Content Warning: The following chapter contains graphic, frightening, depictions of the injury of a main character. Due to the serious and darker tone of the chapter, viewer discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing pertaining to the Addams Family, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)
I closed the door behind us only to realize we'd ended up in a similar hall-way to the one that led us to those 3 doors. It had many identical traits to the one we'd seen only a little while ago, although I could tell this hall-way's visibility was an improvement over the former. I led the group at my back as we charged forward to wherever this hall-way went to. We were about half-way through it when I could see another bookcase waiting for us all the way at the other end of the hall-way.
I managed to stop my running before we all collided with the bookcase collectively. I forced my mind to work at twice it's normal speed limit as I genuinely needed a way to open it, and fast! Jason then let his own mind be known as he acknowledged the very reason we'd just stopped to begin with.
"Aww man, a dead end! Should we try what we did before?"
I tried my best to rationalize the best suggestion I could offer. Even though Bobby and Marcus's man handling of the last bookcase somehow did the trick, there's no telling what could have been the cause! For all anyone of us know, a single book with a hidden switch fell on either Bobby or Marcus's foot when they knocked everyone of those books down. Regardless, with time being an ever fleeting luxury, there's no way I can afford to be picky with my methods right now!
"I know that worked the last time, but like I said we have to be careful not to damage anything guys! I'm not surviving through the night, just to tell my folks they have to shell out a 2nd mortgage to pay for damages that we caused!"
Just then, Paul gripped my right arm fiercely, and forced me to turn around and face him. His shocking burst of strength caught me completely off-guard as there's always been a fair size difference between us. That said, what could possibly be so important that he felt it necessary to almost cleanly yank my right arm off?!?
"Would you cut it out with the good samaritan crap already?!? You've been constantly reminding all of us, but mostly me, about how throughly screwed we all are!! You really think this wealthy, deranged, circus side-show of a family gives a damn about how tactful we all are?!? They had to have thrown all this together just for their own sick amusement! That's because they don't expect many of us, if anyone at all to be making it out of here alive tonight! How could you of all people not get that by now?"
I can't in good conscience say I didn't have a rant like this one coming to me tonight. Even more surprising was the fact Paul sounded less like he was legit angry at me, and more like he was trying to get me to snap out of it or something. I know I've been pretty brutal on him all night, but that's only because I actually care about what happens to him. If something should happen to me, who'll stick by his side and make sure no harm befalls him? I can trust Jason and Tommy to protect him to a degree, but there's no guarantee they won't get fed up with him before the night is over!
Though I should have reached the limits of my sanity long before now, I used all the remaining measure of self-control I had left to calmly reply to Paul's rant.
"That's easy for you to say Paul, but what you've conveniently forgotten is that I'm the older sibling! If we end up having to bring news like that back home, who do you propose will take the fall for either of us breaking something? I'm not even saying you're wrong by this point. I just want to be able to go home, without having a black cloud hanging over my head for a change!"
Paul looked back with the same lingering annoyance and frustration, but seemed satisified enough with my response to not press further on the issue. While at my back, I could begin to make out the sound of a heavy foot patting the ground at a frequent rate. Before I could finish my little chat with my kid sibling, I abruptly turned my head around to see an annoyed Bobby, impatiently tapping his foot with his arms crossed. Though it wasn't my intention to keep anybody waiting at a time like this, I wasn't looking forward to receiving an ear-full from one of my least favorite people at the moment.
"If you two dweebs are done being a poor man's Cain and Abel, we've still got a game to win! Move aside Stew, and let the men here show you how to get things done."
I held back with all the restraint I had left in me to not tear my own face off in frustration! That might sound morbid of me, but considering the wondrous night I've had so far, I'd like to believe I've earned the right to be just a little more than pissed off right now! I mean seriously, we've narrowly escaped certain death and maiming more times than I'd ever envisioned needing to survive before, and all in ONE NIGHT!!! Does this kid worship candy or something?!? GEEZ!!!
Regardless of my current desire to use Bobby's collection of chins as punching bags, I calmly stepped aside and let him shake the bookcase down. Marcus joined him to the right as they began to rumble the poor thing from left to right. It took mere seconds for several books to go flying in numerous directions, some of which I had to actively avoid decking my forehead. I counted about 3 minutes time in my head before the bookcase had been completely stripped of whatever books it once held. At the same time however, I also noticed that the bookcase hadn't moved from it's position. It was still towering over all 6 of us, blocking our path-way to the next room we were supposed to enter.
