After we jogged for a little while, I was convinced we managed to get far enough from those two objects, the ones that had.. killed Bow.. so many thoughts were running through my head! The majority of them I.. had no idea what the answer was. I was still processing the fact we.. were stuck in this stupid world, and now I had to process even MORE confusing things!
I feel terrible about Bow- I.. I don't know if i managed to do enough, if I could've done more. Was that even Bow? She was a robot and.. last time I checked she wasn't a ROBOT. Maybe that wasn't even her..? I could convince myself that instead, at least that wouldn't make me feel as guilty over the fact I had just.. watched her die right in front of me.
I held my arms as I walked, Nickel beside me. He hadn't said a word and..it made me wonder if he just didn't know what to say or wasn't saying it. I feel so angry at him, he frustrates me so MUCH. How could he just stand there and NOT help? Maybe Bow would still be alive if he just.. pitched in a LITTLE. I hate this place, and I want to go back home.. J just want to see Suitcase again, I'm really worried about home.
I can't believe we're stuck in this world.. and I definitely can't believe I'm stuck with HIM. It doesn't feel good.. and I don't even know if we can get home, or if home is even safe ... not only that, but there's probably TONS of those weird object things still hanging around the forest! We're safe for now.. but I wonder how long that is exactly. I-I can be killed so easily, but yet I'M the one putting myself in danger, not NICKEL.
It made me wonder what happened here.. was there anyone normal? I didn't know.. I wish I did know, maybe then I could stop being so stressed about everything.. I'm so scared for the future..
It made me feel frustated..ughhh, I don't really wanna take out my anger on Nickel, I'm not LIKE that. But, maybe he deserves it? I mean, he DID just allow me and..."Bow" to get attacked. I turn my gaze towards him.. he doesn't seem to be speaking up any time soon.
"Hey." I hissed, attempting to grab his attention. He didn't look at me, but he replied anyways.."What." He muttered, having the audacity to not show me his face.
I need to know his intentions.. did he do it on purpose? I know he's bad but is he that bad? I don't know what to believe .. I mean surely he wouldn't just.. let me die? He must care somewhat because he's still here but.. what if he's just hanging around to benefit himself?
"Why didn't you help back there?" I ask as calmly as I could, but I was finding it hard to and came off harsher than I intended. "You just.. left me and Bow to deal with it!" I cry, letting my emotions spill.
Nickel seemed to contemplate his answers.. why does he need to even do that? To lie? I was unimpressed, him still not looking at me. "Well, I couldn't, duh! I was injured, did you not see??" He shot back a pathetic excuse, rather defensively. I would rather him tell the truth about being a jerk rather than LYING to me.
"I- You literally- you're fine now! So what was stopping you then?!" I snap, frustrated. Ughh, that guy gets on my nerves so badly, its so difficult to NOT snap at him. He kicked a branch out the way, scoffing.
"Didn't you just hear me?? What, do you think I'm lying??" He sarcastically laughed.
"Uh, yeah, I do, actually!" I yell back, "Look at me in the eye and tell me you were too injured to help, and THATS why Bow died."
"Gh- th..that wasn't even Bow!!" He defended, trying to change the subject and avoid looking at me. I grit my teeth, stopping in my place. "That's not the POINT, Nickel! I needed your help and you just.. didn't bother!"
I exhale silently, trying to calm myself as I watch him glare at the ground and not give a response, stopping too. I just don't understand! I know it's harder for him because he doesn't have arms, but it's like he's hiding something.. and I need to know what; thanks to him one of our friends died.. and I almost did too. I don't know if I'm overreacting...because she'll be recovered eventually, right? It's just irritating he isn't taking it seriously..
"I-..I don't know if that was Bow or not, okay??" I groan, looking to the side. "That part..I-I still don't understand. But.. you still just.. stood there and watched as we clearly needed your help! Why.. didn't you? And don't say it was because you were injured!"
He didn't say anything again.. that frustrated me more. I turn to him and walk forward, swallowing before speaking.. I had to mention every possibility, because.. I don't even know if I can trust him. "Did you want me to die?" I croak.
