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Chapter Text

“Thank you, thank you all you guys and ghouls and all you sickos in between! But unfortunately, that’s all the time I have for tonight’s episode of…”

“Horrorland Hidden Camera!” shouted the live studio audience.

“Aw, shucks. It’s like you read my mind. Tune in next week to see who our fine monsters will scare next, or stream anytime on Monster Channel Plus! Goodnight, and sweet screams!”

With that Madison quickly made his way backstage, proud of himself for hosting another fine episode, but feeling tired after spending practically all day at the studio rehearsing, dealing with rabid fans trying to break into his dressing room as per usual, and dealing with the occasional phone calls, or any other form of intrusive communication, from his so-called “brothers” between the commercial breaks.

And speaking of.

He was about to pass Growler, one of the many security guards employed by the studio, and who often played the role of impromptu bodyguard at times, when the dragon-like horror said,

“Sir, you got a visitor.”

Madison waved a hand at him before grabbing some hot chocolate from the craft service table. “Really? And at this hour? Tell them they’ll have to come back tomorrow morning. Everyone knows that seven o’clock is ‘Madison’s Time.’ And you know what happens when you bother me during that time.”

“It’s rather urgent sir. Your brother’s here.”

Madison nearly dropped his cup as his wide eyes briefly flashed purple. “ Which one?”

“Mr. Joseph, sir.”

Madison was frozen from who knew what emotion he was feeling right now, crushing his cup of hot cocoa with no regard to the painful burn his hand felt through its leather glove.

Samuel? SAMUEL?! WHY IS HE HERE?! AND WHAT THE HELL WOULD HE WANT AT THIS HOUR?!

“Where is he? And what does he want?!”

“Right outside your manor. He told me to tell you to see him immediately after the show.”

“Tell him to give me a few. And I’m surprised he managed to get there. Most folks reaching my home usually don’t finish the trip.”

But he had better not hurt any of my guard creatures on the way! Fellow Harbinger or not he needs to respect MY creatures on MY turf!

“If you need some assistance, I’m happy to oblige,” Growler offered.

“I’m fine. Besides, this is a more personal matter than I think you can handle…”

***

After the long and tiring trip through the rest of the dark woods surrounding the park, Madison had finally made it back to his home sweet, sweet home.

While Garliclauter Place wasn’t as grand of a Victorian style house as one would expect for a Harbinger, while also living up to its name with its abundance of vampire-proof measures, it was private, secluded, and allowed Madison to focus his mind on other things, assuming he wasn’t working away in his private lab.

And just as expected, he could spot Samuel standing by the front door, the man in black appearing rather impatient, even if it was hard to tell with the gigantic face mask covering practically every inch of his jaw.

“Well look who decided to actually show his face,” Madison said, getting the other Harbinger’s attention. 

“Pleasure to see you too, Storm,” simply came Samuel’s cold semblance of a friendly greeting. “And for the physical embodiment of chaos, your home is very well kept.”

“Wow. A compliment from you of all people? What do you want, Samuel?”

“After going dark for a while, and because I know how hard it's getting to run Horrorland in this day and age, especially all by your lonesome self, I’d figured that I would do something…special to make up for it.”

“And that is?”

“A gift,” Samuel said, garnering shock out of Madison. “A rather special gift, to better elaborate.”

“A gift? From YOU?” Madison questioned in total disbelief.

A pair of uniformed horrors then stepped out, Samuel giving them a quick thanks before paying them and letting them on their way. 

“And since when did you get permission to let people into MY house?!”

“Just this once, brother. And because it wasn’t a one man effort just to get the cage in the house.”

Cage?

“Follow me. It should be in the living room.”

Letting Samuel go in first, if only to process what he’s just heard, Madison hurriedly followed after, stopping beside Samuel to better take in the sight he couldn’t believe he was seeing.

It was a cage, alright. A cage with a man lying unconscious on the metal flooring, his body curled to better fit his cramped prison, but not enough to hide the many bruises and scars dotting his arms and legs, any other injuries likely obscured by the starchy looking hospital gown worn by his frail body, his face obscured by the long and messy white hair on his head.

But his most distinguishing feature were the pair of large, silver wings sprouting from his back, one folded up tightly with the other almost unfolded over him. 

“I know he’s not fit for much now, but he should prove himself once he’s able. Make him an assistant, a pet, an attraction in your freakshow park. But it’s a real shame that I have to part with such an excellent specimen, and one of my most successful half-human hybrids…”

Whatever else Samuel went on a tangent about Madison couldn’t hear, not with his focus specifically targeting the bird…man…thing…whatever he was in the cage, his mind asking itself what the hell happened to him.

Funny, isn’t it, Storm? The very Harbinger of Chaos, destined to dismantle all that keeps existence in order, and who couldn’t care less about humans, feeling sympathy for that half-human thing, or feeling sympathy at all? Came the mocking thoughts of Karloff echoing through his head. 

Well, at least I have my standards, Madison shot back. And what did I say about spying on my thoughts during my personal time?!

I know, I know. But a certain horror told me Samuel was coming today, and I couldn’t help it. Besides, the reaction you're showing is too damn funny to miss out on.

Madison scoffed before giving a glare as if Karloff could see it.

“Something wrong?” Samuel spoke up, forcing him to snap out of it.

“Nothing. Just Karloff again.”

“Prying your mind again? Typical.” Samuel let out a sigh. “I guess this is the part where I take my leave. After all, I’d rather not take up the time you’ll spend with your new bird.”

Samuel roughly handed him an aging iron key as he turned to leave, about to step through the door when he added,

“And I hope you’ll also see this as a…peace offering, after what happened between us after you lost it with you-know-who.”

Madison shivered, as if Samuel spoke the very name of the fourth Harbinger.

“Um, yeah. And thanks.”

He waited until he left before hastily trying to unlock the cage, the key refusing to insert let alone turn until he put all his strength into it, breathing in relief when he got the door to open a crack. And after slamming it open with an audible squeal, Madison kneeled down to better observe the man’s current state, taking note of the way he seemed to twitch in his slumber, or how uneven his chest expanded with every breath he took.

“What to do, what to do, WHAT TO DO?!” Madison was telling himself, his eyes flashing between purple and blue as his panicked thoughts tried to think of a way to handle this, the glow in his purple veins joining in with an intense flash. “Wait…”

Pulling out his phone, he scrolled his contacts until he found the group chat between him, Growler, Byron, and Blek, quickly wondering why he added the latter before reminding himself of what he needed to do.

After all, he needed a few strong monsters to help rearrange his old supply closet into some semblance of a guest room. And while that was happening, maybe he had some spare pajamas that would feel better than that rough material Samuel considers clothing. Then again, the man was even more into the “mad scientist” aesthetics than he was…

***

At first, he couldn’t tell where he was, his vision as cloudy and disoriented as his tired mind the moment he opened his eyes. Was he really brought to Samuel’s “brother” like he was told before being drugged out of his mind on…whatever it was that they considered a tranquilizing drug.

He tried to move up, but his body felt too heavy for him to lift, deciding on plopping back down on the dusty but soft bed he was lying on…

…Bed?!

And sure enough, he felt the soft, cotton covers on his body, pulling it off to a sight that made him gasp.

Instead of the scratchy and stiff hospital gown, he was fitted into a more snuggly fit set of red and black pajamas. 

Which helped into setting him into a panic, especially once his vision cleared to reveal the narrow and messy space he and his bed were in, or what he could see with the only bare lightbulb that acted as the sole lightsource.

From the boxes piled high to the old couch facing a stack of dusty suitcases to the peeling wallpaper, with the occasional cobweb in the corners of the room. 

What is this place? Where am I? What happened to me?! I hope something didn’t happen to me while I was out…

The feathers on his wings puffed up upon hearing the click of the door knob turning, his heart racing faster as the door slowly came open.

He barely had time to register the figure entering, as his once tired body was thrown into overdrive with the urge to run.

“Heya, heya. How are we feel-”

Sebastian ignored the oof! The figure made as he slammed the figure out of the way, running blindly through the red and black halls with no sense of direction like a headless chicken, only hoping that he would eventually find something that could mean a way out.

Meanwhile, Madison gave an annoyed huff while reorienting himself.

“So much for hello.”

And knowing that he would only get himself further lost, Madison chased after, sending a quick text through the group chat to help in the search, and without resorting to violent means if they could help it.

Hopefully.

Chapter Text

Sebastian had no idea of where he was going at all, the windowless halls feeling more like a maze than the layout for an actual house.

Yet despite this, he was determined to find a way out, and hopefully without a certain man in black lying in wait for him.

But as he quickly learned, the potential of seeing Samuel again was the least of his problems, as he was quickly halted by the large and imposing green creature with pointed horns that stood in his way, nearly crashing into the beast as he forced his feet to stop in their tracks.

“Where do you think you’re going?” came his low and intimidating voice.

Without a word, if only because he was too scared to say a thing, Sebastian turned to run in the other direction, once again finding himself lost in the halls until he came upon a set of stairs leading down. Taking a chance, he followed them down, nearly crashing into another creature with brown scales at the bottom, the beast stronger, bigger, and more draconic than the first.

“You’re not going any- wait!”

But Sebastian ignored him as he made a sharp turn into another set of halls, the creature struggling to chase after, which at least made it easier for him to lose the creature, who he could hear complain about a house needing so many halls far behind him.

