Chapter 6
Start the Fight
The Stranger closed the door behind him as he entered the front yard of Flaky's beautifully decorated red house. Turning around, his face met the summer morning sun, warming his grey fur body, which was now freshly clean after the warm shower a short few minutes ago. The Stranger took a deep breath and smelled the air, getting the scent of an amazing summer day.
Looking around, he noticed the ambulance he stole (which haunted him knowing that he actually carjacked someone) was now gone, and the tire tracks that destroyed the yard disappeared. The Stranger assumed that objects that are destroyed or taken out of place might also be repaired or replaced after the reset, making the appearance that nothing occurred. This became more obvious when the Stranger looked towards the horizon and noticed the tower that collapsed was now standing strong once more. The world was once again completely cleaned of any damage.
The Stranger opened his ears to hear the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, and felt the small but cool breeze moving through the air, rustling the leaves in the trees. It was undeniably another peaceful day in Happy Tree Town.
"Shit is about to get real…"
The Stranger shook his head in disbelief. All of this beautiful ambiance is nothing but a lie, covering the fact that death can occur around any corner, and will. The Stranger must act now to look for any suspicious or obvious situations that will end with the death of any character. There was no time to waste.
Limping to the sidewalk, his leg and side still sore from the fall in the tower but was beginning to heal slowly, the Stranger turned left and slowly moved his way to the city. As he made his short journey to the city, thoughts ran through his mind.
"How am I going to do this? With my current injuries, there is going to be a lot of limitations and restrictions in what I can do. And what if I can't find a situation that I can work with? And what if the situation I try to get into is too dangerous and I get even more injured, or possibly die?! The longer I wait, the more dangerous this job is going to be. I got one shot at trying to find out if this theory and plan can actually go through, and it's not going to be easy." The Stranger shook his head, and placed a determined look on his face. "I have to succeed. If I want to go home, I need to do everything I can to save these people. I just need to find one situation I can face."
The Stranger made it to a small hill on the sidewalk that was overlooking the city. He could see plenty of movement down on the city, but was having a difficult time trying to pinpoint a situation that could result in serious injury or death of any character. He needed a better viewpoint.
"Damn, I'm not going to get anything done if I can't clearly see shit happen. Okay, I need a better vantage point. Something that can give me a clear view of the city while also staying save from any danger on the ground." The Stranger looked around the sidewalk, and noticed across from his side a large tree in a small park that gave a much higher view point of the city. "That should do it."
The Stranger, after making sure the road was clear, limped across the asphalt and made it to the tree. He looked at the tall and majestic tree, and stood in admiration at its size. He then stood in confusion and annoyance.
"While this is all fine and dandy, how the hell am I going to get up there?"
The Stranger began making multiple plans on how to get up the tree. "Well, if I can find a ladder, I could make it to one of the branches and climb from there. I could also try to find multiple solid objects and stack them up one by one until I reach the top. God damn it, this is not going to be easy."
As the Stranger ran these thoughts through his head as he rubbed his chin with his hand, he looked below him to notice his grey squirrel paws and the tail that stood out from behind him. The Stranger looked down, shook his head, and stood in anger.
"Son of a bitch. Why the hell do I keep forgetting I'm a damn squirrel?"
The Stranger went and grabbed onto the bark of the tree with both his hands, and slowly pulled himself up the tree. Initially, he was shaking and was having a hard time trying to climb. But once he got his back feet onto the bark and steadied himself, he was able to move up with ease.
"Huh, so this is what it's like climbing a tree like a squirrel… I really don't know why I'm saying that or giving a shit about it. I definitely need to get out more."
After a few seconds of climbing, the Stranger made it to the top of the tree, and steadied himself on the highest branch he could reach. His body shook as the branch moved, bringing him to his hands and knees as he got a glimpse of the ground below him. His breathing picked up in pace as he saw the bottom.
"Oh shit! How do they handle this?!"
The Stranger started to move slowly across the branch and reached the end, and sat down while balancing on the branch. The view he received was much better than the tiny hillside from the sidewalk. From his point of view, he could clearly see more Tree Friends going about their day, and could point a substantial number of situations occurring. While the number was high, he had to narrow down his choices to only those he could possibly succeed in attempting.
