No day was an easy day. Not since the squad of Max, Pete, Hoops, and Willow all shrunk to sizes smaller than your average ant. Their backyard soon became an endless landscape full of new threats and surprises.
Blades of grass became endless trees. The toy in the backyard a horrific monster, mocking them.
Everything they once new, now became different. Nothing was the same. Including someone's feelings for a certain boy scout.
Pete parries the larva's pincers, narrowly avoiding getting impaled in his side. He lifts up his club and with a mighty swing, smashes the insect's head.
The larva lets out one last agonizing screech as it flips over and dies.
Pete pants.
"Hoops... Are you alright?" He asks, dropping his club and offering his hand to a downed Hoops, who was mesmerized by the sight.
Pete...saved her.
It was instant. Pete, Willow, Hoops, and Max were heading home for today, taking an underground route to avoid being spotted. They had just got done hunting weevils for dinner. Max was carrying a majority of the meat, while Willow held their noses. Pete said those could possibly be converted to gas masks to help them traverse the gas field.
Max and Willow were in front, walking dar ahead of the other two.
Hoops was bored.
"Ugh, this is so boring. Why can't we go fight something that offers a challenge." She kicks a pebblet to the side, bored out of her mind. Hoops liked challenges, not fighting insecrs that refused to do nothing but run.
"Well, once we get these gas masks made, we can check out those gas areas. They may provide adequate challenges if my theory of the insects is true. I believe they may be controlled by growths of fungi spread across a broad area."
Hoops looked at him, a confused look on her face as she tried her best to process what he just said.
"Uh, english please Pete?"
Pete realizes that he did it again. He rambled on. He tried to stop his habit of rambling on, but it was a working progress.
"I think those gas areas may have infected insects. There might also be fungus that explodes when you get too close to it."
Hoops nose wrinkles of this as she shivers slightly. Hearing that reminded her of when she had immense acne on her face. Back when she had to pop multiple pimples and that nasty goo exploded.
She then spotted something interesting. The ground next to Pete was moving. Something was there!
"Pete move, lemme see what's under there." She takes out a shovel, not knowing what to expect.
Pete then notices the movement as well.
"Uh Hoops. I wouldn't recommend poking that, we have no clue what that is." Pete advised.
Hoops didn't listen.
She stuck her acorn shovel into the ground only for a larva to pop out. The larva shrieks, and instantly jumps at the first thing it sees, Hoops.
Hoops screams in horror as the larva jumps up, fully intending to sink its sharp acidic pincers into her head.
Pete jumps into action, slamming his club in its path, stopping the larva from feasting on Hoops.
The rest was history.
Max and Willow run their hearing the commotion.
"Are you guys okay?!" Willow asks, shocked to see the dead larva.
Hoops snaps back to reality, realizing Pete is still waiting on her. She grabs his hand and he lifts her up. Hoops can't help but smile at this. Even after killing that thing, he still wanted to see if she was fine.
Willow notices this, she gets a strange feeling in her chest.
"What happened?" Max asks, poking the larva's head. Never seeing this creature before.
"Well. Hoops saw movement and decided to poke the ground to see what it was. This larva came from the ground and instantly tried to attack her." Pete explains.
"So she killed it? Interesting." Max says with almost no surprise.
"No. I didn't. Pete did." Upon hearing this, Max snaps his head to the two of them, instantly losing interest in the larva.
"Hold on. You're telling me that Pete. The kid that nearly got steamrolled by a ladybug, managed to kill this thing right here?" Max kicks the larva, not believing a word of what was being said.
Pete instantly looks down, his confidence draining immediately on remembering that day. Willow notices this and glares at Max.
"Max why would you bring that up? You know Pete hates thinking about that." She scolds, folding her arms across her chest.
"I'm just saying, its no way Pete saved Hoops. I can't see it happenin'." Max says with a shrug.
"He did. Why would I lie about that? Tell him Pete!" Hoops turns to Pete, hoping that he can stand up for himself.
Pete steels himself, straightens up, and looks Max in the eyes.
"I did kill it. I get that I'm not the strongest boy around but that doesn't mean you can push me around all the time Max." Pete says with renewed vigor.
Willow smirks, glad that Pete stood up for himself.
"Oooooh burn. Haven't seen you kill a larva Max." Hoops says, adding to the heat.
Max's face turns red, seeing everyone against him. He tried to think of a comeback, but he had nothing. He stutters, then gives up. He picks up the meat and storms off towards the base.
It seems the tables have turned. This time Pete embarrassed Max.
"Way to go Pete!" Willow holds her hand up, Pete high fives her. The smile returns to his face.
"Its about time you stood up to him. Good job Pete!" Hoops opens her arms pulling Pete into an unexpected hug.
Upon feeling this contact, Pete feels his face heating up.
Willow's jaw drops. This was unexpected. What had happened in these last few moments? How were these two so close already? Hugs? From what she remembered, these two weren't close at all, he doesn't even think they were friends!
She quickly fixes her face. She had to make this stop now, that was her Pete!
"We should leave. We have to get some food cooked up, I'm starving!" Willow says, her stomach growling right at that moment.
