It wasn't a dream.
Sarah wrapped herself in her blanket tightly in a fruitless attempt to give herself some security. Right after the trial, the survivors made their way to their rooms and fell asleep, exhausted both physically and emotionally.
The trek back to the guest rooms had been hellish. Steve had sobbed ceaselessly, so hard that he ended up falling and had to be carried back to his room by a tearful Catherine. Cactus Gunman was still in a state of shock, struck silent, occasionally letting out a choked sob and letting a tear fall down his prickly cheek. Clock Master had tried to look sympathetic towards Steve and Cactus Gunman, but Sarah could tell he was faking. She knew he was happy that the murderer of his surrogate son had been caught, and he would live to keep on fighting to see his own son back in reality. Still, Sarah was sickened by the idea that Clock Master had no sympathy for the loss of Gunman's beloved sister.
Once Devil Dog shifted back into Angel Dog, she had kept her arm wrapped around Gunman's shoulder, whispering words of TLC to him. Sarah could tell they fell on deaf ears, though; Gunman was acting like Angel Dog didn't even exist.
Gregory had been completely quiet, wearing a poker face as he strolled to his room. He had already lost everything. He seemed used to the hotel and all of its atrocities, his heart cold and hardened from his psychological and physical losses.
Hell's Chef was his usual stoic self, of course, walking briskly ahead of everyone like no one had even died. Once Angel Dog had given up on trying to cheer up Steve, she approached Chef tearfully and poured her worries out all over him. Chef had eventually stopped in the hallway to converse with Angel Dog, and Sarah noticed that his eyes were closed in exasperation.
He was listening, though. Moments like that made Sarah believe that Chef wasn't the murderous, soulless monster that she used to see him as.
Sarah was too sad to delight in Chef's progress, however. As soon as she went back to her room, she had thrown herself onto her bed, crying into her pillow. They had lost Cactus Girl, an adorable, strong girl who was full of love, for Cactus Gunman, for Steve, for all her friends. She was brave, she was intelligent, she was protective… all of which caused her downfall.
Sarah couldn't get Cactus Girl's final expression out of her mind. Her fingers locked in the noose, her face... a look of fear, betrayal, and sadness, streaked with tears.
Had she seen the bullet flying at her? Did she see who shot it? What… what were her final thoughts?
Sarah's thoughts made her sadder and sadder, and she sobbed into her pillow until her throat was sore.
How many times have I cried like this? Will this be the last time? Anyone can be a murderer… anyone…
It's not their fault.
It's Monoputa's.
Monoputa's hysterical laughter at Cactus Girl's death hammered into Sarah's brain as she remembered it. What did he have planned next…?
Horrifying scenarios played through Sarah's head. Despite that, she fell into a dreamless sleep. It didn't improve her mood upon awakening and with her mouth torn down to a broken smile, she sighed. She knew laying around all day and crying wouldn't help anyone… she resolved to check on her friends.
Grooooowl…
After she had something to eat.
Sarah barely had an appetite, but she knew better than to let herself go hungry. She'd probably be even sadder on an empty stomach...
She threw on some clean clothes and smoothed down that rebellious lock of hair before tying it up and heading to the kitchen.
She felt like taking the scenic route: wandering through the halls and garden rather than just the lobby. It would help her gauge how many of her housemates were active and out of the gloom and despair of... recent events. Or at least, feeling well enough to leave their rooms.
The hole left in her heart felt like it dropped a few feet. By the time she reached the metal door of the garden, she hadn't seen a single soul. Her friends really did need help… Or at the very minimum, Steve and Gunman did, and they were the two closest to her. Without them she felt… rather alone. The only person probably not sobbing in their room was Clock Master, whose absence could be explained with a quick visit to the bar.
With a sigh she entered the garden and shuffled on. The roses were beginning to wilt, but the herbs were in remarkably good shape. Perhaps she could convince Steve and Gunman to garden with her later, if it didn't bring back too many memories of Neko Zombie's trial.
Her mind still in a tangented haze, Sarah distractedly pushed open the kitchen door without noticing one of her legs was yet to turn the corner. It slammed into the heel of her front foot, and without proper balance, she fell into a colossal heap in the kitchen doorway and made a loud smack. Her body weight pushed the door forward so fast it hit the wall and rattled with unused energy. A loud, gruff exclamation of surprise caught Sarah's ears which sharply increased in intensity before subsiding.
"Chef?" Sarah wondered aloud. She shook her head to clear it and buy herself some time for the burning red in her cheeks to die down. That was seriously embarrassing… And painful too...
She instructed her throbbing limbs to pull her to her feet and there she saw Hell's Chef, immobile over his chopping board with his eyes squeezed tight and hissing out a long slow breath. In one hand he held his favourite cleaver and his other…
...was missing a finger?!
As she spotted the detached phalanx on the other side of the cleaver to his damaged hand, a surprise shriek emerged from her mouth, high pitched and afraid.
"H-Hell's Chef!" Sarah pointed a shaky finger at him. "Y-your hand!"
His hissing drew to a stop and he peeped open his eyes some more. "I KNOW! … It's nothing. This happens."
He picked up his finger and cradled his hand like a protective parent over their firstborn and toddled around his bench, towards Sarah. She gasped as he carelessly tossed the finger in the trash.
"It… it happens? But doesn't it hurt? And what about the finger you just threw away?" Sarah was honestly starting to question the anatomy of the candle more than ever before. In hindsight, she should have questioned how he functioned from the start.
"I don't need it… It's expendable." Hell's Chef muttered.
He stopped and slid open the drawer near where he stood. Inside, Sarah could see, were many long, thin candles piled lengthwise in neat rows. The chef plucked one out with surprising delicacy and took it to the stove. He scooped up a single oven mitt and with a swift movement, the stove's fire ignited and the small candle's wax began to shine. Sarah watched with awe as Hell's Chef stuck the candle to the stubby remainder of his finger and fashioned it into a replacement.