And like upstairs, he couldn’t find a sense of direction, even with the lone hall lined with windows providing him a glance of the tall, dark forests outside, reminding him of the Black Woods of Germany.

But was this even Germany? With everyone speaking English so far, he ruled that possibility out for the moment.

After what felt like an eternity running aimlessly, the constant shouting of his pursuers sounding so close yet so far at once, he stumbled upon a dead end.

A dead end with a trap door made of oak built into the floor right before his feet. 

As much as he hated the idea, he tested the door a bit, pulling the iron handle up to find the door pulling up with little resistance.

Don’t even bother with a lock, huh?

Hearing the shouts getting closer, he was about to leave the door behind when he saw the four figures rushing towards him, no sign of a way he could easily slip past them. And after checking his arms, the many, many fern-like patterns from his healing lichtenberg still fresh, even if they were mostly obscured by the nasty blue and purple bruises, he knew he was barely in any state to unleash his full power on them. He had no choice but to slam open the trap door and climb down the shaking ladder into the dark abyss, the surprised shouts from above him fading the further he descended.

And with the lack of any lighting he could find, he relied on his night vision to weave past the many crates and boxes that stood in his way, hoping there would be a decent place to hide, or better yet, a way out of this place.

Their shouts bounced off the dark brick walls as their pounding footsteps came closer, Sebastian picking up the pace as the crates were steadily replaced with metallic objects in all shapes in sizes, some of them barely covered by white bedsheets, some were not, a few of them briefly humming to life as he passed them. But it wasn’t until he reached the end of the basement, where he nearly crashed into the wooden shelves line with beakers and jars filled with liquids in assorted colors, along with the sudden flash of fluorescent ceiling lights revealing the elaborate inventions and machinery, that it dawned to him where he was.

A lab. One that looked too old school to be one of Samuel’s, but still a lab none the less. And combined with the voices of his pursuers getting close, this was enough for him to enter a panicked fight or flight mode, eyes dashing back and forth for somewhere to hide, the sudden shout of one of them scaring him into flying up onto the stack of crates in the far off corner, staying low and quiet as he watched the figures arrive exactly where he stood.

“Well, now what?!” came the only human in the group, who’s back was thankfully turned towards him at first before turning around in search, Sebastian holding back a snort upon getting a better view of his bizarre red outfit, most of it hidden by his oversized black long coat.

“It’s a dead end. He couldn’t have gone too far,” the draconic creature said.

“Perhaps we should split up in two?” suggested one of the green monsters, who had more curvy horns than the first one. “Byron and I can search this way, and you and Growler search that way,” he added, pointing in the direction of the crates, Sebastian backing farther away in hopes that nobody spotted him.

And sure enough, they split into groups of two, the green creatures going across the room, while the man and dragon creature were about to walk past the crates, Sebastian going completely still, and dead silent, as he prayed they wouldn’t see him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t factor in the creature’s potential sense of smell.

Sebastian held back a gasp as the dragon creature stopped to raise his nose in the air, his head tilting and turning as he loudly sniffed. Until he was looking right in his direction, lowering his head to glare at him with glowing cyan eyes.

“There you are,” he said with a growl to his voice, a cowering Sebastian yelping in panic before backing away until his wings smacked against the corner behind him.

“Woah, Growler. You could’ve toned it down a bit,” the man then said. “Look at how much you’re scaring him.”

Growler snorted at that. “Funny, hearing that out of you. But I think he’s just as scared of you as he is of me,” the creature said while pointing to Sebastian, as if to put emphasis as to how he kept his eyes glued onto them and  their every move.

“Crap. Well, what do you suggest we do about it?”

“Not like I would know. I’m security, not animal control.”

Sebastian’s fear diminished if only for a moment to give them a death glare for saying that.

“What? You are an animal…in a way.”

Offense turned to embarrassment when Sebastian’s stomach grumbled, and rather loudly than he would like it, sheepishly unfolding a wing to hide himself as he held a hand over his starving gut.

“Are you hungry?” the man spoke up, Sebastian refusing to face him from behind his feathered shield. “You think he might respond to food?”

“Who knows. Do you even have anything in this lab?”

“Well, uh…”

Sebastian then heard the sound of shuffling, moving his wing away to watch as the man and creature were rummaging through some old shelves and cupboards, the man just tossing things wildly behind him while the creature observed whatever he held before putting it away neatly.

“Um, I got crackers!” declared the man, who proudly presented a sleeve of saltine crackers to Sebastian. “Bird man want a cracker?”

Sebastian just frowned, clearly not impressed with his offering.

“Okay…” The man tossed it away before turning to rummage again, this time pulling out a bag of sunflower seeds. “How about some seeds? Birds like seeds…don’t they?”

Sebastian was now an odd mixture of offended and unimpressed.

At least it wasn’t bird seed.

“Well, what CAN you eat?” the man questioned aloud, about to give up when the beast pointed to a strange jar, almost like a cookie jar, on top of the cupboard.

“Oh no, we’re not doing that . You know better than to let anyone else touch my chocolate!”

“Chocolate?” Sebastian asked without a second thought, his eyes wide as he clamped both hands over his mouth.

“Huh. He can talk at least. But we’re not going to give him any of my chocolates! They’re mine , you hear me?!”

“Oh come on, do you really want to leave him like this? I mean, not like I’m saying I’m against leaving him to rot if we have to.”

Sebastian looked at the creature with horror.

“Assuming I’m not gonna manhandle him down here,” he quickly added, not deterring Sebastian’s fears one bit.

“I didn’t imply we do any of those if we have to, but…” The man rubbed his eyes with one hand before sighing. “Fine. If I must…”

Sebastian was already expecting the worst, so it came as a great surprise when the man took the jar from its spot, putting his hand inside to pull out a handful of candies wrapped in what appeared to be black and red foil.

“Here,” the man simply said. “Bird man want some chocolates?”

But Sebastian didn’t move from his place, just staring at the candies he held up.

“Um, maybe if you placed them down, and preferably far away from us?” the creature suggested, the man rolling his eyes before moving forward, walking to place the candies in front of the crate stack, ignoring the flinch Sebastian made before backing away.

At first, Sebastian had his eyes intently on the candies, then to the man and creature, then back to the candies again, uncertain of their offer.

What if this is a trap? What if they’re just trying to lure me down here before-

The grumbling grew louder, the hunger pangs he could barely feel before getting too strong and painful for him to ignore.

So he decided to take the risk and leap down, relying on his wings to carry him down like a parachute before landing right next to the candies. He picked one up, observing the odd design and contrasting color scheme of the wrapping before gently peeling it off, uncovering the dark chocolate candy within. 

After the obligatory sniff test, finding nothing off about the smell other than the sharpness of pure cacao, he took a nervous nibble, the overwhelming sweet and bitter combination of flavors making him pop it in his mouth, only chewing a few times as he unwrapped and ate another. And another. And another. Until he was practically wolfing down the sweet treats, not realizing how many candies he went through until he noticed the remains of shredded wrappings around him, and no other chocolates in sight.

“Wow. No wonder you were skin and bones when Samuel brought you here.”

The very mention of that name made Sebastian freeze up, but not before turning to face the man with pure fear in his eyes.

“Um, not like that I know him! Honest!” he said.

Sebastian just frowned, clearly not convinced of his words. 

“Ugh. Fine. I’m not sure how much you know, but he did bring you here as a…how can I put this into something that won’t freak you out further…”

“Wait, you’re the brother Samuel told me about?” Sebastian said before Madison could say anything else.

“Brother is really kinda stretching it, but yes. Not like I even asked for a ‘gift,’ let alone from him ,” the man said bitterly. “And I definitely didn’t ask to be given someone as a pet, attraction, or whatever else that JERK thinks would be of use of you in my park!”

After being taken aback by the sudden burst of anger, even if it wasn’t directed towards him, Sebastian questioned how much of it was honest or just a façade to get him to drop his guard.

“And…and…” The man seemed to struggle with what else to say, motioning the creature close to whisper, not like it sounded like a whisper with his hearing,

“What else do I say here?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking me, sir. Perhaps you can assure him you won’t hurt him?”

“You both know I can hear all of that, right?” Sebastian spoke up, much to their shock. “Besides, the last person who promised to not hurt me put me through the absolutely worst experience of my entire twenty-three years of existence.”

“Look, bird man, I might not be saintly goody two-shoes material, but at least I have a lot more standards than him. And again, I swear that I wouldn’t dare to do as much as lay a finger on you.” 

“Then why were you chasing me with those beasts?”

“Beast?!” the creature yelled with offense. “For your information, I’m no mere beast, but a horror!”

“What’s a horror?”

“Really? As in Horror land. The only place on this planet where my kind is found?”

“The hell’s a Horrorland?”

“You don’t know? Samuel never told you?” came the man’s surprised response.

Sebastian just held his hands up with shrug.

“Well then. You got a bit of catching up to do. And-”

A weird chime came from a direction Sebastian couldn't discern at first, until he saw the man hold up the oversized pocket watch that hung from his neck, reminding him too much of a rapper from the eighties than he would like.

“Would you look at that? Dinner time! Perhaps we can talk while we dine? And we can get you some actual food, while I here can finally keep my chocolates to myself!” he then said to the horror with an annoyed glare. 

“What? It worked, didn’t it?”

