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“That doesn’t l-l-look scary Zero!” Rabbit chastised, as Zero showed off the ‘spooky’ ghost he had made out of construction paper and glitter. The duo sat on the floor, in a mess of paper, glue, glitter, string, crayons and pipe cleaners in Living Room 3.
Zero pouted, “I tried but I don’t really like scary things.”
“These are s-s-suppose ta be scary for Halloween. That ghost is t-t-too cute.” Rabbit frowned, how could they have the best Halloween for the family if everything wasn’t perfect? Especially since it was Zero’s first Halloween back with the family. It needed to be spooky.
“I think it’s a very nice ghost Zero.” The Spine spoke from behind his newspaper. While the bots could download anything they wanted to read, almost instantly from the internet, the Spine still enjoyed the feel of a real newspaper in his hands.
Zero perked up at his older brother’s praise. “Thanks The Spine. You wanna help us make more decorations?”
“Ehhhh…I don’t think so. I want to finish my paper.” The Spine said, though really he just didn’t want to get covered with glue and glitter…like last time.
There was noise at the doorway. “Found them!” Steve shouted, struggling to bring in a large cardboard box with the word 'Halloween' written in black marker on the side.
“Steve let me help.” The Spine offered, already standing to take the box from his friend.
“Nah, I’ve got it. I…oops...” Steve gave a yelp as he slipped on some crayons and fell, box flying from his hands and bursting open onto the floor scattering various spooky decorations.
“Ooh a Halloween piñata!” Rabbit giggled, grabbing at the spilled items.
“Are you okay Steve?” Zero worried, helping the sound engineer sit up.
“Just hurt my pride.” Steve sighed, rubbing his backside and doing his best to ignore Michael’s light laugh coming from the doorway. He was carrying a much smaller box.
“Told you we should have asked for help with that box.” Michael smirked as he put his box down on the coffee table.
Steve rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Yeah…well…” Steve mumbled bending over to start picking things up from the floor. Suddenly he gave a snort, “Look! A sparkly ghost.” Zero was about to speak up when Steve continued. “It’s not spooky at all.”
Rabbit smirked and Zero dropped his head forlornly, moving to leave the room. The Spine opened his mouth to comfort his little brother but was interrupted by Chelsea and Camille coming into the room with boxes of costumes. The white cowboy hat and ivory handled cap guns always distracted the Spine. His cosplay inspiration for Rex Marksley.
***********************
Zero pouted as he walked down the hallway. “It’s not spooky Zero…it needs to be scary Zero….” He stopped at one of the disused lab entrances, an idea forming in his head. “They want spooky? I’ll give them spooky.” Slowly made his way down the old stairwell, down deeper and deeper into the darkness. Past the basement and the sub-basement, even deeper, making his way through rooms of the old labs, the labs that had not been touched in decades. He pushed against a door and it creaked open. Here is was. Dr. Heinstein’s lab. A doctor of the occult and magic. Blue matter was magic in a way…and science. Perhaps all magic, is just misunderstood science.
Zero walked past the jars of strange animals and body parts pickled in formaldehyde. He’s optics rested on a book laying on the decrepit old table. “Book of…” Zero blew the dust off the leather bound tome. “…Spells.” Zero smiled, this was what he wanted. He remembered Dr. Heinstein once saying how magic could do anything and this little book of spells was just the ticket. Zero began to flip through the book looking for something to give his family a good thrilling, spook. Alot of pages were missing and some crumbled apart in his fingers. This book was old! Settling on a spell that was semi-legible, he grabbed some chalk from the old black board and began to draw the strange intricate symbol. Once he was sure it matched the picture in the book Zero started reading the words that went with it.
I call upon the spirit of fright,
To make a living nightmare night,
Frighten those within this dwelling,
Feed upon the nightmare felling.
The symbol on the blackboard began to glow and glow brighter still. The brilliant light burned into the room, blinding everything in white.
Zero screamed.
********************
Steve awoke with a gasp, covered in sweat. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong. He could feel it deep down in his gut. Slipping the folding knife he kept on his bed stand into his sweat pants pocket, Steve picked up the little sluggers baseball bat he kept by the bedside. Sliding on his sneakers, he hurried from his room. He would do a once around the manor, making sure that everything was okay. That it was just a dream.
