Episode 26: Scars
Chelsea POV
One Year Ago
Dinner. A time when family gets together and enjoy a nice meal. A time when you can relay the events that happened during your day. A time when you feel relaxed and the warmth inside gives you comfort. Well...that bullshit doesn't apply to me.
Up above the lights shined, though it's perfectly clear that they also reveal those who've caused some major shit. They say light is good. Light guides you on your path toward a promising future. It provides warmth and joy; giving comfort among your sorrow. Look into the light and the universe will take care of you. Well... That's just a lie.
In front of me is my mom. Mothers support their families and are the ones that help their kids. Well...how would you feel if your mom was a cop? Yeah, a cop, which means they have to enforce laws onto you whenever you act out. They want to make sure you don't end up on the streets or behind bars. Which means at home...they're the wardens and your the prisoner.
To my right is my sister, Angela. We're both the same age, but technically she's older than me by two months. Having a sibling sounds rockin'. Your first friend and someone you can talk to whenever there's something on your mind. Pretty cool, huh? Well...then there's the drawbacks. Older siblings have to watch over you, protect you, and make sure you're good. To be honest, she doesn't have to do that for me. If I fall she doesn't have to come with me. She doesn't have to be on my ass whenever I get in trouble. Do I love her? Kinda have to. Sometimes...I can get carried away and she does have my back, but...she needs to live her own life.
And dad...
...
Let me take a rain-check on that.
Twirling my fork on my spaghetti I lifted it up and shoved it in my mouth. Small moans exited my lips as I chewed and swallowed. Normally I'd be glad on Spaghetti Night, but...those days were long gone now. When we were all together... No. Stop thinking about that. Get over it. Just...get over it.
"Chelsea." Mom said.
Here it comes. Raising my head up I locked my eye with mom.
"Why did you fight those cheerleaders?" Mom asked.
Well... Might as well get this over with. No point delaying the inevitable.
"I was blowing off some steam." I replied with a shrug.
Mom frowned. Of course she would. I didn't give her the answer she wanted to hear.
"Honey. We've talked about this." Mom said sternly. "Tell me the real reason. Don't lie this time."
Ugh...
"Those bitches were talking smack to me. Told them to quit it, they didn't listen, started hitting me, so I fought back." I replied.
Mom closed her eyes and shook her head. One of the many, many traits of a disappointed parent.
"First of all: Don't use that language to me, young lady. Second of all: All you had to do was ignore them." Mom said. "Now. Tomorrow at school, I want you to apologize to those girls when you see them. Starting now, you're grounded. School and home. That's it. Do you understand?"
I narrowed my eye at mom. Wow... Just...wow. So basically, I have to apologize to a bunch of stuck-ups even though they were the ones that started it. Then I'm locked up with the only times for freedom being here or at school. You know what, that's it.
"Did you find the punk yet, mom?" I replied firmly.
Mom's eyes slowly widened.
"Don't change the subject-" Mom said before I interrupted her.
"You didn't, did you? Shocker." I replied while standing up.
"Chelsea, this isn't the time-" Angela said before I cut her off.
"It's been seven years now. And to this day some punk-ass is just walking around the city doing whatever he wants and nobody is doing a damn thing about it." I said angerly. "To protect and serve. That's what cops are suppose to do. Well to me, you're not protecting anyone and you're all just serving yourselves. What's the point in helping people and ensuring peace if scumbags are still around and taking people away?"
Turning around I walked away from the table. Mom would just start up a yelling contest and "try" to explain her reasons while Angela wouldn't take my side and defend her. Yeah, I'm not staying around for that.
Going up the stairs I got up to the second floor and walked passed my sister's room, aiming my attention onto my own room. Grabbing the knob I went inside and slammed the door back. Raising out my hand I twisted the lock on the door and stomped toward the center of my room. A breath exited my lips as I clenched my teeth. Rolling my fingers into my hands I turned my head toward the window near my bed and walked up to it.
'Time for some rebellion.' I thought to myself while unlocking the window.
Lifting it up I pushed myself outside and closed it back. Slowly moving myself down the roof I quickly turned my body when I got to the edge and pushed back. Getting airborne for like a few seconds I grabbed onto the edge of the roof and...let go. Under normal conditions you'd probably go splat when falling from ten feet in the air, which is obvious, but luckily for me...my house had bushes. I grunted a bit as my ass landed onto the bushes before I bent my upper-body over and quickly moved away from the window showing my mom and sister.
