Well guys, we made it. The final soul is going to be freed...or will she? After all...not everything here is as it seems...and not everything here is friendly...I hope you all brought tissues! Because this chapter is loaded with feels!
Chapter 22
Little Robby looked at the door in front of him. He could hear the sounds of children laughing and music playing from inside. He looked at the cake in his hands. Could it be? The last cake belonged to the final victim of Scott's crimes? His mother?
He gave a sigh and started forwards, there was only one way to find out. He was almost at the door when a cold wind struck him in the back and a wild, deranged laugh whipped around him as the boy fell to the ground, the cake falling and smashing all over the tile.
"She will never be free!" an evil voice hissed before laughing maniacally.
"YOU!" little Robby shrieked as he recognized the voice, "SCOTT! HOW COULD YOU!?"
"I know where I'm going," Scott's voice hissed, "And since you've gotten to the others before I could stop you…I'll just have to settle with the fact that she won't be moving on like them!"
The boy sank to his knees, holding up the remains of the cake in his arms while Scott's soul howled with laughter. The faint click of shoes on tile made the demon stop his laughter and little Robby looked up just to see a little girl with a mask that strongly resembled the Marionette's walk up.
"You…" Scott hissed, his freezing presence making the boy's hair stand on end.
"You can't be here," the girl said, looking up at something little Robby couldn't see, "Your punishment is waiting,"
"You can't make me go!" Scott's voice snarled as the wind picked up.
The girl lifted her hand and little Robby could see her glowing silver eyes through the eye holes.
"BEGONE!" the girl ordered as a flash of blue light flared from her hand.
Scott's hysterical laughter turned into panicked screams as a scalding heat made itself known and a black door opened, bloody scarlet light roaring from it as a faint violet form was pulled inside and with a final shriek, the door closed with a loud bang! before melting away.
"What…was that?" little Robby asked, staring at where the door was.
"Don't worry about that," the girl told him, tugging at his sleeve, "C'mon, you're going to be late to the party,"
"But…" little Robby stammered, looking at the mess on the floor.
"Don't worry," the girl replied, "It'll be ok,"
She tugged him through the silver door into a room filled with balloons, streamers and children. The girl pulled him past the slightly blurred, yet brightly colored children towards the back.
"Where are you taking me?" little Robby asked.
"Here," the girl told him, stopping in front of a table.
Four children, each with a different mask on; a red fox, a brown bear, a violet rabbit, and a yellow chicken, sat at a little table covered in grey cloth. The whole corner was sad and dreary compared to the brightness of everything else. The five children looked up at the young man.
"You helped us," the boy with the rabbit mask started.
"Now it's time you help her," the girl with the chicken mask finished, looking towards the wall.
Little Robby frowned and carefully moved around the table…just to see a small, violently slashed form of what he thought was a little six year old girl. The child held her knees closer to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks as she bled that black liquid from just about everywhere from the collar down. The young man bit his lip and closed his eyes, his own tears falling as he realized who this was…but he had no way to save her. Scott had ruined it and now his mother's soul was doomed. Doomed to sleep for eternity.
"Why are you crying?" a small voice rasped.
Little Robby's head shot up and he looked at the small child, her pale silver eyes dim and sad.
"Why are you crying?" she repeated.
Little Robby knelt down, ignoring the liquid that stained his jeans.
"Because someone I care about is hurting," he told her.
"Who?"
"You," little Robby said, gently brushing her hair away from her right eye.
It was her…he could see her scar. His mother was the little girl curled up on the ground in front of him.
"Why would anyone care about me?" she whispered, turning her head away, "I'm a nobody…no one loves me. I'm not special…"
"You are to me," little Robby told her, making her face him, "You're the most important person in the world to me,"
"You…you really think that?" she whispered.
Little Robby nodded, picking up the girl's frail form, apologizing as she whimpered from pain.
"Here…this proves part of it," he told her, kissing her forehead and holding her head close to his chest as he held her.
A silver glow started forming over the table and those present…living and dead alike…all stared with wide eyes as a darker cake with white icing appeared on the table. The little girl in the young man's arms reached out for the cake and swiped some of the icing, sticking her finger in her mouth and her eyes lit up a brilliant gold.
Little Robby set the girl on the floor as a golden bear mask appeared on her face and her grey form turned silver. She looked at him and gave a brilliant smile, her wounds seemingly closing and her torn clothes turning back into a spotless white dress.
