Chapter 1: Camping gone wrong
Inside of a house, a young man with fading green hair and a gray cap was grabbing some clothing and placing it in one bag, as he carried it down the stairs and placed it against the door. He sighed and smiled at the work he put in. "All done… now all that's left is to wait." He stated. The young man stretched as he stood in the living room of his house, even though it appeared empty, he felt a wave of happiness as he was glad that everything was peaceful just for this moment.
The doorbell to the house rang out, making him go over to open the door. A man with dark seafoam green hair and a black handlebar mustache waved at him. He had a blue vest on over a white long sleeved dress shirt and black pants. Apparently he was dressed as if he were from the nineteen hundreds. "Jameson! You made it!"
The dapper ego waved his hands around, speaking in sign language as he was unable to talk due to his mutisim. Though everyone was able to understand him, so communication was never a problem. "Greetings, Chase Brody. Apologizes for being early, but I figured you still needed to get ready anyways."
Chase smiled at him. "Nah, you're just in time. Becky and Daniel should be finished getting ready. Thanks again for agreeing to look after them this weekend. But we've been planning this trip for so long now with just us egos. I wanted to bring them with us, but I think it would be better if it was just the three of us."
"No need to feel guilty, I was the one to volunteer to look after them. They are such angels." Jameson Jackson, or as he was called JJ for short, reassured Chase. The older figure nodded, he'd rather they stayed with one of the others instead of… her. Just thinking about his ex made him shake. Sure things had gotten better for him after they split, but the kids were still suffering. Which was why he had to do whatever he could to make sure she would not get away with it.
Footsteps were heard from behind, as the two looked to see a pair of younger beings with backpacks strapped to them. One of them was a girl who had light brown hair in a high ponytail. The other was a smaller boy that had bleach blond hair where the roots were sprouting dark gray. The two children had the same light blue eyes that their father had, indicating their relations. "Becky! Daniel! Did you two finish packing?" Chase asked.
The young girl smiled. "Yep! We got everything we needed for the weekend at JJ's!"
Chase chuckled. "That's good to hear. I'll be picking you guys up Sunday morning. Remember to be good for Jameson, and don't cause any trouble." He told them, ruffling their hairs a bit. The two kids laughed at the gesture, eyes sparkling as they hugged onto their father. He really wished he could have brought them along, but it was an ego only activity. He promised to himself he'd take them camping next time, and perhaps Henrik could tag along if he wanted.
"Alright kids, say goodbye to your dad. I have so many things planned." The Mute told them through his hands.
The two smaller ones nodded, holding onto their packs as they hurried out the door to follow the mustached man. "Bye daddy!" Becky waved to her father.
"Bye dad!" Daniel smiled as he closed the door behind them.
"Be safe, you two." He called out to them. He watched from the window to see the three of them heading down to the bus stop around the corner. Chase wished that Jameson would try to get a car so they didn't have to wait around for a ride. Then again, considering that the father didn't have one of his own, he couldn't really judge. Besides, he trusted Jameson. He was a responsible ego, too bad he always got stuck babysitting. Chase was taken out of his thoughts as he heard his phone ring in his pocket. He quickly took it out and looked at the screen, to see the caller ID. Once he saw who it was, he picked it up and placed it in his ear. "Hen! You still down to go camping?" Chase asked his good friend.
A German accent could be heard as the great, Henrik von Schneeplestein replied over the other end. "Of course! I'm leaving as we speak. Do you still need me to pick you up?"
"Yeah. If that's cool with you."
"It's no problem." Henrik assured. "I'm sure Anti won't mind if someone else drives along for company."
Chase smiled, being reminded of the young glitch. Despite all the hardships that he'd given to everyone a couple of years back, he was trying to be more open with everyone and it seemed that he was much happier now. Chase even considered him like a younger brother, while Henrik took on the role of father figure for Anti. Even so, the cool dad jumped up as he couldn't wait to start the weekend event. "I'm so excited for this trip, Hen! It's been forever since we all just went and did something together!"
The German doctor chuckled on the other end. "It has... I think we all really need this break." It was more true than it should have been. Especially considering that it had been two years now since the Corruption that took hold of the Mindscape. No doubt Anti would be feeling the most depressed over that anniversary, so they all agreed to want to do something together in the hopes to take their minds off of the bad of the past. Camping wasn't Henrik's ideal first choice, but he figured that with how much Anti loved nature, he would sacrifice his own wants to make his son much more comfortable. "I'll be there soon, then we can pick up Anti and head to the camping site. Keep an out for me, okay?!"
"Will do!" Chase promised, before hanging up his phone and waited for his good friend to come pick him up. Henrik arrived within ten minutes, since he arrived by car. The doctor picked up Chase, letting him sit in the back with the bags since Anti would be driving up front with his father. It took them a while to go from Chase's section of the Mindscape all the way to where the glitch lived. Luckily, Anti and Chase's homes were neighbors, so they didn't have to travel too far. It did take a few detours for them to get there, since the forest didn't have any clear roads. They stopped in front of a large cabin that was near the edge of Anti's territory. The moment that Henrik drove right up, the door to the front opened as the young demon came out with his own camping gear. He hurried to the passenger side and climbed in, keeping his bag on his lap as he bounced on the seat.
