50 States: Chapter 20
Poland, Hungary, and Austria panted as they ran for the safety of the trees within the wooded area of America's massive backyard. The Baltic capitals had been hiding in the trees and took them by surprise. The three were once again soaked by water guns. Riga had been especially difficult to dodge for she had the superior aim out of the sisters. Unlike her nation, Riga did not look to be the type to hesitate hurting those who got in her way.
Ilona had piercing eyes that looked as if they could see right through you. Searching their target for weakness and use it to her advantage. She took great delight in seeing the surprised fear on their faces before blasting them with water, followed by Vilnius and Tallinn. Riga's deep red dress and wicked grin made her look like a demoness straight from the depths of Hell.
Hungary was dragging Austria who looked as if he were going to faint from exhaustion despite not running very far in Poland's opinion.
"Like, how are you this tired?!" Feliks asked in bewilderment. "We didn't even run that far!"
Hungary answered for him when Austria continued to wheeze. "He...doesn't get out...much."
Poland scoffed. "No kidding."
A rustling in the bushes made the trio freeze in terror and dread began to fill their beings.
"Nien...not again." Austria whimpered, still wheezing. The three braced themselves as a figure emerged from the bushes.
"Poland...Austria?" Germany stepped out of the bushes, followed by the remaining G8 members and China. The trio immediately sighed in relief. While they knew this was just a game, the states and capitals were frightening when they wanted to be. They've proven that countless times during the nations visit.
"Fancy seeing you lot here." England said, lowering his gun. He raised an eyebrow at their soaked and disheveled appearances. "Let me guess, the states?"
"No, the Baltic capitals." Hungary corrected, helping Austria stand up.
Poland shuddered. "Word of advice if you see Riga. Run, hide, and pray she doesn't find you."
France laughed. "Are you telling me that little Lettonie's capital did this?"
Hungary glared at him. "Don't underestimate her, France. Riga may be small but she has the aim of an expert. We barely got away."
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Meanwhile...
Arkansas made his way towards the house. Near the front porch, beneath one of the balconies was an exterior cellar door. This was the location where he and Illinois had snuck in the guard dogs last night. Florida and Louisiana also kept their alligators in the basement but unlike the dogs, they were put in unbreakable glass cages all the time by the orders of their father.
Jeremy unlocked the entrance and the doors made loud creaks as they were opened. He braced himself for what came next.
The dogs greeted the teen with sharp, gleaming canines and began barking as they charged towards him. One of the German Shepherds pounced on him...
...and started smothering him with affectionate licks.
Jeremy laughed as he struggled to speak and gently pushed the dog away by the snout. "Hehe...Okay! Okay! I'm happy to see ya too, girl."
As he stood up, Arkansas held out various pieces of cloth for the dogs to sniff.
"Go get 'em." He ordered, pointing in the direction where the dogs targets were located. With that, the German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Doberman Pinschers took off into the yard and Arkansas snickered at the thought of those nations being chased by menacing dogs only to be cornered once again.
Jeremy almost pitied them. Almost.
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Hungary suddenly halted in her footsteps.
"Do you hear something?" She asked the other nations. Everyone stopped in their tracks and listened. It sounded like something or somethings were racing towards them. Fast
They didn't stick around to find out, knowing that whatever it was meant trouble, and started to run. As they ran, England caught something in the corner of his eye. Curiosity getting the better of him, he turned to look behind him. Arthur instantly regretted doing so and tried to run faster.
"Run!" He exclaimed. "And don't stop! There are dogs right behind us!"
The nations turned to look behind them and saw dozens of dogs running towards them. Seeing that their prey has spotted them, the dogs started barking viciously and looked more determined to sink their teeth into the nations as they gave chase.
"GERMANY DO SOMETHING!" Most of the nations yelled in panic.
"VHAT DO YOU VANT ME TO DO?!" The German shouted in agitation and possibly fear.
"They're German breeds, aren't they?" Poland shrieked, running ahead when one of the Rottweilers got a little too close to him while snapping its jaws.
"I didn't train zhem you fool!" Ludwig shouted back as the dogs started running faster and got closer to them.
"What are we going to do?!" Italy exclaimed in fright. He let out a girly scream when a Doberman caught his shirt in its jaws, tearing a piece of the fabric away.
"Just keep running!" France shouted, picking up the pace. "I do not want my beautiful face to be torn to pieces by those monsters!"
For once, nobody objected to what France said.
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"What's in that bag, Violet?" Toris asked as Illinois as she started writing in permanent marker, Water Guns, onto a rucksack.
The fair haired girl lifted the sack and stopped at the ladder to the treehouse.
"This is just something I found in the woods last night while I was sneacking the dogs into the basement with Ark." She replied before descending the ladder. "Trust me, it's better if I get it down before this thing wakes up."
West Virginia suddenly sniffed the air and her eyes widened.
"Yes, please do that." She urged. Toris looked at his other goddaughter questioningly and Scarlett shuddered as she watched Violet set the bag down beneath the tree.
