So, so sorry for the wait, guys. A number of factors kept dragging this chapter in constant delay, but my number-one reasoning is that I felt this had to be everything had it could possibly be. So, at long last, please enjoy, and after a quick break, I'll see you with Chapter 5. Thank you all for your ongoing support and happy holidays.
"Hush, hush...
I thought I heard you're calling my name now.
Hush, hush...
You broke my heart, but that was a dream now.
Hush, hush...
I thought I heard you're calling my name now.
Hush, hush...
You broke my heart, but that was a dream now."
"Hush," by Kula Shaker.
Chapter 4 – SNIP!
"TWEET-TWEET!"
"Huh?" Dipper lifted his head up from his raised knees and opened his eyes. Through the limited light given, he could see something small and round floating in front of his cage. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, thinking that they might be playing tricks on him.
"TWEET-TWEET!"
"What is that?" Another sound made Dipper crawl over to the cage's locked door on his hands and knees. He narrowed his eyes, in hopes of getting a better look at the oddity.
"TWEET-TWEET!"
Dipper saw that a blue metallic bird was flapping about in front of his cage on curved titanium wings. A white, featherless face struck out of its stout, circular body. Its glowing green eyes offered a bit of additional light in the dark chamber. Yellow, stubby steel talons were attached its tan-colored bottom. A sequence of curious and high-pitched tweets was produced from the bird's orange beak.
Judging by its cute appearance and gentle nature, Dipper could tell that the robot bird was anything but a threat. He reached past the bars of the cage and began to gently pet the creature. "Hey, there. Are you stuck in this messed-up hole, too?"
The bird shut his eyes and cooed in Dipper's hands. He flipped the tiny bird over, noticing that its round figure looked almost like a helmet. His fingers traveled upon a succession of buttons across the bird's blue forehead that resembled an exclamation mark.
"Wait a second," Dipper noted as he started to flashback. "That mark…on a blue helmet; it seems so familiar, and yet…"
*SCREECH!*
The bird started to give a strange buzzing sound. Dipper spun it upwards to meet it face-to face. Its green eyes had turned to a gray, jumping static.
"It looks a signal. But where – "
Dipper flinched as the faint image of a shadowy shape appeared in the dual-eyes-turned-screens. The imagery continued to click and warp in an attempt to becoming clear. He could make of a calming voice crackling through speakers hidden away somewhere on the bird's body.
"There you are, my boy. So, my readings were indeed correct! But not to worry; help will be on the way…"
"Wait." Dipper raised an eyebrow. "I know that voice! You're – "
*WHAM!*
*SCREECH! SCREECH!*
A clenched fist flew out of the darkness and on top of the robotic bird, sending it smashing into the ground. In thanks to its round body, it rolled over the ground until it was stopped by a boot holding it into place.
The bird innocently flapped its wings, trying to free itself and crying aloud in pain through chirps and screeches as the kidnapper came into view.
"What in the hell is this?" The metal frame began to crack as more weight was applied against it. "Where did you come from?"
"Don't!" Dipper strained his body against the bars of the cage, unable to reach either being. "It's just – "
As the mysterious captor focused ahead on Dipper, the little blue bird took advantage of the distraction. It forced its way out from underfoot, making the abductor slip and lose balance. Once freed, the android sailed upwards and over towards the wild yonder, all the while tweeting and squawking in a panic until it disappeared from sight.
"No! Get back here!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Dipper cheered as he smiled in the first time that seemed like forever. "Go! Go! Get outta here before – " His rejoicing came to a sudden halt as he was faced with an extremely angry snatcher. It lunged towards his cage with a deafening roar, seizing it with both hands and pulling it upwards, sending Dipper flying against the back end of the cage. The kidnapper bellowed into the tight confinement, violently shaking the cell with every question asked.
"What was that thing?!"
"I don't - "
"What did you tell it?!"
"I didn't – "
"Don't lie to me!" The cage tremored harder, bouncing Dipper back and forth like a pinball. "I heard you talking to someone! Now, who?!"
"I don't know!" Dipper's voice cracked in a nervous fashion. "I have no clue who or what that bird was, okay!"
"Maybe you still don't understand how this works yet, kid!" The fiend pressed their face against the front of the cage's bars. "This isn't a game. You're not going anywhere! There isn't going to be some miraculous rescue coming! You're mine, Dipper; mine and mine alone, and there isn't a force in this universe or the next that can change that, so the faster you get it through that fat head of yours, the better we'll all be. Capisce?!"
Dipper reluctantly nodded, knowing that he had no chance while in captivity like this.
"Good!" It threw the cage downwards, making Dipper pop up and down, forcing him to grip the bars and plant his feet to stop vibrating. As his world finally stopped shaking, the entrapped detective watched his captor return to the darkness from hence it came. He lifted the cap from his head and itched the back of his curly brown hair in confusion.
"What the heck was that all about?"
He looked around the now-empty chamber; another reminder that he was all alone in this place with no way to free himself. Depressed, Dipper sat back against the bars of the cage, resting his head on top of his knees, as his mind went back to wandering…
*KRAK!*
Wendy rose out of bed as lightning struck the earth. Instinct instantly made her turn towards the window as the world gave off a bright light as thunder filled the night air. The beading of raindrops against the smooth glass echoed through the small room.
*KRAK!*
"No…way…"
Wendy wiped the sleep away from her eyes. Everything that she had been through: Dipper disappearing into the gaming universe, hopping from world to world, battling magical tyrants and blasting away stereotypical movie monsters throughout suburbia; was it nothing but some sort of messed-up dream?
"Ugh…" She moaned, wiping her red bangs away from her face. "I really have to lay off of the spicy food before hitting the hay." The redhead let out a sigh of relief as she fell back on her pillow. She stared up at the darkened ceiling, her sights moving towards the handcrafted headboard looming over her. Looking upwards, all of the breath in Wendy's body was sucked out, leaving a gnawing pain in the pit of her stomach.
She was not in her bed. This was not her faint little cabin in the woods.
Wendy jolted upwards again and turned around. Gone was the collection of photos taped to the bedrail as well as her branded initial. Her pine-tree adorned comforter was replaced with a rich and silky blanket that felt soft to the touch.
She examined the room, seeing that it was belonged to someone obviously well off. The walls were covered in designer wallpaper. A copper-based four-way light was mounted into the center of the ceiling. An expensive dresser was set in the far left corner of the room; a large mirror fixed to it was covered with a long, white dust protector. Thick red draping covered the rain-drenched window, as another lightning bolt came roaring down, illuminating the room yet again for a split second.
Wendy spotted a tiny, yet stylish lamp sitting on a nightstand to her right. She reached over and clicked the switch. The light refused to turn on.
"Grand…" She scoffed, going back to the raging storm outside. "Guess the power's out. But how'd I end up here?"
As Wendy lowered her feet to the floor, another new detail made her cry out in disgust. "Oh, yuck!" She had been dressed in a lengthy, navy-blue dress that gone past her shins, ending before reaching her ankles. Thin straps wrapped across her shoulders for support. A long-sleeved white blouse was set under it. The open collar was wrinkled due to the way Wendy slept. Her auburn hair had been perfectly straightened and pulled back.
"How the hell?!" An outraged Wendy took a hold of the dress and widened it for a better look. "I look like a goofy plastic doll!" Cold creeps ran down Wendy's spine as a horrid thought popped into her mind. "I really, really hope this stuff was magically zapped on me."
Her attention shifted to the raging storm outside of the bedroom window. Wendy discovered that she was in the far end of a looming, square-shaped mansion on a secluded mountainside. The surrounding area was blanketed with hundreds of tall redwoods as far as the eye could see. They rolled and twirled in response to the heavy rains mercilessly drenching them from every angle.
She chuckled, "Kinda reminds me of the ol' Northwest place…or should I say "McGucket" now?"
