifestyle may be a tad...unhappy, due to the meaning of your name."
Loneliness shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I feel bad, sometimes. Not really sad, more of this...emptiness...This feelin' of fear and isolation...Sorry, am I borin' ya? I tend to ramble a lot..."
"Not at all, sir...In fact, I can relate."
Loneliness's eyes sparked. "Really?"
Alfred gave a small grin. "Indeed."
Loneliness smiled. "I guess we're kinda th' same, huh?"
Alfred raised his eyebrows in contemplation, entering a small elevator. "I suppose."
Loneliness bit his lip in excitement. "Great! Now we don't have to feel so lonely anymore! W-We can be friends!" He calmed down a bit and whispered, "I've never had a friend before."
Alfred hit the buttons to the lower-levels of the mansion, where the med lab was. "I'm glad to be your first friend, sir." He ruffled Loneliness's hair gently, amused.
Loneliness's eyes teared up. "I have a friend," he breathed.
The doors to the elevator shut, sending the two off to their destination.
Sorry if the ending is sucky. R&R, Constructive criticism! :)