Oh geez. Oh god. I feel bad for not updating on the scheduled day, a lot of things happened and I didn't get the time to do this! ono!
I'm sorry for this going up so late! Here here, take it! Take it and RUN.
Enjoy ;-;'''
I started to ponder a bit to myself, I was more confused than I was scared or angry. In the midst of everyone yelling and arguing, I wandered a bit into the mansion. Was it a mansion? It seemed more like a very large house. Whatever.
The walls were covered with an old, 60's styled wallpaper. It was a dull yellow, and it had soft rosy pink flowers on it, in an interesting pattern. The floors were made of wood, and creaked loudly as one walked around. There was a slight sweet smell, almost like someone was baking a pie...? That couldn't be, it's an abandoned house. I shrugged it off, I didn't want to know what it was that was giving off that smell. I ran my fingers along the walls a bit, grossed out by the dust that was on the walls. I wonder if Petunia was in here with us, I didn't really see her in the crowd. With the shape this house is in, I really hope she isn't.
I don't even remember walking into the house willingly, I just remember watching Cuddles talk and then, seconds later, the door closed behind us and we just kind of... Noticed where we were. Not even Cuddles knows how we got in here! It's really suspicious sounding, but weirder things have happened, so I'm not too worried about it. I walked deeper into the house, the lighting getting a bit dimmer and dimmer, and atmosphere darker and darker. I started to get chills up my spine, warning me to just turn back and walk back to the group of angry and confused Tree Friends.
So I do, just because I decided to trust my guts this time.
Getting back there took much longer than going down the hallway, but when I did get back I noticed that everyone was quiet and slightly calmed. Cuddles was in the middle of them, his arms crossed sternly. I watched on wonderingly, my bow flopping down to the side annoyingly...
"Alright you guys, instead of freaking out over suddenly appearing in the house, why not take the opportunity to explore, right?" Cuddles said with a stern "leader" voice, a couple of groans were heard from the crowd, making the rabbit frown in frustration.
"Well, you're just going to have to anyways, because I'm not going to let anyone leave!" He yelled, stomping his foot down in protest. There was a moment of silence in between the crowd and Cuddles. There was obviously some people who just wanted to leave, but it was as if something kept them from acting on it. Eventually, the group just dispersed into small groups, or just by themselves. Giggles noticed Flippy walking off towards the staircase that lead downstairs, with three other Tree Friends. Shrugging, she followed them downstairs, catching up with one of them, being Galletas. The other two that were in the group were Nikki, and unsurprisingly, U.
"Sooo, where are you guys going?" Giggles asked lowly, nudging Galletas, who looked over to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Honestly? I don't know, he just told us that he really wanted to come down here. I don't blame him, judging by the doors it's probably a really big room!" Galletas said enthusiastically, Giggles laughed a bit.
"And what if it's just something ordinary, like a closet?"
"... Then maybe we'll just find a body or something!"
Nikki stopped mid way down the stairs, looking up at the two, her eyes wide. "Do you really think we'll find a body there..?" She asked curiously
Galletas just shrugged, as if the comment wasn't disturbing. Giggles rubbed her head a bit in awkwardness, fixing her bow into place. "He was just kidding, Nikki." Giggles said reassuringly, by then the whole group had stopped in the middle of the staircase.
"Well, we actually COULD find a body, it is a pretty old house after all..." Flippy mumbled in a dark, low tone. Giggles flinched a bit.
"Oh yea, we can also just find a bunch of books there or something..!" She rebutted, making Flippy chuckle a bit.
"... You guys are fucking weird."
U frowned, an annoyed expression stapled on his face. The rest of the group just shrugged, and kept on going down the stairs. When they finally reached the doors, Galletas pushed them open dramatically. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind hit them all, blinding them all briefly. The five Tree Friends walked inside cautiously, Giggles holding onto Nikki and Flippy in fear and Galletas holding onto U's arm, who just blinked with a blunt, bored expression. Flippy fumbled around the dark room's walls, looking for a switch. Finally, he found one, and he quickly flipped it up.