Strangest of all, a huge tower had been erected in the center of the manor. Reaching towards the heavens, a gigantic turret clock had been built into the green-lined building. Bolts of lightning struck the neighboring area repeatedly, as if the arrangement itself had attracted it.
"And here I thought that McMansion in the last place was overkill." Wendy thought. "What kind of nutbag builds a clock tower into their home?"
She stood up and began towards the exit, only to feel a sharp, pinching pain in both of her feet. "Ahh!" Wendy stopped and tried to glance downwards, her view obstructed by the blue gown. With a grunt, she pulled back at the cloth, discovering that she was wearing tight-fitting dark blue dress shoes with nyloned socks. Wendy lifted a foot, finding that the bottoms were hard and incredibly thick. The heels were ridged and raised, reminding her of nurses' shoes.
"Geez…" The girl winced, taking step after painful step. "This is worse than walking in high heels."
Wendy turned the doorknob and walked into a dank hallway. A number of lit lanterns were hung from bases placed along the purple-covered passage. Her heels resonated across the wooden-planned flooring. Numerous sealed doors made of thick oak surrounded her on her left and right.
"Man," The determined teenager persisted onwards, the throbbing in her peds fading to the back of her consciousness as new concerns arose. "There's so many rooms here…it'll take me, like forever and two days to search them all."
At the far end of the hall, Wendy perceived a mist rising from the flooring on the far left. Upon taking a closer look, she realized that it was actually a warm steam stemming from one of the rooms. She had found a sign of life.
"Bingo!" She snapped her fingers. "That probably means someone's in the bathroom. Maybe they can tell me what's going on here." Wendy staggered towards the new discovery. The long dress prevented her from running towards her goal. The tight-fitting loafers made it so she could barely power-walk there.
As Wendy passed another gorgeous glass window, complete with red trim, she paused, as something caught the corner of her eye. Two small, glowing yellow lights beamed into the room, like they were eyes watching her every move. She turned towards the glare, finding nothing there. Despite this, her nerves were on full-alert. "I could have sworn…"
At long last, Wendy arrived at the door. She rattled the wood with her knuckles and lowered her head, "Excuse me? Is anyone there?"
A moment passed. No one answered back, yet the fifteen-year-old heard the sound of running water.
"'Cuse me?" Wendy raised her voice, and waited another instance, as no response was given. She shrugged her shoulders. "They probably can't hear me because of the water." After a slight hesitation, Wendy clutched the door handle and slowly pulled it, making it creak loudly. She stepped into the room, as it filled to the brim with thick steam. Waving away the mist, Wendy nearly tripped over the white porcelain toilet bolted into the wall. Next to it, a matching sink and mirror had been completely fogged over. A modest light was built into the structure. "Alright. So, there is some power in this place. Weird, but good news still."
She spun back around, finding a running shower in the right hand corner. A dark, yet thinning silhouette stood motionless behind the shower curtain. A sour, yet familiar scent entered Wendy's nostrils. She swallowed hard; the situation was definitely off, but this was the closest thing she had to an answer.
"Hello?" Wendy called out to the stranger. She began to walk carefully towards them. "I know this sounds super-messed-up, but I really need your hel – "
*SPLASH!*
She gazed down at the tiled floor. Her shoe had stepped into a warm, sticky red liquid. Wendy traced to the source back to the edge of the tub. It was then when she noticed the person's wrists held together by a hemp rope and bound to the showerhead.
Wendy gasped and took a step back. The gruesome scene promptly triggered her memory; she recognized that bitter scent. It was the same stench that followed her father after a hard day's worth of hunting in the woods.
"I-I-I've gotta book! NOW!"
She whirled around and raced for the door, as it opened on its own. A figure that barely came up to her waist limped into the room; his identity hidden away by the ever-increasing smog.
"…Dipper?" Wendy squint her eyes, trying her best to see through the mist. She could hear the door close behind him. He held an enormous object in his hands. "Whatcha' got…there…"
Her voice faded seeing the shine in the reflective surface. The little hands came together and separated in a haunting rhythm. A sharp, metallic sound rang throughout the room:
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
The mist finally parted as the pint-sized arrival was revealed in full. A tiny boy dressed in a blue blazer and short pants stood in front of the door. Runny, wrinkled knee socks were set into black, buckled shoes. His thinning dark hair was cut into a messy bowl style.
However, his face was that of a living ghoul. The skin, turned gray with hints of decay, hung loosely on the bony body. His nose had completely dissolved, leaving only an empty indent. Rotten, charcoal-like teeth were clenched together in an expression of utter rage. Soulless, blackened eyes stared at Wendy without remorse, the barely-noticeable white pupils never faltered away from its end goal.
But most frightening of all was what lied in the boy's hands. He rapidly opened and shut the sharpened edges of three-foot-long scissors blades with a sense of glee. The oversized garden sheers retracted and separated with every step towards Wendy.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
"N-Now, hang on a minute…" The clerk held up her hands, trying to create as much space between them as humanly possible. "Let's talk – let's talk about this. You don't wanna – WHOA!"
Wendy's feet slipped out from beneath her. She landed in the red puddle with a quiet splash. "Oh, come on!"
Before she could react, the deranged child dove at her with blade points exposed. The agile lumberjane rolled to the left a moment before they hit the cold ground with a *CLANG!* The brief glimpse of the remains tied to the shower's head served as a silent reminder to Wendy to keep moving, or lest, share the same fate. She delivered a hard kick against the back of the boy's leg, bringing him down to his knees with a "GARH!"
With her attacker stunned, Wendy darted towards the door, only for her legs to become tangled in the flowing dress. Her usually perfect balance had given way due to her clunky shoes. She stumbled back into the ground, her exit only mere feet away.
As Wendy attempted to stand up, she was tackled from behind. She flipped over, as the deformed menace was attempting to pin her down. The huge blades were held high over his head, ready to pierce whatever lied below.
Wendy struggled and kicked wildly. "GET! OFF! ME!" Even though his stature was small, the much-bigger adolescent found it hard to throw the demonic child off her. His disturbing grin deepened as he moved in for the kill.
"Didn't…you…hear…me…?" Wendy strained as she flung her arm backwards for anything; something to use to pull herself to safety; something to use as a weapon against the monstrosity plaguing her. Her other arm was used as a shield to keep the scissor-wielding boy at bay. At last, her fingers came across something hard and solid. "I…said…OFF!"
*BLAM!*
She had clutched down on the fancy wooden toilet cover, and in a feat of Amazonian strength, ripped it from its bolts, and smashed it down on her assailant's head, shattering it into a thousand little pieces. The boy slumped backwards with a "GAH!" and curled into a ball. He never once let go of his deadly weapon.
Wendy instantly hopped to her feet and bolted out the door, making sure to close it behind her. Now back in the hallway, she leaned her wary body against the sturdy oak, holding a palm over her pounding chest. "It feels like I'm about to have a heart attack. What the hell was that thing? Was it even human?" She took a relaxing breath. "Well, at least he's down for the cou-"
*RIP!*
Two steel blades launched from the other side of the door, narrowly missing Wendy's shoulder blade by inches. Her emerald eyes widened in absolute terror as the metal wiggled about, trying to free itself. She pushed off from the wooden surface and twirled around, watching the door bobble up and down as the torn gap grew bigger by the instance.
"Screw this! I'm outta here!" Wendy went to run down to the hallway, and tumbled over her own feet after a few steps. She crashed onto the carpeted floor, earning rug burn on both her elbows and knees.
"That tears it!" In a fit of rage, Wendy began to tear the bottom half of her blue dress completely off, allowing her to move her legs more freely. She kicked off the restrictive shoes, hurling them against the decorative wallpaper, and fled down the hallway into her nyloned feet. The remnants of the door cracked in the far distance.
After a few moments of searching the ever-spiraling passage, Wendy finally came something that stood out from the rest of the various entrances. A large, double door was left slightly ajar on her right. She reached out for the handle, receiving a shock in return.