"Okay, I got plenty of situations to work, but only a few that I can actually attempt. Let's see what we got…"
The Stranger leaned in closer, and slowly looked from left to right to get a good examination of the city.
"Alright, we got, um… two, yeah, two green raccoons down below between an alley. Those bastards are always doing something criminal, aren't they? Well, what are they doing now…? They seem to be eyeballing a light-greenish squirrel who… my God, he's a jittering bastard, isn't he? Whatever he's taking, it must be the good stuff. That or it's a sugar high, both bad either way. From this standpoint, those green raccoons are probably going to sell him something, which will end up getting someone killed. Well it may be easy to just go up and say stop, seeing two perfectly strong raccoons who look like they came straight from the mob going against an injured man may not be the brightest move. I guess that situation is out."
"Okay, what else do we have…? Well, there appears to be a blind mole being given the position of a doctor running a blood drive. Yeah, that seems logically and perfectly safe. Nothing wrong with that AT ALL. Anyway, he seems to be handling those needles pretty dangerously. Last thing I need though is a needle stuck in my veins either filling me with some internal material from a seat or someone else's blood being transfuse into my system giving me some kind of disease and dying slowly. I don't think I can move fast enough yet to get out of the way if he swings that thing, so that situation is crossed out."
The Stranger shook his head, sighing in agitation. "So many situations happening right now, many of which are either too hard for me right now because of my sore leg and side or just something I'm not ready for. People are going to die right now because I really can't do anything. I'm just going to have to wait a bit and hope a situation will pop up that I can actually work with."
The Stranger started to lie down on the branch, and got comfortable as he was forced to watch situations be carried out. Each situation he observed was indeed correct, and was now ending with the results of screaming and death. The Stranger wanted to help, but just could not yet. "Well fuck, I just had to fall, didn't I? There better be something that I can help with soon."
The sun was now setting on the horizon, letting out bright rays that shown through the leaves of the trees. The Stranger laid agitated as he kept trying to watch for a situation of any kind that he could possibly help with without the fear of getting injured or die in. His plan of action in this involved going in to fight, and yet he was just sitting down and watching death happen. It did not affect him negatively as before, but it still hurt to watch these people die. If he was not injured, he could have saved dozens today.
The sun continued to move into the horizon, getting darker and darker. "Great! I promised to get shit done and what did I do? I sat on my ass because I can't do anything. Maybe that mad man is right. Maybe I…"
The Stranger stopped speaking as he looked over to his right and noticed something in the park. As he looked in that direction, he could pinpoint two character walking into the park. Upon closer inspection, he was able to recognize the characters: it was Petunia, the blue skunk with the flower on her head, and the pink chipmunk with a red bow on her head. They were carrying what appeared to be a small tea party set, and were now setting it up in the park. They seemed pretty happy.
"A tea party set… I can't really tell anything bad about that. I mean, if it was like, I don't know, poisoned, then I guess it would be suspicious enough. But I don't think that will be the case here. Maybe some situations do not end with… wait a minute."
The Stranger leaned in closer as he could notice a third character walking from the horizon. Examining the character, it appeared to be a bear with a 70's afro and a disco attire, and was dancing as he moved across the ground. The Stranger did not make anything of the situation until he noticed the disco-dancing bear had his eyes on the two ladies, and was making his way towards them.
"Well shit, I can already tell it's going to end bad here. And since it's just some dancing prick, I think I can work with this. I got to move now."
The Stranger slowly turned around and grabbed onto the bark of the tree, and made his way down the tree. After a slow and steady climb down, he landed on his two feet on the soft grassy ground. Stretching his body after laying in a tree for so long, he slowly limped over to the park, looking over towards the city to see multiple situations that he ignored to prevent due to his injuries. He shook his head, but at least now there was something that he could possibly stop.
He made it towards the park, and was in close proximity of the ladies sitting by the small table they brought with them. What was also there was the disco-dancing bear trying to attract the attention of the two girls, and was now taking the pink chipmunk to make her dance. The Stranger crouched and hid behind a small bush, and looked around about how the situation could turn out.
