Lost In Purple

Chapter 44: Prank Tech (Part 2)

Melanie's POV

Everyone loses their identities within their hoods, or puts on some crazy looking masks to look scarier than they actually are, as we journey through campus. Everyone's looking out for any people who might snitch on us, but we're too stealthy to even be noticed. Considering that we're all Scarers, it makes sense that we're nothing but phantoms shaded by the shadows.

Johnny doesn't let go of me as we traverse through the trees and bushes that are scattered throughout campus. We both are able to curl around each bit of nature without even making a single sound. No snaps of twigs, rustling within branches, or scraping against bark. Everything goes smoothly, and everyone seems to telepathically agree once we reach the northern end of campus where an enormous sewer tunnel sits untouched. Johnny told me earlier today that there's a tunnel that connects Fear Tech and Monsters University which is used by many students as paintball arenas along with a couple other sewer tunnels. The tunnel has a similar looking archway as the one that we all went to for the first Scare Games event. The thick spikes make it look intimidating, and it's gated with ginormous black metal bars that most likely won't ever bend. When Rosie and The Omega Howl president open the gate, everyone floods into it with eagerness and disappear into the void that supposedly leads to Fear Tech. Us RORs are the last to enter, and I watch as Javier, Chip, and Chet take the lead, meaning Johnny and I have to cover everyone's tracks by closing the gate and erasing any footprints in the dusty enclosure.

"Keep a look out, if you see anyone that isn't wearing black clothing, do your best to hide," Johnny whispers as he begins using his strength to close the metal gateway.

I peer out to campus, noting every individual tree trunk, branch and bush, but there's no movement or sound that's discernable. It's as if everyone just simply went to bed like I did last semester after class; There's absolutely no night life at the moment. Johnny is able to push the gate shut and lock it, making it seem like nothing has even happened.

"John, I know I'm not supposed to talk but, does everyone have like a personal rivalry with Fear Tech or something?" I ask almost silently.

Johnny smiles as he takes my hand and leads me further into the dark, straying away from the dimly lit tunnels that would make it easy for me to see. From what I can tell, we enter an entirely different tunnel that I otherwise would have missed. "Don't worry, nobody even knows we're gone anyways. As for Fear Tech, we beat them in almost everything. Grades, sports, scaring, everything. Even if the stats say Monsters University is better in every single way, they disagree," He explains quietly.

"So is that why they vandalized all the houses?" I ask.

"Probably. The JOX not getting hit by them seems suspicious though. They probably asked them to do it for the purpose of personal revenge considering they lost the first Scare Games event," Johnny answers, "Now stay close, I know your eyesight isn't the best in complete darkness. There's many spots you could fall into some sewage, and I don't want a smelly and gooey monster for a girlfriend."

I twist my arms around his right arm, and push my body against his. However, he finds it better to just lift me up with one arm and carry me with one-handed without struggle. He picks up the pace, jumping up and down, making me wonder where we are in the tunnel since I can't see a single thing except for his faint glowing purple irises that show themselves when he turns his head towards me.

"Do you have night vision or something? How can you tell where you're going?" I ask.

Johnny chuckles as we soar through the tunnel. I can tell we're going fast because I can feel a slight breeze pressing against my scales, making the air sound muffled as we move through it. "I guess you could say that. I'm assuming you've noticed my eyes. While they are a very defining and attractive feature of mine, I'm able to see every little bit of light even if it seems like there is none. You would think it's like night vision where you see that bright green color, but I only see black and white. I'd describe it as a fuzzy image of 50's television."

"…Hehe, I told you nobody can do what you do," I giggle.

Johnny crouches down and makes one huge leap, landing smoothly once he makes contact with the ground. "What do you mean?" He asks.

"Only 10% of monsters can see in the dark like that, and almost all of them don't end up in Scaring. You really are one in a trillion," I compliment.

"Well I appreciate it Mel, at least someone understands how amazing I am now," He beams.

We then turn a corner and find a huge corridor filled with the moonlight from an opening at the ceiling. There's also a couple of dim lights that shine down onto the ground, illuminating the cobblestone flooring that stores several blue industrial barrels, boxes, and a surrounding of water that acts as a moat. A couple of other sewers pour out it's contents and into the water below, almost as if it's a sewer oasis. Many metal beams also run across the upper parts of the corridor, complementing the several thick pipes that peek out from the walls and curve back into them.