The man looked back to Sebastian without another word. “So, what do you say, bird man?”

“You don’t have to keep calling me that, you know.”

“Oh yeah. What would you like to be called?”

Sebastian realized he put himself in a tight spot, for the trillionth time this year, assuming it was still 2024, no less. After all, if this man actually knows Samuel, who knows what he might do if he were to feed too much information to him, or perhaps too little.

“Um, uh, I, I…you can call me…”

Maybe a nickname wouldn’t hurt?

“Seb,” Sebastian finally blurted out. “Yeah. Seb…”

The man wasn’t too convinced of that, but seemed to accept it for now.

“Okay…nice to meet ya, Seb!” The man held out a hand. “Madison Storm. Founder of Horrorland, Harbinger of Chaos, and one too many titles I’ve been given over eons that I can’t quite recall nowadays.”

Sebastian stared at him with shock.

A Harbinger? An actual, FACTUAL Harbinger?! What kind of lion’s den did Samuel toss you into?!

“Well, c’mon, Seb! Perhaps you don’t know what a handshake is?”

“I do,” he stated. “It’s just…I wasn’t really expecting to see…well, to see that you would be a Harbin…bin…oh jeez, how do I put it in words that won’t make you smite me?”

“How many times do I have to say it? I won’t hurt you. But glad to see that the well deserved reputation of the Harbingers hasn’t diminished.”

With a shaking arm, Sebastian took his hand, Madison giving it a quick shake before drawing it away.

“Now that we’re both acquainted, how about that dinner?”

“Ahem,” came from behind Madison, him and Sebastian turning to find the horror with his arms crossed and bare foot tapping the floor as if he were waiting for something.

“Oh, right. I forgot. This is Growler, one of the horrors who helps guard my park, and my occasional bodyguard.”

Sebastian gave a nervous wave, Growler replying with a surprisingly friendly smile and nod.

“But what about those two green monsters? Are they horrors too?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes,” Growler replied. “Byron and Blek…wait…” Growler searched the area, then putting a massively clawed hand over his ear to listen closely for even the faintest of sound. “Shit. Tell me they didn’t get themselves lost…again.”

“Considering how big this basement lab is, it’s probably, sorta, mostly likely,” Madison just said nonchalantly. “I mean, I’ve gotten lost in my own lab a few times.”

Growler sighed. “You two go ahead. I’ll go retrieve them. But if you do anything rash…” Growler began threatening Sebastian.

“It’ll be fine. Besides, I can fend myself if it comes to be,” Madison said, Sebastian unsure if he was seeing things when he saw the sudden yet brief flash of purple in Madison’s veins and eyes.

Growler nodded. “Noted. Blek! Byron! Where are you two?!”

Growler left as he called out their names, leaving the duo alone by themselves. At first, there was a long and awkward silence, at least until Sebastian asked,

“So…do people really get lost down here? Do you think we can find the way back out? If we can find a way out?”

The man gave an amused smile before letting out a laugh. “Seb, I literally live here. I know this place like the back of my hand. But the other three…eh, not so much. But don’t worry yourself about it. I’m sure they’ll find a way out…probably.” 

“That’s not so assuring.”

Madison shrugged in a very exaggerated manner before turning to walk the way he and the others came, Sebastian springing up to run and follow after him, feeling uneasy about any of this.

From where he was to the fact he was in the presence of a Harbinger, and more importantly, WHY he was acting so…trusting of Madison instead of running for his dear life from him.

Then again, he was a bit more trusting of people who show him any form of kindness, especially if it's in the form of food.

You REALLY need to work on that, Seb. One day it’ll be the death of you.

Chapter Text

“Okay…well then. Takeout it is.”

Madison left his nearly empty kitchen pantry, mentally noting to make a grocery run this week, and pulled out his phone, fiddling through the apps he never bothered to use or learn about until he opened the GrubsHubs app, skimming through listing after listing of every single restaurant in Horrorland.

Trying to find something that wouldn’t kill, curse, or mutate his unexpected houseguest, he scrolled until he remembered that the app had a favorites tab, where of course the restaurants he might be looking for were likely saved.

He tapped on the favorites tab, the app interface not changing or switching no matter how many times he jammed his finger against the tab like it was a stuck button.

And of course he hadn’t figured out a solution for that problem yet.

Madison groaned to himself. You’re an evil genius yet you STILL can’t figure out how to fix something in a stupid cell phone app?!

“Phone trouble?” came Seb’s nervous question, Madison diverting his attention off the device and to him.

“So?” he said with more annoyance than he intended, causing Seb to flinch from his spot at the dining table.

“Well, um, I…it’s nothing.”

Madison wasn’t convinced, his expression saying as much.

“Okay. I was going to offer some phone help, but it's fine if you don’t need it. I mean, I only asked since you, no offense, kinda come off as one of those people too old to know how to use-”

“Old? OLD?! For your information, Seb, I may be already pushing five hundred, but I’m sure as hell not old.”

Seb recoiled in his chair with shock, Madison immediately wondering if it was something he said when he heard Seb murmur,

“Five hundred? But…what…how…”

“All of us have longer lifespans, some of us older than the others. And thankfully, yours truly isn’t that old as the others. Well, except Karl, but he’s a bit of a new addition to our ragtag little group.”

“Uh, what? And Karl who?”

Madison looked at him with surprise. “Really? You’ve heard of us yet he never told you all about us?”

“Not like he was talkative type to begin with. And what I can recall is more of a blur. But it's hard to keep track of things when you’re, while…well…” Seb trailed off as he stared at the floor with a vacant gaze, his entire being going still as a statue until Madison snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, snapping him out of his state.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Seb shook his head.

“And here. If you say you know how to work these wretched human devices.”

Madison handed him the smartphone, Seb taking it for a quick look over.

“So, what is the problem exactly?”

“How to navigate this stupid app. I may have figured out the basics, but I have to put up with the favorites tab not expanding when I press on it. It's like this entire app is broken, but it wasn’t my fault that visitors complained about not being able to do stuff around the park without at least one app, and…”

Madison's complaints came to a slow halt as he watched Seb get to work, looking over the device thoroughly before pushing the power and volume buttons at once, waiting a few seconds before holding down the power button to turn it back on.

“Try tapping it now,” he said as he handed it back, Madison doing as instructed to find the favorites tab opening as it should have.

“Woah! How did you do that?” came his amazed response.

“Slaving for minimum wage as tech support can teach you a few things. At least, I think I used to work in tech support…wait, did I?” Seb was now asking himself.

A confused Madison tilted his head like a puppy.

“What? Like you’ve never met an amnesiac with scrambled eggs for brains. And speaking of…”

Seb brushed his fingers under his messy strands of hair, wincing as his hand came to a stop near the back of his head.

“Yep. Still healing. That’ll leave a nasty scar, for sure. And probably not the kind that’ll get me dates.”

Madison couldn’t figure out how to react to this, never in his life seeing someone who likely suffered through so much, especially under the hands of the most sadistic of his “brothers,” act so…nonchalant about it. 

Or how one moment he’s acting like a panicked and scared animal, an ironic comparison no less, while the next moment he’s a lot calmer than Madison would expect for a mortal in his shoes, and with a snarky sense of humor of it like his own, but without the more…extreme aspects, as Madison would personally put it.

“Um, Madison? Mr. Storm? Crap, how do I even address you?” he then heard Seb say aloud, and in that nervous tone again, making him put those questioning thoughts aside for later.

“Madison is fine. We don’t really care for formalities in Horrorland.”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool, I guess.”

“So…” Madison scrolled through his favorites now that it was finally working again, tapping a finger on Monster Cafe to scroll through its menu. “You like pizza?”

Seb gave a single nod. “As long as it doesn’t have pineapple, if that isn’t too much of a request.”

“It isn’t. Besides, pineapple on pizza is banned in Horrorland.”

“Huh? Why?” came Seb’s curious question.

“You don’t wanna know. Trust me.”

Seb just stared at him quizzically while he made the order, adding on a pint of the dark chocolate ice cream as an additional treat, as well the chocolate candies Madison and only Madison was permitted to buy to replenish his lab’s chocolate stash.

“So, um…what happens now?” Seb spoke up as soon as he hit the pay and deliver button.

“Come again?” Madison said as he set the phone on the counter.

“You know, with me? He gave me to you as a ‘gift,’ didn’t he?”

Madison sighed. “First off, I didn’t even want to see him, let alone be given a 'gift'. Second, I thought I made it clear I didn’t want to see his face in MY park again after that argument with Kan- I mean, him . Thirdly, what will happen to you now isn’t my choice to make.”

“Um, what?”

“What I mean is that after tonight, you’re free to leave.

Seb was flabbergasted by his words, staring at Madison in pure disbelief.

“What? I’m being sincere on that, and being sincere on something for once in my life. But in approximately eleven hours, this entire park will leave its current location to pop up somewhere new. And soon after, you’re free to leave and do whatever you want.”

“Wait, did you say this park can change locations?”

“Um, yeah. But only once a year, though. It keeps my park one step ahead of anyone hunting for it, and because I like the occasional change of scenery. But how dear old Samuel managed to find it will probably remain a mystery for the ages. And if you try to leave right about the time the change takes place…well…I think I’ll spare you the gory details.”

Seb didn’t seem to be assured by that, but nodded regardless.

“But I’m still free to go?”

