Authors Note:
Hiii, so here a thing I'm doing. I really wasn't satisfied with the first part of Episode One, like more than any other episode. So against my better judgment, I've decided to rewrite it. This is that rewrite. I personally think it flows much much better. I'm not sure what to do with the original, if you have any ideas let me know. I hope you enjoy it! And if this is your first time here, don't worry about any original cuts. They never existed.
March 26th 2017
9:58PM
"OW." Ari yelled.
Looking back at her tail, which was now wedged between the car door, she knew it was going to be a long night. She carefully opened the door and after checking to make sure it wasn't going to fall off, closed the door again. Slowly this time.
Ari looked at the landscape around her. As far as studio lots go, it was your pretty standard affair. Filming studios, large office buildings, other little odds & ends, and in the middle of it all was the centerpiece. The infamous Warner Brothers Water Tower. It loomed over the entire studio like a watchful guardian, or maybe a tower a guard at a prison might use to keep rowdy inmates in check. She couldn't decide.
'It was an interesting choice to paint it such an ugly shade of yellow.' Ari thought. 'A bad choice, but still an interesting one. It actually looks kinda cool at night- oops, getting distracted.'
Ari pulled the crudely printed map her employers had given her and studied it closely.
"Wait...the office is behind me?" She said to herself as she looked over her shoulder. "OH. Hold on." She flipped the map right side up. "I'm so dumb…" she sighed.
The office building she was looking for was at the end of the main road leading into the studio lot. That road branched off into many others leading who knows where. She was sure she'd find out soon enough. When she got closer to the office, someone stuck their head out and waved her over with a loud-
"HEY! OVER HERE ARI!"
The interior of the office was, in a word, tiny. Sure there was a table, some chairs, even a microwave, but the bulk of the room was taken up by monitors on top of monitors. Each one was presumably showing a different part of the lot, there was also something in the corner covered with a cloth but Ari didn't have time to process that.
"Well." The man who ushered Ari in said. " it ain't much, but I swear it'll grow on you after a while. At least that's what happened to me."
The man was human, middle-aged, and had a polite if not slightly overbearing demeanor about him. Perhaps that was because, standing at only about 5'4, Ari wasn't exactly the tallest person around, even for an anthropomorphic Siberian Husky she was short, which is saying something. The man's voice was deep and soothing, he spoke casually but not too casually.
"I'm Jerrord by the way." He said holding out a hand, presumably for a handshake. "Not Jarrod, not Gerard, not even Jared, Jerrord."
"G-Got it." Ari responded hesitantly. "Nice to meet you Jerrord." She took his hand in the process and gave it a light shake. Jerrord responded with a much stronger one.
"Likewise. Sorry, I always have to preface that cause people be messing up my name all the time. You're lucky, you got an easy one." He said with a light chuckle.
"Yeah haha…" Ari chuckled awkwardly.
"So, you ready for the tour? It's a pretty big place so I'm gonna take you around, we were originally gonna have Earl do it but he-"
"Earl?" Ari interrupted.
"OH RIGHT. They didn't tell you, did they? You'll be working with Earl on nights."
"Oh. Where is he?" Ari asked, looking around the office.
"Right here!" He said. He kicked the cloth and yelled. "Wake up you ol' coot!"
Almost immediately Earl shot up from where he was napping and stuck his face in Jerrord's.
"NOW WHAT IN SAM HILL DO YOU WANT? YOU GOT SOME NERVE WAKING ME UP THIS LATE." He snapped.
Ari was taken aback. Earl was a robot, an old one at that. His skin was metallic, his whole face was a large OLED screen, everything on it was completely digital, from his eyes, to his nose, to his mouth, and what was physical seemed very worn, but it didn't seem to bother him much. He spoke with a distinct southern drawl and moved with a surprising fluidity for such an old robot.
" I'd have half a mind to knock you silly you little-" Earl's ranting continued before Jerrord interrupted.
"CALM DOWN EARL!" Jerrord protested. "We have a guest."
"I MEAN WHO DO YOU THINK YOU AR-huh?"
Jerrord motioned to Ari and Earl gave her a stern look.
Ari waved nervously at him. "H-hi."
Earl tilted his head in confusion. "Who the hell are you?"
"Earl, this is the new recruit." Jerrord said, tugging his own shirt collar awkwardly.
Earl's eyes widened in realization. "OHHHH, that's right. We were supposed to be getting a newbie soon. I done gone and forgot all about it."
"Yeah, I was just about to show her around the place, wanna come along?"
"Nah, I gotta get my rest for tomorrow morning, plus my knees have been downright killing me. Y'all go on ahead."
"Alright." Jerrord looked down at Ari and smiled. "Let me grab your equipment then we'll head out alright?"
"Ok!" Ari said.
