EDIT: (corrected a few mistakes) A shirtless top... A shirtless top... A SHIRTLESS TOP- Oh if my english teacher saw that... Ouch!
Just wanted to say that it's fine if you guys wanna' go and straight out murder me for the late update. I wouldn't mind losing one or two lives.
But beware beware! This chapter is going to get dark! And so is the story!
Not like I didn't warn you though, *Shrugs*
besides, the story has just begun.
And so are my schemes.
Well, whatever... just remember to review, my lovelies!
Carnage Paradox
Chapter Three: "It's none of our business."
"Oh that's brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Petunia hissed lowly as she opened her suitcase, searching for something in particular, leaving a very uncomfortable Flaky staring at her in the far corner of the room. She obviously looked upset, but she didn't dare to say something in fear of making her snap.
Being precautious was a must, especially near Petunia.
"Sheesh, they could have just—TOLD US about the damn party, if you hadn't come and told me about it... UGHH!"
"Uh, well I d-don't think it would be really f-fancy or anything... wearing casually sh-should be alright—"
"NO, IT'S NOT ALRIGHT!" She shouted, eyes staring dangerously at the poor red-head who was twitching in fright. "We have to be perfect! People in this region tend to be judgemental, if we don't raise ourselves higher to their expectations, then we'll surely be victims to their endless gossips! Trust me; I know what I'm talking about." Her hands searched deeper inside her suitcase, throwing left to right some lingerie and other clothes that seemed to be in her line of sight. It appears that Flaky failed again to start a friendly conversation with her, and the atmosphere got awkward real quick with only Petunia's endless muttering and Flaky's quiet twitching to liven up the small room.
Should I dress up nicely? She thought to herself, it's a welcoming party... nothing too... big, right?
She didn't like standing out, so dressing up plainly was the best option. But even so, perhaps acting girly for once would do her some good, and Petunia was right at some point... people could be judgemental.
But she didn't want to think about her past right now, and let's not forget that he is going to attend as well.
... And by 'he', she means Flippy.
Her cheeks flushed, Why am I thinking about him now? It's—too soon! I can't... I...
"Hey, Flaky! Are you listening?!" Petunia called, Flaky jumped in surprise and stuttered an apology, making the blue-haired girl sigh.
"Geez, excu-se me for nagging at you! But you should help me out in the very least!"
"O-Okay," she stood up and looked with her, searching for something that'll suit her.
"..Say," she glanced at Flaky, "Did you meet anyone interesting?"
Flaky frowned.
"Wh-What do you mean by 'interesting'?" She asked shyly, Petunia shrugged and went back to her searching.
"Oh, you know... Someone worth to bother, like a potential friend."
Why am I thinking of Flippy?! "Y-Yeah, I met some kind people here who h-had the kindness t-to help me out..."
"Oh," she smiled, "That's nice..." She then glanced back at the shy red-head, "Any cute guys?"
Although Petunia used her 'playful' tone, it somehow managed to startle Flaky a bit.
"Ah Um, uhh... ah! I don't... really... eh?"
She rolled her eyes, "Never mind, you're too naive anyways."
Flaky simply nodded and went back to the search, trying to find something suitable for both of them.
Petunia had too many clothes, and all of them were too flashy for her taste. But she didn't have much to say in this, since she had the kindness to let her borrow some and all...
Plus, she was starting to get awfully quiet.
The little red-head decided to take a small peek at Petunia who was behind her; she was looking at a dark blue piece of cloth intensely, as if it was the most important thing in her eyes. Analyzing the object better, she noticed it was in fact; a dress.
Petunia looked dazed.
"Um?" Flaky was about to ask her if she was alright, until she threw the dress away, startled.
"Yes?" she turned to face her, a small smile illuminating her face.
Flaky didn't like to ask her about it, if she didn't bring it up... then there was no point in insisting.
Besides, it was probably too personal.
"I found... something nice," she smiled, showing her the long yellow shirt in her hands, "I'm sure it'll l-look good on you."
Petunia blinked twice, then smiled.
"You like it?"
