This was not going to be fun.
That was the sole thought running through RJ's mind as he hastily made his way back to the home of the Taxidermist. Why did he have to run off and just be a secret little…him? All that did was put everyone in danger, and for all he knew, they were being chased around by him right now.
Or worse, they were already getting skinned.
That was something RJ had to push out of his mind right now. Who knows? Maybe he could outrun them if he was Hammy levels of fast, which already was off the table since he clearly wasn't Hammy. He remembered that Tiger wasn't there as well, maybe the Taxidermist had enough common sense to spare them if he saw a domesticated cat with them.
Then again, the Taxidermist could also easily just spare Tiger and skin the rest, or if he was particularly cruel, just skin Tiger as well and just present him to his owner as some sick joke gift.
That'd be a great way to make a first impression in the neighborhood.
RJ eventually found himself back in the yard of the Taxidermist's home, and once he realized this, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. He noticed that the glass door had been closed, which meant that the song wasn't a figment of his imagination. That was very real, and it woke up the Taxidermist.
That also could mean that either the others hadn't arrived yet, or he was too late.
RJ had to know however, and slowly he took step after step, making his way further through the backyard. As he moved forward, he took in what little sights there were around him. It was still obvious that the Taxidermist was new in the neighborhood solely due to his backyard. Despite the sun shining from above, RJ couldn't help but get an eerie feeling from this place. At least the other yard actually had some stuff to look at, which gave it a more grandiose scale.
Here, it was just two white fences to his sides, a hedge behind him, and the foreboding home of one of the scariest things on this planet.
RJ was taken aback when he finally bumped into the sliding glass door, and much to his relief, it didn't break. He wasn't going to make the mistake of praising any form of door or furniture anytime soon however, especially not now. Looking up at the handle that would open the door, RJ would realize much to his horror that in his haste, he had forgotten to bring something that would help open the door.
That was until he realized that the door wasn't closed all the way.
It was hard to see, but he could feel a small breeze coming through the small gap between the sliding door and the wall. The Taxidermist must've forgotten to close it all the way, and upon looking down at the hinges, he realized that wasn't the case. One of the screws hadn't been screwed in all the way, preventing the door from closing entirely.
RJ breathed a sigh of relief. That likely meant that they didn't come through here, and he beat them there somehow. Looks like his whole outrun them idea worked, even though calling it an idea was not exactly the word he would use to describe it. RJ was about to walk away when he stopped dead in his tracks, and it was because he realized something.
What if he was wrong?
He had to think about it. There was no way he had to have outrun them. They all went there for the first time that night, they all followed the same path, logic dictated that they had a head start due to RJ having to find his way back to the clearing, and considering what Penny said, they likely were at the house far long before RJ made it back.
So where were they?
He couldn't see the fridge or pantry open, and he clearly didn't pass them, otherwise he would've noticed them. They had to be inside, there was no other way around it.
Taking a deep breath, RJ would creak open the sliding door, and slipped inside. The moment he felt the cold air hit him, the heart beat in his ears started again. Despite every bone in his body telling him, pleading with him to run and not look back, RJ soldiered on. He was not going to have everyone die because he was scared. No matter what happened, he was going to help them, and not even the basement door was going to stop him-
Oh.
RJ stopped dead in his tracks once he saw the basement door. That basement door that gave him chills, and was likely the place that the Taxidermist kept his "work". RJ stared at it for a good while, knowing full well that was the only possible location his family could.
Whether they were alive, in the process of being skinned, or he was too late, he had to know.
Using a nearby cane, RJ managed to lean it against the door, climb up it, and turn the knob.
The door was unlocked.
RJ barely had enough time to hop off from the cane before the door opened, sending the cane tumbling down the dark basement steps. Each clatter of it caused RJ to wince, as if he were worried that a single noise would spell his end. Considering where he was, it very well could be.
Now there was the matter of going down.
RJ had to psych himself up for this. What was likely down there was going to be something he didn't want to see. Whether it was the Taxidermist's handiwork or his family all stuffed, he knew there was no turning back now. Taking one big deep breath, he started to ascend down the stairs.
If there was one thing that RJ was grateful for being, it was a raccoon. He was nocturnal after all, so there was at the very least no need for light. Not that it would make it any better, in fact, just being in the dark with several corpses would be absolute nightmare fuel. Strangely enough however, as he scanned the walls and tables of the basement, he noticed something.