"Wh-What?! No!" He spat immediately, turning back to me as well. He looked genuinely offended by my suggestion, I held my arms tighter as he continued. "I don't LIKE you, but it doesn't mean I want you dead! Jeez!" He kicked the ground, scuffing it in a rage. "It's not always about YOU, Balloon." He snarled, seemingly getting more angry the more he talked about it.
"O-Okay! Okay.. can you blame me for thinking that??" I question in irritation, him just looking down to the ground with an unhappy face. He didn't seem pleased.. "..Well.. if it wasn't about me, what WAS it about?"
"That's- it's-" He seemed to be holding back from saying something, groaning and looking to the sky. "Can you just let it GO?! L-Look, none of this will matter when Mephone brings us all back and revives us! The quicker we find him, the quicker we can all go home. Did you FORGET he can bring us back?!" Nickel exclaimed, looking back at me with a frustrated expression. I roll my eyes.
"Oh, yeah! And what if he's dead too, huh?! Plus, we don't know how long we're gonna be trapped here! We need as much help as we can get- because the less of us the are the weaker we become!" I try to explain uncrossing my arms. I was getting impatient, and looking at his face made me want to hit him for being so careless in this situation.
"You're being overdramatic." He claimed, turning on his heel boredly. "Let's just keep looking, you said you wanted to find more of us, right? Don't take this so seriously. Mephone wouldn't keep us in danger."
But this is beyond Mephone..is what I wanted to say. Despite me wanting to argue with him further, I decided to let him be ignorant, and just follow silently. How were we going to find Mephone in this giant forest anyways? I swear, this better not be some sort of sadistic challenge.. nothing like this is worth any sort of money.
"Donut literally got impaled, of course he's dead! I can't see anyone else from our team, Fj! Face it, we're gonna die out here!"
"Can you stop being so fucking negative, Naily?! Donut didn't DIE, I... I know it! He's..somewhere. He should know what to do, Four kind of left him in charge of the show so.. like, he out of everyone should be thinking of a plan, right?"
"Unless he's dead!"
"He's NOT dead!"
"N-Nickel, can you hear that-?!" I shriek quietly, stopping in place to try and listen out for the voices again. I didn't recognize either of them.. oh no, was it more of those crazy objects?! I held my breath to silence myself, only able to hear the soft rustling of leaves for a moment.
Nothing happened.. Nickel scoffed, "No, I hear nothing." He grumbled, beginning to walk ahead. I glare and snatch him, stopping him from walking. He squirmed in my grasp. "Hey! Get your hands off!-"
I cover his mouth angrily, trying to keep quiet just in case I heard those objects again. Nickel kept saying things but was muffled by my hand, eventually he stopped, because he began to hear it too..
"Oh man.. I think we're lost.."
"Of COURSE we're fucking lost! This is a forest, nowhere is EVERYWHERE! We need to find someone stronger.. if we get caught we're gonna be fucked, dude!"
"Maybe keep your voice down, then?! Were you always this annoying in the Exit??!"
"C-Caught?" I stammer, speaking without thinking.. what could they mean? Caught? Surely.. they weren't on the run from these objects as well, were they? Maybe they knew what was going on! We needed all the help we could get.. but what if they were startled over us? If I didn't know them then there's no way they would know me. "N-Nickel, we should go find them!" I whisper.
"What?! No way!" He pushed himself out my hands, glaring at me in offense. "Do you WANNA die Balloon?! No way am I trusting some randos that are wondering around in the forest with my life!"
"B-But they sound like they know what's going on!"
"I don't care, I don't trust them." Nickel refused bitterly, turning his head away from me. I groan, grabbing my head. "Out of all times, did you have to pick NOW to be as ignorant as ever?!"
"We need to find objects from OUR competition.. who knows what's up with them! Last time we found objects that weren't from our world, they tried to kill us! They're most likely all from the same world so, if that's not a red flag then I don't know what it is!" Nickel tried to convince me, stubborn. "I'm not going over. They're most likely gone, now, anyways."
