Sarah must have woken up at least ten times during the night, not being able to fall into a deep sleep. The knot that had settled in her stomach at the end of the trial kept getting worse and worse by the minute. She wondered if it would ever go away.
Sighing in defeat, accepting that no more sleep would come, she rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was nearing seven in the morning. She resolved that it was best to get up now; her friends would be doing the same by now. Dressing herself in her greasy clothes and smoothing down her hair into its usual ponytail, Sarah quickly slipped her favourite rose in her hairband before exiting.
After stepping into the hallway, she looked at the cold, steel door that once belonged to Neko Zombie and beyond, feeling a pang in her heart. It was still hard to believe that she'd never see any of their faces again. Recalling Steve's promise to take care of Neko Zombie when they got out of the hotel and the incredible bond between Judgement Boy and his mentor, the pang in her heart became ten times more painful.
Sorry we couldn't save you… Sarah lowered her eyes and sniffled a bit. Wincing and squeezing her eyes shut, she turned on the spot and power walked away, wanting to distance herself from the deathly silent hallway. Tears stinging behind her eyes, Sarah rubbed them fiercely as she wrenched open the door to the lobby.
Away from the death and despair that was surrounding her, Sarah's head began to clear and she spun around, resting her head on the refreshingly cold wood. She felt powerless, weak and incapable of coping with being unable to ever see her lost friends' shining faces ever again. She smacked her fist against the door, trying to compensate for her turbulent feelings.
"U-um…" a quiet voice piped up from behind Sarah. "Are you okay…?"
Sarah suddenly felt her face turn twelve million shades of red. She whipped around and gave Steve a look of vague horror.
"I'll take that as a no…" Steve brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "It's okay that you're upset, Sarah. Lots of people are…" Steve looked downcast. Sarah had no doubt in her mind that he was thinking of Neko Zombie. "I don't even know if I can eat breakfast… but if I don't at least try, Chef will probably punch me."
Sarah couldn't help letting out a little chuckle. "I take it Chef isn't grieving?"
"Not even a little. I don't think he has any emotions other than 'angry' and 'seething,'" Steve suddenly turned white. "Uh, I should stop. I don't want him to overhear."
Sarah nodded understandingly and her eyes darted to the dining room door as she contemplated a way to steer them inside. Her jaw dropped when she saw it was ajar with two burning red eyes boring into the back of Steve's head.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked, full of apprehension. He timidly followed her gaze and yelped, backing up a few steps. "I-I-I-I!"
"EAT!" Hell's Chef roared, clenching the door handle so hard, Sarah thought is might mold to the shape of his hand. "GET IN. NOW."
Steve made a noise like a kitten that got its tail stepped on before rushing into the dining room. Hell's Chef turned his blood-colored gaze onto Sarah and growled: "You too."
Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She squeezed past Chef and saw that everyone had already taken their places in the dining room. Steve had sat down next to Cactus Girl, and Cactus Gunman was glaring at him from her other side. Sarah could clearly see that Steve was sweating bullets.
Poor guy… Sarah shook her head as she made her way to the seat next to Gunman's. Out of one scary situation and into another.
"Hey," Sarah gently punched Gunman in the arm, whispering so only he could hear her. "Lay off of him, at least for now. He has a lot on his mind."
Cactus Gunman huffed a sigh, but he shrugged his shoulders right afterwards. "I can't say no to you, senorita…"
Breakfast passed by slowly, only the slightest bit of small talk breaking the long silence. Roulette Boy, bored with how quiet everyone was, joked about Gregory Mama to lighten the mood which caused a stern glare from Clock Master and Gregory pushing his plate away, twisting on the spot and bending over. Sarah caught a quick glance at his remaining eye, noticing it was glazed with distress. From then on, silence ensued. Much to Hell's Chef's irritation, hardly anyone made a good dent in their meals. When he was fed up with watching everyone stare at their plates, he pushed himself up and began to collect them, muttering angrily.
"That was a great meal, Chef! Five stars!" Hell's Chef heard as he passed by an empty seat.
He did a double take and his gaze settled upon Monoputa who waved cheerfully.
"Oh," Hell's Chef groaned, his shoulders tensing. "You."
"That isn't how you should respond to someone who just complimented your cooking," Monoputa pouted, faking sadness.
"You didn't even TASTE IT," Hell's Chef snarled, resuming his trek around the table.
"Don't let him bother you, Chef," Catherine consoled as she handed him her plate. Sarah could practically see the hearts floating around her head. "As someone who did taste your meal, I think it was… ravishing."
"Then why did you hardly eat it?" He glared at her accusingly.
She giggled. "Oh, you!"
"But really, what's brought you back?" Angel Dog asked Monoputa sternly, her hands on her hips.
"Oh nothing too special~" Monoputa kicked his legs up on the table, crumpling the table cloth. Hell's Chef growled, his grip on Steve's plate hardening as he trembled with rage. "Just the usual deal, hahaha!"
"Usual deal? Just spit it out already," Cactus Girl blew a strand of hair out of her face, her arms folded impatiently.
"Well, if you insist~!" Monoputa straightened up and leaned over the table. "As always, when one of you morons kicks it via execution, more space is open to explore! I've come here to tell you just that!"
"More space?" Sarah parroted. "But, where else is there to go?"
"I'm glad you asked, Nancy Drew!" Monoputa hopped out of his chair and smiled her slyly, knowingly. "There's more to this place than you think~…"
As everyone around the table exchanged puzzled, perhaps fearful, glances, Monoputa swaggered over to the door to the kitchen. His trip through to the other side was cut off as Hell's Chef zoomed in front of him like a bullet train and shot through the doors.
