Mable: Here we are! Sorry for lateness! Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Eighteen
"There must be a mistake," Charlie began to defend. Be calm, sound unthreatened, back away; perhaps she could slip out of this situation easily. Maybe he would be rational if she talked him down.
Instead, the Music Man only moved in closer. She did all she could from cringing when he was only inches away. Something about how still his face was only made him seem more inhuman.
"Oh, there is certainly no mistake! You are my new muse!" the Music Man insisted with a crackle of light laughter. Charlie had the urge to push him back or do something, but she wasn't willing to throw off her balance. "Too long have I waited for another of us gifted with the blessing of music!~ I've even already composed a song just for you! And now I shall sing for you!" He spread his cymbals to play when Charlie considered how disastrous that could be.
"Wait, no!" she whispered out, raising her hands to stop him. "Someone could hear you, and unless you shut the lights off and closed the gate-."
"I did!" Music Man admitted. He almost sounded proud of it. Charlie stared blankly for a moment.
"…Is there a reason why?" she tentatively asked. "You're sure there's nobody else here?"
"Oh no! I shut the door, so nobody would disturb us. Too much light and they'll come looking, and then they'd see you and take my muse away! And you don't want to know what happens to the animatronics they take away…" His voice lowered to an unsettling tone and his entire body went as still as a statue. "They don't come back…"
He stared at her, she stared back, and the silence remained momentarily. Then he returned to excitement. "But that's not going to happen now! I got you here, I got that unpleasant clown out of the way, and we have all night to make beautiful music together! Ring for me, would ya?"
"I can't really control it. It just happens on its own when I'm startled or-."
All at once, the Music Man struck his cymbals together. Charlie hesitated, Music Man looked expectantly- as though he expected the sudden clanging to surprise her into chiming. Finally deciding that she was going nowhere, she tried to somewhat appease him, if only so that he would stop asking. She tried to somehow focus on or tighten the mechanism in her chest. It was odd; when she spoke, it was more of a mental effort than a physical one. It was only when she attempted to talk through her body, as she did as a human, that the bell sounds returned.
It was almost as though the bells were her true voice. That would've been disturbing, if not for the spider standing before her clearly winning that out. Music Man gave the sound of cymbals without even clashing together the instruments on his hands. It was quieter and sounded to come from the speaker on its chest. Perhaps it was his own 'real' voice.
"How melodic! Who would think that it was bells that I was missing from my tune? We will make an amazing duet together!" Suddenly, music started to play from the animatronic's speaker. It was an odd sort of tune, as though keeping the beat with cymbal music without using the obvious instruments, and she watched hesitantly. And then, as unbelievable as it was, the animatronic began to sing to her. Or perhaps at her.
"Who is there? Has someone new come to play? Oh good, an audience! You've come to make my day!~" Music Man began. "And now that you're here, have no fear. I'm happy to have you stay! All are welcome when the Music Man plays!~"
There was a banging from the shop. It sounded like Baby banging on the doors. "I should go let her out or she's going to break herself through, and we wouldn't want that much of a mess," she tried to excuse and move by. He quickly sidestepped to stay in front of her and block her escape. It was clear that he was going to be difficult.
"What a pretty little thing. A darling puppet without strings! You and I'd make the perfect fit,~" Music Man continued. "But without that a grumpy clown with her self-appointed crown. You don't want to know how purple she is!~"
"Purple…? What are you talking about-?"
"Deep in my web of music notes!~" Music Man's voice raised loud enough to drown out her questioning as he continued to rhythmically crash the cymbals together. "Hiding from what you can't see!~" He moved in beside her and she moved back against the stage and sidled off to the side to put distance between them. "Some might think they're the stars of the show, but then, my dear, there's me!~" He gave a tilt of the head in a playful manner, and she could imagine him winking if he could do so. He pulled back only to continue playing.