************************
Rabbit giggled, watching the very fake, rubber suit ‘monster’ stalk its victims in the old black and white movie. She loved the old classic movie channel. It showed way better films than were made nowadays.
“Raaaabbit…” A voice whispered from the dark hallway outside the door.
Rabbit’s head snapped up, the movie forgotten. It was late, just after midnight. No one should still be up…except maybe Spine, or Steve, or Zero but…that didn’t sound like any of them.
“Rabbit…” The voice called again slightly louder.
“W-w-whose there?” She called getting to her feet and slowly approaching the doorway, why was the hallway outside so eerily dark? The TV clicked off behind her and the lights followed after bathing the room in darkness.
“You know who I am Rabbit…” A golden form came into view, sliding into the room as if he owned it. He wore a black top hat with brass goggles and a black suit trimmed with red.
Rabbit felt her coolant pump hitch inside her chest. “You…you can’t…be real…” She backed away as her old body, her old self, stalked into the room.
“But I am Rabbit. I’m the real you, the better you. You’re so ugly now, why did you change? Horrid female thing.” While he spoke, male Rabbit smirked at her, like she was a joke.
“I-I-I’m how I’m suppose to b-b-be.” She argued back as strongly as she could but as her old body moved closer, she found herself on the retreat. Her leg servos were buckling, the oil in her body felt like ice, her gears freezing up with fear.
“No one loves you like this. They just lie and pretend. Everyone laughs at you, wishes you would just be normal again and stop being a girl.” He reached for her. “I'll make you right again.”
Rabbit couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. She couldn’t even ping the Wi-Fi for help. She was frozen to the spot with fright.
Suddenly there was a loud clang and male Rabbit fell to the floor. Steve stood over him, baseball bat in hand, panting heavily. “Rabbit you okay?”
Rabbit didn’t move or blink. Her mismatched optics glazed over. Steve tapped her shoulder gently, “Come on Rabbit, I need you to focus.”
She finally blinked, her optics refocusing on the human in front of her face. “St…Steve? Steve!” She pulled him into a hug, her doppelganger still unconscious on the floor. “What’s g-g-going on?”
Steve kicked the bot with his foot. “No idea. I woke up feeling like something was wrong in the manor. Guess I was right.” He gave the legs of the copy Rabbit another kick. "Who the heck made this? I wonder if..."
A scream floated through the air cutting off Steve's musing. Rabbit's frowned, “That’s Chelsea!” She asserted after a voice match.
Steve frowned as well. “Let’s go.”
****************************
Michael sat up in bed with a gasp. Someone had screamed, he was sure of it. Grabbing his banjo as a weapon Michael hurried from his bedroom. The scream had sounded far away, almost like a ghost of sound drifting through the air...odd. Now in the dark hallway he couldn’t hear anything strange. In fact it was much too quiet even for the manor at night. No wait, he could hear a slight mechanical whirring echoing down the hallway. Like someone was building something. Turning in that direction Michael began to jog towards the sound.
*************************
Drilling in! They were at the door drilling in! The Spine was trapped in the hall of wires. The drills would be inside soon and they would tear him apart bit by bit just like they had done in Vietnam. The sound they made! Please, no more drilling noises. The Spine begged silently as tears of oil dripped from his optics. His optics never left the door, as tiny hole after tiny hole was drilled into it. Slowly carving out enough room for the drills to drive inside. They would get him soon, he was going to be taken apart while conscious.
There was a human shout, like a battle cry, over the mechanical drilling and then the sound of metal being struck and some curse words. “Spine! Spine, you in there?” Michael voice called, panting.
The Spine could only whimper in reply.
“Please Spine, it me Michael.” The door handle jiggled. “Come on, unlock the door.”
“I can’t…” The Spine managed to finally sob out from his spot in the corner. “The drills will get me.”
Michael sighed, “I smashed them all Spine. Please open up. Something’s really wrong.” Another scream echoed down the hallway and Micheal turned his head towards it. “That sounded like Chelsea.”
The door opened with a click. “No, that was Camille.” The Spine said, adjusting his hat and wiping the oil from his face. He might be afraid but that scream had set his resolve. His family needed him.