The whole room lit up with dim, almost dying lights. It was a large library, that went up three floors, from the basement up to the second floor probably. The bookshelves were filled to the brim with books, both big and small. There were old, wooden tables with intricate designs etched into them all, the chairs as well. The walls had a warm, dark red colored wallpaper on them, with the design being small doll like creatures on them, almost like an elaborate painting. They all looked very similar to the Tree Friends, which was a bit off putting. The lights were all in chandeliers, and there was an actual reception desk there.
It was an breathtaking sight, and if the lights weren't so dim, it would've been much more beautiful. It seemed the brightest lights were coming from the very last floor, and the darkest ones were down on the basement floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Galletas spotted a soft, yellow light down one of the rows of books. Without a second thought, he let go of U's arm and started to follow it. The other four, not noticing, kept looking up and around the room quietly.
"... There are a lot of books here..." U murmured.
"Well no shit, smarts." Flippy replied jokingly, earning a growl from the tall creature, making him flinch a bit in fear.
"... Hey Galletas, what do you think about this place..? ... Galletas?"
Nikki looked around, the nervousness in her voice rising a bit. Flippy and Giggles watched on as she grew worried over the cookie cat, who was just with them a mere minute or two ago. U sighed out, his tail jabbing her arm a bit.
"Shut up and calm down, dammit. I'll go look for him." He said bluntly, his eye glowing softly. It was actually almost as bright as the dim lights of the basement floor. He quickly disappeared in between the bookshelves, leaving the other three to explore the area. Nikki picked books off the shelves, flipping through them curiously before placing them back. Giggles and Flippy looked around the reception table, which had a bunch of books under the shelves below, and lamps with actual functioning light bulbs. Turning them on, the noticed that there was a small trapdoor that most likely led to some random room. Shrugging it off, the messed around with the books and stamps that were there, as well as an old typewriter that had an unfinished letter still there. The paper was yellow, and was ripping slightly.
"... Should we read it?" Flippy asked.
"Nah. Just leave it there, not like it'll benefit us later, right?" Giggles replied, turning the page to an old magazine that was dated to a random month in 1971.
Flippy looked at the paper, his ears twitching. He frowned a bit and took the paper out carefully, rolling it up and hiding it under his hat. He'll just have to read it later. He looked around, and spotted the same yellow light that Galletas was following. Something snapped inside of him, and he began to follow it curiously, his eyes glossed over slightly. He followed it deeper and deeper into the library, ultimately leading him to a small office, where Galletas was searching through. He looked up and tilted his head as he walked in. "Ah, hi Flippy!" He said enthusiastically.
Flippy's eyes blinked, and he quickly looked around nervously. "Ah! Where the hell am I?!" He asked frantically.
"I don't know! But isn't this place cool? Just look at what I found!" He said cheerfully as he pulled out a book with a lock on it. Flippy tilted his head in curiosity.
The book was hardcover and was lined with leather. The center was red and had a now blurred picture, possibly a drawing. He ran his fingers along it and flinched at how cold it was. Galletas smiled fondly.
"It's locked, but I'm sure I'll be able to pick it and unlock it! Soon I'll be able to read what's in here!" He said cheerfully.
"But... Why do you want to read what's in there..?" Flippy asked curiously, Galletas blinked a bit, his smile fading.
"I... I don't know, really. I guess I'm just attracted to it?" He said with an unsure tone, Flippy shrugged.
"Well, whatever you say I guess. Say, U came looking for you, he didn't find you or something?"
Galletas frowned a bit, shaking his head. His ears flopped down in worry, and with the book, he ran out the room. "U..?! Where are you..?" He yelled out, but with no response.
An eerie feeling fell over the two Tree Friends, almost like a feeling of not being able to leave. It was an odd feeling, a sudden one.
"I guess.. We should just walk back together?" Flippy suggested, earning a small nod from Galletas. The two walked out of the room, the book still in Galletas' hand. Without noticing, Galletas wrapped his tail around Flippy's arm, who just shrugged off the sudden motion. The two continued to walk in slience, a few frustrated whines coming from Galletas whenever he tried to pick the lock to no avail.
"... You know what would be unfortunate? If U found us walking back together."
