The Umbrella's eyes burned as they entered the long and narrow passage leading into Oblivion. The lights reflected off the mirrored tiles, making it brighter than it actually was. The passage seemed to go on for miles and miles, and it felt like there was no end. Was this all Oblivion was? Just a passage to God knows where? Finally, they reached the door on the other side, they opened it to reveal almost an exact copy of the White Buffalo Suite back in Hotel Obsidian. "Let's never do that again," Viktor sighed as they stepped out of the passage. "What? Narrowly escape the apocalypse?" Five blinked, his eyes trying to adjust to the slightly darkened room.
As the siblings looked around, they noticed that most of the furniture remained the same. The only difference was instead of the mounted White Buffalo head, it was the animal's rear end. "Same suite, just ass backwards," Lila explained as Ben grabbed at the buffalo's tail. "This is some hardcore Alice in Wonderland shit," Ben commented. "Yeah, it only gets weirder," Diego responded. The door leading into the passage slammed shut, and everyone looked over to see Reginald with his back against the wall, panting. "At last, the other side," he spoke huskily. But as the Hargreeves looked amongst themselves, they noticed somebody was missing. "Wait. Where's Klaus?" Luther asked.
"Children, I'm sorry, but your brother... I did all I could, but he didn't make it in time. The Kugelblitz has claimed its last victim," Reginald's response made all the siblings look skeptical. First, Astrid was dead, and now Klaus? "No, he can't be. He was right behind me when I entered the tunnel," Five stated. "We need to go back!" Sloane insisted. But Reginald would not budge. "There's nothing to go back to. Children, there will be time for tears later. Right now, we have to keep moving," He walked out of the second White Buffalo Suite, and the siblings all stared at one another. "Astrid and Klaus? Who else could be next?" Viktor shook his head in disbelief.
Sloane's eyes started to get misty at the mention of Astrid's name, but as Luther patted her shoulder, silently assuring her she wasn't alone, the siblings followed their father to the lobby of the Hotel Oblivion. Just like the White Buffalo Suite, everything looked almost exactly the same but with a few minor differences. Instead of a fish tank and bar, there was a conveyor belt with different types of sushi. And the pillar lights weren't blue, but instead golden yellow. "It's magnificent," Reginald said in awe. "You guys should've stayed here. This place is way nicer," Ben smirked, his words directed at Diego and Lila.
"Lila and I barely got out alive last time. Remember?" Diego reminded. "But I'm here this time, and the numbers are in our favor," The Squid Boy bragged. "Well, whatever it was, it was strong, fast, and super pissed," Lila rolled her eyes. They walked over to the receptionist's desk, and Diego gestured to the bell and sign that looked like it was written in Korean. "Whatever you do, do NOT touch this bell. Unless you want to lose a finger or a tentacle," He warned. But as soon as he warned against using it, Sloane dashed to the desk and was about to slam her fist on it, before Lila grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"Let me go! I want to take my chances!" Sloane tried to break free, but Lila's grip was strong. "To take out this thing, we need to be in the right state of mind," Lila spoke calmly. "State of mind? Do you mean, am I angry? Yes, I am angry. I wanna kill whatever it is that hurt Astrid!" Sloane choked up. "Astrid isn't the only one that's gone. We lost Klaus too," Viktor added. "I'm angry too, okay? We all are. But we have to be smart about this," Lila and Luther nodded in agreement, stating when the time was right, they would act.
Out of the corner of his eye, Diego looked over to the revolving doors, watching as Five stepped closer to them. "Don't even try it, Five. Doors won't let you out," He called out. "So what? We're stuck in here?" Allison asked. "This place is a test and a trap and a means of salvation, all at once," Reginald said as he flipped through the pages of his leather booklet. "Does anyone know what that sign says?" Viktor pointed to the sign right next to the bell. "Yeah, it says "Do not ring the bell." That's what that means," Diego quipped. "We get it, Diego. Bell bad. What do we do? Does anybody know?" Five asked as he rejoined the group.
But Reginald remained silent as he walked to the center of the lobby, where he stared at the ground, seemingly looking for something of importance. "I'm hungry. Does anyone fancy an unagi roll?" Lila said as she walked over to the sushi table. "How can you possibly eat at a time like this?" Ben squinted. "I don't know. How can you be a dіck at a time like this?" Lila bit back. As Ben was about to step up to her, Diego stepped in and put an end to it. "Back off, all right? She's eating for--" "Strength! In these trying times," Lila cut in before continuing her walk to the table.