Colorado was looking off into the distance with a pair of binoculars when she suddenly jumped and called to her sister.
"Vi, hurry up! The nations are coming!"
Illinois dashed to the tree and scrambled up the ladder. As Lithuania helped Violet back into the treehouse, Scarlett called Prussia on her walkie talkie.
"Heads up, General. The nations might be coming your way very soon."
"Haha! Losers!" Gilbert cackled on the other line. "I cannot wait to actually see for my awesome self to see them running around like headless chickens and then blast them into oblivion! Could this day get any more awesome?"
The red head cracked a smile. "Wellll...let's just say you'll smell them coming before you see them. 35 out."
West Virginia heard Prussia start to laugh before she ended the call and Nora turned back to them.
"They're getting closer!" She said in a hushed tone.
"Get to your places now!" Illinois hissed, taking position near one of the windows with her godfather and watched as the nations ran closer to their trap. She then pulled a dog whistle out of her breast pocket and blew into it.
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The dogs suddenly halted in their tracks and started looking around. Japan was the first to notice that they were no longer being chased and dared to look behind him, only to see the guard dogs trotting back in the direction they came.
"They stopped following us!" He called to the other nations. They stopped and turned to see that the demonic animals had disappeared back to whatever pit of hell they had come from.
Everyone stopped to catch their breath. Austria had collapsed to the ground, panting harder than he had been before and looked as if he were going to faint.
Hungary was the first to speak. "Why...did they stop?"
"Who cares?" England panted. "Whatever reason it was, at least they're gone. Besides, didn't America keep those dogs in the kennels?"
"Ja, zhat's vhat zhe states said." Germany said, narrowing his eyes. "Someone must have let them out."
"Zhose...children," Austria wheezed. "Are...animals!"
Poland then caught sight of a rucksack beneath one of the trees a few feet away. It had a white piece of paper attached to it and written in bold letters was 'Water Guns'.
Relief swept over him like a wave before catching the attention of Hungary and Austria. He pointed to the bag and Elizabeta's expression brightened while Austria only continued to catch his breath.
"Oh finally!" Hungary sighed in relief. "We now have a chance to fight back."
As she and Poland approached the bag, four pairs of eyes were watching them from above, and were waiting for their signal to strike.
Hungary began to open the bag and Poland stood behind her, waiting almost impatiently to get his hands on a weapon. He was tired of running around without anything to defend himself against the American family. While this was just a game, (a very terrifying game) the pride of the nations were on the line. Full grown countries were being terrorized by states, most of them were not even physically adults yet, and not to mentions the capitals. Their own capitals, who should be siding with their own country, were more loyal to America than them.
Once the bag was opened, a bushy black and white tail popped out. Feliks and Elizabeta screamed as a horrible odor was shot from the bag, spraying them with the foul scent.
"What the bloody hell?!" England shouted, sprinting towards the pair before stopping in his tracks when he smelled it. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that...?"
"SKUNK!" France shrieked like a girl and ran away at the speed of Italy during a retreat with said Italian running after him, wailing about how he didn't want to be sprayed.
Laughter then could be heard from above and as he looked up, Germany felt water shoot directly into his face. China staggered back as he was shot in the chest and blue stains appeared on his top. Japan and England barely dodged two shots of water before taking position behind the trees. Germany and China quickly moved to take cover while Poland and Hungary ran off in another direction. Austria was being pelted with white paint bullets and eventually collapsed into a mud puddle. He did not get up. He had fainted from exhaustion.
England looked from his hiding place up to where the shots had come from. He and the nations had failed to notice the treehouse located just above where the skunk trap had been set.
Arthur barely ducked in time when a paint bullet was shot in his direction. But he managed to catch a glimpse of red hair up in the window of the treehouse. From the shade of red, he could tell that it was one of the Virginias but he didn't have enough time to further examine which one it could be.
"I'VE BLOODY HAD IT!" He roared in fury. He was tired of being shot at and chased around like a helpless victim. He was the United Kingdom and former British Empire. Arthur refused to let this continue. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the treehouse, ignoring Germany's calls to come back. He dodged the shots of water and paint, not always being successful, but managed to get to the ladder and began to climb.
…...
"Aw man, he's mad alright." Illinois commented as she shot at the charging Brit. He managed to dodge most of their attacks and was nearing the ladder.
"I think now would be a good time to abandon the base." Lithuania said as England started climbing the ladder. The girls nodded in agreement and West Virginia knelt down before lifting up the rug. In the meantime, Colorado started dropping grenades down the entrance to the treehouse.
…...
Germany and China ran after England once he was halfway up the tree. If he was going to openly confront the shooters, someone should at least back him up.
Something hit England in the head as he climbed but he immediately shook it off and continued to climb. He was nearly at the top now. Three more things were thrown before they ceased and the treehouse was quiet.
Germany and China went to inspect what was thrown out of the treehouse and immediately jumped back when they processed what they were seeing.
