Chapter Nineteen: The Man in the Coffin
"What is it?" Hobbes questioned, examining the glowing object in the safe.
"I've got no idea," Calvin replied. "Why don't you pick it up and find out?"
"ME?" Hobbes replied in an outraged manner. "Why me?"
"Well, I'm the leader," Calvin explained proudly. "If something were to happen to me, why what would you do?"
"I'd be out of this mess, for starters," Hobbes replied. "That's just the beginning of my list. Want me to keep going?"
"Oh, shut up," Calvin demanded. "If you're going to be a scaredy-cat, then I'LL pick it up!"
Calvin then pushed Hobbes aside as he bent down to pick up the object, still grunting about Hobbes.
"I don't know what that flea-bucket's problem is…I mean, is it too much to ask to pick up a small, glowing object? For crying out loud, I just fought a dumb monster and I still have to do the grunt work…I mean…AH!"
Calvin jumped three feet back when he picked up the glowing object and right on top of Hobbes, holding onto him as if he were never going to let go.
"What's your problem?" Hobbes demanded as he tried to push Calvin off his face.
"I picked up the thing and something crawled up my arm!" Calvin shivered as he struggled to stay on top of Hobbes' head.
"What was it?" Hobbes asked, jumping on top of a nearby chair.
Before anyone could say anything else, the weak chair they were standing on collapsed under the weight of Calvin and Hobbes.
Hobbes brushed the debris off himself and looked at Calvin's arm to see a small spider crawling up it.
"You gave me a heart attack over a stupid spider?"
"Hey, with everything we've been through the past couple of days, it could have been anything…I was right to panic!" Calvin argued.
"Let's just get that stupid thing," Hobbes grunted as he made his way to the safe.
He examined the object on the ground closely before picking it up. He even sniffed at it just to make sure it wasn't anything that could be lethal.
"Well, what is it?" Calvin demanded from a safe distance.
"It's just a key," Hobbes assured, picking it up.
"A key to what, though?"
"Maybe this note says," Hobbes replied as he picked up a piece of paper that the key came with.
Hobbes read the letter out loud. It said:
To Whom It May Concern:
First of all, if you are reading this, I congratulate you on defeating the monster I locked up in this safe with the key. If you were able to defeat the monster, then you are without a doubt worthy of seeing what it is I have done with my close and personal friend. The key you have found in the safe is one of a kind, so do not lose it, for it is the only way to open the door in the basement of this mansion to find him. I cannot promise you that he will be alive, though. So if you find a rotting corpse in the basement instead of him, then that's just tough luck for you. In any case, you had fun, right?
Head of Shinra Science Department
Hojo
"Well…at least we know where this 'experiment' is," Calvin said optimistically. "We should check it out!"
"We?" Hobbes demanded. "By 'we', you mean just you while I wait here, right?"
"English mustn't be your first language," Calvin said sarcastically. "What do you think I mean by 'we'? I mean you AND me dummy! Now stop being a baby and let's see what it is that this Hojo guy has waiting in the basement of the mansion!"
"Why?" Hobbes demanded. "It's none of our business, is it?"
"We're going to figure out what's in that basement whether you want to or not!" Calvin shouted. "I am NOT going to go around saying I fought some homicidal psycho Shinra monster for nothing! Now let's go!"
Hobbes hesitated at first, but after thinking about it, he decided Calvin was right. After all, they had already defeated the monster. 'Might as well see the reward,' Hobbes thought to himself.
Calvin and Hobbes made their way down the Shinra Mansion steps to the basement of the building. The basement was dusty, covered with cobwebs, and had dirt for a floor.
"Man, I thought I would never hear myself say this, but this place needs to be cleaned," Calvin grunted as he swiped away a set of cobwebs that had covered his face.
"Hey, this must be the door in the letter," Hobbes said, pointing out a large, wooden door with a large keyhole by the knob.
"Well…here goes nothing," Calvin sighed as he put the key in the keyhole and turned the lock.
The door gave a loud, ugly, unlocking noise as Calvin turned the key. Also, when Hobbes pushed against the door, its hinges gave a loud creaking sound. When the door was fully open, Calvin and Hobbes found themselves looking in a room filled with coffins.
"This…is so gross…," Hobbes sputtered as he looked at the room with disgust.
