Big thanks to everyone who came back to review! We've finally reached the climax! I'm so excited! :D Please don't forget to review. I can't believe there's only a few more chapters to go.
Chapter 13
It was dark outside. The sun wouldn't rise for another hour or so. Until then, only the light of the moon and the stars were there to guide the four villagers who set out from Alexann's home and rode the train to Taytown.
No one else was on the train this late at night. Not even the friendly monkey Porter was there to bid them welcome and farewell. They rode in silence and got off the train with no fanfare. It departed into the darkness like a ghost.
The four of them weaved their way through the trees, destination in mind. They left Hip on the southeastern side of Taytown, as far away from the Reset Center as possible. Before parting ways, he cracked a joke about being more careful not to die this time.
"He snuck up on you last time," Alexann said, not an ounce of blame in her voice. "Just be careful and keep moving, but don't let him know anything is up."
"I'll do my best," Hip promised.
Both girls hugged him and wished him good luck. Dizzy followed suit with an awkward handshake. Then it was just the three of them, working their way towards the Reset Center.
On the way, Alexann explained that there were sirens that would alert Resetti to Hip's law breaking. Before they even reached their destination, Dizzy heard them. "There they are!" He whispered, stopping and listening. After a minute, they went silent. "Do you think he left?"
Alexann smiled. "Yep, I think he did. See, you're not useless at all, Dizzy."
"You should use your ears to let us know when it's safe to go down and take out Don!" TayTay suggested.
"Good idea, TayTay! That's the smartest thing you said all day."
Dizzy was feeling a little more confident now. He cautiously approached the sewer hole that led to the Reset Center and squatted there, listening. He could hear Don moving about below, shuffling papers, closing drawers, and throwing stuff in the trash pail. Minutes ticked by, each one painstakingly longer than the last.
"Dibs on taking him out," TayTay whispered to Alexann.
"Can you even climb down the ladder with one arm?" Alexann hissed.
"I'll jump."
"TayTay…"
"My alter ego is an axe-wielding burglar! And I called dibs!"
"Fine, fine," Alexann sighed, conceding once more. "But don't kill anyone this time."
Dizzy shivered. Those were not words that should be in any normal conversation. Suddenly, the sound of a door closing reached his big, floppy ears. Don had left the main room to check on the prisoners.
"Go, go!" Dizzy said frantically, keeping his voice low. He unscrewed the sewer lid and pushed it to the side. "Now's our chance!"
TayTay bounded forward with a huge grin on her face and leaped down the hole. There was an echoing bang as her feet hit the ground, making Dizzy flinch. But when he peered down after her, she had disappeared from view, as if the crash-landing had not hindered her at all.
They replaced the lid and once again, waited. Dizzy could feel his heartbeat accelerating. He kept casting nervous glances at Alexann. But she seemed excruciatingly calm. It only served to make Dizzy's panic grow. We just sent your one-armed sister, who is hopped up on pain meds by the way, down a hole to stealthily dispose of a possibly dangerous mole. What were we thinking?!
He nearly gasped when he heard the sound of the doors a second time. Don Resetti had returned. But as soon as the doors closed, there was a high-pitched squeal of, "SUPER TAYTAY SURPRISE!" followed by a metallic clang and a dull thud.
Alexann removed the sewer lid and was instantly down the hole. Dizzy scrambled after her. At the bottom, they found TayTay standing over Don's unconscious form with a bucket clutched in her right hand and a huge grin on her face.
"I didn't kill him," she stated proudly.
"Congratulations," Alexann said sarcastically. She was instantly on her knees, checking Don's pockets for keys.
Dizzy sighed in relief and TayTay cheered when she held up the key ring, which flashed gold in the light. Alexann darted forward to unlock the doors, then paused. "Oh shoot…there's a code."
"Well, it's a good thing I know the code then," Dizzy said, stepping forward and punching it in. Both girls beamed as he did so and he felt a warm glow of pride. Good thing I came along after all.
The doors slid open. Before them the dark underground tunnel yawned like a cavernous mouth. But Alexann had come prepared, and handed everyone their own flashlight. Dizzy flicked his on, feeling a bit relieved. So far, everything had gone smoothly. They were so close now.
