Disclaimer: "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media

[I've been dead again for a long time – SO sorry about that! Then again, that's how anyone would be when there's college and job-hunting involved…

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and glad you all like this story – so here's the continuation as promised!]

Happy Tree Friends: Camp Sanguine

Chapter 22 – Reliving The Nightmare

"You're a failure, Private Flippy! Nothing but a worthless failure!"

'That voice…' Flippy thought, pushing himself off the ground as he took a quick look at his surroundings. Without a doubt he remembered this place – the training grounds at the military school. "Get up and get moving you useless piece of shit!" barked the drill sergeant behind him, "My Grandpa moves way faster than that!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Flippy nearly jumped at the sudden volume of his own voice. 'W-Wait, did I really say that!' he thought, mentally panicking the second he realized he has no control over his own body as he turned to face the ageing man. "I've had enough of your bullshit!" he yelled, "Fuckers like you ought to be reported for student abuse!"

"The way I assume command is according to standard in this facility! You, on the other hand, should grow a pair and fucking get used to it!" the drill sergeant barked back, ignoring the flashing thunder as it lit up the stormy night. Flippy could tell his superior is yelling at him, but it all sounded like garbled white noise as hot blood pounded in his ears.

The next thing he knew was that he was rushing towards the still-ranting sergeant and – for a second – he watched his anger flash into sudden shock. Laughter then followed as he stepped back, feeling his mouth curve into a malicious grin as he repeatedly stabbed the drill sergeant until he lay lifeless on the muddy ground.

"Flippy, what have you done!" screamed a fellow student soldier as he stood at a nearby window. "…I'm not Flippy…" he growled, turning towards the owner of the new voice, "And I leave no witnesses…"

As lightning flashed overhead, Flippy recognized a pair of golden-yellow orbs glaring back at him through the window's reflection.

"AH!" Flippy screamed, bolting up and panting heavily. 'Was that a dream? No, it can't be…' he thought, his mind reeling as that horrible memory replayed itself. "Kid, I think you should focus and take a look around you," Flipqy suggested, invisible golden orbs glaring at him from some imaginary place.

The green-haired teen took a few deep breaths to calm down and squinted at the inky blackness around him. Within seconds, his eyes adjusted and he realized he's in a cell – surrounded by four moss-covered stone walls and his only way out is through the narrowly-spaced rusty iron bars, serving as a door. He winced as his head throbbed painfully from where Possessed Cuddles whacked him with a bat.

"I'd rather think of a way to get out of here than just sit around all day!" Flipqy urged. "Shut up! I was already gonna do that!" the teen soldier yelled back, standing up and dusting himself off. He smirked as he noted how rusted the hinges were; clamped his hands around the bars and jerked the door around a few times.

…rattle…clatter…

Clank!

'This cell is older than it looks!' he thought as he tossed the door to the ground, stepping out into a dimly-lit corridor. Torches lined the wall opposite each cell, casting flickering shadows as he half-walked, half-ran towards the end…only to find a larger, much heavier door. Flippy shrugged unfazed as he dug around his back pocket for a certain-shaped wire; began to pick at the lock for a few minutes.

Click! Squeak~!

The young soldier moved on and found himself in a different corridor – it's much wider and slightly brighter than the area he was in. He assumed he's somewhere underground and this is the main hall; his grass-green eyes quickly scanned around for a way out.

"Flippy…"

"Flipqy, that's not funny," the young soldier scolded, sighing. "…that wasn't me…" his alter-ego replied, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Help us, Flippy…"

Part of him felt he should just leave this place – whatever it is. Yet another insisted he check out the source where the voice coming from. After all, it sounded familiar…

"Flippy, get us out of here…"

'This way,' he thought, his boots sending small clouds of dust as he ran down another corridor until he reached another door; he cautiously pushed it open and had to squint as bright blue light flooded into his eyes. After his sight had adjusted, he realized he was staring at a gigantic blue cylinder positioned in the center of a large room. The ceiling, walls and floor were covered in intricate markings – someone went through all the trouble carving them into the stone. Even the glass cylinder had markings etched into it.