Earl slumped back down in his corner and propped his head up on the wall behind him. He stared at Ari hard, giving her a look over. Ari noticed but decided not to say anything, until he spoke again that is.
"Y'know." Earl began, still staring at her. "You're gonna want to be careful out there missy. Strange things happen round here come nightfall. That's why Jerrord's getting the heck outta dodge."
"No, it's not." Jerrord scoffed, his head still deep in a drawer. "I'm just moving to dayshift for family reasons. I prefer it anyways, no other reason."
"Ha, you sure it ain't cause of them?"
Jerrord shot up, bumping his head on the top of the drawer. "OW. Son of a…" He placed a hand on top of his head. "Woo, ouch. I ain't got a clue what you're talking about."
"Oh don't you play dumb with me boy." Earl stood up and walked over to them. "You're chicken. You're scared of em. Afraid they'll come mess with ya, ain't ya? Don't lie, I know you saw em."
"I didn't see nothing." Jerrord argued. "And even if I did, what would I have to be scared of? I'd treat them the same way I treat everyone who ain't where they're supposed to be. It's my job."
"Ooh, girl he is throwing you to the wolves and leaving without so much as a 'good luck!' hehehe" Earl chuckled.
"W-what is he talking about?" Ari asked anxiously.
"Nothing, he's just trying to scare you. The studio lot is creepy enough as it is without people like him spreading myths."
"Now hold on." Earl cut in, the tone of his voice shifting. "The Warners ain't no myth. They really are up there." He took Ari's hand and lead her to the window, pointing up towards The Water Tower. "And they really will come for you if you ain't careful."
Jerrord shook his head and looked at Ari. "Don't pay him any mind. Here's your gear."
Jerrord handed Ari several items, a very bulky flashlight, a radio, a keycard, and most curiously of all, a retractable and collapsible net.
'What's the net for?" Ari asked
"It's to catch them." Earl said. "They'll slip outta your hands if you tried to catch em normally so you gotta use the net."
"It's just a safety measure." Jerrord corrected. "We've had to carry it around forever. I've personally never had to use mine."
"You better hope you don't either kiddo." Earl said with a sly grin.
Jerrord clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get out of here before Earl starts talking anymore."
Ari nodded and walked towards the door. Before she could leave, Earl left her with one final message.
"Don't forget what I said. They may be locked up now, but they've been known to break out reaaal easily. Watch your back." He chuckled to himself and slumped back down in his corner again.
Stepping out into the night was rather refreshing. The cool spring air made for a nice contrast from the stuffy and unexpectedly tense office. The wind blew softly and pleasantly through the empty streets of the studio lot. Jerrord joined Ari outside a moment later and sighed.
"Sorry about that, all his talk about ghosts messing with people yet he's the only one I see doing it."
"It's ok." Ari said. " I've heard a lot of ghost stories, I actually find them kinda interesting."
"Oh, good to know he didn't freak you out then!" Jerrord said with a smile.
"Well, I didn't say that." Ari mumbled under her breath.
"Alright!" Jerrord exclaimed. "Let's take a walk!"
Ari was expecting the tour to be at a leisurely pace, a nice light walk around the lot to get a feel for where everything is, a nice little sweet and concise explanation for what each building or street or whatever was and that was it. What she got instead, was a speedrun.
"This is the main road." Jerrord said quickly, he grabbed her arm and all but dragged her to the next place. 'This is the main office building, top floor is where the big bosses office is, don't go in there, but go everywhere else in there."
"Are we going to go inside?" Ari asked.
"Nope, you'll see it for yourself when you go on your route. Let's go." He said bluntly.
From this point forward, they spent a max of maybe half a minute in each area before moving to the next.
"This is the Mess Hall.
This is the Ballroom.
This is Studios A-G.
H-P.
Q-V.
W-Z.
AA-GG.
HH-PP.
QQ-VV.
WW-ZZ.
Writing Rooms down that way.
Workshopping Rooms down that way.
Writing and Workshopping Rooms are up there.
Editors are over there.
Animation Studio is that big ol building down there. Lots of toons hang out around this area during the day. Pretty crazy.
Down there's the basement.
Over there's the-"
"Wait!" Ari interrupted, desperately trying to drag Jerrord to a stop. 'Why's it covered in caution tape?"
Jerrord took a breath and stopped speedwalking. "Ah, good question. Cause that's where Jimmy lives. Unfortunately."
"Who's Jimmy?"
"He's a monster."
Ari raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Nah I'm serious, he's a real, living breathing monster that lives in a dark basement underneath this old building that we don't use."