With a nod, the duo raced down the hallway towards the sound of the distressed Walter worker. The Spine only spared a passing glance at the destroyed drills.
******************
Camille gasped for air. Her heart beating like a drum in her chest. It pounded so hard, she thought it would burst. She couldn’t keep running like this, she couldn’t… but she dared not stop. Her lungs burned as she stumbled into the corner table in the hallway, knocking the vase of flowers over, glass smashing on the floor. The moaning that had been chasing her echoed loudly from behind her. No! They had found her. She turned to run but her escape was cut off by another shambling corpse closing in on her. The moaning, squishing and gnashing of rotten teeth made her body tremble with fright. The color of putrid flesh turned her stomach to knots. Camille screamed again before crawling under the table she had run into. She couldn’t truly fit but it offered some protection. Shambling, stinking, dripping corpses moved ever closer to her. They were so close now, three living dead in all, trapping her on all sides. They were going to eat her alive!
Suddenly a banjo split the head of the one closest to her, green brains exploding out, splattering on her legs and shoes, as the zombie fell to the floor dead. Silver hands crushed the heads of the other two together like over ripe melons. Ending there undead existence. Camille wretched, gagging slightly, as vomit burned in the back of her throat.
“Camille! Are you hurt?” Michael asked, reaching his hand under the table for her. The Spine stood guard over the two humans as Michael helped her up. Camille was breathing hard, trembling and paler than normal.
She buried her face into Michael’s chest, clutching at him desperately. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you…” She mumbled almost incoherently, as she continued to shake with adrenaline.
Michael soothed her, gently rubbing her back. “It’s okay, we’re here now. It’s okay. We won’t leave you. Are you hurt?”
Camille shook her head no but still clung tightly to Micheal for support.
“We need to find the others.” The Spine said quickly, positive he could hear the sound of drills coming closer, drifting down the dark hallway towards them.
Camille wiped at her eyes and pulled away from Michael. She took a deep breath, forcing her heart rate to calm down. “I’m okay.”
“Spine have you tried texting the others? Find out where they are?” Michael asked as the group hurried along another hallway and into a side room. He had not thought to grab his phone from his desk.
The Spine shook his head. “Wi-Fi seems to be down and I cannot get a fix on Rabbit’s or Zero’s location.”
Michael stopped after a moment. Running aimlessly was never a good plan. He and Camille also needed a breather. “Crap…” he muttered, hands on his knees as he panted. “Where are they?”
**************************
Chelsea cried and cried, why had no one come? “Please Help! Someone Help!” She cried again into what she thought was the hallway. She could feel the tears on her cheeks, so she still had eyes, but why couldn’t she see? Darkness, pure darkness greeted her, it did not matter if her eyes were open or closed. “Please…” She begged the silence around her, tripping over the carpet and falling to the floor, her arms wide in a futile attempt to grab onto something.
She cried out in pain and fear as she struck the floor…never having felt more alone in her life.
“Chelsea!” A voice called her name.
“Steve?” she turned towards the sound of footsteps and steam. “It’s that you?”
“Of course it’s me. I…” but Rabbit’s hand on his shoulder stopped his words.
“I’m here t-t-too Chelsea. You can’t see, c-c-can ya?” Rabbit asked softly, kneeling closer, as the girl kept moving her head at every sound but not really looking at them.
Chelsea shook her head and let out a sob. “I’m blind. I can’t see anything. Please help me?”
“I’m gonna p-p-pick you up. Okay Chelsea?” Rabbit asked, scooting a bit closer to the girl on the floor. Chelsea nodded and Rabbit lifted the Walter worker gently into her arms. “It’s gonna b-b-be okay.” The automaton soothed her friend as best she could.
Cold, whispering squeaking sounds echoed down the hallway from behind them. Steve turned at the sound, his face suddenly pale. He knew that noise. “We need to keep moving. Find the others.” he said quickly.
Chelsea swiveled her head towards his voice. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain as we run.” Steve answered and Chelsea felt herself being carried along at a jog.
