Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, but I've been having writer's block for all my stories. But to make up for this, I shall be uploading two chapters for Crazy Not Zany. Chapter 17 will be coming later tonight! For now, enjoy this chapter!
"Yakko, that's my face!"
"And that's my tail!"
"Where's the exit?"
"Definitely not here-"
"Quit touching where you shouldn't!"
"Will you both be QUIET!"
Dot sighs when she hears her brothers muttering quiet curses at each other, but they quiet down. She reaches behind her and pulls out a set of matches. Taking one out of the box, she strikes it against the matchbox and immediately the small light fills the space. Before her, Yakko and Wakko had managed to squish themselves into a corner and were tangled in each other's arms and legs. Dot groans.
"How…?"
"Ask him!" They both yell, growling and glaring at each other…somehow. Dot shakes her head and grabs one of the tails sprouting from the mesh of brothers and pulls. With a twirl, they both go spinning until they're both separated and on their butts, dizzy.
"Now that that's solved." Dot looks around their surroundings. "Where are we?"
She quickly realizes the walls around them were all wooden. So do her brothers.
"Did we get locked in a crate?" Wakko asks, confused.
Yakko knocks a fist against the wood. "Seems like it."
As much as the question of who locked them in the crate was unanswered, Yakko decided to get out was something better to focus on. He glances up and starts pushing on the ceiling of the crate. Brow furrowed, he grunts as he attempts to lift the crate ceiling up.
"It…won't…budge!" Yakko strains to say.
Wakko rolls his sleeves up and spits into each hand. "Let me try!"
Joining Yakko, both brothers try lifting up the crate top. It creaks and groans, but does not move an inch. After a few minutes of effort, they stop to catch their breath.
"You know." Yakko pants. "Even Ralph's crates were easier to open than that."
"Maybe it's locked," Dot suggested.
"That doesn't help us." Yakko turns to Wakko. "Any chance you have something in that bag of yours?"
Wakko nervously puts his hands behind his back. He gives his brother a big smile. "I um…didn't bring it."
Yakko deadpans. "You didn't bring it!"
Wakko starts sweating. "Well, Issac was counting down, I hadn't found a hiding spot yet and the bag was out of reach-"
"Okay, okay, I get it." Yakko sighs and starts tapping the walls. "Maybe there's something else we can do. Let's brainstorm."
Dot tapped her chin. "We can't escape through the way we came in, that's for sure."
Wakko crosses his arms. "And we don't have any tools to help us escape."
"You know," Yakko says, tapping the walls. "I think these walls are pretty thin. Maybe if we hit something, we can get it to break open."
"So what, start jumping around in hopes we hit something?" Dot asks.
"Well, it's a start," Yakko says, scooting to the middle of the box and standing up. He plants his hands on either side of the crate walls. "Alright sibs, start pushing!"
The three siblings each take a wall and start pushing and shoving the crate around. The crate starts bouncing around with the Warners. Soon enough they feel the crate beginning to tilt.
"Keep going!" Yakko shouts. "I think it's-"
SLAM!
The crate falls down and lands on its side, sending the Warners into each other. They shout out as they slam into one another.
"Ow! What stings?" Wakko shouts.
"I think that's my match-I can't see anything! Again!" Dot rants.
Yakko struggles between two bodies, Wakko and Dot. "I'm not exactly comfortable either. Wakko get off!"
Wakko shoves off of Yakko and Dot before sitting up on the crate floor. He stops for a moment and sniffs the air.
"Does anyone smell smoke?" Wakko asks. Then he stiffens up. He slowly comes to realize something is wrong. He turns to gaze behind him…his tail is on fire.
"...AAAHHHHH!"
BAM!
Yakko and Dot sit straight up and notice a Wakko-shaped hole in the crate wall. They look out the hole and spot Wakko running in circles while trying to put out his tail.
"Great work, Wakko!" Yakko praises. "You got us out!"
"I think he's a little busy, Yakko." Dot deadpans.
"Owowowowow!" Wakko shrieks, grabbing his tail before blowing on it. The fire goes out and Wakko sighs, deflating his shoulders in relief.
Yakko exits the crate and notices a flashlight on the floor. He picks it up and flips it on. He shines it in front of him and he can see the table and stage from earlier. Issac is nowhere to be seen.
"We are a cousin short, my siblings." Yakko realizes.
"He can't have gone far," Dot says, squinting when the light is pointed at her and Wakko.
Wakko nods to agree but then stops short as his ears perk up. He gestures for his siblings to be quiet. As they followed Wakko's command they picked on some voices within the silence. Looking at one another, they nod in sync and cautiously walk in the direction of the voices. The closer they get, the louder the voices get. They recognize one of the voices very clearly.
Issac.