“You don’t need to keep asking me that. This is my park. If I say you can leave, you can leave. But you’re also allowed to stay, whether you want to out of your own accord, or if leaving is too dangerous for whatever reason, but to be honest, Seb, I’m not really sure if you would be a perfect fit to the Horrorland family. And trust me, most newbies don’t survive by the end of the first week, or their first day, to be more specific.”

“Wait, what?!” Seb said with shock.

Madison, realizing what he said, immediately ignored him to check the clock around his neck, seeing that it was already eight o’clock.

“Pfft. Thirty minutes or less my ass,” he remarked, only to hear a knock on the door.

“DELIVERY!” came the all too familiar shrill of the bat-like delivery monster.

“Really? Him again?”

But Madison gave a resigned sigh, losing track of how often he sighed in the past hour, and began walking to the door, accepting the food before sending the bat on his way, returning to find Seb’s eyes wide like a werewolf presented with a wagyu steak.

“What? It’s your dinner too.” Madison made a show of it by plopping the items on the table, but not before swiping the candies and stuffing them in his pockets. “Dig in.”

At first, he eyed the food hesitantly, Madison simply pushing the now open pizza box over not helping matters.

“Go on. Take one.”

With a shaking hand, he hesitantly took a slice, barely getting one bite before finding himself scarfing the whole thing down to grab another slice.

At least until he saw what was on the pizza.

“What? It’s just a little pepperoni and spider eggs,” Madison said like it was no big deal.

But instead of the usual grossed out reaction most people get upon being told of the pizza’s contents, Seb scarfed down a second helping, then a third, and even a fifth, not seeming to care if it meant satiating his hunger.

Madison just shrugged before helping himself to another slice, hoping to get at least a third helping before Seb could practically eat it all.

***

When he returned to his makeshift bedroom, after being given the directions to such, later that night, Sebastian found it hard to fall asleep let alone stay asleep, suffering from a double whammy of tossing and turning on the fold out bed and having one too many thoughts racing through his mind. 

Thoughts that constantly asked if Madison was really true to his word, knowing damn well what happened last time he held someone more powerful than himself to their word, what would happen to him now after leaving, assuming he really was allowed to leave, and what if-

…Seb?

He practically flew off the mattress as he jumped in place, his head searching back and forth for the strange echo’s source, nothing else but himself and the assorted knick-knacks and cardboard boxes collecting dust.

…Hello? Seb? Can you hear me?

“...Six?”

Chapter Text

“...Six? Is that really you?”

He heard her amused chuckle from the back of his mind.

Who else but yours truly? But thank god our connection hasn’t been severed, as I need to warn you.

“About what?”

Horrorland.

“...What?”

You know, the theme park where nightmares are supposed to come to life? The one where Samuel said he would take you the last time I infiltrated his thoughts?

“I know that , but how do you know all that? And that I’m here? Y-you’re here in the park, aren’t you? Please tell me you are,” he said with a tinge of hope in his voice.

Not really. But I am trying to find it. But Chloe wasn’t kidding when they said Horrorland doesn’t really show itself to those actively searching it.

“But how can you? The park changes locations every year. Madison even said so himself.”

There was a long silence between them, Sebastian starting to feel worried when Six finally spoke up with,

Wait…Samuel left you with HIM?! Oh god…

“Six…is there something I need to worry about?” came his nervous question.

…Well, besides the fact you’re with another honest to god Harbinger. But if the park can change locations…oh boy…

“Six?”

….

“Six?”

…….

Sebastian was prepared to say her name again when he heard the frustrated sigh.

Look, I don’t know the whole story, or how and why you’re in the hands of the most unpredictable of the main five…

“It’s not like he’s hurt me, so far. And he said I could leave this place anytime I wanted to, even if I have my doubts about that.”

…Hmm, interesting. Perhaps he isn’t THAT bad, but then again…

He could hear her musing and humming in thought before she continued.

Ok, I know you may not like this as much as I do, but if he hasn’t laid a finger on you yet, I need you to stay put.

“What?!” Sebastian said louder than he’d preferred it, clamping both hands over his mouth while silently praying that nobody heard him.

Yeah. Figured. But if I’m going to find you and this park, I need you to stay there, just for a little while.

“I, I’m not so sure about this,” Sebastian whispered with fear.

Just hold on however you can. And be careful of who you meet, who you put your trust in. Chloe told me that in Horrorland, things are not always what they appear to be.

“And hold on. How does Chloe know about Horrorland too?”

…I’m sorry, but I gotta go. But let’s just say Chloe told me how the park played a more…personal part of their life before Samuel got ahold of them.

“Six, what does that mean?”

But instead of an answer, all he got was silence.

And no matter how many times he tried to think of her name, her voice never echoed back in his thoughts.

With a frustrated groan, he fell back onto his bed, trying to send any kind of sign for her to answer back, getting nothing else but that long, dead silence.

Please hurry, Six. I don’t know how long I can last through this.

***

Sebastian hadn’t realized he had fallen back asleep until he slowly opened his eyes, feeling a lot more refreshed than normal but still on edge, also like normal.

But he barely had time to remember if he was dreaming or not when he was startled out of bed by the foghorn.

A loud, blaring foghorn, at that, like it could be heard throughout the entire house.

He covered his ears as the foghorn continued, blaring on and on for several minutes before it finally stopped.

“Good morning, Horrorland!” shouted Madison at the top of his lungs. “Who’s ready for another day of spine-tingling chills and thrills?”

Silence. Nothing else but pure, dead silence.

If this is his idea of a wake up call…

“...No one? Not even my houseguest? Is he even awake yet?” Madison was telling himself, not caring if anyone else heard him. “Meh. Probably needs that extra sleep anyway.”

Sebastian stayed still as he heard the footsteps in the distance, nearly leaping out of his skin as they got closer, feeling relief when they quickly passed by his door.

After remaining like this for a long moment, he gained the courage to open the door by just a crack, finding the halls empty and quiet, the same, windowless corridors covered with a red and white wallpaper the same as usual.

“Oh, so you are awake.”

Sebastian violently jumped back, not caring to get the door closed as he scrambled behind the couch that stood in the center of the storage room, shaking just as violently as he heard the door creak open, expecting the worst when the footsteps entered the room.

Instead, he heard a frustrated sigh.

“Again? Note to self: make yourself known when approaching people, especially the bird man.”

“Madison?” came Sebastian’s confused voice as he poked his head above the sofa.

“Well, who else would it be?” he quipped. “But seriously, it’s just me. And sorry for that scare. It’s a bit of a habit.”

“Oh, well, no offense taken. I just get scared easily.”

“No kidding. But anywho, I’ve been thinking, since you’re gonna be here for a bit, and before you do decide to leave, and you’re still allowed to, a grand tour of Horrorland, by yours truly, might be in order.”

Sebastian tilted his head. “A tour?”

“It’s either that or go stir crazy from staying in here all day. And trust me, you don’t want to see me in particular getting hit by some good old cabin fever.” 

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

Might as well, since Six mentioned something about him being unstable…

“I mean, maybe some fresh air wouldn’t hurt.”

“Good,” Madison said before tossing at Sebastian a bundle of clothes Sebastian hadn’t noticed him carrying at first. “Just a few things I haven’t worn in a decade. Get changed and meet me at the river in the front yard.”

After changing out of his pajamas and into the red sweatshirt and black pants combo-Sebastian wondering how much of Madison’s wardrobe were of this color scheme-he ran out front to find Madison standing on a strange water vehicle that resembled a cross between a boat and a barge, watching as it bobbed up and down in the dark and murky waters of the river.

“Good! You’re ready,” Madison said while kicking a power box that showered out sparks. “As soon as I can get this stupid power on-“

With a final kick, the barge hummed to life with a sudden flash of light, both men briefly shielding their eyes as the lights dimmed down to a more tolerable level.

“All aboard!” Madison shouted like a sea captain, Sebastian rolling his eyes as he walked down the dock to make his way up the platform. “Keep your hands, feet, and any other body parts in the vehicle at all times. In fact, you might want to stay in the reinforced control room before we depart. You never know what kind of critters and creeps will take advantage of you being out in the open.”

Sebastian did as Madison narrated, stopping briefly to take in the metal, almost windowless reinforced box that was the control room.

“Don’t dilly dally. Come on!”

Sebastian nodded before following Madison inside, Madison holding the door open before dragging it closed, fiddling with a few of the gigantic locks as Sebastian looked around, confused by the flashing panels and consoles covered by buttons, with only a small pair of windows looking out at everything in front of them.

“So, how are we supposed to steer this thing?”

Getting the final lock in, Madison rushed next to Sebastian’s side, pulling down a metal helm from the ceiling Sebastian hadn’t realized was there.

“And we’re off!”

After a few bursts from the engine that didn’t sound so good, the barge began to move, taking them through the dark woods, Sebastian barely able to see anything through the darkness, or the only window at that, until the trees started to recede, the barge eventually passing by homes and stores made of bricks and cobblestone.

“Outside the window we’re passing through the outskirts of Vampire Village, home to the park’s resident vampire population. And this area in particular is the newly established animal sanctuary of Batsbane Forest.”

“Lemme guess, because it’s for-”

Sebastian was interrupted by the violent smack against the window, jumping back as his eyes locked onto the giant bat-probably the size of two pillows-screeching at them before prying itself off, flying off into the distance to be never seen again.

