AN: Sweet Lord, I am just mistake prone. At the very end of the last chapter it was supposed to say "He had to do it alone," not "He couldn't." for those who read it before I changed it. Sorry! I wasn't paying attention.
"I no longer have a choice but to pretend
I am brave, for a soldier has to be brave."
-Uninstall Fandub
Chapter 9 – Two Seconds
"This place is even creepier than the house, Sarah!" Jimmy whimpered as he leaned in closer to his friend in fear. Now, all nine children had gathered in this cobblestone hallway, six more than Eddy remembered in his vision. He glanced around nervously, but so far nothing seemed out of place. Ed was even running around happily like in the memory while Double D was looking around nervously. Perhaps things were off to a good start after all, but he knew he couldn't let his guard down so easily.
"Yowzers! This place sure reminds me of an Ancient Egyptian tomb, huh buddy?" Jonny squawked, glancing at Plank in his hands. "Yes, this place reminds Rolf of his cellars back in the old country," Rolf added with a slight nod. Suddenly, Eddy took a step forward, mustering all the courage he had in him as he gestured for the others to follow. "Yea, yea… C'mon! I wanna get home before my Mom grounds me for an eternity," Eddy griped as he led the small group on.
"Yea? And who died n' made you leader?" Kevin sneered angrily. "Ever since you guys decided to be slower than molasses, just follow me!" Eddy bit back. Ed and Double D made their way to walk up by Eddy, but still Eddy could help but notice how unnerved Double D still looked. He was the polar opposite of Ed, who was prancing around, chanting in his newfound giddiness. The fact that Double D was so shaken was the real reason that Eddy was on edge.
The group made their way through the dim, winding halls. With every second that ticked by, Eddy found his heart beating faster. The anticipation for what lie ahead was too great. What if the flashback was right? What if he was going to lose someone no matter how he handled the situation? Then again, what if the monster wasn't there at all and those memories proved to be false after all? The possibilities seemed endless, and his time to plan was running thin as he caught the faint glimpse of the outside light.
"Dude, I see the light!" Nazz cried out in joy. "It really is the way out! Eddy, you're my hero!" Jimmy praised. However, Eddy knew this was not the end, for just barely outlined in the sliver of daylight that still existed was the shadow of the monster sitting in wait. He knew this ordeal was far from over.
"Not yet…" Eddy sighed as he slowed to a stop just after the bend in the hallway. As the other kids lay eyes on the monster sitting before them, with the rope ladder burnt to ashes behind it, they couldn't find the words to say. Sure, there was an exit, but now there was no way to reach it. "No…" Sarah whimpered hopelessly. Eddy held onto his pipe, which he'd been storing in his back pocket, and took a step toward the monster.
"Like heck I'mma let it get away with this…" he growled. Then, he lunged for the beast with all his might. Either he was going to end this now, or he would die trying. In one swift motion, the monster stopped Eddy midflight, and thrust him back into the stone wall with great force. Luckily, the only thing Eddy felt was the intense ripple of pain worm its way up his spine at the hard impact. He let out a pained yowl as he fell to the ground. That was when Double D took a step forward. "No… I won't let this happen again!" he roared.
Eddy's heart skipped a beat. Again? What exactly did he mean by that? The monster moved its attention to Double D now. Eddy's blood ran cold at the thought of losing him for real. He didn't want anyone to die in a place like this. As Double D took another step toward the beast, Eddy shakily rose to his feet. "No… Don't fight it! Just run you moron!" he ordered roughly. Double D exchanged glances between Eddy and the monster. "O-Okay, Eddy," he stammered before bolting back down the hallway. The others were quick to follow, all except for Ed who waited for his pal to push himself off the ground. Eddy's body wasn't in too much pain to run, so he and Ed ran together; however, just like it was foretold, Ed tripped and fell to the ground with the monster coming up fast. Eddy knew, with the others already much farther down the hallway, he had no choice but to put his life on the line to save his friend. It was the only choice.
Eddy darted back and stood protectively over his friend as the monster leapt into the air to pounce. "I won't let you take my friend!" Eddy screeched with tears forming in his eyes. As dense as Ed usually was, he seemed to understand what was going on, and was struggling to free himself from the ground in a fit of panic. "Eddy, no!" Ed wailed. Just at the last second, Rolf leapt between Eddy and the creature with his axe held out like a shield. Luckily, this was enough to stop the creature from advancing any further. Eddy couldn't stop his shaking, nor could he move. He was so certain that he was going to die. Rolf glanced back at Eddy.