"Ow!" Wendy stuck her finger in her mouth. "Dammit! Don't tell me that the little bastard booby-trapped – " Her sights went downwards towards her socks rubbing against the fuzzy floor. "Or it could have been just a static shock…"
She pushed open the door with her shoulder. A huge smile spread across her face as Wendy had come across the mansion's foyer. The entire room was covered with a comforting shade of brick red wallpaper. The robey-drapes adorning the windows matched those found in the room where she awoke minutes before. A collection of portraits featuring several preppy-looking elders were hung throughout the vestibule. Glimmers of moonlight could be seen on the glassed chandeliers hanging overhead. Between them, a huge, glass-stained skylight had been fogged over by the unrelenting rain. The comfy red carpeting found in the hallway continued into this room, traveling down a set of curved stairways, and leading towards the entrance of the mansion.
"Horror Movie 101: the smartest thing to do when being chased by a murderous freak of nature is to make it down the stairs and out the front door!"
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Wendy looked behind her to see a menacing shadow on the wall moving ever so closer through the candle light. The massive points outstretched from its arms withdrew in anticipation. Without thinking, she shut the double doors and pulled a nearby piece of furniture, a simple table stand, close, jimmying it just under the handles. With a job well done, Wendy turned back around and hurried down the stairs as her feet gave out from under her. She took hold of the banister just in time to keep her balance.
"What the – " The confused cashier glanced down to see that the obstructive dress had been miraculously returned to its overly lengthy state. The same went with the bulky shoes Wendy had abandoned upstairs; they had been zapped back onto her feet.
She threw her head upwards and exclaimed to whatever forces of fate that taunted her endlessly: "SERIOUSLY?!"
*BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The propped up table against the door started to rattle. There wasn't any way to tell how much longer her barricade would last. After being forced to take the rest of stairs step-by-step, Wendy raced to the mansion's exit and took hold of the doorknobs, finding that it wouldn't open.
"What?! No! No! No!" She shook the doors repeatedly, making out a faint clatter coming from the other side. Furious, Wendy lobbed a fist against the mighty wood; the stinging in her hand compared nothing to the dread running through her mind.
"They've been chained - from the outside. Even if I had my lockpicks, I wouldn't be able to even – "
Her eyes lit up as she found a long, upmarket lamp positioned next to a comfy recliner by the nearest window. Pulling it from its electrical socket, Wendy took the heavy structure and swung it into the glass.
*KRAK!*
It directly cracked in the dead center. With her determination growing, she struck it again, creating another part in the window.
*KRAK!*
But it still refused to shatter.
"Ohh…" Refusing to give up, Wendy dragged the lamp to the window on the other side of the entrance. She took a deep breath, gathered all of her strength, and delivered a devastating blow on the glass.
*KRAK!*
Wendy lowered her weapon, realizing that once more, she was not able to break her way through this newly-damaged window. "Come on!" She chucked the lamp down in disgust, and anxiously held her pounding temples, holding back strands of her red hair. The girl had seen this scenario a million times before – especially when laughing at hapless damsels alongside Dipper during their B-Horror-movie marathons, and here she was now: trapped in an enigmatic manor in the middle of nowhere with a psychopath on her heels that wants to turn her into the world's tallest pin-cushion.
"Man, karma's really got it out for me today, don't it?"
*CRASH!*
One of the chandeliers above Wendy had crashed to the ground, missing her head by an instant. Its sharp and broken contents flew across the floor. She froze in place, the shock of the crash clearing her troubled mind. The ginger started to back away from the mess when…
*CRASH!*
Another chandelier had plummeted to the earth behind her! Wendy jumped and accidentally let out a surprised yelp. Behind her, more sparkling glass covering the red carpet. With her surprise turning to aggravation, she looked to the ceiling. "What in heaven's name is going – "
*CRASH!*
A vast shadow dropped down from the huge skylight, creating a downfall of rain and shards of colorful glass. Wendy covered her face with her arms to shield herself from the collateral damage. She could make out a soaking form rising up from the ruins. The scissor-boy lifted his head and flashed his crooked smile. His trademark weapon still held tight against his chest.
"He…fell from a twenty-foot drop. And acts like it was nothing!"
Her survival training took over. Wendy plucked the dented lamp from the ground, turned with her hips, and delivered a bone-breaking strike, sending the devilish pre-teen flying across the room. His limp body twitched with spasms, similar to that of a live-wire. And yet, he refused to let go of the scissors.
Wendy huffed in exhaustion as she dropped the broken lamp. Bent over with her hands on her knees, she struggled to catch her breath. Her eyes quickly moved to her fallen foe. He went on lying in the throes of unconsciousness. Her eyebrows heightened as she watched the boy's fingers tightly wrap across the handle of the scissors.
"NO…FRIGGIN'…WAY…"
His blackened eyes shot open. The evil smile drew across the decaying face again. His bony legs struggled against the carpeting as he attempted to get back up.
The mere sight drained Wendy of whatever remaining energy she has. She had to fight to avoid slumping to her knees in defeat. "But…But I hit him with everything I had! He can't be standing! He just can't!"
Sure enough, the scissor-boy was back on his feet. His preferred weapons echoed loudly throughout the foyer as he hobbled towards his downtrodden goal. Wendy shook her head clear. She needed to stay strong. Dipper needed her to stay strong.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
With a renewed spirit, Wendy lurched towards the end of the room. She managed to retain her equilibrium by holding her dress upwards slightly with her right hand. The high-schooler groaned with infuriation, "This is just like the first time with this gaming stuff, when I was trapped in that weird castle with the giant turtles…"
Wendy pulled the nearest door open and raced through it. She found herself in another seemingly-endless corridor filled with numerous doors. Wall-to-wall seafoam green substituted the constant red of the second floor. The lighter-shaded planks loudly creaked with every footstep. However, her pursuer made his presence behind her well-known.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Figuring that all of the rooms would lead to dead-ends, Wendy continued on to the door on the opposite side of the hallway. She rushed pass, ending up in another foyer; an near-exact clone of the first, save that it was blanketed in her favorite shade of dark green, making her feel somewhat nostalgic for her usual lumberjack outfit.
On her left, Wendy found a light shade of plaster where the exit of the mansion would have been. She scoffed under her breath, "Figures…" A long staircase went back to the second floor, to where the young explorer guessed led back to the bedroom where she awoke originally. She ran across the atrium to another door at the end. Finding some resistance, Wendy tugged on its handle with both hands. "What – is – the – hold – up – here – BAH!"
The agile outdoorswoman hopped away at the upcoming danger at the last moment. A barrage of rocks, pebbles, and layers of dirt came tumbling out of the doorway, completely blocking any safe passage through.
"A cave-in?! That doesn't make any sense – "
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Wendy didn't have time to think things though. That thing was coming closer. She had to keep moving. The redhead came back towards the stairs leading back to the second floor. Placing a steady foot on the first step, Wendy had a feeling of hesitation overcome her. What she was about to do went against every lesson she had learned from watching cheesy B-movies.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
She had no other choice.
Flying up and around the stairs, Wendy made it back to the second floor. She returned to the red-themed hallway and searched for a new escape when an unexpected sound was heard:
"HELP! HELP!"
Wendy grinded to a sudden stop. "Please tell me I didn't just hear that." She cocked her head, hoping that the call was merely just her imagination playing tricks on her. Once more, the cry came from behind the nearest room.
"HELP! HELP!"
Stressed, she bit down on her lip. Wendy knew that there was no chance that this random room could offer her any possible advantage, especially a means of escape. But she couldn't rid herself of the lingering feeling on the inside.
"Errggghhh…" With an annoyed moan, the troubled teen threw her arms downwards at her sides with clenched fists. Her conscience simply wouldn't allow her to leave without being certain.
