Names of Cult Members

Randy- Rabbit boy

Franky- Furry Boy

George- Purple Frog

Louis- Unicorn

Treeson- Tree

Shrignold- Butterfly/Pesky Bee/Little baby pigeon

Malcolm- King of love

Itwas just a regular day, Manny was in the garden, colouring pretty pictures of the surrounding woodland and the creatures that passed by. The teachers had allowed him access to a drawing pad and crayons, it kept his creative mind going so he could be ready for Sketch's next lesson. Unfortunately he was still never creative enough for her but he was able to keep his art supplies, he always hid them in case the teachers one day turned on him and tried to take them away, he did this even though he knew they'd find them. He had to be a little rebellious in his life, right? He had been out there for a while under the watchful eye of Robin, drawing and colouring away in his own world where anything could go right. He had already gone through four pages, each of which were covered in childish drawings of a rabbit, a frog, a unicorn and a weird furry creature that he couldn't really describe, now he was on a fifth where he was scribbling a large tree with a massive smile. He had seen these creatures hopping around, staring at him for a couple of seconds before moving on their merry way to the deep dark woods. He found them interesting because they seemed to congregate into a group and travel down the path together but he couldn't follow them because of Robin and his own fears, that squirming feeling in his gut that likes the writhe and wiggle when a teacher is nearby or he sees something scary, Manny hated fear, he despised being terrified of things because he couldn't protect the people he loved if he was scared. He looked back at the front door where Robin sat talking to Harry, he had noticed a weird change between them but he couldn't put his finger on it, he didn't question them though because he felt like it would be an awkward conversation at best but whatever had happened made them happier than before so he was happy too.

Manny almost jumped as a butterfly flapped its wings near his face. He raised his hand to swat it away but stopped himself when he saw how pretty it was, it was orange with black stripes covering it and a little white decorating the tips of each wing. It looked lovely and he soon found himself entranced by each slow flap of those mesmerising wings. He stood up, glanced at Harry and Robin, who were still distracted, and started to follow this beautiful creature into the forest. He had always loved butterflies, their wings were so pretty and the way they gently glided by always made him smile. Robin never liked butterflies, he wasn't sure why, whenever one was around he'd hold onto Manny's hand very tightly until it flew away. Harry didn't get that protective but if he ever saw one he'd make sure that Manny stayed put. He didn't understand why his friends hated these beautiful bugs but he didn't question it.

The butterfly led him to a small circle of trees, each of which stretched high up into the sky. Manny stared up at them with wonder, why were they so tall? Maybe if he climbed it he could reach space, Manny smiled, that was a nice thought. He looked around for the bug and saw that it was flying up the tallest tree. He quickly ran over and started to climb up, he wanted to catch the creature and show it to his friends. There were a lot of branches so making his way up was quite easy, he never lost his footing and was careful. As he went higher, he heard distant whispers coming from all around him, the animals were following him up the tree, muttering things to each other. Manny ignored them, they were probably just as intrigued by the butterfly as he was, it was very pretty. He smiled a little as a gentle breeze blew across his face, this place felt peaceful, no teachers were here so he was safe, he desperately wanted to escape sometimes even if it was just for a little while. He was still aware of the animals but instead of climbing and whispering, they were now staring directly at him as if they were expecting something to happen. He began to feel nervous, twitching a little as he reached for the next branch. Why were they following him? Did they want something? Or was he just mistaken? He attempted to shrug it off and continue the climb but a little part of him screamed at him, telling him to stop what he was doing. He didn't have the chance to even think though as he felt something hit him hard over the head.

"I'm sorry," someone behind him whispered in his ear.

He started to turn but instead fell forward as he began to black out. Before he fully lost consciousness, he felt someone catch him and the flap of a butterfly's wings.

Manny knew that he was meant to wake up, he just didn't want to open his eyes, he didn't want to face the horrors all around him. The teachers had gotten to him once again and without Harry and Robin he may not survive at all, they protected him. Manny didn't get why though, he'd always been a weak and pathetic child but his friends still cared about him as if he were their own child. He sometimes wished that he could see his dad again but his dad was always away doing some important business thing that Manny would never understand. He felt tears in his eyes as he thought about these horrible things, he only ever thought about horrible things when he was near a teacher, it was like they had some kind of bad aura around them which would affect anyone around, it was incredibly intoxicating.

