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What Lies In the Dark
Chapter 23
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The rain had slowly died off, and the clouds had finally moved on. The sky was partially cloudily, and it was beginning to light up. The stars were no long visible, and the sky was mixed with a pinkish and very light blue. There was only a light breeze now, causing the remaining rain to fall from the leaves and land on Fox who sat on the grass below.
He sat quietly, watching the movements of everyone outside. The remaining smashers had finally left the mansion and where rejoicing. Peach had recovered from the fight, and was now accompanying Doctor Mario, who was tending to Roy's wounds. Mewtwo was standing by the small fire, where Craven's body laid. Silently staring down at the lifeless murderer on the ground. Over by the stairs were Nana, Pichu and Young Link. Nana was softly crying, and Young Link had his arm wrapped around her, comforting her. Fox couldn't tell if she was crying because it was over, or because of the death of her brother. Either way, Young Link was by her side, and Fox was amused at the sight.
Was a relationship just beginning? Fox didn't know. Maybe…
Fox lowered his head, turning his attention away from the young children by the mansion. He looked down at his dirty bloody hands. His right glove was practically ripped in half, and his other glove had numerous holes in it. Fox's clothes were still soaked from the rain, and ash covered parts of his fur from the fire. He was a mess; he admitted that.
But in the end, he was content.
" You okay?"
A soft young and kind voice caused Fox to lift his head to the young elf now standing next to him. Fox smiled and briefly turned his attention to Nana and Pichu who were now talking to each other. Nana held a bright smile upon her face. She seemed much better now.
Fox nodded in response. " Is she okay?"
Young Link looked over his shoulder at Nana and turned back to Fox nodding. " Yes." He took a seat next to the smasher, and showed Fox the book in his hands. Fox eyed the book carefully, watching as Young Link sat it down in front of them. " She's doing better now." He finished.
" That's good to hear…" Fox whispered.
Young Link took a deep breath. " So, Craven's gone now, right?" Fox nodded. " You and Roy really saved the day."
Fox chuckled at the thought. " Not really..."
" Why not?" Young Link questioned, as his soft blue eyes looked up at Fox. " You saved me and Roy. You saved Nana. You saved Pichu, Mewtwo, Peach, Doctor Mario…you saved all of us."
" But what about those…" Fox stopped shortly.
" They're saved as well…" Young Link spoke softly, looking down at the book. " Even though, they aren't with us right now…their deaths were avenged. They can finally rest in peace…"
" Young Link…"
" I've finally moved on from my brother's death…" Young Link continued, looking down at his dirty rough hands. " I-I know I will never forget it…but I'm happy to say…" Young Link looked back at Fox, with a smile on his face. " I'm not going to let it bother me anymore."
Fox returned the smile, and patted Young Link's back, careful of his recovering wound. " That's good to hear. And I bet Link is proud of you. You really helped us solve this murder mystery, and I want thank you."
" I should be thanking you." Young Link replied. " You've have done so much for me, and everyone else here."
" What are friends for?" Fox questioned.
Young Link smiled.
The two smashers suddenly turned their attention to the front gates, as a small white and black bus pulled into the mansion. Fox and Young Link both stood their feet, as the bus drove around the rotary up to the front of the mansion where Nana and Pichu stood. The doors opened, and Master Hand floated out of the bus, looking around at the few smashers outside.
Young Link hurried over to the bus, while Fox picked up the book and followed the young elf. Doctor Mario stood after tending to Roy's wounds, and crossed his arms as Master Hand headed in their direction. Mewtwo walked up to Peach, who stood next to the prince sitting on the ground. Silence immediately filled the area, as everyone focused upon the one in charge.
" What happened?" Master Hand questioned.
Fox reached the group and stopped, holding the book at his side. " It's over…Master Hand."
" It is?" Everyone nodded. " Who was the murderer?"
" There were actually two murderers." Peach explained, softly.
" Mr. Game and Watch…" Nana told him.
" And?" Master Hand asked.