"So, ghosts that live in a water tower aren't real, but a monster in a basement is?" Ari asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"Yeah! Ok, you know what, let's take a quick look, but stay behind me. Oh, before we go down, I need to warn you, Jimmy HATES light, says it hurts it. So don't use your flashlight down here unless you, One: Ask It first, and/or Two: Absolutely need to."
Ari rolled her eyes but begrudgingly agreed with a simple. "Got it."
Jerrord ducked under the tape and she hesitantly did the same. The further down they went the colder it became and the more Ari shook, it was freezing down here. They eventually reached a door. On it was a sign that read "DANGER: DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION" Jerrord turned the knob slowly and as the door creaked open, a cold unlike any other hit Ari. Then Jerrord, still standing just outside the door, spoke.
"Jimmy oh Jimmy, it is I, Jerrord, the nightman. I am asking for safe passage through your halls, for I, and another, wise and powerful one."
At first, nothing happened. Ari scoffed and began to say something, but then a voice came from the other side of the door.
"You. May. Enter."
Ari's eyes widened in fear. Jerrord grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. Once they stepped through the door the air shifted around them, and so did the darkness. It took form right in front of their eyes, until it appeared somewhat human looking. It had two bright white eyes , with no other defining features. They squinted at Ari as she stepped inside.
"Who is that?" Jimmy said in a low voice
"This is Ari. She's the new recruit." Jerrord said in a friendly tone, as if this were some normal conversation between two normal people.
"Airy." Jimmy said, mispronouncing Ari's name. "Hmm."
Jimmy darted in front of her and she recoiled. It looked her up and down and circled around her, as if studying her. After it was satisfied, it returned to it's original spot.
"Welcome to my domain, Canine." Jimmy said dismissively "You may compliment it at your leisure." It glanced at Ari, as if expecting her to say something.
Ari stood there shaking for a moment, before realizing that was her cue. "O-Oh, um, N-nice place you have here?"
"Ah, thank you!" It exclaimed, seemingly satisfied with her compliment. "I have been working very hard on it. Although I was not expecting visitors on this night, I am always happy to be viewed by others."
Jerrord sighed. "I was just showing her around and she asked about you. So I thought I'd let her see you really quick."
"You did!?" Jimmy grew a smile. "How wonderful! A fan!" Jimmy Summoned a piece of paper and a pen. "Would you like an autograph? I assure you it would be worth your while."
"I uh-" Ari began but she was interrupted by Jerrord.
"She ain't a fan Jimmy, she just wanted to see what was down here. Calm yourself."
"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Jimmy's voice boomed, echoing through the whole basement. It grew taller and towered over both of them. Jerrord seemed unphased, Ari, a bit less so. Jimmy cleared his throat and collected himself. "You do not have to crush my dreams so fiercely, nightman. Is a little appreciation too much to ask for?" Jimmy continued, it's voice cracking slightly.
"Oh please. Let me know when you do something we should be appreciative of and then we'll talk alright?"
"Well I never!" Jimmy exclaimed, a tear seemingly forming in it's eye. "I do SO much for you mortal beings it's unbelievable. I get rid of the rats and other various disgusting creatures that dwell down here, I keep everything neat and organized. I DO THE LAUNDRY. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO DO THE LAUNDRY WHEN YOU ARE A BEING OF DARK ENERGY? THE LIGHTS WASHING DEVICES ARE FILLED WITH THESE DAYS ARE BLINDING."
"Yeah great." Jerrord said plainly. He turned back to Ari and pointed at Jimmy. "This guy's a real character huh?"
She nodded. "That's one way to put it."
"Yeah, it keeps everything pretty locked down down here so you shouldn't have to come down here too often, maybe once a month."
"You could come back more if you'd like!" Jimmy added desperately. "It does get rather lonely down here."
Jerrord turned back to Jimmy "Yeah maybe it wouldn't be if you didn't eat people who wandered down here."
Jimmy chuckled nervously and looked away. "Whaaaat?! I do not eat people?! Where did you get such a silly idea?"
"It eats people" Jerrord whispered to Ari.
"I don't!" Jimmy argued. "I just...take their life energy, and use it for my own purposes. That's all. Besides, they should have asked for safe passage first."
"Sounds like eating to me bud." He turned back to Ari. "Let's get out of here alright?"
"Yeah." Ari responded quietly.
"Wait!" Jimmy pleaded. It's eyes grew big like a puppy dog's would. "Please come back soon."
"I'll think about it?" Ari responded hesitantly.
"YES." That was good enough for Jimmy. It's form started to dissipate back into the darkness of the basement but not before leaving Ari with some words. "I will see you soon, Canine." It said in a haunting voice before laughing evilly and vanishing into nothing. The basement was still once more.
Jerrord closed the basement door behind them as they left and returned to the cool evening night. Although it was cool, it was much warmer than the basement had been.