"Raise your voice!~" He punctuated this command with a loud clang. "Clap your hands!~" He did it once again and it echoed through the room. "Keep the beat!~" Now she was becoming wary again of someone hearing. "Take a stand!~" There was another loud, rattling bang at the back door. She could only imagine that Baby would be able to break herself through soon... But maybe she could help her. "And join in with the Music Man!~
Charlie thought that was the end and was prepared to clap- to pacify the animatronic- and skirt by. Alas, this was not the case as Music Man entered another verse of the song. "This is getting out of hand. If anyone can hear him then they'll come over here, see me, see Baby, see what Baby did… I have to get away from this guy." She took a tentative step and made sure to keep herself balanced as she looked back to Music Man. She hoped he would keep believing that she was listening as she tentatively moved back towards the door to the other room.
"When ringing bells and cymbals clang in joined harmony,~" Music Man sung, "they become one. So, join the fun, and sing the melody!~" He started to step in closer and broke the song to call to her. "Don't get too far. Your solo's coming up!" If he thought she was about to start singing, he was seriously mistaken. "My darling bell, please ring for me! I'd share my stage, I'd cut my strings, just so I could hear you sing…!~" He paused expectantly. She did the only thing that seemed appropriate.
The Security Puppet turn and dove underneath the table behind her.
"…What?! No, wait!" Charlie slid only partially underneath and was forced to crawl down the long expanse to the door. She could hear his many legs thundering on the floor as he rushed after her. "Come back! We haven't even gotten started!"
The Security Puppet reached the end and climbed out from underneath the table. She then staggered to her feet like a newborn fawn, trying to push herself ahead as he rushed up beside her and caught her around the waist with one of his arms.
"Let me go, now," Charlie commanded as she fought against him. "I don't want to sing. I need to get 'the clown' and we need to go." This was his last warning, though she was quickly realizing that she was much more powerless than she had hoped. This thing wasn't like a human, even if it spoke to her like one. It was much stronger than that.
"You don't need to rush off so quickly! You're already in my web of rhythm, why not stay a while?" He tugged her in tighter and she cringed at the firm grip around her middle. "You can even get the big stage! We're going to be the number one animatronic duet of all time! Don't you want in on that, my little bell?"
"Not especially, no," Charlie answered. Then she swung her elbow back and hit him directly in his large, black eyes. He gave a cry and staggered with his arm slightly loosening. She was able to slip out, but some sort of strange fight of flight gripped her, and before she could even consider going after Baby she was back under the tables, hurrying back towards the entrance.
Music Man followed quickly and soon his arms were reaching under the table, even with the cymbals. "No! No! Come back, Bell!" he called desperately.
She ducked underneath one of the cymbals and looked to the next table. Then, with all her strength, she pounced out and then scuttled under the next. She almost did the same thing again until Music Man flipped the entire table over, almost blocking her way if she didn't slip past at the end. Then she was forcing herself back to her feet and struggled to run. Whether it be a short distance or her pounding panic, she didn't know, but Charlie was able to run for a few feet and nearly collapsed against the gate. She then attempted to climb through the broken hole in a panic.
Charlie was halfway through the gate when cymbals pressed in on her leg and pulled her back. It seemed it would be like the flimsiest grip, if not for Music Man's uncomfortable amount of strength. The metal pressed tightly into her leg and yanked her back. She threw out her arms to stop her body from getting dragged all the way inside again.
"Ah, ah, ah! Animatronics aren't allowed outside the premises. You should be back on your stage!" Music Man said in almost a mocking way. "Don't leave me yet, my muse! We have all the time in the world to make sweet music together!" She kicked back with her free leg but was only pulled tighter towards him. "I guess this is why puppets usually have their strings. We can get those for you too, my darling! Now if you would just-."
A loud bang echoed out from the next room. Even before she heard the rushing wheels, Charlie knew that Baby had gotten free, and that she was coming and looking for blood. 'The clown' peeled into the dining room and didn't need more than a second to take in the situation. She skated between the tables, gaze landing on the Music Man, and unleashed her anger by swinging her claw out to crack into his head. Music Man gave a crashing, static noise of pain and his arms released just enough for Charlie to slip free and fall through the gate.