“Bats? Yes. But it's also home to a rare and mutated line of the already enormous giant golden-crowned flying fox, one of the largest bat species on the planet.”

Sebastian ignored Madison’s educational speech to continue staring at the window, as if the bat was ready to return at any moment.

“And no need to be scared. This barge will keep us from any other pest. Well, almost all of them…Oh, look! We’re about to pass by Gerald!”

“Who?”

Madison pulled down a mic, waiting until they were just close enough to the gnome, assuming that’s who it was, minding his own business repairing some strange machine, alongside what appeared to be genuine mole people moving about with tools in their strange, human-like hands.

“HI, GERALD!” Madison screamed at the top of his lungs, startling Gerald into dropping his welding tools with a scream.

And when he turned to see the cause, he didn’t appear too pleased, to put it lightly.

“Again, Storm?! One of these days you’re gonna make me quit this job!”

“Oh come on, Gerald. I was just being funny!”

“You think nearly making me fudge up a essential repair job is funny?! Wait until I get my workers to-”

Madison sent the mic back up, ignoring the rest of Gerald’s ranting as he made the barge sail forward once more.

When he looked to Sebastian, the winged man glared at him with heavy disapproval.

“What? It was only a joke.”

Silence.

“Moving on. At any moment we’ll be passing through Wolfsbane Forest, sister forest of Batsbane Forest, and the first place you’ll find yourself lost in when trying to find Werewolf Village. And can you guess why we call it Wolfsbane Forest?”

“Werewolves?”

“Correcto. But over here they’re less likely to roam, mostly because we’re right where it borders with Batsbane forest. Not to mention, this area is where the forests of Batsbane, Wolfsbane, and Fever Swamp intersect. And speaking off, if you look out your window, you’ll notice how things are looking more…swampy than normal.”

Doing that, Sebastian did notice an immediate change in the scenery.

From the dark and twisted trees becoming ugly brown mangroves, to the vines of moss dangling from the branches like Christmas lights, to the once dark waters turning into a more clearer, and murkier, shade of green.

And if he looked more closely, he could spot the bobbing, black objects in the water resembling…coffins?

“Oh, and this is one of the routes the Coffin Cruise takes. And one of the longest at that. Don’t ride if you have a fear of tight spaces. Or spiders. Especially spiders.”

All of a sudden the barge came to a slow down, up until it came to a complete stop, or as much as a stop it could in the rushing rapids of the water.

Madison sent the wheel up to the ceiling, unlocking the door locks before holding it open, motioning Sebastian to leave first.

When he refused, clearly scared of what might pop out at them, even if nothing did other than that bat, Madison stepped out first.

“But before we end this portion of the tour, I want to show you my biggest pride and joy in the park: the Horrorland Amphitheater…what the?”

Sebastian quickly rushed outside and looked in the direction Madison did, the both of them rendered speechless and shocked at the wreckage before them.

It looked like any other amphitheater Sebastian had seen in his lifetime, even if it stood out with the strange, ancient platform covered in runes, broken chains and shackles scattered across the dark stone surface. And if it resembled the aftermath of a nuclear blast, with trash and debris scattered across the contorted bleachers, signs either on the verge of falling or have already fallen into the murky moat surrounding the platform, what lights that weren’t broken beyond repair were either flicking on and off or sending out a shower of sparks every few seconds. 

While the docks were the only thing left standing, that couldn’t be said the same for the giant sign advertising “The Great Gargantua Live!” showing several burnt spots and holes, another sign that appeared to have been hastily made and plastered over the new one added reading “ATTRACTION CLOSED. FOREVER.” In front of that sign stood a horror in carnival garb, who smiled triumphantly between the sign and the former amphitheater, as if taking in the destruction for his own personal satisfaction.

“What the- What the hell happened here?!” came Madison’s shout of a question, getting the horror’s attention.

“Move along, Storm. It’s not what it looks like” he said.

“Um, are you so sure about that?” Sebastian said. “It looks like a nuke was dropped on this place.”

“Ya don’t say. But I can assure you two that I have everything under control.”

“Under control? Does THIS look like ‘under control,’ Horrifico?! And you still haven't told me what caused all this!” Madison said.

“Ugh, fine. If you insist,” Horrifico said with great annoyance. “You see, I had a bit of…trouble with the Great Gargantua, Fever Swamp’s biggest attraction if you didn’t know already,” he then added while speaking to Sebastian in particular.

“A bit of trouble?” Madison said.

“Yes. She, uh…decided she needed a break. And announced it rather blatantly if you ask me.”

“Blatantly? It looks like she’s wrecked every square inch of this place,” Sebastian spoke up without a second thought.

Which in turn caused Horrifico to shoot a threatening glare his way. 

“Hey! Mind your own ears wax, pigeon!” Horrifico said with a growl. “Or perhaps you need to be shown a lesson…”

Sebastian jumped back at the outburst, about to seek refuge within the control room when Madison stepped between them with a glare of his own, Sebastian catching the sudden surge of purple in his eyes as he yelled,

“Hey, YOU mind your own ears wax! And this is probably the fiftieth time I’ve had an attitude problem with you this month alone! And you know what happens when somebody doesn’t show his superiors some respect…”

As if in sync with his words, Sebastian could see the sharp, bright purple glow coursing through his veins, which quickly died out when Horrifico held his arms up, but not without doing so mockingly.

“Fine. I get it. No need to zap me with those powers. Besides, it’s not me you’ll have to worry about with her on the loose.”

While not entirely satisfied with that, it was enough to get Madison to back down and move away from where he defensively stood in front of Sebastian, who was now shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Um, sorry, for that…” he nervously told Horrifico.

Horrifico laughed at that. 

“Not as sorry as you’re gonna be when you run into her!”

“You mean, she’s dangerous?” Sebastian asked, even if the evidence was right there before his eyes, yet he just wanted to make sure.

“Does roadkill have flies? Of COURSE she’s dangerous! And I recommend you watch your back from now on.”

“And, um, why?”

Horrifico let out an annoyed sigh. “Don’t you get it, bird brain? In Horrorland, things are not always what they appear to be.”

Not always what they appear to be, the words of Six echoed back in his mind, taking a quick look at his environment as if to make sure they were truly safe at the moment.

“ We will talk about this later,” Madison threatened. “For now, my bird friend and I will be sailing to my office.”

Horrifico snorted at that. “If I must. And see you later, bird thing, assuming you’ll actually survive the rest of today.”

Sebastian was about to run when Madison took his hand and dragged him back to the control room, Sebastian about to find a place to hide when Madison sighed.

“Note to self: give Horrifico the verbal lashing to end all verbal lashings later. And don’t mind him. He’s just your typical, dime-store asshole of an employee.”

“But what about, well, that? ” Sebastian said.

“I’ll have to send out someone who can actually give me an answer as to what happened and how Great Gargantua escaped.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Oh, plenty. But you're with me, and the sooner we get to my office, the sooner we can get this problem resolved before the end of the day. And apologies if I have to end the grand tour on such short notice.”

“Um, no problem. It’s barely the start of the day and I’ve already got my share of craziness.”

“Craziness? Seb, my buddy, we’ve barely even scratched the surface!”

Even with Sebastian’s increasing look of uncertainty, Madison pulled down the helm and got the barge on course to its destination, even if Madison was hoping he could use today as an excuse to not set foot in that office.

After all, how was he going to tell the news without the office descending into chaos over the Great Gargantua’s escape?

Chapter Text

“Okay. I don’t want to alarm you, but as the head honcho of this park, we’ll probably get swarmed the moment we set foot inside HQ. So stay calm and stay close to me, alright?”

“Um, I-“

“Good!”

Madison yanked Sebastian by the hand into some kind of lobby-like space, which was quickly filled to the brim with bright and constant flashing of cameras, while monsters of all shapes and sizes were shoving mics, recorders, whatever else that gathered information, into their faces.

But even with how fast they were going, they could barely make it to the elevator through this growing sea of monster reporters.

“Mr. Storm! What do you have to say about the Great Gargantua’s escape?”

“And is it true your fellow Harbinger really visited your house yesterday?”

“And who in the hell is this guy?”

“Outta my way!” Madison yelled, a surge of sparks forming across his body. “I swear to myself if you all don’t give your Harbinger his personal space…”

Sheepishly, the reporters put down their cameras and backed away, trying to squish themselves against the walls of the already cramped corridor.

“And while I’m too busy to answer your questions at this time, I’m sure I can answer them when I have a more flexible schedule.”

“I get dibs on the first appointment!” a much younger looking horror said from the crowd.

“In a thousand years!”

“What?!” one monster screamed. “I’ll be dead by then!”

“Exactly!”

The crowd was left to scream and shout as Madison tugged Sebastian into the elevator, the shut doors muffling out the commotion, giving them the sweet relief of silence. 

“Good gravy, that was something,” Madison said. “The paparazzi, am I right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sebastian replied, unsure what to make of all that chaos. “But what if they continue following us?”

“Don’t worry yourself over that , as this elevator is for my use only. Anyone beside me or those who have my permission will get vaporized should they dare set foot inside.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but act horrified, and a little confused even at how he was still standing in here.

“Well, implicit permission counts as such too.”

Sebastian nodded and stared ahead, the both of them waiting in an awkward silence until they heard the ding, the doors opening to the small reception desk of an even tinier waiting room.