The group all stared down the bookcase in confusion. Bobby and Marcus were by far the most surprised that their manhandling of the bookcase didn't work like before. I would have been more annoyed of course, but I couldn't afford to waste time with something this stupid. I analyzed the bookcase up and down to see if there was some detail we overlooked from before.
As it turns out, there was a small white casing that looked as though it was covering something. I approached it cautiously as I didn't want to risk breaking anything. The group looked on in silence as I inspected the casing more closely. I started to pull at it with my right hand, with a slight amount of force I pulled it open to reveal a small red button in the center of the wall. I gently pushed the button with my right index finger to reveal the bookcase lifting itself upward. From here, we could all see the 2nd floor hall-way we were in not but a while ago. It then began to register to me that these bookcases were meant to create a shortcut between both floors.
After some more astonished gawking, we all collectively exited the hall-way we were in through the new path way. As I turned my back to take one last look at my handy work, I realized this bookcase was in fact the one I checked out from before! Right next to it, we could all still see the one from the left wide open as before. I remembered I grabbed an orange key just before we left that frozen hell-hole of a room. With that in mind, I didn't have to think twice as to where we were going next!
I ran straight for the stair-case we went up from before. The group followed at my back as we hurried up each step with even more speed than previously. I reached the top step again before I could make out a hideous scream. I could feel the sensation of goosebumps forming on my skin as every hair on my body stood to a stand-still. Besides that scream, I could make out a few others right after it. Obviously another group must have made it up this floor. The only question that remained was...what room were they in to bring out such bone chilling, wails of horror?
I turned my head around to see what the others made of this. From the terrified expressions on their faces, it was clear I hadn't simply imagined that echoing shriek of abstract horror that boomed throughout the hallway. I continued to lead my group through the same hallway we'd been through only minutes ago, ignoring the gradually rising thump in my chest as I did so. I went off pure memory as I quickly re-traced our steps to lead us back to the trio of doors we visited only a short time ago.
We reached the large portrait of Morticia before I could see 2 figures frantically running toward us. They were coming down the hall-way from the left, and given the petrified states they were both in, it was clear they'd only just now exited another room. While that explained the source of the screaming, it still only made me guess as to what kind of unspeakable nightmare they were running from. It's pretty damn hard to imagine something worse given what we've been through, but at this point I'm pretty sure I've lost all ability to be surprised.
The first kid was dressed up like a skeleton. A full-body, latex, black and white skeleton suit covered every inch of him besides his facial features. Once he'd gotten closer, he practically tore at my costume robes just to get my attention. His hands were damp with sweat, and I could now directly hear the fear in his voice as each desperate heave for breath carried with it a steady tremble in his voice. He spoke in a rush, panicked tone as he tried to warn us all of the impending danger of the room they'd just left.
"L-look...I-I don't know who you guys are, but if any of you wanna get out of this place alive, I wouldn't go past a door with an orange pumpkin on it! Me and my friend here just left that room, but we had to leave behind 2 of our other friends in the process just to save ourselves!"
My mouth hung wide open as my eyes became saucer-like! Did this kid really just admit to leaving his own friends to fend for themselves?!? Again, I'm no choir boy or purveyor of goodness myself, but even just the thought of abandoning my friends to save my own ass makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach! That said, playing judge and jury isn't in my immediate interest here. Before this kid and his pal goes where they may, I might as well pry what little info I can get out of him regarding that room. If the color of that key I grabbed is anything to go by, we'll all be heading there next!
"I'm sorry for your loss man. Could you maybe fill us in on what's so bad about that room? I've a feeling that's where me and my friends are going now."
The kid's expression tensed up as he held a genuine look of pity in his eyes. I can't say I'm a big fan of the way he ditched his own buds, but if he's nice enough to give us all a heads up before it's our turn, who the hell am I to complain?
I could hear the rest of my group finally catch up to me as their booming foot-steps finally came to a halt. The entire group was directly behind me, no doubt confused as to why our running had so randomly slowed to a halt. Everyone besides Bobby seemed pretty neutral toward the kid I was currently talking to, more confused than anything else. Bobby on the other hand, was close to losing his temper, as I could hear him let out a frustrated grunt at the fact we were now still, instead of moving forward. He crossed his arms together, and his face scrunched into an angry scowl as he looked at the kid I was chatting with like as though he were a cockroach.
As if on cue, the kid's friend caught up with him as well, stopping just behind him to finally catch his breath. His costume was pretty standard of what pirates were known to wear. He had on a small red bandana tied around his head. A medium sized, sleeveless shirt that was light blue with white stripes, and a red sash with dark blue navy jeans for the finish. He gasped and heaved desperately as he took his sweet time regaining every last ounce of his lost oxygen. I decided to focus entirely on the kid in front of me. There was no point in trying to strike discussion with someone who could barely breathe, let alone talk.