"It is good to use fresh wax," he murmured. "Fresher and stronger. When I first cut… IT HURTS LIKE HELL!" His eyes flashed. "It goes away after a while, like losing a hair… The kitchen is dangerous. So is my knife. Here, it happens often…"
He paused as he finished moulding his new finger, extracting the wick and dousing its fire with his mitten grasp. Tossing it away, he clenched his fist.
"I adapt." He said gruffly.
Sarah couldn't believe such a thing was normal. No wonder he's so hardened. "Does it... hurt anymore?"
He pulled off his mitt and cast her a sidelong glance, then shook his head. "It feels like... healing. Getting better."
Sarah smirked despite it all. He really was like a toddler; his vocabulary was the size of a pea.
Chef seemed to notice her expression and drew himself taller. "Why… are you in MY KITCHEN?!"
She drew back a step and put up her arms defensively. "Hey, calm down, I was just hungry! And I… was hoping a bite to eat might cheer me up a bit." She admitted.
"Mmm…" He considered this. "It is lunch time…"
"Lunch time?!" Sarah echoed in astonishment. "The investigation and the… the trial felt like it went forever…"
"It was only a few hours. I'll make you something," Hell's Chef plodded over to the fridge and gathered ingredients.
Sarah smiled. She couldn't help but be touched by his consistent culinary care of the group, despite the tragedies that occurred. At least he made an attempt to console people more deeply affected than he was by murders and executions. Though she was curious...
"Hell's Chef… Do the deaths in this place affect you?" She asked.
He grunted, not missing a beat in his rhythmic sandwich making. "Feh, less mouths to feed. But also… less people to enjoy my cooking."
Sarah detected the slightest shred of sadness in the last bit of Chef's sentence, but she might have been imagining it in hopes of seeing more humanity in him.
But even if it was just her imagination, she was glad it was there. She wanted to believe in Chef. She could tell he was much more than a hot-tempered cook who would slice you to ribbons at the drop of a hat. Chef built up walls around himself for whatever reason, but Sarah knew that his walls had cracked since coming here. The fact that he wasn't kicking her out of his kitchen was progress, and Sarah hoped that one day Chef would trust her, even if it was only a little bit.
"Take it." Chef's sharp tone derailed her train of thought. He was holding out two neat sandwiches, one resting on the other.
"O-oh, thanks Chef!" Sarah hastily obeyed. "You're a good guy."
As those final words escaped her mouth, the door from the garden swung open behind her.
"A good guy?" came a new voice.
Astonished, Sarah did a one hundred and eighty degree turn, nearly dropping her sandwiches. The entrant sure matched the voice, but his rage was so foreign…
"Him? Sarah, what are you thinking?" Steve almost looked insulted, his face warped into a new expression of disgust. "There's nothing good about him. He's heartless."
Sarah had never seen Steve's eyes flashing with so much hate. She felt her stomach twist and she looked at Chef with concern. Surprisingly, his expression had barely changed. Apparently, attacks on his character weren't as devastating as attacks on his cooking.
"What made you decide to stroll into my kitchen and insult me?" Hell's Chef's voice was simmering with irritation. He unsheathed his knife again and stroked the dull side of the blade. "You'll leave if you know what's good for you."
Steve scoffed. "Ugh, I can't believe you, Sarah." After shaking his head, Steve turned on his heel and sulked out of the room, his balled-up fists in his side pockets.
"I… should go after him." Sarah started after Steve, but was stopped when Chef placed one of his enormous hands on her shoulder.
"Eat first," Chef commanded. Sarah couldn't refuse that. Despite Steve's weird behavior gripping her brain like a claw, Sarah ate what Chef made her, slowly and thoughtfully.
"How is it…?" Chef asked, watching Sarah intently as she chewed. God, when he watches me like this, I feel like I'm stark naked, An embarrassed blush crept across Sarah's face.
Sarah swallowed her mouthful of sandwich and smiled at Chef. "It's really, really good, as always. I needed some comfort food after what happened last night…"
"I know it's good," Chef tugged on his tie, tilting his chin up proudly.
"Thanks a lot for making this," Sarah grinned at Chef before finishing up her food.
Chef seemed a bit taken aback for a moment, looking at Sarah with his glowing eyes huge. "... hmph…" he said after a pause, pulling his collar up and turning his head away. "It's my job."
Sarah brushed a few bread crumbs off the front of her shirt. "I better go see what's bothering Steve… he's probably in his room."
Sarah headed to the door before Chef held up a hand and shouted "WAIT!"
Sarah sighed a bit before looking over her shoulder at Chef. "What is it?"
"I… don't have feelings like Steve's… I know I never will, but…" Hell's Chef was struggling to find the right words, refusing to make eye contact with Sarah. "... he was… in love with Cactus Girl, wasn't he?"
Sarah nodded.
Chef gripped onto the handle of his knife, but showed no sign of drawing it. "He might be… mad or sad because of what happened. He might do things he wouldn't normally do." Chef looked down for a few moments and Sarah started to turn the doorknob. Chef's head snapped back up and he yelled "BE CAREFUL!"
Sarah was taken aback, nearly falling over by the sheer force of Chef's voice. Is he worried about me? "Don't worry, Chef, I'll be alright." Resting a hand on her heart, Sarah gave Chef a warm smile. "Just like cooking is your job, it's my job to make sure everyone here is fine."
"You…" Hell's Chef made eye contact with Sarah and her heart swelled. Was that genuine emotion she saw in his gaze? Did he actually trust her? Did he actually consider her a friend? "... aren't very good at your job."
Sarah narrowed her eyes at Chef and exited the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.
GHS
Sarah gazed at the little cubic drawing of Steve that labelled his room. Much like the Steve she knew, the tiny Steve on the door was wringing his hands and averting his eyes, giving off an air of shyness.
Maybe he calmed down… Sarah thought as she raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door.
Sarah heard an angry sigh from the room and Steve's voice called out: "Who is it?"