"Free the empty-headed Ed-boy! I will hold this monstrosity off!" Rolf instructed.
"Hey, back here you guys! They need our help!" Kevin's voice shouted from close range. Eddy snapped his head up just in time to see everyone flooding back into the halls. "Double D! Help me get Ed up, he's stuck on something!" Eddy called out, instinctively picking his closest friend out of the bunch. Without a moment's hesitation, Double D nodded and ran up to assist Eddy with Ed while the others ran back to aid Rolf in battle.
Even with two pulling on Ed's arms, the boy would not budge so easily. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they managed to yank Ed from the invisible trap, tumbling roughly down the hall from the force. One Rolf noticed that Ed was free, he signaled for the others to run. "Flee! The Ed-boy is safe!" he shouted as he ran back to join the three Eds scrambling to their feet. Together, all of the kids ran back the way they came. They had to find a safe place, and quickly.
As they burst through the door, Eddy immediately caught the glimpse of something strange. Along the wall, right beside the small open space next to the line of bookshelves, was a tear in the wallpaper, and behind it was something dark. Eddy quickly observed the space on the wall and almost felt stupid for not noticing it sooner. He bolted up to the wall and tore away at the paper quickly. "What the heck're you doin', Dorky?! We ain't got time for—"
"Trust me, Bazooka-Chin, there's something back here!" Eddy interrupted.
Sure enough, he was right. Behind the wallpaper was a hidden door, concealed in a very similar way to his own brother's room back home. Luckily, as Eddy went to open the door, it swung right open. There was no time for any more words to be exchanged as all nine kids ran inside. Double D was the last to enter, shutting the door gently behind him and stepping just a couple steps into the room, remaining near the door. The other eight kids spread out through this very bare room. With no furniture, there was plenty of room for everyone. For a brief second, Eddy thought that this room looked familiar, but quickly pushed it out of his mind as the initial panic of the situation sunk in.
Eddy paced anxiously round the room. "Damn it!" he roared. "Even though we found this place, this situation still sucks!" Eddy's throat tightened around his words in frustration. They'd finally found a way out, they were finally going to go home! And then that monster had to go and ruin it all again. "Dude, just chill out!" Nazz offered smoothly. But her words did little to calm Eddy down. "Chill out?!" he snapped. "We're stuck in this room while that…. That fucking thing is after our asses!" Eddy screeched. A strong sense of déjà vu hit Eddy smack in the face suddenly, but in all this panic and confusion he couldn't remember where it was from.
"Try to be positive, Eddy," Ed stated with an obviously fake smile. "Our parents are sure to notice that we aren't home and send help—"
"HELP?!" Eddy snipped, but immediately stopped himself. He suddenly realized why all of this looked familiar. Sure, there was more people than he remembered and not everything was the same, but this was defiantly the memory where Double D—
"Eddy…"
Double D spoke out
rRight on cue. Eddy's eyes grew wide in fear. No, this can't be happening. "What…?" he whimpered back hesitantly, hoping that somehow this would be different. Please, oh please let it be different!
"It'll be alright, I promise," Double D said weakly. Now, silence fell over the room as all eyes were on Double D. "I'll make sure that all of you make it home safely this time."
"Double D?" Jonny question unsurely.
"And if you make it out… Run! Run as fast as you can and don't ever look back!" Double D instructed in a rising tone. He gripped tighter at his book and bit at his lower lip.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. Eddy went frigid as he realized they didn't even consider locking the door. The monster came inside, walking up calmly behind Double D. Just about everyone in the room gasped out in shock and began to panic. "Yo, Double Dweeb! Look out behind ya!" Kevin cried out, but Eddy knew it was all useless. Double D cringed forward, tears streaming down his face. "Promise me you will!" he shouted sorrowfully.
Eddy desperately wanted to help, but his own body would not move. He was truly terrified. He could merely watch as the creature pulled back its clawed hands for the attack, just like in his memory. It would seem he wouldn't be able to save everyone after all. He squeezed his eyes shut as darkness took over.