"Okay, that dancing bear is going to be involved in some way for the reasons of their deaths. Let's see… that tea pot may be-"
The Stranger stopped speaking as he waited too long for an observation, and saw that the dancing bear flung the pink chipmunk to the table, making her head on the hot teapot, which entered her head and the hot tea inside was melting her brain. She was screaming in pain, and yet the dancing bear did not react negatively.
The Stranger's eyes widen. "Shit! Come on man, move! What else is there?!" The Stranger moved faster and looked around to notice a lone electric fence, currently active and defending nothing at all. "Why the fuck would they put up an electric fence in the middle of the park?!" The Stranger looked over at the three characters (one now presumed dead) and saw that the bear was now eyeballing Petunia. It was clear: the fence will kill her if she hits it. He had to turn it off now.
"Okay, time to move!" The Stranger got up and limped fast to the electric fence. Standing close by, he looked up and down the fence to look for some kind of power box that kept the fence active. "Come on, where the hell did they place it?!" The Stranger then looked to his far right and saw some kind of box with a yellow warning symbol on it. "There!"
The Stranger moved fast and stood in front of the red power box, making sure that it was the right one, which he assumed was. The Stranger then quickly looked behind him to see that the dancing bear was now close to Petunia. Any second now, he would somehow push her and send her flying, making her hit the electric fence and die.
The Stranger turned back and opened the power box. Instead of just a simple lever, there was multiple buttons, dials and levers that he had no idea what they were connected to. "What the fuck?! What is all of this doing here? Why is there no label?! It's just a single-"
The Stranger heard a scream, and noticed that Petunia got hit by the bear, and was now flying towards the fence. There was no time to think now. The Stranger must act now.
"Shit! Fine, let's go with this one!" The Stranger went instantly to a single lever, cringing at the thought that it could be the wrong one. He flipped it to the 'Off' position, and closed his eyes as he heard the sound of something hitting the fence, sending a vibration across the fence. The Stranger did not want to look up and see a fried squirrel down the other end of the fence, making him feel like he failed once more.
But the Stranger slowly turned around, opened his eyes, and noticed that Petunia was not electrocuted. Instead, she only hit the fence with her body, and only received minor bruising as she rubbed her head from the collision. The Stranger stood in shock: another Tree Friend had survived a situation thanks to him.
The Stranger limped over to Petunia and knelled to her level, looking at her with a worried face. "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you have any serious injuries?" Petunia looked at the Stranger and shook her head, acknowledging to the Stranger that she was fine.
The Stranger stood up and reached his left hand to Petunia, which she grabbed and was brought up to her feet. As she got up and rubbed her head, she looked over to notice that the disco-dancing bear was still dancing, not caring that he had almost killed a second innocent person. Her face suddenly turned red, and her emotions was filled with rage. Before she moved forward to deal with the bear, the Stranger grabbed her and looked at her seriously.
"Don't worry, let me handle this."
Petunia nodded her head and let the Stranger moved towards the dancing bear. He stood a good distance away from the bear to making sure he was not hit. The Stranger stood for a short time, hoping that the bear would stop dancing. He did not.
"Hey, asshole! Stop dancing and look at me!"
The Stranger yelled at the bear, making him stop and look at the Stranger with a confused look while taking fast breaths from the extended period of dancing. The Stranger moved real close to the bears face, and stared straight at him, getting the bear slightly scared about what was going to happen. The Stranger then used his right fist and punched the bear straight in the groin area, which sent him straight to the ground and whimpering in pain.
The Stranger stood over the bear angrily. "Dude, stop being a total dick and leave these women alone! If they did not want to dance with you in the first place, why in the actual fuck do you think they would want to do it if you forced them to? That's just harassment there, you dick!" The Stranger then leaned over and grabbed the bear, bringing him off the ground and brought him to his face. "Listen here, asshole! If I see you messing with these women again, trust me, there won't be anything left of you when I'm done. Now crawl back home you prick!"
The Stranger threw the bear away from him, and watched him crawl slowly away in agitation that he was beaten up by some random stranger. The Stranger then heard crying, and turned around to see Petunia crying over the dead body of the pink chipmunk. The Stranger felt sad that he was too slow and could not save both, but at least he got one to live.