Something about his tone made Sarah slightly reluctant to pursue him, but she refused to back down. This wasn't him; this wasn't the Steve she and the other guests had come to know and love. He was hurt beyond words and no matter what Chef said, she would reach out to Steve a million times if it helped him heal.
"It-it's Sarah," she replied, her hidden worry briefly surfacing. "Can I talk to you?"
She heard a mumble and some footsteps before the door opened to reveal the new, cold Steve. "Are you done talking with monsters now?"
"Chef isn't a-" Before Sarah could get the sentence out, Steve made a move to slam the door in her face. "Wait!"
Sarah's jaw was set firm as she shoved her foot in the doorway and angled her body in a way that it's full weight would be against the closing door. As it rammed into her shoulder, she pushed back with all her might, locked in an intense, evenly matched battle.
"Steve, come on! Just... hear me out!" Her voice was strained and the door dangerously closed in on her foot. "I just want to make sure you're okay! Please! T-talk to me!"
The war stopped and Sarah nearly toppled over, saving herself in the nick of time. By the time she regained her balance, Steve had swung the door open to its previous state, but his face was low and shadowed.
"You're still the same, Sarah. You've saved us so many times… I know you're trying to do the right thing." Steve sighed and looked at her with tired eyes. His voice hardened. "But spending time with people who pose such a threat is where I draw the line. You know what kind of things they can cause! You saw Gunman and Roulette Boy! Look where that got us!"
He paused, as if overcome, placing his face in his hand. As he dragged it down, Sarah felt the need to touch him: to take his hand, to place hers on his shoulder, anything to provide him with even the slightest hint of comfort. She held back. She didn't know what to expect from him anymore.
"As for if I'm okay, I don't know if I will be with threats like him and Devil Dog and Clock Master and that creepy Gregory still around. Even Gunman with his haywire bullets! And everyone is acting like the incident with Catherine never even happened. As much as you want to believe it, no one is safe, Sarah. We're going to get hurt." Steve's voice was choked with the slightest hint of sadness.
It was then Sarah noticed that Steve's room was in total disarray, his bed a wrinkly mess and an impossible amount of wadded-up tissues all over the place. He really is sad…
"I lost Neko Zombie. I lost Cactus Girl… everyone I became close to died…" Steve moved to his bed and sat on the edge of it, burying his face in his hands. "I don't know what I'd do… if I lost you too. You're too trusting, Sarah. I'm worried that… it might be your downfall..."
Sarah moved to sit next to Steve and gently placed a reassuring hand on his back. "I'm not going anywhere…"
"You can't promise me that," Steve's voice was thick with unshed tears. He came up from his hands only to pointedly look away from Sarah. "You're keeping dangerous company. Optimism gets you nowhere here. Remember Judgement Boy? Remember what happened to him?"
Sarah's eyes widened as she recalled her old friend. Even if he had been dead for so long, she could still remember his smile, his laugh, how it felt when he picked her up to hug her… Judgement Boy had been kind outside of those judgements of his, getting along with everyone. Sarah wondered what could have become of them if Judgement Boy had lived…
Steve noticed that Sarah was blinking back tears and he huffed a sigh. "See, Sarah? Not even the most pure soul is safe here. I… I tried to have faith in everyone. It's gone now. Every time I look at Chef, I just think of who he's going to chop up. Every time I look at Gregory, I think he's crafting a way to kill someone. Every time I look at Clock Master, I see a vengeful man who has nothing left to lose. And Gunman… is a disaster waiting to happen." Steve spat Gunman's name. "Killing his sister…"
"That was an accide-" Sarah began.
"HE STILL KILLED HER!" Steve yelled. Sarah nearly fell off the bed in surprise, scooching away from Steve as fast as she could. Choking, Steve scrubbed at his eyes. "I'll never, ever forgive him…"
"In a place like this, you can't afford to hold grudges," Sarah fixed her gaze on Steve. "I… I don't care what you say, I want to believe in everyone. Even people like Chef and Gunman. Gunman wasn't responsible for Cactus Girl's death, Steve. Monoputa was."
A shadow fell over Steve's face as he looked away from Sarah. Sarah felt her stomach knot in worry. "Steve…"
"Be careful…" Steve said so quietly Sarah could barely understand him. "Sarah… don't die. Without you… we'd all…"
"I'll be fine," Sarah reached over and squeezed Steve's hand and he quickly pulled it away.
He doesn't believe me, The knot in Sarah's stomach quadrupled in size.
"I need to sleep," With that curt statement, Steve shimmied under his covers and pulled the blanket up over his head. Sarah took that as him telling her to get out and she sighed, heading for the door.
She'd have to keep an eye on Steve. She'd stop at nothing until she got through to him…
GHS
"T'was the morn' of a surprise, and all through the house, not a guest was stirring; not even Gregory mouse..." The giggling voice crept into Sarah's dreamscape, lifting her out the way a hero would carry an unconscious innocent. "Looks like we'll have to change that…"
Sarah wafted there, in those soothing arms. She felt like she was drifting off to safety… The hero dropped her.
"OKAY, UP AND AT 'EM, YOU BASTARDS, RISE AND SHINE!" Sarah jolted in bed, her sheets flying in her sporadic display of limbs. She had enough wits about her to realise this was not some godsent savior whisking her away, this was Monoputa on the loudspeaker, luring them to danger.
She let out a frustrated growl at this neverending entrapment as she got up to do her hair. Monoputa continued, to her displeasure. "I saw you lot were in intense despair yesterday, and being the generous host I am, I gave you a day of rest to come to terms with your emotions… Okay, maaaybe the boss was just enjoying the show~. Ahahahaha!"
Sarah wrinkled her nose. She knew they had some cruel surprise for her and the others. It put a fire in her belly, driving her to keep finding ways to escape and show up whatever sick sadist was doing this.
"Now if all of you little hope-gremlins could make your way to the lost and found as soon as possible, that would be super~" Monoputa sang, obnoxiously overjoyed. "That means you too, Steve. You should channel your sadness into something more productive, like weights, rather than sitting on your tiny caboose alone in your room. Be big and beefy, hehehe."