"No!" Music Man cried out. He sounded so distraught, but it didn't last as he turned on Baby. "Oh, now look at what you've done!" That was when the fight broke out. Cymbals crashed forwards as the Music Man 'punched' at Baby. The female clown latched her claw onto one arm and twisted, trying to tear it off, and used the other hand to claw at his speaker.
"You talk too much," Baby answered. Her sharp fingers tugged into the edge and tried to yank it free. "Let's see if we can fix that."
Charlie had thought it was peculiar how animatronics spoke so casually as they were fighting. Of course, right as she thought this, the conversation abruptly degraded into literal shrieks as the two tore at each other. Though her attention was immediately changed when she heard something else. She sat upwards more alertly as she heard somewhere the faint sound of beeping. It only took her a moment to recognize that it was an alarm from ran out of time.
Without a hitch, she nearly climbed the gate to stand and reached her arm through the bars. She grabbed at the keypad on the wall and felt over the buttons until she came upon the button she needed. She pressed it and the lights turned on as they had before, then the gate began to slowly raise. Music Man's head snapped over and the dark eyes locked on her again. Charlie flinched, yanked her arm through the gate, and flung herself back as the animatronic shoved itself against the gate, completely entranced by her. He was able to drag Baby's weight easily because of her roller-skates.
"My muse, don't leave! I'll never find another with a voice of silver bells! I need you!" he begged. The gate slowly began to raise, and his legs bent slightly as he grabbed the gate with one arm and tried to lift it. It was clear that he would be after her. Baby was becoming aware that she had lost total control of the situation. She tried to skate backwards, even turning her skates to try and hold her ground, but it was clear that this wouldn't do anything. He would literally drag her along as he stole her ride. With growing frustration and exasperation, Baby looked around until her green eyes landed on one of the nearby chairs.
"Almost raised! Soon we'll be two once again!" Music Man cheered, that cymbal rhythm returning to his voice. "Don't go too far, my dear! When we-!"
He was interrupted by another crash. This time from a chair crashing over his back. This managed to knock him to the floor where he began to flail as he tried to right himself again.
Baby took this time to her advantage and skated forward, ducking under the gate, and made a beeline for Charlie before grabbing her in her arms.
"Hey-!" That was all Charlie could get out before Baby continued skating along the shops. Realizing that she was helping her escape, the Security Puppet pointed back. "The elevator's the other way!"
The clown didn't acknowledge it at all and instead sped towards the escalators. Considering what she was, it was shocking enough that she could skate so quickly. Though Charlie's thoughts were cut short when the clown took a sharp left and down the escalator they went. The Security Puppet gave a sharp chime as they began to drop, but Baby knew what she was doing. She kept her wheels on the metal edges beside the steps and only continued to pick of speed as they rocketed down the escalator. She could easily trip up at the bottom and become a scattered mound of wires and random metal bits. She couldn't trust Charlie to be able to tote everything outside in a timely manner either.
The moment she reached the bottom she braced, her wheels hit the floor heavily, and she continued to speed ahead towards the back door. By now Charlie was silently holding on, seemingly in shock, that she didn't even respond as Baby sprinted through the center room and into the hallway. The clown rammed her shoulder into the emergency door and shoved it open as a second alarm began to ring out.
But by now Baby was skating out towards the van. She had slowed coming through the door and took this as enough warning to shove Charlie onto the van's driver side door and coast around to the back to climb in. The Security Puppet scrambled to hold the handle to brace herself before letting herself in. She shoved the key into the ignition and yanked her hood up desperately before throwing the van in reverse and starting to back out. Someone would be here to check the alarms. Perhaps they even had outside footage of the van itself, which would doom them.
It wasn't until they were on the highway driving back towards Hurricane when they suspected they were in the clear. It was only now that Charlie allowed her thoughts to come through, and internally she was nearly shaking. A random animatronic had grappled all over her and if it hadn't had been for Baby she could've been dragged back inside. She owed Baby her life… If not for the fact that Baby herself put her in this situation.
She decided to stay silent in the long drive back to the warehouse. It was just easier that way.
"Stripes?... Hey, Mari… Come on, I know you're not that heavy of a sleeper..."