He limped over to Petunia, and crouched down next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and look at her with a sad but calm face, and spoke softly. "I'm sorry about what happen to her, Petunia. I wish I was able to get to you both in time and stop him." Petunia looked over at the Stranger, who was crying slowly, and hugged the Stranger closely and tried to thank him for saving her.
The Stranger looked at Petunia closely. "Don't worry now, Petunia, it is over now. You are safe and nothing bad is going to happen." Petunia nodded her head and moved over a short distance. "Listen, I need you to go home now and stay there for the rest of the day. You do not need to stay here. I will work with her body here and make sure she is taken somewhere secure and peaceful." Petunia got up, along with the Stranger, and nodded her head as she looked down. She then turned around and slowly walked off back home, not looking back.
The Stranger watched her walk away, making sure she was far enough away from him, and looked back at the dead body of the pink chipmunk. "We just keep meeting up with each other in the wrong times, don't we?" The Stranger bent over and grabbed her body, and placed her over his arms, without the fear this time of getting quills stuck into his arm. He look around to see a small tree that was casting a large, dark shadow, and decided to place her body gently below it.
After making sure her body was rested gently, he placed his backpack on the ground and reached for some medical supplies. Noticing that the teapot was still jammed into her head, the Stranger surgically removed it, and placed medical bandages over the wound. While she may be dead, she did not have to look it.
Cleaning up the body of any dirt and blood, the Stranger picked up his backpack and stood up, observing the dead body, which was now free of any visible signs of blood. The Stranger lowered his head in sadness.
"I'm sorry I could not save both of you. It was my full plan to protect both of you, but I was just too slow. I will not falter a second time, though, I promise." The Stranger then looked up, and placed a sick thought in his head. "You know, this sounds undeniably cruel, but I think I can work with this. With you dead and Petunia alive, you won't remember this, but Petunia will, or at least should. This could work…"
The Stranger pondered the idea, and decided that, despite how sick it was at the time, decided to go with it. After saying a final message to the dead pink chipmunk, the Stranger walked off through the park, and went into the direction that Petunia went. Going only a short distance, he was able to pick out a tree acting as a house, and watched Petunia enter sadly. The Stranger looked around to find a bush across from the house, and hid inside, giving his full attention at the door of the house.
"This is in no way stalking. This is just for science to prove a theory. Completely different cause."
The Stranger then closed his eyes as the sun set in the horizon, and fell asleep.
The sun appeared once more from the eastern horizon, and shown through the leaves in the trees and the buildings of Happy Tree Town. The light woke the Stranger from his nap, who felt slightly uncomfortable sleeping in a bush and laying in an awkward position. He moved out of the bush slowly, and stretched his body to get his muscles and bones back in place. He let out a big yawn, and rubbed his eyes to get a clearer view of his position.
He then turned around to notice Petunia's house, and remembered his initial plan to watch out for Petunia. He watched closely until he noticed the door of Petunia's house was opening, and went straight behind the bush again to hide. He leaned over to see Petunia, who seemed somewhat sad but was still happy to live another day. The Stranger was glad to see her still standing, and could tell from her expression that she still remembered the situation. The theory he made was now being proven every moment he watched.
The Stranger then watched Petunia walked out of her house, closing the door behind her, and went down the sidewalk to reach a different location. Curious about her next move, the Stranger decided to follow Petunia from the other side of the road and made sure to not be spotted. Walking for only a few minutes, the Stranger noticed that Petunia was entering the grocery store that the Stranger was a few days ago. While he stood and watched Petunia enter the store, he noticed an even more important character entering the store behind her: the pink chipmunk that died yesterday. The Stranger made a new plan: get the two to meet and watch their reaction.
Accepting his plan, the Stranger jogged across the road, and quickly entered the store. He watched Petunia go left of the store and the pink chipmunk go straight. The Stranger decided to stay behind the chipmunk for the majority of the time, and walked between the aisles of the store. He had to hide behind people and walls multiple times to not get caught; the idea of getting the two together had to be perfect. He needed to act like he had no idea about the situation and be as confused as Petunia when they meet.