"AG…you're still around? I thought-"
"What exactly did you think?"
As the voice cuts in, all the Warners zoom behind a bunch of props before peeking out to see the scene before them. Issac is held up by his ears in front of a small boy with a hood. Issac looks ashen, mouth moving as if he is speaking, but no words come out. Issac gasps as the boy tightens his grip on his ears.
"Ow! Ears!" Issac whines.
"Where is it?" The boy demands.
Issac winces. "Where's what?"
"The file!" The boy growls. "I know you took it from them. Where did you hide it?"
"File?" Issac says. "What file-Gah!"
The Warners flinch when Issac is thrown to the ground. The boy kicks him in the stomach, forcing a shout out of Issac and a groan. The boy steps on the toon's back and grabs him by the ears again, lifting his head up at an uncomfortable angle.
"Don't play dumb!" The boy growls. "I read your journal, I know you took it."
Yakko, seeing his cousin on the ground, grinds his teeth. He was inches away from leaving his hiding spot.
"You read my journal?"
Yakko stops at the nervous tone of his cousin's voice. Glancing back at his cousin, he sees his eyes full of fear.
"You made it pretty clear." The boy bluntly states. "For now it's best they don't see what's in that file. Isn't that what you wrote?"
Yakko snaps his head to Issac, whose ashen face tattletales everything.
"I thought so." The boy snaps back before he lowered his voice to a soft whisper. "Give me the file. You and I both know you can't hide that file forever. The Warners will figure it out eventually."
Issac glares at the boy. "You'll only give them more trouble! I'm keeping them safe!"
"Safe?"
Both the boy and Issac snap their heads around to find Yakko standing before them. He's joined by his siblings who both look just as unhappy as their older brother. Yakko turns his gaze towards the boy.
"Let him go," Yakko says firmly.
The boy doesn't move at first but then lets Issac go, backing away from the toon altogether. Yakko walks forward and grabs Issac by the arm, lifting him up to his feet. Wakko, noticing the boy more, squints his eyes at him.
"I know you…you're Mr. Reflection!" Wakko enthusiastically exclaims, throwing his arms out in the air.
"Actually, it's AG." The boy says simply.
"AG, Mr. Reflection, same thing!" Wakko dismisses.
"So…AG." Dot draws out. "You're the one who sent us that letter."
"And the map!" Wakko points out.
"And locked us in a crate," Yakko says bluntly.
"Sorry," AG says. "For the crate."
"Oh, you don't need to apologize." Yakko turns to Issac, narrowing his eyes. "I want an apology out of this one!"
"Huh?" Issac says, confused.
Yakko pokes him in the chest. "I heard the whole thing, Issac. Do you actually have the file?"
Issac starts sweating before stammering. "N-Now, Yakko, don't believe everything you hear…"
Yakko shakes his head. "You're a terrible liar, Issac, you know that?" He glares at the toon. "What exactly are you hiding from us, Issac?"
"Nothing!" Issac blurts, turning around and hugging his arms. Yakko walks right around to face him, shining the flashlight on Issac's face.
"If it's nothing, then why hide it in the first place?" Yakko yells out.
"Because-because-" Issac's voice cracks and he bites his knuckles, turning away from Yakko once again. "I mean-I just-"
Issac looks to the others as if they would back him up, but they all have the same anger and confusion as their older brother. Issac shuts his mouth before he could spill any more excuses. He slumps over, knowing well enough he has been defeated. Yakko crosses his arms, glaring down at the toon that was his cousin. He watches as Issac slowly lifts his face to confront him eye to eye, his eyes brimming with fresh tears.
"Okay….okay…" Issac softly says, wiping at his face. "You deserve to know."
Yakko lays his hands on his cousin's shoulder, softening his voice. "Why would you go and hide a thing like this from us?"
Issac doesn't speak right away. He inhales deeply before he continues with his explanation.
"Because…I learned something." Issac says slowly. He hugs his arms. "I didn't want any of you to find it out. I-I just couldn't stand it…I promised I'd protect you no matter what. No matter what…."
Issac shakes his head, looking into Yakko's eyes once more. Fresh new tears began to form and spill down the face of Issac. But this time he doesn't even bother to wipe them away.
"Yakko…you and the sibs ain't my cousins."
"Huh?" Both Wakko and Dot gasp aloud.
"What?" Yakko says, confused. "We're not related…?"
Yakko trails off, realizing Issac is crying a bit harder now. He felt confused, was there something he was missing?
"Issac…what do you mean by that?" Yakko dared to ask.
Issac goes silent. Yakko purses his lips, then opens his mouth to talk, but Issac beats him to the punch.
"...Yakko."
Issac dares to look into Yakko's eyes.
"My cousins all died in a fire…the original Yakko, Wakko, and Dot."