"Hmph," Monoputa fixed his windswept veil and looked over his shoulder. "Now that Tubby is done with the plates, everyone follow me to the garden."
"Finally!" Roulette Boy hollered as he hopped to the floor. "Something cool! Is the new place through some secret passage? Lemme see!"
As the child bolted through the doors, Sarah was surprised his guardian didn't follow, rather, shake his head in a forlorn manner. As everyone slowly, resentfully began to depart, Sarah approached Clock Master curiously.
"I suppose you're here to ask why I'm not following that Roulette Boy, hmm?" Clock Master smirked, spying her as she drew near.
Blushing, Sarah bit her lip. "Am I that easy to read?"
Clock Master waved her off. "Of course not; no one knows what goes on in that detective mind of yours! Although I am quite good at reading people. But I'm not following the boy because not only is the trip very short, I don't think he could get into that much unsupervised trouble."
When they were the last few remaining, Clock Master chivalrously heaved open the door and motioned for Sarah to pass through. Flattered, Sarah obeyed, then smirked.
"Really? Are we talking about the same Roulette Boy here?" she snorted with disbelief.
"You raise a fair point!" Clock Master chuckled as he reunited with her. "But however much he may need my careful supervision, sometimes…" His gaze drifted over to Gregory, shuffling through to the garden with his head hung low. "... There are those who need it more."
Winking knowingly at Sarah, Clock Master dashed in pursuit leaving her with a satisfied smile. Clock Master could be full of himself, but he was caring and certainly not Roulette Boy's shadow.
Snapping out of her delightful haze, Sarah realised she was the last remaining person in the kitchen. Embarrassed at herself, she hurried through the doors and emerged into the waiting land beyond.
It was dim in the garden, as always, and surprisingly nothing had changed from before. She had half expected something to be different at the mention of the new area. In the distance, she could see Monoputa was surrounded by the waiting guests by the chained up, condemned-looking shed. He stood proud, tall and extravagantly, almost like a company spokesperson.
As Sarah neared the waiting crowd, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of joy upon seeing Clock Master by Gregory's side, giving him a hefty pat on the back. Leaving the two be, she let her gaze travel for a companion. She smirked as she spotted Gunman with his sister and Steve, noting he was making a visible effort not to glare daggers at the poor boy, who clung to Cactus Girl's arm for support and gently leaned his head on her shoulder. Sarah couldn't help letting an 'aww' escape from her rosy lips.
Besides those five, Roulette Boy was eagerly bouncing at the front of the audience, moaning for the show to start. A little ways off from him, Hell's Chef and Angel Dog chatted together, the latter doing ninety percent of the talking. Sarah's eyes softened as she spotted Catherine on her lonesome and resolved to join her.
Catherine brightened a bit when Sarah approached her. "Good morning again. Wow, you don't seem the slightest bit nervous…" Judging by the way Catherine was twitching her tail, she wasn't quite so fortunate in the nerves department.
"Oh, believe me, I am…" Sarah rested her hand on her stomach. "I feel like all my organs are doing backflips. That shed doesn't exactly look promising."
"You're completely right…" Catherine clicked her tongue. "Is this shed really all we're getting for our hard work on the trial? I highly doubt it has anything that we could use."
"Hoo boy, are you wrong, nursey!" Monoputa hopped in the air, pointing a finger at Catherine and winking before landing back on his feet.
How did he hear her? Sarah's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Monoputa pogoed into the air again. "I've got a great big new world for you; you know the rules! As soon as one of you guys kicks the bucket in a trial, you get a nice new place to play!"
"We knoooow!" Roulette Boy gave Monoputa a pout of epic proportions. "Just show us already!"
Monoputa blew him an equally incredible raspberry and drew out a dull key of similar colour to the padlock on the shed. "Hold onto your spinner, short stuff, I'm getting there!"
Spinning around with the grace of a thousand ballerinas, Monoputa unlocked the padlock with a swift click! and let the chains fall to the floor in a heap.
"Gather your wits and your skirts, ladies, because this will blow you away!" Monoputa grinned cheekily, whipping the door open inwardly.
There was a collective gasp as everyone struggled to comprehend what lay before them.
"Unreal!" Roulette Boy exclaimed, his voice cracking.
"You have got to be kidding…" Sarah heard Catherine mutter.
While Sarah heard other similar comments, she herself had no words. The stone shed opened up to a flooring similar in design, connected to a staircase that descended into the ground's mysterious and dark depths. Sarah couldn't quite get a good look from her position, but what she could gather was the stairs themselves were wooden and quite a dark shade of red; not at all inviting.
"Bet you bastards didn't see that coming! Ahahahaha!" Monoputa fell back onto his butt, his laughter practically shaking the trees. "The looks on your faces! Absolutely classic!"
"We get it. Are you done now?" Angel Dog wasn't having another second of Monoputa's insolent taunting.
"Yeah, I'm done," Monoputa posed with his hands on his hips. "All of you are free to explore, you know the drill!" He scooted to the side and gestured to the stairs like an enthusiastic game show host. "As for what's there to see… you'll have to figure it out for yourselves!"
"This isn't some elaborate trap, is it?" Clock Master squinted at Monoputa, who let out an enormous belly laugh.
"Me? Make an elaborate trap?" Monoputa reeled back. "Oh, you wound me! I thought you thought better of me than this… I'd much rather have you guys murder each other! I don't want my lovely execution machines to go to waste! That's no fun~!"