OoOoOo
"Hey, Eddy," Ed stated just as Kevin moved out of their sight. Even in the dull light of this cobblestone hallway, Ed could see the worry plastered over his friend's face. After all, it wasn't a usual emotion for Eddy to display. "Is something the matter, Eddy?" Ed asked in all seriousness. Eddy averted his gaze back to the ground. "Yea," he responded vapidly. It was definitely unusual for Ed to see him like this, and in all honesty it made him uneasy. In an attempt to cheer Eddy up, Ed put on a smile and poked at the top of his head. "Aw, what's tha matter, Eddy? Do you have gas?" he asked.
"Ed…" Eddy stated in the same dark, saddened tone. Now, Ed knew something was really serious here, and grew still once more. "Have you been getting any… weird memories?" Eddy asked hesitantly. Ed pondered to himself for a moment. "You betcha! There was one where I came here with Sarah, which I know was wrong, and one where I was trying to find Double D in the mansion all by msyself, oh, and—"
"Has anyone died?"
Eddy's question threw Ed off focus. He gazed down at Eddy in shock. "No," he answered. Eddy let out a heavy sigh. "When we break the clocks, we supposedly get false memories… and in one of those memories I watched…" Eddy trailed off, voice growing hoarse. "I watched you die, Ed."
Ed now realized why Eddy was acting this way. "But I'm right here, Eddy. Ya don't need to be sad," he pointed out. "But that's not it!" Eddy snapped. "Back when I saw that, I was convinced it was fake, but then I saw something else… something I haven't seen before! And in that memory, Double D died too!"
"Something ya haven't seen?" Ed echoed. Eddy merely nodded. "It hurt so much to watch the both of you die, but for some reason I don't think Double D's death was a false memory at all! Ed, I'm scared that these memories are actually messages from someone! What if Double D dies here?!" Eddy shouted in a slowly rising tone. "I don't know what to do, Ed."
"Well, ya don't gotta be alone, Eddy," Ed stated. "I'll help you, and I know the others will too! We will make sure no one dies!"
OoOoOo
Eddy left the room as Kevin instructed to fetch the others, leaving himself and Ed alone in the room of silence. Ever since Eddy had told Ed what was bothering him, a strange feeling of loneliness has taken over Ed. It pained him to see Eddy so distraught over something like this.
"Kevin?" Ed said randomly, breaking the silence. Kevin grunted in response, signaling he'd heard him. Ed toyed nervously with his shirt, unsure of how Kevin would react. After all, he's basically been their enemy since he can remember.
"Is two seconds really enough to save someone's life?"
Kevin raised his brow at Ed's question. "What?" he sneered unsurely. Ed went on to explain what Eddy had told him, and to his surprise, Kevin listened. He even seemed to be somewhat concerned when Ed told him about the memories that Eddy didn't remember. "That Dork… Why'd he hide something like that from us?" Kevin growled.
"He's scared, Kevin," Ed responded. "He needs us to back him up." Kevin remained silent for a few moments.
"Two seconds," he stated. "I might pass out, but that's definitely enough time."
Ed smiled from ear to ear. "Don't worry, Kevin! If you pass out, I'll carry you home!"
OoOoOo
Rudy red blood dripped onto the wooden floor beneath Double D. His eyes went wide, his face pale at the sight of it. The other's merely gaped on in shock with mouths hung open in disbelief.
"Two seconds…"
Suddenly, from behind Double D, Kevin was tossed aside and slammed into the wall rather violently. As he fell limply back to the ground, his wrench fell from his grasp. The blood they'd seen was merely from the wound on his arm which had reopened. Double D turned toward him, eyes wide in a mixture of confusion and fear.
"He did it!" Ed bellowed.
Suddenly, the monster swiped at Double D again, only this time it was Nazz who intervened. She was holding Eddy's iron pipe up as a blockade to prevent it from reaching Double D.
"Kevin… and Nazz… What are you—"
Double D's sentence was cut short as Eddy yanked him toward the back of the room. "We're savin' your ass, Sock-head," he growled. The monster snapped the pipe in half, bringing its claws down just over Nazz's shoulder. She rolled on the ground, gripping at her wound in pain as blood seeped from between her fingers. "That's all I can do, dude," she moaned.
"That's all you need to do," Sarah stated, bringing out her golf club again. Eddy ran up and grabbed one half of the now broken pipe and tossed the other to Jimmy. "Don't worry, we're bringing this puppy down," Eddy added.