**********************
“Something’s coming.” The Spine said moving in front of an exhausted Michael and Camille to protect them. He could handle almost anything, survive almost anything. The humans looked ready to collapse. A moment later the two humans could hear the sound as well, footsteps moving quickly, getting louder and closer. Lights were the first thing The Spine saw in the darkness, one blue and one green. “Rabbit!” he shouted. “Is that you?”
“1864!” Rabbit called back, using an old code word the 'bots had used during WW1 and WW2. The year Pappy was been born. Chelsea was cradled in Rabbit's arms, while Steve brought up the rear. At the sight of her sister being carried Camille made a soft noise, fearing the worst.
“Camille?” Chelsea called, shifting in Rabbit’s arms towards the sound.
“I’m here.” She said taking her sister’s hand as Rabbit put her down.
"Chelsea, what's wrong?" Micheal asked.
"I can't see...blind." Chelsea said as Camille pulled her close.
Steve heard more demonic, squeaky sounding laughter from the darkness behind them. “We need to keep moving.”
“Moving to where? No where has been safe.” Camille countered.
“We could try and get out of the manor.” The Spine offered. “That may be our best bet.”
“Has anyone seen Zero?” Chelsea asked, she did not hear his voice with the others.
“Th’Spine and I, w-w-we’ll look for him after we g-g-get you guys out safe.” Rabbit said. The human's didn't look well at all and the 'bots had a duty to protect them. They were family too.
“The closest way out is the exit to the side garden. It’s not far.” The Spine said as the group slowly began to move. They made it to the doorway without incident but something was wrong. It was black as pitch outside. So black they couldn’t see anything. No moon, no stars, no street lamps, no sounds of traffic…no fresh air blowing in.
Michael took a few steps forward, gazing into the midnight veil. “What in the world?”
Spiders burst from the dark doorway and into the hall, dozens of tarantulas, all focusing on Michael, scurrying towards him. A scream ripped from his throat as he dropped his banjo and stumbled backwards trying to get away. Not Spiders, anything but spiders!
Rabbit was between him and the arachnids in a moment, her jaw already disengaged as she lit up the hallway in flames. They squealed and squirmed, burning to death. Steve and the Spine followed quickly behind Rabbit, snuffing and stomping out the few burning bugs and hot cinders that remained. Burning the manor down would be a bad thing.
We're trapped...trapped..." Camille's voice shook, as her body began to tremble once more. Chelsea, though blind, pulled her little sister into a hug.
“What the hell is happening?!” Michael semi- screamed. “It’s like all of our fears are being made real.”
“Fears made real….” The Spine and Rabbit exchanged a look. “You don’t think?”
Rabbit nodded, “Dr. Heinstein’s work.”
“Who?” Steve asked, putting out the last of the hot embers.
“Dr. Heinstein dabbled in the occult and magic.” The Spine started.
Rabbit interrupted. “Pappy t-t-threw him out of the Calvalcadium after he c-c-caused professor Doffel to have a fatal heart attack f-f-from fear.”
“Everything would still be in the lab in the sub-sub-sub-basement. You don’t think Zero would have…?”
Rabbit frowned, guilt on her face. “I was g-g-giving him a hard time about n-n-not being scary…he might have…”
“Might have what?” Camille asked, still keeping a gentle hand on her blind sister's arm.
“Have summoned a fear demon to give us a scare... but that creature that feeds off the fear of its victim… until the victim…dies." The Spine shook his head quickly. "Zero wouldn't have known that. We never told him the details of what happened to professor Doffel after Heinstein's spell.” The Spine said slowly as he looked at the humans around him. Everyone looked rather beat up, with pale sweat soaked faces, tired, aching bodies, sunken eyes. The Spine felt his core clench… they wouldn’t survive much longer being tormented with fear.
“Can we undo it?” Chelsea asked.
“Maybe but will have to find the spell he used and find Zero as well. I hope he’s okay.” The Spine vented a bit of steam from his neck, worried deeply for his little brother's safety.
“So we need to get to the basement?” Steve asked, before suddenly spinning to face the darkness behind the little group…that strange squeaky, high pitched sound echoed again down the hall. No one else seemed to hear it.