Everyone stood in silence, as if afraid to speak Craven's name. Roy, Peach and Young Link all turned to Fox. The smasher noticed their gazes. In their eyes, he could tell they were pleaded for him to tell Master Hand. They didn't want to tell Master Hand the truth, that his own brother was the final murderer.
Fox sighed deeply, and decided to speak up. After all, he was the one who ended Craven's life. " It was…Craven."
" Craven?" Master Hand gasped, astonished. " My brother?"
Fox nodded. " The clues lead to him, and we when he revealed his identity we knew we were right."
" Where is he?" Master Hand spoke sternly demanding an answer.
Fox pointed. " In the fire…" He replied softly.
Master Hand immediately flew passed the smashers and stopped on the small island in front of the fire. He glared down at the fire, in silence, not even moving once. Mewtwo and Peach both helped Roy to his feet, as the group steadily walked away from Master Hand, giving him a moment alone.
They headed over toward Nana and Young Link, while Roy stood next to Fox. Pichu stood in front of them, right near their feet. They all watched Master Hand, imagining what he was going through at the moment. Fox could only pity him. He could imagine what it would be like, to return home and find out your brother had been killed, because he was killing everyone else. It didn't matter what your brother did, even though it was wrong, you still loved them. Fox knew that Master Hand was mixed with feelings. Anger. Disappointment. Confusion. It was all there.
It seemed like eternity until Master Hand finally turned away from his brother. He stood in his spot, staring at the few smashers that watched them. Then he finally spoke, speaking softly.
" Are you eight the only ones left?" The group of smashers nodded. " I'm terribly sorry this had happened."
" It's not your fault, Master Hand." Peach explained.
Fox's eyes averted the Italian Doctor, standing between Mewtwo and Young Link. He lowered his head in shame, refusing eye contact with any other smashers. Why was he beating himself up, because of an accident? No one blamed him. No one told Master Hand how it had truly started.
" It's because of the book, right?" Master Hand turned to Fox.
Fox nodded. " Whatever happened in the book, happened in real life. I finally realized, that Falco had done some research before staring to write. He had learned about your human forms, and used Craven as one of the murderers. Craven was good friends with Mr. Game and Watch, from what I had heard from Young Link. He decided to have two friends team up and kill everyone."
Master Hand turned to Young Link. " How did you know about that?"
" I-I accidentally entered Craven's office." Young Link answered. " I saw the picture of him and Mr. Game and Watch. And I read the note he wrote…to you."
Master Hand nodded. " Ah, yes…" He continued to speak softly. " The note…Craven was jealous of me, because I was older and smarter than him. I had gotten more attention than him as we grew up, and I remember we both built this mansion together. For some reason, he had never gotten credit…and after we were cursed, he left." Master Hand paused. He sighed deeply. " I never saw him after that…"
" That's horrible…" Nana commented, softly.
" I'm glad though, this has finally ended…" Master Hand briefly turned back to the fire. " Despite, all that has happened, and the outcome."
" What do we do now?" Mewtwo questioned.
Master Hand turned his attention back to the group. " I believe we had enough action and scares for one lifetime. It's time to head home."
Fox stood in his spot, and watched as the others agreed and walked over to the bus. Master Hand finally moved from his spot, and followed the small group of smashers. Fox licked his lips as he looked down at the book still in his arms. He knew he had one last thing to do.
Roy stood in front of the bus, and silently watched Fox as he walked up to the fire. Fox stared down at the flames in front of him, feeling the heat up against his fur. He grasped the book in front of him, and held it out above the fire. Finally, he came to final decision, and had let the book go for good.
The book fell from Fox's hands, and landed right in the midst of the small fire. Fox watched in silence, as the flames engulfed the fragile book, causing it to immediately burn. He listened the fire crack, and watched carefully as the book darkened, turning to ash.
Fox forced himself to turn and head to the bus, where everyone waited. He didn't get far, until he felt another presence near by. A gust of wind hit him from behind, as the area around him suddenly had gotten colder. Fox steadily turned around, as his eyes widened at what was behind him.