There is sense in that logic, despite how twisted it is, Sarah concluded. I suppose we'll have to trust him on this, for now.
"We'll I'll take your silence as consent, and now I'll take my leave!" Monoputa bowed elegantly. "Happy exploring, go kill each other, yadda yadda! See you around!"
In the few seconds after Monoputa vanished, there was silence in the garden. Is was cold and still; no breeze blew. They were all immobilised by the yawning darkness they must brave.
"... I don't like the dark…" In the stillness, Roulette Boy's words were as loud as a shout.
"W-well, seester, i-in a situation such as this, you should have your brave brother by your side," Gunman proposed.
"Big brother, your knees are knocking," Cactus Girl motioned to them, looking at him with pity and embarrassment.
Cactus Gunman gasped, firmly grasped her hand and dragged her towards the recently opened shed. "Come, let us explore together!" he said hurriedly as his vanished into the dark.
After they had taken the first plunge, everyone began to disperse, murmuring to each other about pairing up and traversing into the heart of darkness. Sarah took her own initiative, approaching Steve.
"Wanna check out the new place with me?" Sarah asked, feeling an awful lot like she was in high school again, desperately searching for an acceptable lab partner. After her usual investigation buddy ran off with his sister, she was honestly at a loss.
Thank God Steve's around… but… Sarah's forehead crinkled with worry as she read Steve's dread-filled expression. He isn't looking too good.
"Y-yeah, why not? I'd have to go down there eventually, I'm sure…" Steve gave Sarah a wan smile, pushing his pointer fingers together. "Plus Gunman isn't so mean to me when you're around…" he added under his breath.
"What was that last part?" Sarah asked, tilting her head to the side.
"U-uh, nothing important!" Steve held up his hands, a sheepish grin crossing his pale face. "Let's go!"
He started stumbling forward towards the staircase, but he was stopped in his tracks when he felt a small hand grab onto his pant leg. His widened eyes looked down to see Roulette Boy, with his lower lip jutting out and tears in his eyes.
"I'm not going in the dark all by myself," Roulette Boy's grip on Steve's khakis tightened. "I'm going with you guys, I decided!"
After looking warily at Roulette Boy, Steve gazed at Sarah for approval. She sighed, but gave a curt nod.
"YESSSS!" Roulette Boy pumped his free hand in the air. "Come on, let's go!" He hopped in the air, his spinner whirling around in his excitement.
That's all it takes to get him to stop being scared, huh? Sarah resisted the urge to shake her head as she watched Roulette Boy hum and bounce around. Roulette Boy really was just a little kid.
As the three of them headed down the stairs, Roulette Boy took hold of Sarah's hand, squeezing it much too tightly. Much more surprisingly, Steve grabbed Sarah's other hand, and she could have sworn she could hear him grinding his teeth.
Fortunately, once they reached the end of the staircase, they came to a large empty room lit by a single wooden chandelier. The walls were made of compact stone and wooden struts occurred at regular intervals. For extra reinforcement, wooden struts were also placed throughout the room. The chandelier only held a miniscule total of four candles, making the room rather dim and Roulette Boy instinctively draw closer to his companions.
"Are you scared, Roulette Boy?" Sarah asked, feeling his tiny little fist close around the fabric of her skirt as they walked along.
"Nuh-uh…" Roulette Boy shook his head, but his voice was soft and shaky.
Despite refusing to admit his feelings, he clung tighter as the walls groaned. Sarah gently rested her hand upon his roulette wheel.
"I-It's so dark and empty… Which way do we go?" Steve broke the silence timidly.
Straining her eyes in the darkness, Sarah could make out four darker patches in the brooding gloom. She gritted her teeth in annoyance.
"I wish I had some eyedrops; I can't see anything in here!" She took a step forward in the vain hope that would make things clearer and instantly the small figure beside her jumped to catch up.
"M-Monoputa probably did this on p-purpose," Roulette Boy muttered softly. "That jerk…"
Steve couldn't help feel a shred of sympathy at this time too, deciding to come forward and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, which made Roulette Boy jump and shoot Steve a distrustful glare. One of the darker patches Sarah could spy was just to her left. Cautiously, she reached out an arm to touch it. It felt cold and metallic under her touch so she grazed her fingers over the surface. Finally, she hit what felt to be a door handle. Smiling with satisfaction, she told the others of her discovery.
"So all those other spots are doors too?" Roulette Boy inquired.
At a pleading look and a head gesture from Sarah, Steve scouted the perimeter of the room.
"W-well, there are two other doors, but there's also an alcove here. Nothing's in it…" Steve shot them a puzzled look.
"That's not going to help us explore, so we might as well leave it. How about this door?" Sarah tapped the one by her side and Roulette Boy nodded a bit too eagerly.
"Yeah! Let's do it already!" He practically shoved the poor girl into its steel frame and she quickly, reflexively, pushed open the door.
Hearing a yelp and a flurry of footsteps, Sarah gathered Steve had rejoined them and pushed on ahead. The hall that stretched out before them was uninviting to say the least and candles lined the walled at intervals into the darkness ahead, swallowing up their light. However fast Sarah wanted to proceed, her progress was inhibited by Roulette Boy's miniscule paces.
After some travel, and taking a turn that lead right back to the start, the three eventually wound up before a set of big red double doors.
"These seem… ominous…" Steve nervously chewed on a thumbnail, looking up at the towering doors.
"I don't know what that means, but if it means 'super duper cool,' I agree!" Roulette Boy's fear melted away and he looked up at Sarah with glimmering eyes. "Let's go in!"
