Ready Or Not
Chapter 2
Devil's Labyrinth
XOXOXOXOXO
Author's Note: This chapter might be a bit longer than the first one! This story won't be that long, only six chapters including an epilogue. Then my other stories will be uploaded and marked as complete.
Hope you like it!
XOXOXOXOXO
Alvin, Simon and Theodore trekked through the thick grass and brush, ignoring the light drizzling of the rain. Today, they were going to do it. They were going to find Eleanor Miller.
Theodore had some reservations. Just like they had done when they had taken on that trip around the world, they had recorded fake messages to fool Dave and Miss Miller. Again, he felt great guilt over this, even more guilt than he had the first time. This wasn't simply a trip around the world, which was dangerous enough. But they were going to look for their missing friend. Who knows what they would find this time?
"Alvin, I'm not so sure about this plan," Simon said, shoving away part of a bush so he could pass. As always, he looked at the situation with a cautious eye. However, he had seen how desperate Theodore and everyone else was. If there was ever a reason to break the rules, he supposed this would be the time. This didn't stop him from wanting to do the job right, however. "Are you sure you know where you're going? Do you even have a plan? This is serious stuff."
"Simon, please! I always have a plan, stop underestimating me," Alvin replied, rolling his eyes at his bespectacled brother. "Relax."
"Oh! There's Jeanette and Brittany!" Theodore said, pointing toward the edge of the thick forest.
Sure enough, Jeanette and Brittany were nervously waiting for the Chipmunks. They, like the boys, were wearing loose pants and shirts. They all agreed that it was better to wear casual clothing for ease of movement and to avoid messing up their regular clothes and earning suspicion from their guardians.
"About time you guys showed up," Brittany said, smoothing out her auburn hair. "It's getting cold out here!"
"Well, sorry! It's hard getting here through all that grass and stuff," Alvin said, smirking. He put down the box he was carrying. Inside were five Japanese-style masks with accompanying flashlights. "While you're here complaining, I got everything we need. You're welcome."
"What are the masks for?" Brittany asked, picking up one that looked to be based on some kind of fox creature. "This isn't a game, Seville! We're on a search and rescue for my little sister," she snapped.
"I-It was my idea," Jeanette said quickly, walking forward. She adjusted her glasses, slightly magnifying her bloodshot eyes. "Before Ellie went... missing, she told me that she and her friends were coming here to play some kind of game. It's like hide and seek. Only in Japan, they call it Onigokku."
"Fascinating," Simon said, rubbing his chin. "I also did some research. It's a bit like tag as well, when they call the last one standing 'it'."
"I wish I could have stopped her," Theodore said, gulping down his guilt. He had seen her the evening she had decided to play the game with her four friends. It seemed so harmless. She had suggested that he play with her, but he had to go home to finish his homework. It was a normal day. She even hugged him and told him that she'd see him later. "None of this would have happened if I just told her to come home with me."
"It's not your fault, Theodore," Simon said sympathetically, placing a hand on Theodore's shoulder. "There's no way you could have known what would happen. Besides, we might be here trying to search for the both of you if you did go with her that day."
"Yeah, you're right, Simon," Theodore said, giving him a forced smile. But I would have been with her, at least.
Alvin squinted his eyes and peered through the trees of the forest. Due to the fog, it was hard to see if there was anything out there. Even though he was considered the fearless one, he was no idiot. They had to be careful.
"Alright, are you all ready?" Alvin asked, placing his mask on top of his head to reveal his face. All of them nodded. "Cool. Let's get started."
"We should really be careful, though," Jeanette said shakily. She wanted to do this, but she was also terrified. She searched inside her bag and pulled out a big ball of white yarn. She tied it to the branch of a nearby tree and unraveled it back to the others. "I got some yarn, just in case."
"Good thinking, Jeanette," Simon smiled, holding her hand. "It should be a lot easier now."
"Thank you, Simon," Jeanette blushed, smiling back at him weakly.
"Okay, good. Now we're all set," Brittany said. She looked over at Alvin and smiled. "Lead the way, Alvin."
XOXOXOXOXO
It had been fifteen minutes since they had entered the forest. If it wasn't for Jeanette's yarn, they certainly would have been lost by now. Everything looked the same: the trees, the rivers, the bushes, everything. To their relief, however, there didn't seem to be any wild animals out and about to watch out for.