"Are you able to see now?" Johnny asks.

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright for now," I respond with a whisper.

"Ok. This is the corridor just before the tunnel to Fear Tech, so we should be meeting back up with everyone," Johnny responds.

I hop back down onto the ground, spreading my paws out to feel the chilly cement below. There's a ton of puddles along the ground so I tell myself to avoid those. For all I know, that water could be something…gross. Johnny leads the way, walking with his usual swagger to the back left archway. I'm assuming that's where our entrance to Fear Tech is and is where our masterplan will begin. He takes a couple seconds to look around, but I don't know what there is to see considering it's a simple commercial sewer system. Meanwhile, I just stand here afraid for what I have to do here in a few minutes. What if we get caught? What do I do and where do I go? Will I end up getting in enough trouble to go to prison? What a dumb question, it's vandalism Melanie, of course there will be criminal charges brought against you. However, this is your shot to finally turn a new leaf. It's time to leave the timid, and lonely Melanie behind. Be adventurous and mischievous for once, do it for Johnny.

"Hey Mel," Johnny says to grab my attention, "Let's go. I want to finish this as soon as possible."

He stands there so handsomely that I feel my legs shake a tiny bit. The way he looks into my eyes with that serious look on his face with his mesmerizing eyes only makes it harder for me to move. It's almost as if I didn't know what falling in love meant until now.

"Mel. Is everything alright? I don't have to leave you here do I?" Johnny asks with partially narrowed eyes.

"N-no. Sorry, I...I'm just trying to calm myself down," I mumble.

He reaches his hand out for me to take, the moonlight's glow beautifully bending around him and plunging him into shadows except for the edges of his body. It's a scene that I wish I could paint right now, because its otherworldly to see him within such a divine sight. "Again, I'm here with you. You don't have to be alone."

I stand still for a little bit longer, only to inexplicably sprint towards him and jump up to wrap my arms around his neck. He grunts in surprise but quickly embraces me back with a comfortingly tight squeeze, leaving no room for oxygen in between us. All of a sudden I don't feel so scared about anything anymore and all the stress has been squished out of me by his embrace. He doesn't say anything as he takes the both of us to the end of the corridor, and enters the small hallway at the back left. He keeps me in his arms just until we reach the gate that leads back out into the world we know well. He drops me to my feet and gazes into the unknown. I think we were both expecting to see people on the other side though because there's not a single soul on the other side, and the gate couldn't have possibly been left shut since everyone knew we would be behind them. "What the hell?" Johnny mumbles while placing his hands on the metal bars as if he were in a prison cell.

He glances further and sees only a sandstone walkway decorated by symmetrically placed birch trees, and a couple buildings that are built with brick and painted orange and black. It doesn't seem like there are any people out and about at the moment.

"Weren't we the last ones to enter?" Johnny questions.

"Yeah, we were. Do you think they started without us?" I ask back.

Johnny lets go of the bars and starts unlocking the gate, swinging it open after using his claw to lock-pick it. "Doubtful. I'm the one who's supposed to tell everyone what they're doing. They wouldn't just go out and wing it like all the idiots did back then."

"Ha-Have you done this before?! You said that like you've done this before," I ask in astonishment.

"Freshmen year, second semester. Totally didn't glue the Scaring Schools doors shut and make the insides look like a murder scene or anything. Definitely didn't make the news either," Johnny smirks.

"JONATHAN!" I gasp out of disgust, "THAT WAS YOU!"

He goes and crouches down behind a couple large bushes in front of us. "They haven't pranked us until now, so I think they figured out it was us."

"How did you not end up getting in trouble?" I ask after taking my position next to him.

"They had no proof that it was us. Just like how they're not going to have evidence that we did it this time. Us RORs and PNKs are literal masterminds when it comes to this stuff," Johnny says after wiping his claws on his chest and looking at them shine spotless in the moonlight.

I don't know if I should be impressed or not. That prank was the top story for a whole entire month, and everyone was talking about it as if it were a real murder. It took them that entire month to figure out it was just fake blood that you can make with household ingredients. To also scare the entire city is something one could only dream of achieving. MU Scarers are obviously not to be messed with, and I can't believe the Fear Tech Scarers had the guts to do this all over again.

"I wish I could take all the credit for that, but it was my freshman year president who came up with everything we did," Johnny adds.