Sarah had had enough. She finished slipping on her fresh shirt and headed to Monoputa's designated destination, pointedly blocking her ears.
Upon her arrival, she discovered she was not the first to arrive. In fact, only Steve was still absent. Which figures, she reasoned to herself. My room isn't exactly the closest to either of the basement entrances.
Everyone was in their little groups: Gregory was chatting with Clock Master and Angel Dog was talking to Catherine, who eagerly tried to get a brooding Hell's Chef's input on their discussion. Well, almost everyone, Sarah thought. She sidled in next to lone Gunman whose eyes looked somewhat hollow, though more vibrant than on the day of his sister's death.
"Hey...Gunman. Have you been doing okay?" Sarah was compelled to ask. She didn't like her lack of recent attention to him.
"I am… a little better…" He mumbled, not looking at her. "I will admit it hurts but… A tough hombre like me can cope." He sniffed. "In the past… I know I was always escaping danger; of that, I am certain. But Evita… She and I always survived. Maybe we were hunted or helped people, I don't know. We still survived like the tough siblings we were, and I can survive this. After all, if it was just me and her…" Gunman looked up at Sarah with a wry smile. "...I am sure I have done it before."
She was stunned. She had never heard him talk like this. Usually his words were about talking himself up or insisting he wasn't cowardly or fawning over his sister, maybe even Sarah herself. For once, he was finding real strength within himself and not the fabrications of his combat prowess. Strength he needed to press on and face the future, and Sarah didn't even need to help. No one did. A balloon of pride and happiness welled up in her; the first real happiness in days where tears even dared to prick at the corners of her eyes.
She enveloped Gunman in her arms and held him tight, not caring for the pain that began to spike on her skin. After a moment of pause and what sounded like some spluttering, she felt two skinny arms hug her back.
"S-Sarah…?" said a new voice.
Sarah parted with Gunman and looked to its source. Steve stood there blankly, his face soon contorting into a look of betrayal.
"You told me I could count on you, Sarah. You know how I feel about him and what he's done!" Steve's voice rose progressively louder.
Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Monoputa jumped down between them.
"Oh, were you having a moment? Well that's gonna have to wait because I've got something in store~. And not everything revolves around your little dramas, Nancy Drew. What do you think this is, a reality show? Unfortunately you're not that lucky; this is me and the boss' show. Our Despair Show!" Monoputa's disgruntled face erupted into a smile. He then turned to the others, who were already staring thanks to Steve's drama. "Now, follow me, kiddies~! We have a surprise in store!"
Monoputa quickly toddled away from the block that held the known, and unknown, rooms, rounding the corner.
"Well, I have a feeling we won't like this at all," Angel Dog said loudly, as if trying to provoke a response from Monoputa or perhaps the group, and then proceeded to flutter away.
The rest of them followed like sheep. Sarah looked down, now unsure of who to accompany as she walked. She figured going it alone couldn't be too bad for now, and went in silence.
"I never bothered to remember this area," Gregory smirked. "Nothing useful could possibly be down this way, hehehe."
"Wanna bet, Mr. Giggle Pants?" Monoputa chuckled. He stopped after rounding one last corner. "Tadaaa~!" He glamorously gestured to a set of descending stairs blocked off by bars that resembled those in a jail cell. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. "It's ready, boss!"
With a grinding heave, the grate began to rise up and eventually vanish out of sight. The dark cavern was open.
"Isn't the grate usually open before we get here?" Catherine observed skeptically.
"Yup! But what's wrong with mixing it up? Besides…" Monoputa's face became severe and he grinned with malice. Somehow, he maintained his innocent voice, which made it all the more horrifying. "...we just want to show you how much power we have… At any point, we could shut the grate and trap you, and no one will hear you wail down there."
A deathly silent pause.
Monoputa giggled. "Just kidding. Like we'd ever do that! It'd just interrupt the lovely life of mutual killing you share~!"
"Ugh! You're horrible, Monoputa!" Angel Dog said, a hand on her heart, like she nearly went into cardiac arrest.
Monoputa sighed and pursed his little lips. "Why do you have to be here? Can't you just be the hot one all the time?"
Before Angel Dog could say another word, a cloud of smoke engulfed her and vanished as fast as it came, leaving Devil Dog in her place.
"Hot, huh?" She grinned smugly, flipping her hair.
As Monoputa let out a heavenly sigh, Sarah felt the sudden urge to vomit. Couldn't those two just get a room already?
"Can you stop fucking around?" Steve asked boldly, his voice strong and proud. Sarah jumped a bit at his coarse language. "We know, there's a new floor. Do you have anything important to say, or can you leave us all alone?"
"Erm, well, no but…" Monoputa looked caught off-guard, then told everyone he conceded via his body language. "H-have a despairingly good time, then!"
He disappeared, leaving the group alone with the yawning dark passage.
"Heh, well Steve, I never knew you had it in you to stand up to Monoputa like that! Good job!" Clock Master smiled warmly and clapped Steve on the back.
"Yeah…" Steve murmured and looked away.
"You feelin' alright, Stevie-boy? You know, since your girlfriend died?" Devil Dog laughed wickedly. "Heh, maybe you should drink your sadness away like this drunkard here. Or maybe even try and get big and strong - become the man she always wanted you to be~." She mocked.
Hell's Chef stepped in front of Steve, obscuring Devil Dog's view of him. "STOP!" he boomed.
"You'd be wise to listen to him, he's quite… irrational when he's angry." Gregory advised as he spotted Devil Dog's rebellious smirk. She looked away and huffed.
"Maybe we should focus on investigating the new floor…?" Sarah suggested, hoping to get things back on track. "It could hold more clues or secrets to escape."
"She's correct," nodded Gunman. "But what if we get lost? This part of the floor was a maze to me when I was alone. And there are so few of us now… How would we find a lost person?"
"Then we should stick together. I think there are… few enough of us now to stay as one group." Catherine deduced.
"It is dark down there though…" Cactus Gunman murmured.