Flaky nodded slightly, "Y-Yeah, I like yellow—"
"Then keep it, I didn't wear it in ages." She shrugged then returned to her searching, leaving a slack-jawed Flaky.
"You don't seriously mean it?" Flaky spoke slowly.
"I do, wear it." She insisted, "It'll look better on you."
She looked at the yellow shirt in her hands then smiled. It had small brownish flower prints on it and was shaped nicely. Enough to not reveal too much of her bust and waist, brownish leaves were also printed on the sleeves, making a nice mature and calm design to it.
It was a very pretty top, and she was right... it would suit her.
"Thank you... thank you very much!" She smiled happily, Petunia smiled back.
"Don't mention it; take it as a 'thank you' for listening to my endless complaints... I know it's annoying." She chuckled.
"N-No! Don't say that!"
Petunia simply grinned then took out of her suitcase a long black skirt and a blue top, looking at them closely. She then stood up and took them both, pulling them near her to see how she would 'supposedly' look with them on.
"Say..." she started, a bit doubtful. Flaky turned to look at her.
"Would these look good on me?" She asked.
The little red-head was not so good in fashion, so she figured her opinion wouldn't really matter. But with Petunia... she was sure anything would look good on her. She had the body, the face, and the atmosphere. A simple glimpse at her and she was sure that any man would go wild.
A girl, a very pretty girl.
"Everything looks good on you, Petunia." She spoke honestly, making Petunia blush.
"You think so?" She bit her lip, trying to hide her bashful smile, "Then I guess I'll wear that."
Flaky nodded, still smiling.
Yes, Petunia was indeed a very pretty girl.
But could she think the same for herself?
Flaky glanced at the mirror.
Long, spiky red hair filled with dandruffs, a sign of both stress and anxiety. Her white round face had visible eye bags, making her look extremely tired while her lips were too thin for her liking.
She was neither fat nor skinny... neither tall nor small... plainly average.
Dark eyes that showed very little sparks and the band aid still covering her round nose.
Average... normal... sometimes even less.
There was no arguing that Flaky wasn't a big fan of her own person.
But even if she wasn't as pretty as Petunia, she wouldn't change herself for anything.
'Because I'll always be me, no matter what.'
And with a heavy sigh, she changed her clothes quietly.
She should try to enjoy the welcoming party, in the very least.
Nutty wasn't happy, no... he was in a rather—grumpy mood.
Things weren't like he thought them to be, to him; the 'Happy Tree Friends' summer camp was probably the worst thing that existed. Filled with sick bastards (Lumpy mostly) with a stupid 'name' restriction (childish much?) and worst of all – a 'healthy regimen' on the boot.
'Shit, I need em' sweets,' he thought, letting a loud and annoyed sigh escape his lips.
He wouldn't have signed the contract, he wouldn't have come, he wouldn't have even known about such a camp if it weren't for...
If it weren't for-
"HEYYY!" A very friendly (yet slightly disturbing) boy greeted, his head popping up from under the bed, startling him.
"What's up, comrade! Why tha' long face?" A dark purple-haired boy smiled, looking at him with his big dark green eyes and eye-catching freckles.
Nutty furrowed his brows, "Ugh, get outta' my face!" He said as he pushed him with the palm of his hand, making him fall recklessly on the ground.
"Youch! Aww, you shouldn't be so shy, y'know?!" He laughed while rubbing the back of his head, "We're roommates! We should try and getta' long better!"
'freakin' jackass,' he hissed lowly, 'I hate being interrupted when I think!'
Nutty lifted himself to a sitting position and ran a hand through his lime hair.
Sure, things could have been worse!
... or not.
"Hey Hey Hey!" The boy giggled ridiculously, "Guess what? While I was takin' a walk outside, I saw some fine lookin' girls," he stared at the ceiling dreamily, "One of them was particularly eye-catchin'!" He drooled, then glanced at him; "I'm sure she'd fit to your liking—"
Nutty glared, "Toothy, I don't give a damn."
Toothy pouted, "Aww, cmon'! Don't you wanna' go girl-hunting? Seriously, you're at the age, man! You need some love!"