But the surroundings were not what really held his attention…

…it was the floating life forms he could see within the cylinder itself. "Are those what I think they are?" Flipqy wondered. 'Souls…' Flippy mentally agreed, walking closer to inspect them more closely. They all appeared to be giving off a bluish light; their eyes had glowing-white pupils sitting in the middle of multi-colored irises. 'They looked just like they did in my dreams…' he thought.

BAM!

"Whoa!" the young soldier yelped, almost stumbling backwards as a ghostly hand slammed against the cylinder's glass wall. As he regained his composure, he couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. "Flippy, get us out! Hurry!" a ghostly Splendid ordered, fists slamming desperately into the glass cylinder.

"Splendid!" the young soldier gasped, pressing his hands against the cylinder, "How did you get in there!" As his vision focused, he could see all the other campers floating around; all shared the same look on Splendid's face – a combination of desperation and fear. "I don't know," the ghostly blue hero replied, "All I remember was Demon Splendont defeating me; next thing I know I'm stuck here!"

Another soul floated next to Splendid – it was his sister. "I've tried all the escape spells I could remember but none of them worked," Moonlight pointed out, "You know more than I do – is there any other spell that could get us out?" Flaky then appeared on Splendid's other side, her ghostly face twisted in despair.

"I think there is – all I need to do is find that Dark Magic Book. There's gotta be a spell I could use," Flippy replied, determination evident in his grass-green orbs, "You'll just have to hang on a bit longer –"

"I can't allow you to do that," growled a somewhat-familiar voice. Flippy turned and found himself face-to-face with Demon Splendont, glowing-red pupils burning brightly within a sea of blood-red orbs. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way…" he added, holding out a clawed hand, "Let's not make this complicated." Flippy hesitated and turned to his ghostly friends, who stared back at him with pleading looks.

"I choose –!"

Flippy finished his sentence by kicking Demon Splendont hard in the shin, bolting towards the exit as it bought him a bit of time. "Prisoner escape!" he heard him roar; before long he could feel several pairs of eyes locking onto him as he dashed blindly through the corridors, not knowing where he's going.

After wild guesses and several unplanned turns, he found the entrance and immediately ran outside, welcoming the cool air as it stung his eyes. "Don't let him get away!" Demon Splendont ordered. Flippy wasted no time jumping over upraised roots and ducking under low branches as he fled, adrenaline pumping seemingly endlessly through his veins.

WHOOSH!

"No!" Flippy wailed, feeling himself get whisked off his feet by a hidden net. "Do I have to do everything!" Flipqy growled in frustration, forcing himself to take over Flippy's body before cutting through the ropes with his dagger. "Oof!" he grunted as he landed feet-first on the ground; ignored the stinging sensation as he continued to flee.

CLANG!

"GAH!" Flipqy roared painfully as one of his feet got caught in a bear trap, forcing him to stumble to the ground. "Damn it!" he growled as he tried to pry open the steel jaws, grunting when they wouldn't budge. The golden-eyed teen refused to give in and tried one last time, sweat pouring off him as he forcefully pried the contraption off his leg.

"Is that all you've got!" he yelled, tossing the blood-stained bear trap as far as he could before pushing himself to his feet, limping as blood gushed out of his ankle. He didn't go far when he stumbled again and –

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"AAH!"

His agonized wail echoed through the woods, sending several frightened birds off their branches. Flipqy felt hot tears stream down his face as he registered nothing but white-hot pain; he couldn't move as bear traps were clamped tight on each arm and leg, rendering him useless. Through his blurred vision he could see someone familiar step over and crouch next to him.

"Well, well, well…not so tough now, are you?" Demon Splendont jeered as Flipqy let out a strangled sob. Standing up, he ordered, "Accipies eum, camera. Diu exspectaverunt maiorum!"

Translation: Take him to the Chamber. Our Elders have waited long enough!

"You should've chosen the easy way~!" Demon Splendont teased as Possessed Lifty and Possessed Shifty carried him – bear traps and all – back into the Underground Lair, followed by the other possessed campers as they smirked evilly.

[And I'm gonna disappear again. Don't worry, I'll come back when I have time to spare!]