"Someone seems excited." Henrik noted as he began to shift the gears of the car and head out.
"I can't help it! I've been waiting for this camping trip for so long!" Anti smiled up as his very dark green eyes practically blended with his black scleras. Technically, even though his name was Anti, he was considered Angus in his past life, but only took the title due to… circumstances. Still, the smile on his face was of a happy one, as he clearly was more than thrilled about this idea. Actually, it was Angus himself that suggested camping as the activity they should do for the weekend event.
"You got everything?" Chase asked. Angus looked back over at him and nodded.
"Well then, we best get going. The others are probably waiting." Henrik stated as he drove off down the dirt road, soon finding the parking lot next to the campsite. It was pretty much the area that really separated Chase and Angus's sections, where concrete began to turn into grass. "We are here…" The German doctor stated, getting out of the car and breathing in the fresh air. "Ahhhh! Now this is living! Smell those crispy leaves and flower pollen! It truly is wonderful to be alive."
Chase gathered his bags from the car and raised a brow to Henrik, who was practically being poetic about the woods. "Geez man, this is just the drop off area."
The doctor looked over at his friend with an unamused expression. "Hey, I have practically been breathing filtered air conditioning in my place. This is a big moment for me."
"You really got to get out more." Chase mocked. Angus couldn't help but chuckle at the conversation. Though he did wish the same thing Chase wanted. Henrik tended to overwork himself, so seeing him taking a break to relax was a rare and welcoming sight.
"The camp ground should just be up ahead. Let's see if the others are there." Henrik stated, grabbing all that he could and lead them. They had to maneuver through a few trees and pathways, all the while going through some bushes.
"Hey… Anti?" Chase smiled as he kept his eyes on the trees.
"Hmm?"
The father snorted as he tried to hold back his laughter. "Looking around, I'm at a… loss for words!" Angus started laughing with him.
Henrik rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Chase, stop being a bad influence on Anti." He warned.
"Come on, Hen! You love my puns!" Chase pointed out.
"They really are punny!" Angus added.
"Guess you can call me the pun-isher!" Chase smiled as they kept on going.
"I'm punny in your hands!" Angus laughed.
Henrik however, tried to keep looking ahead, but the gag train was still going which made him lower his head. "You are lucky I love you all, or I'd stay home…" Angus and Chase laughed with one another. Eventually, they soon made it to the camping area. It was a clearing which was next to a river that had a bridge over it. A firepit was put up as two figures were standing around, taking care of their own equipment. One of them had on a casual outfit of a white t-shirt with some brown shorts and rimmed, square glasses. The other was dressed more fancy like, with a vest and sparkling cape, as well as a cat tail. His most noticeable feature was his white cat mask that had a red diamond, red heart, a black club and black spade on his forehead.
"Marvin! Jackie!" Chase called out as the three hurried over to the other egos.
The masked one smiled up to see the three coming over. "Ah! You all made it!" Marvin smiled.
"I see you are already getting everything set up." Henrik noted.
"We just started getting the tent ready, it still needs to be put together." Jackie stated.
Angus looked around, hoping to see a certain ego, but didn't find the one he was looking for. "Where's Bing?"
"Yeah, wasn't he supposed to be picked up with you?" Chase asked, noticing the android was not present.
"He had to cancel at that last minute." Jackie explained. "Apparently, Robbie got a terrible stomach ache and Bing is with him to bring him back to full health."
"Let me guess, Robbie ate something he wasn't supposed to?" Henrik asked, raising a brow.
Marvin sighed but nodded. "That zombie always tends to get into trouble. I'm so sorry Anti, Bing promised that he would make it up to you."
Even though the glitch was kind of sad that Bing would not be joining them, he still placed a reassuring smile. "It's alright, I know Robbie can be a handful. I hope he'll feel better."
"At this rate I may as well give Bing a stomach pump for Robbie…" Henrik sighed. They hadn't even begun camping and already there were things to complain about.
"Let's not worry about that, Hen. Come on! Let's get set up!" Chase declared. Henrik and Angus agreed as they began to unpack. The doctor and glitch manage to get the sleeping bags and tent laid out, but they still had to set it up. They were waiting for Chase to get his stuff ready, that was until they noticed him grabbing his tripod and camera, then placed it together and hit a few buttons. He spoke into the camera with a smile. "Yo, what's up you guys! I'm Chase and welcome to Bro Average Vlogging edition!" Angus and Henrik looked at one another in annoyance before the glitch turned to Chase. "I'm here with my lovely friends-"
"Chase, really?" Angus raised a brow at him with an unamused expression.
"Come on, Anti! Say hello to the fans!" Chase gestured to the camera as he looked at his little brother.
Angus rolled his eyes as he looked back at his work. "I'd rather say hello to a finished tent, if you don't mind."
"But-" Chase tried to be persuasive, despite seeing how aggravated Angus was being.
Henrik became the voice of reason as he went over to Angus's side and looked at the other. "Kasebrot, we really could use some help over here…" He stated, trying to figure out which pole goes into what socket.
Chase began to give up, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to pick this up. "Alright, well…" He turned to the camera, adjusting it so that the three of them were in the picture. He then placed a wide smile on his face as he hit the record button. "Here we go! Tent time lapse time!" He declared. The glitch shook his head as he seemed even more annoyed.