“Hello, Mr. Storm,” a bored Horror receptionist greeted, her eyes flicking over to Sebastian. “Got an appointment or something?”

“Nah. Just a guest, so to speak.”

The receptionist gave no visible reaction. “I hope your ‘guest’ won’t mind sitting through today’s-“

“Actually, Barbra. Cancel my appointments for today. I got more pressing matters at hand.”

“Sure. Whatever.”

They moved past her to pass through the dark red door, entering a small and disheveled office space. 

“Sorry if there’s not much for you to do, but the view from up here is to die for! Rhetorically speaking. Sort of. You can take in every other part of the park while I deal with our little conundrum.”

Madison sat himself at a desk painted maroon, typing on his computer with a scowl on his face.

“One million emails?! And it’s not even Monday!”

As Madison dealt with replying to the onslaught of digital messaging, Sebastian could see what he meant, as they were really high up, as if they were on the very top floor of Horrorland Tower. And the view of the park spanned for miles and miles, the mutant getting a sense of just how gigantic Horrorland actually was.

Which made him question how Six would be able to find him in this place.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

Sebastian let out a startled squeak and spun around, only finding Madison sitting at his desk. 

“Sorry…again. But, you know, since you’ve been staring out that window for the past five minutes…” Madison seemed unsure as he spoke. “…or maybe…”

“Uh, what, exactly?”

Madison pulled out his cell phone, quickly typing something, and awaiting for the apparent response, before telling him,

“I won’t be able to finish the grand tour with you. But she can!”

“Who?”

Sebastian was answered by the sudden and slow vibrations he felt beneath his feet. Which splashed the water inside the nearby water cooler. Which nearly made the books and folders fall off their shelves.

He could only stand there, frozen with fear, as the ground was outright shaking, the doors bursting open as a figure-almost draconic in shape, if not an outright dragon-that shone like silver entered the room.

“Seb, meet Sera, our new head of Guest Relations. Sera, Seb.”

Sera looked down to him, her tall and imposing form, combined with the stoicism on her face, making him shake like a leaf in the wind.

“Hello!” she said with a chipper tone.

Which was something he definitely wasn’t expecting.

“So, you’re the guy delivered to Madison, right?”

All Sebastian could manage was a nod.

“Oh, don’t be shy! I don’t bite…maybe,” she added teasingly.

“Now, Sera. As our head of Guest Relations, you’ll be giving our new friend the lay of the land. Or most of it, as I really oughta make use of those lockdown protocols PR insists I use for emergencies like this…”

“I can show him the Bazaar of the Bizarre. It’s very popular with a lot of the first timers,” she suggested.

“And with the lowest chance of him dying, good,” Madison said in the middle of his current email draft, ignoring the fear on Sebastian’s face. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I got business to attend to.”

Madison went back to his computer, Sera taking Sebastian’s hand without another word to lead him out, as reluctant as he was.

Sera noticed, giving a gentle tug of his arm while taking only a step forward, as if awaiting him to follow.

“I promise nothing will happen to you. Just try to keep up.”

Sebastian nodded, letting Sera take the next step before walking along himself, leaving Madison alone for his work.

Can this day get any crazier? Madison thought as he got to email number fifty.

***

“Are you sure this will work?”

“Patience, brother. Patience. He just needs a gentle push to get things into motion.”

“And if Madison catches on? If the mutant catches on?”

“Don’t worry yourself. Just as long as the specimen follows the trail we’ve left for him, the plan will come together. Assuming Gargantua doesn’t do him in first.”

“And her?”

“Well, that wasn’t part of the plan, at first. But for now, we shall sit back and watch.”

***

“Mail…mail…mail…”

At this rate, Madison was BORED, mindlessly scrolling and typing his way through email after email like a wage slave zombie.

Now he knows how his former secretary feels. What a shame she had to get eaten alive by those eels during the annual Horrorland Aquatic Stunt Show.

He was about to finish email number five hundred whatever when he realized something.

Byron wasn’t in the office yet.

Which he normally wouldn’t pay much attention to, as he had reasons for being late.

What made this unusual, however, was that this was the fifth time this month that Byron was either late or an outright no show.

“Hmm…”

Madison stood up from his seat, knocking on the left wall a few times until an open doorway formed from the crimson wallpaper, stepping inside to his security office. 

He sat himself in front of the console and began pressing buttons, flicking switches, checking each and every screen of every land and region within the park for signs of anything unusual. Carnage left behind by Garganuta throughout Fever Swamp aside, Madison noticed something…off about the Carnival of Carnage.

And not in the usual “Is it real or not?!” kind of way that was the norm, but in the “This is out of character, even for them” kind of way.

Specifically, how one of the buildings-the old House of Mirrors-which was supposed to be boarded up and deserted-had a figure walking out the front door, which Madison swore was melded with the frame a long time ago.

He zoomed in on the figure, watching as the figure disappeared into the nearest alleyway, the cloak doing too good of a job hiding their face.

Madison rewound the footage, trying but failing to figure out just who it was that was walking in and out of the place.

Except, it became less about who was in there and why, but more about how they were entering and exiting the building itself, Madison watching agape as the figure seemed to enter through the metal door itself, literally.

Madison kept staring at the screen, looping those few seconds over and over as if in disbelief at what he was seeing. Staring for so long that he had to will himself to look away and smash the literal panic button on the wall for situations like this.

Great Gargantua’s escape be damned, this was a bigger priority.

As if this situation wasn’t dealt with, he will return, and try to make what’s rightfully Madison’s his own.

Chapter Text

“You sure, boss? What if Byron’s out sick or something?”

“If he were sick, he would’ve told me so!” Madison practically yelled through Growler’s radio.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll find him. Where’s the last place you think he went?”

“How should I know?! I’ve searched each and every camera and STILL can’t find him!”

Growler sighed. “Well, you better find something soon. I’ve got my hands full trying to resolve this Great Gargantua mess.”

“Which I'll leave you to for now. But be careful. If my hunch is right-and it's always right, mind you-I think we have more than just GG’s great escape on our hands.”

“I see…it’s not about that place , is it, sir?”

Madison glanced back to the screen focused on the House of Mirrors, the image of the figure phasing through the door still replaying in his mind, even if there was thankfully no one else there at the moment.

“I’m afraid we might get an answer sooner or later…”

***

“Attention all Horrorland staff and guests. Due to some monstrous misbehavior, no pun intended, the Great Gargantua Live show has been closed for all eternity. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Not like that hindered the spooky yet festive mood of the Carnival of Carnage, especially in the case of Sera.

“And over there is Dead Ringer, your basic test-your-strength type of carnival game.
And over there is the Meetz Meatz BBQ Emporium, home to the best barbeque in all of Horrorland. Just don’t ask about the Mystery Meatz Kebab. But there’s also- HEY!”

Sera pointed to the ornately decorated booth in the distance, the crowd dispersing to allow Sebastian to read the less ornately wooden sign reading “THE MUMMY’S TUMMY!” in bold, capitalized lettering. 

And sure enough, he could see a mummy-their wrappings yellow and weathered with the centuries worth of age-lying on an ornate altar, people lining up around the booth to take turns sticking their hands in the gaping black hole in its chest. Some pulled out a random trinket or prize, all of them Egyptian themed, others pulling out dried and shriveled human organs, the latter eliciting a scream out of a deathly pale girl waiting her turn.

“I don’t mean to sound like one of those types, but is this legal? Or ethical?”

“Hey, this was in the agreement when they died here,” Sera simply said. “Besides, this is one of my favorite games in all of Horrorland! You’ll never know if you’ll get a prize or some poor sod’s organs!”

Sera let go of Sebastian’s hand and rushed ahead, mumbling something about “Stay put and watch this!” as she got to the front of the line, angering the falcon-like man running the booth.

“And what do you think you’re doing, missy?!”

Sera pulled out a card from her vest pocket, the falcon man giving a surprised nod before sheepishly letting her play.

“Uh, I mean, yes ma’am! Step right up and test your luck!”

Sera stuck her hand in, Sebastian grimacing at the squelching and squishing of organs he could hear-even from this distance-as Sera dug around the mummy’s insides with strong determination.

“And…I got something!”

Sebastian looked away as Sera pulled a bloodied organ out, hearing someone screaming “That’s a heart!” while another person shrieked in disgust.

Mixed with the now growing symphony of shock from the people in line, Sebastian picked up another kind of sound.

A hush kind of sound, almost like a whisper, softly calling out, as if to him .

“...follow…follow…”

He didn’t notice at first, recalling Six’s warning about the park, further repeated by Horrifico at the sight of the Great Gargantua’s breakout, wondering if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

Until it repeated itself, and with more emphasis.

“...follow…follow…FOLLOW ME! HELP ME, SEBASTIAN!”

Sebastian refused to deny it any longer, giving in to his gnawing curiosity and ran, hoping Sera wouldn’t get mad for him going on his own little tour.

If anything, he just needed an excuse to avoid anything blood and gore related right now.

“FOLLOW ME! HELP ME!”

The whispers took him through more crowds, past dark colored tents, the amount of people trickling down to none, the flashing lights dimming and loud circus music fading out the further he ran after.

“...follow…help…”

When the whispers stopped, so did Sebastian, finding himself…what was less like a carnival and more like a junkyard.