"God-darn it! Why can't you understand the meaning of 'I don't give a damn'?! I'm not in the mood to go 'girl-hunting', you can go by yourself for all I care."
There was a moment of silence, until Toothy opened his mouth slowly, agape.
"Ohh, so you're into that kinda' stuff huh..."
Nutty narrowed his eyes, "What d'you mean?"
Toothy chuckled while placing his hand on his shoulder, "Tsokay' man, I respect ya... but don't get the wrong idea okay? I hope we can stay as friends throughout the whole summer—"
"I'm perfectly straight, thankyouverymuch." He removed his hand from his shoulder, "Look, the only thing I'm interested at..." his yellow eye sparkled, "are sweets, got that?"
Toothy nodded, feeling defeated; "Gosh, fine! I just wanted you to act like a normal teenager."
"Well you failed miserably," he mocked him.
A normal teenager.
'Again—I guess I'll never truly be able to be just that... normal.'
He smiled to himself.
'Yeah, it's a real pain.'
The room was getting colder second by second, and so was he.
He's been trapped in there for god knows how long, and he had no idea how much longer he'll be able to last. The darkness consumed him and he was about to fall into insanity again.
He didn't want to lose.
He hated losing, more than anything in this wicked world of his.
His stained hands were starting to get awfully smelly, drying themselves and making the skin underneath unbearably itchy. The nightmare was far from over, that he knew all too well, but it was still worth the struggle. That man just loved to tease him, didn't he? That fucking moron, sitting on his leather chair, smoking on his cigar and smirking all of the goddamn time...
What more could he take from him?
The game was over, for him at least. He had done everything for his sake; he sacrificed his name, his memories, and his own self. He took it all and spit it back at his face, turning him into a laughing stock; he mocked him, sabotaged him and finally threw him into that hell-hole with the darkness being his sole company.
Greedy son of a bitch.
And that bastard of Lumpy... Licking his boots all the time, obeying him like he was a celestial being.
He shouldn't have let him sign the contract; he shouldn't have let him take over.
And now look what he did-
He left him all alone, to rot in hell.
He bit his bottom lip so hard that it bled, the chains were too tight on his body, he couldn't move.
He did all of that, just to get rid of him.
"You threw yourself in the arms of the devil," he said quietly, "And now you dispose of what's most precious to you..."
He looked at ground.
"Why did you hand me over? To that fucking bastard too!"
He clenched his fists.
"YOU FUCKING NEED ME!" He yelled, "YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LIVE ON WITHOUT ME!"
He tried to break free; he tried to break those awfully tight chains.
"HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO SURVIVE WITHOUT ME?!"
The rusted chains bruised his whole body, making him bleed from everywhere.
"YOU NEED ME! YOU NEED ME!"
His blood dripped on the floor, staining the cold ground.
"I AM YOUR VERY OWN IDENTITY, DAMN IT!"
The blood was spilling out very quickly, yet he still didn't feel any pain.
"I PROTECTED YOU! ALL THE TIME!"
Sweat and blood was now mixed together.
"YOU'D BE DEAD IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME!"
He suddenly stopped, panting loudly and craving for oxygen. The room was too dark, it fitted him well.
Darkness within darkness.
Between his breaths, he began to chuckle.
"You... were lucky last time."
A smirk appeared in the corner of his lips.
"But your luck ran out ever since you disposed of me."
He looked up; his fierce yellow eyes were glaring at the darkness.
"I don't need you anymore; I don't need you to be somebody."
He could see it; he could already see an opening from afar.
"I'll find my own identity, you just wait and see."
He realized that the darkness already consumed him the moment he opened his eyes, the moment he found himself in control.
"There can only be one of us..."
His smile became wicked.
"Everything... I'll take everything away from you—"
From a low chuckle, to a hysteric laugh.
He fell into insanity once more.
But then again, that's just what he is.
Insane.
"I was right," Petunia smiled, impressed by her own skills, "You DO look great!"
Flaky looked at her, shyly averting her eyes, "D-Do I?"