After a few minutes a following, the situation was perfect. Both the pink chipmunk and Petunia were in the same aisle. All the Stranger had to do was get Petunia to notice the chipmunk, and watch the situation play out. The Stranger walked by the chipmunk, who was at one end of the aisle, and went to the opposite end, where Petunia was waiting. The Stranger raised his hand to get Petunia's attention.
"Hey Petunia. How are you holding up from yesterday?"
Petunia turned around to answer the Stranger's question, but her mouth was left open as her eyes widen to what she saw behind the Stranger. Just a short distance away from her was her friend, the pink chipmunk, who she saw die in front of her eyes. She stood and shock and was shaking not believing what she was seeing.
The Stranger made a fake confused look. "What's wrong?" The Stranger then turned around to notice the pink chipmunk, and continued to make his fake confused face. "Wait a minute, is that her?! The girl from yesterday that died? How is she here?!" The Stranger said these question out loud next to Petunia to make her more confused and be placed in shock, exactly what the Stranger was looking for.
After a few seconds staying in shock, Petunia moved slowly towards the pink chipmunk, and touched her on the shoulder. The pink chipmunk turned around to see Petunia and gave a friendly smile to her, saying 'Hello.' But Petunia did not return the greeting. Instead, she went into a scared frenzy, talking in the gibberish language in a fast pace and questioning the pink chipmunk about how she was alive. The Stranger could notice the pink chipmunk was having a confused look and was shaking her head multiple times as Petunia asked questions. This is what the Stranger needed.
The Stranger then moved between the two girls and raised his hands. "Hey, I do not know how any of this is happening, like you being alive and not knowing what's going on, but whatever it is, it must be something big. If it is okay with you two, can you both please follow me? There is a place I want to discuss this situation and I believe we can work something out." Petunia and the pink chipmunk looked at each other in confusion, wondering if they should listen. This person, however, did seem to have some understanding about what is going on, and both nodded their heads.
"Good, let's get going." The Stranger slowly led the two ladies out of the store, and made his journey to his destination. The Stranger knew exactly where to take the two, and knew who also had to see this. Someone who has already seen a similar situation.
He had to show Flaky.
After a short walk through town, the two Tree Friends and the Stranger made it to the front door of Flaky's house. Petunia and the pink chipmunk were confused why the Stranger led them here, but trusted him either way.
The Stranger got up to the door and knocked on it three times. "Flaky, it's me! You can let me in!" The Stranger said this, but received only silence. The Stranger knocked again. "Flaky, it's okay, you can open the door now!" The Stranger still received only silence.
The Stranger was beginning to get scared. He left Flaky for an entire day inside the house alone. He began to run a series of bad situations in his head.
"My God, is she… is she dead? Did she get cut open or have something fall on her or trip down the stairs or drown in the bathroom or… oh shit, did I just leave her here to die?! I should never have-"
The Stranger stopped speaking as he heard the sound of locks being opened on the other side of the door. After hearing the final lock open, the door slowly opened to reveal Flaky, who appeared to have no signs of injuries, and was having a nervous but happy smile on her face.
The Stranger, however, was still skeptical. "Flaky… do you… do you still remember me?" Flaky nodded her head. She did survive the time the Stranger was gone. The Stranger sighed in relieve, happy to know she did not die.
The Stranger then moved over to reveal Petunia and the pink chipmunk, which shocked Flaky. "Flaky, these two have discovered something serious. Something I think you can relate to." The Stranger then turned to Petunia and the chipmunk. "You two, I want you to discuss this entire situation about how Petunia here knows you, the chipmunk, about your death, and yet you still deny it. You all talk about this, and I will wait until you are done." They all nodded their heads in confusion, and entered inside the house and went into the living room.
Petunia and the pink chipmunk sat on the white sofa, Flaky sat on a chair near the side of the sofa, and the Stranger stood back against the wall and watched them. The Stranger observed how they were all arguing, completely confused about what was going on. Flaky knew Petunia died at the tower, along with the pink chipmunk, but both denied the claim. Petunia knew the pink chipmunk died at the park yesterday, but she denied that claim as well. They all sat down, trying to convince each other what they knew and what they saw. As the Stranger watched, he nodded his head.