It was then that Mike removed the walkman's headphones from the Puppet and set them aside. Marionette roused instantly without the music and could see Mike kneeling over him. He started to slide down further into the sleeping bag again. While he had stayed awake for some time waiting for the group to leave, eventually even their lengthy conversations lost his interest, leading to him trying to sleep through it. Seeing how dark it was, he supposed it worked.
"Don't be like that," Mike said with amusement. He gestured with his head. "It's late, it's dark, let's go see what we can." The Puppet didn't need much more explanation as he slid out of the sleeping bag. Mike grabbed his water bottle holder and flashlight before looking back at him. "And we need to be quiet until we get to the path."
"Oh, so that's why your whispering! I thought there was a bear outside," Marionette began to joke. Though before it could even settle he noticed exactly what the man said. His smile faltered slightly. "…Mike, are they still outside?"
"They're not outside the tent, if that's what you're asking," Mike denied. He then beckoned and slipped out the flaps. The striped one followed and exited the tent to find an extinguished fire, along with three tents that weren't there before.
"They are here," Marionette remarked with a more obvious frown. "Did you consider that them being two foot away might be a problem for us?"
"No, and I also didn't consider having a conversation right outside the tents to be risky either," Mike quipped back. "Trust me, Mari, it'll work out. Let's just get to the trail." So, he started off and Marionette followed behind silently, waiting until they were safely away. All the while listening to the distant chirp of crickets. It was much cooler than earlier and more pleasant under the cover of night than the spotlight of day. Especially when he looked upwards and saw the sky.
"Look at those stars!" Marionette gasped and followed with a trill. "You certainly can't get a view like this in the city!" His delight returned, and his previous annoyance was long forgotten at the dozens of dots gleaming above.
"Wait until we're higher on the cliff. Then those babies are really going to burn," Mike playfully quipped back. He soon came up on a sign. "This is the beginning of the path. It's going to be too long for us to circle all the way around, so I was thinking we'll climb to the top and come back down. Either way I have an equal chance of cartwheeling down a hill and you tumbling after."
"Just keep in mind that my mask isn't insured, so if you go off the side you might be on your own until you reached rock bottom," Marionette cryptically teased. Mike chuckled and sent him back a small smirk.
"Glad to know you're still waiting at rock bottom for me. You know I love how quickly your standards can drop," Mike quipped. Then he turned back to the sign and the path, knowing that their time was limited. "Alright, that's enough stalling with banter. Up the cliff."
With that, he began to lead up the path, shining his flashlight over the trail. As soon as they were on the main path it became rocky and Mike had to keep his eyes constantly on his feet to make up for the darkness. It was a pleasant night; the evening was much cooler than the afternoon that led up to it and the sound of crickets filled the air. There was a rough rope strung as a railing beside the back and as the rocks became crumblier Mike found himself relying on it more. At one point his foot did slide, but not enough to risk tripping. More so it made a noise that startled the Puppet enough to grab onto Mike's arms from behind.
"Easy, just some loose rocks. I'm not going over yet," Mike assured. Though he then shined his light down and noticed exactly how steep the drop has become. He gave a light whistle. "Look at that… Yeah, I'm regretting that 'yet' already."
"If you think that looks dangerous, you should see everything I see," Marionette murmured. He slowly released his human companion. "Just be careful. Some of the rocks ahead are aligned like slanted steps, and they look much more apt to crumble than any of this." He almost felt bad that he wasn't more interested in going back. With all the risks in the world- and Mike's habit of being cornered by them- it was no wonder that he would be a little protective. Yet not as protective as he should have been. Maybe because the night felt so amazing. Everything looked so clear and new, even through night vision. They continued onward.
"So, I have to ask: why the most difficult hike in the park?" the animatronic asked. He could hover and Mike was in shape, making it easy enough for them, so it was possible that it could be because he didn't want to run into anyone. However, Marionette's internal clock said that it was after Midnight, so he doubted anyone would be out regardless.
"You know me, I'm always up for a challenge," Mike quipped back. He paused to focus on climbing a cracked portion of stone step and then added in, "But in all seriousness, I heard the view is worth seeing and I don't know when we'll get a chance to come back."