“Assuming the door is still there. Come on.” Michael said leading the way. The Spine right by his side, followed by Camille, and Rabbit, who was carrying Chelsea. Steve brought up the rear. In the dim light of the hallway Steve was sure he caught a glimpse of something bright following them, but it always stayed just out of sight.
Michael knew the manor almost as well as the ‘bots leading them to the stairwell that went all the way down. “Do we all go?” he asked while trying to catch his breath.
The Spine shook his head. “It’s like a maze down there and very dark. I’ll go.”
“I’m coming with you.” Steve stepped forward swinging his bat slightly. Michael opened his mouth to argue but Steve spoke before he could. “I can see better in the dark than you can Mike. You and Rabbit, stay up here and protect the girls.” Steve didn’t even wait for confirmation as he slipped down the stairs, the Spine followed close on his heels.
Camille helped Chelsea into a nearby chair and whispered words of comfort to her sister. Rabbit saw a flash of blue and green in the dark. “Please hurry the Spine.” She thought to herself.
**************
“How much further?” Steve asked, keeping his voice low.
“We are getting close to the lab now.” The Spine said before holding up his hand and making a fist. Steve went silent. There was light glowing not far ahead of them. Slowly the duo moved towards the doorway and looked inside the room.
“I don’t believe it.” Steve whispered.
Zero was in the center on the room…floating and glowing with a greenish hue. Tendrils of light bound around him from a strange symbol drawn on the black board behind him. He seemed to be talking to himself as he moved from place to place in the lab, writing things down and moving things about.
The Spine frowned, “We need to break the connection between the spell portal and Zero." the Spine spoke as if he had been in this situation before. "I have an idea but I need time…I need you to distract him Steve.”
“No problem.” Steve moved to stand but the Spine stopped him.
“I don’t think we are dealing with Zero right now.” The Spine warned with a frown.
Steve only nodded and then stepped into the lab. “Dr. Heinstein?” he called out loud, getting the possessed Zero’s attention. “I’m…your new assistant.” Steve bluffed, as the Spine slipped away to enact his plan.
**********************
“This is bad!” Camille said. Zombies, Zombies were coming towards them from one side of the hallway.
“You said it.” Michael held in his fright as best he could as a wall of spiders was slowly crawling their way towards them from the other side of the hall.
“What’s happening?” Chelsea gasped, her fright had been unending in her blind state, it had been better when the others were calm but now fear was in the air along with noises she couldn’t follow.
“Rabbit…” Rabbit's old voice called from the room across the way. Rabbit let out a whimper as her old self-came forward. “Bad Rabbit…no one loves you...ugly, worthless Rabbit…”
Rabbit whimpered and backed against the wall. Holding up her hands in a weak attempt at defense as her old body moved towards her.
Wham! The sound of metal striking metal roused Rabbit from her nightmare. “Don’t you talk to her like that!” Camille shouted, brandishing a large wrench at Rabbit's copy. “Don’t you ever talk to her like that…you…you aren’t even real! Just a nightmare! I’ll take you apart!” Camille challenged. Just as she advanced on this imposter Rabbit, the zombies were suddenly and inexplicably closer. Camille gasped and faltered but only for a moment as Michael swung into the fray, bashing undead heads in with his mighty banjo. “Rabbit, handle the spiders would ya?" He called out while bashing another skull apart, brains flying out like custard from an éclair. Camille was already engaging the fake Rabbit in disassembly battle.
Rabbit nodded at Michael’s orders and there was a audible click as flames engulfed the hallway once more.
Chelsea moved to stand, feeling the heat of Rabbit's fire so close to her body. "Chelsea just sit still!" Micheal shouted. "You've got to trust us. We’ll protect you.”
Chelsea sank back into the chair pulling her knees up to her chest. She trusted her friends, her family, with her life but she couldn't see and the sounds plus the heat caused her mind to imagine the most horrific things.
**************************
“My…what?” Zero hissed in a voice that wasn’t like his at all.
“Your new assistant.” Steve said nonchalantly, picking up a very dusty lab coat and slipping it on. “What do you want me to start on? Sorting beakers? Dusting?”
“I…did not request a new assistant.” Zero floated closer to Steve’s face, eyes calculating behind the eerily glowing.
“Are you sure? I mean I was told to report to Dr. Heinstein. That is you right? I mean is there another Dr. Heinstein?”