This was it. This is everything he needed to prove it. The ones who survived were slowly earning awareness of their world, and were starting to get confused about it. Everything the Stranger wrote and believed was now proven true. He has something he can work with now. If he can get everyone to be like this and hear the truth, he can finally get home.
After a couple dozen minutes of discussing, the three Tree Friends all got up and waved goodbye, dawning faces of confusion and shock. Flaky led the two ladies out the door and closed it behind them. She then turned around quickly and looked at the Stranger with shock, flailing her arms between the door and at him. She was getting more and more confused, and was now questioning the Stranger if he knew anything.
"Let me think about this. You knew Petunia and the pink chipmunk died at the tower, but they both denied it, right?" Flaky nodded her head fast.
"Okay, and Petunia told you that the pink chipmunk died at a tea party yesterday, but she denied that to, right?" Flaky nodded again, getting a little agitated by what the hell was going on.
The Stranger looked down at his feet. Flaky, with her 'always scared' personality, was quickly getting an understanding of this world faster than anyone else. The Stranger was still reluctant to tell her, as she may not truly believe him. But she has seen the truth twice now. Perhaps it was time to tell her. It was time for her to know the truth.
"Flaky, can you please sit down on the chair? There is something important I promised to tell you." Flaky moved to the chair and slowly sat down, while the Stranger went over to the sofa and sat across from her. He twiddled with his hands, thinking about how to say the truth, and decided just to say it.
"Flaky… this world we all live in… you believe it is real, right?" Flaky was confused by the question, but she nodded her head. "So, trees acting as houses, everyone being a different breed of animal and a random color, the language you speak, that's normal to you, right?" Flaky was starting to get a little worried, confused why the Stranger is asking these questions, and did not move her head to answer his question.
"Is it also normal to come back alive when you die? Is that possible? Is that how it works here?" The Stranger leaned forward and looked at Flaky seriously, who was starting to get a little scared. She ended up shaking her head to his question. "So, why does it happen then? Do you know why?" Flaky shook her head again, this time much more frantic than the last.
The Stranger sat up straight on the sofa, and asked one more question. "So, everything that acts in this world is normal, but it is not normal to come back from the dead, despite you seeing it with your own eyes." Flaky nodded, shivering at what the Stranger was trying to get to.
The Stranger decided it was time to say it. "Well, Flaky, you are right that no one should rise from the dead. But this world being normal to you… well, that's wrong." The Stranger stood up and looked down at Flaky. "Flaky, this world we live in, and everything that happens in it and the way it works, is nothing but a virtual world. This world is a lie…"
The Stranger stood and watched how Flaky was taking the horrific news. This world, in which I have been living in for my entire life, was, from the beginning, a lie? I have been living a lie this entire time? This can't be, it just can't be!
Flaky started to hyperventilate, and was shivering violently. The Stranger went over to her and knelled to her level. "Flaky, please try to calm down. I know this is a lot to take in. I know it sounds like total bullshit. But Flaky, it's true. You've seen it yourself!" The Stranger tried to hold Flaky's hand to calm her, but she rose from the seat quickly and ran from the living room and went upstairs. The Stranger followed behind her and stopped as she entered her room, slamming the door behind her. The Stranger felt terrible seeing this is how Flaky is reacting to it. She must be scared to death, which is the opposite of what the Stranger wanted to do.
The Stranger went up to the door, and tried to speak. "Flaky, please come out! I'm not trying to scare you, Flaky. I'm trying to help you. I want to help you, but I need you to cooperate with me here. I know how to fix this and how to save you and everyone else! Please, Flaky, don't let me work on this alone here!" The Stranger stood by the door, waiting anxiously for a response. He waited for many minutes, worried that Flaky was not going to trust him, and believe, like everyone else, that the words he was saying was nothing but madness. The Stranger looked down in disbelief, and started to walk away.
He then heard the sound of a door opening, and looked behind him to see Flaky coming out of her room, shaking nervously and dawning a scared look on her face. The Stranger walked over to her and spoke softly.
"Flaky, I know it sounds awful, believe me, I think it is too, but it is the truth. You've seen it. You remembered Petunia at the tower but she did not remember you. And you saw Petunia knew the death of that pink chipmunk, but she denied it. Flaky, I know why everything is the way they are. I know why everything you see exists now and why it happens. But most importantly, I think I know how to stop it.