"Men," Catherine muttered. She raised her voice. "Then Chef and I will head. He can light the way since we don't have Angel Dog's wand." She cast a sidelong glance at the canine's counterpart who snarled.
Catherine glided across the room elegantly and took Chef's hand. "C'mon Chef," she stated, all business. They led the way into darkness.
GHS
Sarah silently trudged along in the near darkness. The lights here seemed somewhat dimmer than the upper floors, with Chef's distant candle being the main source of light. This floor was similar to the one upstairs; the environment was almost exactly the same except it was just a single passage. So far the only eventful things were three left hand turns.
She sighed. She had been told to stay at the rear of the group and watch for any stragglers. It was flattering that she was being trusted with this, but it was a little hard to see with so many heads blocking Chef's big light and the wall candles being next to useless. Plus it was lonely. Catherine and Hell's Chef were in the lead, and these days Gregory and Clock Master were like peas in a pod. Devil Dog was fine alone, and Sarah was sure that was how she preferred it. Directly in front of Sarah was Steve, his stance different, moving in a brooding way. It was almost like he was guarding her. Gunman was just in front of him, occasionally trying to glance back to catch Sarah's eye. He didn't dare move closer because of Steve.
"Everyone stop!" Catherine's serious voice called out, echoing in the tunnel.
Despite the warning, Sarah nearly crashed into Steve, who halted very abruptly. She stood beside him to get a better view of their lizard leader.
"The tunnel branches off two ways," she explained, "so we'll have to pick one and stick to it. We'll start with the left."
"I don't think so." Chef cut in.
He was standing around the left bend and pointed down the path. It curved around to head in the direction they had come, but only for a metre or so. After that, another descending staircase was present, blocked by a steel grate. Sarah was getting tired of seeing those.
"Looks like Monoputa's tryna entice us into more killing, hehe," Devil Dog grinned."I'm curious about what's down there."
"Well I've had enough of killing! Losing more lives is pointless! Is it so hard to stay alive?!" Clock Master balled his fists.
"Now now, my friend. Do not aggravate yourself. You'll just be playing into Monoputa's hands," Gregory warned.
Sarah couldn't help but agree and for a moment, her thoughts darted to Steve's words.
Every time I look at Clock Master, I see a vengeful man who has nothing left to lose.
No, she told herself. Clock Master's words are not a facade. He wouldn't do that.
"Speaking of that man, perhaps, then, we should try the right?" Gunman piped up. "I doubt he would let the journey end here."
Catherine nodded. "Makes sense. Now everyone stick close." She beckoned Chef and they continued the march onward.
Sarah was pleased to find they didn't have to walk long before another discovery was made.
"Passage," growled Hell's Chef.
He was right. Veering to the right was another side passage, reaching into the gloom. Sarah began to wonder just what Monoputa had in store on this floor. For all they knew, this could be one big, never ending labyrinth, and they could be trapped forever.
"But, this passage still continues, right?" Sarah asked, testing her unwelcome theory and again moving closer to see.
Hell's Chef and Catherine exchanged glances and the former ventured ahead.
"Mmm… This passage… It also turns right a few metres down," he reported.
Gregory thought for a moment. "I think it would be wisest to enter the side passage…"
"If we rush ahead and pick and choose where we want to go, we'll lose track of where we are," Steve added. His expression revealed he didn't enjoy complying with the rat. "We need to take things as they come."
Sarah couldn't deny the logic in his statement, and it seemed Catherine couldn't either. She looked around the room for faces of complaint, taking the 'majority rules' attitude.
"Well, if there are no other suggestions, we'll take the side passage," she stated.
Chef took his cue and rejoined the group lighting the way with Catherine, the rest of us in tow.
Everyone seemed to have a mountain of energy to spare, their paces unfaltering. Sarah's job was probably the least eventful, but on the bright side, it gave her time to speculate on her theory. She figured Monoputa was the type to go for cheesy, stereotypical mazes with lots of different paths. There had been a few so far, but not as many as she expected. She stroked her smooth chin as the tunnel wound to the right. Maybe she was on the wrong track? Mazes were supposed to be booby trapped anyway, and no deadly dangers had shown their face so far. On top of that, another critical, despair inducing element was missing - there were no signs of a-
"Dead end." Hell's Chef said.
"What?" Sarah blurted out, half caused by the pop of her thought bubble, half from the new news.
"Of course Monoputa was cruel enough to create one of these." Clock Master scowled. "That's just like him."
Devil Dog chuckled. "It sure is!"
"Then let's not give him the satisfaction of staying here," Catherine muttered annoyedly and turned on her heels.
The group parted to let her and Hell's Chef travel to the new front of the group, almost like they were walking down the aisle. Sarah knew Catherine would have loved that, but Chef was another story. Gregory, Clock Master and Devil Dog soon followed and Sarah was finally able to get a good view of the dead end, although there wasn't much to see. Regardless, Gunman and Steve were nearing it for a closer look. She too was about to turn tail until she heard Steve gasp.
"Wait!" His commanding voice echoed through the tunnels. Everyone stopped in their tracks and eyed him with confusion. "I… I saw a glimmer in the shadows as Hell's Chef walked past me, so I went to look." He held up his right hand, which enclosed something flat and rectangular. "It's another photo…"
His voice faltered and he lowered his arm, squinting to see it.
"Hell's Chef, please," Gunman beckoned him as he himself warily drew closer to Steve to get a glimpse.
The candle complied, his light gradually illuminating the picture as he approached. Though Gunman didn't call the others over, they followed Chef and formed a circle around Steve to all see the picture. Sarah quickly snagged a place at Steve's left and covered her mouth at the horrible content in the photo.
Bodies.
An enormous heap of dead bodies.
The photo showed an innumerable amount of corpses, stacked into a giant pile. Sarah didn't recognize a single face in the lot, but what faces she could see were frozen in looks of terror and pain… some faces were so mutilated that Sarah couldn't even tell what they were feeling at the moment of death. An array of guts poured out of some of the corpses' wounds and cascaded down the side of the pile, and the whole thing was liberally stained with blood.