Alexann took the lead. They had only gone a few steps when the path diverged. The three of them hesitated, shining their flashlights down each tunnel.
"That wasn't here last time," Dizzy said quietly. Even though he kept his voice low, he couldn't stop the tunnel from amplifying it. "I think Don was going to try to turn this place into a maze to trip us up. But it's basically a straight shot to the prisoners, unless they moved them."
"Good thing we got the jump on them, then," Alexann replied. She pointed to the tunnel branching to the right. "This one is obviously freshly dug. We'll just keep going straight, then."
"Nice try, moles!" TayTay jeered loudly. Her words went echoing and whirling throughout the underground chambers. After a few seconds, they faded.
Well, at least the villagers will know we're coming, Dizzy thought.
They forged on. Dizzy, who had been up all night, was beginning to feel fatigued. His feet dragged in the dirt. The rock-hard ball of nerves in his stomach was beginning to feel heavier and heavier. His vision began to tilt slightly. He forced himself to focus on TayTay's bare feet in front of him. Their bottoms were completely black with grime. She was in desperate need of a bath. Mmm…a hot bubble bath sounds so heavenly right now…
Suddenly, the babble of voices reached their ears. Down the tunnel, they could see ghost-white hands gripping cage bars. One forced its way through to wave at them frantically. The villagers!
"There they are!" Dizzy said, briefly forgetting how tired he was.
The prisoners were slamming their faces up against the bars, struggling to peer at their three rescuers. The frantic chatter that streamed from their mouths seemed to blend into one senseless voice. At first, Dizzy took it to be sheer relief. But as they continued forward, their voices separated from one another and their words became clear.
"Go back! Go back!"
"It's dangerous! Resetti set a trap. He set a—"
Suddenly, the ground dropped out from under Dizzy. His stomach dropped with it.
"PITFALL!" Alexann screamed, dashing forward. A few quick bounds, and she was able to clear the danger.
But Dizzy had never been so quick on his feet. For a moment, he was suspended in thin air. Then he began to plummet like a stone.
Down, down he went, falling into the bottomless gorge that had opened up. TayTay fell with him, flailing her good arm, reaching for him. But he was too far below her, falling faster and faster. He heard her scream his name, but it sounded strangely mute, as if it were from a memory. Images of a fire flashed through Dizzy's mind, immediately followed by images of a storm and a downpour. Then they slipped away, like water flowing through fingers.
He felt like he was sinking into the deepest part of the ocean. Did I die before? He thought dimly, his mind threatening to go black. Am I dying again…?
Suddenly, something snaked around his torso and yanked him upwards. Dizzy gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. A rope had halted his fall.
"Dizzy!" TayTay cried out again, still falling.
Dizzy had come to his senses. "TayTay!"
With reflexes he never knew he possessed, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. She was lighter than a feather. For a few seconds, the two of them dangled there, shocked by what had just happened. The entire ordeal had only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like it had been much longer.
Dizzy looked up to see Alexann standing at the edge of the newly formed gorge, a rope in her hand. "Good thing I brought my lasso," she grunted, straining to haul the elephant up the cliff. Her arms shook with the effort.
Dizzy did his best to help Alexann pull him and TayTay to the top. He used one hand to pull himself up while the other kept a firm hold on TayTay's good arm. Her face was puckered with pain, but she didn't say anything.
Both let out a sigh of relief when they made it to safety. TayTay rubbed her shoulder injury, wincing slightly, while Alexann checked her over for injuries.
Dizzy peered back into the gorge. "How many pitfalls do you think he used to make this?" he asked shakily. The bottom stretched away into darkness. When the ground had disappeared from under him, Dizzy had dropped his flashlight. He hadn't heard it hit the ground, and he certainly couldn't see its light at the bottom. It must have broken on impact…much like his bones would have, if not for Alexann and her lasso.
Once everyone had gathered themselves, they approached the villagers. Everyone's faces were bright with relief. "Thank goodness you're okay!" Lizzie said, releasing a shuddering breath.
"Too bad, I would have liked to stay in this cell for another year or two," Becca joked. "Just kidding. Let us out!"
"No problem. You're safe now," Alexann said, bringing forth the keys. She went from cell to cell, unlocking doors. TayTay and Dizzy followed, helping the shaky prisoners to their feet and giving them support.
