"That's not Tony," Matthew stated quietly, his eyes trained on the ground.
"When we were talking about going through the first floor," Ivan said, completely nonplussed, "that Thing appeared, too, yes? The moment I saw it, I realized it was the friend that America had introduced to us before."
"Yes," Kiku added, glancing at Matthew quickly. "Are we mistaken? We concluded that it was America's friend and felt more at ease in our search…" The Canadian did not meet his gaze and Kiku faltered to a stop, frowning slightly.
"I live close to America and I've met Tony several times," Matthew finally supplied. "I suppose they do look alike. But even so…" Matthew paused and finally looked up, defiantly, meeting the curious looks of the others. "He would never attack America."
"Attack—what?" Yao exclaimed. "It attacked him?"
Matthew nodded. "It was only one hit, although America was thrown against the wall. He was only dazed, so he started shooting at it. It had no effect at all, though…"
Ivan waved his hand slightly, as if trying to draw attention to himself. "We thought it was America's friend at first, but when it suddenly attacked America and America seemed to fight back for real…we realized that we were probably wrong."
"So that's why we heard shooting!" Arthur added, feeling both better and worse now that he knew why the gunshots had happened.
"We had no idea what to do," Ivan admitted, sounding like he was talking about grocery shopping or some other menial task. "He was getting cornered, and when we tried to do something about it, he yelled at us to get away."
"I think he wanted to handle it all on his own," Matthew added softly. The others nodded along with the statement. "But it was too strong even for the three of us; so we decided to get it away from him. I couldn't fight it, though…I lowered my guard for one moment and was knocked out." His voice dropped as he finished, flashes of motion and pain reminding him of the battle that had happened so very recently in the hallway. "When I came to, both that creature and America were…gone."
Matthew looked up, almost pleading. "I'm sorry, Russia, for all the trouble I gave you." For passing out and basically being of no help, as he saw it.
Ivan pfted and shook his head. "No, you weren't a burden at all," he assured the smaller man. "Is hard to fight while you protect someone." His smile became a leering grin, then, and he leaned closer to Matthew. "But if you want to thank me, why don't you become one with Russia? I can see you from my backyard."
Matthew looked away, curling in on himself, and Ivan let out a bark of laughter. "Anyways," the Russian continued, settling back in his seat, "we wanted to help him, but we didn't know where he'd gone. We started by looking in the kitchen, and then the Thing appeared again, and China joined us. In other words, three people are missing. I think we should help as soon as possible. America and his friend have nothing to do with it, so we can't feel safe."
Arthur opened his mouth to say something, and Ivan frowned at him.
"Rather," the Russian continued, almost angrily, "we should expect the worst."
"Oh!" Feliciano suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone turned to look at him, expressions of confusion on his face. He had wandered over to the fireplace while the others recounted what had happened, and now he was frowning at something in his hands.
"What is the matter?" Ludwig asked, standing up and joining the Italian.
"There's something inside the burnt wooden box! Just a second," Feliciano replied, shaking the box, prying at it with his soot covered fingers.
Ludwig raised a hand as if to help and then dropped it and sighed. "Be careful," he warned. Feliciano shot him a grin.
"Yes, yes," he said, and then he returned to manhandling the box. "Oops—ah, hot!"
A small item tumbled out of the box into his hands and he tossed it between them, trying to minimize contact time. "It's a key," he told the others, still juggling. "It's a key to some room!" He grinned and laughed, delighted.
"We got a new breach!" Yao exclaimed, sharing the Italian's excitement. Kiku sighed.
"Finding a way out was our priority," he reminded the others. "But first, we have to think of a way to rescue our friends. If we are thorough in our search I am sure we will find them." The house was a finite space, after all. Kiku glanced at the others, who were nodding along as he spoke. "Those three are also tenacious people. They have got to be somewhere."
"Friends, hm?" Ivan murmured, his eyes not quite focused on anything. "Sounds interesting. I was caught by surprise before but next time I meet the Thing, I will have a lot to thank it for."
Arthur glanced at Ivan, not quite comfortable with the Russian's tone. "Let's hurry. I don't want anyone dropping out."
"Well, then, we'll split up into three groups, since there is much to do." Kiku tapped his chin thoughtfully and the others nodded along, content to let him be in control of the situation. "No one can go alone. Each group must have at least two people."
"Yeah, there are too many rooms," Feliciano added, looking serious. "There are rooms we can open with a key, rooms we can't open, and rooms that we haven't checked out yet." He ticked off his fingers as he listed the type of rooms the house held.
"Yes. Now, about our unsynchronized watches…" Kiku dug his watch out of his pocket and flicked it open, taking comfort in the familiar ticking. He frowned, thinking—was his watch right, or were the others? Should they just choose one and synchronize the others to it?
Click.
"Japan!" Feliciano exclaimed. Everyone held their breath, eyes fixated upon the door.
Click. Something was testing the locked door from the outside. Kiku turned, feeling the air grow heavy with fear.
"So it found us after all," he muttered, his knuckles white on the gold watch as he tried to portray calmness. "This room is no longer safe."
Thud.
"Was it ever off-limits?" Arthur hissed. "Shit! What are we going to do?"
Kiku drew in a breath and straightened, replacing his watch in his pocket. I am in control. "My group will be in charge of dealing with the Thing," he stated, his voice loud and even. Thud. "Germany, Italy, you will search for the room to open with that key."
Thud.
The door groaned with each hit; it was mere wood and could be broken. Kiku placed a slightly shaking hand on his katana, loosening it in its sheath. The others stood, reaching for their weapons as well.
"Then I will fight with Japan!" Yao insisted, moving to stand beside his brother.
Thud.
"Can I join?" Ivan asked pleasantly, joining the Asians. "I really have to thank it for all the trouble."
Thud.
"There is a room that I want to investigate with Canada, so that is where we are heading," Arthur said. Matthew nodded his agreement, moving to stand with him.
Thud.
"Italy, if you make any progress, come to the room with the piano," Arthur continued, moving towards the door with Matthew trailing behind. Kiku moved in front of the door, unsheathing his katana, prepared to open it and let the Thing in.
"Okay! Ah, be careful, Japan," Feliciano said, pausing to smile shakily at his ally. The key was still clutched in his sooty hands like pirate treasure.
Thud.
"Thank you," Kiku replied, meeting Feliciano's smile with one of his own. Already his mind was spinning with adrenaline; calling black blood and screaming pain from his memories. He took a calming breath and his hand stilled, his heart calmed. I can do this. As many times as it takes.
The door broke.
Splinters clattered to the floor and the broken door swung in on rusty hinges, the wood around the lock twisted and broken. The air grew heavier and they all stood still, staring at the creature that stared back. And then it took a step forward, the floor groaning as if in pain, and Kiku moved to meet it, the moment turned to the bloody chaos of the fight.
"Well, then, good luck!" Kiku shouted, almost joyously, as he brought his katana down.
Author's Note
Because of the manner of the playthrough, episode 5 will not be a single chapter but a few smaller chapters, each overseeing the actions of a single group as they progress. It's just the easiest manner for me to write these, sorry!
And thank you for all the encouragement!