Manny decided to open his eyes a little to see what was happening, he peeked through his eyelids to see all the animals watching him. How long had they been sitting there? He quickly shut his eyes again but the leader of the cult of love had seen them open.

"Ah, he's awake, we can begin," he said, his gentle voice echoing through the room, "Franky, could you bring in the knife and bowl?"

"O-Of course, Shrignold," one of the cult members answered, his voice filled with a little bit of fear.

Franky left the room then returned with a dagger and a china bowl. The dagger looked very weird, the blade itself curved round a little and patterns had been etched into the metal, Manny squinted so he could have a better look. It was flowers, flowers had been carved into the knife and the blade had been tinted blue, it looked nice but he knew that it wasn't going to stay like that, it was soon going to be stained with red. The bowl was also very nice as well, it was covered in beautiful designs all of which were painted in blue. Manny didn't know what the bowl was going to be used for but he knew that it wasn't going to be good.

"George, go and retrieve the bride," Shrignold calmly addressed the frog, who almost jumped out of his purple skin.

"Yes, Shrignold," he replied, bowing his head down as he left the room

The room went quiet and Manny was left to watch this scene unfold before him. Shrignold was staring at him, an eerie smile on his face.

"Are you all ready for the ceremony?" he asked the others.

Three of them reluctantly nodded but the other one was obviously off in another world.

"Randy?" the butterfly tapped his fellow cult member on the shoulder.

"Huh?" the rabbit, who was apparently called Randy, looked up at his leader, puzzled.

"I asked if you were ready for the ceremony," he replied as his grip on the poor bunny's shoulder got tighter and tighter.

"Ow, Shrignold, you're hurting me!" Randy complained, trying to escape from his grasp.

"Answer the question."

"Y-Yes, I'm ready for the ceremony," he answered.

There was a small crack as Shrignold squeezed one final time before letting go. Randy looked away, tears in his eyes, and rubbed his sore shoulder which had been given the same kind of treatment beforehand. Another member, who resembled the unicorn Manny had been drawing earlier, put his arm around the rabbit's waist protectively, trying to comfort his friend after the abusive ordeal.

"Please, don't do this George," Manny could hear the pleading voice of a young girl echo through the corridor outside the room, the voice sounded familiar.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but I have to. You know the rules," George replied, pulling the girl into the room.

There she was, in the flesh, little Lily was back. Her cotton candy hair had been cut to her shoulders and stuck out in several different directions, her white dress was torn and now up to her knees when before the hemline had reached her ankles, mud had been smudged on the fabric and blood from many wounds stained the rough material. There were scars on her cheeks and on the bridge of her nose and a large purple bruise swelled around her eye. Her left foot stuck out in an odd angle, which obviously made it painful to move as she now had to hop every where she went. He also noticed that one of her fingers had been cut off, the bit the remained was bandaged up but was still bloody. Manny couldn't fathom the pain and torture she had to endure.

The frog guided her back into the room, making sure she didn't fall over as she jumped over. It took a while for her to make it and Shrignold was getting impatient.

"This is taking ages, Treeson, reset her foot, would you?" he said.

This member looked like the human version of the tree Manny had been drawing in the garden, he didn't know how he had managed to change shape but that was the least of his worries right now.

"Okay, Shrignold," Treeson glared at the back of the butterfly's head before approaching Lily.

The girl looked at him in fear, scared of what he was going to do. This hurt Treeson quite a bit, he didn't want to torture her at all, he wanted to keep her safe, but he knew that if he went against the orders of Shrignold and Malcolm then there would be consequences worse than death. He tried to give Lily as reassuring look but failed as he grabbed hold of her injured foot.

"This'll only hurt for a moment," he said, reluctantly twisting her foot until it was facing in the correct direction.

Of course Lily screamed, she couldn't do much else. Her shrieks reverberated through the room, making everyone there wince.

"Keep her quiet, we don't want to disturb Malcolm during his slumber," the horrible butterfly sneered, glaring at the girl who was now crying.