The Hargreeves scattered all over the lobby, and as Sloane sat on one of the staircases, she kept glancing down at her ring and thinking about Astrid. The thought of becoming a widow hadn't crossed her mind, not even once. She always imagined that she and Astrid would peacefully pass in their bed as old ladies, snuggled up together. If only it could've been that way. But through her grief, the gravity girl made a vow to avenge Astrid's life and make sure that this guardian felt every ounce of pain she endured at its hands.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Luther plopped down next to her. "Like someone ripped out my heart and stabbed it," Sloane whimpered. Luther handed her a wet rag, and Sloane started wiping the blood off her hands. "I hate to say the things everyone says. Mourning in cliché is the last thing you need to worry about," Luther spoke with sympathy. Sloane nodded her head as she stared down at the ground. "I know everything is ending, but I thought we'd be together when it happened. I didn't even get to say goodbye," She sniffed.
Luther's heart broke at seeing Sloane so upset. She and Astrid were two halves of a whole, dependent on one another to be happy. But instead of happiness and new memories, all Sloane was left with was anger, sorrow, and tears. As Number One, it was his job to look out for his family. If Luther could take her pain away, he would've. If he could've brought Astrid back to life, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But this was a problem he could not fix. "She loved you, you know. To the moon and back," Sloane looked up and cracked a smile. "Really?" she started to smile. "Mhmm. She even told me herself. She's never been happier with anyone else besides you. You brought the light to her when she was afraid to leave the darkness,"
Sloane's lit up as for the briefest moment. She could feel Astrid's presence, like she was hugging her from behind and stroking her hair. "She may not be here physically, but she's with you every step of the way," Luther assured. "What do you think she'd tell me now?" Sloane inquired. "To never give up and keep fighting," Luther answered. Sloane swallowed just the tiniest ounce of her pain, and she started to compose herself. "I'll do it. For Triddy," Sloane promised.
~~~~~~~~~~
"When we say reality, what do we really mean? In the 1800s, the best minds of the age theorized we live in a clockwork cosmos. In the Quantum Age, time and space are suspected to be a holograph. Ancient people believed we rode on the back of four flying turtles or on the horns of a white buffalo. These ideas beg the question, will we ever know the shape of reality? Or, odder still, does it have a shape other than the one we give it?" The tiny man on the television screen spoke. This sounds like something Luther would like. Astrid thought to herself as she grabbed another slice of pizza.
"Why would you put pineapple on a pizza?" Klaus mumbled. "I mean, it's a garnish for cocktails, at best. I guess the real question to ask is, why is it on my pizza?" Astrid rolled her eyes as she took another bite out of the pepperoni and olive slice. But as she brought it to her lips again, she felt something was off and looked around. Everything surrounding the makeshift living room was sand for miles and miles. "Hold that thought, where exactly are we?" Astrid questioned. "We're dead, sis. Welcome to my hood!" Klaus answered, tossing his pizza slices back in the box.
Astrid's eyes widened to the fullest extent, thinking this was all some crazy dream and she'd wake up back in the loving arms of her wife. But as Klaus insisted they really were dead, everything became clear again. "I...I'm dead?" Astrid gaped. "Yeah, and I'm so glad to be here for your first time 'cause it's kind of a weird feeling. It's like waking up from a really vivid dream. But don't worry. Because it's all gonna make sense soon," Klaus smiled. "Oh my god, Dad killed me!" Astrid hyperventilated. "Oh my god! He killed me too. A lot," The junkie said. "Klaus, he-he's an alien!" she gulped.
"We're trying not to use that kinda terminology here. And I know, it's whoa PC, but you could just say he's British," Klaus explained. "No, no! I mean, he's a real alien. He's like a bug person from another planet! It wasn't a sword! Oh God. Klaus, you gotta go back and warn Sloane and the others!" Astrid insisted. "Non posso. I mean, I'm done with the other side," Klaus said as he lounged back in his seat, opening a fresh can of cold beer. "I belong here. All my "life," I've been a loser, I've been a freak, I've made mistake after mistake after mistake, but all of that was a sign, you see. It was a sign that this is my home. It's where I'm meant to be!"