Flaky toned down her shaking and looked at the Stranger curiously. She walked closer to the Stranger to listen. "Flaky, this world is run by an evil man, a man who thinks he is God, and he is the one that causes the deaths of everyone. He also makes anyone that dies to forget any memories that day so they would never think this world is dangerous. But you've seen the danger. You've seen it. By surviving, you're breaking this world, and starting to realize the truth. Flaky, if everyone becomes like you and me, become aware enough to know that this world is not real, we can leave this place. We won't have to live in fear of death and be forced to live false lives. I can get us all home. But the only way that I can do that is to make you all believe in me."
The Stranger walked forward to Flaky and looked at her with a serious face. "Flaky, what I am asking you right now is very important. I've told you the truth. Do you believe it? Do you, Flaky, believe what I am saying, and trust me to save everyone?"
There was a long silence. The Stranger and Flaky did not make any noise or movement for what could have been nearly half an hour. They stood still, the Stranger waiting to know that his first few days of work was enough to convince her.
Flaky then looked up at the Stranger, and, shockingly to him, she spoke clearly. "Yes."
The Stranger stood expressionless. Flaky was the first person to believe him. The first person to trust his word. The first person to accept the truth of the world. It was a sign to the Stranger that, if he can get Flaky to believe the truth of this world, he could do the same for the others. The Stranger has made one small step in the fight to get home. He now had something to live for in this world.
The Stranger placed his hands on Flaky's shoulders and smiled at her. "Thank you, Flaky. This means so much to me. Knowing that you trust my word is more than anything that I could ask from you. Thank you, Flaky. I promise that I will continue this fight, and do all I can to protect this town and defeat that son of a bitch who hides from us. I thank you again for your support Flaky." The Stranger nodded his head, and began to limp away to the stairs and back outside. "Stay safe, Flaky. I will be back to check on you now and then to see if you're okay."
Flaky came up to the Stranger, though, and grabbed him by his right arm. The Stranger turned around to look at Flaky, who looked somewhat scared. "Don't worry, Flaky. I'm just going out to find a good place to work. I need to find a good home to work so I can easily help others. You've done a lot for me already, Flaky, and I can't ask any more from you now but to stay safe. I will be watching you in case anything bad happens."
Flaky, however, did not let go of the Stranger's arm, and instead pulled him with her back upstairs. The Stranger was confused but decided to follow. Flaky ended up taking the Stranger next to a small room, and turned on the lights. Looking inside, the Stranger noticed it was some kind of guest room. It was small in size, but it had a twin-sized bed, a desk to work on, a window in the back, a wall that was blank, and a wardrobe. The Stranger at first did not understand until he saw Flaky walk in and moved her arms to gesture the entire room.
The Stranger was confused and shock by what Flaky was offering him. "You're not offering this to me, are you? I mean, you don't exactly know much about me except saving you from the tower. You're okay with me working in here, in your house, in this room?" Flaky nodded.
The Stranger did not understand Flaky's kindness and the amount of trust she was placing onto the Stranger. They did not know much of each other except the fact that they are both scared of the dangers in this world and that they both want to help each other. The Stranger did not care for the reason, and ended up moving fast up to Flaky and giving a friendly hug without any thought. Flaky, somewhat shocked, returned the hug with her own.
The Stranger then realized what he was doing and back away quickly, his face blushing and scratching the back of his head as he stuttered. "I, um… I, yeah, um, t-thanks for the o-offer, Flaky. Thank you very much. I p-promise to be a respectful guest, and to do the, um, stuff I said. Yeah…" Flaky chuckled at the Stranger's stuttering, and gestured to him to place his stuff in his room.
The Stranger dropped his bag on the bed as Flaky exited the guest room, and ran thoughts into his head. He then took out the piece of paper from his fur pocket, his plan and theory, and placed it onto the desk. He looked at it closely, and examined his plan.
"Okay, asshole. I'm ready now. I'm ready to play your game. I'm ready for anything you have to throw at me. I will do all I can to save these people and get them, and me, home. I will play this game with you. And I intend to win."