"Chase…" He muttered.
Marvin and Jackie came over to the group, seeing the progress that they had made on their end. The magician smiled over as he seemed proud. "Well, our tent is ready!"
Henrik looked over at the magic cat and superhero. "Could you give us a hand? I'm not used to these kinds of things…" He admitted, still looking over the directions but having a hard time distinguishing the parts.
Jackie smiled over at the doctor. "Of course!" He then went over to begin setting up the tent that Henrik, Chase and Angus would be sleeping in. "You wanna help Marv?" Jackied asked his boyfriend.
The magician smiled. "I was actually going to get a start on dinner before the sun sets." He told them.
Chase blinked in surprise. "Oh? What are you making?"
Marvin giggled as he waved his hands nonchalantly. "Ohh, nothing too fancy, darling~! I was thinking of some simple lemon and garlic grilled salmon kabobs, and maybe some tasty pasta to go with it!" The others looked over at him with confusion in their expression. Marvin saw it and raised a brow. "What?" He asked.
"Marvin. You… do realize we are camping, right?" Angus asked him.
That smirk returned on the masked one's face. "Were you really expecting me to say 'hot dogs'? Really, Anti. Give me some credit here."
"You can make all that while camping?" Chase questioned. Admittedly it did sound more promising than hot dogs, and if Marvin could actually make it he wouldn't complain.
"I've learned a thing or two from travelling around, Chase." Marvin answered.
Jackie jumped up from helping with the tent. "I was gonna go grab the stuff from the car, but if you need help with the tent…" He trailed off.
Angus stepped forward, as he volunteered. "Here, I'll go get the food."
"You sure?" Jackie asked.
Angus reassured everyone. "Yeah, I don't mind. You need to set up the rest of the camp. Plus it isn't too far away, so it won't take long."
"Thank you, Anti. I'll be sure to make it up to you!" Marvin declared. Angus chuckled then turned to go down towards the path to the parking lot. He would have to go deeper into the woods for that, but he didn't mind. It wasn't that big of a deal to him though, after all he knew this territory like the back of his hand. "Now," Marvin rolled up his sleeves and wagged his fingers. "Time to make a fire!"
Angus heard that before he was far away enough. He shuddered at the thought. "Marvin, please don't set the woods on fire…" He prayed. The glitch walked into the forest, taking in the scenery. He loved his part of the Mindscape, being surrounded by nature. Seeing all the trees and flowers, all the peace and quiet especially from the animals. It made him remember his life before he was officially Anti. He took in a breath shakily, being reminded of his past self. All he could think about, as he looked down at his hands, was the Hunter that he used to be. "How long has it been now? Five years? God… where does the time go?" He shook his head in disbelief. Sure, he was happy that he was still alive, but there were times when he wished he could just go back to looking what he used to be. There was no use dwelling on the past, he did what he could to survive. Even if he may not have liked the results at first, he could at least be here and that was all that mattered to him.
Right now, he needed to focus on the present. He shook himself, trying to regain his composure. He started to walk around the forest, going to the parking lot where the car would be. Bing allowed Marvin and Jackie to borrow his car for the trip as a way to make up for his absence, so the cooler must be inside there. As he was walking through the woods, he took in the peace that the day was bringing him. He knew it wouldn't last forever, so he wanted to enjoy it while he could. That was until he began to smell smoke up ahead. Confused and worried, he went to investigate it, hoping that Marvin didn't in fact set the woods on fire. When he looked up ahead, he saw that there was another camping site that was set ablaze. And low and behold, the two people he saw running around were none other than Undyne and Papyrus from Undertale. Of course. Those two get together, something was always going to be set aflame. "I'll… leave them to it…" Angus was not going to go anywhere near that. Best to just let them deal with the camp on their own. At least it was a controlled fire.
He kept walking away from the burning camp, but soon came across another landmark. A stoned well that was sitting there all alone. "Huh… maybe I could at least give them some water to help put the fire out." Even though he shouldn't really get involved with they're antics, he didn't want the forest to burn down either. Sure, it would just repair itself, but that was a lot of work. The glitch walked over to the well, looking down to see if there was a bucket to scoop the water. But when he looked inside, he saw that the well was dry. "Guess there's no underground water system here…" He muttered. So much for helping the Undertale characters. Upon closer inspection though, he noticed that against the one side of the wall was an old, but stable ladder leading down. "Wait, why is there a ladder in this?" He questioned.
Even though he knew he had to get the food from the car asap, curiosity got the better of him. He gripped onto the rope and descended down the ladder, hopping off to the ground. He used the light coming in from above to help guide him. He saw a passageway down the left of him. How strange… he was familiar with every route and pathway in this forest and yet somehow this slipped him by? Angus wanted to investigate, to be sure that it was safe. He walked down the tunnel, making sure to keep his guard up just in case. Eventually, he soon came to another deadend, with a ladder that was leading upwards. This tunnel appeared short with only two entrances and exits. Wanting to know more, Angus grabbed onto the steps and hopped up to get himself out of the tunnel. When he soon came back into the light, he climbed out of another stone well. As he looked around, he saw that he was in a garden of sorts, but everything was rotting. The flowers were in decay, the fence that protected the land was broken with wood splinting out. Not only that, when he turned around, he saw a cabin that was in much worse condition. The roof had holes in the shingles, the glass of the windows were broken, the door was swinging off its hinges. Even the paint on the walls of the house seemed to be chipping off.