Away from my house I booked it. A small gust of wind passed by me the more I moved and with every step my lips stretched up. Above me the skies were pitch-black with stars shining off and a crescent moon chillin' in the distance. Didn't know why, but I always liked the dark. Daylight never really got me as much as moonlight did. Just...something about it just kinda calms me down.
Taking a turn I started slowing down a bit. Heavy breaths left my body and my rhythm was gettin' crazy. Not so sure where I was going, but I kept moving on if it meant some extra exploration.
Coming up to a crosswalk I stopped in my tracks and placed my hands in my pockets. Looking at the light for a brief moment I turned my head and...whoa... Next to me was a guy wearing goggles and...he had green hair. Wait...I think I've seen him at school. Getting a better look at him my eye widened and it started coming back to me.
"Yo." I called.
The guy turned to look at me and...his right eye was green while his left eye was blue. ...Cool.
"Are you that freak everyone kept talking about?" I asked.
The guy narrowed his eyes at me and turned his head away. He then started walking off and I went right onto his trail. Reaching the other side I walked right beside him while he kept his head straight.
"I'm talking to you." I told him.
"I don't wanna talk right now." He replied.
I scoffed and leaped forward before standing in his way, making him stop.
"Too bad, I'm in a talking mood." I established.
The guy then scoffed, "Look, I got a lot on my mind right now. I just want some solitude."
Stepping up my face got close to his while our bodies nearly touched each others. Not sure what his problem is, but...I definitely know a cure that'll help the both of us.
"Follow me." I asked while turning around and walking away.
"I just said-" He attempted to reply.
"Yeah, yeah, I don't care. I'm in a mood, you're in a mood, so follow me and we'll both take care of the moods." I told him.
Hearing him scoff again I looked over my shoulder to see him following me. Step One: Check. Onto Step Two.
Coming up to another corner we both turned to it and right in the distance we've reached our destination. Up ahead stood a small building with a large sign on it that said: The Shack. Smirking I started jogging up to it until I reached the front doors. Stepping on the map the doors opened up and I made my way inside with the guy following behind.
Inside The Shack the first thing that caught my eye was the cashier on my left, showcasing dead-fish eyes with his hand underneath his chin. To my right I spotted five aisles filled with a variety of snacks and just next to them were some fridges filled with drinks. Tempting...but my attention was on what was right in front of me. Step by step I drew closer and closer to what could be defined as the ultimate mood-breaker: A large machine labeled SLUSH-O.
To my right I spotted the cups and grabbed a large one before putting it under Cherry/Lime Twist and pulling the lever down. Some buzz exited from the machine and the slush started coming down. Bit by bit I could feel my mouth water while looking at it until...the cup reached the very edge. Putting the lever up the buzz from the machine stopped and I pulled the cup away.
"Ta-da." I said, presenting the slush to the guy behind me.
He cocked an eyebrow while I put a straw into the slush. "Uh...okay?" He shrugged.
Pulling the drink toward me I opened my mouth and placed it onto the straw. *SSSSSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPP* Sucking on that bad-boy I took the straw out and let out a sigh.
"That's the stuff. Try it." I said, handing him the cup.
"Thanks, but uh...backwash?" He replied.
I made some motor noise with my mouth, "Psh. Afraid of getting cooties? C'mon."
He sighed and took the cup. Watching him put his mouth on the straw he started sucking on it for a moment and then removing the straw, smacking his lips.
"Not bad." He said nonchalantly before sucking on the straw again, only with a little more force. His eyes then shot open before he groaned and put a hand on his head. "Ugh! Dammit!"
Some chuckles left me as I took the cup from him, "Chelsea."
He groaned and kept one eye open while looking at me, "What?." He groaned.
"My name." I replied.
"Kameron." He told me.
Putting my mouth back on the straw I sucked on it some more, getting all that good stuff into my body. My suction increased until my eye shot open and I popped the straw out of my mouth.
"Ugh! Sonofabitch!" I groaned, putting a hand on my hand.
"If this is how you deal with moods, then how do you deal with headaches?" Kameron asked.
"Hot-sauce." I answered. "Just drink some of that and you'll be fine."
Some chuckles exited from our mouths while we kept our hands on our heads. Getting another slush we went up to cashier, gave him some cash, and headed outside. Spotting a bench nearby we walked over to it and plopped down.
"So... What's a guy like you doing out here on this fine night?" I asked.
"Like I told you before, I was just enjoying some solitude until you ruined it." Kameron replied. "But...I guess you did make it up with these slushies."
I smirked.
"What about you? What's a cool goth doing out here? Or are you always out when the sun goes down?" Kameron asked.
I took another slurp before letting go of the straw, "Had a fight with my mom, so I had to bail. *sigh* Right now, I just wanna chill."