The animals surrounded Lily, trying to comfort her the best they could. They all looked like they wanted to cry and no one could blame them, they all obviously faced the same punishments everyday at the hands of this cruel beast.

Lily looked up to see her friend tied up to a chair, watching this little show in fear.

"Manny!" she exclaimed, running over to hug her friend.

"Lily!" he couldn't hug her back so instead opted for leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she whispered.

"Why did you leave me?" he asked, feeling the tears in his eyes.

"T-They took me away, I didn't want to leave," she answered, her voice shaking. Her grip on him tightened, she didn't want to let go.

"No, get away from him, the groom can't see the bride before the ceremony!" Shrignold pulled her away and sat her down in another chair.

"Shrignold, go easy on them, they're only kids," the unicorn said.

"I know that, Louis, but they're also disobedient brats who need to be put in their place," he hissed.

He started to tie Lily up as well but she tried her hardest to fight back, she kicked and swing at him the best she could but her attempts were futile.

"Hold her down," he said to the others when she wouldn't keep still.

The cult obliged, holding her wrists and ankles down as Shrignold wrapped the ropes around her. When he finished, he stood up and smiled at everyone.

"Well, that was quite the workout, wasn't it?," he chuckled, wiping away the sweat dripping down his forehead.

The others all nervously laughed with him apart from Treeson, who just stood there, watching the two children squirm in their chairs. He seemed to be plotting something but Manny didn't know what, he just tried to concentrate on the big scary butterfly in front of him.

"Anyways, are we ready to start now?" Shrignold asked.

"Yes, Shrignold," they responded.

"Good, Franky, Randy, go get Malcolm," he commanded the two smaller creatures, who both simply nodded and followed his orders.

Manny remembered the statue quite well, it's appearance had been burned into his memory from all his other unwanted visits to the cult sight. Malcolm was certainly an interesting "god", he was the focal point of the cult but was also the main issue. Shrignold had obviously been brainwashed by the previous ruler of this group, from what Manny knew, he used to be pleasant to talk to but then he changed. Malcolm's teachings seemed to be the reason behind that but the butterfly would never say anything against his, as he put it, "Holy Father's word". Every member after that seemed to resent the leader and his abusive punishments but could no longer escape from the clutch of this religious nightmare. Maybe that's why Manny always ended up back here, there was no way out for him.

The two furry boys returned with the statue, trying their hardest to push him across the, if they damaged him at all then Shrignold would be mad and nothing good happened when he was mad.

"Someone pass me the ritual knife."

Louis handed the creature the knife and held onto the bowl, knowing it would be needed later. Shrignold walked over to Lily and knelt down.

"Don't you worry, pretty Lily," he whispered to her, "remember what Treeson said, it'll only hurt for a moment."

"W-What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Shhhh, it's okay, I'm only going to make a small incision," he said.

He brought the knife down on her pale yellow skin and cut a small circle into her right arm, pressing down a little to get the blood out. The wound started to bleed quite a bit, dripping red down her arm. Manny didn't know how deep the butterfly had sliced.

"Bring the bowl over."

Louis was by his side in an instant, collecting the blood in the bowl. He gave Lily an apologetic glance then stepped back as Shrignold waved him away.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he said, wiping a few tears off her face, "there's no need to cry."

He turned his attention to the young boy in the seat next to hers. He slowly walked over and crouched next to him as well, bringing the bloody knife close to his face.

"You'll be a good boy and sit still, right?" Shrignold said, his tone sounded threatening.

"Y-Yes, I will," Manny stuttered, his heart racing a mile a minute.

"Wonderful, now try not to scream..."

Even though it lasted for a few seconds, the pain was unbearable. It was still hard to tell how deep he was cutting but it was probably deep enough to hit a vessel or maybe even muscle. It burned even though there was no heat and it took all of his willpower to not even squeal from the pain. He still felt the metal in his skin even after it was ripped back out. Now there was a bleeding circle in his left arm.

More blood was collected and that seemed to be the end of it for now. Manny wanted to reach out to his friend so bad but his wrists were bound to the chair so he couldn't move his hands. Lily looked over at him, tears in her eyes, desperate for another hug. She wanted to be comforted, he was the only one who could make the pain go away even if it was only for a little while.