Petunia spent an hour looking for the 'perfect' makeup combination for little Flaky, and boy, she did good! The light pink lipstick suited her lips well and the light blush gave her a very naive and pure vibe, with peach-coloured nail polish and lily perfume.
"You'll be finding the man of your dreams tonight, my dear Cinderella!" She joked playfully, Flaky blushed.
"A-Ah! Don't be silly! I won't—I can't—"
"Aw, cmon'! Don't be so modest, you look cute!"
And she was right.
Her outfit was pretty simple though, yet it managed to suit her personality in a way. Her yellow top matched well with her dark Capri pants and flats. Her long red hair was tied up in a high ponytail while her bangs were casted aside using a yellow hair clip, allowing a better sight of her pale round face.
The power of makeup was amazing.
'That's not the real me though,' Flaky thought while looking at her reflection again.
Petunia looked at her for a moment, "Something wrong?" she asked, Flaky turned at looked at her, slightly moved by her concern.
She smiled, "It's nothing, don't mind me."
With a simple nod of approval, Petunia pointed at the door with determination, "Well! It's now or never!" She said proudly, "Let's get outta' here and turn some heads now, shall we?"
And thus she stretched her hand for Flaky to grab, but as soon as she was about to do so, she pulled away and looked at her with worry.
"Did you uh... wash your hands?"
"Uhh... yes."
"Alrighty then!" She said as she grabbed her hand, "Let's go!"
And both of them happily walked towards the canteen, where the party was starting.
It was bright, cheerful, and surprisingly well decorated.
There was a good dozen of people inside, all drinking soda and having fun with some catchy-music playing along. She assumed they were all members of the Happy Tree Friends summer camp, and most importantly—potential friends.
This was it, finally.
"You nervous?" Petunia asked.
"A bit," she admitted while chewing her lip.
"Hey! Don't do that! You'll remove that pretty lipstick off!"
"S-Sorry, my bad." She chuckled.
"Look, your way too tense." Petunia poked her on the shoulder, "You need to loosen up, try and have fun for a while! I transformed you into a babe, you better put your beauty to good use, ya hear?!"
"Y-yeah, but—"
"No 'buts!" She warned, "You look great, so have faith in yourself!"
Just as those words escaped her mouth did a very attractive petite girl in a mini pink cupcake-printed dress appeared right before them, with short pink hair and pink heels. She wore a very intoxicating yet pleasant perfume, making her presence noticed in meters away.
"Excuse me," she said, her voice was girly and cute in many ways, "I'm looking for my darling, have you seen him anywhere?"
Petunia stood there, looking at her wide-eyed, not believing the troubling existence that presented itself in front of her. Flaky did the same too, but did a good job in correctly hiding it.
But the pinkette's most eye-catching feature was probably her gigantic jiggly bungly diddly ding dongs.
'A-Are those real?!' Petunia mentally screamed at herself.
"So... have you seen him?" She spoke again, making them snap back to reality. Flaky looked at Petunia, who was awfully silent.
Flaky decided she had to answer in her stead.
"Um, how does h-he look like?"
The girl giggled in a girly matter while resting her index finger on her lower lip, looking up for some unknown reason.
"Well, he's about the same age as me~" She started, "He's pretty tall and has curly blonde hair with cerulean eyes and pale creamy skin!" She giggled again, "To sum it up, he's the best-looking boy in here!"
Petunia gritted her teeth in annoyance, "We haven't seen such a guy, sorry."
She looked down, "Oh... mhmm, too bad! Guess I'll go hunt him down myself! Teehee!" She turned, ready to leave "I'll be going now—OH! I haven't introduced myself yet!" She smiled.
The pinkette stretched out her hand for a shake, "They named me Giggles, nice to meet you!"
Petunia did no move whatsoever to shake her hand, and so Flaky did in her stead.
"Flaky, s-same here." She said shyly, Giggles smiled warmly.
'What a cute girl...'
Giggles glanced at Petunia, and so stretched out her hand for her to shake as well.
Instead, she looked at her palm and asked coldly, "How many times a day do you wash your hands?"
The pinkette blinked twice in bewilderment, Flaky couldn't believe it.
