Soulless


Chapter 7: Night #1


Private sat quietly on the bed, fiddling with the bandage on his right flipper nervously. Skipper said he was going to find the rest of the team, but he had been gone for almost 10 minutes now! Soon, images of Skipper and the others leaving him behind filled the poor penguin's mind, but he tried to shake them away as he hopped off the mattress and onto the wooden floor. He quickly peeked out the doorway for any sign of his leader, but came to no avail. The Private wanted so much to go look for him, just so he could be by his side, but he remembered the leader's last words before leaving Private alone:

"I'm gonna gather the team. Whatever you do, Private, Stay. Here. You're not well, and you need to rest."

The small penguin sighed heavily. He didn't know why Skipper still treated him like a child. He could clearly take care of himself, he was on his own for 3 months straight! But then again, one of the things he loved most about Skipper was how much he really cared for the little penguin and how protective he was of him. Private smiled weakly to himself as he turned around, only to trip on his feet and stumble to the floor.

He cursed himself for not being more aware of what was really going on around him, but soon realized why he wasn't. His stomach roared loudly with hunger. He hadn't eaten anything all day! That alone was making the poor penguin disoriented. The little soldier rubbed his tummy thoughtfully before making his final decision.

"I don't think Skippa will notice I'm gone for a little snack.." He said to himself, giggling lightly as he left his room in search for a meal...

MEANWHILE...

Skipper had successfully found the rest of the team on the first floor and was now heading up the stairs with them. It was nearly silent, with the exception of the crickets being heard chirping away outside, so Skipper tried to break whatever tension there was since Private arrived.

"So, men... Did you find anything useful?" He said, still unsure of what to say. For some reason, it seemed something wasn't right with the rest of the team. No, it wasn't that. Rico was still his..."Normal" self. It was Kowalski. He looked paler than ever. Even the dark ebony of his feathers seemed to hide the glow of an eerie white. But before the leader could question, they arrived at their destination.

Skipper had already searched the entire second floor by himself, only to find two bedrooms, so they would have to share for the night.

"Well, here's your room, men. Try to get some sleep, we'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow morning." The others just looked at him quizzically, and Skipper knew why.

"Sorry," He said, smirking, "I couldn't find any other rooms, so you two lovebirds will have to share for the night, hehe." Kowalski and Rico, who were groaning in disapproval, entered the room nonetheless, but Skipper stopped the strategist before he could get in.

"Is something wrong, soldier?" He asked, still noticing the genius's pale and frightened expression. Kowalski remembered what he saw earlier, but it couldn't have really been fresh blood, could it be? He regained his posture before answering.

"I-I'm fine, Skipper." He quickly said before turning into the room, but he stopped suddenly.

"Um..Skipper, sir? Could I ask you about-" He asked in a low voice, before being cut off by Skipper's flipper. The leader could already predict what the strategist was going to ask about. Of course it was about Private.

"Don't worry, Kowalski." He said in a reassuring tone. "Private's fine. Everything's alright between us now." Kowalski smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it, sir. Is..is he...?" Once again, Skipper knew what Kowalski was going to ask.

"Yes, Kowalski. Our little Private's coming back home with us." He said, smiling himself now. The intelligent penguin nodded and mumbled a 'Goodnight' before closing the door slightly and waddling to his bed, where Rico was already fast asleep.

Skipper turned to the direction of his room, still smiling. 'This is it!' He thought. 'I'm finally going to get my Private back!' He suddenly stopped. What if Private didn't want to be his anymore? He looked at the ground as he waddled across the dark hallway in thought. 'He can't live without me..' He repeated the small penguin's words in his head. What did it mean? Did Private still love him, or did he just need to come back? He quickly slapped himself for that thought. It didn't matter if Private loved him or not, he was coming back, and everything was going to be normal again. And that was more than Skipper ever wanted. He smiled again, now dawning on the past he and Private shared in what seemed like years ago.

But suddenly, all his thoughts were pushed away as he heard a distant shriek of terror coming from the depths of the shadows...


The young Private searched the gloomy halls for any signs of a late night snack, but the more he explored the mansion's halls, the more hungry he became. He thought he was about to collapse any minute now.

"Oh.." He mumbled to himself. "I hope I can find something to eat.." The little penguin looked around, only to find more corridors leading to seemingly pointless rooms. He had no idea where he was, not even a clue on what floor he was on, but he kept walking forward. He was determined to find something along the way.

After what seemed like a lifetime of searching and passing through halls he was almost positive he passed before, Private finally gave up and decided to turn back.

Now..which way was back?

The poor penguin now suddenly realized he was lost, and hastily looked around for something that seemed familiar, but everything looked different. Whatever he could make out, anyway. Half the time he was walking, Private was just wondering around in the dark. He fidgeted with his flippers nervously. Someone would surely come looking for him...right? The little private decided it was best to just turn around and go back, but as he turned around, something stopped him.