Somehow, TayTay seemed to know every person that had been trapped. She greeted each one with a smile and a hug. "Hi Becca! Hi Lizzie! Hi Emma and Liese and Akira! Hi Squeek and Fartso!"
"My name isn't Fartso…" 'Fartso' muttered.
"Hi Happy!" TayTay said, nearly bowling the skinny redheaded boy. "Are you HAPPY to see us?"
Happy didn't respond, but a timid smile betrayed what he was feeling.
"Hey Quazi," Alexann greeted a shrimpy boy wearing a brown cap.
The boy puffed out his chest angrily. "I could've escaped from this dump on my own!"
"Uh-huh," Alexann rolled her eyes. "So why didn't you?"
"Er…m-maybe I just didn't feel like it…"
"TAYTAY!"
The last prisoner to be released was a plump little dark-haired boy with a red cap. He tackle-hugged TayTay with the same kind of enthusiasm she had on the day Dizzy had met her. Then he gave her a swift smooch on the cheek and drew back, looking at her with slightly crazed eyes. "TayTay, thank God! Have ya got any tasty tweats?!"
TayTay snatched the boy up in another bone-crushing one-armed hug and laughed, "Ness, as soon as we get outta here, we're gonna eat all the candy we can until we explode of FAT!"
Her words seemed to have a calming effect on Ness.
Reunions went on for another minute or so. Alexann gave Becca a huge hug, and told Happy that Annville would be glad to have him back. Only Tom Nook may have bulldozed his home after he went missing. He had a bad habit of taking down houses at a moment's notice. TayTay introduced Dizzy to a few of her friends, while he smiled and waved awkwardly.
When the excitement finally started to lull, he put voice to the question he had been carrying for a while. "So…what next?"
"Now we get outta here," Alexann said firmly.
TayTay winked. "Yeah! Improv, remember?"
They started to head back the way they had come, but the gigantic pitfall blocked their path. The gorge was about six feet across, with the side they stood on being slightly higher than the opposing side. It was certainly a manageable gap, but the prisoners were thin and weak. They looked at the gorge like it was a raging river, a mile wide.
"Can't we just time travel outta here?" Becca asked nervously. "You have your stylus, don't you?"
TayTay shook her head. "No. No more time travelling." She shot Dizzy a sorrowful glance, full of regret.
"This'll be easy," Alexann declared. With a running start, she cleared the gap with no problem whatsoever. Then she turned back to face everyone, leaving them plenty of room for their landing. "Come on, there's no time to lose."
A look of determination settled over Happy's face. He barreled after Alexann, pushing his strength to its limit as he pushed off the ground. He barely managed to clear the gap. His feet slipped on the edge and he began falling backwards.
Luckily, Alexann was there to grab him and drag him to safety. She dusted him off, telling him, "Good job." Then she offered more words of encouragement to the rest of them.
Ness came next, hurling his little body forth with ease. A few more followed. But the villagers who had been trapped the longest, and were the weakest, still hesitated. Dizzy hesitated with them, having little faith in his stumpy legs. Elephants were not made for jumping.
"I have an idea!" TayTay perked up suddenly. Her hands went to her throat and began untying her cape. "Use my cape as a parachute!"
TayTay's idea worked. One by one, the weaker villagers drifted across the gap with the help of TayTay's cape. She performed a little victory dance as they did so, crowing, "And Alexann said not to bring my cape!"
Dizzy was the last one to go. He was terrified the cape wouldn't be able to support his weight. If I live, I'm going on a strict diet, he thought, taking a deep breath and bracing himself. With a running start, he launched himself across the gap. Luckily, his heavy weight propelled him forward instead of dragging him down and he easily made it to safety. Oh. Never mind.
TayTay took a running leap and landed right next to Dizzy. He returned her cape and she managed to tie it back in place with one hand.
"We're almost out," Alexann said, leading the way.
The villagers moved slowly behind her, struggling to keep up. Their bodies were weak, but their eyes shone with life. They couldn't wait to break free of this hellhole and see the sun again. TayTay and Dizzy encouraged them onwards, reminding them of the wonderful sights and food that awaited them on the surface.