"M-Mama?" he breathed, looking at the final silver form as it walked towards him.
The girl gave a smile and put her hands on his cheeks.
"You've grown into the man I hoped you'd be," Mike whispered, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead, "Continue to be that way, li'l Capt'n. Thank you…for freeing me…for freeing all of us. You succeeded where I failed. Thank you,"
She started crying as she clung to his chest, silver tears running down her face over the tear tracks embedded in her cheeks.
"Thank you," she sobbed, "My brave, beautiful boy, thank you…"
"I don't think we need these anymore," the boy with the fox mask smiled, taking off the mask and letting it drop to the floor as the others did the same, "Thank you, nephew…you've freed us from our curse,"
Mike let go of her son and went to stand by her brother, smiling happily as she looked up at him. She looked at her friends, all of whom were happy as well.
"I'd say we're just about ready to go," Emily nodded, "But…there's some things we need to take care of before we do. Stay here, Robby,"
Little Robby watched as Emily, Matt and Amanda all three disappeared.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"Saying goodbye," Sam told him.
"You sure there's nothing I can do, Mom?" Sara asked, holding her ailing mother's hand.
"I'm sure," Jill Harper rasped, weakly squeezing her daughter's hand, "You'll tell those two for me, right?"
"I will," Sara nodded, "I'm going to go get something to drink from the vending machine, I'll be right back,"
And she walked out of the room.
"She's grown up a lot," a soft female voice whispered, making Jill's eyes widen as she turned her head to the side…
Just to see an eleven year old boy with dark blue eyes and curly brown hair and a eight year old girl with wavy blonde hair and blued-violet eyes.
"Hi, Mom," Matt smiled, "It's us,"
Jill gave a soft, choked cry as tears streamed down her face.
"Matt…Amanda!" she breathed, "You…you're here…"
"And we're going to take you home, Mom," Amanda told her, "After all these years…we're finally free…and I think Dad's waiting for us too,"
"You…don't know?" Jill asked.
"It's…a long story," Matt told her, "We'll explain it later…we've got eternity,"
Jill reached out her hand, tears streaming right as Sara walked back into the room.
"I swear, that machine eats my quarters like potato chips," Sara grumbled before looking up to see her mother's teary face as her worn hand reached out to her ghostly children, "Mom!?"
Matt and Amanda looked towards their sister, allowing themselves to become visible just for her. Sara's jaw dropped and she started to shake.
"You two…" she whispered, "You're…"
"Mom's in a lot of pain, Sara," Amanda murmured softly, "Is…is it ok if we take her home?"
"Dad's waiting on us," Matt added, "All of us…not you Sara…not yet anyway. But we'll still be there when the time comes,"
"Mom?" Sara asked.
Jill turned towards her eldest and gave a slight smile.
"There's nothing else for me to do, my little star," Jill told her, "It's time for me to go…and be with my little bird and my little bear for a while,"
Sara came over and hugged her mother before standing up and looking at the ghosts of her siblings.
"You take good care of her," Sara ordered.
"Like we'd do anything less," Matt grinned, hugging his sister while Amanda did the same, "We love you, Sara,"
"I love you guys too,"
They released and Amanda turned towards her mother, offering her hand. Jill reached out and touched the ghost's fingers…and the heart monitor shrieked as a younger version of Jill appeared next to her children.
"Goodbye, Sara," Jill told her daughter, "I'll see you again one day,"
"Goodbye…Mom," Sara whispered, "Goodbye, Matt…Amanda…"
The two children took their mother's hands and the three of them started to walk forwards when Matt suddenly piped up.
"Wait! I can't leave yet," he announced, "I have to get something,"
"Matt…you don't mean," Amanda started and Matt nodded.
"I can't leave them," he told her as he disappeared.
Matt reappeared in Andrew's house, walking towards the workroom…more specifically where three crumpled mounds of metal and synthetic fur lay next to his old shell. He gently brushed each of the three with his fingertips.
"C'mon you three, time to wake up," he murmured softly.
Silvery smoke streamed from the remains and reformed into the soft, not-as-terrifying forms of three little cubs.
"DADDY!" the three squealed, launching themselves at him and making Matt laugh happily as he hugged them, tears streaming down his face.
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, "Meet your grandma and grandpa?"