"..B-But.." I growl.. "What if that was our ONLY chance at making our numbers bigger?!" I wanted to punch him, gritting my teeth. He was testing me too much.. first he was the reason that Bow got killed, and now he was the reason we missed out on an opportunity to expand our group. Maybe we could have got some insight as to what's happening... I wish I never listened to him, I should have left him here.
I knew my words were harsh but.. I didn't care right now. Right now I meant them. I huffed before storming ahead, taking lead. It was getting dark.. and I really didn't want to be in this place alone with Nickel, and whatever else was lurking inside of it.
---
"I can't believe Four would be so selfish."
Donut sat against a tree, grumbling to himself with his legs against his body, wrapping his arms around them with a frustrated look. His eyes were locked onto the blazing fire in front on himself, admiring the flames as they flickered and lit up the darkening area.
".. I... I know." Basketball understood, shaking her head softly. She was sat on the other side of the fire, next to Snowball. She had been tending to his hand, as earlier the group had a run in with an object while they were looking for food, it was Woody. For some reason.. he was a lot different, and had tried to attack them. They were still confused over the whole ordeal but.. assumed this was what the note meant when it said "turn you against each other"
"..I..I really don't want to fight my friends, Basketball!" Donut cried, covering his face in stress. "What am I going to do? I need to come up with a way to stop her.. do you think if we kill her, this will put an end to this all? Then she won't be able to kill any more of us."
"I..I don't know, Donut." She admitted regrettably, her gaze focused on the flames. "It'll be really hard to get close to her.. and.. we have hardly any weapons. I.. don't want to fight my friends, either! Trust me.. I'm really worried for my team.."
"Me .. me too." He sighed with a murmur, slumping against the tree. He tiredly gazed across at her through the fire, slouching. ".. I.. hope..they haven't been .. possessed like that. I would feel awful if I had to fight .. Gelatin or something. I wonder if there's a way to bring them out of the trance.." Donut mused, his voice trailing off into thought.
Snowball shrugged, not having been putting much into the conversation. "Whatever we do, hurry it the hell up! I don't wanna be stuck in this stupid forest for more than 2 days. You'll see.. she'll probably give up once she can't find us and gets bored of waiting around." He spat, insulting her.
Basketball wasn't sure about that, frowning softly across at him. She decided not to say anything, though, exhaling slightly. "..How's your hand doing, Snowball?"
"It fucking hurts." He grumpily complainex, looking down at it with frustration. He traced his palm from when it had been cut. "Who knew Woody could be so strong." He almost sounded annoyed.
"Well.. i..it wasn't really him. He wouldn't do that on his own accord.." Basketball tried to smile, but that made it feel worse.. if someone like Woody, one of the weakest contestants was able to take on Snowball, then what about one of the strongest contestants? She wondered the whereabouts of Blackhole.. who was technically the most powerful of them all.
"I'm hoping Golfball will find a way to sort this out.. she's smart, so.. hopefully she can figure out a plan.. " Basketball lightly spoke her thoughts, her gaze drifting to the sky. The blue tint was darkening.. it was evening. After this, it would officially be their second night.. and although she knew there were more problems.. one particularly was on her mind.
She was .. seriously hungry.
Snowball hadn't mentioned it, which surprised her because usually he didn't care about being brash. She felt bad mentioning it, knowing that Donut wouldn't be hungry because of his object type... but she was worried the longer she and Snowball went without food, the weaker they would become.
She was thinking of waiting until tomorrow, then she had a fresh start. She would have to mention it eventually, though.
"Maybe we should put this out. I don't want to start attracting ..any of.. them with the light." She tried to start a new topic, standing while stretching on her tip-toes, grunting. Donut agreed, standing carefully so that his wound wouldn't reopen. "Right, I hear you.." he murmured, putting a hand on his back.
He went to shuffle over to a bush, pulling at the sticks and leaves so that he could cover the flames with them and put it out. He didn't need many, reaching out to grab a handful. He retracted his hand with a soft sound, drawing his palm to his face to see it bleeding.
"What's wrong?" Basketball questioned worriedly, walking around the fire.