There were no animals at all. Not even any stuffed ones. While he could at the very least breathe comfortably knowing that the others weren't here, he still was confused. He expected for there to be rows upon rows of foam like structures wearing animal pelts, yet there was nothing.
Maybe RJ was just imagining things that day? Maybe the stuff with the raccoon got to him and he just started imagining things. Maybe, just maybe, he went crazy and those memories weren't even real.
Maybe he worried over nothing.
The only question he had now was why the floor felt so…fur-like?
Much to RJ's shock, the lights turned on. He didn't even hear any footsteps, and his breath hitched in his throat as he came to the possible conclusion that the Taxidermist knew he was coming back and set a trap for him. Not helping him at all was when he looked down.
He was standing on what appeared to be a mangled, torn up pelt of some animal. Judging from the rough cuts, this was a project the Taxidermist had messed up on, and just threw it aside carelessly. It was so badly messed up that RJ couldn't even tell what animal it even was.
There it was again, the sound of his heartbeat in his ears, and with that came his vision narrowing. At this point however, he knew what it meant. There was no beating around the bush, RJ was scared. Perhaps the most scared he's ever been in his life. Yeah, he had to worry about Vincent, but at least he felt Vincent would be kind enough to make it quick if he caught him. With taxidermy, the ways of dying varied, and the result was the same.
Having some foam shaped like you wear your skin.
The heartbeat continued, and he heard something coming down the stairs, although it sounded more echoey. That had to be the Taxidermist, and he could feel it getting closer. He wanted to bolt so badly right now, but he just couldn't. He was frozen in place.
He felt something touch his back.
RJ tensed up and quickly spun around to see a green blob right in front of him. The sight of him startled him so much that he staggered back, falling to the floor and knocking against a table leg. The blob moved in closer, and RJ tried his best to try and get to his feet, all while attempting to control his breathing. It seemed to work, and his vision cleared up enough to see Verne and the others in front of him.
"Verne?" RJ asked, as if he was shocked, and he was. Verne didn't answer, instead looking down at the pelt RJ had been standing on earlier whilst Lou came forward to get RJ on his feet. The look on Verne's face told the story.
"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, before looking back at RJ. RJ couldn't say a word, and just merely nodded his head, pretty much conveying the message that Verne was dreading to hear. Verne immediately stepped back in horror, while the others backed away as well in sheer terror.
"Wut' horror house did we step into?!" Stella exclaimed. "This isn't real, this isn't real…" Ozzie mumbled, and while usually Heather would be the one who would try and catch him on the off-chance he played dead, even she was borderline close to doing it herself. In the meantime, RJ looked behind the others, and he noticed that the porcupine kids were at the very least not present. They didn't need to see this.
"RJ, is this what you saw last night?" Verne asked.
RJ would let a breath he didn't know he had been holding in for a moment, before finally speaking up.
"Yeah." RJ spoke. He did it, he finally admitted it. It was something he didn't think would be so easy, but years of having to lie have certainly done a number on him. At the very least, his hesitation to speak the truth didn't result in the family hating him again.
"Could we get outta' here?" Stella asked. "Good idea Stella, and let's never come here again." Verne replied. As the others started heading up, RJ noticed that Penny was there as well. She must've come along with them, but that didn't explain where they all were originally, and she would gently take his paw and start to lead him up the stairs.
"Sorry for making you worry, RJ." Penny spoke. "I know I could have worded it better."
"It's okay Penny, let's just…" RJ paused for a moment. "Let's get out of this place before-"
"Put your head on my shoulder…"
Not again.
They were now at the top of the stairs, and RJ's heartbeat rang more in his ears. He felt his paw grip Penny's extremely tight, and his vision narrowed once more. He couldn't move, he just couldn't after hearing that song. It had to be the alarm, but wasn't there one last night?
"RJ?" He could barely hear Penny calling his name. "Verne, he's not moving!"
"RJ, come on, we have to go!"
RJ stayed rooted to the spot, stricken with fear, and it continued even when he felt the vibration of very heavy footsteps not far behind him.
Yeah, I know I uploaded a chapter yesterday and then deleted it, but I thought about it more and realized that I didn't want to end it there. This is supposed to have horror and sadness in the mix, and honestly, what way to better introduce the Taxidermist than at the end of the chapter?
Plus, the original chapter was too short, and I didn't want it to be short, so voila, extended chapter.
The story will probably be finished soon, and then maybe we can get back to more lighthearted stories.