The ghost possessed Zero hissed again. “I am the only Dr. Heinstein! The greatest occult mind that has ever lived…and you…are lying…” He cackled, suddenly as Steve felt himself being lifted into the air. “I don’t know who you are…but you will regret ever being born…death will not end your torment from me. So many experiments to try. I will…ugh…” Possessed Zero groaned and Steve suddenly fell a few feet to the floor, released from the maniacal ghost’s grip.
Wires lashed around Zero’s body as the Spine gave a hard tug, pulling Zero’s form roughly, breaking the light stands that held him, that controlled him. Zero stopped glowing and fell to the floor. The glow in the room fading away slightly, no longer quite so bright.
“Steve are you okay?!” The Spine called from where he knelt over his younger brother’s form. Zero seemed to be offline.
Steve coughed, “Yeah, yeah I am but…is Zero okay?”
Zero moved, gears starting up as his optics blinked open. “Um…what happened?” He asked looking from the Spine to Steve.
“Thank the makers you’re alright Zero.” The Spine sighed, pulling him into a hug.
“Th’Spine? I had such a terrible dream.”
“It’s okay Zero it’s over.”
Laughter, squeaking unnaturally echoed down the hall towards the lab. This time they all heard it. “It’s not over.” Steve said, his voice trembling. He could hear it now, the ceaseless giggling, the sound of rubber squeaking. “Don’t…don’t let him get me…” He whispered, backing away from the door as far as he could. The Spine had never seen such fear in Steve’s eyes. Whatever was coming was very bad.
“Zero the Spell book, where is it?” Spine asked looking on the floor.
“Here is it.” Zero offered as the Spine quickly flipped through it before reading out loud.
“You can stop the spell in two ways, breaking the symbol…” The Spine was interrupted by the sound of Steve striking the slate stone blackboard, right in the center of the archaic design. Just as Steve's colorful pink with yellow polka dots fear pushed into the room, laughing and making such strange squeaks as its green eyes bounce around on its face, red lips curled around glacier white teeth. A yellow bow tie was around its thick stump like neck. "Blob blob blobby blob!" Its shrieked, reaching for Steve. Panicking Steve swung as hard as he could into the black board. It cracked, slate breaking to pieces.
The pink man- blob never ceased smiling as it turned into mist and faded away. Steve looked back to the bots, with a smirk of triumph on his face when the room began to shake.
The Spine continued. “…is not one of the ways and will immediately summon the fear demon in physical form.”
The floor cracked, light shining up. A being with six eyes, twisted goat horns, bat like wings and a forked tail began to rise from the floor. “Fear me mortals! Your doom had arrived. Your torture shall be eternal, my appetite for fear inescapable! I will devour your body and souls! Hahahahahaha!”
“That’s it? That’s the fear demon?” Steve asked, looking down at the eight inch tall creature. It also seemed surprised at the height of the mortals it wanted to frighten to death.
“Aww he’s so little and cute. Let’s keep him as a pet!” Zero said.
“Yeah, how about no Zero.” Steve said lifting up his baseball bat.
“Uh oh….” The demon squeaked out as Steve smashed his bat down on top of it. The floor went back to normal, the rumbling stopped, the eerily light vanished. Steve lifted up his bat, gooey slime covering the bottom. “Gross…” he wiped it on the floor.
The Wi-Fi clicked back on instantly, as did the lab lights. “Rabbit says everyone is okay, the monsters vanished and Chelsea got her sight back.” The Spine said quickly.
“Chelsea couldn’t see?” Zero asked worried.
The Spine sighed. “Zero let’s have a little chat about spell books and why we don’t touch them. Especially if you can't read the fine print.”
Zero’s head dropped as the Spine filled him in on what happened. Slowly they made their way back up all those stairs. “I’m sorry Th’ Spine. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” Zero's core felt broken. He only wanted to scare them in a fun way, not the horrible torment the Spine was describing.
Steve patted Zero’s shoulder. “Look at it this was pal, this has been the scariest Halloween any of us has ever had.”
Zero smiled a little at that as Steve continued. “But maybe next year we should just skip Halloween and go right to Thanksgiving.”