Chapter 21

"I have your eyes, we can finally leave," Joel stated as he and Noel waited for Stuart and ghost to regain consciousness. Noel didn't reply as he failed the blue gems that were supposed to be his eyes in his hand. He didn't know how getting his eyes back were going to work. Did they turn in to his eyes and the beldam put them back in? Would she even put them back in? How can they be put back in? Reaching up, he touched his bottomed eyes. Usually, he would feel pain when he poked himself, but since there was no iris, there was nothing to hurt.

"Don't worry, you'll have your eyes back," Joel spoke, snapping a Noel out of his thoughts. His brother smiled at him but angel didn't smile back. His eyes were drawn to the cuts on his face and neck and he felt guilty all over again. It was because Joel was trying to save him that he ended up getting hurt. Joel noticed his brothers expression and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by his father.

"Noel," Stuart whispered. "Noel!" He exclaimed as his eyes flew open. His eyes shifted until they landed on said boy who wouldn't look him in the eye. Stuart opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by ghost.

"Noel!" The wolf pup exclaimed as he ran over and nuzzles himself at Noel's side. That managed to make him smile as he ran his hand through the wolf's fur.

"I'm sorry" Noel whispered. Ghost was the only one to hear as he looked up to his owner. Before ghost could say anything, Joel cleared his throat.

"We can talk when we beat this game and get home. We don't have any time to waste"

"I agree," ghost said, "let's go meet the beldam and show her Noel's eyes"

The group nodded and started toward the house. Noel found it weird that there was nothing in the way of them and the house. As they reached the Den, he stopped as a Joel, Ghost, and his dad reached the small door. It didn't feel right. It felt way to easy to have gotten in the house and to that point.

"Wait," Noel called, but it was too late. K appeared, swallowing Joel and Stuart completely I'm to his body, as a Cat like Beast with a cat skull for a head, a metal skeleton, different types of knives, screws, and other sharp objects for the spine, a lightbulb in one socket and a green eye in the other attacked ghost, and pinned him down.

A metal hand rested itself on Noel's shoulder. "It's okay Noel, they won't be bothering us anymore"

"What are you going to do to them?" He asked as he looked up at the beldam

"I'm going to send them away where they can never see you again."

"You can't do that!" Joel screamed as he fought his way out of K. "We had a deal. I have the eyes"

"Do you? Or does Noel have them, "the other mother smirked. "Our deal was for you to retrieve his eyes before time runs out. You failed to do that"

Joel growled as he was pulled back inside the body. Noel blinked as he watched K slither away with his father and brother, and the cat like beast carried ghost away. He stepped forward to free them but was held in place.

"I'm disappointed in you Noel."

Looking down, he ran a hand brought the use gems that were his eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You know you can ask me anything"

"Why do you keep luring kids here if your son I still with you?"

The beldam raised a skinny eyebrow at the boy and let out a sigh. Picking up what Noel assumed was chocolates, he watched as she but in to one. She let out a sigh after she swallowed, and patted the seat next to her. Noel walked over, sitting on the couch next to her.

"Why do you want to know that"

"Because he's still here. You brought me here because you want to be my mother right? Because you love me right? Why couldn't you do that with him?"

"Because he was a bad child. He didn't listen, he built those horrible beats while hating my dolls, he ran away, and he talked back. No child should be like that" Noel looked down at the gems that were his eyes lost in thought. "What's wrong Noel"

"I'm just thinking. Will you Let them go," he said, "my brother and father and ghost. Will you let them goo"

I'm afraid I can't do that, we had a deal and he lost'

"What if we made a deal in place of the old one."

"Oh," the beldam raised an eyebrow, "and why would I want to do that"

"Because then you'll get everything you've ever wanted. The perfect child, right? Me to stay right? I'll be all that and more if we can make a deal in place of Joel's"

She looked at him in curiosity. "Let's say that I accept, what would your game be?"

"Find the lost soul. However the catch is, is that no matter what, I'll stay with you."

"And who is this lost soul?"

"Your son. If you have me, you wouldn't need to keep him here right? Let him go, and we can be together forever"

The beldam hummed. She looked over his face for any sign of trickery. She looked to his hands where his eyes were and smirked. "And why do you care so much about setting him free"

"Because I know what it's like to be trapped with a parent who doesn't want you for the person that you are"

"On one condition. You give me your eyes"

"If I do that, you have to bring Noel and my dad and Ghost here, and they have to be let go from those creatures," Noel countered

"Deal," walking over to her he handed over the gems. Snapping her fingers, the mechanical creatures made their way back in to the room, releasing Joel, Stuart, and Ghost. "And what are the rules"

"It's not a long game. I have one try to find the item. It's somewhere in this room. I find it, you let everyone go"

"And what happens if you lose?"