The journey back seemed to take twice as long as the journey there. When they made it into the Reset Center, an ominous feeling settled of Dizzy. Don Resetti had vanished.
"Don is gone," Alexann stated flatly.
The prisoners began murmuring amongst themselves, looking panicked. Quazi broke free from the lot and began pacing around the office, looking high and low. "C'mon! He must've hidden our styluses around here somewhere. Let's use 'em before it's too late!"
"NO!" TayTay growled, so loudly it made everyone jump. "Time-travelling needs to stop!"
"She's right," Alexann agreed. "We can't stop running from our problems. We've got to stand strong and face the consequences. Now who's with me?"
Silence followed her words. The villagers looked at one another, their fear slowly turning to resolve. Becca stepped forward first. "I'm with you," she said strongly. "Um…plus, Resetti destroyed all of our styluses, so it's not as if we have much of a choice."
Lizzie nodded. "It's true. He snapped mine in half right in front of me. But that doesn't matter! I'd be willing to break it myself, now that I know the terrible side effects of using it."
"Yeah!" Squeek added. "We have to protect the environment!"
"If we can't wive in a world without tasty tweats, I don't want to wive at aww!" Ness declared, apparently having gotten lost in the conversation.
The rest of the prisoners voiced their support as well, their determination becoming a solid war cry. Their energy was renewed. Fire burned in their eyes. Here was their chance to start anew and make things right. They would not let this opportunity slip by them.
TayTay gave a bounce of joy, then looked to her sister. Alexann smiled. "All right. Then let's get the heck outta here!"
Everyone cheered, Dizzy along with them. One by one, they began scaling the ladder that led to freedom. Alexann and TayTay led the way. Dizzy brought up the caboose, giving each villager a boost so they wouldn't have to expend so much energy climbing. When the Reset Center was clear, Dizzy followed them up, grinning.
The mission was a success. He was so happy he had come along to aid these good people, instead of leaving town like a coward.
However, as soon as he breached the surface, Dizzy found himself wishing just the opposite. For some reason, the prisoners had stopped where they were, forming a small crowd. They were frozen in place, staring straight ahead. Dizzy immediately saw what had grabbed their attention.
TayTay stood protectively in front of the prisoners, legs spread, slightly hunched in a predator's crouch. In her right hand, she held her axe, dry with blood. In her left, she held the stylus. Her dark eyes were steely with hatred, her body trembling with rage as she glared into the face of Resetti.
Dizzy's heart seized with shock. Not Resetti…Resettis.
There was more than one. There were five in all, and they surrounded them on every side. Four of them held pickaxes; the one in the middle, directly across from TayTay, held a rifle. He was pointing it at something on the ground. A dark shape that Dizzy hadn't noticed until now.
"Hip!" Dizzy wailed, before he could stop himself.
Hip was lying on the ground between TayTay and Resetti, unmoving. At the sound of Dizzy's voice, he lifted his head weakly. There was a blotch of blood just above his forehead; the crimson fluid streamed down his face, past his eyes. "S…Sorry…" He uttered. Then he let his head fall back to the ground.
"What's it gonna take to get it through your thick skulls, huh?" Resetti said in that low, deadly voice that had scared Dizzy more than his screaming. "You dirty humans ain't gonna defeat me. Not ever. The villains never win." He looked at each villager in turn, waiting for a response. No one said a word. "You listenin', you little monsters?!"
"Let us go, Resetti," Alexann spoke up. She stepped forward to stand next to her sister. "You can't get away with keeping these villagers in your prison and you can't get away with hurting us either. Now let us go or else—"
"Or else what?" Resetti laughed scornfully. The four other Resettis chuckled along with him. Resetti's eyes gleamed and a smile worked at the edges of his snout. As though he had a scrumptious little secret he just couldn't wait to reveal. That expression made Dizzy feel sick to his stomach.
Alexann could find no words. TayTay uttered a high-pitched growl, adjusting her grip on her axe.
Not taking his eyes off the two girls, Resetti reached into the pocket of his overalls. Slowly, slowly, he pulled out a skinny object Dizzy would have normally mistaken for a pen.
It was Hip's stylus.
Resetti chuckled darkly. "I really don't think you're in any position to bargain."