"Oh, uh..."
The little red-head jumped in between them, "She has some slight OCD so please excuse her!" she said in a hurry, "We'll be on our way now, right Petunia?!"
"Yeah," she muttered.
"I hope y-you'll find your sweetheart soon!" She said as she took Petunia's hand, "Bye!"
Giggles looked at them curiously while waving her hand, not knowing what she could have possibly done to annoy her.
"Ugh what a bimbo!" Petunia hissed, "I hate girls like that!"
"That wasn't really nice," Flaky said, "You could've tried to be friendly with her, she didn't seem s-so bad."
"Oh puh-lease!" petunia rolled her eyes, "That girl's a show off! Referring her boyfriend to 'darling' and saying how amazing he looks, seriously though! Didn't they teach her to be discrete?!"
"Maybe, but it wouldn't hurt to put on a facade right? I mean—you did say that people are very judgemental r-right?"
She sighed, defeated; "I guess so..."
"We should go and sit down," Flaky suggested with a small smile, "Otherwise we came for nothing."
"You're right, let's go and have some fun!"
Relieved, Flaky began to walk alongside Petunia, talking about their future plans and how the summer camp would turn out to be. The ambiance was just right, everyone looked to have fun, it was a joyful atmosphere and it pleased her a lot.
Petunia on the other hand, kept staring and eyeing everyone. Judging their outfits and their looks, analyzing every single member of the camp. Flaky started to wonder how a person can be so worried about other people's opinions while she kept judging them herself.
"Not many cute guys in here," she grumpily said, "It's such a waste!"
Flaky couldn't help but laugh nervously, "Hah? W-well don't worry about that, I'm sure y-you'll find someone to your liking!"
"Pfft!" She waved her hand dismissively, "As if! I'm very picky you kno—OUF!" She muffled as she hit someone's back, falling in the process as well. Flaky covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at Petunia with worry.
The blue-haired girl rubbed the back of her head and roared in anger, "Hey! Look where you're going!" Which should be a shame since she was actually the one spaced out, and thus the one who should look where she's going.
But she immediately regretted saying those words.
"Ah, I'm sorry..." the man said in embarrassment, "I wish I could help you stand up but—as you can see... I can't." He chuckled nervously.
In front of her was a tall man with shoulder-length orange hair tied in a small ponytail, he had gentle eyes with the same colour of his hair and wore a white sleeveless top, he smelled nice and looked clean. Very very clean.
But what struck her most were his arms-
He didn't have any, actually.
She suddenly felt impolite to stare at him so openly and stood up by herself, trying to hide her blush.
"N-No... it's okay," she said slowly, "I'm sorry for bumping into you."
"Its fine," he shrugged.
Flaky glanced at the blushing Petunia, and smiled to herself. She poked her on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "I'll be leaving you both, good luck."
She was about to protest until Flaky disappeared in the small crowd, leaving her alone with the boy.
"Sh-Shoot!" She mumbled to herself, and then threw a glance at the boy.
He tilted his head to the side while smiling, "Want to have a drink?"
She smiled shyly while twirling a strand of her blue hair, "Sure."
'They look so cute together,' she thought to herself while looking at them both. It was the first time she saw Petunia act that way, (not that she knew her long enough, though) and it was pretty surprising for a difficult person such as her.
For the first time, she didn't feel uncomfortable in the crowd. No, she was actually feeling at ease, surrounded by people who all had their very own personality, who were all having fun.
She sat on a table and admired the joyful ambiance, for once people didn't mind her, for once nobody pointed their finger at her, judged her and mocked her.
For once she was able to fully contemplate at the world without being laughed at.
She closed her eyes slowly, listening to the music, the members' joyful talks and laughter, the sound of glass colliding and the smell of both perfume and food filled the whole canteen.
It was pleasant.
"Daydreaming?" A familiar voice said behind her, startling her as well.
She turned, a shy smile illuminating her face.
"A-are you making fun of me?"
He remained silent for a moment, pretending to think then grinned; "What If I am?"
Flaky shrugged, "If you are, then it can't be helped."