"What the… was this always here?" Angus questioned. He could have sworn that this wasn't here before. Then again, the world was still recovering and expanding from two years prior. Perhaps this place appeared a while ago and he just didn't see it? He supposed it couldn't hurt to check the inside, just to be sure it was indeed safe. He walked over and went to the door, opening it and walking inside. Not even a step in, and he felt something on him. "Hhh! Fuck…" He swatted to get the spider webs off of himself. "Gross…" He stuck his tongue out as he began to search the place.
There wasn't too much to note here. The inside was much more destroyed than the outside. What little furniture there was, had been broken and left to decay. The floorboards had far more holes than the roof, the wallpaper was peeling off, and it smelt like something had died in here. Angus already did not like this place, he clearly couldn't see someone living here, unless it was used for some sort of hiding spot. He walked around, searching the place to see if there was anything of value inside. If this cabin was in his territory, perhaps he could consider fixing it up in the hopes of making this into a house. It wouldn't be a bad idea to start making other homes in his territory. After all, if Bing wanted to start living with him in his part of the Mindscape, there would be a place he could stay.
Angus stopped near a bookcase as he felt something on his skin. It felt like an air current, a weak one but he could feel it. He looked back at the shelf lined with rotting books. He noticed a few scratch marks that were on the floor near the base. To test his theory, the glitch grabbed onto the piece of furniture and pushed it back. When he did, a large door frame was revealed to him. Must have been a secret room. Angus walked inside, seeing what all was in here. It was a smaller side room, with nothing too much of value. Some growing weeds in the floorboard, a bit of light from the holes in the roof, and even a broken window on one of the walls. However, there was one thing of interest to the glitch as he looked inside. Near the corner of the wall was a figure staring out the window. Someone glitching in and out of existence, looking like they were in pain yet seemed indifferent. Their hollow, blue eyes stared out the window, not paying any attention. Angus was able to recognize who it was right away. He stepped forward, growling slowly. "What are you doing here, Sean?" He demanded an answer.
The being looked over to the one that questioned him. He didn't appear to show any interest in Angus, yet even so he humored him by speaking. "Oh look, didn't think you still cared about me. Sweet of you to come by, but I don't want your sass.
Angus hissed at him while glaring. "You shouldn't be here, you know."
Sean looked away, going back to staring out the glass. "Not like it matters. Nobody can find me here, even if they did I don't want them to see me just as much as you."
"Whatever, asshole. Serves you right." Angus snapped at him as he turned his back on Sean. He remembered full well what this version of his creator did to him. Sure, he couldn't harm anyone now, but Angus could never forget.
"Sure, have fun with your camping or whatever it is you're up to. Just go ahead and be the hypocrite you are…" He said the last line in a more hushed tone. Yet Angus could still hear what he said.
"Says you," Angus looked back over at him with a raised brow. "How are you even here? Your timeline shouldn't exist anymore."
"Wow, for someone who seems to know much more about the code and the other endings, you seem like you are unable to grasp the concept that you aren't the only one with that power." Sean mocked him.
"Fuck you!" Angus hissed at him, starting to become annoyed by how he was talking to him.
Sean looked back over at the glitch, raising a brow as he grew curious. "So, have you told the truth yet? About your 'actual ability'? Or are you just as much a liar as I was?" Angus looked over at the glitched out Sean, but said nothing. He remained silent as his face shadowed over. Of course he didn't tell anyone else. How could he? He never wanted this power to begin with and he can't even begin to unravel it all. Besides, no one would be able to understand even if he tried to explain it to them. He was the only one who knew the truth and had these abilities. When there was no answer from Angus, Sean turned his back to him. "Well, I'm sure they will find out anyways. If not from you… someone else. Do whatever you want, let me disassociate in peace. It's all I can do at this point."
For a split second, Angus's body twitched as it glitched out a bit. Sean could catch a glimpse of what he recognized as 'The Hunter'. Angus's true identity shone as he looked over at the bad ending version of his creator. The one that just betrayed him in the very end. He had hoped to never see that face here ever again, but it appeared he just came here to get under his skin. Once again, trying to make him the bad guy for everything he did. Even though Angus already felt guilty enough for what he put everyone through. "Fine…" That was all he could say before he picked up his legs and walked away. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. Sean went back to looking out the window, letting the time pass. Angus headed out of the room, through the cabin and out the door. He knew that talking with Sean from that timeline wouldn't do them anything, and yet he still had so many questions. How was he even here? His world should have been destroyed based off of the choice he made which caused that version of the Mindscape to crumble with everyone in it. Did Sean from that version somehow manage to find a way to this timeline? As much as Angus hated to admit it, he'd probably end up coming back here to further investigate… at some point.