"Ok!" Jerrord exclaimed. "That was fun huh? See, told you it was down there."
Ari sighed in disbelief. "Yeah...remind me not to doubt you ever again."
Jerrord laughed. "Yeah, well it's alright. I know it's kinda hard to believe, that's why the caution tape and sign are there. Yet every year we still get actors and employees who let curiosity get the better of them and wander down there. Luckily we've been able to save most of em, but some...yeah let's not dwell on that."
"Agreed." Ari nodded.
"Well, just one more place to go. Wanna see some ghosts?" Jerrord said jokingly, pointing up. He was pointing at the water tower, which from this angle, was massive. Appropriately towering over both of them
Ari stared up at it and her body started to shake slightly but she nodded.
"Did I mention that I was afraid of heights?"
"Don't worry, we ain't gonna be up there long, and it's perfectly safe. We've only ever had like one guy fall off and that was because he climbed all the way up to the roof of the tower. It's very slick, don't do that."
"Cool...Gotcha…"
It was a relatively easy climb to the top, but that didn't make it any less nerve-racking for an acrophobe like Ari. Once they were at the top Earl began to explain.
"Alright, all you're gonna wanna do is come over here and make sure this door doesn't budge. Yes, it's actually a door, not just decoration. Oh, and do not under any circumstances go inside."
"Cause the ghosts?" Ari joked.
Jerrord smiled but tried to hide it. "I'm serious, the folks up top want us to make absolutely sure it isn't unlocked and we don't go inside." He grabbed the side of the WB logo and tugged on it as hard as he could.
"Wait a minute? How could I go inside anyway? It's a water tower, it's full of water!"
"Not this one. It ain't had water in it in years. Completely empty inside, our water comes from somewhere else."
"Wow. That's crazy."
"Yep! Alright." He patted the door gently. "That's good. Now we're gonna check the sides and top to make sure there are no holes or broken seems for anything to get in or out."
"You're really not doing a good job of convincing me there isn't something in there." Ari admitted.
"Come on around back." Jerrord said, ignoring what Ari said and walking to the other side. "I'll show you where the ladder you're not supposed to climb is."
Ari went to follow him but before she did, she stared at the door. Curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to see something. She crept over to the door and carefully placed an ear up to it to see if she could hear anything. Nothing. With her ear still pressed against the door, she tapped it with her fist, just once. Again, nothin-
BANG
"AAAAAH" Ari yelped and jumped backward in shock.
Jerrord rushed back over. "WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED."
Ari glanced at the door and then at Jerrord and smiled anxiously.
"I UH..." She said breathlessly. "I just thought, I mean, I tripped, yeah, I tripped, and since we're so high up I freaked out, but I caught myself, so we're good hehe..." She chuckled nervously.
"Oh." Jerrord said plainly, glancing at the door himself. "Well, be careful alright?"
"Can do!" Ari saluted him with a bit too much enthusiasm.
"Alright...let's go ahead and get down from here and go back to the office."
"Great idea! Wait, what about the ladder?"
"Oh don't worry about it. It's not that important, you already know not to climb out and I'm sure you'll see it on your rounds so no big deal."
"Oh, ok." Ari sighed.
The walk to the office was a quiet one. Ari had not stopped thinking about what she'd heard up at the water tower and it seemed as though Jerrord had said all he needed to say because for the first time that night, he had been completely silent for more than five minutes. When they made it back inside they both plopped down on the two chairs and sighed.
"Well, what do you think?" Jerrord asked.
"I um, I think it's interesting."
Jerrord laughed heartily. "Well, that's one way to put it! Yeah, it's alright. It takes some getting used to but like I said, it'll grow on ya."
"I hope so." Ari sighed.
"Me too!" Jerrord leaned back in his chair and was silent once again.
The two sat that way for a few minutes, and when Jerrord broke the silence, he did so with a sledgehammer.
"They're not ghosts." He said suddenly.
Ari sat up in her seat. "W-what?"
"What's in the water tower, it's not ghosts."
"Than what is it?"
"As far as I'm concerned, nothing, but Earl's got his theory."
"What theory is that?" Ari inquired.
Jerrord sat up as well. "Well, there was this show aired back in the nineties. About these three kids, toons, who were locked in that tower, they were locked in there for YEARS. I'm talking like decades and decades. I guess cause they were too crazy and dangerous or something. "
"Why would they make a whole show about locking kids in the tower?"
"Well, they broke out every episode and ran circles around everybody. It was pretty funny from what I saw. I was too old for it when it first aired so I didn't pay much attention to it. I think it was called Animaniacs. Ever heard of it?"
"I think so. But I've never seen it." Ari admitted.
"Yeah, it was before your time so that's not surprising."
"So wait, were they actually locked in there? Or was that just a thing for the show?"