He was surrounded by boarded up brick buildings, rags for circus tents flapping in the wind like flags, the quiet and empty atmosphere adding on to the vibe of decay and rot Sebastian got from this place.

And in front of him stood the main centerpiece of it all.

It was big, built out of red and black bricks of what appeared to be glass, not like he could tell with the overgrowth of shrubbery that consumed the place, taller than any other place he had seen in this park so far, a simple yet intricate entryway painted black and gold standing before him, its metal red door welded into the entryway itself.

Whether to keep anything out, or anything in even, he did not know.  

Yet that paled in comparison to the bright and flashy sign-and the only one to be such-beckoning people to enter “The House of Mirrors! Reflect On Yourself…FOREVER!”

Couldn’t think of a better line, huh?

But there was no time for the snarking, as he needed to find the source of that voice, why it brought him here, and more importantly, how it knows his name.

As far as he was concerned, this could be some kind of trap, trick, whatever else you wanted to call it.

“...help me…help…”

He heard it whispering from the House of Mirrors entrance, taking on a more metallic reverb, like it were coming from right behind the otherwise welded door…

Sebastian was barely a step closer when he felt the harsh tug dragging him back, giving a distressed yelp in response.

“Don’t go! That’s not a good place! Not good at all!”

Sebastian fought against the hold, finding himself helpless as he was forced to turn and face the…short and chubby Horror? With sympathy on his otherwise grotesque features?

“Sorry, bird man!” The Horror let go, but not without getting close into his personal space. “Stump didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Uh, what?”

“I am Stump,” the Horror said, pointing his thumbs to himself.
Stump is me. Stump trying to keep bird man out of mirror house. Mirror house no good, no no.”

Stump shook his head rapidly, pointing to the House of Mirrors as he did so.

“Bad place. VERY bad place. Don’t go in there.”

“And why not?”

Stump moved back, and rather dramatically. 

“People in the Mirror House vanish. Like POOF!” Stump added with dramatic flair. “Even if door won’t open anymore.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

“Seb! SEB!” Sera called out in the distance. “Where are you?!”

“Oh no!” Stumped cried with a startle. “Stump need to go. Monsters here don’t like Stump. Unlike other monsters, Stump is bad at being bad. But Stump can’t help but help people.”

“Seb!”

“Agh! Stump needs to go! Or trouble! BIG trouble!”

Stump hobbled towards the nearest cluster of tents, Sebastian about to chase after when the ground began to shake.

“Seb!” Sera exclaimed as she stomped closer, her face washed with relief. “Thank goodness! And here I thought the boss would kill me for…”

She looked around, her mood souring almost in tune with the harsh bleakness of this place.

“Seb, what are you doing here?”

“Well, uh…” he replied nervously. “I…” When Sebastian tried to search for Stump, the Horror was already gone. “I…don’t really know myself.”

“Not a good answer, Seb. Tell me. And honestly . I don’t like liars.”

“Oh…um…I…I thought I heard something? And it brought me here?”

Sera’s eyes went wide, Sebastian fearing the worst when she then closed them, taking a deep breath until she was visibly calmed down.

“I see,” she said. “And sorry, for that.” She turned to face the House of Mirrors. “But this part of the carnival is a dangerous place. And not in the ‘Is it real or not?’ way Horrorland is known for. Not even the bravest of monsters dare set foot here.”

“Um, should I know why?”

Sera shook her head. “It’s for the best you didn’t. Besides, we got a tour to finish, don’t we?”

“But, but what about-”

“Relax. I’ll report it to the big boss later. Besides, I haven’t even shown you the rest of the carnival yet. We still got ‘Pin the Tail on the Werewolf,’ the Dunk Tank Battle Royal, or the-”

“HELP!”

They were both alerted by the cry, and not in a whisper this time.

“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

Sera rushed into action, forcing Sebastian to follow after the much faster dragoness through the ruins and back to the main carnival itself, or what seemed to be the border of such. They ran through thinning crowds and past carnival barkers galore, never stopping until they were standing before a tower made of a dark, jagged stone, crimson roller coaster tracks spiraling around and within the strange building itself.

From one side of the building emerged some kind of ride vehicle, spinning as it rode on the track fast while shaking erratically, to the point Sebastian swore it might fly off at any moment.

And from here he could see the vehicle’s sole occupant, a teenage girl in a red and black gothic dress waving her arms while crying out,

“HELP! Help me!”

The ride car disappeared back into the tower, taking the girl with it.

“What the?” Sebastian muttered. “Did you see that?”

“Yeah!” Sera said. “That girl looks like she’s in trouble! We oughta do something!”

“Hey!” Sera then yelled to the Horror woman standing at the tower’s entrance, who simply ignored her. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

Sera ran up to the woman, Sebastian once more following after as the Horror woman finally mockingly said,

“What’s the matter, Sera? Upset I’m not giving you any free rides?”

“Not today, Rosa. There’s a girl on that ride, and it looks like she’s in trouble!”

“Huh, ya don’t say,” Rosa said dismissively.

“Don’t give me attitude, Rosa. We have to do something! You know this ride has a long history of guest incidents, especially if the vampires haven’t been fed in a while.”

“Wait, I thought Madison said this was the least lethal place in the park,” Sebastian piped in.

“Clearly he hasn’t told you about the Roller Ghoster,” Rosa said. “And who are you supposed to be anyway?”

Sera stood in front of him with a growl towards Rosa.

“A friend, of sorts, who’s going to help me do what you aren’t willing to.”

“And why should I let you on the ride? Haven’t I banned you already for mooching me for one free ride too many?”

Sera bared her teeth, acting like she could maul this Horror where she stood.

“Aw, did I make the boss’ dragon mad? Not like you have the guts to kill me without-“

“I-I’ll go!”

Both monster women turned their heads to Sebastian, both equally shocked by what he said.

“Let me on that ride,” he continued more confidently. 

“Ya sure, man? Because most folks-“

“Let me on!” Sebastian insisted. “Let me on! Let me-”

“Fine! Fine! Jeesh, you could’ve toned it down a notch. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sebastian nodded, not letting himself show just how scared he was about all this.

But he knows what it’s like to be put in a situation with no one to help, watching as people stood by to his suffering like the bystanders they were. 

Unlike them, Sebastian won’t let himself play the role of bystander, not now, and never again.

***

“Welcome aboard the Roller Ghoster! Please keep your hands, feet, and necks within the ride vehicle at all times. Please don’t taunt or intimidate the vampires. Please don’t feed the vampires. Getting off the ride vehicle will guarantee certain death. Enjoy at your own risk.”

No turning back from this now….

He sat with frightened anticipation, hands gripped on the ride vehicle’s ball shooter as the Horror in the cheesy vampire costume pulled the lever, the oak doors ahead opening to allow his cart inside the grand foyer fitting of a Victorian manor.

“Welcome to our home! We’ve been waiting for you…”

The cart slowly climbed up the stairs, stopping as cheap ghost cutouts popped in front of the ride vehicle.

Really?

Sebastian shot them down with ease, the vehicle turning to present more of the same, Sebastian once more shooting them down as the vehicle further moved up the foyer stairs..

“Huh. That was easy-”

Sebastian felt a violent THUD that could be felt through the entire cart, followed by the low hiss next to his left ear. His vision was briefly obscured by the black mist moving over him, quickly materializing to reveal the vampire in the black cloak baring his fangs with a feral growl.

“Finally, a half decent meal!”

With a startled sound Sebastian pulled the ball shooter’s triggers, watching as the red and white ball knocked the vampire back by its face.

“AGH!” he screamed before disappearing into the same black mist, the ride vehicle leaving to ascend up the stairs to Sebastian’s left.

Across from him were a similar set of stairs, and the teenage girl crying for help as a similar vampire clung onto her ride vehicle. 

“Somebody help me!”

Trying to get a good aim, Sebastian fired the ball shooter, missing the vampire several times before one stray ball got him on his back, the beast hissing and fading into mist.

“Our bedroom is the perfect place to rest in peace.”

The vehicle took him into a dusty yet regal bedroom, more vampires rushing to the vehicle in a feral frenzy, Sebastian managing to keep them back with a few well timed shots.

“The garlic rub! It burns!” 

The vehicle spun in a way to keep Sebastian from seeing what was behind him, forced to go along as it sped backwards through some kind of dark tunnel, the faces of tormented souls crying and screaming from all around him as he moved.

“Hey! Winged dude! Over here!”

The vehicle turned to allow Sebastian to see the teen in the cart across from him, both separated once more on different tracks.

And Sebastian’s track took him to a long and empty dining hall, the only light coming from the candles on the table and the chandeliers on the ceiling.

Not to mention the faint glow of yellow eyes that pierced through the darkness, and slowly approaching his cart.

“Would you like to activate the ride’s Flashlight feature?”

Sebastian glanced down to the flashing score screen, a button underneath labeled with FLASHLIGHT in black lettering.

With the eyes fast approaching, he slammed his fist on the button, a blaring light coming on that nearly blinded him.

As well as the horde of vampires shielding their faces with their arms, not like that prevented them from burning to ashes in the light.

“Flashlight can only be used once per ride. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“What?! You could’ve mentioned that before I used it!”

Sebastian got no reply as he was taken through yet another tunnel, this one dark and jagged like a cave, ride vehicles similar to his stuck in needle sharp stalagmites, assorted keepsakes-purses, plushies, children’s clothes-scattered among them.