Sarah reached forward and pushed the doors open. Almost instantly, she was nearly blinded by a colorful, well-lit room.
"HOLY GUACAMOLE!" Roulette Boy squealed and ran into the room before Sarah and Steve could even process what had happened.
"This is… a lot less scary than I thought it would be…" Steve admitted.
Roulette Boy had flopped over on the carpet in a fit of excited bliss, sighing "This is where I'm meant to be…"
Sarah could hardly disagree. The room's oppressive black walls created a seemingly endless void, but the neon lights strung up all over the room like ribbons made it somewhat enticing. Everywhere there was games and toys all rimmed with the stuff. Neon hopscotch, neon drawings on the floor and walls and even a bright toy chest. Some of the toys, however, had Sarah frowning with disapproval. The Wimp Brigade action figures Roulette Boy was diving to had scarily pointy weapons, the toy soldiers had a functioning miniature tank and bayonets and the fake swords didn't look too fake at all…
"Be careful!" Sarah lunged forward and attempted to grab the toys away from Roulette Boy. "Those seem dangerous!"
"Hey!" He looked like he had been personally offended as he hastily moved his arms out of the way and snarled. "Lay off! Those are my toys!"
"Look, I'm just trying to protect you," Sarah reasoned, adding Roulette Boy's glare to the list of dangerous things within the room.
"But the real guns and swords are what make it fun!" Roulette Boy clasped his hands together in delight. "It makes them more realistic, you know?"
"What if you accidentally hurt someone with these? Or yourself?" Sarah wasn't giving up on taking the toys from Roulette Boy. Now that she was closer, she could see just how glintingly sharp the blades were. She wouldn't be able to grab those away violently unless she wanted to lose a finger…
"I-if you hurt someone…" Steve pushed his fingers together, staying a safe distance away. "Even by accident… something b-bad could happen to you. Remember the rules…"
Roulette Boy puffed out his cheeks at Steve for a few moments before sharply exhaling and slumping his shoulders. "... yeah, you're right. I don't wanna die!" He shoved the toys into Sarah's arms (and luckily didn't slice any major arteries open) and whirled around. "Besides, there's plenty more in here to play with, hehehe!"
Sarah heaved a sigh of relief and exchanged an optimistic glance with Steve.
"Hey, look at this!" Roulette Boy was in a crawling position on the floor, studying the hopscotch outline. "Doesn't this look fun?" He laughed with glee as he got up and played, making tiny, effective bounces. "You gonna try and confiscate this too?"
Sarah couldn't help smirking at that one. As she moved to put the potentially deadly toys in the toybox, she felt a pang of pity for the lonely child. This giant room would only be used by him alone.
As the lid of the toybox shut once more, Steve let out a small contented sigh. "Oh good… Those were really worrying me."
Suddenly, a wild, anguished wail of rage louder than a siren pierced the eardrums of the rooms inhabitants, causing them to freeze in place. Roulette Boy, who was mid jump, lost his focus and fell down in a heap.
As the gigantic wail subsided, softer wails began to echo throughout the room. Terror running rampant in his eyes, Steve somehow regained control of his limbs and sprinted to Sarah at the speed of light. Sarah felt his constricting grip on her shaking arm and shuffled closer.
"What was that?" Steve breathed almost inaudibly.
"I don't know… But let's not assume the worst, okay?" Sarah did her best to soothe him as Roulette Boy feigned a gag behind them. "Regardless of what it is, we should investigate. We've spent enough time in here anyway."
"Seriously?" Roulette Boy pushed himself to his stubby feet. "I could stay in here for days! I'd rather be in here than with whatever that was…"
"You can stay here if you want," Frankly, Sarah was glad Roulette Boy had a place to enjoy himself. She hoped he'd be less likely to bother Cactus Gunman if he was in a good mood. "Just don't touch those dangerous toys, okay?"
"Okie dokie!" Roulette Boy bounced joyously. "There's plenty of other stuff for me to play with, anyways!"
With that, he returned his attention back to the neon hopscotch, happily singing as he bounced: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one~!"
Steve gave Roulette Boy a quick, nervous look before turning back to Sarah. "We better go see what that was…"
Sarah nodded in agreement and the two of them headed into the hallway.
It didn't take them long to find the source of the wail. To the right, they could see the all too familiar glow of a candle in the darkness, moving sporadically, each jerk backwards punctuated with an angry grunt.
As they got closer, they could see that Hell's Chef was struggling with a door handle, pulling with every ounce of muscle in his enormous body to no avail.
"Chef, what's wrong?" Sarah asked, and his head snapped toward her, his glowing eyes narrowed to angry red slits.
"I CAN'T. OPEN. THE DOOR!" He howled, punctuating each word long than four letters with extra emphasis.
Steve, cowering behind his arms, squeaked, "D-do you want h-h-help?"
"Tch, you wouldn't BE any help! I've cooked things bigger than you are!" After snapping at Steve, Hell's Chef resumed tugging on the door.
"Why do you want to get this open so badly?" Sarah asked, squinting in the darkness for any sort of clue.
Hell's Chef glanced over his shoulder and gave a look of intense frustration. "I want to escape! This door might let me… RAGH! OPEN!" He gave it one more violent tug and the door shook on it's hinges before sliding into place once more.
"RRRRRAGH!" Echoed down the halls at the speed of light and Sarah and Steve found themselves huddling together for comfort.