"Perfect, well done you two, you made my job so much more easier," Shrignold said, snatching the bowl from the unicorn.

He dipped the tip of the knife into the blood and started to mix it together, excitement shining in his eyes. Manny watched him do this, confused, scared and very intrigued. He didn't understand what he was doing, why did he need his blood? Was this part of the script or was this for real? Surely his dad wouldn't let this maniac kill him, the show couldn't go on without him.

"It's almost done, just one final step."

The bug turned back to his two hostages, grinning like a psychopath. He walked over to Lily, dipped his finger into the mix and started to draw something on her forehead. Manny couldn't see what and felt nervous when his captor wandered over to him and did the same.

"It's official, now we can start the real ritual," Shrignold said.

"Are you sure they're ready?" Treeson asked.

"Yes, I'm sure, Malcolm said they were," he gestured to the statue behind them, reminding them that he was their God and they were to follow his orders.

Shrignold shoved the bowl into Franky's hands, eager to start off his little performance. He stood above Manny, towering over the small, terrified boy, holding the dagger over his head. The knife gleamed in the light, reflecting it back Manny's his eyes. Ruby red blood dripped from the blade onto the cold floor, foreshadowing what he believed was going to happen next. All he did was close his eyes and wait for the burning pain. He was a little surprised when it didn't come.

He looked up to see Treeson holding the butterfly back, trying to snatch the knife from his grasp. Shrignold struggled to escape but wasn't strong enough. There was a loud clatter as the knife fell to the floor, splattering a little blood around.

"Quick, untie them!" Treeson shouted at the others, "I don't think I can hold him for long!"

Everyone got to work, untying the ropes that binded the two to their chairs. Manny looked down at his wrists and saw red marks on them, that would probably be bruised later. When they finished with the restraints, they helped them out of the chairs and started ushering them out of the room.

"You two need to go now," Louis said, "you'll know the exit when you see it."

"But I can't leave you all here, he'll hurt you," Lily said.

"It'll be okay, little floss," Randy said, "we can handle anything he throws at us because we're strong and if we're strong then you are too."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, you're stronger than all of us combined," Franky piped up, ruffling her pink hair.

"Okay, I know you're all having a nice moment but they seriously need to go!" Treeson exclaimed.

"I'll miss you all," she whimpered, wiping away her tears.

"We will too, now go be free," Louis said, pushing her and Manny out of the room.

The door slammed behind them, startling them both for a moment. Manny quickly came to his senses and started running, pulling her with him.

"Let's go!" he said, holding on to her arm tightly.

They both ran and ran through countless corridors, trying to find their way through this dark maze, sliding round sharp corners and dashing further and further to the end. They continued running all the way to the exit where they saw the light of day once again.

Harry and Robin had been searching for the boy for hours. One minute he had been sitting in the garden, drawing his little heart out and the next he was gone, probably wandering somewhere in the forest. Robin freaked out when he saw Manny had disappeared, fearing only the worst. Harry wasn't as vocal about his concerns but did freely express his determination when it came to looking around. What was worst was that they didn't know which teacher had taken him away, was it sketch, Tony, or was it that damn butterfky and her love cult? They didn't know at all. What did the teachers want with him today? They had learned overtime to expect the unexpected but sometimes they weren't prepared for that.

"He must be here somewhere!" Harry said.

They were in the woods right now, searching through the wide acres for any sign that the kid was still alive.

"Harry, what if we can't find him?" Robin asked.

"We will, Robin, don't worry," his friend replied, shining his flashlight at a large cluster of bushes.

"No, I'm being serious, what if we don't find him?"

Harry paused and turned to the duck. He wasn't surprised to see his friend crying, after all, this happened whenever Manny was kidnapped or when he went missing which was a lot of the time.

"It's okay, we will find him eventually, we just have to be patient," he said, kneeling next to Robin and wrapping him up in a hug.

"I know but I can't help but worry about him, this happens too often and every time it does he could die," he sniffed.

"Well, we just have to keep a better eye on him."