The glitch hopped over the fence separating the rotting cabin and went back to where he was heading. He soon located the parking lot where a few cars were settled. He already knew which one belonged to his father figure, but when he saw the yellow car, he smiled as he went over and opened the back door. He found the cooler which contained the food that Jackie and Marvin brought. It was a bit heavy, no doubt they over packed. "Leave it to Marvin to go all out for a short trip." Angus noted as he could still hold onto the cooler. He looked inside, seeing a bunch of food crammed into the small space. "Looks like all the food is here… guess I can head back to camp then." When he closed the car door and looked up at the sky, he saw the sun was starting to set, making the sky a dusty orange with a tint of red. "It's getting dark fast… I better hurry back." He wasted enough time with his small adventure, and he had to get back to everyone else by nightfall. They were probably hungry and worried about him. He picked up speed as he hurried back to the campsite with the cooler in tow.
By the time that he managed to reunite with the others, the sun had finally gone down and everyone was around the firepit which had some flames radiating from within the wood they used to light it up. Marvin was the first one out of them to see Angus coming over. "There you are, darling!"
The others looked over to see the glitch going over to them. "Sorry for the long wait, I took a detour…" He didn't want to say too much, after all there were some things he still kept secret from his family. It wasn't like he wanted to lie to them on purpose, but there were some things he just couldn't understand.
"It's alright…" Henrik assured. "Though if you'd stay out for another hour, we would have gone after you."
"You worry too much, Hen." Chase waved his hand. "Anti can take care of himself." His tail wagged as Chase defended him.
"Bring the cooler over here!" Marvin gestured. Angus did so, carrying the item and bringing it to the magician. He grinned happily as he opened and began to pull the contents out. "Ah! Here we go then! I hope everyone is ready for the best camping food of their lives!" Marvin declared as he started to get the kabobs ready by placing the ingredients on the sticks.
"How long is it gonna take?" Chase asked him.
Marvin hummed as he tried to estimate. "About an hour, maybe less."
Jackie patted his stomach. "Good, I'm starving!" He declared.
"Of course you are, dear~" Marvin giggled over at his boyfriend.
Henrik looked back over at his son with a small smile. "Are you gonna come and sit down with us, Anti?"
"A-actually, I might go lay down for a bit. I'm a little tired." He told everyone.
"That's alright, I'll come get you when dinner is done." Henrik promised.
Angus laughed with a smile. "Hehe… thanks dad." He stretched for a bit before heading into the tent that he would be sharing with Chase and Henrik during this trip. While he walked into the small shelter, he could hear the others outside.
"Alright, who wants to tell some scary stories then?!" Chase asked, getting the flashlight ready.
Henrik shuddered as he heard the owls starting to hoot in the background. He may have been a man of science, but even he had his fears. "Could we tell some funny ones instead? I'm not sure I'm up for anything too frightening tonight." Henrik shuddered.
"I got one!" Jackie volunteered as he began to speak. "So it's me, Danny and this one guy and…"
Angus didn't hear the rest of the story as he laid down in his sleeping bag and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders before closing his eyes and sighing. "Hhhhh… time to pass out for a little bit…" He breathed in deeply as he finally managed to start drifting off. Some rest would do him some good, especially after what he had to go through.
Once he began to dream, he was awoken by what felt like a water droplet on his face. Angus moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Did the tent have a leak somewhere? His vision was fuzzy for a moment, trying to adjust to the darkness. When he finally managed to open his eyes fully, he gasped as he looked around. He was no longer in the tent or in the forest anymore. He found himself standing on a grassy field that was gray in color. Rain poured down on him in a sky that was filled with glitched out clouds and static above him. Trees were the only life he could see, but they were crimson in color and held no leaves on them.
"W-what? Where am I?" Angus didn't like this, it didn't seem like a nightmare but it certainly was not a pleasant dream either. He turned around a bit to try and gather his surroundings. There was hardly much to notice though, expect for what he saw behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he could see what appeared to have been a large building. Though some of it had been patterned with pink squares and even a few holes that were taken out from the walls. "Wait… is this Dad's hospital?" The rain kept pouring down on him as he stared at the strange building. It looked like Henrik's hospital but… there was definitely something off about it. He figured that he may as well go inside, since it appeared there was nothing else for him to check out.
He walked through the sliding doors, heading into what looked like the main lobby. There was a receptionist desk with two chairs behind, and a couple of plants in the corners. The inside also appeared to be glitched out. Some of the tiles were missing, the colors were missed-matched and the lights kept flickering which made the room nearly dark in some areas. Angus hated this, he did not like the situation one bit. "What am I doing here? I was just at the campsite with Dad and the others? How did I even-" He was cut off as his eyes suddenly saw a figure turn down the corner behind the receptionist desk. He jumped, wings ruffled and his tail pointed.
"W-who was that?" Despite his fears, Angus ran over to try and find that person. Perhaps they could help him get back home. It was a long stretch, but he was desperate. He turned the corner to look around but saw that the figure was nowhere to be seen. "The hell? Where'd he go?" The glitch walked down the hallway, still keeping his guard on high just to be safe. The hallway was a long one, with many doors on the side and at the very end was an elevator and a fork in the road. He walked over to where the elevator was, thinking that the figure took it in order to get out quickly. When he went to the metal shaft though, he pressed the buttons, but saw no light flashing. "Great, the elevator doesn't work." He sighed, then looked down either of the hallways only to find them blocked off by debris such as couches, chairs and even filing cabinets. The hell happened here?