"You do realize you're not going to see the view, don't you?" Marionette pointed out.
"If I wanted to see the view that bad, I'd buy a postcard at a giftshop. I'm bringing you up here so that you can see the view. I get the experience of risking my life climbing a boulder," Mike insisted with full confidence. The Puppet hesitated behind him a moment, but the man didn't notice it. "And getting to do it while being shadowed by my favorite sock monkey," he added in playfully. Though there was a truth beyond that. At this point, Mike was determined to get to the highest point- or the highest reasonable point- of this trail, and it certainly wasn't for his own sake.
Marionette realized this quickly. With an affectionate blend of a chuckle, a chime, and a trill, he continued following once more and moved in close to return to his protective watch. "What would I do without you Mike?"
"You probably would get to the top quicker," Mike quipped. He then stopped short as the rope ended at a pole. He shined his light over the pole. "…What? Where's the rope?" He shined his light further to the right on the edge of the further slope but couldn't see any more railing. "Don't tell me that the rope budget ran out right here."
Instead of answering, Marionette moved in behind and wrapped his arms around him in an affectionate embrace. He pressed his mask into Mike's shoulder with a light trill. Then, just after Mike reached back to lay a hand on his arm, Marionette continued by pointing forward into the darkness. "Up there," he directed, looking like he was pointing straight up the steep slope. The security guard got a confused look and shined the light upwards, only to realize that the Puppet was right. Instead of following the natural curve, the rope guided the path up a much steeper section of rigid rocks.
"…Oh yeah, I'm going over the edge tonight," Mike muttered. Marionette chimed again and slid his arms off him before raising higher up the cliff. He then offered his hand to Mike to help him up once at the next rope. The human got his footing to step up the steep slope. "And sorry about wrecking our night by inviting a bunch of squatters to hang around camp."
"You didn't ruin our night! If anything, I-…" Marionette cut off as Mike was reaching or his hand. The human sent a confused look and the Puppet hesitated a moment, his fingers tightening briefly. "I'm glad that you got to spend time with other people outside our circle. Other people who aren't just animatronics… I guess I worry that I cause you to miss out on life the smallest bit." He noticed Mike sudden staring and realized that he had unintentionally voiced his insecurities. He took a move amused tone and gestured with his free hand. "By which I mean: I was a human, you could've come here during the day! Certainly a better view."
"Mari, chances are that if you were a human and we came here during the day, we would walk ten feet and give up because of the one-hundred-degree sun and ninety degree drop," Mike pointed out. He got a determined look, more serious, and certainly more convincing than any sort of banter. "And I don't hang out with a lot of people because I don't like a lot of people. If anything, I've met more people since I've met you, and most of them I can tolerate." He reached out and took Marionette's hand with his own. "You're good for me, Mari. You make me want to do these things, because I love you, and I want to give that to you."
"Mike,~" Marionette trilled in return and helped pull the other up. "I love you too, and I love this, being out here. I just don't want to hold you back."
"You say as you help my sorry ass up a cliff," Mike muttered breathily as he made it to the next rope. "I'm not that out of shape and I'm still struggling. What kind of mountain goat does someone have to be to climb up here? And could they have chosen a more uncomfortable rope?" He then flashed the animatronic a warm smile and hooked an arm around him. "Looks like I'm going to be relying on you a lot more during this climb."
Marionette chimed in amusement as he briefly glanced up the cliff and then back at him. "Yes. Yes, you will." Unfortunately, that was not a joke.
The hike continued, and it truly was a hike now. Unlike the smoother paths that Mike had eagerly run down without a care, climbing the more difficult path was a chore, especially in the dark. Between the flashlight and Marionette, Mike was guided well enough. Which was good once the left side of the path fully dropped away to a sheer cliff. Sometimes it got easier, sometimes harder, but when the rope would disappear it was Marionette there to lace fingers with him and guide him onwards. Just a few more steps and they would reach the top- or that's what Mike kept telling himself to not think about going back down.
Eventually, Marionette came to a revelation. "I think we should stop here," he suggested as he reached out to stop his companion.