Kameron then leaned back and sighed, "Same."
Mmm... I think I'm gonna like this guy.
Present Time
Beneath a darkened sky with no moon we all gathered around and sat together in the woods with a large campfire in front of us.
At the moment there was only silence with the crackles of fire in the air. Nobody spoke a word or a whisper, instead some of us either put our gazes on the flames or on my sister. My attention was on my sister who just stared at the flames with a dead expression. Brittney sat besides her and placed her hand into my sister's. She didn't talk, just kept looking at my sis.
With what I heard that happened today...my lips went up. My sis does have a backbone. It does suck that I wasn't there to see it. Would've been really impressive to see Zac getting shot. Bastard deserved more than that, but for now, I bet the jewels are still burning.
"Kittens."
Hearing her voice we all turned our attention to the Meow Siblings alongside Mrs. Cherry and Mr. Blank.
"Today...wasn't exactly how we thought things would turn out, considering the circumstances, but let us not repeat a similar action such as this. Understand?" Mandy said.
"Yes, ma'am." Almost everyone replied in unison.
"Mrs. Cherry." Kevin called out. "Should Little-Miss-Psycho even be with us now?"
"Kevin. Don't speak that way about Angela." Mrs. Cherry replied.
"Why not? She shot us in the groin." Zac yelled. "She shouldn't even be here."
"Enough!" Mr. Blank yelled, silencing them. "We've talked to Angela about this and though what she did was very...rough, she will remain here."
"You can't be serious!?" Kevin replied.
"Yes, we are." Mrs. Cherry confirmed. "Her actions were personal, especially toward an individual who decided to date two girls at once without either of them knowing about the other." She added, narrowing her eyes at Zac.
Zac looked away from her while Kevin scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Aside from that, it's time to tell you kittens why we're not allowed to go near the mountain pass." Rachel said, breaking the tension.
Now that was something that piqued my curiosity. Soon enough we all carefully locked our attention onto the siblings as they began.
"Long ago, when we were young, our uncles and aunts had bought this land. They spent a lot of time shaping it into the camp you see today," Mandy began.
"One night, just like this one, our uncles went out to the mountain to see if it was safe for future campers to explore. But after a long period time, they never returned." Catherine added.
"Our aunts called in a rescue team to go look for them, but...they too suffered the same fate. And not long after, many naughty kittens didn't listen to our warnings. So they too vanished without a trace." Rachel added.
"From that day forward, our aunts, mother, and ourselves have done our best to keep the same tragedy from repeating. So please, do not go anywhere near the mountain unless you want to disappear." Theodore concluded.
Dead silence came after.
Mmm... Disappearances whenever someone gets near the mountain. You don't here that everyday. Turning my head I looked over to Ronaldo, but...he was just looking at the fire burning. Seriously? We just got a story about people disappearing and he doesn't even look that interested?
"Fryman." I called out, gaining his attention. "What's your take on this?"
Ronaldo...just blinked and shrugged. "Why are you asking me?" He said with a depressing voice.
My eye nearly popped out of my skull. That's it? This is the same weirdo who spends almost everyday coming up with theories and speculations about weird shit. The same guy who gets excited whenever he makes a discovery. The dude that would literally talk for hours on end about how his discoveries make sense. Right here, right now, this isn't the same guy.
"C'mon, Ronaldo. You don't have any theories about this at all?" Lars asked.
Ronaldo shook his head. "The people who went to the mountain probably either trip and bashed their heads on some rocks, lose their grips while climbing and fall from a great height, or if they went inside they were attacked and devoured. These are common things that can happen when going to a mountain."
...
Aside from the crackles of fire going off, nobody said anything. That...that made way, way too much sense. Geez, I didn't think it was that bad- My thoughts soon went dead when my eye shot open. Right then and there, it hit me. There is a way for sour-face to get his mojo back, and luckily there was somebody who can look into it. Standing up from my spot I turned my head to Badass.
"Badass." I said, getting his attention. "You know anything about this?"
Badass blinked for a moment before shaking his head, "No. This is the first time I'm hearing about this. And as much as I don't want to agree with "normal" Ronnie, those are very common hazards when going to a mountain, but let's not make any assumptions." He said while standing up, "I can check it out to see what's going on."
"Oh, no, you don't have to that, Kitten." Catherine assured. "Besides, we're here to have fun. You shouldn't have to worry yourself over our family troubles."
Badass shook his head, "It's okay. And hearing your stories, you four deserve some closure. I don't think I'll be able to let this go until I see it for myself."