The frightened kid's response to my question mirrored his sympathetic gaze to a T.
"Dude, as one kid to another, no amount of candy on this planet could get me to finish that room the whole way. Why else do you think we bailed from it in the first place? I'm not telling you this to eliminate the competition. I'm trying to save your life here!"
Bobby began to crack his own knuckles as he omniously approached the petrified kid in front of me. All I wanted was a few details on the next room we'd be heading to. This really shouldn't be worth starting a fight over, especially at a time like this!
"And just why should we believe anything you little pukes have to say?!? How do we know you haven't already found the prize yet for yourselves?"
That's my patience all but dead. I let out a double-handed facepalm as both the palms in my hands caught my forehead. Now Bobby's most likely going to kick both their asses for no real reason at all! I really can't afford for another fight to break out right now. After the night I've had, it's a miracle I can even put one foot in front of the other! I did what I could to restrain Bobby's temper from running wild once again.
"Chill out for a second Bobby! If they already found the prize, why would they be trying to warn us about the next room?"
Before I could convince the hysteric duo that Bobby meant them no harm, both of them sprinted off toward the exit behind us. Bobby tried to catch up to them, but they were already in the next hall-way before he could give any real chase. I let out a mix between a sigh and a groan as we could have used that info regarding the next room. If nothing else though, at least they ran off before Bobby could put me in a deeper mess than I'm already in.
"Whelp...they were sure useful. Anybody for the next room?"
The guys all nodded collectively as our next course of action was set. I hated the fact we'd be going into this next challenge with no prior heads up on what to expect, but for it to make friends abandon one another, it should go without saying that it can't be pretty.
Just like last time, I led the group at my back as we charged forward to that trio of doors from before. We came across the Morticia painting, and ran down the hall-way to the left where the 3 doors were. I quickly pulled the orange key out of my costume robes, and swiftly slipped it into the door's key-hole. I opened the door and led both my brother and friends inside the new horror-show that awaited us.
My eyes were greeted with the sight of large trees with black leaves. I was surprised as none of my immediate surroundings had anything to do with pumpkins so far, but I couldn't afford to let that distract me from what was truly important here. The only problem was now of course, how are we expected to navigate through this forest with no leads to go on?
I turned my back to see what the guys made of this. They all looked just as confused as I was, not that I was expecting any less, but that wasn't quite the same thing as being helpful here sadly. I decided against asking a direct question for the moment, basically nothing worth asking could be realistically answered right now. The only thing that made sense was to just keep moving, which in fairness hasn't exactly failed us so far.
I gestered with my right hand for everyone to follow me, holding my right index finger to my lips in a shushing motion as I did so. We had absolutely zero idea what to expect from this room, and tipping anything off to the fact we were here served no benefit. I carefully squeezed my way through each of the rather large, aging tree trunks as well as I could. The bark upon touching it felt surprisingly smooth, it did not possess the same rough, brittle exterior one would expect from tree bark. It almost felt like I was touching a stone tablet of some kind, it felt way too polished to be made out of wood, but I couldn't focus on that right now, no matter how weird it was.
The boys did what they could to keep pace with me. I made sure to tug Paul along with my right hand as we slipped our way through the bulky frames of the trees that surrounded us. I groaned in annoyance at the fact we still hadn't the slightest of clues on what to do here. I'd expected that guy from before to start explaining things to us so we don't end up walking in circles, but it looks like not even that courtesy would be available for now. With no real sense of direction, the only thing any of us could do was move forward at this point, but we're definitely going to need an idea on what to do here soon enough.
A good 5 minutes or so passes by, and finally I can see an orange glow peeking between the trees we were passing through. It was barely a flicker at first, but as we drew closer to it, I began to recognize it as fire. That also explained a growing source of warmth with each step we took toward it. Though it was nice to have some measure of guidance compared to where we were before, I began to internally panic on what kind of dangers we'd have to experience. Was this room about to pull the mother of all 180s, and force us to tredge through some kind of volcanic inferno or something?
We finally made it past the last of the trees when we were greeted by wide open spaces, accompanied by a old, rusted gate, and a fairly sizable pumpkin patch in the center of all the land. While some pumpkins differed in size, they were all identical in appearance and sat neatly next to each other. Before I could contemplate what any of this was meant to mean, I took a look at the ceiling above us out of pure curiosity, only to find there was no ceiling there at all. Instead, the "ceiling" was in fact much like the night sky, covered with bright stars that twinkled gently a ways above us. The only thing missing from this picture was the sight of the moon, which for some reason was nowhere to be found amongst the pitch-black void of sparkling dots.