Mist floated in the air, and soaring above the fire where the book continued to burn, was Falco. He was faint and bright. You could easily see through him, as he stared down at Fox, smiling. Fox felt his heart pick up pace as he stepped closer to the fire, glancing up at his departed friend. His ghost.
" Falco…" Fox whispered.
Falco nodded, and smiled. Thank you, my friend.
Fox felt himself smile as Falco's ghost suddenly vanished, and flew up into the air. Fox watched amazed, as other ghostly figures flew out of the fire and soared up into the air, following Falco. Once everything had stopped, the mist had vanished, and the heat from the flame returned.
Fox knew what had happened. They were free. Their souls were trapped in the book and now that the book was destroyed, they were able to leave. Like Young Link had said, they can finally rest in peace.
" You ready?" Roy questioned, crossing his arms.
Fox nodded. " Yeah. Let's go home."
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The bus ride home was a calm and quite one, despite the bumpiness they had to endure. Fox sat in a seat by him, right near the window as he watched a ton trees fly by. The sun was slowly rising, causing the sky to turn blue and the white clouds to appear.
Fox briefly turned his attention away from the window, and looked around at the silent bus. Everyone except Young Link, who sat up in the front, had fallen asleep. They were only one the bus for two minutes, and already found themselves drifting off. Fox was actually happy for his friends, because they had finally put everything behind them.
Fox knew though, it would take him a while to recover. He had practically lost everything back at the mansion, and some things couldn't be replaced. He would never forget the horrible adventure he had gone through, and would never forget that it was his gun and his bullet that had ended it all. He had taken Craven's life, and it was something that he was going to remember for the rest of his life.
The young smasher turned his attention back to the window, and watched as the mansion slowly left view. Everyone was heading home, the few who remained. But he couldn't help but wonder what Master Hand was going to do. Master Hand's home was the mansion, and with his brother gone…he had nothing left. Fox didn't know if Master Hand was going to close down the campus. What was there left for a hand to do? That was all up to those, who put their imagination to the test.
Who knows what Master Hand is going to do now, but Fox knew one thing. If Master Hand had the ability to show his emotions, he knew he would be crying…
As Fox closed his eyes, and leaned back knowing that eventually sleep would over take him, he thought about everything that had happened. He thought about the book, he thought about Craven, he thought about his friends and the mansion. But there was one thing that he thought about the most, and that was dark.
The dark was something we all fear, and it was common. They had faced the dark, and conquered it. And after the great adventure they had experienced, Fox was content to say…
They had over powered the dark. And there was no reason to be afraid anymore.
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Author's Note:
Fin.
The story is finally done, and I'm surprised I'm not crying right now, because this story has been a great experience for me. My very first horror had ended up being the best story I had written so far on this site. Wow. I am surely impressed and…words can't describe how I am feeling right now.
There I a few things I want to say before I officially end this story….
First off, thank you so much all of my faithful reviewers! I couldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement and kinds words. You seriously are the best reviewers ever! I have reached passed my ultimate goal on this site, with over 250 reviews! Wow. I could never have achieved my goal without your help. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Second, I want to specially thank, KILL THE EMPIRE! If it wasn't for him, I would have never written this horror. After reading all of his horrors, it has inspired me to write this. This story is dedicated to you, KILL THE EMPIRE! You better not forget this, ever! You have seriously been a great friend, and I'm so glad I have met you on this site. You seriously rock! Much hugs and kisses and all of that good stuff to you! Thank you!
And lastly, I have a new story out called Power of The Elements. It's not a horror, but action/adventure with romance in it. I will mostly be focusing on just this story in the Super Smash Brothers section. Check that out, if you are interested. Only the prologue is up, but expect more chapters soon. It has Pit in it too! Yah!
Other than that, I have nothing left to say. I will most likely write another horror story, but don't expect one anytime soon. Look out for it in the near future, or until I finish one of my other stories first.
Thanks once again, everyone!
Baby-G
Until Next Time!