"I wanna go too!" I announced.
"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Cherry replied immediately.
"No way am I just sitting around after hearing this." I told her before looking at Badass, "Just this once, lemme come?"
He shook his head. "No. I'll go alone. Check what happened and come right back."
Before I could say something, Lars then stood up. "I'll go too. I've got your back, man."
"You sure?" Badass asked him and got a nod.
My eye then narrowed at them. I wanna see what's going on at the mountain too! Yeah, I don't have experience and sure, I don't have any powers or some Gem-Tech, but still...I can handle myself and I'm gonna see it for myself, no matter what.
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
My eye shot open while I felt a sensation of buzzing pulsing my hand. Lowering my vision I found the source of the buzzing coming from my phone and quickly silenced it. Raising myself up I turned my head and locked my eye onto the others. Thankfully the sounds of soft breathing lowered my busted alarm and made me let out a quiet sigh.
Removing the covers I slowly moved my body and placed my feet onto the wooden floor. Turning my sights on my bag I reached for the bottom of my shirt and started lifting it before taking it off. Putting my shirt to the side I lowered my hands onto the sides of my PJ pants and pulled them down until they reached my ankles. Taking them off I reached out for some shorts in my bag and took some before putting them on with a black belt. Grabbing a new black shirt I slipped that on and turned to the dresser, showing me my final pieces of myself.
Taking my collar I opened it up and wrapped it around my neck while tightening it. Next, I grabbed my balm of "Shadow Shade" and applied it onto my lips. Rubbing my lips together I smacked them a little and putting the balm back.
Taking ahold of my boots I slowly slipped them on and tied them up nice and tight. Raising myself up from my bed I stepped ahead and slowly turned my body. Raising up my foot I slowly brought down onto the floor, giving off a small creek. Step after step I kept turning my head to the girls as they were still sleeping. So far, none of them had noticed me, but it's too early for that. Coming up to the front door I reached out for it and opened it up while carefully moving to the other side. Once there I slowly shut it back.
Moving back I made contact with solid ground and sighed. Okay, the first part is over. The second part is gonna be a little wild...but I'm sure Badass will forgive me.
Luckily for me, the night-sky remained. *sigh* Glad you're throwing me bone, universe. So, moving away from my cabin I made my way up a small hill and noticed the Mess-Hall in the distance. However, turning my head to the right I also saw a large wooden building with a sign above it that said: SHOWERS.
Coming up to the I went inside and..."walked" over to the opposite direction. Making a turn the sound of running water entered my ears before I found my target. Walking through the steam and taking notice of the pairs of clothes and towels on the sink I put my attention onto the stall on the right and reached out for the curtains. Slowly pushing them to the side I found...my target. Right in front of me he kept washing his hair without noticing me while I looked right at his bareback through the mist.
For one, I thought as much that he'd be pretty lean and the muscles...were...were definitely a treat to look at. But...what caught my attention more were...those marks... From the top of his shoulders to the bottom of his waist were...marks. Some of them were large while others were small, but overall...they were making some weird beating in my chest go off. Damn... Just...damn, Badass.
Stepping inside and closing the curtain I raised out my hand, putting it onto his back. His body jumped a little before he slowly turned around and saw me. His eyes widened, but before he could open his mouth I pushed my finger onto my mouth, making him turn around fully while I shushed him.
"Unless you want your jewels ripped off, You're taking me with you." I mouthed to him.
"Yo, Kameron! Are you done yet?" Lars called, turning his water off.
Staring at him and I tilted my head. Let's see what's he gonna do now.
"Almost." Badass replied. "Wait at the Mess-Hall."
Hearing some curtains moving I looked down to see Lars walking out of his stall.
"Okay." Lars said.
After a couple minutes I heard footsteps until they disappeared, making me put all my attention onto Badass.
"I told you no." Badass whispered to me.
"Don't care. I'm coming too." I replied. "Unless you want me to get wet and for Princess to know about this?"
Badass' eyes shot up. I smirked at his expression while putting a hand on his bare-chest. My eye quickly looked at it, seeing...more marks around his pecks and abs. Gotta attempt, I'm feeling really tempted to ask about them. But that'll be for another time.
"It's gonna be dangerous." Badass addressed. "I don't want you getting hurt like last time."
I narrowed my eye at him. Please, last time I was caught off guard. Not this time, especially since I'll be prepared. Though...it's cute for him worrying for me, but that isn't gonna change my mind.
"I'm not asking to be a Rainbow Gem. I just wanna check it out. Plus if you're so worried about me then give me an edge." I replied.