"Why would the be unfortunate, Flippy?"
"Well, you know, it's just the two of us and stuff, and we're all alone in a random part of the library, and I mean you know, it's with me of all people..."
"... What in gods name are you suggesting, Flippy?"
Galletas stopped, unwrapping his tail from Flippy's arm. He stood in front of him with his arms crossed and a slightly scowling expression on his face. Flippy blushed and looked away in embarrassment, he took his hat off and fumbled with it.
"That's not what I mean, i-idiot! I mean, no, you're not an idiot I just-"
"Flippy?"
"Yea..?"
"I know what you meant, I was just messing with you silly."
Flippy stopped wringing his hat, he frowned and sternly put it back on his head. He was about to say something, when all of a sudden the lights went out. The two screamed a bit in fear and hugged each other, looking around quietly.
"Okay, okay this isn't the kind of exploring I wanted to do, not at all..!"
Boony frowned a bit, looking around the small room that he had found a few minutes ago. It was filled with dolls from top to bottom, they resembled random Tree Friends, and the walls were a pale blue color. It was a bit eerie, since the windows were shut, yet the hole filled curtains swayed around gently. He walked in slowly, picking up one of the dolls on the way. It was a baby yellow rabbit with a black pirate eye patch on it, and a long black dress that covered the rest of its body. It had short black hair and it was holding a bloody looking bat in its hands. Boony raised an eyebrow in question. The doll reminded him of someone who was in the group with him, but it didn't really bother him much. He walked deeper into the room, his ears twitching as he heard shuffling behind him. He turned around to see Scarecrow and Sean, who were looking at him quietly. Behind them was Toothy and Cuddles, who were peering into the room as well.
"... How long have you four been standing there?" Boony asked, a slightly confused tone hinting itself in his voice, Cuddles laughed a bit and walked into the room.
"Long enough to know that you found one of the creepiest rooms I've seen so far! Look at all these dolls! It's really weird!" Cuddles cheered, picking up one of the dolls. It was a white rabbit with a fancy looking bow strapped around its neck, and a small star in it's hand. Cuddles tilted his head and raised the doll up, observing it closely. "Huh, I've never seen a person who looks like this before, kind of weird really." Cuddles said with a questioning stare.
"Well of course not, they're probably dolls of old, dead people." Scarecrow said, picking up an orange fox in his hand. It was covered in scars, and it held a long sword in its hand that was shattered. It's expression was a sad one, and its stitched on eyes showed it, despite it only being buttons. Scarecrow frowned and dropped it quickly.
"I wouldn't call it creepy, it's more... Sad. I mean, all these dolls this little kid had. Probably didn't have much friends now did she? Or he." Boony replied, fumbling with the rabbit in his hands. Toothy picked up a soft green kitten with patches of different shades of pink on its arms and legs. The hair was black, and it seemed like it was holding something, but was torn off rather forcefully.
"I actually have to agree with that. This whole house is sad, actually. Almost as if something really tragic happened here, you know?" Toothy said with fear in his voice, Cuddles tilted his head. "What do you mean 'something tragic'? Like, a death or murder or something?" He asked, Toothy nodded.
The group fell silent, as they looked down at the dolls in their hands. Boony frowned a bit, as he felt the stares of the dolls looking down at him. He scowled a bit and dropped the doll, walking out of the room quickly. The others did the same, except Toothy, who stood in the middle of the room. He looked at the dolls quietly, one in particular catching his eye. It was a light brown cat, with dark brown hair and scratches all over its plush body. The cotton poked out of its cuts, and it held a small stick its hand. He stared down at the two dolls before walking out the door with them. He smiled a little.
"I really like you two..."
He made his way downstairs to the entrance, where he noticed a small group surrounding the door. Getting closer to them, he noticed that Arkin was messing around with the door. He frowned a bit, observing them from a far. The group consisted of Lily, Sean, Bunny, Limit, and Lammy. Lifty and Shifty watched on as well, snickering at Arkin's failed attempts at opening the door.
"What the hell is he doing?"
