Children of Chaos

Chapter 7

Horror was getting plates out of the cupboard. He set them on the table and checked on the taco meat. It was done, so he put it in a bowl and set that on the table, too. He got more taco stuff out. "Dinner!" he shouted. Immediately, Cross, Killer, Horror, Dust, and Error ran into the kitchen. They began making their tacos. "Where's Nightmare?" asked Horror. He was usually here by now.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the new kids ran in, followed by Nightmare. Well, Blue and Nightmare ran in. Erratum was being carried by Blue. Horror wasn't quite sure how that was possible, but then again, he survived having a huge hole put in his head, so...

Blue set Erratum down in a chair and made four tacos. He gave two to Erratum, who pouted. "I đ0n'T wĂnŅa 3aŤ!"
"I'm sure it will be almost as good as mine, RuRu," Blue said, trying to convince him.
"MæBê." Erratum picked up one of the tacos. He took a bite. "HmM. Ít'$ āLm0sŤ a$ g0oĐ a$ ý0uŔš... AlMő$ț." He took another bite, staring at the wall, distracted by his thoughts.

A light smack on his arm brought him back to reality. "RuRu, you can't eat distractedly. 'Member what happened last time?" Blue scolded. Erratum did. 'His' Nightmare got mad at him for eating a fork... again. He couldn't help it that his destructive magic was that strong! It allowed him to digest literally anything, edible or not. Even poison. And metal. He wasn't allowed to use silverware for a while after that.

They finished eating and went to explore. "Don't get lost!" Nightmare called after them. "We won't!" Blue called back. They ran down the hallways, twisting and turning yet always knowing exactly where they were. Erratum tried to open a door that had always been locked in his original multiverse. It was still locked, so he teleported inside.

It was a playroom, decorated in the same colours that adorned their bedroom. A large box of toys and a bookshelf were in opposite corners of the room. He unlocked the door from the inside and stepped out to find Blue. It might have just been his newly replenished inner 5-year-old, but he wanted to play with those toys. A lot. He was sure Blue would love them, too.

Dust was looking for the children. Nightmare said that they were on the second floor, which was good, because only Nightmare and Error could navigate the third floor. Anyone else would get lost. Very, very lost. He heard soft giggles, and he followed them to the library. Blue was sitting there, reading a joke book. (My headcanon is that Blue actually likes puns, his bro just makes way too many.) Without looking up, he raised his hand in acknowledgement. "Come on, Blue. We've got to find Erratum," Dust said. Blue launched himself forward, using a chair as a footstep and landing on Dust's back.

"Oof!" Dust stumbled. "Onward, skele-horse!" yelled Blue. Dust obediently trotted down the hall, towards an old door. Even Error didn't know what was behind it, and Nightmare had never so much as opened the door, so when Blue told him to stop in front of it, he was surprised.

He was even more surprised when the door creaked open and Erratum stepped out. "0h, Hę¥ Đů$ț. Ī_f0űŇđ â PłĂý Řo0m," Erratum said nonchalantly. "You found- I really shouldn't be surprised by now, since you've done all sorts of improbable things. How'd ya even get in there? The door's been locked for ages."
"MäĞ¡€," replied Erratum, doing jazz hands. "Of course," sighed Dust exasperatedly.

Blue leapt off of Dust and into Erratum's arms. Erratum moved with him, turning and depositing him onto the floor. "CőMĕ 0ň," he said. "Đů$ț Wā$ Př0bÂbł¥ ĺ0øĶıŇğ FöŘ ü$ f0ŕ Ä ř3â$òŃ." Dust nodded and headed down the hallway. "Nightmare wanted to talk to you." The two children followed, but not before Erratum locked the door once again.

Nightmare was waiting for them in the living room. Dust finally entered, then the two kids. "You'll never guess where I found Erratum."
"Where?" Nightmare asked Dust. "You know that room you always keep locked?"
"How'd he even get in there?"
"Yeah, that's what I wondered, too! Apparently, 'MäĞ¡€'," Dust answered, doing a remarkably good impression of Erratum's voice, though he couldn't quite replicate the underlying static.