"True," Robin sighed, "thanks for making me feel better about this."

"Your welcome," Harry replied, giving him a small kiss.

Robin couldn't help but blush even though Harry had kissed him a few times after that one night. It was still new and strange to him. He didn't dwell on that thought for long though as he saw something in this darkness approach them.

"What's that?" he said, pointing at it.

"I don't know," Harry said.

Robin squinted so he could see better and his heart almost stopped when he saw who it was.

"Manny!" he said, running towards the young boy.

"Robin?" Manny called back, stumbling through the dark, following the voice of his friend.

When they finally found each other, Robin pulled him into a hug, holding onto him tightly.

"Where have you been?" Harry, who had ran over as well, asked.

"The cult took me," he said.

"Those fucking religious psychos?"

"Harry! Not in front of Manny!" Robin scolded his friend, "what did they do to you? Are you hurt?"

"No, don't worry about me, worry about Lily," he said, beckoning the young girl forward.

Lily walked out from the trees, limping her way over to the group.

"Oh my lord," Harry said.

"H-Hello," she muttered, feeling nervous.

"Lily? What did they do to you?"

"They punished me for my wrongdoings, they gave me what I deserved," she whispered, feeling slightly faint.

"This is fucked up," Harry sighed, "I'm sorry Robin but there's no other way to describe this."

"I know, I know, it is fucked up," his friend replied.

"I'm sorry," Lily weeped, her voice shaking.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise for anything," Manny said, hugging his friend.

"But I do! I made you all worry about me when I disappeared!" she exclaimed.

"That wasn't your fault," he replied.

"But-"

"No! It's that pigeons fault, not yours," he interrupted her.

Lily was crying again, it was all she could do now. Shrignold would usually call her a crybaby but he wasn't here, he couldn't hurt her anymore.

"I-I'm tired, I want to go to sleep," she murmured.

"You both could do with some sleep," Robin said, "we should go home."

"Agreed," Harry replied.

They started to walk back, which proved a little difficult for Lily as her foot was still in quite a bit of pain. Harry saw this though and quickly picked her up, carrying her the rest of the way.

"You managed that well, Manny," Robin said to the boy.

"Did I?" he responded, looking confused.

"Yes, you've handled this better than I have," he chuckled.

"I've gotten used to these situations, I guess," he said.

"You're much braver than me, that's for certain."

Manny wasn't expecting this but when he thought about it, it made sense. He had been surprisingly confident throughout his long journey back home, helping his friend through the woods after they escaped. They had first arrived on a strangely familiar field and he knew the way home, he didn't know how but he just did. It had been the first time he had taken charge of a situation and it went smoothly, they didn't encounter any dangers on the way back. He was a little proud of himself but that pride didn't last long, it never did.

"You should probably eat before you go to bed," Robin said.

There wasn't much food in the fridge but they managed to gather enough for the two children. They both ate ravenously, still starving from their long day. After they ate, they started to get ready for bed. Luckily, Manny had some spare pajamas that Lily could borrow.

"She probably shouldn't sleep downstairs, remember what happened last time?" Harry said, wincing when he looked at the bump where her finger should be.

"True but where would she go?"

"She could go in my bed, I'll sleep in my chair."

"Harry, you're not sleeping in your chair," Robin sighed.

"I don't mind sharing my bed," Manny said, "she can sleep with me."

Robin looked at Harry for an answer.

"It's the only option we've got," he said.

"Okay, she can sleep in your bed."

"Yes! Come on Lily," Manny said.

The girl didn't speak, she just climbed into the bed and lay down. Since they had gotten back she hadn't said a word.

"Well, I think we should all get some sleep. We might be seeing Tony tomorrow," Robin said.

Manny shivered, not wanting to think about that evil clock. He was still scared of him. Harry and Robin returned to their own beds, getting ready for sleep.

"Night you guys," the young boy said to his friends.

"Goodnight, Manny," Harry said, turning off the light.

Manny settled down, feeling happy about what he had done today. He wondered if his drawings were still outside, surely one of his friends would've brought them in? He didn't think about it for long though as he feel asleep, dreaming about another time where he was brave and protecting all his best friends from the monsters.