Toothy flinched a bit, and looked behind him. A small blush of shyness etched itself on his face, and he looked up at the floating flying squirrel above him. It was Splendid, and he looked a bit angry.
"Ah, I don't know S-Splendid..." Toothy said, fidgeting a bit, Splendid landed next to Toothy, his hands on his hips. He walked up to the group, who just watched Arkin struggle with the door. He tapped Lily's shoulder lightly, making her flinch and turn around quickly.
"Oh, it's just you Splendid." She said with a small pout, Splendid nodded.
"Yea, it's me. So uh... What's Dumbass McGee doing over here?" He asked sternly, earning an angry glare from the other flying squirrel. Lily laughed a bit.
"Oh, um, he's trying to open the doors. They're pretty shut, they won't budge at all. Kind of worrying really." She said with a smile, Splendid rolled his eyes a bit. "I see, has he tried opening the door like a CIVIL person?" He asked with a slight attitude in his voice, Lily nodded.
"Ah, if it makes him seem a bit less crazy, Limit tried to do the same thing before him!" Bunny said reassuringly, Limit looked away in a huff.
"Okay, yea, I was doing it too, but it was for a good reason! It's almost 6pm!" Limit said, flailing his arms a bit.
"He isn't lying, it actually is almost 6, we need to go home already!" Sean said, adding onto Limit's comment. Splendid rubbed his temples a bit.
"Alright, well, why not just find another way out of here? Like, through a window maybe..?" He said, Lammy shook her head.
"We can't leave through the windows, we can't break them and the windows won't budge open! It's like something is keeping us in here!" She whined, Lifty and Shifty nodded. "We even tried going through the door in the kitchen and it wouldn't budge for diddly squat, it's really suspicious if you ask me." Lifty said with an angry gaze towards Splendid. Splendid frowned and floated towards the door, shoving Arkin aside. He took in a deep breath and punched the door, causing the wall to shake a bit.
It didn't break.
"You know, your brat of a nephew could've done that as well. Probably would've done it BETTER too, haha!" Shifty laughed obnoxiously, Splendid looked back at him and snarled at him a bit, causing the older brother to scamper behind Lifty.
"Well then, go check around the house for any other potential exits! There's got to be SOMEWHERE that we can get out of!" Splendid yelled loudly, making the crowd flinch slightly.
"I already checked, there's no way we're getting out of here."
Samiee ran down the stairs swiftly, his scarf dragging on the ground slightly. "Everything is just shut, every window, door, just... Closed. I even tried breaking down the walls and they didn't budge. It's like we're trapped in here, like.. Like a box or something"
The small group looked at each other quietly, talking amongst themselves. Splendid floated up to Samiee, stopping in front of him. He crossed his arms and stared down at him.
"... What..?" Samiee asked, his ears flopping down and his eyebrows furrowing. Splendid just sighed and shook his head.
"Guess we're fucked, huh?"
Raven held Scarecrow's hat in her hand, she was humming a small tone and was a bit excited to get back to everyone, actually. The hat had flown off a bit far from everyone, and it took her some time to find it in a rather tall bush. Her tail swayed and her ears flopped up, but as she got closer and closer, she felt a bit of dread inside of her building up. It's as if something bad had happen, and she was about to see the remains of the massacre. She shrugged the feeling off though, and kept on walking and walking, eventually reaching the sight. She noticed that no one was around, so she went up to the large bushes that covered up the view of the house.
She wiggled her way through, keeping her grip on the hat. She finally reached the end of the bush, and burst right out of it.
"Scarecrow! I found your... Your... Oh..."
Raven's eyes widen in horror at the sight before her, she felt fear all over her, as she finally fully processed the image that was before her.
She dropped the hat, and quickly ran back to town.
aAAAH. I FINALLY FINISHED IT. God, you don't know how much time this took, because of things getting in the way and me procrastinating and stuff, it's just all so stupid ono;;;
I hope you guys aren't angry with me for updating so damn late! I tried really hard on the chapter, and even though there might be some... Mistakes here and there, at least it's something, right? :33c
Well, with that being said I guess I should go on and... End the chapter on a douchdick note. Cliffhangers. EVERYONE LOVES THEM.
Cheers!