"Should I know him? Like is he a famous Scarer already?" I ask while adjusting my black hoodie.

Johnny pulls his hoodie up, sliding his horns in between the slits of it and zipping them up. "No, he had to leave Scaring after his first year due to personal issues, but he should be returning this next year. Axel Rathmar is his name, a literal reincarnation of a draconian demon, and the main reason I excel in demonic scares."

Makes sense. A Scarer with such a terrifying reputation had to have learned it all from someone somewhere else. I could only assume someone like Johnny would be able to make friends with someone like that as well...a draconian demon...that could not sound any more scary than it already does. Even though I would like to know more about him, I feel curious tonight and keep asking Johnny other questions. "So you only knew him for a year then?"

He shakes his head before responding with, "No, I always text him and occasionally meet up with him. He says he always saw me as some kind of younger brother to him so he couldn't stay away even if he tried."

At that moment we hear a couple footsteps emerge from the sewer tunnels, followed by a couple whispers.

"How did you guys get here!?" Carrie asks seething in anger, "Javier, Chip, and Chet have been freaking out about you two!?"

All of the fraternities and sororities flood out, still looking like they're ready for war.

"We took the quickest way here like I said we would, why are you guys here 5 minutes after us?!" Johnny argues.

Rosie and Nadya saunter next to Carrie and cross their arms out of both exasperation and confusion. "The way we took was the fastest way. The sewer to the right is the way to the paintball arenas and then here to Fear Tech. That's, like, the way we planned to take," Nadya counters.

Johnny stands up furiously. "What?! The sewer to the left just comes straight here! There's no way you guys spent the past 15 minutes just walking through the sewers like goblins!"

"What are you talking about?!" Carrie snarls showing us her red eyes.

"I know what I'm doing Williams! We took the tunnel on the left the last time I did this and it's the fastest way! Who told you the other way was the fastest?" Johnny growls back.

Since we're hear to pull off one huge prank and not to argue with each other, I put myself in between the two, who are about to claw at each other's throats, and push Johnny away. "Ok, we're done. John, please tell everyone the plan so we can just get this over with."

Everyone looks at me in surprise, Johnny especially.

"Mmmm, I like this new Melanie. Very forward and brave to step in between a soon to be fight. Our baby bat has transformed into a true monster," Nadya grins creepily.

Johnny shakes his head and takes a deep breath while rounding up everyone in a circle, allowing the rest of the RORs to reunite with us. They all give each other some nods as if their telepathically connected and return their attention to Johnny who gives us a brief explanation of the plan, which is to cause absolute chaos on this campus once the sun rises. Everyone is given a task for a specific building which ranges from pouring syrup on the hallway floors, to placing glitter bombs disguised as packages everywhere that go off once opened, to TPing everything in sight. There's a couple other things that will be scattered around the campus but those were the main things along with revenge graffiti.

Everyone splits up after he gives them a task, leaving me and Johnny all alone once more. He takes a bag that's filled to the brim and looks ready to take on the world. "We're on Scaring School notice board tearing and glitter bombs Mel," He instructs.

"Oh yay! Fun stuff!" I say clapping in glee.

"Can't have you be bored now can we?" He smirks, "Now let's go to the head out. We'll be the only ones in there by the time we enter so be aware at all times. I'll admit that because of the prank we did all those years ago, Fear Tech has upped nighttime security."

I nod and let Johnny take the lead. He lowers into his quadrupedal form and leaps from corner to corner, bush to bush, until he stops on the side of the nearest building. I silently creep over to him, and turn the corner, seeing the grand campus show itself to me. The many buildings are clumped together as if it were a business residential zone, lined with large cypress and birch trees. Nicely trimmed hedges border each structure and there's a shallow rectangular fountain right in the center of campus, reminding me of Monsters University. The buildings themselves are incredibly modern. They're cubical and have windows that wrap around them entirely, which means there's almost no sense of privacy in the hallways. They're clearly striving to obtain an environmentally friendly campus, because this place looks futuristic and a tad bit solarpunk-ish.

Johnny takes me by the hand and pulls me along the sandstone walkways towards the Scaring School, and pointing out the few security guards making their rounds around campus. They have those stereotypical security caps on, belts that contain things like stun guns, pepper spray, pocket knives, and various sizes of flashlights. While this place may seem very progressive in terms of style, it feels almost dystopian to have security walk the grounds all night. That prank of Johnny's must have eternally damaged their reputation because this is just straight up overkill; No wonder there's no students walking around.