"Why? How much worse does it get ahead?" Mike asked, moderately winded but not exactly ready to give up. Or he wasn't until he received his answer.
"I think you'd need to give me the flashlight, so you can use both hands to pull yourself up. Not that I don't think you're capable but coming down that… Coming down what we just climbed is going to be hard enough."
"Don't remind me," Mike sighed as he looked around. His flashlight eventually lowered to a semi-flat part of the rocky path. "Mind if we sit down for a minute so that I can catch my breath?" It wasn't the most comfortable place to rest and he still had to make sure he didn't slide down the hill, but it was better than nothing. He shined his light around the edge of the cliff. "How's it look?"
"It's breathtaking," Marionette admitted with a chime. "I wish you could see it."
"I can see enough," the human dismissed. At least he could see the edge of the cliff with the help from the flashlight and the stars dotting the endless sky above. He then glanced over at the Puppet's form in the darkness and got a playful smile. "I got a pretty great view from here." He began to retrieve his water bottle but didn't have a chance to even uncap it.
All at once, Marionette was upon him. He slid over Mike nearly into his lap, wrapping his arms around him, and beamed down at him with a low warble. Porcelain lips were soon dotting his cheek, then meeting his own lips, and finding their way over his skin to anywhere they could reach. It was a sudden shift in priorities, but not an unexpected one. Mike gladly set everything else aside and drew his puppet closer.
"I might not have you later, but I certainly have you all to myself now." the striped one murmured. He trailed his clever fingers down Mike's cheek. "But you love that, don't you, my loyal puppeteer?" His voice lowered to nearly a whisper and was almost hidden by his own warbling. He teasingly brushed his lips over Mike's before deepening the kiss. It was all surprisingly intense considering that it was in the middle of a strenuous hike. If he didn't know better, he would've believed that Marionette brought him up her to purposefully get him alone.
These thoughts were cut off by the fingers moving to the back of his head and pulling him in tighter. Mike naturally reacted with a small groan as he wrapped his arms around his slender waist.
"Be as loud as you want, Mike," Marionette assured. It was almost peculiar that he could talk without separating their lips, but it made sense. "Your voice is like music to me.~"
Mike was less than concerned. Nobody would be able to find them this far up the mountain, and they had all the time in the world. Or they did until short time later when one of them accidentally kicked something and the sound of crumbling rock interrupted. For a moment Marionette jolted in place and straightened. His pinprick eyes scanned the area and searched, paranoid of someone wandering up on them.
"Please tell me that was one of us," Mike muttered as he fumbled for the flashlight and shut it off. It threw them into darkness in case Marionette needed to retreat, but he didn't and instead continued to look. Then he finally relaxed and the light in his eyes darkened once more as he looked to him significant other.
"It's nobody. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tightly wound," Marionette excused. He then wrapped his arms back around the human again and pressed their foreheads together. The coolness of his mask was still refreshing considering how heated the human felt.
"Just a bit?" Mike lightly teased. "Probably for the best. Could you imagine what would happen if someone came up on this?"
"We would put on the best performance of our life. I would have to pretend I'm some sort of unknown wild animal and you would have to lie and say I'm mauling you."
"How's that a lie? You were mauling me." Mike smirked wider at the rattling that signaled growing embarrassment. "As much as I'd rather not return to our newly found cult of friends, we should probably get back. Maybe I'll pass out in the tent for a few hours and then you can wake me up before sunrise, so we can hike somewhere else. Preferably not somewhere where we can fall and die."
Marionette agreed and helped Mike to his feet. The security guard only hesitated to get a drink and turn the flashlight back on. Then they began to head down the mountain. While it was physically easier, the process took just as long with every step having to be so much more careful. He slipped more going down than he had coming up and was much more reliant on the Puppet's guidance to make up for the lack of vision and unstable ground. Thankfully it wasn't as hard to come down as it was to hike upwards. Eventually they were back on the more even path.