Flippy sat down in front of her, gently meeting her gaze.
"I'm just joking," he said softly, "I thought you might want a bit of company."
She appreciated the gesture, even if she looked pathetic for being all alone at the party. But she didn't mind, because she was used to it anyway.
But Flippy's company was more comfortable.
He looked stunning, with his dark jeans and black short-sleeved shirt that was tight enough to embrace his amazing chest. He still wore his military boots and dog tags though, but that only kept making him look even more attracti—'wait what?!'
Flaky blushed, averting her dark orbs from his gentle greens.
Flippy tilted his head curiously while pouting in an adorable matter, "Something wrong?" he teased her, like she was a small baby.
She threw him a slightly angered glance, "N-nothing's wrong, why?"
"You seem troubled," he snickered, "Something bothering you?"
"No," she looked away, again.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"That so?"
"Y-Yeah!"
"Mhmm-hmmm..."
Was he making fun of her?!
"I'm just-! A bit nervous..."
His eyes widened in honest stupefaction, "Nervous? Hah... why so?"
She shrugged, "I just am."
"Hnnnnnnn?"
"Stop it!" She finally laughed, "Stop teasing me!"
"Well I can't help it if you're always so reserved," he scratched his chin, "I want to get to know you better." He admitted.
'He... he wants to know me...?!'
Did he perhaps want to be her friend?
Her?
A good for nothing girl like her?
"B-But I'm not really that interesting."
"What makes you think that?"
"I... I'm often told that I'm boring, plain and vague," she looked at the ground.
"And who was the idiot who said that?"
"Well, my classmates—"
"Oh, come on..." he smiled, "Have a bit of self-confidence, if you keep on minding what other people think about you, then you'll never live on freely."
He stretched out his hand and removed a strand of her hair that fell loose, "You're a good girl, you should know that," he spoke softly.
Flaky flushed red like a cherry tomato.
"Th-thank you..."
"Don't thank me," he slowly shook his head, "I'm just speaking honestly here."
She smiled; he really was a kind and gentle person.
She felt so much at ease, just being next to him.
With him around, she felt like she could accomplish anything.
And then it struck her.
"Say, Flippy?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you join Happy Tree Friends?"
The moment she spoke those words did his look darkened. She felt horrible that instant, afraid that she asked something too personal.
She was about to apologize until he answered.
"I came here to get rid of something." He said coldly.
Flaky remained quiet, listening carefully.
"It bothered me for years, so I thought it would be for the best to get it over with."
He looked scary somehow, so intense, so focused and determined. If she didn't know him better, then she would have probably been scared to death.
The best thing was probably to calm him down.
"Flippy—" She was about to comfort him until the music suddenly stopped.
Everyone's attention was suddenly focused on Lumpy, who was standing in the midst of them all, clearing his throat.
"I can see you're all here," he smiled, "Good. I'll be able to make my announcement that way."
He took out of his pocket a piece of paper and unfolded it, "It is with great pleasure and honour that we welcome you in the 'Happy Tree Friends' summer camp!" He smiled, "Seriously though, thanks... even I can't believe so many people would actually want to come in such a place, phew!" he wiped off some sweat.
Faint giggles were heard in the canteen.
"Anyways," he threw the piece of paper, "Let's cut through the chase," he said as he took out of his other pocket a remote and pressed a button, turning on the TV on the far side of the room.
The screen lit and showed the list of the 'Happy Tree Friends' members, all of them had their given names following by the number '5' next to each and every one of them.
What were those numbers for?
"As you can see," he gestured towards the giant TV, "We have all of your basic information, right here. That way we'll be sure to keep track of you all throughout our little 'game'." He smiled.
Flaky threw a worried glance at Flippy, who remained surprisingly calm.
She had a feeling... a very bad feeling.
"The games rules are pretty simple, actually." He closed his eyes while grinning, "If you think about it, it's almost like a videogame, except its real... and painful."
Nutty, who was sitting on a table in the far opposite of the room alongside Toothy removed the lollipop from his mouth, listening silently.
"All of you have exactly five chances in this game."
