Heartbeat - Seek x Figure

A Strange Story

Figure POV

As the five new entities gathered around the table, I only found myself more confused. They had already introduced themselves, but several questions still remained. Where did they come from? Why were they here?

I reached out an arm and placed it on the table, guiding myself to the chair where I normally sat. However, as I used my other hand to feel for it, I only felt open air. Confused, I rotated my head around, attempting to locate Seek.

"Here," I heard Seek behind me, followed by the sound of a chair sliding across the wooden ground.

Seek sat in the chair beside me as I settled down in mine. I lifted my arm and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Thanks," I nodded in appreciation.

Soon, the sound of movement stopped, and the room was quiet. Only whispers between some of the louder entities could be heard. Screech was speaking to Rush, voicing his concerns about how strange the new entities looked. I wonder what's so different about them.

Seek cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the others around the table. I heard shifting before the goopy entity began, "As you all know, there are five people who are new here. They've introduced themselves already, but we don't know everything yet." With my arm around him, I was able to feel him turn his head, likely to face the new entities. "Where did you come from and how did you get here?"

"Well," the entity called El Goblino started, "we came from a pretty dark place under this hotel. There were more of us, but some decided to stay behind.

"Who were they?" Seek pressed before the entity could finish, leaning forward slightly. He's being too pushy with them, I wanted to say, but I understood his feelings. In such a confusing situation, it made sense that he would want to reach for any information he could.

Quickly, El Goblino answered, "They were strange. They didn't have names and didn't look exactly like the rest of us. Also, they didn't trade or use money like we do."

Suddenly, Timothy cried, "Is that what the coins in my drawers are for? Trading?"

The entity named Jeff exclaimed, "I didn't know there were coins here! If you guys don't use them, can I have them?"

I thought he was the quiet one, I mused, remembering what Seek had told me about each of them. Jeff's introduction had also reflected an introverted personality. However, he was clearly rather excited by the prospect of gaining coins.

"Guys!" Seek yelled, standing up from his chair and slamming his hands down on the table. I pulled my arm away as he shouted, "Do you want to know where they came from or not?"

After a few more confused whispers, the entities quieted down. Then, a muffled voice explained, "We saw some creature fall down from the elevator and realized there was a hole to get into this place. The five of us climbed up, and then I got stuck in the floor!"

That must be Snare, I realized. Meanwhile, Jack yelled, "How did you even manage that?"

Snare retorted, "I don't know! I didn't ask to become part of the ground!"

While Jack and Snare argued, I sensed Seek's heartbeat speeding up. Quietly, he asked, "Who was the creature that fell down the elevator?"

"It was some blurry black thing," El Goblino responded. "We tried to talk to it, but it didn't move." He added, "When we reached the top of the elevator and looked back down, it was gone.

Suddenly, I felt Seek place his hand on mine. His heartbeat was racing, and I squeezed his hand in an attempt to reassure him. However, we both must have had the same worry in that moment. Shadow is alive, and there's a way for him to come back.

Trying to ignore this awful truth, I asked, "What did you do after that?"

Calmly, El Goblino replied, "We did some remodeling on some of the rooms to make ourselves feel more at home."

"You did what?" All of the original entities at the table yelled in unison. Even I was shocked at what El Goblino said. How did they do all of that so quickly without any of us noticing?

"I was not a part of this!" A high voice, Dupe, screeched. I heard him shifting further away from the other entities.

El Goblino reasoned, "We didn't do too much! We can show you what we did!"

"Fine," Seek agreed, standing from his seat. I stood next, followed by the rest of the entities around the table. Led by Seek, we exited the large room and squeezed through the small tunnel that led to the secret area. Soon, we would be seeing what the new entities did to the place. I hope El Goblino is right. I hope they didn't do too much.

"This is too much!" Seek roared as everyone entered room ninety. While I couldn't see the changes done, I could tell the room was dark, as I heard Screech excitedly roaming around. Also, when I touched the wall to steady myself, it felt like cold, damp stone.

Jeff slowly apologized, "We're sorry. We only wanted a home, and it looked too dangerous to go back down the elevator."

"I'm still not a part of this," Dupe reminded, clearly having no faith in Jeff's apology.

"Maybe this is good," Rush remarked, nearing me and crossing through the entire room. "There aren't any lights. If I decide to attack, humans won't have the warning of flickering."

Taking a deep breath, Seek sighed, "Maybe you're right. Maybe there is a positive side to this. I guess we'll have to see room one hundred to find out."

A wave of worry passed over me. Did the new entities really change the final room in the hotel? If it was too difficult to navigate, someone else would have to take my place as the last defense. I silently hoped that it hadn't been changed drastically.

As we entered the next room, I realized the walls were made of the same material as the previous one. My worry grew as we got closer to the final room. The layout of the place would determine if I could keep my job there.

I felt something brush against my hand and realized Seek was beside me. I grabbed his hand and held it as we walked.

"I'm worried about Shadow," Seek confessed, guiding me through the next door.

"I am too," I admitted. "But as long as we stay together, it will be harder for him to hurt us. Even then, we don't really know if he's alive."

Seek mumbled, "Either way, we'll find out soon."

I counted, realizing we were at the final door. As it was pushed open, I stepped forward to enter the renovated room. Hopefully, it wouldn't be different at all, and everything would return to normal shortly.

Word Count: 1162