Sarah was so shocked by the carnage that she didn't even notice a very important detail about the picture.
Chef did, however, and he tapped his enormous index finger on the top of the glossy photograph. "Look… are those…?"
Sarah's eyes traveled to where Chef was pointed and another gasp escaped her throat. Legs, two pairs of legs. People were sitting on this pile of bodies, no doubt proudly, and the tinier pair of legs definitely belonged to Monoputa. The other pair…
The other pair of legs were crossed, clad in a pair of black slacks with white cuffs. The shoes this person wore were pointed, almost frighteningly so, and they were digging the toe of one of their shoes into the eye of an unfortunate body.
Catherine covered her mouth. "I-is that…?"
"The mastermind…" Sarah's words were barely a whisper. "It has to be."
She felt eyes on her and she glanced at their source, seeing a squinty Steve mouth "Dr Fritz?"
Sarah shook her head. They had no way of knowing. And if this person was among them… there was no way they would come forward.
"Whatcha looking at, fellas?" Monoputa's squeaky voice piped up from their feet.
Steve hastily redrew the photo to his chest and looked down, with the others, to see Monoputa in the centre of the circle.
"Heh, you won't believe what we saw, sweetcheeks," Devil Dog stared nastily at Steve.
"Oh really? I'll take that!" The little prompter jumped up and yanked the photo square out of Steve's hand with his surprising strength. How could he have so much muscle...?
"Oh, so you spied this, hey? Well STOP SPYING IT!" Monoputa scrunched it up and held it close. "It may be a fabulous photo of the boss' and my own dashing legs and our lovely fun, but that has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" He puffed his cheeks. "Scram, get out of here! Vamoose! This is a dead end, so your exploration of this place ends here! Now go!"
Sarah glanced worriedly at Catherine. She knew what happened to people when they upset Monoputa too much… The nurse quickly steered Hell's Chef around by the shoulders and took his hand. His eyes widened in surprise, and he was about to refute being manhandled before being dragged away, forced to keep up with Catherine's now brisk pace. Gregory and Clock Master hastily followed, the former looking slightly nervous and Devil Dog growled and stared angrily at Monoputa, probably because she was pushed away. When Monoputa's face fell, Devil Dog turned up her nose and headed back the way they had come.
"Babe, wait!" Monoputa reached out a feeble arm before letting it fall after moments of silence. He spun to face the remaining three, glaring pointedly at Steve. "Argh, look what you made me do! Now she's mad at me! Now scram before I get really angry…!"
"Y-y-y-yes sir!" Gunman's voice became high pitched and he shot back down the tunnel at the speed of light.
Sarah's heart leaped when she realised Steve wasn't budging, glowering at fuming Monoputa instead. It was her turn to guard him. Her hand struck out and grasped Steve's and she started into a run.
"C'mon Steve, we gotta go…!" She hissed urgently, praying Steve would stop being reluctantly dragged and start to run with her. She floundered for excuses. "W-we'll be left behind! We can't get lost here!"
Steve made one last glance at Monoputa before abandoning his vengeful desires and matching her pace.
By the time they caught up with the group, they were back at the place where the side passage began.
"There you are," Catherine sighed with relief, then bounced into stern confusion. "What took you so long? Did you have a death wish?"
Sarah glanced at Steve, who had folded his arms stubbornly, apparently unwilling to show any regret.
"We were at the end of the line, so we took a little longer is all," Sarah fumbled, not wanting to betray her friend's wild actions. She was worried they'd fear his recklessness. "Steve had trouble starting to run under that pressure too."
Steve made no acknowledgement.
"You two ought to be more careful next time. You don't want to end up like Poor Conductor, do you?" Clock Master warned in a fatherly way.
Sarah nodded submissively to fizzle out the subject.
"I hope you learned from that," Catherine murmured. She turned to the unexplored path leading to the right. "Let's not stop too long in case he chases us, follow me."
Soon enough, the familiar, irregular plodding sound of feet resumed down the unexplored path, which reached straight into the distance as far as the eye could see. The air became thicker, mustier further down and left a dry taste in Sarah's mouth. What could possibly lie down this way? How could she get through to Steve?
And what was with that photo?
They raised so many follow-up questions, but Sarah felt at a loss as to who to discuss them with - especially the latter two. A knot tied in Sarah stomach and she gripped her sides, smiling softly at Steve, who had glanced back at her. He was still on guard. She knew from her talk with him about his views on most of the other housemates, and while he was playing bodyguard, she knew she couldn't get close enough to them. He hadn't mentioned Angel Dog, but sharing a body with Devil Dog, who was obviously a Monoputa sympathiser, made her uncomfortable. She was also the epitome of 'gossip hound'. There was no way she was an option. After Catherine's reveal last trial, that only left Steve, but Sarah feared he would take action too soon. She set her face determinedly. She knew they needed to gather all the information they could before trying to get at the mastermind - if they could.
Sarah sighed. She was all alone for now. She crossed her fingers for Steve to be more lenient in the future. Pursing her lips, she figured that was a good priority. Having everyone banded together was absolutely critical, but that could wait for after the exploration, where they needed to analyse any clues they found. As the tunnel began to wind in a blocky fashion, Sarah felt much lighter. Organising priorities always made her feel a little better.
Now focus, Sarah, she told herself. What did that picture tell you?
She squeezed her eyes tight and imagined it in her head. A sick feeling began to well as she visualised the mutilated corpses. No matter how much she thought about it, none of the bodies looked vaguely familiar to anyone she knew, nor did she know anyone who wore the mastermind's black slacks. As least we know the mastermind has legs, Sarah smirked despite it all. Like that's any help. Remembering the variety of the house guests, she realised that was actually helpful. Whoever this figure was, whatever strange form they took, they walked on two feet. That was probably the only thing they could ascertain.
Suddenly, Sarah heard Catherine gasp and Hell's Chef make a surprised grunt from around the corner ahead of her. Glancing at Steve, they broke into a run around the corner, where they saw a bright blue light behind the sea of people.