"Besides," she thought. "Heaven forbid if he's in there…"
Wendy gently undid the door and silently closed it behind her, ensuring that no one would hear her make this detour. The sight before her made her stomach boil with a sense of nausea. The good-natured juvenile had walked into what appeared to be a weird trophy room. Wendy saw the cleaned and stuffed heads of an antelope, a boar, a tiger, and a moose attached to commemorative mounts on the purple-shaded wall.
Beneath them, there was an entire set of shelves containing various-sized jars filled with fermented animal organs saturated in a green solution. The simple light overhead came them a creepy glow. Wendy's green eyes briefly scanned through the collection, noting several brains, livers, lungs, bladders, and spleens. An enormous heart was set in the biggest container on the upper right of the first shelf.
Wendy shivered. She looked at the mounted animals and easily figured where the collection came from.
"HELP! HELP!"
She spun around to the far end of the room. The back half was blocked off with a black-stained white tarp. A metal, silver cabinet was placed against the wall, serving as a sort of separation barrier. Wendy took a hold of the plastic lining and peeled it back. Upon seeing what lied behind the drape, she turned her head and covered her mouth as her freckled cheeks puffed up. Wendy swallowed the overwhelming sickness growing within.
The other portion of the room consisted of a makeshift slaughterhouse. Dried-blackened gore stained a dual-table that wrapped around the kiddie-corner. An array of weaponry marked with the same substance hung above on rusty chains and hooks. A wicker hamper lined with a white garbage bag bled through the very bottom. Wendy didn't dare to look inside. A sampling of black feathers stuck out of the closed bin.
"Oh, man. Not even Dad would be so…cruel."
Behind her, there was an odd series of knee-high cages that reminded Wendy of long lobster traps. Inside, an entire flock of black crows fluttered about, searching for an exit. In front of the cage door, a lone red and blue feathered parrot rested on the grated floor. Excited by the new visitor, it flapped its wings and squawked, "HELP! HELP!"
Somewhat annoyed, Wendy set a hand against her hip. "You gotta be kidding me." Re-examining the gory scene gave her a change of heart. The poor creatures were in the exact same predicament that she was: they were trapped in a strange, isolated new place and left at the mercy of a killer schoolboy.
"But what can I do?" She glanced towards the room's ceiling and discovered a small window that was left agape near the roof. Even if Wendy had a way to reach the exit, there was no way her slender figure would be able to squeeze though. Looking back at the birds, she gave off a beam of hope. "But to those of us that can fly…"
Without thinking twice, Wendy dropped to one knee and pulled on the latch holding the cage's door shut. As soon as she opened it, the cashier was tackled by a literal wave of black, as it screeched and cawed towards the opening and into the night sky.
"Yeah! You're welcome!"
Pressing her hands against the soiled floor, Wendy pushed herself back up as one last bird flew right into her chest. The parrot hovered in front of her, as it shouted to the top of its lungs. "HERE! HERE!"
"Hey!" Wendy raised her voice, trying her best not to yell, while swiping at the fowl with both hands. "Keep it down, will ya? You don't want that jerk finding us, do you?"
It fluttered out of her reach and yelled even louder: "HERE! HERE!"
"Just…" Wendy popped a hard-soled shoe off and hurled it towards the parrot. "JUST SHOO ALREADY!" It swerved out of the way, as the clog bounced off the wall, before flying through the window. The relieved youth let out a heave as she hopped about until she reclaimed her shoe. All of a sudden, the all-too-familiar sound entered her ears:
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
"Oh no…" Wendy sped back through the curtain and went to the door. As she went to grab the doorknob, she could hear the steel ricochet nearly on top of her.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Wendy stepped away from the door without saying a word nor taking a breath. Her vision blurred as she searched the room for another possible exit. A new distraction gave her pause.
*BA-DUM!* *BA-DUM!*
She whirled around towards the collection of organs. Wendy grabbed her gut as the churning sensation returned. All of the articles on the shelves had sprung to life. The brains and stomachs bulged as if they were inside of their respective bodies. The livers, bladders, and spleens boiled and bubbled in their selective juices. The set of lungs puffed up and deflated in a rhythmic fashion.
*BA-DUM!* *BA-DUM!*
Her immediate attention went to the enlarged heart on the upper shelf. Its valves pumped and skipped to its own beat like that of a steady drum. It was imagery straight out of a nightmare.
"…the hell?"
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
The door handle start to turn…
"I gotta…I gotta…" She spotted the rather-tall cabinet before the curtaining. Left without any other choice, Wendy darted to it opened the steel door without making a sound, and upon stepping inside, slid it shut. She stood on top of a pile of old, wrinkled clothing. Limited light came through the thin, curved lines and allowed her to see a brief glimpse of the world outside.
*BLAM!*
The anxious teenager could hear the room's door being thrown open as it smacked against the adjacent wall. *SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!* The sound blared around the room as the miniscule predator searched for his lanky prey. Wendy could see glimpses of the blue schoolboy outfit as he paused right outside of the locker. She held her breath and pushed against the back of the closet. Every second felt like an hour in passing. After what seemed like an eternity, the scissor-welding child stepped away from Wendy's hideaway, unaware of who lied inside. *SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!* The noise traveled across the room, growing farther away.
As Wendy released her held breath, she felt something brushed against her nyloned ankle. She peeked downward to see a thinly-shaped mummified corpse staring up at her with empty black sockets. Straw-like dead brown hair draped across its mud-colored, dried-up skinless face. A torn, red dress was held onto its skeletal body with a black waistband. Its mouth was forever locked into a twisted leer as it tightened its grip on Wendy's foot. Red lights formed where its eyes should have been. A near-silent growl whistled through its broken teeth.
"HOLY – "
In pure reflex, the horrified clerk threw herself back through the closet's doors. After reaching a safe distance, she turned around, ready to face this newest threat, to find that she wasn't being chased. There was nothing inside of the closet but a pile of torn clothing and rags. There weren't any living corpses to be found.
"What?! But – But it was right there! I know it was! It grabbed my leg, for the love of – "
*SHUNK!*
Her fright had left Wendy completely blindsided. Before she knew it, a bright flash charged at her. The blades of the giant scissors were now placed between her slender neck, pinning her against the wall. Wendy held her head upwards, as she could feel the razor edges dig into her skin. On the other end, the ghastly boy held his weapon steadfast, giving off a grim, but short snicker.
Beads of sweat rolled down Wendy's forehead as the blades started to retract. She could feel the torn wallpaper and drywall fall past her shoulders. She tried to hoist the scissors upwards, being careful not to cut her fingertips.
*CAW! CAW!*
Wendy could barely see the black blur from her trapped setting. It swarmed around the child, before dividing into different flanks, forcing him to release his grip on the scissors. He batted around his arms and shoulders, trying to shoo the menace away.
"It's…the crows! The ones I freed before…"
The mass pecked and scratched at their former captor, until at long last, he had enough. The boy covered his head and rushed out of the room, leaving his weapon still embedded in the wall. The murder followed him down the hall until Wendy could no longer hear either.
Exhausted, she slumped though the blades and onto the ground. In an effort to gather her spirits, Wendy took deep breath after deep breath, letting the current events soak in, until she was finally able to spit out two words.
"…thank you…"
Wendy rose up, making sure not to nick herself of the sharpened scissors. She debated taking them with her, but quickly decided against it. "I can barely walk around as I am now, yet alone have to drag those damn things around with me. Chances are I'd trip or something, and end up lobbing my own head off! Besides, I'm not sure if that thing can be killed."
