(Hello, it's me again. This chapter has really come out of sheer obligation. I want to get more up, but I'm afraid that I'll have to rewrite the first two chapters. Why? People are out of character, or at least partially. Johnny doesn't go into any little rants about anything…I'll just have to make up for lost time in the next chapter. (That one I'm -really- looking forward to) Thanks for your time.)

Oh My

Johnny was prepared to answer the questions, but there was a slight flaw in his plan, for he had nothing to say, nothing to push aside the smaller boy's fears with. NNY had never been one for comforting anyone, but he felt obligated to do something about Squee's fright.

"I don't know." Johnny stated flatly. "But I think that we need to find out..." 'Brilliant deduction.' He thought bitterly, wondering partially why he bothered at all. "I need to ask somone who would know."

"...Johnny...I'm scared..." Johnny blinked a few times.

"That's the first time you've called me by my full name."

"I'm sorry?" Johnny shrugged in a nonchalant manner. Squee shrugged slightly in return, an endearing gesture that was made all that much more so by his adorable yawning. A faint smile, a genuine smile. One of the few he'd shed. Today was full of firsts, in a while at least.

"I should let you get to sleep... You need the rest..."

"I can't."

"Why not? You're tired and you need the rest."

"I'm scared."

"Why?"

"I don't want to die."

"Dying isn't so bad, besides, sleep can't kill you."

"Zombies will." Squee responded, his tone matching the bitterness in Johnny's thoughts moments before.

"But there aren't any, just in your dreams."

"That's enough for me." Squee muttered, his tones sounding more frightened than they had, they'd lost their bitter edge. Suddenly, a slight bit of inspiration struck NNY.

"What does Shmee have to say about this?"

"He says that I should go with you." When Squee said this you could have heard a pin drop, or at the very least heard Nny's jaw drop. First because it was so quiet, secondly because he had not heard Shmee say anything, and thirdly because Shmee hated him. "He says that he has business with D-boy. Who is D-boy Nny?"

"Squee, if you come with me, Shmee has to stay here. Shmee and D-boy won't get along and I don't want Shmee getting hurt..." It was amusing how easily the lies came, how easily he could decieve.

"Okay." Responded the tiny boy, climbing out of bed and placing the bear amoung his pillows. "Be a good bear Shmee. Just pretend that I'm going to skool, it'll be okay." He smiled at the bear before he extended a sleepy hand to Johnny.

"That's it? You're willing to come with me? You've seen what I do, you know of all the people that I've killed, all the people I've hurt, everything, and you're still willing to come? Despite how you and the rest of the world fear me? Why would you do such a thing? Why would you go against Shmee's thoughts of me before? How can you allow yourself to look beyond your fear of me in order to face a greater fear? You're far too young to know the difference between levels of fear, but I assure you that I am very high on that list, how can yo"

"You aren't as scary as Pepito and his family, and Shmee's a bad judge of character, you should hear what he says about Mommy and Daddy."

"What's so bad about Pepito's family?" Nny questioned, an eyebrow raising along with the rest of him as he stood. His long fingers extended towards Squee's and he took the boy's hand gingerly, as if he was afraid that he would break it.

"Well, his dad is the devil, so their basement is scary." Johnny blinked a few times, far more than was utterly necessary.

"You've been in Satan's HOUSE!" Squee simply shrugged his tiny shoulders, releasing Johnny's hand to retrieve a small canvas bag, but his hand returned a few moments later.

"It isn't as creepy as you might think, except for the basement, they have cable."

"Where is it? I can ask him if he knows anything about"

"It's late Nny, let's just go sleep." He yawned and began groggily walking across his room's floor, futility leering over his attempts to bring Johnny with him.

"The window is faster."

"It's a second story window NNY." Squee said in a sleepy, yet still 'hushstupid' tone.

"That hasn't stopped me before. What's in the bag?"

"Stuff, now let's get going... How am I supposed to get down?"

"The door. I have a feeling, call it an instinct, that your Mommy and Daddy won't mind. I'll go down like usual." Johnny smiled his sort of evil grin. "You head down first." A slight tremor of fear found its way down the small boy's spine.

"Okay NNY. Just promise me something first..."

"What? I'm not making any promises that I can't keep Squee."

"Promise you won't kill me." The way in which NNY's face fell proclaimed that he was hurt by the command, but still he nodded.

"I promise that I won't kill you Squee."

"Good. I'll see you outside Johnny." Squee giggled as he said the name, pleased with himself for having the courage to say it again. Once the boy was out of the room, Johnny strode over to the bed once more. He picked up Shmee by the neck and held him high, at eye level.

"All right Mr. Bear-Bear, we have some business to discuss."

The following morning came without incident, as NNY had predicted Squee's parents seemed rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Squee had curled into a tiny ball upon NNY's bed, clinging to a small plush rabbit that he'd had in his bag. Johnny stayed awake, he spent much of his night explaining why Squee was there to D-boy, and then Eff, and then to both of them at once. D-boy still had yet to forgive NNY for throwing the knife at him... Well, pinning him to the wall. He had a large divide in his face.

"Are you going to feed him to the wall?"

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO FUCKING TELL YOU D-BOY! I'M NOT FUCKING FEEDING THE GOD-DAMNED WALL ANYMORE!"(Ahem..emphasis..)

"...That makes twice." Johnny calmed slightly.

"Twice too many."

"But then you wouldn't have told"

"SILENCE!"

"Johnny, you've woken him."

"SILENCE! I WOULD NOT HAVE WOKEN HIM IF YOU HADN'T MADE ME YELL!"

"Good morning NNY." Said a very sleep Squee. "Why were you yelling?"

"How did you get out of my room?"

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was-" interjected Eff. "I unlocked and opened it."

"Why would you do that? -How- would you do that?"

"...Because." This was by no means a suitable answer, but Johnny found himself accepting it, more or less due to the terrified expression upon Squee's face.

"It's one of them. The ones from my dreams... The doughboys.." Johnny's eyes rolled in an exasperated manner, as rolling eyes typically do.

"Yes yes, this is Mr. Eff and the other is D-boy. What about them?"

"Don't you hear what they're saying?" The boys glanced back and forth at one another, spiral eyes meeting blank ones, their eyebrows shooting upward. "They're talking about you and me... They're talking about killing us off and being free..." Squee's eyes were rounded, wide, terrified. "They're just talking to themselves, they knew you couldn't hear and they thought that I could not..."

"He speaks lies NNY." Stated D-boy.

"Nothing but horrible lies." remarked Eff.

"You should kill him." D-boy added.

"Let him help you paint."

"They're trying to scare me away now, they're saying the most horrible things..."

"Johnny, you should do something about those two. The boy is right. Now you have another telling you the truth about them! This is just like when they tore me from the wall, they're trying to take over your life, take over you!"

"Shut up Rabbit!" Snapped Eff.

"This does not concern you!" Hissed D-boy.

"I hate to interrupt your yelling about me, but it seems that both Squee and Johnny have left..."

Yay for stealthy escapes.