I returned my head back to it's original position to discover a couple of brightly lit torches right next to each cropping of pumpkins. That explained that orange illumination I saw while we were still getting past the trees earlier. Of course, that in of itself doesn't explain what we're meant to do here! This whole setup seems way too tame considering everything we'd been through before this room. Was this their idea of an Easter Egg hunt or something?
Before I could question further, a familiar, screeching distortion from a loud speaker could be heard not too from where we stood.
"Gracious! You children have proven yourselves to be quite the fearless little expeditioners of fear. On a personal note, I must admit my family does enjoy that in like-minded company.
Therefore, I must state that while your previous endeavors must have felt like the hardest of ordeals. This next one will test your capacities for quick judgements, in addition to decisive action if you desire to get through safely.
With that said, I welcome you all to our home-made, in-doors pumpkin patch!!!
It was one of the first rooms my wife and I built together when we first purchased this mansion decades ago. As you've noticed, the patch itself is surrounded with pumpkins, and though they may appear identical at first, the most important distinction is some will begin to glow brightly. The reason for this is these pumpkins have been designed to explode after flashing in just 5 minutes time.
While there are about a handful of pumpkins designed to go off in this alotted time. I should mention to you all that every pumpkin present in that patch has been infused with gunpowder. This means that if even just ONE pumpkin were to go off in a close enough proximity, then it may trigger the explosions of the other pumpkins close to it. In a word, one might argue you're all standing before one large mine-field.
To this end, your goal here is to find the key hidden under the ground of one of the pumpkins that will begin to flash. I should warn you though; our children have prepared their own special pumpkins before you set foot in our patch. If you should so happen to uncover the wrong ones before the correct ones go off... I believe you should all have a fair enough concept on what is to happen from there.
One last thing to note is, the gates you step through will be locked until you can locate the key. Do not let their wearied age fool you! They are far stronger than you'd initially imagine, and they cannot be destroyed with explosions either. The only way in or out of the patch is to either find the key, or... well, the pumpkins might explain it better than I.
With that said, good luck to you all, and happy hunting this most perfect Halloween night!!!"
I gulped all at once at the terrifying announcement we'd all just been presented with. We were looking over a giant mine-field this whole time?!? I took every precaution I could when stepping around the rotund, orange, orbs of destruction that surrounded us all. With just one wrong move or poorly made step, an entire army's worth of mines would be going off around our legs and feet. I looked at my friends whom all looked just as scared as I did, and Paul looks like he might be close to fainting right now if we don't hurry this up!
Before I could decide on what to do next, panic was quickly setting in as my friends all began to squirm around as they took in the threat that surrounded us all.
"That entire patch of pumpkins is really a mine-field?!? How are we supposed to deal with explosives?!?"
"I didn't survive a green-house from hell and a frozen wasteland just to be blown to pieces by a couple of "spooky" pumpkins!! What's the plan here Stewart? How do we get around all this crap?!?"
Paul also squeezed my hand partially in fear, but also partially in aggravation as the constant fear and anxiety we'd endured was beginning to wane on his nerves too.
"Well? Got anymore bright ideas there, Einstein?!?"
The worried outbursts from my friends, coupled with Paul's serious tone all snapped me out of the trance of terror I was currently in. Whether I could come up with a full-proof plan or not, anything was better than waiting to be splattered across the ground from explosive pumpkins!! With the fact we now had an idea on where to find the next key, the most logical move would be to scatter the group apart to single out each pumpkin that could go off. Not that I was particularly keen on the idea of splitting up, but the fact remains is we can't cover each pumpkin that might explode by simply huddling together. The best strategy for this room would be to spread out into a corners formation. That way we could cover a fair amount of ground, and keep watch on each other's blind spots.
Thinking more frantically than I ever have before, I quickly told the entire group the plan I managed to scrape together with barely a minute or two to spare.
"Alright guys, I think I know the safest way to get through this place! We'll all divide our group into individual corners so we can cover as much ground as possible, while also being able to keep watch for each other's blind spots. When anyone of us sees a pumpkin being lit, the person closest to it will grab it before it can explode. Then, that person throws the pumpkin to the next person, finally ending with Bobby tossing it outside the reach of the other pumpkins so it can't set them off as well. Is everyone in agreement?"
