Author's Note: We're back to America and Steve again. I'm surprised that I ended up writing so much in this match alone. I think this is the longest one that I have done this season so far. It just kept coming out. I like how the ending turned out. So where am I going with this endless house? What is the point to all of this? What is Feliciano planning? How is Johann involved in all of this? What did Ju choose? Is there a way out of this hell? I'm going to try and figure it out as I go along. Meanwhile, we will see how Kiku, Kuro, and their wives are holding up next week.

Match Twelve: Balsam Fir:

Alfred lost track of how long he'd been walking down this hall. They all started to blend together at this point. For all he knew, he could be going around in circles. At least he had Steve in his arms. He only let the dog down once. Steve didn't go far. The most he did was sniff around on the floor before returning to the American man's side. Alfred reached down and patted the dog on the head.

"Good boy," he whispered.

The question was where were they going to go now? However, Alfred had a bigger question.

"Where was everyone?" he asked. He looked down at the dog in his arms.

"I haven't seen anyone in ages," he said. The American man wondered if anyone had gotten out yet. Somehow, part of him doubted that.

Suddenly, Alfred froze.

"Hey, what was that?" he asked. The American man turned around. That didn't sound like footsteps this time. Alfred narrowed his eyes. That sounded like someone was… singing?

When he looked around again, the American man found himself surrounded by trees. He blinked wildly and rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

"What the hell? When did they end up in the woods?" he asked.

There's something off about these woods. Why was it so quiet in here? No animals or people around. Alfred shivered. He started to think that he was going crazy. What was this place? How was this even possible? The American man pinched himself in the cheek. The trees were still around him. Alfred frowned.

"Why the hell is there a forest in a house?" he asked. This was getting out of hand. Still, he couldn't stay in this place forever. He needed to get home to Baby Florence. His daughter needed him. But where was he going to go?

Steve lifted his little head and started barking.

"Hm? What is it, boy?" Alfred asked. The American man looked through the trees. He was about to look away when something caught his attention. For a second, he thought he saw someone running by in the trees.

"Huh? What is that?" he asked. Alfred blinked again. What the hell? Am I going crazy? He took another look.

There it was again.

A leg, an elbow, and… was that blonde hair?

Alfred couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was a person running around through the trees. The American man had so much running through his head. First, he and the dog were in the woods. (The house itself was a whole nother issue that he gave up on trying to figure out.) Now, there could be people trapped here with the others. Maybe it was another guest.

"Hey!" Alfred shouted. He tried to flag down the person in the distance. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" The figure didn't even acknowledge his presence. Alfred felt his spirits start to dip. Maybe they didn't hear him?

"Hello? Hey! Hey!"

There was still no response. The American man puffed up his cheeks in a huff. This idiot was being rude. Why were they just ignoring him like that? Alfred felt himself getting angrier. He glanced down at Steve squirming to get out of his arms.

"Come on, Steve," Alfred said. "Let's go give that jerk face a piece of our minds." The American marched over the person dancing around between the trees.

When Alfred got to the trees, he found that no one was there. What the hell? How did he get away so fast? The American man didn't have a good feeling about this. It got worse when he heard a giggling noise. Alfred began shaking his head.

"No…" he said to himself. "No way. No. Nope. Nope. No. No. No…" The American man went quiet. Steve's ears perked up. They both were standing there, listening.

Oh…

Alfred didn't like where this was going. Nevertheless, he turned his head and looked up.

Oh…

Three little girls stood inches from him wearing brown dresses and owl masks. They didn't say a word. Alfred looked like he was going to pee on himself. He's seen how this movie played out.

"Oh no!" he shouted. "I'm not falling for that one! No sir!" He may have been the hero, but he didn't suffer from dumb person syndrome seen in horror movies. Just the sight of those kids made him turn around and run. He had one thought on his mind.

Not today, man! Not today!

Now where was he? Alfred stopped to look around. There was no one in sight. The American man didn't know if this was a good thing or not. He looked down at the little dog.

"You okay?" he asked. Steve patted and wagged his tail back and forth. Alfred sighed in relief.

"Oh good," he said. "Now where are we?" The atmosphere felt lighter. In fact, this didn't look like the woods anymore. It looked like they were on a pathway in a park. Alfred looked confused at the yellow brick path in front of him.

"What the hell is this?" he asked. This house kept getting weirder. How big was this place? Alfred started to think that this house wasn't in this dimension anymore. He narrowed his eyes as he made a face. But how?

The American man pushed that thought out of his head. He needed to focus on what was more important.

"I need to get back to Baby Florence," he said. With that new resolve, Alfred knew that he didn't have a choice. He looked down at the dog in his arms.

"Ready to go?" he asked. This time, Alfred didn't wait for an answer. He turned and walked down the path.

It didn't take long to feel watched. Alfred was used to it by now. Otherwise, he would've gone crazy a long time ago. However, he couldn't focus on that right now. The American man needed to see his daughter again. He was going to do whatever it took to get out of this crazy house.