Badass adverted his eyes for a moment before putting them back on me. He's gotta know by now that I'm not gonna let this go, just like him.
He then sighed, "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on you."
I grinned and patted his chest, "My hero." I added.
His face started turning red as he turned his head away. "Can you get out now?"
Pushing my head forward I pressed my lips against his cheeks. He at least deserved something for seeing things my way. I then opened up the curtains, leaving him alone while I headed outside.
The sounds of birds entered my ears as I smirked. Side by side me, Badass, and Lars made our way among the trees while the sun was illuminating it's light onto the area. I couldn't keep my lips down while we walked. The unknown was making my chest thump repeatedly and I couldn't wait to get to the mountain. Ugh... The longing was killing me.
"You know Angela is gonna yell her head off when we get back." Badass said to me.
"Then I'll let her wail. It'll be worth it." I assured.
Badass scoffed and shook his head. Seriously, even when my sis explodes she'll be glad that we came back in one piece. Sure, she and Mrs. Cherry are probably gonna lecture me half to death, but for once I think I can deal with that as an aftermath.
Up ahead the sound of water entered our ears while my attention was caught by a large log laying in the middle of a big stream. Psh, piece a cake. Pushing myself ahead I ran up to the log and leaped into the air, landing on it before making my way toward the other side and jumping off. Turning around I watched Lars coming up onto the log and getting across before Badass had a turn. When Badass made it we shifted around and moved on.
Passing by a couple more trees we then had to stop. Raising my head we came to a pretty big cliff/wall. Turning my head my gaze went onto Badass before he took a step forward and lowered his upper-body until he jumped. Landing on top of the cliff/wall he turned around and raised his hands out. Looking at his hands crystals were coming right out of his palms and started getting longer and longer. Little by little the crystals from his palms continued extending until they touched the lower bottom of the hill.
Looking at Lars he didn't utter a word before turning to me. We nodded and walked over to the crystals before grabbing onto them. Raising my head I increased my grip right when the crystals were starting to move. Bit by bit me and Lars kept our hold on while going up. To think this was my second time seeing Badass showoff his powers this. Though when he's gonna really use them is what's ramping up my excitement.
Soon enough me and Lars made it to the top and got our feet onto some solid ground. Letting go of the crystals I watched as they slowly retracted themselves back to Badass' palms and vanished from sight.
With all of us together again, Badass turned around and we went on.
Making our way pass some huge rocks, the three of us came to a stop and side by side we each raised our heads up.
Standing straight in front of us stood our destination, but...what the hell am I actually looking at? Lifting my head a bit more I saw a pair of birds circling in the sky, but they were only at a height where we could see them while...the mountain stretched way high. Okay, the Kitty Quartet's uncles and some rescue team were able to climb this? Did they make it to the top or...? Lowering my head to the area there weren't any bones lying around, so that's a good sign. Or did some birds eat them before they, you know...?
"Are... Are we actually g-gonna c-climb this?" Lars stuttered.
"Looks like we'll have to." Badass replied. He then turned his head to me, "Still wanna see this to the end?" He asked.
Uh... Well...this is what I wanted. I did say I wanted to come along, but...I didn't think I'd see something like this. Some spit went down my throat as I swallowed it. Okay... Okay... This is different than what happened at the Kindergarten. I'm gonna do this. No way am I gonna turn around just when we already made it here. I'm gonna do it.
"I'm not going back." I said firmly.
Badass closed his eyes and sucked in some air before letting it out of his mouth and giving me a nod.
"Well...if we're gonna do this, then I better get ready too." Lars said, raising up his left arm and started putting his other hand on his watch. Looking at it, the middle part popped up before he then pressed it down.
Without turning away I could feel my eye starting to shrink while looking at Lars. A green light shined from his watch while...his skin was starting to turn green. Then...his eyes and hair started turning green too until the green light vanished. When it did Lars turned to us and...he took "going green" to a whole new meaning.
"How do you feel?" Badass asked him.
Lars blinked and brought up his arms, twisting and turning them. "Huh... I feel...less scared than I was a couple a seconds ago." He added before looking at the mountain. "Now I'm wondering what I can do about climbing the mountain. Wish I some claws or something-"
Lars shut his mouth right as his arms and legs started glowing. From the tips of his fingers some kind of green light covered them alongside his legs and...started bringing out...claws? The glow then disappeared, but the light stayed and the more I looked at it the cooler it stuck out.
"Whoa..." Lars said in awe. "What did I do?"
"Not sure. Guess whatever you think of that green light can make." Badass replied. "That'll definitely come in handy."
Badass then turned to me, "Get on my back. I'll carry you while we traverse."