"I.. must've pricked my finger.." Donut supposed gently, frowning at it. He tried to wipe off his hand dismissively, before hearing a noise closeby.
Sparking..
Eletricals? That didn't make any sense.. unless Lightning was around? Snowball thought the same, and stood up more eagerly than he intended to. "What's that?" He demanded fast, Basketball not sure.
"..K-Keep your voice down! I..." she trailed off as it continued. The group shared glances of concern.. this sounded nothing like Lightning. Donut was about to comment on it, dropping down the leaves and sticks that he had in his hands. ".. Maybe- GH-!"
He yelled in surprise, falling down face first onto the ground as something fell atop of him, keeping him pinned. He tried to roll over in a panic to push whatever it was off, laying on his back. He fell speechless, an object he had never seen before having tumbled to the ground beside him. They had been the one to fall on him from the tree above, and .. had also been the one producing that sound.
They were.. supposed to be a bow, but they looked like a robot, the top of their head had been torn away and there were live wires sticking out of where it used to be, sparking occasionally. Donut couldn't utter a word, attempting to but his voice felt stuck in his throat. He was frozen.
Snowballs eyes widened as the bow stood up, laughing mechanically.. but it also sounded like what Woody sounded like.. "I-its been possessed by Evil Leafy?!" Basketball blurted, stepping backwards in fear rapidly. She was trying to get away, tripping up on a rock.
The flames roared behind the robot, who seemed amused at the state of Basketball. "B3tcha d1dn'7 e#pect t0 s3e m3? huh?!" The bow laughed with its hands on its chest, its eyes glowing red.. Donut tried to stand up, backing up against the tree he had been sat by previously..
"Wh..Who the hell is that?!" Snowball shouted fearfully, glaring at them without mercy since he didn't know them personally, clutching his fists together. Suddenly they went to lunge forwards, about to attack Basketball, but Snowball collided with them, pushing them to the ground.
"Get OUT of here!!" He roared and delivered a punch right to their face, but it hardly did anything and it hurt due to them being metal. He retracted his hand, and while he was distracted he was kicked off, falling to the ground with a thump.
"S-Snowball!" Basketball burst, standing. She shakily watched as Donut went to lunge at it next, her unable to do anything due to her lack of arms. She helplessly observed as Donut pushed it to the ground, the two of them landing on the ground.
He didn't know what to do, trying to keep it pinned as it snarled and struggled with all its strength to attack him. Donut was beginning to panic, reaching across for a rock with reluctance, his hands shaking. "NGH-"
He tried to smash it against their metal head, squeezing his eyes shut. It didn't die, of course it wouldn't immediately. He kept trying to hit it, whining a messily apology as he hated to do this. Too many thoughts were going through his head, opening his eyes again in fear to peek at them. To his dismay, they were still alive, the rocks damage visible on their mechanical head. The metal had been destroyed, exposing more of their inner wires.
Donut was then overpowered, gaspimg as he was pushed over and slammed to the ground, the pair of them dangerously close to the fire. It was then Donut realised that they were trying to push him into it, him trying to push them away with a long whine. His wound began to sting, and he released the movement had caused it to reopen.
"N..No!" He begged, straining himself with extreme struggle as he pushed against them, feeling the flames getting closer and closer to the back of his head as they tried to force him into it. He stared into their glowing eyes.. their forced smile. He squeezed his eyes shut, using all his force to push against them but it wasn't enough, not until finally the bow was knocked away.
He fell fowards, landing face first into the ground. He heard commotion above him, panting and peaking up to see Snowball and the bot fighting, despite his injury he was giving it his best. He aggressively stamped right on their face, and that seemed to be their breaking point. They squirmed away from Snowball and scurried off, running off into the bushes before they were killed.
Donut was relieved, lifting himself onto his knees and panting, his head leaned over. He closed his eyes and reflected on what had just happened, anxiety raging through him over being just on the verge of death. Who.. WAS that? One possibility stood out from the rest, reverberating in his head.
That object wasn't from their world.
---
Hello everyone!!! Welcome back!! I am so excited to start this book again!!