Jerrord shook his head. "It was just a thing for the show, they weren't actually locked in here, I mean could you imagine? How would they even explain that? 'Ay-yo, these kids we've had locked in a tower for like 60 years just broke out and we're gonna make a show about them. That cool?' Haha, that'd be nuts. I'd be calling Child Protective Services! Get those kids outta there, y'know what I'm sayin?"
"Hehe, yeah." Ari chuckled.
"But Earl don't think so. He thinks they actually were locked in there, and on top of that, thinks that they still are! I ain't seen a single piece of evidence supporting this but he seems hellbent on this idea that one day they're gonna break out again and wreak havoc on all of us. I guess he had a few run-ins with them back in the day or something and it really shook him up."
"Geez, they must be good actors if they can mess with him enough that he's paranoid like that."
"Yeah, toons are like that sometimes. I've met some pretty strange ones on day shift. None like what he's describing though. Anyways, just thought I let you know, you seemed pretty on edge at the water tower so I figured you were still thinking about it."
Ari nodded and looked out the window, she could see the water tower from where she was sitting. It was still illuminated with that same spotlight, but it didn't seem as welcoming as it had before, it was more creepy now. What if Earl was right? Yeah, it was crazy but what if there really were people locked in there? Unable to get out? It's a scary thought.
"So, now that I've thoroughly spooked you, you think you can handle this?"
Ari shook herself away from her thoughts and smiled. "Yeah. I got it." She said hesitantly.
"Well, don't sound too enthusiastic!" Jerrord reached into his pocket and pulled a nametag out and placed it on the table in front of her."Alright, let's prove it. If you really believe you're ready for this, take that nametag and put it on your shirt, right next to your heart. Aight?"
Ari exhaled. Jerrord made putting a nametag on sound like some kind of rite of passage, this was just a security job, right? What's with all the pressure? Nevertheless, Ari did as she was told. She grabbed the nametag and affixed it to the spot next to her heart. It felt kinda good.
Jerrord smiled and held his hand out. "Welcome to the team!"
She grabbed it and shook it, with some force this time. "Thank you. Thank you very much!"
Despite the preamble from Earl and Jerrord on the first night. Ari's first few days were almost unbearably uneventful. They started much the same way. She'd get to work, clock in, say hi to Earl, who would say nothing back and sleep until it was time to do his rounds which he did at the same times every day to the second. Despite being a clearly very old robot, Earl did his round at near lightning speeds.
Ari could barely even see him move on the monitors, he was going so quickly. Every day, however, his results would be the same. Nothing. Nothing out of place. Nothing moving, Nobody snooping around. It was the same for Ari. So the two spent most of the night sitting in the office, quietly, not speaking to each other.
Although she did learn quickly not to confuse her side for his. One night she happened to take a wrong turn and the moment she stepped foot over the imaginary dividing line between her side and Earl's, Earl came blasting out of the office at top speed and chewed her out for being on his side. He was very overprotective of it. It was probably the only time she ever saw him come out of the office for anything other than his rounds, and of course it was to scold her.
After a few days, any fear she may have had in regards to any potential kids in the towers faded. Although, on occasion, she did think she caught a glimpse of something on a rooftop or around a corner, or a feeling like she was being watched, but every time she looked there was nothing. So she mellowed out and started to get comfortable. And it might have stayed that way.
If it wasn't for day five.
Ari was doing her rounds like usual when she came across a building that she had missed. Or at least, she thought she'd missed it. It looked unfamiliar. She swiped her keycard and walked inside to find what looked like a concert hall or auditorium of some sort. The venue was huge, although in its current state, was definitely worse for wear. It had certainly been abandoned for quite some time if the debris on the ground and splintering wood that covered the roof and let water drip in was any indication. The place smelt very much like mold. She raised her shirt over her nose as she explored the area.
"Why didn't Jerrord tell me about this place?" Ari spoke to herself. "Would have been nice to know there's just a whole nother building sitting out here."
She climbed up on the stage, being careful not to fall into any of the many holes that covered it. She maneuvered her way over to the back of the stage and looked out over the sea of chairs that stood before her. She smiled. She had always dreamed of being on a stage like this one, looking out over the crowd and pouring her heart out. If only she could have decided which kind of music she wanted to play, or finished any of the songs she had.
'It must have been left to rot, like the rest of this place.' She thought.
She walked over and picked it up. She played a chord and surprisingly enough, it still worked. Although it was very out of tune. She carefully adjusted the strings to her liking and strummed again.
"Yeah, much better." She said with a smile.
She sat at the edge of the stage and because she was bored and her round was pretty much over anyway, she decided to try playing one of her songs. Slowly at first.
" We dug these holes we crawled into, Now they're my home "
She looked out over the chairs and let her voice echo through the hall.