She poked her head out the door, making sure that the coast was clear. The hallway was deathly silent. The flickers of the candles provided some comforted as Wendy continued on all alone in the dark. Wendy shuffled past the double doors that she had barricaded, seeing all of the tears and damage that her waist-high nemesis had done to it. She noticed an open room at the end of the hallway. As it appeared to be completely empty, Wendy went into the new area and closed the door behind her
She had found what were the ruins of a child's bedroom. Ripped posters and broken framed pictures decorated the decayed royal blue wallpaper. A chipped and cracked wooden dresser had its drawers pulled off their railings, and its contents emptied all over the azure carpet. A nearby toy box had been tipped over and its contents spilled under a twin-sized bed. There was no bedding to be found; only a bare mattress with springs sticking outwards at random spots. Scraps of ropes were attached to the headboard and footboard, making Wendy question if someone or something had been restrained there.
Several toys and dolls were strung down from the ceiling, aligned around the room's structure like a weird mobile of sorts. The only item in the room that hadn't been damaged or altered in some fashion was a dusty mirror that had built into a shattered armoire. Wendy ducked down and stared into her own reflection. Her lengthy red hair was now a frizzled mess. Bags from stress were forming under her eyes, not so unlike her missing cohort. The accused schoolgirl outfit had become wrinkled and smeared with dirt.
"Oh, what…" She frowned, spotting a reddened nick on each side of her neck, exactly where the deadly blades were held only moments before. Luckily, the cuts did not travel deep. Wendy's eyes focused back onto the mirror as she saw something lurking about on the other side of the glass.
Her reflection froze in place, no longer following along with her own movements. Its face twisted into that of an angry snarl. Her mirror double roared and lunged at Wendy, its hands moving through the glassed barrier and aimed towards her neck.
"Ugh!" With instincts taking over, Wendy bounced back, just out of range of the attack. "That's…impossible!" She wiped her eyes with her fists to clear her vision, hoping that she was seeing things. Wendy lowered her hands, seeing that the ghastly imagery had vanished from sight.
Instead, a new haunting form had replaced it, making Wendy gasp in surprise. A sinister-looking doll sat on a cushy chair behind her next to the exit. It wore that of a purple jester outfit, from the three-parted, huge hat with bells attached, to the white-button-down jumpsuit, leading down to its curled white slippers. Its head was lowered downwards, almost like it had fallen asleep keeping guard.
Wendy's heart calmed and her breathing went back to normal, until the doll awoke from its slumber and raised its head in her direction. She turned around on her heels to confirm what she had seen in the mirror, watching in horror as the jester slumped down from its seat, rising back to a standing position. It walked with baby steps towards the astonished girl, proudly showing off its threatening grin. The doll lowered its right arm towards the ground, as something slid out from the puffy-white sleeve, catching the unknown item in the palm of its gloved hand.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh…"
The clown gleefully tossed a small, yet dull dagger between its two hands in an insane sort of juggle. It resumed its slow march towards Wendy, as it muttered another low-key laugh:
"Heh-heh-heh-heh…"
Wendy could hear more laughter and merriment coming from the ceiling. All of the other toys dangling from the ceiling were squirming and wiggling in their confines, each cheering on their comrade as it approached the much-bigger intruder who dared to enter their territory.
"This can't be real, right?" She backed away towards the wall. "I mean, the kid with the scissors is one thing, but living dolls? Then again, it's not like I haven't seen anything like this back home…"
Wendy tried to step around the knee-high menace, finding that it was able to match her every move. To make matters worse, the footwear forced upon her greatly hindered her usual swiftness.
"This guy's way faster than the scissor-boy. Even if I were to make it to the door, he'd probably knife me in the back before I'd get it open …" Just then, her shoulders hit the wall. She could feel a cool breeze past through the thin uniform. Wendy looked back to see that she was up against the window. Just below her, she saw the mansion's massive in-ground pool. Its icy waters overlapped into the surrounding concrete. A desperate plan started to form in her mind.
"Unless…"
Wendy turned to the alternative. The doll was halfway across the room as it threw the daggers back into its right hands. The cheers and cries of its toy companions grew even louder. With no doubts left, she threw open the window and stepped into the tiny ledge. Her shoes made it difficult to keep balance. She took a deep breath and leap from the windowsill, yelling out as she fell back to earth:
"GEROMINO!"
*SPLASH!*
She smacked the water feet first. Wendy's super-thin body became frozen in the pool's rigid waters. The light clothing offered no protection against the cold. The clogs strapped onto her weighed her ankles down, making it harder to kick to the surface. Wendy's breath slowed due to the frost. It felt as all energy was being slowly drained from her. It was hard to keep her eyes open…
"NO!"
With a burst of strength, Wendy launched herself upwards. Exploding through the surface, the ginger pulled her head and inhaled a gulp of fresh air. She kicked and dog-paddled through the cloudiness until she found solid ground, clawing her way up the side of the pool. Left weary, her matted copper hair blanketed her soaked, keeled-over body as she panted heavily.
Wendy looked around as she gathered her strength. The heavy rain that finally stopped, leaving the surrounding cement and neatly cut grass sodden. The small enclosure had all access to the outside world blocked by the looming mansion. As Wendy has guessed, the nearest entrance to the mansion had been sealed off with chains and locks, preventing them from being opened from either side.
A wooden shack stood to her right. Wendy noticed a wooden bar set next to the thick door, leaving its attached metal holdings bare.
"Huh." She stood up and tried to twist her dress dry with her hands. "If they're locking this place down, there has to be a good reason why."
*SQUISH! SQUISH! SQUISH!*
Wendy's shoes squished with every step as she cursed under her breath. There wasn't a more uncomfortable feeling than walking around in wet socks. Using both hands, the heroine pulled the door's handle back, leaving a big enough gap from her to slide through.
"I – I can't believe it!"
Piles of dirty-yellow hay had been aligned alongside sides of the simple greyed paneled walls of the shed. A worn-out wooden ladder led upwards to a loft just beneath the roof. In contrast to the ground floor, countless neatly wrapped bales had been aligned in a straight row.
But Wendy's full attention locked on to what awaited her at the end of the shelter. A brownish-gray Packard was parked in front of a retractable steel door. She stared at the discovery with starry, hopeful eyes.
"It's not a shack; it's a garage! Finally! A way out of this cuckoo's nest!"
Wendy hurried to the car and found the front door unlocked. She plopped down in the seat, turning it sopping wet. The experienced carjacker tore away at the ignition with her bare hands and crossed the necessary wires to get the vehicle going.
"C'mon, baby…" The nerve-wrecked survivor watched as the exposed tips barely gave off a spark. "Work for Wen-Wen. Please…"
*DING!*
A neon-blue glow came from the lights on the dashboard. Wendy let out a laugh of relief as she shifted gears into drive. Her sights faced the garage door without worry. "Screw it. I'll run right through the damn thing."
All she could think of was being free of that horrid place, being far away from the child-like killer relentlessly chasing her all about, and being closer to finding out where Dipper had been taken.
With her determination rising, Wendy slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, hearing nothing but a squeaky sound in return.
"Wha – "
She repeatedly pumped the gas again and again. The roar of the engine wasn't anywhere to be heard.
"What the – " Wendy grew angrier as she continued to weigh down on the pedal. "What in the f –"
Her voice faded away as a new radiant message appeared on the dashboard. Stricken silent, Wendy could only stare at the warning, wishing that it would disappear from sight at any given moment. A few seconds later, the heartbroken clerk rested her head against the wheel and whispered in defeat, "Oh, man," as the blue text flashed into her covered face: ENGINE FAILURE – PLEASE SERVICE.
*SNIP!*
The teen raised her head and glanced into the rearview mirror, seeing some kind of strange shining spark. Wendy turned around in time to see a silver streak coming straight at her.
"Aw, shi – "
*KRA – UNCH!*
Wendy dropped down on the floor as the razor-sharp edges ripped through the Packard's top. She covered her head as debris and broken glass flew all over the place. Her ears were pierced with the sound of twisting metal. Once the noise faded away, she peeped up to see the scissor-boy standing over her. His blades were held over his deformed head without effort. The top of the car had been tossed to the side next to a set of gardening tools attached on the wall.
The boy had turned the Packard into a convertible.