He...wanted me on his back? Looking back at the mountain...that was a better option. I mean, I could climb this behemoth, but...I'll humor Badass instead. Coming up to him I got behind him and wrapped my arms over his shoulders before jumping up and wrapping my legs around his waist.
"Don't get too comfortable." I whispered into his ear.
Badass groaned and started walking up to the mountain while I hung on. From right to left his arms and legs were getting covered in crystals until they stopped at the edges and turned into claws. Bending his legs he leaped into the air and latched himself onto the mountain, digging his claws into the rocks.
"Lars. We'll go at the same pace. Go the best you can and if something happens tell me, I'll carry you too if I need too." Badass said.
I looked to Lars while he latched onto the mountain. "Thanks, man. Let's go." He added while starting to climb.
Increasing my grip on Badass, I kept my attention up high and looked for any large entrances or something. So far I didn't find any, though another problem was getting right into my brain. Lars was doing alright and we made some progress, but...I really, really wanted to see how much. They say if you look down that'll up your fear factor. So... I decided to shift my head and look down below. When I did...my lips stretched out wide.
I could see a huge chuck of the land and like a bazillion trees far across. Raising up my head a bit I squinted my eye and saw the camp grounds in the distance. I could only imagine my sis screaming her head off right now from my disappearance.
Going up a bit more I turned my head back and saw I think a bit a ceiling. "Guys, I think our entrance is coming up." I added.
Both guys lifted their heads up to see the ceiling too. They both nodded and kept going.
Soon enough the guys reached for another holding before pushing themselves a bit and coming up to our entrance. While Badass was kneeling I unwrapped my around him and got off, putting myself on some solid rock. Looking over Lars got up too and both of his claws disappeared.
"Geez, I can't believe we got this high." Lars said, bending over and taking a breath.
Badass rose himself up and his crystals on him started disappearing and...going back into his skin. Huh...that raised his badassness up some more in my book. But on more important matters, I turned my body and saw a large gaping hole staring right in front of us.
"Let's go." Badass said before walking ahead.
Without a word me and Lars followed.
Going side, Badass raised up his right arm and a green light shine out of it. Looking around everything looked normal, well as normal as the inside of a mountain is. From the sides and ceiling, it was all rocky with some cracks here and there. Nothing really that interesting, so I'm sure the Kitty Quartet's uncles had the same reaction when they went inside for the first time.
Coming up to a corner we turned right into it and stopped in our tracks. Laying on the ground were bones. To the sides were some skulls with their jaws open while near them laid some bones I wasn't so sure where they connected to. Better question: Are these what remained of the Quartet's uncles or from campers that came before us?
Badass walked to the side and crystallized his left arm before getting down on one knee. Lifting up his left arm he started scraping the ground for a while until he made a wide hole. With his left arm he grabbed the skulls and placed them into the hole along with the scattered bones. When the last bone got put in he pushed some dirt onto the hole until it was completely covered. His crystals then went back into his arm before he lowered his head and grasped his hands together.
I then turned to Lars, who looked at me before shrugging and walking over to Badass. He then kneeled next to him and gasped his hands too.
Coming up next to Badass I got down on my knees and put my hands together. Okay... Wasn't so sure what do next, so...guess I just gotta do this.
After an amount of time passed, Badass released his hands and stood up. Letting go of my hands I got up as did Lars and we walked away with Badass ahead of us.
"Uh... Do...you and your family do that often?" Lars asked.
"We do." Badass replied with a pained voice.
My eye blinked before I turned to Badass, "But you do beat the monsters before that happens, right?"
Badass didn't respond immediately until we down another corner.
"Sometimes...we're too late. Sometimes...we do what we can and it isn't enough. And sometimes...we're not so lucky." Badass said. "And...when that happens, the only thing we can do is respect the dead and keep going."
Whoa... I... Um... I...wasn't sure what to say to that. I figured he would always save everyone no matter what, but...I was wrong.
"Stop!" Badass yelled.
At the sound of his voice me and Lars stopped before looking ahead. In front of me...I could feel my eye shrink. From each side of the walls...there were these...things latched onto them. They looked liked tree roots. But right next to them were some kind of large plants wrapped in vines.
"What do we do?" Lars asked quietly.
"Let's move slowly, without getting near the plants. They might respond to a certain distance." Badass replied quietly.
Together we carefully made our way through the area while keeping ourselves away from the plants. Though...I wondered what kind of plants are these. Or do they even exist?
Turning my head I...reached out for Badass' arm, making him stop to see what I was seeing. The vines unwrapped themselves around the plants before they opened up and these...plant monsters popped right out.
