I was awoken from my peaceful dream world by the sound of.. talking? I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and removed the covers from my body, shivering as the frigid air hit my arms. I peered out of the cracked door, my eyes adjusting to the light. I couldn't see much from the bedroom door, only being able to see down the narrow hallway. I could hear the faint voices of Wally and Barnaby. Letting curiosity take over, I made my way down the hall and kept my back pressed against the wall as I listened in.
"Wally, you've been acting strange lately. Ever since the new neighbor arrived." Barnaby said, setting down what sounds like a plate.
"Oh, I guess you're right. Well, I guess I can let you in on a little secret." Wally said, sounding quite excited.
"They make me the happiest I've been in a long time. It's always just been Home and I, but now, I feel as if I cannot be without them. Home has grown fond of them as well, I can't possibly risk losing them." Wally said, dreamily.
I pressed my back further into the wall, taking in the new discovery. I felt myself blushing at the confession from Wally, but the fluttering in my chest was short lived. I let out a shaky breath, stepping out from behind the wall and seeing Wally and Barnaby sat together on the couch. Wally held a mug, stirring it with a spoon as if he were lost in a daydream. Barnaby glanced into my direction, his eyes locking with mine as he spoke.
"Wally, that's great. It's good that you're happy, but.. I think you should give the neighbor more free will. Yesterday, you told me you were taking them to meet the others- but nobody recalls seeing you two." Barnaby stated, looking down from my eyes.
"You.. you haven't been normal since the children incident. We all miss having you around!" Barnaby said, taking Wally's free hand.
Wally grimaced and ripped his hand away from Barnaby, slamming his mug down onto the small coffee table. Wally snapped his head around to where I stood. I quickly ducked back behind the wall, placing my hand over my mouth to stay as quiet as possible. Wally stood and took a few steps towards where I hid before stopping and turning back to Barnaby.
"I think you should leave." Wally said coldly.
"But I don't-" Barnaby started, being cut off immediately.
"Now." Wally raised his voice, his pupils dilating as a threat.
Something inside of me snapped when I saw his eyes dilate the same way they did when he bit me. Out of fear, I knocked against Home to give him the signal and rushed behind Wally, shoving him harshly and watching him stumble to the ground with a huff. Barnaby stood and grabbed my hand, pulling me over his shoulder and rushing us out of Home's open front door. I glanced up and saw Wally reaching out at me with a startled expression. Just then, Home locked him inside with a thud.
Barnaby took us inside his blue home, setting me gently down on my feet. He swiftly turned around and locked the front door with a grunt.
"Thank you, Barnaby." I said, hugging him from behind.
Barnaby smiled and patted the top of my head, he then led me to the main room where I had been the previous day. Barnaby sat down in his reading chair and reclined with a satisfied sigh.
"So, tell me everything." He said, putting his hands behind his head.
I nodded and began at the very beginning, opening up and telling him about my family. I couldn't help but cry as I mentioned them. He motioned for me to sit with him, I did so and quickly found comfort in his embrace. I told him about the packages and the missing persons case I was working on, how I obsessed over it. How I lost myself inside of it. I decided not to tell Barnaby the horrible things Wally has done to me, because honestly, I felt bad. My emotions were so mixed about Wally - I didn't want to ruin their relationship.
"That's.. a lot kid. So I'm assuming you came here to find answers, right?" He said, rubbing a soft paw over my hand.
"Yeah. I thought it would help me solve it faster if I could get to the source.. somehow." I lied, hoping he couldn't see through it.
Barnaby shrugged it off and pulled me in closer, engulfing me entirely in his soft blue fur. Soon, I found myself drifting to sleep. I let myself fall into a dreamworld, feeling safe in Barnabys arms.
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I found myself standing in Barnaby's kitchen, smiling as the blue dog cooked pancakes. He turned to me and slid the last pancake onto the already wobbly stack, swiftly setting it onto the table and turning back to me.
"Behold, castle pancake! The tastiest dish in town!" He exclaimed brightly, wearing a cheeky grin.
The two of us laughed and embraced in a hug. I leaned back, looking up into his eyes.
"Thank you, again. It means so much." I smiled up at him.
"Anytime, ki-" barnaby choked out.
The sound of a knife cutting through skin filled my ears.
Barnaby let out the sound of a gurgle and shifted his gaze down to the blade shoved through his chest. Blood dripped from the end of the knife, creating a red puddle on the white tile. My eyes widened at the scene in front of me, tears pricking the corners. Barnaby fell over with a loud thud. Immediately, I fell to my knees and grabbed his large paw, searching for a pulse. He was ice cold. The loud of laughter rang out from in front of me. I looked up and saw Wally Darling licking the fresh blood from his knife and smiling down at me.
I screamed.
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I jolted awake, looking up at the snoring dog I laid on. A thankful breath left my lips, but I knew what that dream meant. It was a warning from Wally. I shuffled carefully out of Barnaby's arms and tiptoed to his desk, just off the the side of the room. I scribbled blindly on some paper, telling him I left and not to come after me. I took the note and set it on the coffee table in front of the chair and made my way for the door. I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I unlocked the door and slipped through, running all the way back to Home.
Before I could knock on the door, it swung open to reveal a smiling Wally standing in the entrance.
"Did you have fun on your little adventure, darling?"
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