"GRENA-" Before Germany could finished, there was a loud explosion, followed by three more, and something wet and sticky splashed onto the two nations, covering them in a red substance.
"AIYA! What is this stuff?!" China exclaimed. Japan tried to wipe the substance off his face.
"I believe this is gelatin." He murmured, when some of the substance got past his lips and he tasted cherry flavor.
An angry shout came from the treehouse and the face of a very pissed off England emerged from the window.
"They bloody disappeared!" He shouted.
"Vhat do you mean zhey disappeared?" Germany called up to him, frowning. There was no way the shooters had any escape. If they had climbed down the tree, Germany and China would have spotted them. The tree was also too thick to climb without a ladder.
"Get up here you bloody gits and see for yourselves!"
Germany and China complied, climbing the ladder without much of a struggle like England had and were soon standing at the entrance of the treehouse in disbelief. There was no one in the small shelter, but the empty cases were proof that their attackers had been here.
"Unbelievable." China groaned, walking onto a spot on the floor covered in a rug. He then felt something hard beneath his foot. "What the...?"
He knelt down and lifted the rug. His eyes widened before calling England, Japan, and Germany over. The rug had been covering a secret hatch that blended into the floor but had a black handle that clearly stood out. Germany pulled it open and the nations saw nothing but pitch black. Ludwig tried feeling for a ladder or staircase but only felt a smooth wooden surface, similar to a slide.
"Damn," England's teeth were clenched in frustration. "These brats are clever, I must admit."
"Let's go." Germany ordered, paying no mind to England's remark and jumped into the passageway. England, Japan, and China reluctantly followed.
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"For pokker! Where are they coming from?!" Denmark shouted, as he shot at Kentucky from the mill's window. The Southern state was riding on horseback and had a paint rifle trained on the base.
"Da-ze! I got one! I got one!" South Korea shouted, taking out Mississippi.
For the past hour, Denmark's group and the Nordics had fought off invading states and capitals, supported by Russia and Belarus. Tokyo and two states with the most Japanese heritage (Hawaii and California) had attacked the building with a Banzai charge and brought back memories from World War II that sent shivers down Australia's spine. Despite Hawaii's age and height, she was quick on her feet and managed to get Iceland right in the eye with her water gun. California had thrown six grenades through the windows and they managed to only throw two of them back. Luckily, they were not real. They were only full of wither water, paint, gelatin, and one was even filled with mud. Tokyo was dressed like a ninja but wore no mask. She had a katana strapped to her back and was armed with an Arisaka rifle filled with red paint bullets. She had nailed Finland right in the chest and Sweden in the forehead.
Russia and Alaska were taking cover behind some brush as they shot at another window where Norway was positioned. Nanuq had a Tokarev pistol like his godfather but it held paint bullets instead of water. In a nearby bush were Washington, Oregon, and the Dakotas. They were sending firecrackers at anyone who dared to lift their heads over the windows in an effort to temporarily blind their opponent. Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi, and Virginia had charged the mill on horseback.
Belarus had taken cover behind the trees with Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware.
"Damn, they actually put up a real fight." New Jersey panted heavily after dodging a paint shot by New Zealand. But the states was grinning. "I think I might like these guys."
Delaware laughed. "Never thought I's hear you say that, Jers."
Massachusetts was cackling madly as he blasted water at New Zealand's position before taking off and diving behind a stack of wood. The entrance to the sawmill was now twenty yards away.
"Cover me!" He called to his group. "I also need three of you to come with me to infiltrate the mill!"
"You heard him, Jers!" Delaware then shouted to the remaining three. "Give us covering fire!"
"We got your back, Del!" Maryland yelled back and started firing at the windows. When New Zealand's attention was on him, Belarus, and Michigan, Delaware and New Jersey quickly followed Massachusetts to the entrance. Samuel kicked down the door and entered slowly with his gun ready to fire at anything that moved.
"C'mon mates, don't give up now!" They heard Australia say.
"It's no use!" Iceland shouted back. "Can't we just fire that real gun Korea found already?!"
"No way!" Denmark cried. "The King of Northern Europe is not surrendering!"
"We're running out of ammunition and they're not going to stop!" Norway snapped. "We never had a chance to begin with."
As the nations argued, Delaware signaled to her brothers to go up the steps. New Jersey and Massachusetts quietly made their way up the steps, avoiding the creaky step along the way, and raised their weapons at the nations.
In unison, the three states fired their weapons. Their victims cried out in surprise and struggled to take cover away from the water guns. The guns were almost more strong than a hose turned on full power. After ten minutes of trying to defend themselves from the three intruders, a loud bang rang through the air and the states halted their attack.
Sweden stood behind a stack of crates and a smoking gun was in his hand. It was the real gun that South Korea had found while he was searching for the remaining weapons almost two hours ago.
"W' surr'nder." He said, lowering the gun before holding his hands in the air. The remaining nations did the same, although Denmark, South Korea, and Australia did so reluctantly.
Delaware, New Jersey, and Massachusetts smirked at their victory.
The game was over for them.