Left cornered, Wendy sprang into action. She kicked the car door open, flinging it against her enemy. "Get back, you little freak!" It slammed into his hip, forcing him to lower his colossal tool. With the monster stunned, the lumberjane crawled back into the passenger's seat, and flipped over and out of the car. She pushed the hair away from her eyes, watching as the scissor-boy climbed through the ruined automobile after her.
Wendy climbed the ladder to the hay loft, guessing that taking the high road would be to her advantage. Once atop the platform, she bent down and pulled the ladder onto the second floor, ensuring that her chaser could not follow. As he reached the front of the loft and discovered that the ladder was missing, the atrocious lad paced back and forth, snipping his scissors angrily, like he didn't know where to go from there.
"HA!" Wendy couldn't help but to brag. "Not so smart now, are you, ug-mo?" She stopped as the boy disappeared under the loft, well out of her sight. "Wait. Where'd he go now – "
*THUNK!*
Suddenly, something burst through the wooden flooring, nearly striking Wendy in the cheek. The glimmer of the scissors' tips shone in her eye before it retracted back into the newly-created hole.
"AAH!"
*THUNK!*
Wendy fell backwards as the blades struck the bottom of the loft again. This time, it passed between her legs, tearing a hole through her dress's edge. In spite of her growing panic, Wendy bit her cheeks and held her breath. She had to make it harder for the foe to guess her position.
*THUNK!*
With another shot to the loft, Wendy was back on her feet. The sharpened blow struck nothing but empty air.
*THUNK!*
The blades grazed Wendy's right foot, striking before her big toe. She inadvertently jumped up in reflex, giving herself away. "Ah, dammit! I really – "
*THUNK!*
"…have to learn – " The scissors launched up from the left, brushing up against her arch. Wendy slid her foot away from the danger, trying her best not to lift her feet from the floor or to apply her full weight downwards; any given step could lead to her potential demise.
*THUNK!*
"…to watch my big mouth!" Wendy thought as another hole was punctured to the far right of her location. "This is all kinds of messed-up. It feels like I'm trapped in a game of "Whack-A-Mole." How can I get outta this without becoming a piece of Swiss cheese?" She searched around for the answer, finding herself all alone, save for the rows of hay bales across from her.
"Hmm…" Wendy skipped forward to gain momentum and dove onto the wrapped bundle. Now safe on the prickly surface, she quietly sat cross-legged and observed as the scissor-tips poked and prodded the floor in search of her. After a few failed attempts, they finally ceased. Wendy sat upwards to see the boy march out of the garage with splinter-covered weapon in hand and shut the door behind him. She could hear something clattering outside before fading away into dead silence.
"Phew!" The much-relieved high-schooler wiped the sweat from her brow. She double-checked her right shoe, finding that the tip was only scratched by the shears. Thankfully, all her digits were well accounted for. "Glad he's gone, but why? And what was that noise?" Wendy remembered the barred setup on the garage door. "What if he locked me in here? Eh, what does it matter? The important thing is I'm up here, and he's out there. Besides, it's not like I can use a minute to regroup…"
As the sapped young adult took a spare moment to rest, she failed to see an unusual amount of sawdust raining down from the ceiling behind her. A quiet sprinkle became a barely-audible-buzzing downpour until finally….
*CRASH!*
Wendy rose to her feet and spun around in surprise as a twisted shadow hit the loft's floor. She could make out the shape of the scissors even through the self-contained dust storm. As it swiftly passed, the boy's intimidating smile came next. Wendy went to distance herself from the danger, almost having her legs swept out from underneath.
Upon regaining her balance, the startled adolescent spotted the ladder at the tips of her toes. She snatched it up in one fell swoop, holding it against her chest. Wendy beaded her eyes at her assailant, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Their stand-off felt everlasting. Abruptly, the careful stances were broken as the boy stepped forward, the large clippers pulled back before being thrusted forward into a stabbing motion.
*SMACK*
She used the ladder like a makeshift pugil stick, slamming its edge against the scissor-boy's shoulder. The blow sent him over the side of the loft and into the backseat of the destroyed car with a *THUD!* With her path cleared, Wendy began to plan her escape. "I gotta move while that creep-o-zoid is down for the count. The door's probably still barred, and getting me back to ground level is exactly what he wants, so that's out. So, what other way is there?"
Just then, a damp breeze caressed Wendy's upper body. She turned to see a small window leading back to the courtyard. The sky was still covered in a thick overcast, preventing any sort of moonlight from entering the scene.
"Huh. That'll do nicely…"
*KRAK*
She threw the ladder's metal-tipped ending threw the paneled glass. Thankfully, it gave out, its shards falling to the grassy surface below. Wendy balanced the ladder across the window's railing, adjusting it several times before she was content with the placement. The plucky teen dragged the nearest hay bale towards the lowest end of the ladder. Digging her fingernails into the hay, Wendy lifted and pushed it onto the metal frame, anchoring it firmly.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
She didn't even bother to double-check her handiwork. That sound meant time was running around. Taking a firm hold on the ladder, Wendy carefully scaled the tilted ladder until she was dangling outside of the garage. She searched the scene, finding that there was no safe haven to land or jump to. The pool she had used before was too far beyond her reach.
*C-C-CREAK!*
Wendy held on even tighter. She could feel the ladder's balance beginning to shift. If she moved the wrong way, it would fall from the windowsill and crash onto the hard ground – bringing her along for the ride!
Left with no other choice, Wendy pulled herself back and started to stand straight up. The garage's roof was mere inches away. The ladder rattled violently under her feet. With a large bound, the nimble female fled the balance beam and clasped into the roof, pulling herself up to safety. She could hear the metal support smack the cement beneath her.
"Easy, easy…" Wendy stumbled to stand on the loose, curved shingles. She fought to control her shaking knees. "And…there…we…go…" Now, standing upright, the experienced huntress checked out her surroundings. The courtyard and pool area appeared to be scissor-free – at least from her vintage point.
"Even if it's true, there's no reason to go back down there. All of the exits down there are still locked off." Wendy set her sights higher, as a shadow casts down over here from the next wing of the mansion. She cocked her head, and strode side-to-side, judging the distances and angles in her head before coming to a complete stop.
"Yeah, I can do that…"
Wendy cleaned her palms by wiping them together. She grinded the bottoms of her shoes against the rooftop to smooth them out as much as possible. Taking a deep breath, Wendy dashed towards the end of the roof before launching off of the ball of her right foot.
"W-W-W-HOOOAAAA!"
*THUD!*
Her lanky body collided against the solid brick wall. Wendy started to slide downwards as she cupped her hands and dug her fingernails down. Her hands took hold of a cement ledge. Her arms felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Nevertheless, Wendy ascended from sill to windowsill until she arrived at a metal railing.
Wendy pulled herself over the bars and rested her sore body against it. The wet ground gave her some cold comfort. Her fingertips and toes had been painfully jammed and stubbed during the climb. She was now sitting in a purple-bricked outside attachment, complete with well-established archways and columns. The double doors leading back into the manor had been messily shut off with old splintered planks and rusty, crooked nails.
"Well, there goes that idea…"
On the left, Wendy noticed a black steel ladder that went up several yards into the air. It opened into another fixed railing, leading into the ominous-looking clock tower that served as the centerpiece of the accursed grounds.
"Well…" Wendy rose up and forced the willies back down. "Guess there's nowhere else to go but up…"
She took hold of the ladder's bars and placed a foot on the first rung. Wendy slowly made her way upwards, the tremendous height being the very least of her worries. Instead, she hoped that her grip would remain strong despite having slick hands and feet.
*KRAK!*
Wendy looked behind her shoulder to see the dark clouds blanketing the sky were growing ever-so-thicker. She tried to hurry towards her new goal, all the while chanting. "Please no lightning. Please no lightning. Please no lightning."