When Chef gets like this, it's best to leave him. Who knows what trouble we'll be in if we get too close. The moment those words entered her mind, a new shape had appeared in the dull light. That size and shape could only belong to one person…
"STOP! STOOOP!" Monoputa raced over to Hell's Chef and tugged on his pant leg frantically. "Geez, you whiny baby…"
Seeing who it was in crystal clear light under his flame, Hell's Chef dropped his arms heavily and stiffly turned to face his potential punching bag. "What?"
"Now listen once and listen closely, alright?" Monoputa waved Hell's Chef nearer and he leant down resentfully. "You ready, tubby? NOT ALL DOORS OPEN, YOU BASTARD! THERE ARE THESE THINGS CALLED 'LOCKS!'" Monoputa's words were so forceful that Chef's flame flickered.
All of Hell's Chef's veins nearly popped due to pure rage, but he knew very well that he couldn't attack Monoputa without digging his own grave. All he could do was clench his fists very, very hard and hiss out: "I knew that…!"
"Evidently not!" Monoputa winked, flicking his veil in Hell's Chef's direction.
"But elsewhere in the house we've had free reign," Sarah finally spoke up with a hint of confidence now that Hell's Chef was restrained. "Why is here so different?"
Monoputa looked away suspiciously. "Listen here, toots, there are some things in this house not meant for your eyes… You'd EXPLODE!"
Steve let out a stifled wail and Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder. Hell's Chef on the other hand was clenching his fists tighter and tighter…
"Anyway, if you want me to spell it out for you three, this place is off-limits! And there may be more rooms like this!" Monoputa eyed his 'companions' warningly. "Now run along, tell your friends! And don't try to bust down my doors, or else!" At that last word, he glared at Hell's Chef before vanishing without a trace.
Hell's Chef promptly whirled around and began pounding his fists into the wall, yelling in anger.
"Sarah, let's go. NOW," Steve tugged on her wrist urgently. He didn't have to tell her twice. The two of them jogged down the hallway, leaving Chef to stew in his Prompter-stoked rage.
On a unanimous agreement, the two traversed past the playroom where they had left their unfaithful companion Roulette Boy and their path of entrance into a long winding hallway. After finding a staircase that lead upwards, they were stopped by a large metal grate. Beyond it lay the first floor of the hotel, and Sarah could spy the lounge and Poor Conductor's old room. With effort from shaky limbs, they hoisted the grate up and locked it away, leaving the basement more accessible than ever. Sarah and Steve came to the conclusion there was more to be found as many of their friends were still not found, and returned to the room that was their first point of entry.
"So, we've explored one whole side of the basement…" Sarah recounted as she and Steve pondered their next move. "And we went through those two doors… Which leaves just that one?"
Steve glanced at the indicated door apprehensively. "I can't believe so many of us all picked the same one… Can you go first?"
Sarah sighed, but with an endearing smile. She swung open the remaining door to find a passage to the right, which then branched off in two directions. As they neared, they saw a doorway right at the very beginning of one of the paths. Shrugging at each other, Sarah cautiously peeled it back, only to be blinded by pristine white light and a chirpy voice.
"Hey Sarah! Oh, and Steve! Good to see both of you!" Angel Dog remarked sweetly. "Isn't this room perfect?"
Sarah's eyes slowly adjusted and she could finally see what lay within. Sparkling clean white walls and floor, complemented with rows of shining washing machines and dryers. A table sat in the centre of the room, with a rack of magazines nearby for passing the time. The candlelight reflected stunningly off all the white furniture, giving clear daytime-like light, beauty to Sarah's eyes. At the table sat well-groomed Angel Dog and elegant Catherine, reading beauty and wonder magazines respectively. The soothingly familiar sound of working washing machines hummed in the background.
"It's nice to relax and forget about everything for a while," Catherine sighed, resting a hand against her cheek. "There's a whole magazine rack over there, they have everything you could possibly imagine!"
"What's that one about?" Steve asked, smiling sheepishly.
"All of these amazing, paranormal things that we can't see because we're stuck in here," Catherine stuck out her forked tongue for a moment, rolling her eyes. "But reading about it is the next best thing, I suppose. Hey, Sarah, check this hunk out. He's a teacher at a school for wonders in the making. Isn't he a stud?" She flipped the magazine around to show Sarah a skeletal saber tooth tiger man, his face displayed on a TV monitor surrounded by bones cobbled together in a cruel, twisted mockery of a body.
Sarah's eyebrows flew up to her hairline. "Uh, I suppose… if you like televisions."
Catherine tsk-tsked, turning the magazine back towards her. "More for me!" she giggled.
"We just cleaned our clothes up," Angel Dog gestured to the washing machines and dryers that lined the wall. "We feel worlds better. And, um, not to be insulting or anything, but you guys might want to clean your clothes soon too…" Angel Dog twirled her pink fur around a finger.
Sarah chuckled. "We'll do that later on. We're doing a survey of this floor to see if there are any clues that could help us get out of here."
"Ah!" The sun rose in Catherine's eyes as she put her magazine down. "Cactus Girl came by earlier to say she found a room with a lot of interesting stuff in it. A lost and found, she said it was? I bet there's something useful there!"
"Leave it to her to find something like that…" Steve blushed a bit, looking down at the floor.
"Yeah, you guys should go check it out!" Angel Dog folded her hands under her chin, her wand between them, sprinkling glitter all over the magazine she was reading. "Let me know if you find Chef, too! I'm not sure what he's gotten up to, I'm kind of worried."
"Uh, he's sort of…" Steve pushed his fingers together, struggling to find the right words. "... having a fit right now. He had a fight with a locked door."
"When we left him he was punching a wall…" Sarah scratched the side of her face, wondering if they should have left Chef on his own.