"Ooo, good acoustics." She grinned.
She continued.
" Now here I cannot feel the wind, Can't feel the rain or cold. And I believe in gentle harmony. How I loathe all this obscenity. Is this the way my life has got to be? Have I a single opportunity? "
Now she was really getting into it. She closed her eyes and kept going.
" Look at me, oh look at me, is this the way I'll always be? Oh noooo, oh noooo. Now I'm dreaming somebody would swiftly come and kidnap me. Oh noooo, oh noooo. Everyday I lie awake and pray to God today's the day. Oh noooo, oh noooo. Here I am, oh here I am, oh when will someone understand? Oh nooooo, oh nooooo "
She stopped playing and looked around. Those last oh nos sounded a bit different than the others. Maybe it was the guitar? She closed her eyes and tried again.
" Here I am, oh here I am, oh when will someone understand? Oh noooo, oh noooo "
"What the heck…?" She whispered softly to herself. She shook the guitar lightly. "What's your deal-" She looked up and her mouth clamped shut.
In the front row, on some of the only seats that weren't busted or broken in some way, sat three very strange-looking, children?
"Oh, don't let us stop you!" The tallest one spoke. "I hope you don't mind if we join you though, we love depressing power ballads!"
"Have you considered going pro?" The smallest one asked. "You have a wonderful singing voice."
Ari blinked. The children blinked back. Then she screamed. They screamed back.
"They seem nice!" The middle one said in between screaming.
"Yeah! A little loud though!" The tallest one replied.
Ari threw her guitar down and made a break for the door. But the kids got there first, somehow.
"AAAA!" Ari screamed again.
"Why do they always run?" The Middle one asked. "We aren't that ugly are we?"
"Speak for yourself." The Smallest one said. "I'm adorable!"
"Ok Sibs!" The tallest one yelled, slamming a fist into their palm. "Execute the plan before metal mouth finds us!"
Ari took a breath. "THE WHAT?!"
She received her answer when they threw a curtain over her and snatched her up. She squirmed and struggled but it was no use. They had her now and they were dragging her off to who knows where.
What an awful way to make a first impression.
CLICK
"Side A is now Full. If you would like to continue recording, please flip to Side B."
...
CLICK
"Side B has been inserted."
"Starting recording."
April 1st 2017
1:45am
It was dark, and quiet. The kind of quiet where if you dropped a pen, everyone in the room would look at you in annoyance and you would get really embarrassed and curse the day you were ever born, that kind of quiet. The curtain was suddenly ripped off of Ari and she found herself strapped to a chair, a light was quickly shoved in her face, nearly blinding her. Someone walked in and sat across from her, she couldn't quite make out who, but she had a pretty good idea.
"Well, who do we have here?" They said, flipping some papers through their fingers.
Another voice came from the dark. "Well according to their file, Their name is Ari [REDACTED]. Siberian Husky, 19, Black with a little bit of white around the face, neck and tail, Pronouns unknown. They came from Kansas. Moved here not too long ago, if these files are to be believed. That is."
"Ah, country boy huh!?" The first figure spoke moving the light closer to her face.
Ari mustered up the courage to speak. "G-Girl actually. Also there are cities in Kansas."
"Oh." They moved the light back away from Ari's face and cleared their throat. "Sorry, shouldn't have assumed. You know what they say about assumptions…"
"That's...a-alright? W-what do you guys want from m-me? I don't have any money or anything, I'm just a night guard and I literally just started. I don't want any trouble…"
A third voice spoke up. "That's unfortunate, Ari. Cause you've found it." The other two moved closer to Ari. They too were now barely visible.
"P-Please don't hurt me." Ari's voice cracked. She looked down and started to tear up.
The voices were silent for a moment, then they started laughing. Quietly at first and growing to an apex of uncontrollable roaring.
Ari looked up, confused. "W-what?"
The lights came up and the kids that had only moments ago kidnapped her, were currently literally rolling on the floor laughing.
The tallest one managed to get to his feet first.
"April fools!" He said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh man, you should have seen the look on your face! Amazing!" He grabbed his chair and sat back down. "Whew, that was great. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."
Ari frowned. It was a prank, of course. She had almost forgotten it was April 1st. Here she was, thinking her life was over five days in, but that didn't explain what these random kids were doing on what she thought was private property.
"Who-" Was all she could get out before she was interrupted.
"Ah, I'm Yakko," He grabbed her hand, ripping the ropes off in the process, and shook it vigorously. "That's Wakko and Dot." He said motioning to the other two who also grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously, at the same time. "We're The Warner Brothers!"
"And The Warner Sister!" Dot added.
Of course. These were the kids that Jerrord was talking about on day one. They were real! That could only mean one thing though, they had managed to break out! That's bad...right?