One by one they all stretched out their arms right at us, but Badass stepped up and as he quickly crystallized his right arm he twisted his body and slashed the air, cutting the arms with one swing. He then turned to Lars whom covered both his arms in green light before they turned into blades. Rushing up to the monsters both Badass and Lars started chomping and slicing them.
All I could do in my position was watch. Seeing them go up at these monsters... Watching them shredding their bodies... I...couldn't look away. My lips started stretching as wide as possible with the display in front of me. This...was pumping my blood. This...made my heart get off with a weird rhythm. This...is the best freakin' day I've ever had.
Then I felt a sensation crawling onto my leg...making my smile drop. Turning around long vines stretched out and wrapped themselves around my arms, legs, and waist. Great... I get to play damsel again.
"Guys!" I yelled.
Hearing me, they turned to me as Badass shot off a glare. He then rushed at me as I blinked before witnessing him slash at the vines. With each one cut he grabbed my waist and raised up his crystallized arm as it started glowing. Raising it down I watched a large burst of light got shot off and aimed at the plants, slicing them into chucks.
Looking up at his face, Badass turned to me with a harsh glare. When he laid eyes on me...my face started getting warm and my chest was constantly giving off a rhythm. His gaze...only made the rhythm go faster.
"Now do you see why I told you not to come?" Badass said firmly.
I blinked then turned my head away from his. "I...wasn't ready."
He let go of my waist and turned to Lars, who finished off the plants on the opposite side.
"You okay?" Badass asked him.
"Yeah. For the most part." Lars replied.
"Alright. Let's keeping going." Badass said.
Further and further we went on, going deeper into the mountain. The more we went on the more roots we found and that led us to more bones scattered across the areas. Some of them were intact while others were cracked or straight up broken. Regardless, we made time burying them to at least give them some kind of peace. Dad...did tell me to respect the dead, so...part of me still held onto that lesson and it came it handy today.
Coming up to an opening, we all stopped side by side and locked our sights on what was right in front of us. Within a massive area...there was this...humongous metal structure covered in vines. The thing was just...so big and I couldn't even tell what it really was. But...what caught our eyes was a symbol right on top of it. Squinting my eye, it looked like...a white diamond, a yellow diamond, a blue diamond, and a pink diamond together with a green diamond placed at the center.
"What is that?" Lars said with a low voice.
"We're gonna find out." Badass replied, while putting his arm around me.
I grinned and held onto him while Lars covered his legs in green light. Increasing his hold on me Badass lowered himself and leaped straight into the air.
"WAAAHOO!" I called out.
We then landed with a loud THUD with Lars following from behind. Straightening himself, Badass turned to me and took hold of my arms. Right when I was to speak I shut my mouth while seeing both of my arms getting covered in crystals. When he was done I twiddled my fingers and I was able to move them well while admiring my newly-made claws.
"I made them light enough for you to still move, but they're sharp enough to give you that "edge" you need." Badass explained.
All I could do...was grin. Hell...yeah!
Turning my head I looked at the metal structure again and rushed right at it. Stretching out my arms I cut and slashed right through the vines without effort and locked my eye onto a large metal door. Crossing my arms I rapidly slashed right at it, and the upper-half fell apart. Hmph, these girls really well.
Going inside I looked back to see Badass and Lars coming in before we looked on ahead and...whoa... Lying on the ground there were people, only...their bodies looked really thin and their mouths were open. They were moving and each had a vine wrapped around their necks. There were four of them, all male, and each were wearing different colored shirts and shorts from red and blue to green and brown.
Lifting my head I saw a lime-green glow shining in the distance. Taking a step forward the bodies started to get lifted by the vines and were placed on their feet. Then each of their eyes started glowing green until they all wailed and rushed right toward us.
Running up to one I quickly dodged it's arms coming to me and raised out my arm before slashing at the vine around it's neck. The vine loosened itself on it, but then it turned it's head all the way around and growled. Leaping at me I pushed myself away and dashed right at it. Bringing up my arm I shoved my claw right into it's body. Once that happened...cracks started spreading all over until it started falling apart. Looking up the head too started breaking apart while turning into dust.
Turning my head I saw Badass grabbing onto two heads and crushed them without any hesitation while Lars slowly raised up his arm and sliced the last one in half. Each one had cracks spread across their bodies before dissolving into dust. The guys then turned to me with firm expressions. I narrowed my eye and turned around to rush off toward the lime-green lime.
Down the hall I kept my attention on the light with the guys following behind. The more I ran the vines I spotted, which meant I was possibility getting closer to the source. Going through another corner I slowed down a bit and right then and there I found the source.