Angel Dog's smile quickly turned into a concerned frown and she flew out of her seat and out the door after a quick "SEE YOU LATER!"
Catherine shook her head as she watched Angel Dog go. "You'd think she was his mother… anyway, if you find anything in the lost and found, let me know." Catherine smiled sweetly at Sarah. "You have a knack for finding things, after all."
Sarah blushed at the compliment. "Don't forget Steve! We wouldn't have made it through that last trial without him." It was Steve's turn to blush.
Catherine nodded solemnly and wished them luck as the two parted.
In the hall once more, Steve and Sarah weren't travelling long until they encountered a new door. This one, as opposed to the regular rectangle, was arched at the top, and had an arched window as well, with fancy engravings.
"This looks too… extravagant to be the lost and found," Steve nervously rubbed the back of his head.
Bravely, Sarah stood on her the tips of her toes and peered through the window. Inside was a humourous, fun room with toys lining the shelves every which way. Gregory and Clock Master stood at a bench with a half black-half white vending machine, chatting idly.
"I'm not going to lie, I want to see inside!" Sarah honestly felt a little excited. All of those shelves filled up with so many interesting things… maybe she could find something to help keep her mind occupied. Reading was fun, but it would be nice to get some variety.
Steve glanced down the hall but smiled eagerly. "I suppose lost and found can wait."
Glad to have Steve on board, Sarah's heart raced as she swung open the new door jauntily. Now nearer than ever, she could get a closer look at the commodities that had attracted her attention and the workings of the store within. At the back of the room was a small counter, probably only big enough for a prompter to run. The room was literally teeming with goods wall to wall, minus the one with the bench, holding a black and white vending machine. Among the goods for sale, Sarah spied a freaky-looking brown horned mask with daunting teeth and hearts and dollar signs with slight bloodstains. Her heart fell as she saw two of each of the latter options, knowing exactly where they had come from. Forcing the thought from her mind and placing a smile on her face, she approached Gregory and Clock Master, who welcomed her and her companion eagerly.
"How nice to see that you were able to brave the dark, my friend!" Gregory said with a smile to Steve. Sarah couldn't help wondering if that was a dig… even if it was, she was relieved to see Gregory was at least doing a little better. Even if he was faking it, it was nice to see him smile.
"Can you believe this place, Sarah?" Clock Master adjusted his tie, his full lips spread into a grin. "They have a whole shelf of imported alcohol! Stuff you can't get in the bar upstairs! I feel spoiled."
"Please go easy," Sarah shook her head. It was a miracle Clock Master's constant benders haven't gotten him killed.
Clock Master ignored that little comment, which Sarah honestly should have expected. "And this vending machine is amazing!" Clock Master gestured to it. "Monoputa came in here earlier and told us how it works. You just put in something you own and you get something back! It's an exchange. You can purchase the stuff in this store the same way."
"I still don't see why you'd want to use your valuables on this machine," Gregory absent-mindedly tapped a finger on the top. "There's no guarantee you'd get something good. You could get something that was just terrible."
"But that's the fun of it!" Clock Master laughed.
Gregory shook his head, but decided not to argue further.
Sarah couldn't help herself; her curiosity was piqued. "Where do you put the thing you want to exchange?"
Clock Master pointed to a little hatch on the front of the machine. "Here, apparently."
Sarah rooted around in her pockets and found nothing but lint. Technically, I could put the rose in my hair in, but… that would be mean. Sarah adjusted it so it sat better. It's dying, but I want to keep it until it dries up.
Steve followed Sarah's example and started a bit when he felt in his back pocket. "Oh yeah, I have this…" Steve pulled out a red handkerchief. "I've had this since the first day I arrived here, but… I never found much use for it."
"Use it, then! By all means!" Clock Master stepped aside and gestured to the machine. Gregory did his best to look profoundly disinterested, but Sarah noticed that his eye kept flitting over to the vending machine.
Steve tentatively approached the machine, holding the handkerchief out to it. When he neared the hatch, the machine jumped up, opening the hatch up like a mouth. It snatched the handkerchief out of Steve's hands quite violently and Steve let out a squeal of surprise. Gregory covered his mouth to suppress a snicker.
The machine shook for a few moments before a capsule came rolling out of the bottom of it. Just like the machine itself, this capsule was half black, half white and was sealed tightly shut. Grasping it tightly, Steve twisted it with all his might and it broke apart. Everyone peered over excitedly to see the mystery prize. A small slip of paper lay delicately on an item below. Steve fumbled for the paper and read aloud "everlasting bracelet".
What was beneath the paper was indeed a bracelet, beautifully painted with the colours of the rainbow. A lovely, big pink heart rested at its centre and a warm smile spread across Steve's contented face.
"Aww, Steve, that's really sweet!" Sarah tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she leaned forward to get a better look. Quite frankly, she was surprised something like that could come out of something Monoputa created.
"I agree!" Clock Master gave another belly laugh. "You should give it to that lovely girlfriend of yours!"
Gregory, on the other hand, let out a malicious chuckle. "I told you you'd just get garbage. What an effective scam, hehehe…"
Steve chose to ignore Gregory. Beaming at Clock Master, he pocketed the bracelet. "Good idea. I'll save this for when I find her."
"Speaking of which, do you guys know where the lost and found is?" Sarah tilted her head. "We heard she was over there."
Clock Master nodded and nudged her. "And with her brother!"
