Chapter 2

October 31, 2015

1:42 am

"You said an evil me?" Oswald asked, surprised as the boat they rode got closer to the dock on Discovery Island.

"Ya, according to April, he used a taser-like thing to attack her and Luke." Mickey explained, thankful for the headlamp Rick found for him as he worked on finishing his electromagnetic pulse on the floor of the boat. "I don't wanna know what that feels like so I'm going to be ready."

"Lovely, so between an evil me, birds, snakes in jars, and who knows what else, we have to find three kids?" Oswald summed up, cutting the engine so they could park their boat. "The island's what, eleven acres?"

"Could be worst." Mickey pointed out. "At least the island's still lit, and it's no bigger than eleven."

Oswald jumped up to the dock to tie the ropes off before pulling out his phone. "You said they got split up close to the Education Parilion?" Oswald asked, checking his copy of the island map.

"Actually, with how she was telling it, I think it was somewhere else." Mickey admitted, pocketing his EMP before getting out of the boat. He looked over at Oswald's phone and pointed to a forked pathway. "I think it was here, closer to Thirsty Perch."

"Well, let's head that way." Oswald said, pocketing his phone as the two started towards the old park. "I wanna know who's behind messing up my good name."

Mickey eyed his brother, a smirk on his face. "Good?" he quoted.

Oswald rolled his eyes, bumping his shoulder into Mickey's before freezing, all humor gone from his face. "Hey, hold on." Oswald hissed, holding out his hand to stop the mouse. The two stood silent, surrounded by trees and plants overgrowing the walk way. A big bird flew overhead, calling out once before leaving them in silence.

"What?" Mickey asked, watching his brother's ears twitch around.

Oswald didn't answer for a moment, keeping his eyes to the forest before relaxing. "I thought I heard an animatronic." Oswald admitted. "One that's joints need repair."

"Well Rick did say some animatronics had been dumped here." Mickey remembered. "My question is what's powering them."

"There it is again!" Oswald hissed, turning to his left. He quickly pulled out his pen light from his pocket and clicked it on as he shined it into the woods. "Who's there!? We won't hurt you, we're here to help."

The two looked out into what they could see by Oswald's flashlight into the overgrown jungle only for nothing to move.

"We're coming closer, ok?" Mickey offered, clicking on his headlamp before taking the lead into the overgrown with Oswald close behind. "You can come out. We're not going to hurt you. Amanda? Luke? Harley? Any of you around?"

"We should've brought a machete." Oswald complained, swatting as branches and long grasses came up to his head. He through a hand up at a branch that wacked his ear only for something to drop out of the tree. He swung his light over at it only to squeak in surprise.

"What?" Mickey asked, turning around to see Oswald frozen. He looked at what the rabbit had his light on only to gag.

"Well, I think we found Amanda." Oswald said, his voice cracking as he found himself unable to look away. Only a meter away from where he stood laid a female head with the spinal cord still attached as if her head had been ripped from her body.

"I wonder where her body is." Mickey gulped, turning away.

"Hopefully not in any more trees." Oswald said, his feet following his brother as his eyes stayed on the disembodied head. He shivered before fully following the mouse. "I hope the other two didn't end up like that."

Gr gr k k grk

The two froze in fear as the sound of scratching mettle came from right in front of them.

Tick-tic-tic tic tci

"I have an EMP!" Mickey warned, pulling out the device from his pocket. The sound of crackling electricity getting closer as it flowed through the air faster.

tch tc tc tic Tic TiC TIC

Oswald stepped closer to Mickey, shining his light around, trying to see what was rustling the bushes around the, coming closer. "Hit it!" Oswald hissed, his fears taking over.

Mickey swatted a hand at the rabbit as he called out, "We're not here to hurt you."

"Get off my island!" a rough metallic voice called out as a flash of electricity sparked in front of them.

Mickey flicked the switch on his EMP and aimed the coil of wires at the voice. A pop was heard before an object fell to the ground.

The two walked over to where they heard it land, surprised by what they saw.

"It really is me." Oswald said, crouching down to look at the animatronic closely. "He's been badly damaged though. Look at his jaw."

"His jaw, his outer costume, his robot skeleton." Mickey listed, lightly tapping his shoe against the skeleton structure exposed in the animatronic's leg.

"He-EIIIIII!" Oswald found his mussels contracting as electricity rushed through-out his body. Panic rushed him as he noticed the electricity jump from him to the animatronic before attacking Mickey.

After what felt like an eternity, the electricity released Oswald, only for his body to give up. The rabbit found himself dropping, never noticing when his head hit the dirt.