"Security guard ahead of us. I'll go left you go right. We'll meet up near the back of the Scaring School," Johnny mentions.

"W-wait. What if I get caught?" I ask out of paranoia.

"You won't. These security guards stand no chance against Scarers like us. You've been trained a lot more than you think," Johnny whispers.

He gives me a quick kiss on the lips and leaps off into the hedges to his left, completely disappearing, making zero sound. I choose to walk down the few steps to the fountain at the center, and hugging the wall of the fountain as I keep my eyes on the security guards. It might not be as impressive of flashy as Johnny, but it will get the job done. It's annoying waiting for all of them to move because they're so incredibly bored and certain that nothing will happen tonight, just like the past three years. However, I improvise and cautiously find my way around them.

I climb the center steps back up to the Scaring School, finding myself almost at the entrance. The school building looks like a Greek museum with its walls being sloped inwards and graciously showing its marble carvings of monsters in between each pillar that reaches from the ground and into the sky. The walls are also decorated with gold paint that make it seem like it's been constructed out of pure authentic gold. My studying of the building is cut short when I hear a security guard clear his throat and saunter past the entrance of the school. He's moving to the left side, which is where Johnny and I are supposed to meet up. I continue sneaking towards the left side of the school but notice a small bit of light shine on the ground behind me, so I swan dive into one of the nearest hedges and cease all motor functions. The thumps of the guards feet are the only things I can hear, and he stops right next to me, moving his flashlight from side to side. It's almost as if he knows I'm here and trying to avoid him. I hold my breath and stay as still as I can, locking up my muscles and joints, listening for any indication that I'm in trouble. His yellow scales, three eyes, and athletic physique shows me that he's not the one to be playing around with. He shimmies closer to me, shining his flashlight in the bush, but somehow doesn't see me as he returns to shining the light on the ground in front of him.

"Must have been a squirrel or something," The guard mumbles and then coughs disgustingly.

He looks up to the Scaring School entrance and stomps along, grunting an unhealthy amount. I let loose all the oxygen I've ensnared in my lungs and let my body shake as much as it needs. I take a couple deep breaths and roll out of the hedge bush, looking both ways and confirming that there's no more danger before running to the left side of the building. Once I'm a safe distance away from all the security guards, I sneak along the Scaring Schools wall and plop down, feeling the grass uncomfortably poke my scales. It's only been a minute and I'm already out of breath which frustrates me because I'm going to have to do better than that if I'm to ever become a proper Scarer. Unfortunately I'm going to be even more out of breath because I have to hurry and find Johnny. I can't be the only one to get caught and let everyone down, so I'm going to have to deal with all the bad before experiencing the good.

Before I stand back up and suffer, I lean my head back. There's not a whole lot of light pollution over here unlike at Monsters University, so there's an abundance of stars that light up the sky. There's also a gradient of black and light blue that illuminates the endless void above me, nearly causing me to enter into a daydream. This stupid sky will be the death of me one day, I swear. Nothing mesmerizes me like the tranquility of the cosmos. Now that I've calmed down a little bit, I can feel my lower body become extremely fatigued. There's an aching in my lower back, and an uncomfortable tingly feeling in my legs. That entire encounter with the security guard scared me so bad that I've lost the ability to move properly. I have to find Johnny though, I don't want him to have to worry about me.

"John?" I whisper with my hands cupped around my mouth.

I don't hear or see anything so I repeat myself, but with a little more desperation this time. "John?"

Some light clicking comes from my right, behind one of the pillars that juts out from the side of building. I see Johnny's arm, and his claw tapping the ground. He's silently telling me that he's right next to me. I crawl over, letting him pick me up with an ecstatic smile on his face.

"You were perfect Mel. He didn't even know you were there," Johnny whispers.

I put my arms around his body out of terror. "Th-that's good…Glad I c-could impress you," I whisper back.

His smile turns to worry. "What happened?"

"N-nothing," I say shaking, "I just thought I m-messed up there. I don't know how he didn't see me or know I was in that bush."

"Well yeah. You're a natural at this. I was watching the entire time, and I didn't even know you left. I thought you were still in the bush before you somehow ended up right next to me," Johnny responds easing my doubts.