The others pondered the idea for a few minutes, while I began to wonder if this was even the right thing to do at all. We'd all be put at risk to being blown sky-high with just one wrong move, but if we didn't at least try to cover as much ground as possible, we could end up missing a pumpkin that could set all the other ones off. That's not even taking into account the fact that we have no idea what Wednesday and Pugsley's "special" pumpkins can do. I guess we could try to use one of those lit bomb pumpkins to destroy them, but that option should only be saved as a last resort.
Then, finally there's the issue of Paul to consider. How could he contribute to the plan as safely as possible? I hate to admit it, but the best thing he can probably hope to do is just stay out of the way. He's obviously the weakest out of all of us physically, and even if I could trust him to pull his weight to catch and throw pumpkins, I'm NOT letting him touch explosives of any kind!!
Ultimately, I don't have enough time to switch game plans, so this has to do for the time being, and I'm hoping to GOD that it works here!
The guys finally stopped their considering, before each gave me their own distinctive responses.
"It sounds better than anything I can think of, let's do it!"
"Yeah, at least it's better than nothing. I just hope we can pull it off!"
"I can't think of anything better myself right now, so I'm putting my trust in you on this one Stew."
"Uhh... I was right there with you until you mentioned I have to be the last one to throw. Why exactly do I have to be the last one to throw a deadly explosive out of range of the others?"
As predicted, the only one that had any objections so far was Bobby. I knew he wasn't going to appreciate being tasked with being the last one to throw the pumpkin out of range of the others, but him being the most physically strong out of us all made him perfect for the job. He'd have the best chance of throwing it far enough away from the other pumpkins. I tried my best to reassure him it was for the purposes of the plan itself, with predictable results.
"I'm sorry Bobby, but with you being the strongest out of us all, you're the most likely one to throw the pumpkins out of range before any of us. It just makes the most sense to use your strength to our advantage in this way."
While Bobby at least heard me out, his expression told me everything I needed to know before he even replied. He clearly wasn't impressed by my attempt to justify my decision, and compliment him at the same time.
"You really ought to be grateful we're buds. If I were your bully, that speech would have earned you a good swimming session in the school bathroom."
Bobby gave me a sly wink as I gulped in fright at the prospect of actually receiving my first swirlie. Though given what we'd been through so far tonight and what we were about to do, a swirlie would barely be a slap on the wrist at this point. Before we could take up positions around the pumpkin field, I felt Paul squeeze down on my hand which he was still grasping. It was like I feared, he wanted in on the action and didn't want me to baby him. It's not that his help wouldn't be welcome right now, but at the same time I have a duty as an older brother to uphold!
That said, where was he even supposed to go? The most obvious answer would be to wait outside the pumpkin patches, but then we'd inevitably be throwing them over the gate. I have no way of knowing how powerful any of these things are, and I doubt even Paul would be capable of outrunning an actual explosion. So just what was the play here?!?
As predicted, Paul soon asked me what I'd been dreading since throwing together this whole plan from scratch.
"Hey! Where's my part in this whole plan of yours?!? Are you really gonna leave me on the side-lines again?"
That settles it then. If Paul wants to prove to us how "grown up" he really is, then this is as good a time for him to shine as any!
"Relax little bro, I haven't forgotten about you. You'll be our extra pair of eyes and ears for the pumpkins we can't cover at our own ranges. I want you to circle the perimeter around us, keeping a close watch on any pumpkins that you see begin to glow or flare up weirdly. When you find one, give us a shout and we'll take it from there. Sound good?"
Paul seemed relieved that at least he had something to do for a change, but that disappointed look in his eyes conveyed to me I was underestimating him. He wants so badly to show me he can hang with us big kids, but his safety means more to me than what he's capable of. It's already bad enough I let him come along with us to this decrepit, hell-scape, but if I'd known just how serious these people took the word "survival", I would never have even dreamed of making the trip all the way here tonight!
"Not quite what I had in mind, but at least it's something. Can I use one of the lit pumpkins on Wednesday and Pugsley's "special" pumpkins at least?"
"Be lucky you're getting this much to do instead of nothing at all Paul. Now's really not a time you want to be pushing your luck with me, little bro!"
Paul held both his up hands in defeat, not bothering to go on with this discussion knowing he couldn't change my mind. It was almost too good to be true, he actually was listening to me for a change! I guess every cloud really does have a silver lining after all. I can safely say it was the best thing that's happened to me tonight so far, the other being us getting back home at least somewhat in one piece, but that's still yet to be decided.
"Alright, if everyone's in agreement, let's move into the patch and split up into corners. Paul, you keep your eyes, ears, and anything else open to any pumpkins that start to light up. With that said, let's move out!"