The cubs nodded vigorously and Matt smiled even wider than ever, disappearing from the wreckage just as silently as he'd come.
Emily didn't have much to say when Jeremy saw her. The former guard dropped everything and raced towards the ghost, hugging her.
"I just came to say goodbye, big brother," she told him, "Robby did it…we're free,"
"But…that means I won't see you again," Jeremy sighed, closing his eyes.
"Just because I'm moving on doesn't mean we'll never see each other again," Emily reminded him, smiling, "You'll see me…and Mom and Dad again, Jeremy. And don't think for a second that I'm not going to watch over you. You may not see me…but I'll always be there,"
"I didn't think this day would come," Jeremy admitted, "Since the fire…I thought you were gone forever…and now you really are going to be gone,"
He bowed his head and Emily kissed his forehead, making him look up at her.
"I'll always be with you, big brother," she told him, "I love you, Jeremy,"
"I love you too, Emily," he smiled right as Emily faded away.
The three ghosts reappeared in the party room with the others. Jill had taken the cubs with her while she and Garret waited on the ghosts. The six children all stood together, holding hands. Matt looked at his sister and bowed his head.
"So many years, so many dark memories," he sighed, "So many fears we've now put to ease,"
"Pain makes you do things you never knew you could do," Emily agreed.
"Is this all real, or just déjà vu?" Sam asked.
Amanda grabbed her brother's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
"But now the party's over," she told him, "Now the guests are gone,"
"It's already past our bedtime," Robby smiled, looking at his sister.
"It's already almost dawn," Mike finished before closing her eyes, "Just like balloons, we soar on our own,"
"Finally free from the pain of our home," Sam added, a bright smile on his face.
"And just like balloons that no one will hold," Amanda smiled, putting her hand in Sam's and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Free from the truth…" Emily said.
"That no one will know," Robby finished before bowing his head, "No one will know…"
Little Robby wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. The six…they needed this. They wanted to explain in their own way…what they went through…what happened…
"Just little children," Matt started, "Not at all strange,"
"Until the lights went out," Sam sighed, looking at his hands and shuddering at the memory of looking down at paws rather than hands, "And everything changed,"
"Alone and afraid for oh so long," Robby whispered, falling to his knees as the memory of Jeremy getting bit replayed and raising his voice to a tortured scream, "Wondering what did we do wrong!?"
The others went to comfort him and Amanda started crying.
"'Cause now the party's over…" she started as Matt joined her, "And everyone is red…"
"I feel sick to my stomach," Emily whispered.
Mike shook her head and tears started streaming as memories of Nightmare resurfaced.
"Or am I sick in the head?" she cried, sinking to her knees as her brother put his arms around her.
"Just like balloons, we soar on our own," he reminded her.
"Finally free from the pain of our home," Mike agreed with a shaky smile.
"And just like balloons like no one will hold," Emily continued.
"Free from the truth…that no one will know," Matt added.
All six of the spirits started crying 'no one will know' over and over until little Robby closed his eyes, tears streaming. Mike noticed and walked towards him, putting her hands on his cheeks and making him look at her.
"All of the pain…" she told him, smiling gently as she shook her head, "Far in the past…"
Little Robby shook his head.
"Yet echoes of screams," he whispered, "Forever will last,"
Mike held her son close, kissing his forehead before getting up and walking to her brother, holding his hand as all six of the ghosts sang together, looking up at the ceiling with smiles on their faces.
"Just like balloons, we soar on our own. Finally free from the pain of our home! And just like balloons that no one will hold…free from the truth…that no one knows…"
And with a flash of light, all six children were gone…leaving little Robby in the middle of a black expanse staring at a single brilliant star in the sky.
"No one knows," he whispered, tears streaming.
I just wanted to spazz you guys out with the beginning note *chuckles* I couldn't just let Matt leave the Stooges...he cares way too much about them. So I figured, they're part of him, so it makes sense that they'd have bits of his soul, so he gets to take his cubs with him. Jill didn't ask questions...she knows she's got eternity to get the whole story. Emily's goodbye wasn't as long as Matt and Amanda's because she's got one family member and he knows that she's go to go...no matter how much he doesn't like it. Anyway...this is not the last chapter...there's one more. An epilogue of sorts...it'll take place a little down the road.
I hope you guys liked it, if you did send in the reviews! (Along with ideas because I will need them eventually!) :)
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.