The flashlights didn't really serve to help much either. The fog was thickening by the second. Nevertheless, they refused to turn them off for fear of being completely submerged in oncoming darkness of the night.
"Eleanor! Eleanor, can you hear us?" Theodore called, cupping his hand over his mouth to amplify his voice. The police had done this countless times before, but he refused to not try. "Eleanorrr!"
"Ellie! Ellie, where are you?" Brittany and Jeanette called as well.
"Hey... I see something," Brittany said, squinting her blue eyes.
"Is it Eleanor?" Theodore asked hopefully.
"I don't think so... I see lights," Brittany said slowly. She pointed her flashlight in the direction. The others looked on and were surprised to see that she was right! A few golden lights could be seen in the distance. "Someone lives out here!"
Theodore gulped, taking a step back. "I-I wonder if they know where Eleanor is?"
"Well, we have to at least ask, don't we?" Simon said reluctantly. "Come on, let's go together."
Gathering up their courage, the group of five made their way towards the dim lights. They didn't know what to expect when they made it up to the house. Would it just be regular people who chose to live closer to nature? Would it be some crazy hobbit? Or would they meet Eleanor's kidnappers?
These questions floated around in the heads of the five, young chipmunks. But all of these disappeared almost immediately when they finally arrived.
It wasn't a house at all. In fact, it was a whole city! A heavily industrialized city, no less, right in the middle of the forest! Bright red and yellow lights shown brightly through the fog from high, iron buildings. The sounds of heavy machinery could clearly be heard even several feet away. A large gate greeted them at the entrance to the amazing city, telling them the name of the strange place.
"'Devil's Labyrinth...?" Alvin said slowly. "I've never heard of this place before."
"W-W-Why is it called that!" Jeanette squeaked, looking around in fear. "Why would anyone want to live in a place like this?"
"Yeah, that name's given me the creeps," Brittany agreed, hugging herself. She looked over at Alvin, raising a brow in confusion. "How come no one's said anything about this place before? It's hard to miss."
"Yeah, that's what I'm wondering too," Alvin said thoughtfully. He then shrugged. "Maybe people do know about it. But I doubt the folks would tell us kids about a creepy place like this."
"I can see why," Theodore said, peering up at the sign. To make it worse, it had a strange, red monster with curved teeth and wide eyes to add to the disturbing design. "Do... do you think Eleanor is in there somewhere?"
"It does say it's a labyrinth," Simon said, rubbing his arm. "It's entirely possible that she and the other girls could have gotten lost in there."
Theodore bit his quivering lip. There was no backing out now. He wanted to find Eleanor, and this might be his only chance. They had to go inside.
Alvin noticed Theodore shivering and rubbed his head fondly. Theodore gave him a soft smile. He was glad that he could go through this with his brothers and friends. They all were in this together. It would all be worth it to see Eleano's smile, hear her bubbly laughter. Theodore just wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go again. All that was worth whatever they might find inside.
"Let's go, guys," Alvin said, taking a deep breath. "We've got work to do."
The others nodded in agreement and walked through the front gate. Inside, there were many different paths to take to go deeper into the intricate city. Surprisingly, there wasn't anyone around: no pedestrians, no cars, nothing. For the moment, they just assumed that they had locked themselves inside because of the weather.
"Which way should we go?" Theodore asked.
"It'll take forever if we take one road at a time," Brittany said, tapping her foot impatiently. "We'll be here all night if we do that."
"Good point," Alvin said, ruffling his reddish-brown hair. "Let's split up. That'll save loads of time."
"Not advisable, Alvin," Simon said adamantly, folding his arms. "We might get lost if we all take different roads."
Alvin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine, fine! Let's split up into two groups, then. That way no one will be alone. That suit you better?"
Simon nodded. "Yes, actually."
"Okay," Alvin said, looking around at them all. "Brittany and I will take this northern road. You, Jeanette and Theodore will take that western road. Once you're done, meet up back here. Agreed?"
"Sounds good," Brittany said, walking to stand at Alvin's side. "Good luck, guys! Yell if you find her or one of her friends."
With that, the five kids split up in search of their lost friend, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.
XOXOXOXOXO
Author's Note: Oh, so it looks like they found a strange city deep in the forest. Let's see how that turns out.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Much love!