"Move down!" Steve hissed at their transfixed companions.
Clock Master, who Steve happened to be pushing, edged down, moving Gregory and Gunman along. Sarah was about to express her thanks when the sight before her made her breath catch in her throat.
"T.V. Fish…" She breathed.
There was a nook in the tunnel wall which T.V. Fish sat, or floated, in. It's tail swished and body wobbled to keep it upright and it appeared very intent on staying stationary. Sarah peered closer. The strangest part of its body was that its tail swished through the wall behind it… But that wasn't nearly as odd as the video its screen displayed.
Footage of Catherine embracing a reluctant-looking Hell's Chef.
The way it was set out on-screen was disorienting. It switched frequently from Catherine's point of view to Chef's. As video Catherine and Chef pulled away from each other, Sarah could see this took place in the bar in the hotel, over some drinks. Video Catherine had rather pink cheeks and behind her, Clock Master whooped and hollered. The real two in the tunnel were the closest to the skeletal fish, standing side by side, utterly confused and daunted. Catherine approached it as Chef scoffed and turned his face away.
"When was…" She caught her breath as the screen changed.
It was the nurse's office. The voices were muffled and indistinct, but Sarah had no doubt that pictured was Mummy Papa, and a little puppy that looked like him, bouncing in the rear.
"What the hell?" Devil Dog tilted her head.
Suddenly, the video shook, the edges tinted red, and an ENORMOUS needle swooped down, straight into Mummy Papa's head. Sarah's jaw fell open. Filling that up…would drain almost all of your blood! Red liquid began to ooze up the needle and Sarah hid under her arms, feeling queasy.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She jerked her head up to see Monoputa had leapt out of nowhere, his arms waving violently. "The photo was bad enough, but this? Get outta here, fish sticks! Fly fly fly!"
T.V. Fish's face returned to the screen, and it looked terrified. In less than a second, it shot through the roof and left no trace.
"That damned fish better not have shown you anything important…!" Monoputa gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. "Alright~! You kids haven't even found the only room on the floor yet! I'm a bit disappointed, but hey, it's just around the corner! Now buckle up, get a move on and forget you ever saw any of that."
"Y-you can't expect us to just forget!" Catherine spluttered. "When did I have drinks with Chef? Who was that little dog? … And where did I get that needle?"
She almost sounded impressed with herself and Sarah shuddered.
"No no no. Stop." Monoputa held up a finger.
Gregory frowned. "But Mo-"
"NO."
Steve pushed past Sarah. "Hey. Give us some ans-"
"I SAID STOP, BEEFCAKE." Monoputa leaned forward, his fists balled at his sides. "KEEP. MOVING."
He stuck his arm out straight so that it was parallel with the floor, pointing down the tunnel. His stare was cold like ice and unbreakable like his craving for suffering.
Scowling, Catherine nudged Hell's Chef. "Come on."
They pushed to the front and lead the reluctant odd bunch out, who each looked confused, angry or a mix of both. Seeing Steve stay behind, Sarah pushed him forward, guiding him the right way. He stumbled, but this time he complied. She was glad; she'd be damned if she let him try and start something again…
"Come on, 'beefcake'," Sarah smirked.
"Don't call me that," Steve grunted and he picked up his own slack, tilting his chin in the air.
Her smile fell as Steve left her behind. She had a feeling he was beginning to feel even more isolated. She would need to watch her mouth around him, or he might do something that couldn't be undone.
Monoputa wasn't lying when he told them a room was nearby. As the group turned the last bend, they saw a dead end ahead and a double door to their right.
The doors were such a dark shade of purple and seemed to glow in the candlelight. Sarah felt like she had almost forgotten what colours other than shades of grey and those on a candle looked like in the environment.
"It appears we won't be dropping dead from weariness," Gregory grinned slyly. "Our final destination is within sight, hehehe."
Hell's Chef made a noise that Sarah could have taken as a suppressed snort of laughter. Do they share the same sense of humour? Sarah wondered.
"In any case, this has been one of the biggest floors. I think we're all pretty weary already," Sarah remarked.
"Hey, you're not the one flapping your wings every second to keep you airborne," Devil Dog snarked.
"Then by all means walk you mangy mutt," Gregory curled the side of his mouth.
Devil Dog stuck out her tongue.
"Enough playing games," Catherine chided. "There'll be plenty of time for that once we've investigated this room and searched it for any other clues."
"We've already found so many today…" Gunman uncomfortably grabbed his sombrero as they headed through the doors.
Clock Master chortled. "It'll be more ammunition to kick the mastermind in the pants with when the time comes!"
"I wouldn't say no to that," Steve muttered darkly as Catherine pushed open the doors.
And for the nth time today, Sarah caught her breath.
The room was filled with shelves upon shelves of food, drinks, bed sheets, towels… All the basic necessities for their stay in the hotel. It was around fifteen metres wide too, and stretched back so far that the shelves in the distance seemed to be minimised.
"Monoputa…" Chef murmured as he approached the collection of food. "HAS BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME!"
His roar echoed and bounced off the walls. While Chef fumed and grumbled to himself and collected food, Catherine faced the remaining people.
"This room looks too big - we'll need to split up," she concluded. "We'll each take different rows of shelves. Look for anything out of place."
Sarah frowned. "And company brands too, I think. The companies in this area could give away where we are."
Catherine nodded. "That's correct, Sarah, good thinking. Anything like that at all, and if you do find something, give a shout. Now it looks like the shelves are sorted into categories…"
She began to divvy up roles for each person to explore. Chef got the food of course.
Sarah's face began to set in hard determination. So many new clues had been found, and things that just didn't make sense. She was just all the more eager to find out how the pieces fit and solve the riddle that would lead to their escape.
GHS
BANG! BANG!
"Nngh…" Sarah barely roused from her sleep, exhausted from all the exploration she did earlier, which yielded no abnormal or branded products. It was probably Monoputa trying to mess with her again…
BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANG!