The whole place was covered in vines, but what got my attention the most was what laid at the center. A huge plant stood right there with a large open mouth and a lime-green Gemstone placed right below the mouth.
The guys then caught up to me and glimpsed right at the thing. Looks like this plant needs to be chopped.
GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW!
The mouth unleashed an ear-piercing scream while pulling it's head back and throwing it forward, spitting out a torrent of sludge at us.
Badass stepped up and dug his hand into the floor, bringing up a large crystal wall. The torrent hit the wall and for moment it looked okay...but with every passing second going by cracks started coming out.
"Get to the Gem! Now!" Badass yelled.
"On it!" Me and Lars replied.
Moving away from the wall me and Lars ran, putting our eyes on the prize. But right as we were getting closer the plant stopped it's torrent and lowered it's head, coughing up large green spheres of sludge.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Moving away from the sludge balls they started blowing up right when they hit the ground. We managed to move away from the first two, but third managed to get near us, pushing us further to it but while making us crash to the floor. Groans exited my mouth as I picked myself up and turned to Lars. He started getting up too, but then I saw vines slither toward him.
"Watch out!" I called.
Looking down Lars spotted the vines and quickly sliced them. Getting up he raised his hands to the mouth, shooting off a burst of light that grabbed onto the plants mouth, shutting it tightly.
"Go!" He yelled.
Booking it I ran right toward the Gemstone some heavy breaths started to leave my mouth. With each breath I felt the Gemstone getting further away, but as I swallowed some spit and pushed myself a bit more. After coming this far, there's no way I'm letting this over-sized weed stick around anymore.
Reaching the Gemstone I latched my hands on it. Getting a good grip on the Gemstone I placed my foot on the wall and greeted my teeth while pulling it back. Ugh, son of a bitch is really stuck here. I kept tugging on it some more and the more I pulled the more loose it started to get.
"Chelsea! Watch out!" Lars yelled.
Turning my head I gasped at the vines coming right at me. Dammit! Not yet!
Right when they were coming at me Badass appeared, standing in front of me just when the vines whipped him.
THWACK!
THWACK!
THWACK!
THWACK!
THWACK!
He just...stood there with his arms out as the vines got to him. Grunts exited his mouth with every strike, but he kept standing as the vines were wailing on him. His clothes were getting shredded, but he didn't move, even when...blood started dripping off of him. Here he is, saving me again when I didn't want him to. Now...I gotta play my part.
Letting out some screams and adding in some pressure, I then pushed myself back.
POOF!
In a flash I was flung back until I landed right on my back with groans leaving my mouth. Opening my eye the area got a lot darker than earlier. Raising myself I looked to my right to see Lars groaning while right in front of me was...Badass. Still standing...
"You okay?" Badass asked, lifting his head a little.
I nodded and slowly got up. But right when I did he fell onto his knees. Approaching him I handed him the Gemstone. He took it and a bubble suddenly engulfed it before he tapped it, making it disappear.
Lowering his arms Badass let out some heavy breaths and slowly raised himself back up. Even after getting his ass handed to him by vines, he never backed down.
"Gotta say Badass, you're definitely my hero." I said with a smirk.
"Dude... You are so hardcore..." Lars added, walking up to us.
"You okay?" Badass replied to Lars.
"Yeah. Normally I'd be in a lot of pain, but I guess going green might've slowed that down a bit." Lars said.
Badass nodded. Right when he opened his mouth to speak again some rumbling sound entered our ears. We all turned and covered our eyes when a bright light shined off. Lowering our arms the light started to dim a little and...I think another area opened up.
Going into the area there was a large metal chair at the center, but what caught our attention the most was what was behind the chair. There were these weird machines with a window on them and each one was in a different color. Yellow. Blue. Red. Orange. Indigo. Pink. And black. Seven in total, but...what did all of this mean?
Turning to Badass he slowly took a step forward and put a hand in his pocket. Pulling it out he brought out his phone and took some pictures.
"We've got our proof." Badass said.
"Yeah, but...what is all this?" Lars replied.
"Looks like I've got more questions to ask my family." Badass said.
I couldn't argue with that. First was the Kindergarten with those holes and machines, now we found this place. Only thing now is, what other stuff is Badass gonna find and how is it tied to his family?
End Of Episode 26.
Wow... This took a lot out of me. But it was worth it and I hope you all enjoyed this.
The more you look for answers, the more questions you find. Only now, where is this gonna led?
Next up is Kameron's last friend in the group. Brittney.
See you all soon.