"Guess it's safe to say they didn't go down here… must have gone in another room." Angus figured he may as well check out all the doors to see what he could find. So he started to try all the doors he could. He tried the first one that was closest to him, but it was locked. "Locked… of course." He then went to another one, but got the same results. "This one is locked as well…" The third door was a no go. "Are all the doors locked in this place?!" By the fourth one he was getting annoyed. "Why do none of the doors work?" The fifth closed door made him growl. "Do ANY of these doors open!?" Finally, the sixth door that was near the reception desk was not sealed off. Instead, it was wide open for Angus to peak into. "Okay… at least this gives me a different result." He admitted.
Angus walked in, seeing that he appeared to have been in a break room. A large table sat at the center with a couple of chairs around each side. There were some vending machines with snacks and bottles of liquid up against the walls. As well as a counter with a fridge and even a sink. "A break room huh? They must have gone in here!" He began to look around for any trace of that glitching figure he saw. His eyes however landed on the table, noticing what appeared to have been a tape recorder laying there. "A tape recorder? Did that figure leave it here?" He reached down, able to touch it. He pressed the button and listened to a gruff male voice on the end.
"April 4th, 2013. Project: Core Day 875. Once again, we have another failed vessel that was unable to contain the core. That makes fifty failures thus far. We tried doing all we could in order to keep the body stable, but it seemed that it was lacking something to help connect it with the very soul. I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that we have been getting deadline after deadline, I wouldn't be so upset. But we need to make the next one the perfect vessel, otherwise I'll get another earful from the boss upstairs. I'll have to ask. Dr. Nathaniel if he can create another one, since it is his department. For someone that seems to be fascinated with biology, he certain does love to play god. Though he treats everyone of his creations like his own pride and joy, even though they are just lifeless husks in the end. Not to mention the fact… he isn't the only one that is doing the impossible around here."
Angus tilted his head as he listened, the tape only gave him more questions than answers. "Vessel? Core? What was this guy talking about?" He wondered. And that date… April 4th, 2013. Why did that date seem familiar to him? He didn't have much time to ponder as he heard something creak behind him. He turned around, seeing that one of the vending machines had moved to reveal an opening. "Uh… that's new." Angus once again had a suspicious feeling, however he walked over to the doorway and saw a stairwell leading downwards. It was much darker in the lower level, but this had to have been where that figure was going. Trying to be brave, he descended the steps and found himself in another hallway. But this time the walls were different in terms of color. Instead of a creamy white and pink square pattern like upstairs, the walls down here were that of dark navy blue, and the holes had green spots in them. The doors also weren't a normal solid oak, instead they were what appeared to have been stable metallic entrances.
"This is getting too creepy…" He admits while looking around. His eyes noticed a glitching figure in blue that was slowly walking down the hallway, turning around the left corner. "Hey! Come back!" Angus yelled out as he ran over to try and catch up with them. He was not going to let them get away again. He needed answers, and he had to get to this person for them. He turned down a few corners, running past more hallways and other doors, going deeper and deeper into this basement of a hospital. Eventually, he cornered the one he was chasing to the end of the hallway, where he opened a sliding metal door and walked in. "Got you, you slippery bastard!" Angus declared. He ran over at high speed, finally making his way inside of the room. When he walked in, not only was the figure not there, but he was in a place that just sent chills down his spine.
The room was very small, but there was so much here. In the very center was a table that had metallic straps. A large cart that had many sharp tools such as knives, scalpels and even syringes. To the corner near the door was a desk that held a large computer and tower. But what was even weirder, was that half of the room was divided by a glass barrier. "What… the… fuck?" Angus felt sick to his stomach as he looked at the room, his whole body shaking as he could not look away. "W-what IS this place?!" He had a sinking feeling that this building was not what it originally appeared to have been.
Angus jumped again, as the lights in the room suddenly went out and made the place completely dark. "Ahhh!" He screamed, hoping that the lights would come back on. They did, but as soon as he could see, his eyes landed back on the table. Now there was someone laying on the surface, with their legs and wrists tied down. "W-what are-" Angus couldn't finish as he looked to see the figure turned his head to him. A creature that had half of its face missing in a static like fashion appeared, with a wide, stretched out grin and a black, soulless eye with a bullseye green pupil. Green tears leaked from the one visible eye as the figure stared at Angus, making him frozen to the ground. Fear grabbed a hold of the glitching Hunter as he just stared at the figure laying on the table, strapped down and just crying while grinning at him. It became such a traumatic image, he started to scream. It was all he could do.
"Haaa!" Angus yelped, bolting up in the sleeping bag as he panted. "Haaaa…. Haaaa…. Hhhhh…." He took in some deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. His form was still shaking as his wings and tail were ruffled. "... Jesus christ. What… the hell was that?" It was all he could ask himself. He knew it was a nightmare, and even though he has had a few within the past couple of years, they were never that bad. "I'm not staying in here any longer, fuck this!" He tossed the blanket aside, heading to the tent and going outside. He needed some fresh air to think and clear his head. Get his mind off of whatever the hell he just saw. As he exited the tent, he was still panting and shaking. The cool, night air brushed against his skin the moment he stepped out. For a brief moment, he did feel better as his skin felt cooler from the sweat that produced from him.