"For once, Rolf agrees with the obnoxious Ed-boy," Rolf agreed.
"Me too!" Ed called out, holding up his trusty spatula triumphantly.
Double D looked around at everyone in complete fear. "No! You mustn't fight it, it's too strong!" he pleaded. However, the others had already made up their mind. "Like hell I'm lettin' my best friend die like this," Eddy growled threateningly.
The creature ripped open its mouth, baring its white fangs back at Eddy before charging right for him. Double D could only collapse to his knees, shaking violently in fear as he tugged down at his hat nervously. Eddy displayed no fear as he charged back, stopping the beast head on with merely his pipe. He quickly found that the monster was stronger than before, easily shoving Eddy back as he strained to gain his footing. Suddenly, Rolf swooped in and knocked the creature aside with his axe, giving Eddy the time he needed to regain his footing. The monster shook its head from the initial impact, whipping its black gaze back at Rolf in fury. Soon after, it was Ed's turn to surprise it, running up from behind and easily tossing is across the room with his inhuman strength. As the beast made impact with the opposite wall, creating a fairly large hole, Ed leapt in to join the others.
"We're winnin'!" Eddy smirked, but a tad too soon as the creature burst from the floor and charged them at full speed once more. The three barely had time to react before the creature's whip-like tail made impact with their stomachs, sending them flying much like Ed had done to the creature. It crouched lower to the ground in preparation for a pounce when suddenly Plank hit it directly in the side of the face. The beast's attention was immediately drawn to Jonny. "That's it, buddy! Let 'im have it!" he cheered.
In a split second, the monster changed its target to Jonny, leaping quickly toward him. However, before he could reach Jonny, Sarah and Jimmy leapt in and swiped the monster aside with their makeshift weapons, only to be knocked to the floor as the creature's massive hand clipped them. Already Rolf had rejoined the fight, running in the keep the beast from going after his beloved friends again.
"Rolf has had enough of your torment, wretched beast!" he growled.
"His forehead!" Double D shouted randomly. "Strike his forehead! That is his weak point!"
Jonny darted over to grab Plank. He was their only hope right now. Everyone else was too hurt to move. He scrambled back, bringing Plank up and smacked the monster right between the eyes with all the force he had. Like the countless times before, the monster vanished into thin air, leaving all the kids exhausted and beat.
"That was too close," Nazz wheezed.
Eddy rolled over on the floor, gripping at his stomach in pain. "You can say that again… UGH!" he winced. Double D scrambled to Eddy's side, alarmed by the new patch of blood soaking his shirt. "Eddy! Are you alright?!" he gasped. Eddy slowly sat up, giving his friend a relieved smile. "Yea. I'm alright, it just reopened my wound from yesterday," he answered.
"That's good," Double D sighed shakily. He glanced over at Sarah and Jimmy. "How's Kevin?" he asked.
Sarah crawled over beside Kevin and placed her hand over his chest to examine him. "He's alive, but unconscious," she answered. Eddy laughed weakly to himself. "Nobody died…" he breathed happily.
"I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to hang around here for too much longer… What if that thing comes back?" Jimmy stated.
"But where can we go? There's no rooms in this house with enough bedding for all of us," Eddy retorted.
"Actually, there is," Nazz corrected.
Eddy glanced at her with a raised brow. "No there ain't! I've been all over this place," Eddy snapped. "It's hidden. I found it when I was exploring the second floor, here I'll show you," he offered. Eddy rose to his feet with Double D's help, leaning on his pal as they all joined Nazz near the door. Ed went over to Kevin and slung him over his shoulder. "Kevin's good to go!" he blurted with a thumbs-up. When everyone had joined her, Nazz began their journey to the second floor. After going up the stairs she went right into the first bedroom across the hall, the room which Ed had first discovered Eddy back when they first entered this house. Nazz went straight for the closet, but to the naked eyes there was nothing in here but three incredibly cramped walls.
"It's just a closet!" Eddy griped. However, Nazz said nothing as she entered the small space and pushed on the back wall, revealing another dark hallway leading to another door. Eddy was struck speechless. "When I found this place, I just thought it was another room, but now that I think about it, I think it's like some kinda sanctuary," Nazz explained as she walked down the dark hall.
"A sanctuary, what makes you think that?" Eddy retorted.