Sarah turned bright red as Gregory chuckled. "He was rather excited to explore with her, I will say. I heard the two stomp past here. He was saying something about wanting to find his guns… I wonder who took them, hehehe…"
"If he's desperate to find them, then they're probably still in the lost and found," Sarah reasoned aloud. Turning to Steve, a grin crossed her face. "Let's go; I want to be there when you give that to Cactus Girl."
It was Steve's turn to flush tomato-red and he nodded shyly, tucking the bracelet in his now empty pocket.
The two started for the door and Clock Master waved farewell. "This old timer wishes you well on your conquest for love!"
"I hope you don't let it distract you too much," Gregory gave his signature dark chuckle.
The humans' faces were on fire as the shot into the safe freedom of the empty hall. The two shot each other uncomfortable glances before wordlessly starting back down their route. They were hardly surprised when not even half a minute had passed before they encountered another regular, dull steel door.
"Guess we're back to the way it was before," Steve ventured as he gripped an elbow apprehensively.
"Monoputa probably made only that room inviting to attract people like Clock Master," Sarah grimaced at his relish for exploitation. "In a place like this, he wouldn't have to try too hard."
"Then...this door could lead anywhere?" Steve's pupils grew and he bit his lip.
Offering a comforting hand on his shoulder, Sarah smiled reassuringly. "Nothing down here has been bad so far. Now fingers crossed this is the lost and found."
A tiny smile formed on Steve's face and out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw he did just that. Sarah, too, mentally crossed her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut as she gave the door a big heave!
"Hm? Ah, senorita! …And… friend," Gunman's disappointment rang through the halls.
Yesssss! Sarah silently cheered, unable to stop a giddy smile from blooming. I just hope the guys will get along… She and Steve shuffled inside and took a glimpse of their surroundings. Unlike the massive boxes that lay beyond reach in the garden, in here only small possessions were placed. The candles lining the walls had to be especially high up as there were so many trivial items that it was practically a mountain at the back of the room. Among the homeless belongings was a small green die with gold rims, a damaged, old remote, and a red-haired doll that looked eerily familiar.
"Brother! Did you have to be so cruel?" Cactus Girl scolded. "Steve has never hurt anyone!"
Gunman indignantly resumed rummaging through the pile, paying the others no mind.
Cactus Girl approached the two, looking downcast. "I am sorry about him. He has been very upset since the trial, and losing his guns has put him on edge." She assumed a charming smile and proceeded earnestly. "However, it is very good to see you! Has your exploration been going well? We have spent quite a lot of time here and are yet to see much…"
Sarah glanced at Gunman to see he was practically blocking them out, then nodded understandingly. "I can see why. But we've done a good deal of exploration so far. I'm glad there is finally a laundry room, but I'm not sure that new store is such a good idea."
"A new store?" Cactus Girl echoed. "What's in there?"
Steve jumped a little as Sarah nudged him, signalling his cue. "O-oh! Well, there is lots of merchandise in there and a small black and white vending machine-"
"Black and white?" Cactus Girl interrupted, looking somewhat disgusted. "I bet I know who put that device in there… It could be dangerous, right?"
"Uh, w-well, we know it's not. I...I kinda tested it," Steve absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.
"What?!" Cactus Girl's face was riddled with concern. Not missing a beat, with a shaky hand, Steve delved into his pocket and brought out the bracelet. Her face instantly transformed into one of wonderment, awe and love. "S-Steve…"
"Th-this is wh-what the mach-chine gave me," Steve stammered. "I c-can't think of a-anyone better to give it to."
Cactus Girl delicately took the gift in her hand and slipped it over her wrist. Sarah couldn't help but be touched by the display before her; it was simply adorable! "I will treasure it forever…"
"HEY!" All of a sudden, Cactus Gunman stopped his noisy rummaging, and glared at the couple. "What are you- Que?" His lips parted as he looked at a new find. "This is…"
"Did you find something?" Sarah's voice shook. She didn't want an argument to start up right here and now, and was desperate to keep the topic on that tangent.
Admittedly, she was a bit hesitant to climb over the piles of junk, but she was also more than a bit curious about what pacified Gunman. Fortunately she didn't have to, as she spotted a green shape working its way over to them. When he neared, the embarrassed three saw, in the cactus' prickly grip, a small, shining sheet of paper. When Gunman held it up for all to see, Sarah realised it was actually a glossy photograph. Steve gasped in shock.
The photo displayed Neko Zombie's room and a careful Steve delicately winding a red handkerchief over a throbbing red inflammation on Neko Zombie's foot. Steve's photographic face was innocent and pure, full of compassion and deep care for his friend; while on the other hand, Neko Zombie looked somewhat reluctant to be babied. Upon closer inspection, Sarah identified a hint of a grateful smile, though the cat did a superb job at hiding it.
Did Monoputa secretly snap this photo some time before the last trial? Sarah wondered. If that was the case, how did Steve get the handkerchief back?
"Wh-what...?" Tears began to well up in Steve's horrified eyes and he stepped back. "Th-that…! No!"
"Steve? Are you okay?" Cactus Girl asked worriedly. She, too, saw no explanation for Steve's concern.
He shook his head vigorously. "Th-that…never happened!" He searched their faces earnestly for some sign that this was a joke.
Gunman was downright puzzled and frowned at Steve. "What? Steve, we have the photo of you right here. How could this have never of occurred?"
"You're right!" Monoputa sprung up behind Gunman who let out a terrified shriek. In his moment of fear, Monoputa snatched the photo as quick as a flash. "You didn't see aaaanything…" He whispered hauntingly as he vanished, taking the mysterious photograph with him.
"What on earth was that?" Cactus Girl was completely baffled. So many questions had been raised!