It didn't take them too long at that point to return to the camp. The low burning embers alit the tents well enough that Mike felt comfortable shutting off his flashlight as to not alert anyone. He glanced to the Puppet who responded in waving an arm forward to signal him ahead. He was careful not to step whatever kindling remained as he circled the firepit and headed to the tent. He could feel Marionette's hand on his back as he started to lean down.
And then suddenly there was light.
"Whoa!"
All at once, Mike jumped, he felt the familiar 'ripples' of Marionette teleporting, and he heard movements from one of the tents. He stood upright and looked towards the tent, blocking his eyes. "What the hell!?"
"Did you see that?!" Nathan blurted out as he shined his flashlight over the camp. "There was some sort of black thing standing right behind you!" Mike's blood ran cold at the man's panicked cry, especially as a few of the others started to look out of their tents. "I swear there was this thing- it looked like a human, or like some sort of scarecrow thing- How could you not hear it?! It was right behind you!" He was looking to the security guard for answers, to which he waved it off.
"You're half asleep. You're seeing in double or something," Mike excused. He hoped that they wouldn't notice how much he was sweating. "I just headed back to my car for a couple of minutes. Nobody was following me."
"Maybe it was, like, the Chupacabra or something," Dude Guy said as he came out of his tent to look around. "Did you see anything foaming out of its mouth?"
"No, this was not a mangy dog. This looked like a human, I swear! It was- It was right behind Mike!" Nathan pointed to the security guard desperately and then shined the light over the tents. He then clasped a hand on his head in growing panic. "I've never seen anything like that! It was jet-black! It was a jet-black scarecrow!" Dude Guy tried to calm him down, though also was looking around as well. As Tiffany started to come out, Mike slipped into his tent to avoid any questions. His heart was pounding as he zipped the flap closed and separated himself from the group.
"That was close… Well, that couldn't have gone any worse," he sarcastically remarked. Though then he heard the continued panic from Nathan outside and scooted towards the sleeping bag, which Marionette was knelt in the corner beside. "Mother of God, he saw you." He paused a moment as his shock turned to a slow, slightly strained widening smile of mischievousness. He looked to the animatronics. "And somehow you got away and he thinks he's looking for a black scarecrow prowling the mountain."
"That was much too close," Marionette whispered in shock as he rubbed at his mask. There was excitement somewhere, but that alarm inched in quickly and overtook it. "If I still went frozen when people saw me… Oh wow. We would have actually been in serious trouble."
"Yeah, you would've had to actually maul me," Mike said with that same smirk. He then made quick of removing his shoes and removing his shirt. "We're not out of the woods yet. Tomorrow morning we're going to realize how stupid that was, so we should enjoy this why we can." He gave a slow exhale as he imagined waking up to park rangers poking around. He was torn between adrenaline fueled excitement- the delight of almost getting caught- and the looming reminder that he needed to stay under the radar. It was all so thrilling, and unlike their usual thrills it wasn't accompanied with the threat of someone's death. It almost made this all seem wholesome.
"I didn't even hear him moving in that tent... I can't afford to get so distracted," Marionette reminded himself. He looked over at Mike, his back, and briefly trailing over the faded scar with his gaze then his fingertips. "I suppose it could be worse."
Marionette then returned to the safety and comfort of the sleeping bag. He probably wouldn't sleep, as he could already tell that he would be awake listening for the humans outside the tent, but he could welcome Mike with open arms. He knew there was nothing the human wanted more than to collapse and go completely unconscious. It had been a long night, Mike had been hiking for hours, and he needed rest if he was going to put on a show of innocence in the morning. Hugging him close, Marionette let his mind wander to the risk they had taken.
He had almost ruined everything. He had almost slipped up, getting spotted, and he didn't know why. For years he had never been so sloppy. It passed the Puppet's mind for a moment that maybe he wanted to get caught. Not to suffer the consequences, but maybe to get that sort of attention that would come from a group of excitable, adoring people- even if realistically that wasn't the reaction he would get. Maybe he was overthinking it.
…Or maybe he had been pushing Mike towards the friends that he wanted. He would rather not dwell on it.