My friends and bro all nodded their heads wordlessly before joining me past the gate and into the pumpkin patch. The gate shut itself forcefully, scaring the holy hell out of us before the challenge even begun. Paul started to walk around each pumpkin, keeping watch for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, while also keeping his distance from them. I sighed in relief as he understood the reasoning behind why I gave him that job in the first place. It's getting more than a little tiresome having to explain to my own flesh and blood why I'm going out of my way to protect him, but that's not what's important right now. What's important is keeping a cool head, and working together with my group in order to get us all out of here in one piece. That's literally the only thing on the planet that matters to me right now apart from seeing my parents again.
As soon we all reached the center of the patch, we began to divide our numbers individually. Bobby positioned himself at the far end of the formation, giving him the perfect range to throw the exploding pumpkin out of the patch and away from the others. Marcus was across from his position which allowed him to pass each pumpkin directly to him from the others. Jason and Tommy were lined up across from one another as I knew their team-work and almost perfect sychronization would make passing pumpkins between them a cinch. That just left me to circle our position and locate any pumpkin in range that was lit, assuming I could reach it in time, that is to say.
The area around us was incredibly quiet for how tense the situation was, perhaps even unbearably so. We were all essentially waiting for one of many bombs to light themselves on fire, and then playing hot potato with said bomb until we could throw them to a safe enough distance. I'd like to believe this family believed in fair play. These explosives shouldn't be able to reach too far in terms of blast radius, but then again at best this could be considered a hunch on my part... and a desperate one at that too. Regardless, I decided not to make my move until I could pick up the sound of a fuse being lit. I'm not wasting time or energy that could be better served neutralizing a threat.
A few minutes go by, and I can feel my nerves begin to contort themselves as my muscles tightened in response to the situation. Just how long would it take for one of these pumpkins to ignite? I had to hold myself back from beginning to circle the perimeter. If we're gonna pull this off the right way, the worst thing to do in this situation was to make any sudden movements. We have to be both precise AND patient to get through this death trap in one piece.
After what felt like the longest 5 minutes of my life, my right ear finally picked up the sound of a fuse being lit. The sizzle noise that usually follows a lit fuse was noticeably louder than I expected, but I could tell judging from the volume that it was somewhere behind our formation to the right. On impulse, I rushed to the source of the noise in order to snatch it as quickly as possible. I could tell which one it was by noticing the glowing light that illuminated it, setting it apart from the others. It was positioned somewhere in the center of it's row, just 2 rows behind our own formation.
Before running on back to join the others, I quickly inspected it's front. It had a neatly carved, albeit sinister expression with a wicked grin and 2 evil looking hollow holes where eyes normally were. The fact it was currently glowing with light from within while sporting such a twisted smirk gave it an almost supernatural appearance, which made even more desperate to throw it out of range before it could detonate. I quickly dug my right arm into the hole just beneath the pumpkin I'd grabbed, no key to be found. It was disappointing, but I'd be a moron to suspect it would be THAT easy to find it.
Once I returned to my original position, I threw the lit pumpkin to Tommy whom was the closest person to me in range. He then caught it, and proceeded to throw it to Jason, whom then threw it to Marcus, finally ending with Bobby throwing the literal bomb out of the patch, just over the gate. I could tell Bobby used as much force as he was able to upon throwing, at least somebody took our fight for survival seriously! Meanwhile, I could make out Paul's heavy foot-steps in the background, which told me he was circling our positioning like I'd asked him to from earlier.
I waited for the pumpkin to go off before moving in to grab another. The explosion was inevitably going to drown out the fuse being lit, and it was because of the noise that fuse let off I managed to find that first one so quickly to begin with. Sure enough, the explosion let out a deafening rumble that left my ears with a brutal ringing noise that just wouldn't go away. The explosion was set off just beyond the gate we past through, making it no longer a threat to any one of us. That said, the God awful noise it left in it's wake, plus the earth beneath my feet shaking right now even as I speak was somehow more frightening than anything else I'd either seen or felt by this point. I tried with all my remaining energy to shake off the startling effect from the kaboom, and ran once again to find another pumpkin preparing to explode.
The ringing in my ears was finally beginning to dissipate, and from here I could now pick up the sound of another fuse. It sounds even further off from where the last one was, but that's all the more reason for me to be hurrying up here. I rushed toward the source of the noise as quickly and carefully as I could, bearing in mind I was practically leaping over the other pumpkins in my way. I found the lit pumpkin center-left of it's row, 4 rows away from the end of the patch. I doubled over my running in an effort to reach my friends as soon as possible. This couldn't be stressed enough, but literally every second counted here, assuming we were to avoid being blown sky-high. I reached into the hole in the ground to check for a key, only to find nothing there waiting for me, just as before.