A wooden door to his side suddenly creaked open, ever so slowly, showing what seemed like blackness to Private. But the little penguin was frozen in shock, staring into the deep darkness as if expecting something to happen. And it did. Private could now make out a bedroom, about the size of the one he was residing in for the night, but something was different. The room seemed to have a brightness, though Private couldn't tell from where. What seemed like light from a candle illuminated the gloomy room, and Private could see a desk right across from where he was standing in the doorway.

It was old, almost looked like it was from the 19th century. On it was an oil lamp, most likely what caused the brightness, Private thought. There was also what looked like a music box and a mirror in the center. In front of the desk there was a small rocking chair, big enough to hold a small child, Private guessed. But it wasn't the chair that caught his attention. It was the flat-headed penguin, a little taller than he was, sitting on it, that caught his eye.

The small penguin took a shaky step forward, and as he did, an eerily calming chime illuminated from the music box. It was almost like a child's tune, yet Private didn't feel any calmer.

"S-Skippa..?" He called out quietly. There was no response, only the dull creak of the chair rocking back and forth. He took another step forward, only to jump slightly at stepping on a loose floorboard. The creaking suddenly stopped. The music did as well. It was almost like every single thing in that room had just completely stopped moving. Private stared carefully at the chair, hoping to get a better look, but was only met with Skipper's backside. He took a deep breath and waddled forward.

"C-cmon, Skippa, stop joking around.." He whispered in a panicked tone. He didn't want to be in here anymore. He just wanted to go back into his bed and dream this night away. There still wasn't an answer from the motionless penguin. Private moved his flipper forward.

"Skippa.." He whispered once more, and put his flipper on the chair.

The chair lurched back, toppling over right in front of Private. He screamed as loud as he could at what he saw: Skipper lay lifeless on the back of the chair. His eyes were rolled back and his beak was wide open. In his chest there was a kitchen knife, it was pierced right through the penguin's heart, and unseen blood was now pouring out over the chair. Private tried his best to keep his composure, but failed as he stumbled back onto the floor. He screamed once again as he got himself up and towards the door, now running as fast as his feet could take him.

Tears swelled in his eyes as he darted through the hall. How could this have happened? Skipper was dead. He was alone, and he could be next. Once again, he tripped on his feet and was brought to the ground. He landed hard on his shoulder, and heard a cracking noise. That, and the immense pain coming from his shoulder, told him he had broken or at least chipped a bone in his flipper. He was too weak to get up. Too weak to even move. He just lay there, sobbing on the floor.

"S-Skippa...No.." He cried out. The poor penguin managed to get on his bottom, but even that proved to be a challenge. What he saw next made him wish he never got up.

The dark figure.

There it was, once again, staring him down. In the dull light, Private could make out a bloodied knife in it's hand. The one used to kill Skipper. His eyes widened and he tried to shuffle back, but again found that he was too weak, or in shock, to do anything.

"S-Skippa.. Help me! Skippa!" He screamed out, as if Skipper would appear there and make everything better. But he knew this could be it for him.

The figure moved forward slowly, pointing the knife in Private's direction. The little penguin screamed Skipper's name again and again, calling for help, but it was no use. The figure lurched forward with the knife. Private clenched his eyes shut and screamed as loud as he could.

"Skippa!"

And then everything went silent

Private, who's eyes were still shut, didn't feel anything. He didn't feel any pain. Or fear, or anything. He felt, numb, as if nothing ever happened. He opened his eyes slowly. There was no dark figure anymore. And slowly, he began to feel as if he were being shaken awake. Then he heard it.

"Private! Private, wake up!" He moved his head wearily to the side, and was met with a familiar worried gaze.

"S...Skippa...?" He managed to whisper out, but the leader gently put his flipper on Private's beak.

"Shh..Shh." He whispered, still somewhat panicked. Private then felt himself being lifted up and off the ground. Skipper was carrying him. His vision was still blurred, but he could make out Skipper's face. His beautiful face was now replaced with a mixture of shock and worry. He kept hearing Skipper repeating his words.

"Everything's gonna be okay. You're gonna be alright, Private.." It almost seemed like Skipper was trying to convince himself, not Private. He turned his head, and was met with a tired Kowalski, leaving his room.

"Unghh... What's going on, sir? I heard a..." He said, rubbing his eyes. When they met Private, they suddenly got wider.

"P-Private? Skipper, what-"

"It's alright! Get back to your room, soldier!" He heard Skipper interrupt before they made their way to his room, Kowalski still followed, questions leaving his beak every few seconds, but he couldn't make any of it out. The leader must've gotten sick of it, because he slammed the door shut behind him, leaving the strategist outside.

Once Private was on the bed, he could see clearly again. A small glass was handed to him.

"Here..drink this.." He heard Skipper whisper out, his voice still a bit shaky. Private obeyed and drank the liquid down. Somehow, he felt a million times better. But one glance at himself told him otherwise. The once bandaged flipper was now unraveled. It almost looked like his wound was re-opened, as blood was leaking out slowly. The same flipper hurt more than ever at the top, the same place he landed on when he fell. His stomach had a large scrape on it, almost as if it had been cut by something...

"Oh, God Private...What happened?" He heard Skipper ask. The little penguin turned his head, but once again his vision went dark and he drifted off into sleep...