However, there would be some forces that wouldn't make it so easy.

First came the tiny footsteps. The American man tried to ignore them. He wasn't going to fall for that again. Alfred puffed up his cheeks. He wasn't going to fall for that again. Just get through this path and get out of this park.

Suddenly, Steve started to squirm around in his arms.

"What's wrong, boy?" Alfred asked. Steve kept trying to get out of his grasp. The American man tried to hold him in place.

"Hey. Hey," he said. "Hey. Hey. Keep still! Hey! Hey!" Steve managed to jump out of his arms and run away down the path.

"Steve!" Alfred shouted. He took off running after the dog.

"Steve, come back! Where are you going?!" he yelled. Steve was almost out of his sight. The American man pushed himself to keep running.

"Come back here!" he shouted. Suddenly, he slowed down when he heard giggling around him. Alfred turned his head against his better judgment. There was another child in a dress and an owl mask. The American man started backing away. He couldn't see their face, but he could tell that they were grinning at him.

"Hi!" the child shouted. Alfred's body tensed up.

"Aren't you having fun?" the child asked. The childlike laughter made things worse.

"You're insane!" Alfred said with a gulp.

"I know. Isn't it exciting?" the child asked. They broke into a wider grin behind their mask. Alfred kept backing up.

"No…" he said. The American man turned to run away. But he froze when he saw another child in a dress and an owl mask. They too started to giggle. Alfred whipped his head back and forth. He's seen too many horror films to know where this was going.

"No!" he shouted, shaking his head. "No way! No! Uh-uh! Nope! No!" The man turned and ran off the path.

Hours (?) later, Alfred found himself back in the woods. He didn't notice until it became really dark around him. The American man stopped to catch his breath. Did he go into a circle? He thought that he was going to faint.

"When will it end?!" he asked. Suddenly, he paused. Call him crazy, but he could've sworn that he heard a dog barking in the distance.

"Steve?" he asked. Alfred tried to listen to where the sound was coming from.

"Steve! Steve! Where are you, buddy?" he shouted. "Steve! Steve!" He whistled as he walked forward.

"Here, boy!"

The barking still sounded so far away. Alfred frowned. This had to be another dumb trick. Still, he couldn't leave his friend behind. Steve was the only source of comfort on hand. If he lost him, then…

The barking sounded like it was moving away. Alfred started running forward. He decided to risk running into more of those masked children to find his friend. He could feel the resistance of trees and branches hitting him as he kept running. That did little to slow him down. Alfred drew in a breath and pushed forward. He closed his eyes as if that was going to make him go faster.

When Alfred opened his eyes, the light almost blinded him. There was a light fog around him. The trees in front of him looked like they were forming a tunnel for him to follow. Alfred took a look behind him. The darkness looked like it was rolling back from where he came. However, the dog barking down the tree tunnel wouldn't let him think about what was going on. This could be a trap. They could be luring him in to kill him. Again, he's seen the horror movies.

Still, he did not want to be alone.

Alfred took off running down the tree tunnel.

"Steve! Where are you? Hang on! I'm coming!" he yelled. It amazed him that he still had the energy to run. The need to not be alone in this crazy place had the power to keep him moving. He expected this tunnel to go on forever. There could be a trap at the end.

Surprisingly, there was no trap.

Alfred looked around to find that he was in front of a… church? The American man cocked his head to the side. He felt like he was standing in front of a stone church that he would see in the New England area. The moss and vines on the walls and tombstones in the grave told him that this place had seen better days. Alfred shook his head and slapped himself in the face. This was beyond getting out of hand. This house was in another dimension. Were they even on earth anymore?

"Oh, there's Steve," Alfred said when he looked at the door. He spotted his furry friend standing on the step, wagging his tail. The American man threw his hands up in the arm.

"Why did you run off like that?" he asked. The dog turned and ran into the church. Alfred threw back his head and groaned. Not this again. He walked up the dirt path leading up to the old building. What choice did he have? Might as well.

The inside wasn't so bad. The walls were a little too white, but he was walking into a nice modern setting. The red pews stood out against the endless blinding white of the room. The faded glass-stained windows made things brighter. The wood of the podium matched the floor. Alfred slowly walked inside.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" he whispered. "Hello? Hello?" Of course there was no one here. Why did he even do that? Alfred shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. The American man dropped his shoulders.

"I'm just tired," was all he said. He walked over to one of the pews and flopped down for a seat. All of that running took so much out of him. It shouldn't be too bad for him to take a break, right? He didn't know how long he's been looking for the exit. Somehow, that didn't matter anymore. Once he felt better, he could get up and try to escape again. Yeah. That should be right. He'll feel better soon.

Steve lumbered over to his side and jumped up onto the pew. Alfred reached out and patted the dog on the head without looking down.

That was sure a wild ride. But it's not over for him just yet. He and everyone else has a long way to go. Speaking of which…

Ah. What's going on over here?