Happy Days and Happy Friends (Welcome Home)

Chapter Ten-Don't Hide From Me

Angel's POV

Wally and I are sitting at the kitchen table. Everyone is so distracted today. I haven't seen Eddie at all today. 

Howdy is staring out the window, looking a little sad. Wally is just staring at me. Poppy isn't in the room at all, probably hiding in an empty closet. Sally is most likely on the roof. 

"Lighten up, Angel, I just have a few questions for you," Dad says. I look up at him. "Oh, nevermind, do you want to watch some cartoons before I go to work?" 

I nod and pick up Wally. I follow Dad to the living room. Wally and Dad look like they've noticed that I'm tired. I couldn't sleep after the nightmare I had. 

The images flash through my mind; Wally trapping me in something, with that smile on his face. So many eyes on the floor and the walls and the ceiling. All of them watching me The floor right before the glass shattered. 

Of course, Wally wouldn't really hurt me, right? He promised that he'd keep me safe from all the monsters. 

I keep my eyes on the TV, blocking out almost everything around me, until the front door closes. Dad isn't here anymore. He's going to work. New work. He said he's making a show for kids like me. Advisors as characters, he said, but he just can't think of any. 

"Do you want to go to sleep, Angel?" Wally asks. I only nod. "It's okay. He's gone." 

I close my eyes, and suddenly I'm awake again. Wally isn't next to me. I get up and go look for him. Immediately, I see him in the kitchen. It's nighttime. Dad should be coming home any minute now. 

Wally is staring out the window. He turns his head to look at me. His head is facing me while the rest of his body is facing the counter. 

"Hello, Angel," Wally says. I notice how big his pupils in his eyes are. "I'm so glad you woke up. Ha ha ha." 

"Where is everyone?' I ask. I'm backing away. 

Wally watches me for a few seconds. He turns the rest of his body toward me and takes a few steps forward. 

"It's okay, it'll be over soon, as long as you trust me." 

I run straight up the stairs, catching a glimpse of Frank's and Julie's limp bodies in the backyard and Howdy's in the garden. I get to my room and hide in the very back of the closet. I try to stay quiet. To not even breathe as Wally-or something like him-hunts for me. He's probably recalling every hiding spot I've ever shown him. 

After only three minutes, three counted and slow minutes, he enters the room. 

"Angel, I'm still me," Wally says as he checks the bed. "Don't you remember us making you so happy? I promise that you won't feel a thing." 

He gets closer to the closet. He's staring right at me. 

"We just want to make more people happy. You have no idea how important you are. You're so perfect, Angel, the first child we've seen in thirty long years. Please, come out, you can trust me, dear." 

He reaches his hand out, and I get up and take it. The smile on his face seems genuine. 

"Home is going to be so happy." 

Donald's POV

I walk through the front door. It's already open. It is so quiet. The TV is on, but neither Angel or that puppet is on the couch. I walk up the stairs, noticing how many doors are open. The door to my bedroom is closed. 

"Angel?" I call out. 

She was tired this morning. Maybe she's in bed. 

I check in her bedroom. The closet doors are wide open, and she's lying in bed. Her eyes are closed. 

"Wake up, Angel," I have a surprise for you," I say. She doesn't even stir. 

I notice how pale she is. She isn't breathing. 

"Angel? Angel?!" 

I try to shake her away. No luck. 

On the chair, smiling away, is that damned puppet. 

Wally Darling. 

He seems so alive now. His eyes don't move, but it's almost like he has a heartbeat of his very own.  

"You seem so lonely," I say. I don't know why I said it to him like that. "Is my company going to be the most for you?" 

I look back at Angel's body. She looks so peaceful. 

This is so much fun, Donald. 

*****

Word Count: 752

Done. Finally. Whoooooooo.