"Stop it!" Sarah called sleepily, pulling her covers over her head.
"Senorita, it's an emergency!" Cactus Gunman's muffled voice shrieked from the other side of the door. "Come quickly!"
An emergency…?
Oh no.
Sarah leapt out of bed and didn't even bother to get dressed. She opened the door to find Cactus Gunman standing there, his face pale and his teeth chattering. Gunman was in his underwear, but Sarah wasn't about to make him go get changed.
"Oh, senorita, thank goodness!" Gunman grabbed Sarah by the shoulders a little too roughly. "You must come with me to the kitchen. This instant. I have no time to explain; you must see it for yourself!"
Sarah feared the worst as Gunman pulled her along. Her head bubbled and fizzed, reeling and spinning with panic and the struggle of springing to action after a long rest. Their bare feet clattered as they raced along the wooden floor. When they reached the kitchen door, Gunman kicked it open, confirming Sarah's worst fears.
Blood.
An enormous pool of blood was on the floor, it absolutely reeked and was beginning to dry up. Leaving the blood was a bunch of bloody footprints of someone's bare feet, along with a humongous smear that led to the refrigerator.
"I… did not notice it when I came in…" Gunman looked guiltily down at his toes. "Those… are my footprints. I was half asleep and very hungry… but my appetite is all gone…"
"Where… where did the blood come from? Whose blood is it?! Is someone else…" Sarah choked before she could get out the word "dead."
"If someone has died… they cannot be far. I feared what would happen if I searched this place alone…" Cactus Gunman shuddered. "I… I trust you, Sarah, and I need your help. Let us look."
Sarah had a feeling they wouldn't have to look for long. "Gunman, there's a smear…" Sarah pointed to it. It stopped at the fridge, and Sarah noticed that blood was leaking out the bottom. "Someone… someone's in…"
Sarah almost fell over, but she steadied herself. No, no… maybe they survived their wounds. Maybe… maybe they already escaped from the fridge. Maybe it's a trick and there's no body in there…
"Sarah… I will open it with you." Cactus Gunman swallowed, paling again. "You take one handle, I will take the other. We can open on the count of three."
"Mm…" Sarah managed to nod. Carefully sidestepping the blood, she grabbed ahold of one of the fridge's handles. Gunman did the same, with shaky hands and whitened knuckles.
"One…"
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut.
"Two…"
Sarah realized that a nauseating smell was coming from the fridge. She suppressed her urge to step away and cover her face. This was going to be-
"THREE!"
Sarah and Gunman both yanked the fridge open and were greeted by a wet SPLACK! as something came tumbling out.
Cactus Gunman screamed so loud Sarah's ears rang, but Sarah still had her eyes squeezed shut.
That smell… I've never smelled anything so disgusting… this body… it must be…
"S-s-senorita… I… HURG!" Sarah heard Gunman scramble a few feet away followed by the telltale sound of vomit hitting the floor.
I don't want to open my eyes.
If I open my eyes, this will be real… one of my friends will be dead…
I… I have to face it. I can't deny it. This is my reality now… and the killings… they haven't ended.
And they never will.
Sarah's eyes shot open and she stumbled backwards, falling over in shock and landing on her butt. Now that she was at eye level with the body, it was even worse.
"No… not him…" Tears filled Sarah's eyes. How could anyone be so cruel?! This person didn't deserve to have such an awful death… no onedeserved this.
His stomach had been sliced open, and his guts had poured out of his body. Sarah was sure nothing remained in his lower digestive system. His shirt had been torn and Sarah could see that he had an enormous purple bruise on his right shoulder. The side of his neck was slashed, and his arms were decorated with shallow scratches made by who knows what. He was absolutely covered in blood; he reeked of it, and the pungent aroma was made all the worse by the smell of his gastric juices.
Sarah prepared herself for the worst as she moved forward to look at his face.
His eyes had rolled back and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth. His nose had been broken and dried blood from it decorated his face. This was the look of someone who had completely given into pain, pain beyond belief… pain that Sarah could not even contemplate.
Disembowelment… and all these wounds… who could have done such a thing?!
"Senorita… are you okay?" Cactus Gunman's voice was still thick from his earlier stomach trouble, but he wasn't about to leave Sarah alone.
"No… I'm not. I'm not okay…" Sarah gasped and smashed her palms against her eyes, bending in half. "I just… never expected this. No motive, out of nowhere… he's… he's dead…"
Cactus Gunman edged closer to Sarah and gently placed his hand on her back. "I… feel awful for what I did… how I treated him… he was a good man. I did not want us to lose him…"
Sarah began to cry wildly, letting out every bit of grief she had in her. She cried so hard the corners of her mouth hurt, she cried so hard that she started to cough and retch.
"Sarah… cry all you want to. I… I do not want to leave him in this condition. I am going to get something to cover him with."
With that, Gunman quickly left the room and came back a few minutes later with sheets from the linen closet. Sarah barely noticed him coming and going, she was too busy sobbing hysterically. Her heart hurt, her head hurt, her whole body hurt…
"Sarah… would you like to help?" Gunman asked gently.
"I… I…" Sarah scrubbed her tears and snot on her arm, leaving a lovely streak. "Yes. It's-it's the least I can do."
Still sniffling, Sarah grabbed one edge of the linen and lowered it down over the body. Sarah took one last look at the corpse's face and felt that familiar fire light up in her belly.
"I promise… I promise, that we'll catch whoever did this to you, and we'll send that bastard to Hell." Sarah hissed, beyond angry that someone could have betrayed all of their trusts and mutilated someone just for the fun of it.
"We promise," Cactus Gunman nodded solemnly as he pulled the now bloodstained sheet over the body's face.
Sarah hung her head and crouched down, gently brushing her fingers against the victim's cheek through the linen. "Steve… I'm so sorry…"
Sarah burst into tears again and Gunman sidled up to her, doing his best to soothe her.
Sarah had an awful, clawing feeling in her heart. She knew this wouldn't be the last time she would cry like this.