"When I found this place, I spent a good few minutes in here. When I came back out, the monster waited until I was out of the closet to attack me. I don't think it could come in," Nazz responded. After she finished speaking, Nazz opened the second door in the hallway. Right away, Eddy noticed the warmth this room radiated. It was a soothing feel, unlike the rest of the house, and the inside was no different. All nine kids stepped into the room and gawked. This room was nicely decorated, and overall just seemed to have a much lighter feel to it. It had a large wooden table in the middle with more than enough chairs to sit the nine kids, plus more. It even had a small, makeshift kitchen with real food. And lining the back wall in a neat row were nine good sized beds.
"This is incredible," Jimmy breathed.
Nazz giggled to herself and made her way toward a door against the right wall. "Isn't it? It even has its own bathroom," she stated.
The other kids began to move about the room while Eddy approached Nazz. "I gotta admit, this is a sweet find, Nazz," he complimented. "Thanks! I would have told you guys sooner, but that monster caught me," she stated. "This place feels much different from the rest of the house, almost like someone else built it. Maybe that's the reason that thing can't get in here," Eddy suggested. "Wouldn't surprise me," Nazz sighed with a smile.
"Hey, what the…! Do you ever bathe ya…"
Eddy and Nazz spun around and saw Kevin leap to the floor and scramble away from Ed. It would seem he finally came to. He was glaring at Ed in disgust and anger at first, but then softened his gaze and scratched the back of his head, sighing reluctantly. "Erm… Thanks," he stated quietly, rising to his feet. At the compliment, Ed put on a fairly large smile. "You betcha, Kevin!" he bellowed.
"No, no you have it all wrong, Kevin-boy!" Rolf objected suddenly. "It is you we should be giving our thanks to, for if not for you someone surely would have perished."
"It's no problem, dude. I'm just glad everyone's okay," he stated.
"Alright people, I've got first aid ready for those who need it!" Jimmy called out from the bed he was sitting on. All around him were bandages, cotton swabs and medical ointments. "Where did you get all that, Jimmy?" Sarah wondered aloud. "It was on the wall! Ready and waiting for us!" Jimmy responded, pointing at the now empty shelf where the kit once sat.
Eddy's jaw stretched in an enormous yawn. He never realized before how exhausted he was. "Those who don't need it, get some shut eye. Tomorrow we'll try to find a way out of here," he stated. He started to walk off toward one of the alluring beds when suddenly, he found himself caught between Ed's pits. "Oh! Oh!" Ed barked excitedly, leaping over to include Double D in his random outburst of excitement. "Let us sleep together like the good ol' times!" he urged, swinging his two pals around like ragdolls. Eddy shoved Ed away, pinching his nose with his other hand in disgust. "No way, Ed! Like I'd want to be cramped up in a bed with your smelly pits!" he groaned. Double D gently removed himself from Ed's grasp with a small smile. "I'm sorry, Ed, but I have to agree with Eddy. At least for tonight. Perhaps another time, yes?" he offered.
"Okay!" Ed chuckled.
"Will you guys shut up?" Kevin moaned as Jimmy wrapped a bandage around his arm.
"Aw, C'mon Kev. I think this is fun!" Nazz giggled. "It's like a big slumber party!"
"Woulda look at that, Plank? We did get to sleep in a haunted house after all!" Jonny squawked, reminiscing on an old wish that Plank had supposedly had at some point.
"A slumber party? Here I thought I'd never have a slumber party with Dorks," Kevin quipped. Eddy ignored his comment and crawled into his own bed.
"Well, it's not like we have a choice," Sarah snarled.
"Come now, everyone. I bet this will be fun in a very odd and peculiar way," Double D offered.
"The Double D Ed-boy speaks the truth!" Rolf agreed.
Even Eddy couldn't help but to smile at the warm-hearted atmosphere. Finally, things seemed to calm down. "Whatever, I'm getting' some sleep," he announced as he lay on his side. Eddy knew there were many questions among them, and a few he wanted to ask himself, but for now, he simply let the gentle cloud of sleep carry him away.
AN: This'll probably be the last chapter I write before I go back to class, so updates may or may not be slower, (as if they already aren't.) It really depends on how much work I have. I hope you are enjoying the story thus far, and like always I apologize for mistakes. Thanks for reading!