The van pulled to a stop outside the warehouse. Charlie shut off the van and collapsed back on the driver's seat. She didn't feel like she could move and was both physically and mentally drained. She found herself rousing more as the back of the van opened and Baby climbed out, causing the vehicle to rock as her weight was removed. The Security Puppet considered letting her go as she watched the clown skate around the van through the mirror, but the decided that she couldn't. She ignored the static in her chest and threw open the driver's side door before dropping out.
"Baby, wait," she called after the clown. Baby slowed to a halt but didn't turn to face her. "…What happens if they see the footage and figure out what happened? We could be in real danger. Just because we got away doesn't mean we got away with it."
"I know that. I'm not an idiot," Baby answered. "If all went as planned, you scrambled the footage just being there. Puppets don't record well."
Charlie would've pointed out that she and Marionette were different, but instead realized what Baby had said. That was the final piece of the puzzle: Baby needed her to protect her from the cameras, and somehow knew how to do so without her even needing to do anything. Her hands tightened as her frustration returned.
"…So, you really did have this all planned out." Charlie had already come to this assumption, but this had only made it more apparent that Baby had checked all her angles before calling her over. She had done her research and planned everything. What she didn't talk her way around she blatantly lied about.
"I thought that would be obvious by now," Baby answered impassively.
"I just… I don't understand how you can do this and just stand there like it's nothing," the Security Puppet remarked. A growing static started to trail her voice as her anger grew. "How someone can be so selfish, so self-absorbed that they would use someone else for their own gain. Did it ever cross your mind to even try just asking me? Or better yet, to not drag me into your suicide mission? I guess this is why you 'don't have any friends'." The bitterness all poured out at once. "Baby only cares about Baby, but the drawback is that only Baby cares about Baby."
Apparently, that triggered something in the clown as she spun around and moved in quickly. Charlie couldn't have run even if she wanted to and stood her ground against the van as Baby came to a stop in front of her. The green, glowing eyes burned into her, but the Security Puppet wouldn't budge and refused to show any form of weakness. Not after what she had gone through tonight. She was much too betrayed to be afraid of the clown.
"Do you even realize what would've happened to you tonight if it wasn't for me…?" Baby slowly asked. "…Nothing."
Charlie had assumed she had meant with the Music Man, so she was rather confused. "If not for me, you would have hid in that house all night, hiding from what you are, living in this delirium that if you pretend to be an animatronic just a little longer that you'll suddenly be whole once again. That you'll get your family back, and you can go to school and eat ice cream and play all day as a happy girl instead of a miserable machine. That's not how it works, Charlie."
Charlie was only rendered speechless because of how direct Baby was. All of it came out before she could even try to protest, and the clown was not done.
"You should be thanking me, because you and I both know that tonight was the most alive you've felt since you died," Baby spat.
She knew that Charlie wouldn't deny it; whether it be because she knew the clown was right or because she was too shocked to answer. Deciding she was done with her, Baby turned and began to skate back to the unlocked door. The Security Puppet slowly dropped her head to look at the parking lot. It had been a horrific event: she had nearly been captured by a crazed animatronic, they almost could've been spotted, and she technically committed a crime, and abetted one by letting Funtime Chica to get broken.
And yet Baby was right. In those moments of risk, she hadn't been a human trapped in an animatronic body, awkwardly shuffling around. She had felt like a full and complete person. It made her feel alive.
There was a soft clanking as Baby opened the door. She was prepared to let herself inside and leave Charlie to her own devices, but then hesitated. Maybe it was the new wires inside of her, or perhaps the fact that she had been forced to ride in a van with little stimulation for too long. It certainly wasn't because of that pathetic line Charlie threw at her. Baby certainly didn't care if she didn't have others clinging to her, for they were deadweight, and she would rather do everything alone. That being said, there was a part of her that felt like something was left unsaid.
"But if you ever want to feel alive again, you know where to find me."
And as Charlie's head snapped upwards to stare in confusion, Baby stepped into the warehouse and closed the doors behind her, shutting the other out once more.
Mable: Next week on Almost Feels Like Home: Baby and Charlie break into a bowling alley. It doesn't get more alive than this. XD I hope you enjoyed!