"I'm, uh, Ari."
"We know, Uh Ari!" Dot said. "We stole your file from the main office."
"It's...just Ari."
The three stopped shaking her hand and Yakko scratched his head.
"Ok so is it Ari, Uh Ari or Just Ari?" He asked.
"Gee." Wakko started. "How come your parents let you have THREE names? And why are they all so similar?"
"It's Ari!" Ari said, raising her voice slightly. "And my parents didn't pick it, I did." She rubbed her freshly freed arm. "This is ridiculous." She muttered.
"No!" Yakko corrected. "This is ridiculous!" He then proceeded to take Wakko's head off and bounce it on the ground a few times before shooting it into a basket. "Yes! Three points!" He exclaimed.
"Cheater." Dot said under her breath.
"Uhhhhhhh, What? How did I cheat?" Yakko argued
"Your foot was over the line, That's two points!" Dot fired back.
"No it wasn't!?"
She blew a whistle in Yakko's face. "Ok listen here. I'm the ref and I know what I saw, it was OVER. THE. LINE! "
"Guys?" Wakko said, his head still on the floor. "Can someone put my head back on? I think my body's walking away."
The two ignored him and continued arguing. Wakko's body ran into a wall and fell to the ground.
Ari listened to them bicker back and forth a while. At first she didn't know what to think, These kids were unlike anything she'd ever seen before. The more they argued, however, the more annoyed she became, until finally she had had enough.
"ALRIGHT, ALREADY." Ari yelled in frustration.
The three of them immediately stopped and sat in front of her like a dog would.
"Listen!"
The three tilted their heads slightly. Ari thought they almost looked cute, like little lost puppies. She felt kinda bad for yelling at them so she softened her voice.
"I don't know what the heck is going on around here, but...y-you guys need to get back into your tower."
"Ohhh." Yakko sighed and rolled his eyes. "Here we go.."
"Fun's over." Dot whined.
"Not yet." Yakko whispered.
"What even are you guys? And where are we right now?" Ari asked.
"Oh if I had a dollar for everytime someone asked that question." Yakko chuckled. "Call us what you want! Orphans, actors, misunderstood and/or mistreated child stars, rejects."
"N-No I mean, what are you." Ari reiterated
"Oooooh riiight." Yakko exclaimed. "Listen, we'd give you the whole song and dance but we're a little rusty, so to make a long story short." He leaned in close and whispered."It's a secret!"
Ari pushed him away softly. "Please don't do that."
"As for where we are." He continued. "We're across the street!" Yakko pointed out the window behind Ari. She looked out and saw the auditorium, directly across from her.
"Oh. Cool." Ari turned around. "Now, I-"
They were gone.
Ari's frown deepened. She looked back outside and saw The Warners waving to her.
"Made ya look!" Yakko yelled.
The three of them laughed and ran off into the studio lot.
Ari sighed. "So, this is what the night's gonna be like huh?" She asked herself.
She went to the door, which the Warners had graciously left open. A bucket of water fell down on her head as she left and soaked her entire body.
She heard laughter in the distance.
"Yes! Direct hit!"
"Ughhhh."
She shook herself off as best she could, and her fur poofed up. Which only caused the Warners to laugh harder.
"UGHHHHH. THAT'S IT. " She grabbed the net from her belt and extended it.
"UH OH." The Warners said in unison. "RUN!"
She chased the Warners up, down, and all around the studio lot. They had an advantage though, they knew the whole lot better than she did. They might as well have been running circles around her, in fact, at one point, they did.
Growing frustrated, and tired, she stopped to catch her breath for a moment. While she was waiting for her second wind, her ears perked up. She heard someone crying. It was barely audible at first, but it grew louder as she stood there. She looked around the corner, it was Wakko. The other two were trying to comfort him but he just kept crying. She cautiously walked over, ready for what was surely another prank.
"Hey, y-you alright dude?" Ari asked.
Wakko turned around to face her, tears streaming down his face. "M-MY HAAAAAAAAT." He pointed to his hat, which was laying on the ground.
"What about it?" Ari asked.
"It's on Earl's side of the line." Yakko explained. "That guy HATES us. No idea why."
"Yeah I can't imagine." Ari muttered sarcastically.
"I know right? If we so much as step over there, we're dead, no question about it. So we can't get his hat back, it's a lost cause at this point."
"Maybe we can try and get it in the morning." Dot suggested
"Are you cracked? We can't go out in the morning! Then we'd really be dead!"
Wakko's sobs continued while the four stared at the hat. Ari sighed, and tightened her belt.
"I'll get it."
Yakko and Dot gasped. Yakko grabbed her by the shirt. "But you can't!" He said, sounding very concerned. "He'll yell at you again! Don't do it!"