"This shitty place?! This is your home, Klaus?" Astrid scoffed. "Come on! I meant in the ethereal, silly, with you and all our ghostly eternal pals," Klaus stated. "Where the hell does that leave me? What do I benefit from this?" Astrid crossed her arms. "Eating pizzas and watching cool documentaries with Moi forever!" Klaus smiled. "So you're just gonna turn your back on your family?" Astrid's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. They'll be here soon enough. Everybody dies eventually. Am I right?"
You selfish motherfucker! Getting up from her chair, Astrid ran over to where Klaus was sitting, and before the junkie even had a chance to react, she tackled him to the ground, and they rolled in the sand as Astrid pulled at his hair. "Hey hey hey! Get off me! This isn't what besties do!" Klaus tried to shove her off. "Not until I knock some sense into that puny brain of yours!" Astrid growled. And as her fist connected with his face, Klaus started laughing like a maniac hyped up on sugar. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Astrid looked freaked out. "Nice try, Tridster. But there ain't no pain in the Void," Klaus chuckled, wiping the sand off his shirt. "But you're more than welcome to take your best shot!"
"Challenge accepted!" Astrid growled. As she charged after him, Klaus ducked for cover behind his recliner, and he and Astrid glared at each other across the living room as neither of them were willing to make the next move. "Come on, Trid. Listen to me. I'm not going back down there to get slapped around. And there's nothing you can do to change that!" Klaus insisted. "You are so incredibly selfish! Do you know that?" Astrid shook her head. "Just relax! Don't worry. You have all the time in the world to get over it!" Klaus fired back. "That's it!" Astrid shouted as she charged after him. Grabbing him by the hem of his shirt, she threw Klaus towards one of the mini dunes. But rather than colliding and crumpling onto the ground, he went right through it like it was a portal.
"Shit..." Astrid grumbled before she jumped into the portal as well, finding herself in a cornfield ten or so feet away from a barn. "Come on! I had to die a million times before figuring that one out," Klaus teased. As Astrid looked over her shoulder, she wrapped a hand around his neck and threw him towards the barn. And again, they found themselves in another location. But they kept finding themselves in the weirdest places people would consider heaven. The void was one thing, a farm was another, but whose idea of heaven was a children's birthday party? And that was the question Astrid found herself asking as she and Klaus plopped right in the middle of a bouncy house.
"Hey, sissy!" Klaus grinned. But Astrid still wasn't too happy to see him and as Klaus tried to make his break for freedom, Astrid grabbed him by his leg and pulled him back towards her. "Let me go!" Klaus squirmed. "You may not be able to feel pain, but I can fight you and toss you through walls for all eternity, Klaus. You will never get a moment of peace and quiet. I will never stop!" Astrid's eyes turned black, her voice lowering a few octaves. "No, no, no, no, no. The Void is my house. It might be a bouncy house, but it's mine!" Klaus shook his head. Reluctantly, Astrid let go of him and cupped her hands over her face. "If you don't want to help the family, fine. But the love of my life is walking into hell!" Astrid trembled at the thought of Sloane facing the guardian alone.
"I don't even know if I can, Triddy. I mean, who knows where they even went," Klaus sighed. "Klaus, you said it yourself. This is your house. You are the king of death! You can go anywhere you want," Astrid pointed out, her anger slipping away the more she spoke to him. "That's a little grandiose. I prefer to think of myself as the Prince of Darkness," Klaus clarified with a side smile. "The point I'm trying to make here is, I believe in your brother," She cupped his face, looking right into the depth of his soul. "You can do anything. Just please try?" Astrid pleaded.
That tiny voice in Klaus's head that always gave him negative thoughts shut up for just the briefest of moments. And as he saw the determined look in Astrid's eyes, her words were just the right amount of strength he needed. And as it flowed through his veins, he kept reminding himself he could do it. He had to do it, not only for Astrid and her grieving wife but also for the family. "Okay, Triddy. I can do this!" Klaus nodded. Klaus did his best to concentrate on getting to Oblivion, Astrid watched as he disappeared with a puff of smoke.
Go get 'em, Klausy.