Finally making it to the top, Wendy rushed inside of the clock tower. A simple, wood-crafted walkway bridged across a network of connecting, pushing pistons, twisting chains, and turning gears. A copper bell was suspended in the center. An opened control box filled with levers was set near the dilapidated hand-railing. On the opposite end, Wendy saw the mechanical side of the huge clock face. A gentle ticking could be heard from every part of the tower. A little opening was just above the number six.
Curious, Wendy walked to the hole. "Maybe I can get a better lay of the land from up here; find a landmark or something…" She stuck her neck out of the opening, seeing that the minute-hand of the clock tower was about to strike down on her head.
"BAH!" The redhead moved back at the last second as the gigantic bar covered the narrow opening. Still in shock, she patted her head and the area around her collar to ensure she made it out unscathed. "That…was really messed up…"
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Wendy held her ground. "How did he - !" She searched high and low for any sign of the unhinged slasher. "There's no – how could he even beat me up here?!"
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
She followed the clatter to the crown of the clock tower. The scissor-boy made his way down from the top rafters, dropping down from girder to joist and so on towards her location.
"Nuts to this!" Wendy fled from the face of the clock back to the main walkway. Without warning, a random, loose chain fell from the machinery above her. It glided besides her like a slithering snake as she ran across the timber boardwalk until Wendy had tripped over it. Landing on one knee, she tried to stand back up, as something jerked her to a halt.
"Wha – What gives?"
Wendy turned back to see that the chain had somehow coiled itself around her right ankle. Making it back to one foot, she yanked and tugged on her stuck leg, trying to slip out from its grasp. The links seemed to tighten with every escape attempt. The other end of the chain was latched to something in the dark well past the walkway.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
The scissor-boy was now halfway down, giving off a devious smirk. It was like he was enjoying his impending victim squirm in her unfortunate dilemma.
"Okay, Wendy-girl," she tried to calm herself. "You have to stay frosty…" She relaxed her trapped foot and knelt down to examine her plight. "I bet it's just tangled. All you need to do is – " Wendy trailed off upon seeing that the chain had been perfectly knotted around her dainty ankle. She attempted to slide the loop down and over her foot, finding that it wouldn't go past her heel. Her fingers could barely fit between the iron links and her nyloned skin.
"This doesn't make sense…" Wendy double and triple-checked the trap, looking for any possible way to remove it from her ankle. "There's gotta – there's gotta be a way out!" With her anxiety growing with every passing second, the unnerved girl leapt back to her feet and launched herself outwards in every possible direction, only to be ankle-tackled back to the ground each time. "LET GO! LET ME GO!"
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
The pint-sized killer fell down to the next level. The scene seemed to play out in slow motion, like something out of a bad dream.
Wendy's breath grew harder, eventually turning into rapid pants. This wasn't the first time she was caught like this; such territory came about being the daughter of a well-known outdoorsman. Wendy couldn't count on her fingers and toes all of the times she had fallen into one of her father's traps. But this time was different. Her cleverness wasn't providing a way out of this ankle snare nor was Wendy allowed to wait for a rescue as had often happened in the past.
If anything, her next action would not only decide her fate, but that of her loved one as well. In her mind, she wasn't allowed to fail.
With her entrapped shin becoming sore, Wendy looked ahead to see the opened control panel. A last-ditch effort formed in her head. She pounced towards the box as the chain around her foot became taut once more. Not willing to give up, Wendy bounced forward on one leg as the other was hoisted back in mid-air. She reached with her right hand towards the closest lever and took hold, pulling it out and downward.
Nothing happened.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
Only one last switch remained. Wendy stretched towards it, having her fingertips barely touch its shiny black knob.
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
"C'mon, dammit! C'mon!" She hopped even closer and groaned, feeling her knee stretched beyond its limits. Wendy closed her eyes, tightened her face, and swiped at the controller. Her standing-foot slipped and Wendy came crashing down, dragging the switch down along with her.
*BONG! * *BONG!*
The bell of the clock tower let out a succession of ear-splitting bongs. Wendy covered the sides of her head as it felt like her brain was going to start leaking out of her ears.
*BONG! * *BONG!*
In her blurred vision, she could see the scissor-boy faltering about on the platforms above her. The sonic booms made him wobble and teeter blindly until he fell off his pedestal. The hazard plummeted past the walkway and into the darkness below, well out of Wendy's point of view.
*BONG!* *BONG!*
"Hmph! Good riddance! Wait…"
Unexpectedly, the pinching sensation had ceased against Wendy's foot. She sat up, finding that the chain had released its death-grip on her ankle. Wendy immediately pulled the now-loosen links off her. It then skimmed across the walkway and back into the abyss from whence it came.
"I – I don't get it" She thought, wiping the patches of sawdust off her body. "As soon as that jerkface left the scene, the chain just…untied itself?" Wendy imagined how Dipper would have processed the situation. "All of the creepy junk happening without explanation – the still-functioning animal parts, the hands in the mirror, the dolls, that weird chain with a mind of its own – is that kid controlling it all somehow?"
*DING!*
A new noise came from the end of the walkway. An elevator door opened, revealing a gorgeous white light within. Wendy smiled, the only time she had throughout this mad chase had begun. She had become accustomed to what this meant: her time in this demented place had ended. Her nightmare was now over.
With a new, excited burst of energy, Wendy jogged to the exit, and yet, couldn't shake the feeling of disbelief. As she went on, the floor loudly creaked under Wendy's feet.
"Why doesn't that sound – "
*SSSSSNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!*
"AAAAHHHHH!"
The portion of walkway collapsed out from underneath Wendy. She grabbed into the torn limbers during her free fall, her palms becoming cut and torn-up by their sharp splinters.
"Ugh!"
Wendy pulled herself to a stop. Her neck and upper-back felt like they had experienced whiplash. She grinded her teeth and pushed the pain down, taking a hold of the nearest 2 x 4. Wendy carefully began to pull herself upwards until the prank broke into two pieces. She dangled from the remaining support from one hand, her other shoulder had gone numb from the overly swing.
Even from her current location, Wendy could still see the glow from the elevator, beckoning her to leave this terrible place forever. How could she be so close and still so far away?
*SNIP!* *SNIP!* *SNIP!*
"No…"
Using what mobility she had left, Wendy curved back towards the clock tower. "It can't be! You're dead! I watched you die!"
To her horror, the scissor-boy stood at the foot of the ruined walkway, alive and well. He brandished his three-foot weapon with pride, showing her that he was anything but a mere delusion. Strangely enough, the lad lowered the shears, welding them with only one hand.
"What is he doing? Why did he – " Wendy's eyes grew large as she realized what was about to happen. "Wait! Stop! Don't do it! You'll kill us both!"
Dragging the scissors against the floor, he soared from the cliff with his left hand wide open. Upon passing by Wendy, the demonic spawn snagged the trim of her lengthy dress, putting a greater strain on her. She tried to kick the dead weight off, but the scissor-boy was able to dodge the slower-paced, clog-weighted-down blows. Her fingers became more unclenched with each second.
"Damn…dress! Knew you'd be…the end of…me!"
Wendy couldn't take it anymore; she let go of the wooden beam. As both predator and prey fell, Wendy's screams rang throughout the everlasting darkness.
"DAH!"
Wendy lurched forward into a sitting state. "I'm…alive? But how?" Dazed, she moved her hands down her body, ensuring that there were no lasting injuries. Only a few scratches and bruises were found. Fortunately, the scissor-boy was nowhere to be found. She could find no source of their impact on the earth or any tracks leading away from the site.
"Where am I now?"
She had awakened in a dark catacomb well beneath the surface. Moisture dripped down from hanging stalagmites into puddles, creating an odd, collective melody of sorts. White-waxed castles set into golden holders implanted in the cave's walls gave off the only source of light.