"Anti?" Marvin jumped as he looked over to see him out of the tent. The others were able to look over as well, worrying for their friend. "Is something wrong, darling?"
Henrik appeared to be in a panic as well as he went to his son. "Anti?! Are you alright?!"
"I… I…" He trailed off, still trying to collect himself. He looked back over at everyone, wondering how he was going to explain to them what he had just seen. Not even he knew what it was that he went through.
Chase approached asking the question again. "You okay, dude?"
Thankfully Angus managed to take in some deep breaths. He was still shaky but could muster out a few words. "Y-yea. I-I'm okay, I just- had a nightmare." He finally admitted.
"Do you remember what it was about?" Henrik asked as he went over, rubbing his back to try and help him calm down more.
As much as Angus wanted to tell them, he still could hardly wrap his head around it. He ended up shaking his head, hoping that it wouldn't happen again. "S-sorry if I worried you all…"
Henrik hummed, giving a smile to his son reassuringly. "It's alright… it was probably just a stress dream. We all know what anniversary is coming up after all." Henrik stated. Everyone fell a bit silent, especially Angus. He knew all too well since he was part of the cause of the Corruption that took place two years ago. But… Why would that nightmare remind him of those terrible events? Come to think of it… it didn't really remind him of the Corruption. He tried not to think too hard about it, he'd rather forget. "Anyways, you are awake now and in the end it was only a nightmare." Herink grinned at Angus. "Would it make you feel better if you stayed out here with us for a while?"
"Y-Yeah…" He didn't want to go back into the tent and sleep. He'd rather stay awake and be with everyone else where he felt safe. Henrik led him over to the campfire, sitting down next to him as he rubbed his back more. Angus appreciated the comfort, as it really helped to lower his anxiety.
"Here you go, darling~ I just finished dishing up everyone's dinner." Marvin handed him a plate with the kabobs and the pasta. Angus had to admit, it certainly did look delicious. Maybe some food would help him overcome that terrifying dreamscape.
"Thanks Marvin…" Anti smiled a small one the magician's way.
"Don't worry, man!" Chase smirked at Angus. "If anything's out there, we've got your back!" He promised, doing his best to sound tough for Angus's sake. That was until a distant hooting could be heard, which made the cool father jump. "AAA! WHAT WAS THAT?!" He jumped onto Henrik's other side, looking around in an alert fashion to find the source.
Jackie looked over at Chase with a raised brow in disbelief. "Dude, that was an owl. Chill."
Chase looked over at the superhero, slowly letting go of Henrik as he nervously laughed. "Y-Yeah, I knew that. I was… Testing you!"
Jackie sighed in dumbfoundedness, but Angus appreciated the gesture that Chase was doing. "Heehee… Thanks, guys." He smiled at them. He did feel slightly better as he was surrounded by everyone and began to eat his dinner. Having a full belly already perked him up quite a bit. Though Angus still could not get that nightmare out of his mind. He was confused about where he was and what that building was for. As well as who those two figures were. The one that was laying on the table strapped down… and the figure that he'd seen running around the hospital. It almost looked like Sean but that couldn't be possible… could it?
A few more hours passed before everyone decided that it was time to hit the sack. Jackie and Marvin went to their tent while Angus went with Chase and Henrik into there's. "Now remember, if you have any other nightmares, make sure to let us know." Henrik told his son.
Angus nodded, laying in his sleeping bag and watched as the doctor and his older brother figure began to drift off for some peaceful slumber. Angus, on the other hand, was still wide awake. While he did feel more comfortable resting with the others, he didn't want to shut his eyes in fear that the nightmare would start all over again. He did not want to go through that hellish maze once more and come across those monstrous figures. He sighed silently as he stared at the roof of the ten. 'At this rate, I'm never gonna get any sleep.' He was too agitated to even lay down. Picking himself up, Angus stood and looked over at the other two sleeping egos. 'Sorry Dad, sorry Chase. But I just can't sleep right now. I think some fresh air will help me clear my mind.'
Angus stepped past them and went outside, taking in the crispy air of the cold. He took in some deep breaths, trying to clear his mind more. He didn't understand where this sudden overwhelming feeling was coming from. When he woke up this morning, all he could think about was this camping trip. He was in a pretty great mood and was looking forward to this event. Sure, he dealt with Sean, but it wasn't like it should have been enough to give him that nightmare. "Geez… why am I always such a mess?" He wondered to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.
The glitch jumped as his pointed ears picked up something. He stood where he was, looking around as he heard some loud sobbing sounds. "Huh? Is someone… crying?" He looked over to where Jackie and Marvin's tent was, but the sound didn't come from there. He knew for a fact it wasn't Henrik or Chase. His feet started to go deeper into the forest, passing a few trees. He wondered if someone was in trouble, as it sounded like they were in pain. He soon came to a clearing that was not too far from the campsite. In the very center, stood a figure with it's back turned to Angus. He could hardly make out too much of the being as it was kind of dark, but he could see the shoulders sagging as the sobbing grew louder.
"That thing…" Angus gasped as he was a few feet away from it. He wanted to make sure there was some space between the two just in case. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the figure's back clearly. The large, serpentine like green tail and the pointed ears as it wore all black clothing. It wrapped itself in a self hug, still shaking as it stood there, not noticing Angus right away. "W-who…?" Angus knew this was a bad idea, but his curiosity got the better of him as he wondered if this person really was in pain. "W-who are you? Show yourself!" Angus demanded, doing his best to be brave.