I threw the pumpkin as soon as I reached my friends again, aiming for Tommy once again as I did so. My throw was a bit sloppier than I'd of liked it to be, but Tommy caught the damn thing more or less as well as he'd done before. This led to the pattern repeating itself as Bobby soon chucked the pumpkin about the same distance he did the first time.
This time, I made sure to cover my ears to block out the sound effects of the explosion as much as I could, everyone else wisely followed my example, including Paul who hunched over a fair bit as both his hands covered his ears completely. Bobby managed to throw the pumpkin a bit farther this time, but carefully aimed to throw outside of the gate again. The explosion was still louder than any firework I'd ever heard or set off before, but at least the ringing in my ears was no longer present this time. The stench of gunpowder was nearly unbearable as it practically choked each breath I took while infesting the atmosphere around us all.
Once it was safe to uncover my ears again, my heart skipped a beat as my ears picked up the sound of 2 fuses lighting this time! They both came from opposite directions annoyingly enough, which meant I wouldn't be able to grab both of them simultaneously. I hated having to break up our formation this way, but if even just one of the these things were to go off...
NO! I CAN'T think about things like that right now!! I have to focus on what needs to happen over what will happen. I bellowed out to the group that we'd have to break formation in order to get out of this situation.
"I hear 2 pumpkins lit up this time! Anyone closest to me take the one on the left, I'm going for the right! Don't forget to check for a key in the hole it's under!"
Tommy immediately began to run to the left as I proceeded onto the right, using the sound from the fuse as a guide as I hurried onward to it's source. Thankfully, it was closer to us than the first one had been, a little bit center-right and only a single row apart from our own formation. As before, I checked the hole the pumpkin was hiding from underneath, only to find there wasn't a key there either. I reached the group again far before Tommy could manage to, which immediately made me nervous as to whether or not he could get that explosive out of the way in time or not.
After the others repeated the process for a 3rd time, I could see Tommy catching up to us. Instead of waiting to get into range of the others though, he opted to just chuck the pumpkin directly at me. For him to take a risk like that, he's most likely trying to get the pumpkin to the nearest person that can get it out of range in time. In other words, the pumpkin I just caught doesn't have much longer until it goes boom!! Without even acknowledging the others, I quickly bolted all the way to the end of the patch and threw the explosive as hard as my arms would allow. I even managed a small leap to give my toss some extra momentum. I barely had a milli-second's worth to cover my ears in order to drown out some of the explosion, and even then this room wasn't even giving me that long to catch my breath with! The pumpkin travelled over the gate as it had before, but I managed to get it a slightly farther distance away from the gate than Bobby did, surprising myself as I more than well enough know my own strength by this point. If my body weren't practically overflowing with adrenaline right now, my throw would be lucky to even reach the gates themselves, let alone fly directly over it!
Before moving onto deal with the next threat, I remembered to ask Tommy if he found the key while retreiving the pumpkin. He was noticeably out of breath and wheezing, which told me it probably took him all he had just to make it back with the pumpkin in time.
"Any luck with finding the key Tommy?"
"Sorry man. I dug my arm as deep as it could go, but all I found was dirt."
As soon as I uncovered my ears once more, Paul caught our attention with an announcement that caused the blood in my own veins to freeze over solid...
"Uhh... guys? Remember those "special" pumpkins we were warned about earlier?"
Paul was shaking considerably with an expression of pure terror on his face as he pointed in the direction of what he was talking about. My own heart felt like it flat-lined for a flash of a second as I took in the rather grotesque abominations that were standing not too far outside the patch. There were 4 pumpkins with these creepy, darkish green, vines flowing freely outside of conveniently placed holes on the pumpkins themselves. The vines seemed to take the shape of 2 pairs of arms and legs, which is what allowed them to stand up-right at all. I have no idea nor interest in knowing how any of this was possible. All I know is whatever they're supposed to be, it doesn't take a genius to know they aren't friendly!
Jason uttered out just one question which I'm pretty sure reflected our reactions toward the situation perfectly.
"What the... fuck are those things?!?"
"Don't know, but my guess is they aren't interested in introductions! Everyone, get as much distance from those freaks as you can! It's time to use this family's own weapons against them!"