"Nom-nom-nom-nom…"
The unusual gnawing made Wendy spin around. She found herself in front of a tiny steel cage suspended from the ceiling via a rusty support. Its door had been padlocked shut. Inside of the cramped cage, Wendy could make out a small figure dressed in tattered clothing and a baseball cap. With its back was to her, it endlessly shivered in fear.
Wendy raised an eyebrow and peered inside, "Dipper? Is it really you?"
The mysterious figure roared and rushed to the front of the cage in an instant. Wendy let out a cry as she jumped out of the blur's range, watching it try to scratch and claw her with outreached arms.
"Oh…jeez…"
The prisoner was that of a pre-teen boy turned feral. His blonde hair was dirty and clumped together in a sticky mess. His face and mouth were covered with a reddish-brown smear. His long-nailed hands were stained with clumps of raw meat of the same color.
But the most haunting detail was that of his hollow blue eyes. The unfortunate soul didn't as much as blink as he continued to reach out for Wendy mindlessly.
"Yummy…" He drooled excitedly through an unhinged jaw. "Yummy face…"
Wendy couldn't help but feel sorry for the dangerous savage. "At least…at least, it wasn't Dipper. But, he's "somebody's Dipper," right?" She rubbed the side of her flushed, freckled cheek. "Let's just hope he's just part of the game, and not from the real world like us."
The caged animal went on snarling and sneering as Wendy forced herself to walk away from the heartbreaking scene. "I feel bad about leaving 'im behind; I really do. But then again, I really would like to keep my face…"
Venturing further into the cavern, Wendy followed the series of lights acting as a guide. A strong, unpleasant stench invaded her nose, prompting her to pinch it shut. "What stinks?" she asked through a nasally voice. "It smells just like Stan's old jalopy!"
Wendy traced the scent to a set of aged barrels neatly stacked in front of a sharp precipice. Each cask was stamped with a bright red label:
"Kerosene. That explains that, I guess." An unseen puncture allowed the ooze to drip down into the gooey mixture of mud, dirt, and water below the cliffside. The candles revealed a thin footpath to the left, leading to the other end of the crag. Wendy could see a brighter light in the distance.
She pressed her body against the cave's wall and shimmed across the narrow passage, carefully sliding foot by foot. The unusually slow moments tested Wendy's patience, but she didn't want to risk falling into the slime below.
Once safely over, Wendy found an ornamental setup of candles decorated about what appeared to be a gargantuan bed. Plaster columns served as its posts. The same type of thick red velvet that was seen over the windows upstairs made up a huge set of curtain covering the front of the bed. As Wendy stepped up to the peculiar shrine, she could make out heavy, tense breaths close-by.
"What's the deal with this? It's like a weird altar of sorts." She opened the curtain, "And what in heaven's name is making that…"
Wendy's entire body froze up with absolute fear. Her jaw was left wide open as the words were caught in her throat. Her bright-green eyes couldn't remove themselves from the travesty before her. She helplessly trembled and quaked, unable to break free from the spell cast over her.
"…t-t-that – t-t-that – t-t-that – t-t-that…"
A horrific, ten-foot humanoid creature laid face down on the fractured remains of a bed. Disgusting purple flesh covered its naked, pudgy body. Repulsive black veins and whitish boils budged and throbbed on end. A clump of puffy tumors had covered the entirely of its bald head. Its blood-red eyes were focused on the pool of slop placed at the edge of its mattress. Fat, formless hands hastily shoveled chunks of meat into its gaping mouth without as much as taking a breath between gulps. The missed portions were left wedged between its drooping cheeks.
And to top things off, the unharmed scissor-boy stood on the behemoth's back-flab, yelling down to it with a flash of speedy gibberish.
*KRA – UNCH!*
Wendy tried to back away from the dreadful display, as the floor cracked under her shoes. A pile of broken skeletons were discarded by the side of the bed. Human skeletons. The remnants of their clothing told Wendy all she needed to know.
"They're all wearing school uniforms – like mine! I – I get it now! The scissor-guy feeds the fat one! But what if – "
She lowered her sights back to the carcasses, praying that she didn't see a blue pine-tree cap, or navy-blue vest, or gray short pants anywhere. "I can't - I have to be sure!"
"GAAAARRRR!"
Wendy rocked back on her heels, not daring to move a muscle. The creature stretched its neck-chin in her direction and bellowed, shaking the world all around it.
"GAAAARRRR!"
"O-Okay, then…" The petrified teenager bid her farewell. "I see you two are super-busy, so I'm just going to vamoose. Just – don't mind me…"
With uncanny speed, Wendy shut the curtain behind her and ran down the path she came. A large crash came from behind. The purple glutton had knocked down its shelter and crawled after her on its malformed arms. Its scissor-carrying companion danced happily on top of the back, snapping his scissors among to his own rhythm.
"That thing's mobile?!" Wendy glanced over her shoulder. "You have to be jok-k-k-ing!"
She accidentally slipped off the path and down the muddy incline straight into the mucky mess with a *SPLASH!*
"Argh!" Wendy pushed herself up off her knees and out of the sludge, her clothing drenched with the awful-smelling blend. "How…" She flapped her arms to fling off the excess mud. "…can this get any worse?"
"BAAAAAAAGH!"
The deadly duo appeared at the top of the hill. The hefty leviathan threw itself down the slope, landing in the gunk besides Wendy. Before it could regain its composure, she waded back through the slime, mumbling with nervousness: "…mouth…need…to…watch…mouth…"
"Damn! Ugh! Damn it!" The heavy dress shoes kept getting bogged down in the mud, until Wendy finally abandoned them. She continued to pump her legs through. The mild awkwardness was pushed aside by the need to stay out of that thing's reach, never daring once to look back at the splashing growing closer and closer.
"It's…gaining? How can that be? It's using its hands for Pete's sake!"
After striding back through the murky pond, Wendy faced the original fuel-slope leading back to the cave's entrance. She hopped into the mud for stability, making it further with each step.
"Almost…there…I can see those dumb barrels…"
The ground fell out from underneath. Her nyloned soles had become too slippery. Wendy toppled to her knees and began to slide back down the ramp. The beast awaited her at the bottom with arms wide open.
"AAH! NO! NO! NO! NO!"
Wendy dug her hands deep into the dirt, bringing her to a stop about halfway down the rise. Her fingers felt like they were going to break off at any moment. Pure adrenaline took over. Inch by inch, Wendy scrambled back up the ledge; her entire front caked in the slimy mud. Until at long last, she could make out a small rope, belonging to one of the kerosene casks within striking distance. With a grunt, Wendy seized the cord and used it to heave herself back onto solid land.
*HUFF PUFF!* *HUFF PUFF!*
As she collapsed just past the barrels, the ongoing force finally made the stack topple over and down into the bank. They rolled and bounced until they reached the purple blob and its personal assassin…
*KA-BOOOOOOM!"
The containers exploded almost-simultaneously, turning the mud bank into a literal river of fire. The embers sparkled in Wendy's emerald eyes as the massive form became fully engulfed by the flames, being reduced into ashes in seconds.
She sat back onto her side and glared at the fiery scene for several minutes, ensuring that not a single soul would rise up from such a blast. Wendy had no intention of ending up like the damsels of her favorite B-movies; this final girl was leaving nothing to chance.
*DING!*
"Huh?"
A hidden elevator door appeared in the cave wall to her right. Once again, the warming glow welcomed the weary lumberjack princess into its sanctuary. Using the ground, Wendy made it clumsily back to a stance and wobbled towards the new exit.
*SNIP!*
Wendy paused and instantly faced the fire river with fists raised, her breath steady and never rising. She had lost track of time during her stare-down. Nothing else remained but her and the constant flames.
"That's what I thought…" She relaxed her guard and went into the elevator, where the portal's bright light soothed her wrecked body. Wendy had been tried both physically and mentally, but at the end of it all, she was still alive.
"Well, that sucked hard, but things can only get better from here on out…"
"…right?!"