As much as Angus tried to prepare himself, he was not ready for when the figure turned around to face him. Angus once again felt his blood turned to ice as he stared up at the horrifying nightmare. Once again, he found himself staring into a person that had half of a face, with the left half looking glitched out. He could see a trail of blood coming out of a slit in its neck, as the serpentine tail raised up in defense. And even though Angus didn't notice it at first, there was a large hole in the right side of it's chest. Green tears came out of the one black socket that was an eye on the figure. While it grinned at Angus with a toothy perma-smile.
"W-what… what the fuck-" Angus took a few steps back, starting to sense danger.
"SU1IT0xMT1cu."Angus jumped as it did not expect the creature to have actually spoken! It talked in code, to which he could not understand at first. The moment it began to take some steps towards him, Angus turned on his heels and headed back to camp right away. He was not going to stay any longer near whatever that… thing was! He ran, heading back to camp and didn't look back. He didn't want to see that monster coming after him. All that mattered was heading back to the others! By the time he made it to the tent, he ended up collapsing face first. Angus picked himself up, turning back to the forests and panting heavily. He looked behind himself but was relieved that the creature didn't follow him. Did that mean he was safe? "Hah… hah… D-Did I lose him?"
"Anti?!" Angus turned back to see Henrik and Chase coming out of the tent, heading over in his direction.
"D-Dad!" He gasped out, coughing as he stood up. Henrik ran over to his side, keeping him steady.
"Dude, are you okay?" Chase asked in a worried tone. "Where did you go?!"
Anti was about to speak, only to see Marvin and Jackie practically rushing over to his side, as they heard the commotion. "What's going on?" Marvin asked. "Anti? What's wrong?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Jackie noted. At this point, Angus would have preferred a spirit than… whatever that thing in the forest was!
"Please tell us you didn't actually see a ghost…" Chase shuddered, suddenly becoming scared.
Marvin jumped at the very thought. "Oh god, please say you didn't. This is turning into a horror movie as we speak…" Angus didn't blame their rising fears, he was just as spooked out as they were. But they didn't see what he found in the forest.
Henrik pushed everyone else away from Angus, making sure he had some room. "Back up, everyone! Too many people around him might overwhelm him." Angus was glad that Henrik was focusing on calming the situation down before getting the details. He kept breathing shakily, which made Henrik go to his side and rub his back again. "It's alright Anti. Take your time." Angus kept panting a bit, doing his best to relax. He soon regained himself as he looked up at everyone. Their worried expressions made him regret lying about his nightmare, so now he wanted to tell them what was going on.
"I-I… s-saw someone… out in the woods." He explained. "T-they looked terrifying… The one side of their face was normal but… the other l-looked like it was missing and… they looked like they were glitching."
"What do you suppose it could have been?" Marvin questioned, looking at everyone for an answer. They all remained silent, especially Angus. None of them had the faintest idea.
"I-I don't know…" Angus finally admitted. "B-but it spoke to me. Though I couldn't understand it."
Jackie grew serious as he glared over to the woods. "Alright, I'll go and investigate! I'll be back!"
"I'm going with you!" Marvin stated. "Best we stay in pairs just to be safe. Chase, Henrik, watch over Anti for us." The magician begged as he and the superhero went into the forest. Angus watched them go, he wanted to call out to them, beg them not to face it alone. But he hesitated. He didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to beg them to stay.
"Breath, mein Sohn." Henrik hushed him as he rubbed his back again. "You're safe now…"
"B-but dad…" Angus trailed off, still having that creature's face in his mind.
"Easy dude," Chase tried to reassure him. "Jackie and Marvin will find them if they're still out there. Whatever that thing was, it won't hurt you or us!"
Henrik nodded. "And if it comes here, we will make sure you won't face it alone." He promised.
As much as Angus wanted to believe them, he was still not sure what that thing he found was capable of. For all he knew, it could obliterate them with ease! Even so, the comfort of Henrik's words did help his anxiety go down. He always felt better whenever he was with the other egos. "O-okay…"
Henrik smiled, seeing him becoming more calm now. "Perhaps we should head back home in the morning, cut the trip short?"
"Mnnn… I-I…" He went to protest, feeling guilty at the thought of being the one to end the camping experience before it truly began. Although, going back to his secure cabin did seem ideal.
"It's okay, Anti." Henrik assured, seeing the guilt on his face. "If you want, we could stay at your place and watch some movies and eat snacks?"
He gave a small smile up at the doctor, he always knew what to say to make Angus feel better. He was glad he considered him a father figure. "Y-Yeah… okay, Dad." He went over, hugging Henrik gently as he wanted a bit more comfort from him.
Henrik patted his back, while Chase looked at the scene. "Come on, let's head back into the tent. We'll go home as soon as the sun rises." The hatted one promised. The three headed back to the tent, attempting to get what little rest they could before morning. Angus still looked back to the forest where Jackie and Marvin went into. And where he came face to face with that… creature. Despite being reassured by everyone, Angus wondered who or what that being was… and what it wanted.