18:00

2 : Purgatory Mansion

Log... 13? That couldn't be right. Fan's eyes scanned over the letters atop the screen over and over, but found no changes in them.

"What the hell..." He muttered, setting the laptop down on his bed for a moment as he thought. This couldn't be real. This had to be some sort of prank, or setup, or something along the lines of those. Test Tube couldn't have updated the logs further, she's dead. Fan had seen the shattered glass of her corpse for herself, and he knew she was long gone.

But if she didn't update the logs, then who did? Plus, what does the 'Test 84' part mean? Even though Fan had opened the logs as a way to slow down and reason his thoughts, they instead sent his racing mind into overdrive.

He cautiously picked the laptop back up, as if it might explode if he grabbed it too quickly. The words were still the same as before. Curiosity got the better of him, and he began reading the rest of the log.

"This is attempt 84 on getting this message out. Fan, if this has reached you, I know you know who I am. I'm still not 'here', if you understand what I'm getting at, but I still have a request for you. Trust me, this will benefit the both of us.

Do you remember the mansion from Episode 6 of Season 2? Head back there. I know, it may seem a bit odd, but you'll understand why once you get there.

Oh, and whatever you do, don't tell anyone else about where you're going. I know you're going to have to put a lot of trust in me for this, but please."

And it ended there. Fan sat there, dumbfounded by what he had just read. This had to be some sort of joke, right? Maybe one of the hotel members set something up to see if they could trust Fan, or... or...

No, this has to be real. Nobody could imitate Test Tube's writing style this well, and no one in the hotel was cruel enough to do this. Besides, how would they even gain access to the documents?

But if Test Tube was dead, then how did she write this? It states in the log itself she's still gone, so then who...

Fan's thoughts were only cut off by the sound of the bedroom door opening. He slammed the laptop closed on impulse, his head shooting up to the door to see who it was. Paintbrush stood in the doorway, that same disappointed face Fan knew embarrassingly well resting upon their face.

"Fan." They said. They weren't angry, just disappointed if their tone of voice said anything. Fan's head hung low, knowing exactly what they were disappointed about.

"I know, I know looking through the files isn't good for me and it won't change anything. But you have to understand-"

"There isn't anything I don't understand about it, Fan. It just isn't a good coping mechanism. I'm sure that Lightbulb would be happy to welcome you into the lab support group, considering she's tried to get you involved multiple times." Paintbrush said. They walked over to Fan, sitting next to him on the bed. "...Hey, are you doing okay? Your eyes seem watery."

Fan paused. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, feeling his hands become wet as he did. He opened his mouth to explain exactly what he had seen, but then paused again.

'Whatever you do, don't tell anyone else about where you're going.'

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just remembering her is all." Fan finally responded, his voice cracking a little as he spoke. Paintbrush nodded in understanding. "Could I... have some time alone please?"

"If I let you have some time alone, you won't go back to your laptop, right?" They asked. Fan nodded, and surprisingly enough, he was being truthful when he did. Paintbrush then nodded before standing up. "Alright, but if you need any help, don't be afraid to reach out. There's people in the hotel that care about you."