Hoops lets go, smiling at the thought of food. After all of that excitement, she was hungry too.
Later that night
The four sat around a campfire, roasting weevil meat for the third night in a row.
Max lets out a huge yawn.
"I'm gonna hit the hay. I'm tired." Max walks inside the base, not bothering to shut the door behind himself.
Pete then looks up at the night sky.
"Well I guess I'll get some sleep too, night Willow, Hoops." Pete waves to them. Willow's eyes lingering on his form as he walks inside the base, closing the door.
That leaves Willow and Hoops, both of which sit in silence.
"So you wanna explain what that was earlier?" Willow flicks her eyes, looking into Hoops' eyes. The shadows casting an ominous effect that made Willow's face seem full of malice.
Hoops is confused by this.
"What are you talking about Willow?" Hoops was confused.
"When you were being stupid. Poking around and forcing Pete to put himself in danger to save your sorry ass." Willow looks dead into Hoops eyes. Hoops is speechless upon hearing this. She had no idea how to respond as Willow's glare grew more intense by the second.
"It was an accident. It won't happen again, i'm sorry." Hoops apologizes but it falls on deaf ears. Willow's look doesn't change at all.
"Let's not forget about how you also had your dirty nasty hands on my Pete." Willow emphasizes the last words.
"Your Pete? Willow what are you talking about? You're scaring me." Hoops says concerned.
Willow stands up, her face contorting from her usual non-chalant demeanor to a face of pure unadulterated rage. She digs into her backpocket, pulling out a larva blade. A glint of insanity appears in her eyes, one that is reflected in the flames of the campfire.
Hoops sees this and stands up, she tries to run, but Willow had a head start. She slashes Hoops across the throat before she could even let out a scream.
Hoops falls to the ground, holding her throat which spewed up a fountain of blood. Willow puts the blade back into her pocket, getting on top of Hoops.
She moves Hoops hands, putting them under her knees, and begins strangling her.
Hoops would frantically flail her limbs around in an attempt to fight back, but this did nothing as Willow's resolve was unbreakable.
"Stay away from my Pete you autistic bitch!" Willow would repeatedly slam Hoops' head against the hard earth. The back of her head splitting open like a pinata at a kid's birthday party.
"I fucking hate you." Willow growls out, making sure Hoops heard those words. She always hated Hoops. From the way she talked, how lazy she was, and especially from how she almost got Pete killed earlier.
Tears roll down Hoops' face as her struggles begin to cease.
Soon Hoops would no longer struggle, due to the poison kicking in along with her life fading away, her strength follows. Her body goes limp as the life fades from her eyes.
Willow would keep her hands around Hoops neck for another 2 minutes just to be sure, once she was sure Hoops was gone, she finally got off of her, admiring her handiwork.
"Finally. I always hated you Hoops." Willow spits on her corpse, grabbing her by the legs and beginning to drag her away.
"Willow?" Willow freezes in her tracks as she turns around to face Max, who stood there looking at her in disbelief.
Willow knew there was no point in trying to explain. Max had to leave too. She quickly takes out the Larva blade, rushing Max.
Max would turn and run, only to trip over a peblet, falling into the mud. He would attempt to get up, only to feel a sharp pain pierce him in the back, as if something had bit him.
Willow stood behind him, that crazy glint in her eye returning.
"Just go to sleep Max, it'll all be over soon." Willow coos, taking out her larva blade. Max falls into the dirt, losing the feeling in his legs.
"No...must warn Pete." Max tries to use whatever strength remains in his arms to crawl towards the base.
Willow only watches as he tries to crawl. It was like watching a kitten try to walk for the first time.
Eventually Max would lose all feeling in his body, becoming paralyzed. He would drown in a puddle, not being able to move his head.
Once Willow sees the bubbles stop, she looks at the two corpses.
"Looks like I have some work to do~" She says in a sing-song tone.
Pete lets out a loud yawn as he wakes up. He stretches out and looks outside. It looked to be around high noon.
This couldn't be right. Max never let him sleep in...
He walks outside, only to see nobody?
"Max? Willow? Hoops? Anybody?!" Pete calls out.
Willow pops up from out of nowhere.
"Boo~"
"Ah!" Pete jumps, upon seeing Willow show up.
"Jeez Willow you scared me." Pete holds his heart, trying to calm his breathing.
Willow lets out a chidish giggle.
"You're so funny Pete~" She says, pulling him into a hug.
Pete blushes deeply.
"So where's Max and Hoops?" He asks. Pete could swear he feel the hug get tighter for a second, before Willow looks at him.
"Don't worry about them. Its just us now." Willow now has a smile on her face, one that wasn't normal.
"What do you mean don't worry? Willow what do you mean?" Pete tries to free himself from her hug but to his shock she wasn't budging at all.
"I said, don't worry Pete." Pete all of a sudden feel very dizzy. He almost falls over, but Willow catches him. She looks at his sleeping form with that same smile on her face.
She pockets the mosquito needle she used as a syringe.
"You're so cute when you're sleeping~" Willow wouldn't allow anyone to get close to her and Pete. It was them against the world and anyone or anything that got in the way of that wouldn't last very long.