"This is so COOL!" Calvin shouted as he excitedly looked around the room. "I can't believe that we get to see a dead person! Man, I'm glad we came down here!"
"Shh," Hobbes hushed. "You don't have to be so loud."
"Oh, what's wrong? Is the bid putty tat scared?"
"…to awaken me from my nightmare…"
"Oh, you're not going to have nightmares from this, are you?" Calvin teased. "The putty tat says he's gonna have nightmares. Ha!"
"I didn't say anything about having nightmares," Hobbes assured, sounding a little crept out.
"Yeah you did…didn't you just say…"
"…to awaken me from my nightmare…"
"Yeah, that."
"I…I didn't say that," Hobbes whispered.
"…to awaken me from my nightmare…"
"if…if you're not saying that…," Calvin whispered, "then…who…"
Suddenly, the lid on one of the coffins popped open. Calvin shrieked like a little girl as he jumped into Hobbes arms, who was also screaming, but not quite as feministic as Calvin.
"ZOMBIE! ZOMBIE!" Calvin shrieked. "IT'S GONNA EAT US!"
As Calvin shouted this, a man sat up from the coffin. He had long, black, greasy hair and wore a lot of red. He also had a claw where one of his hands should have been. He stretched as he gazed upon the petrified boy and tiger with hair standing on end.
"Who are you?" the man questioned.
"YOU'RE RIGHT!" Hobbes shouted. "IT IS A ZOMBIE!"
"Zombie? I am no zombie," the man assured. "To be a zombie, I would have to have died first…and I am very much alive…though I cannot say very well. In fact, I might as well have died."
"Wait a second…you're that guy, aren't you?" Hobbes asked, throwing Calvin to the ground as he examined the man closer.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'that guy'? Furthermore, what are you two doing here? This is no place for the likes of you."
"Believe us, pal, we don't want to be here any more than you want us here," Calvin assured. "In fact, I don't' know how we got into this mess. I mean, we were only in this mansion searching for clues about where to find some guy named Sephiroth. Then…"
"Sephiroth! You know Sephiroth?"
"Well, we don't KNOW him know him, but we're friends with someone who has a score to settle with him," Hobbes explained.
"…close enough," the man replied as he jumped out of his coffin. "Let's hear the story."
Calvin and Hobbes then retold the story that Cloud had told them before they arrived at Neibelheim. From the incident five years ago to the rivalry Cloud had developed with Sephiroth. Despite the fact that Calvin and Hobbes argued over whether the other's information was accurate or not, the man from the coffin seemed to understand.
"…and that's pretty much all we know," Hobbes finally said.
"…interesting," was all the man could say.
"So, what's your story, buddy?"
The red-caped man was silent for some time before finally saying, "I cannot speak now."
"WHY NOT!" Calvin demanded. "AFTER GOING THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE TO REMEMBER CLOUD'S STORY, THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS TELL US YOURS?"
"After hearing your story, my sin seems even worse than it was before. Now even more nightmares shall come to me…please leave…I wish to be left alone."
"TELL US…WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH YOU AND SEPHIROTH? WHAT'S YOUR HEAT WITH THE GUY?"
However, the man did not seem to be listening. Instead, he just picked up the hood of his coffin, climbed back into the coffin he was found in, and put the top back on over him.
"Sheesh…what's his problem?" Calvin grunted.
"I don't know," Hobbes said. "…nightmares…I wonder what he meant by that?"
"I don't know…let's get out of here. The stench is starting to get to me," Calvin whined.
"Man…all that work and suspense just for some creep who lays in a coffin complaining about nightmares," Calvin grumbled as they exited the room.
"You complain about monsters under your bed, Calvin."
"THAT'S SOEMTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT! THOSE THINGS WOULD EAT US ALIVE IF THEY EVER GOT THE CHANCE TO! WHY…"
"Shh!" Hobbes suddenly hushed. "Did you just hear something?"
Neither Calvin nor Hobbes made any movements. They listened carefully for anything to break the deadly silence.
"Oh, that guy talking about nightmares must have gotten to you. Don't pay any bother to him…he's just some…"
Calvin never got to finish the sentence as suddenly they heard noises coming down the hallway. It sounded like stuff was being thrown to the ground madly.