"I-I don't know! But I'm telling you I never did that!" Steve insisted.
"...He's right." Sarah realised. "Remember what you said to me back in the store, Steve?"
"Oh yeah, I have this…" Steve pulled out a red handkerchief. "I've had this since the first day I arrived here, but… I never found much use for it."
"See?! I really didn't do that!" Steve dropped to his knees and wailed. "What is going on?"
Cactus Girl glanced at her bracelet, then knelt down to give Steve as much comfort as she could. Sarah and Gunman exchanged fearful looks. He seemed to scared, too confused and horrified to stop his sister. After what seemed like an eternity of confused agony, Sarah dragged herself out of her mental fog.
"We… we shouldn't dwell on that too much now. Let's focus on other things. Perhaps… it will make sense later."
"Y-yeah…" Steve murmured as Cactus Girl helped him up. "Let's...get back to exploring."
As he dragged his feet over to the exit, Sarah heard a whisper of "stay strong, senorita" in her ear.
Meeting Gunman's gaze, she smiled and muttered in return. "You too. Good luck finding your guns."
Within moments, Steve and Sarah were back in the foreboding hallway. It had never seemed darker or more mysterious. Three hallways spread out before them into the unknown.
Steve grasped Sarah's hand with his own, and the two close friends headed down the middle passage. What came next was a crazy maze of passages. They ended up back at Lost Property more than once, in the left hand passage, as opposed to the centre, and even hit a dead end. Wondering if there truly was anything to be found in this area, the two meandered around, finally stopping as Steve let out a stunned gasped.
"There's more?" He groaned weakly. "What else is there to see?"
Indeed he was right. Before the two of them was a descending staircase blocked by a steel grate. This one was locked firmly in place, with no key in sight.
Sarah shrugged, exhausted from all the confusion the day had brought. "Monoputa is full of tricks, I'm sure he has something. Let's hope we never have to find out."
Trying her hardest to stay optimistic, she grinned hopefully at Steve, and the beginnings of a smile latched onto his face as well.
"Do you mind if we move on? I think I remember one path we didn't take, actually," Steve recalled, touching a finger to his chin. "It's been nagging at me for a while. After we see it, I think I'm ready for a nice bath."
Sarah and Steve started off once again, the former continuing the conversation. "I hear that. I don't think we've ever had a floor this big! It's really draining to explore this all in one go…"
Steve gave a soft "mmhmm" in response and spoke no more. They passed through a few more twists and turns, Sarah keeping an eye on Steve like a mother to her chicks.
"You're still shaken up about the photo, aren't you?" Sarah said suddenly.
Steve briefly met her eyes and nodded.
"I don't blame you…" Sarah turned her gaze away for a moment, her brow furrowing. "I miss Neko Zombie as much as you do, and finding out about that photo right after you used that handkerchief in the machine…" Sarah bit her lip, pausing to shake her head. "Not to mention it raises more questions than answers. You don't remember that happening, but… it was right there, in that photo."
"I only met Neko Zombie a few weeks ago!" Steve clutched the sides of his head. "I… I'm not sure what to believe anymore."
Sarah felt her stomach tighten. She felt like Steve would be hard to cheer up… maybe using so many words wasn't the right route to take.
Wordlessly, she took Steve's hand and gave him the most genuine smile she could muster. "Hey, we'll figure this out. We always do, don't we?"
Steve sniffled, a shred of a smile forming of his broken face. "Yeah… We do…"
"It'll fall into place, just you watch," Sarah reassured. She stopped suddenly, seeing the lost and found up ahead. "Are we close to that mystery path of yours?"
Smiling sheepishly, he nodded affirmatively and pointed straight ahead. "We never went down that way, I think."
Sarah gestured in front of her. "Then lead the way."
She figured giving Steve an opportunity to lead would help boost his confidence, and was willing to dash back to his side the moment they reached another fork in the road. With a gulp, Steve muttered something under his breath and strode forward.
Their steps echoed in the silent darkness, and Sarah hoped with all her heart they wouldn't come to another dead end or series of twists and turns. To her pleasant surprise, only a single turn to the right came, before another door was in view.
"Hey…" Steve began as he laid eyes on it.
Sarah rushed to catch up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good find! Let's go in…"
As Steve blushed bashfully, Sarah pushed and pulled at the hunk of steel.
"...It's not…budging?" Sarah panted, utterly perplexed.
"This door is locked as well?" Steve's voice shook as fear seeped back in.
Sarah straightened herself up and dusted off her clothes. "Less to explore, right? We should keep moving."
She started off again, her steps creating a mysterious rhythm that only seemed ominous in the black tunnels. Steve hurriedly caught up with her and nervously ventured to grab her hand. Neither of them were very surprised when another large steel door was encountered, but were caught off guard when this one, too, was locked. Steve moaned and tore at his hair.
"Again?! What is Monoputa so desperate to hide?!" His cries were for no one in particular. None could answer.
A hand on his back Sarah lead the anxious boy around another turn and, strangely, back to the laundry room.
"Familiar ground…" Steve's voice was weak with relief. Sarah couldn't blame him.
"Finally… Well if that's everything, I'm going to read in the laundry for a bit." Sarah's eyes darted to the nearby door. She'd be lying if she said they hadn't been calling to her. "Think you can find your way out?"
"I think so… It should be just up here," Steve stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Either way, I think my desperation for that bath will get me through," he couldn't help but chuckle. "If you need me, call on me, okay?"
"Same for you... And Steve?" Sarah pulled him in for a quick hug. "Everything is going to be okay."