“A friendly reminder to stay within the ride vehicle at all times.”

 With a rough turn, Sebastian was taken into another room, and if it weren’t for his night vision, he couldn’t even tell he was in a room at all.

“Pardon our dust in the attic. And our pets!”

Sebastian ducked at the first bat that swooped from the rafters at him, then the next, but not the third who briefly smacked against his face before flying off with an angry chitter, Sebastian spitting out bat hairs for his troubles.

He then sensed another presence next to him, turning to find something…that wasn’t a bat from what he could tell of its form.

The hairy, hulking beast let out a bat-like shriek as it flashed its fangs at him, as if preparing itself for a bite of a delicious meal.

With the ball shooter stuck in a straight direction, and with that waste of a Flashlight, he knew there was only one option left, as much as he dreaded it.

But he could already feel that familiar arcane energy pulsing through his veins, burning with anticipation at being used for the first time in a long time, the faint pinpricks of sparks forming across his palms.

The creature moved first, and fast, mouth open wide as its razors for teeth prepared to clamp around his face.

Sebastian reacted faster, shutting his eyes as he held his hand up, the creature screaming as the sudden chain of lighting burned across its form, the creature abruptly going quiet as the scent of burnt fur filled the air, followed by the THUD from next to the ride vehicle.

Opening his eyes, Sebastian was alone once more, and with a lingering feeling of pain and exhaustion that overcame his form.

This one’s gonna last for a while.

He was taken out of the attic and through another tunnel, briefly assaulted by the flash of light as he was taken outside, just like the teen girl.

He got a few glances of the Carnival of Carnage from this height-a great height, at that, like he could see the entire world from here-before being taken back inside to a wide and empty room, feeling a sudden jolt as the vehicle came to a sudden halt.

And slowly climbing up a steep slope.

“Hey! Over here!”

Ahead of him was the girl, waving both arms desperately.

“You’ve got to help me! I managed to survive this part once, but twice…”

She trailed off with a somber face, as if dreading what would happen next.

And it was then Sebastian had an idea.

“How long until we reach the top of this thing?”

“Uh, I don’t know…fifteen seconds?”

“Crap. Alright, listen. I know this sounds dangerous and stupid, but are you able to free yourself from the lap bar?”

The girl simply pulled it up with no effort.

“Not like these guys know what ride safety even is.”

“Huh. Okay, so, I’ll need you to try and jump into my cart. And don’t worry.”

Sebastian pushed his lap bar up, standing in his vehicle. “I’ll catch you.”

“Uh, are you sure about this, mister?” came her hesitant tone.

“Trust me!” was all he could say, trying not to show how unsure of this he was himself.

“O-okay. Here goes nothing…”

The girl nervously stood up from her seat, letting Sebastian’s vehicle inch closer to hers before letting out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Then, she jumped.

Her foot hit the edge of Sebastian’s vehicle, nearly losing her footing and meeting her fate in the dark abyss below the track if it weren’t for him catching her, Sebastian having to toss himself back as to not lose his footing himself.

They landed back into the seat, and right in time for them to reach the top of the slope.

They watched with horror as the vehicle in front of them disappeared into the darkness, a violent crash echoing off the walls, a faint shower of sparks flying as things went dead quiet once more.

Next came their vehicle’s turn.

“Hold on tight!”

They pulled the lap bar down and held on for dear life, feeling the sharp and fast descent while a terrified scream wailed from both of them.

From all around them were claws, fangs, hands bigger than themselves trying to reach out for them, a few of them nearly nabbing them if it weren’t for either ducking down in time.

“Nobody escapes us!”

They entered another tunnel with faces, a faint mist filling the room as the faces contorted and twisted, until a few of them peeled off the walls and flew straight at them.

“Not until we get our fill!”

Without further hesitation, Sebastian gripped the ball shooter and started shooting for his life, not caring who he targeted as long as he kept shooting, watching as balls were bouncing off the ceiling, off the floor, back and forth between the tunnel’s walls.

And through the chaos he could see the wisps for faces hissing and separating, becoming one with the mist.

“AHH!”

Next to him, one of the faces was about to descend upon the girl, a stray ball smacking it away with a furious roar.

“That was a close one!” she yelled. “Keep shooting!”

Sebastian did, not keeping his fingers off the trigger the whole time, even as the faces faded away, the cart leaving the tunnel and back into the very room where he started.

“Hey! Cut that out!”

At that Sebastian finally let go, giving a sheepish “Sorry!” to the Horror at the boarding station.

“We’re so sorry to see you leave…alive! Do come back soon!”

The cart came to a full stop, the lap bar moving up by itself to finally let them leave.

“I…I can’t…we did it,” the girl muttered with astonishment, or perhaps disbelief. “Th-thank you, sir. For helping me.”

“No problem. Now let’s get the hell out of here!”

***

“Hey, ya actually made it!”

“Y-yeah, we did,” Sebastian stuttered as he and the teen walked from the exit.

“Well, didja enjoy the ride?” Rosa asked.

“I almost got eaten alive by some horrifying bat monster, if that counts.”

“Good enough.”

“I just can’t believe you, young miss, were trapped on that ride!” Sera said. “And we rarely do that anymore, except for certain guest types.”

“Thank you, again mister, for rescuing me,” the girl said to him. “I guess there really are nice people, even in a place like Horrorland.”

“But what happened? How did you get trapped? How did she get trapped?” Sera then glared at Rosa for an explanation.

“Hey, don’t look at me.”

“Hell, what is with this place anyway?” Sebastian spoke up. “I know Madison warned me about the park, but after, all that, I can’t tell what’s trying to kill me or-”

“HALT!”

From behind them emerged a Horror in a navy blue security vest and hat with orange trimmings, a gold badge with an engraving reading “Monster Police” pinned on the vest’s right side.

“Hand over the girl!”

“All yours,” Rosa said with no resistance.

“Now hold on a sec, Burt. What’s the meaning of this?” Sera demanded.

“That girl. She needs to be taken to the station, ASAP.”

“Not without a better explanation, she is.”

“Please, Sera. Being the boss’ most favorite employee won’t stop me. Same to you, bird man. Now, let me deal with her, and perhaps nobody will have to get hurt.”

Burt roughly shoved Sebastian aside and attempted to grab the girl, Sera replying in the form of slashing her claws across his face.

“AGH!” Burt cried, using both hands to try and stop bleeding that took up the right side of his face.

“RUN!” Sera screamed.

“Right behind you!” the girl cried.

Saying nothing, Sebastian followed after as usual.

“Aren’t you going to do something?!” Burt yelled at Rosa.

“Not my problem,” Rosa said. 

The trio, meanwhile, weaved their way past carnival tents and crowds, Sera’s head moving back and forth in search of a place to hide.

“Quickly! In here!”

The teen ducked into the nearest tent, Sera and Sebastian doing the same, watching as Burt ran right past them into the rest of the carnival.

“Will we get in trouble for this?” Sebastian whispered.

“At best, probably not. At worst…you probably don’t want to know,” Sera said. “But if Madison asks, just say it was all on me.”

“But-”

“Hey, do you want to see what happens when somebody breaks the rules or not?” Sera said more seriously.

Sebastian shook his head.

“Good.”

“But now what?”

“I know a hiding place,” the girl spoke up. “The Cursed Carriage in Vampire Village. I’ll dip and you two go your separate ways. Meet me there when you think the coast is clear.”

The girl began to leave the tent, but not before Sebastian asked,

“Hold on, who are you?”

“Gigi, of course,” she said with an eye roll. 

She then stepped outside, Sebastian peeking out to find she was already gone.

“Well, this is interesting,” Sera added. “But as much as I hate this, I think we should do what the girl suggests.”

“Are you sure? That it's a good idea?”

“I have the strangest feeling something is up, and unless we get-”

“Wait, we? ”

“You volunteered to help the girl when Rosa wouldn’t let me. And considering this happening a day after your arrival, and hours after Great Gargantua’s escape…I don’t know how to put it into words, but unless we figure this shit out, something might happen. Something bad if we don’t make the next move.”

Now that gave Sebastian some thought, questioning if his maker dumping him here as a “gift” for a fellow Harbinger was more than just a simple peace offering, even if he couldn’t think of one reason why.

Then again, with everything that’s happened to him thus far, there was too much for him to think about.

“But for now, we should head back to the office and go our separate ways. If Madison asks, tell him we were trapped in the Haunted Haunted House, okay?”

“Not like I know what you’re talking about, but sure.”

***

Byron watched from a distance as Sera and Sebastian left the tent, never keeping his watchful gaze off them until he was sure they were both gone.

He pulled out his radio, telling the man on the other side,

“Yeah. I saw them. And the girl…yes, she was with them…yeah, neither died on that ride…uh huh…I see…yeah…And no, Storm knows nothing, yet…No, but I’m sure he’s onto me…Really?! A break! But sir…”

Byron turned his head away to groan loudly.

“Fine. But this better work. We’ve already had one too many setbacks already…Yes, sir.”

Byron clipped the radio back on his belt, getting a move on away from the carnival.

He just hoped Madison hadn't caught onto him doing another disappearing act, and he prayed to every human deity he’s heard of that Growler in particular wasn’t onto him.

And in his time working with the draconic Horror, Growler was the one monster you don’t want to anger.

Let alone figure out what you’ve been doing during your random absences…