She puffed up her chest and tried to look confident. "I'm gonna do it. I'll be careful."
Yakko abruptly let go. "Ok, your funeral pal."
Ari looked at the hat once again. It wasn't that far, maybe she could run for it? No. If she so much as took a step over the line, Earl would know. She needed another plan of attack. She looked up, the roof seemed accessible enough so she jumped up and grabbed the edge, and flipped herself up. Dot greeted her up there.
"Wow, I didn't know you were an athlete too! Interesting." She wrote something down on a clipboard.
Ari gasped. "But, wait, weren't you just..?" She looked back down and Dot was still down there. The three waved to her. She looked back up and Dot was still there too.
"Be careful!" Dot continued. "The roofs around here are pretty slick, you might break your neck if you fall off! And that would be awful!"
"I...will? B-be careful. That is." Ari said hesitantly. She shook her head and continued forward.
She took a careful step over where the line would have been if she was on the ground, she turned around, nothing. No movement from the office. She breathed a sigh of relief. She carefully made her way from one end of the roof to the other, where the hat was sitting.
'Huh…' She thought. 'Now what?'
She patted herself for anything she could use to grab it and found her net.
'Of course!'
She extended it out to it's full length and leaned over the edge. The Warners were still on the other side of the line, watching her patiently.
She swiped for the hat a few times, but the net was just ever so slightly too short to reach it. She leaned out a little more. If she wasn't careful now, any misstep would cause her to fall over. She tried again. Another miss. SO CLOSE. Just a little bit more, a little bit more, a. little. bit...TOO MUCH.
She toppled over the edge and landed backside down on the cold hard floor, knocking the wind out of her. Luckily the only thing she broke was her already dwindling pride. The hat flew high up in the air and Wakko, who had now made his way to the roof, snatched it out of the air and put it back on.
"Thank you!" He whispered quickly before running off.
A familiar shadow loomed over her. She opened her eyes and just as expected, Earl was there, and he wasn't happy.
"Ari?" He began.
"Yeah Earl?" Ari weezed, still laying on the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Well I-" She glanced behind him and saw The Warners waving from the ladder that leads to their tower. They quickly climbed up and went inside.
"Yes?" He said, tapping his foot impatiently.
"I-I thought I uh, saw something on the roof. So I went up to investigate, and I ...slipped."
Earl put a hand to his face. "Jesus Christ. Well, are you hurt?"
"Not really." She picked herself off the floor.
"Well thank god for that." He said plainly. "Be careful. It's bad enough that I gotta be up right now. I don't wanna have to fill paperwork out on top of that."
Ari grinned slightly. "Ok."
Earl turned to walk away. As he did, he looked back and yelled one more time. "AND GET OFF OF MY SIDE."
Her grin faded. "Okayyy." She groaned.
"Looks like I really do have my work cut out for me." She mumbled to herself. "I wonder if I should tell Earl...no, I got this. I'll prove it. These kids won't know what hit em!" She held her head up confidently.
Then she slipped on a banana peel and smashed into the ground face first.
She could almost hear the Warners laughing at her again. At this point, she almost felt like crying. She shook herself off, did her best to not break into tears, and went to stand up when she noticed something. The banana peel wasn't a banana peel. It was a note. She looked at Earl. He was still walking away, so she took a quick look at what it said.
"Dear Ariel (That is your name right? Let me know if I got it right.)
Thanks for getting Wakko's hat back! He really appreciates it! You're alright, friend! Sorry we had to leave so soon but we had some other things going on and Earl literally wants us dead. Don't worry though, we'll be hanging out with you a LOT more very soon! We can't wait!
With Love. Your New Best Friends"
The back of the note had a heart drawn on it with the three of their names signed inside it and another message.
"P. S. We're not joking about Earl. Don't rat us out to him or there will be blood on your hands. You seem nice, we don't think you want that on your conscience. Thanks again!"
"Ohhh boy." Ari exclaimed. She may have spoken a little too loud because it caused Earl to turn around.
"What?" He asked.
Ari quickly stuffed the note in her pocket. "Nothing! It's just… kinda cold out here."
Earl squinted his eyes. Ari could almost feel them piercing into her very core. He was gonna ask her for the paper wasn't he? He stared at her for what felt like forever. Has she been caught? Had he seen it? Maybe she should just tell him, and she almost did. Until he turned back around.
"yeah, i guess." He mumbled as he walked back into the office.
Ari stood outside for a minute and looked up at the water tower.
"What a night." She scoffed, shook her head, and walked directly into the door of the office.
"OW. SON OF A-"
"It's a pull! Not a push." Earl yelled from inside.
She sniffed. "Right, right..."
"Side B is now Full. If you would like to continue recording, please insert another tape. If not, click submit."
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