"I won't"

"Alright then, let the game start"

Smiling Noel walked over to the beldam and grabbed the heart shaped locket worn around her neck at all times. Opening the locket, he found a picture of both the beldam and her son. Looking in to those black buttoned eyes, Noel could have sworn he seen a flash of emotion.

"You found him," she said softly, "so they can go now"

"Noel!" Stuart, Joel, and Ghost protested

"It's okay," Noel stated silently as he turned to look at his family, "it'll be okay. I made the decision and I have to deal with it"

"You're my brother, it's my job to stop you from your dumb decisions, so that's what I'm going to do"

Joel frowned and took a step forward. He was prepared to fight the beldam himself despite the deal they made. However he was stopped by a a hand pulling him back. Looking back at his father, Joel raised and eyebrow.

"Stop it Joel," Stuart said eerily calm. "There's nothing left we can do"

"Like hell there's nothing we can do"

"But there isn't. She has all the power. You lost the game and Noel saved you. There's nothing else left for us to do." Taking the baseball bat from Joel, he walked over to Noel. "Noel is right, he made the decision and he has to deal with it."

Handing the baseball bat to Noel, Stuart placed a hand on his head and bent down to his level. "There's nothing I can say to amend how i treated you. I just hope that you're willing to give me another chance to be a father to you"

Noel gave a small nod that went unnoticed to everyone except for Stuart. Giving a small smile, Stuart stood up and walked towards the small door.

"Dad," Joel argued

"Let him deal with it," was all Stuart said with a wink. Joel looked at his father in confusion and back at Noel who was holding the bat innocently behind his back. Opening the door Stuart ushered Joel inside.

The beldam watched intently, as Joel slowly got to his hands and knees, keeping an eye on Joel as he did so before turning around to crawl through the door. Ghost followed next with Stuart going last. The beldam smiled and walked towards the door, taking the key out as she did so.

"Wait,"Noel called was he ran over to her," I want to do it. For symbolism"

The other mother looked him over before reaching her hand out. As Noel reaches for it, the key slipped past his hands. "Opps, I dropped it"

"That's okays," the beldam smiled as she bent to pick it up. Noel gripped the bat tightly. As her head raised up, so did the bat. With as much strength as he could muster Noel swung.

The resounding sound of the bat hitting the beldam echoed through the sitting room, and her long neck cracked backwards. Snatching the it from her hands, Noel quickly got to his knees as the door opened and Stuart pulled him inside.

The beldam let out a ear piercing scream as Noel and Stuart crawled as fast as they could through the small hallway. The clicking and whirring of the boys machines could be heard chasing after them. They hurried after, their breaths coming in quick as the hall seemed to move around with them, asking it harder to move without falling down.

Something managed to grab Noel, and pulled the boy back. Screaming Noel tried to kick his leg free but to no avail. Stuart reacted, grabbing Noel's hands and pulling with all his might. The beldam yelled, her head hanging to the side, looking as inhuman as before.

Noel screamed and kicked her in the face, freeing him from her grasp. Stuart grunted, pulling Noel in front of him as the crawled forward. The hallways seemed to be getting longer, and smaller as they went. But the continued on. Just as they reached the end, Joel reached his hand to for Noel, but a net latched on to them, pulling Noel out of Joel's reach. Ghost growled and jumped in to the crawl space.

Rushing rushing past Noel and Stuart ghost used his claws and fangs on the net, biting through the wire to disconnect them from the contraction. That didn't stop the beldam who was quickly approaching. Stuart snd Noel madd haste, Noel gabbing on to Joel who pulled him out of the hole, quickly followed by Stuart.

"Quick, we have to close and lock it," Stuart breathed as he slammed the door shut. Noel fumbled around with the key, missing the lock with his shaky hands. A strong force blew the door open as a mechanical hands reached through the door to grab Noel.

Angelina and Angelina screamed loudly as he beldam pulled Noel back through the door. "MINE! MINE! MINE!," she yelled.

Stuart was quick to react once again, grabbing on to Noel and pulling him back. The contractions made there way through the door, attacking Stuart who refused to let go of Noel. Joel and Angelina rushed to help their father, throwing the contractions off of him as remember held Angelica back.

Sara swore. grabbing a fire poker she ran towards the door and swinging with all her might, stabbed the beldam in the forehead. The beldam screamed, letting go of Noel who managed to kick her away from him.

Out of the doorway Sara slammed the shut, as Stuart grabbed the key and locked the door.

Joel and Angelina stomped the last of the machines and the room went quiet.

woo, last chapter coming in seconds