Splendid stopped eating the food on his table to pay more attention at what Lumpy was saying.
"Well," he snorted, "more precisely, five lives."
Giggles held her 'darling's' hand tightly, looking at him with a slightly worried expression, to which he answered with a anxious one.
"The rules are simple, kill or get killed."
'Is he joking?! Please tell me he is!'
"There are weapons hiding everywhere in the camp, quite the variety; If I may say so myself." He rubbed his chin with great interest.
Petunia furrowed her brows, and so did Handy.
"Thing is, once you get killed; you lose a life. And the killer gets it."
Flaky started trembling, he must've been joking.
"You respawn the day after, fully healed. But careful though, if you lose all of your lives—you're officially disqualified! Meaning..." his smile widened, "You get stuck in the camp forever, bound in an endless loop of tortures and death. You can call it hell; I guess... pretty much the same thing."
Flippy glared at Lumpy, a yellow light shining deeply within his green orbs.
"The winner is the last one alive, and so the lucky person who would be able to make it out and leave this place, but with a bonus!" He joyfully said, "Ah—But that's a secret."
'It's a lie... It's a lie... right?!'
"Of course, any attempt of escaping would be pretty reckless.—"
"What is this nonsense?! Five lives? Kill or get killed? Really, if it's supposed to be a joke, then it's far from humouring us!" A man wearing glasses with light blue hair interrupted, looking at him sceptically.
Lumpy blinked twice, "Ah? But I'm not joking, this is all very serious."
"Yeah right, as if we'd believe you!" Toothy butted in, standing up abruptly. Nutty glared at him, "Oi! Sit back down!"
"No! This guy's nuts! Really, it's supposed to be a summer camp, not a battlefield!"
"Mhmm... you guys want to leave, I assume?" he said smugly.
The glasses-guy and Toothy both nodded, "There's no need for us to stay longer anyway, this whole camp is bullshit!"
"Well, what are you waiting for? The exit's just in front of you!" He gestured at the door, both of them stormed outside, not bothering to look back.
"We should go too," Petunia spoke to Handy softly, who nodded.
They were about to stand up until they heard a loud yell.
Everyone rushed outside, curious of what could have happened.
Then, they saw the unbelievable.
"Th...The road... It's... It's gone!" Toothy stuttered while pointing at the dark area in front of them.
There was no escape.
The whole camp was surrounded by endless black, as if it was isolated from the world. An unknown force field stopped everyone from going in... and out.
"Like I said, attempting to escape would be pretty reckless..." he grinned, "Since you guys officially aren't part of the real world anymore!"
The man named Sniffles turned around, facing him with a look of terror, "What on earth do you mean?!"
Lumpy shrugged, "Meh, like I said... you're no longer part of the real world."
Flaky backed away slowly, until she collided with something on her back. She turned and noticed Flippy, who held her by the shoulders.
"Calm down," he whispered, "It'll be fine, stick close to me."
She gulped and nodded slowly.
"Well now, I guess you can say that we've been taken in another realm."
Nutty glared at the floor, then looked for someone within the crowd.
"So—any questions?"
They were all too shocked to speak.
"No questions? Good. Now, may the game... begin."
This Chapter's Ending Theme: Kyouki Chinden – Yousei Teikoku.
TBC.
Now before you go and shout how some of the characters are out of character—ITS TOO SOON! Really! I don't plan on making them THAT different from their original personalities! It's just that this fanfic is supposed to have lots of content and I am DESPRATE for support until I reach my goal – the ending!
I am proud, man I am so proud of this chapter! Come on, review review? *wink wink* I'm sorry if you encounter some mistakes, though... I ain't a native English-speaker. Gomenasai.
So... about the Chapter Ending Theme thing... yeah, I'll be doing that often. You can say it's for the reader's satisfaction, I mean... ambiance building! Yeah, you can call it like that. I chose Kyouki Chinden for this chapter because it's one heck of a song and it suits the fanfic in general, I'll be posting the song's link on my profile to avoid any pointless search. And once again, thanks for reading, support me until I finish this, okay? Carnage Paradox is far from over!