"Y-you didn't see me leave?" I ask while looking into his glowing eyes.

"No. And that actually scares me because I notice everything," Johnny answers with a returning smile, "Now, are you alright?"

I look down in shame, still feeling my legs work weakly. "I'm a little shaken up. Sorry," I mumble.

"I would too if I pulled off something like that. Bush hiding is the hardest to pull off in real time and you did it flawlessly. You can just stay with me until you're ready. You've done more than I expected already," He soothes.

Johnny jogs lightly to the back of the Scaring School, making sure to check for any other security. There isn't any, but I feel safe knowing that he does it anyways.

"So, what do you think is the best way into the building?" Johnny quizzes.

I look the building up and down, realizing that it's just like any other normal building. However, there's an window at the top floor that has a window screen. "Climbing up to that window and either pushing it in or tearing the screen is probably the fastest and most convenient," I answer.

"Good. Nice to know that I made a good choice in letting you join ROR," Johnny adds. He then pulls himself up to each floor as if he were doing pull-ups, but with one hand. He's like an assassin whose current goal is to scale the most tallest and complex buildings for a vantage point, and does it with ease. He doesn't even falter while carrying me with him, it feels like I'm laying down in an elevator and being transported vertically into the atmosphere.

"You look surprised," Johnny smirks.

"Uh yeah! What kind of normal monster can carry a person in one arm and scale a five story tall building in a matter of 20 seconds?!" I reply in astonishment.

"Heh, what can I say? Best of the best right here," He boasts as he grabs onto the windowsill of the screen, "And with a quick cut of the screen we're in."

Johnny obviously wants to purposefully vandalize things here. I would have chosen to push it in or pull it out so that it can be put carefully back in, but he wants to cause as much chaos and damage as possible. I'm pushed into the building, and place my feet on the cold white tile floor. The hallways look like something straight out of a horror movie or video game because their abandoned, yet eerily clean. There doesn't seem to be even a single molecule of dirt or dust within the hall meaning that they have some insanely talented janitors here on campus.

I turn to grab the hand that Johnny was carrying me with and help him by pulling him in. "You know, aren't monsters told to refrain from climbing buildings when finding both entrances and exits?" I question quietly.

"Yep. But like I said, I'm the best of the best. I tend to do things in a bit of an unorthodox way," Johnny responds before rolling onto the floor and standing tall with his hands on his hips. He's like a child who's pretending to be a superhero.

"Alright. We'll go floor by floor. You take the glitter bombs and place them in front of every door, I'll make this place look like it's been attacked by a wild animal," Johnny commands while tossing the bag he has over to me.

I catch it and open the flap to reveal hundreds of white boxes the size of my fist. They've been engineered by Gamma Roar Roar to activate once you press a button on top, and if they move even a little bit, they explode and send a thick dust of sparkles into the faces of those who thought it was nothing to worry about. "Ok," I reply briefly, "I just press these buttons at the top to activate them right?"

"Yep. Be sure to press them after you've set them down. Don't really want you to get accidentally blasted by one...though I'm sure you'd look even more gorgeous covered in them," He answers. Johnny struts forward as I blush at that comment, but catches himself and turns back to me. "By the way, cameras are watching so keep that hood on at all times. If anyone sees you, run back here. I'll know if you're seen and vice versa. If we have to, we'll jump out the window and you can use me as a landing pad."

"What? No! Just take me and climb back down the rain gutters," I deny.

"I appreciate the concern, buuuut," Johnny smiles, "We can't risk getting caught."

With one rapid leap, Johnny runs on all fours and vanishes into the hallways, leaving me all alone in a place I'm not familiar with, which happens to be one of my many childish fears that I never truly got over. It's not a fear that makes me breakdown crying or anything, but it makes me feel queasy and paranoid beyond belief. It's even worse this time though since these hallways, offices, and classrooms make me feel like I'm going to be kidnapped and never be seen again. I take the glitter bombs and set off for a 'fun-filled' night of pranks and adventure. While I originally felt scared, and of course a little dazed from my run in with that security guard, I actually feel kind of excited to do this kind of thing. I've never really done anything rebellious and mischievous before, and I'm already dying to know when we can do something crazy like this again.

Now how about I start with the classes here at the back of the building and work my way to the classes near the staircase at the front. That's probably the most efficient way to do this.