Just after I shouted our next course of action toward the others, another 3 pumpkins began to ignite their fuses! I have to be crazy for suggesting something like this, but I don't think we're gonna beat these things in a straight up fight. It makes more sense to use the bombs themselves to drive these monsters, or whatever they were supposed to be back. Jason, Tommy, and Bobby all charged forward to grab the ignited pumpkins before they could detonate, but I realized that Paul wasn't falling back like I told everyone! Here I was convinced my own brother was listening to me for a change, goes to show just what kind of stupid I really am.
I practically screeched my entire essence at Paul for him to get out of their way. Whatever he was attempting here, now was literally the worst possible time for him to play the hero.
"PAUL!!! GET AWAY FROM THOSE THINGS, NOW!!!"
To my ultimate dismay however, he seemed to be egging the monstrosities on. It looked like he was trying to draw out their attention to lure them further away from us, which couldn't be any more opposite of what I'd like for him to do!! He keeps thinking trying to get himself killed is going to impress me, when all it'll end up doing is proving what a failure of a sibling I've shown myself to be. As much of a spineless coward as I've been these past few weeks however, I can't let so much as a strain of Paul's hair come under harm here!! No matter what happens to me or even anyone else, nobody but NO ONE HURTS MY LITTLE BROTHER!!!
Before I could sprint off to save him from those pumpkin monsters, Bobby called to me in an effort to warn me about getting Paul out of the way of the pumpkins they were about to throw.
"Yo Stew! If you wouldn't mind, could you get Paul out of the way here?!? We can't get a clear shot with him buzzing around, and we can't hold these things forever!!"
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse! This whole plan was meant to minimalize damage and make things as safe as possible for everyone involved, and instead all I've done is put my own sibling in harm's way!! I can hate myself later, the only thing that matters is getting my little bro away from those things and right to safety!
With nothing holding me back, I made a bee-line to where Paul was, currently trying to bait those freaks into chasing after him. He was moving them away from the patch and out into the open, allowing us to continue removing the bombs away from the patch without interruption. I tried to catch up to Paul before they could grab him first, but sadly he always was the faster of us 2. Even at my peak conditioning, there's no way in hell I could keep pace with him, let alone out-run him! Thankfully for me, he's a sprinter and not a long distance runner. Once he begins to lose steam and slow down, I can proceed to make my move from there.
We were a pretty decent distance away from the patch when Paul was starting to slow down. I took one last look at the guys to see how they were holding up. Jason, Tommy, and Bobby already disposed of their pumpkins much to my immediate relief. Strangely, Jason and Tommy were looking directly at the gate they'd thrown their pumpkins toward, but Bobby was looking straight at me with a deadly serious, nearly emotionless look on his face, like he was in full awareness that what he'd just done was inherently evil.
Suddenly it hit me... the sick bastard didn't throw his pumpkin toward or over the gate this time. He was instead aiming directly for US!! He was going to take out those monster pumpkins, and sacrifice the both of us at the same time. That's why he warned me earlier about getting Paul out of the way! It wasn't out of concern for his safety, it was to lure me into a trap!!!
My well-being is no longer a concern!!! Even if I can't count how many pieces of myself there are after the explosion, as long as Paul's okay afterward, at least I'll die with the knowledge that I've done one thing right in the end.
With every drop of adrenaline or energy I had left in me, I lunged my entire frame like a missle toward Paul's position.
"PAAAAUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLL!!!!!"
My hands managed to reach Paul in the nick of time to push him out of the range of the oncoming explosion. That was about the only thing I could recall, or even care to think about before...
... Boom
My ears wouldn't stop ringing at the explosion. For a while, that was all my body could process. It wasn't until I'd regained some of my previous senses that my right knee found itself in excruiating pain. I'd landed hard on the ground with an ugly sounding thud as my body rolled a bit closer to the patch. The corner of my left eye saw Paul on his back not too far from where I was laying. He looked dazed, but at least he wasn't injured by the explosion... Thank God.
My knee throbbed and pulsed with an unbearable sensation of pain and agony. I placed my right hand on it out of instinct, only to draw it back to see my hand was now coated in my body's own blood. I instantly gagged at the sight and had to resist the urge to vomit. I knew all my limbs were still together, but I could only guess at the amount of damage my right knee has suffered. That said, at least I managed to go down honorably, protecting my little brother in the end, even at the cost of my own life.
It's extremely unlikely I'll be going any further from here, but as long as Jason and Tommy can look after Paul in my place, then I can rest in peace.
I'm getting light-headed... think I'll just shut my eyes for a bit.
A/N: My sincerest apologies for not having updated in over a month, but I've had personal complications get in the way of my writing abilities. The next chapter might be the last one depending on my mind set, but who's to say? Tune in next time to learn Stewart's fate admist this betrayal!