Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Book One: The Beginning of The End.

We’ll be back home soon, they said. They promised. They left in the afternoon, leaving Georgie alone. He waited, and waited, and waited. He looked out the window longingly. It’s been five hours since they’ve been gone. The pink and orange sky had turned a deep blue, the moon peeking out between cotton clouds. A chill blew through the trees and through the open windows in the house, leaving the young piglet shivering. He rubbed futilely at his arms, but it didn’t work to warm his body. What’s the point? He thought. They probably aren’t even gonna come home tonight. He shut the curtain, obscuring the night sky from view as he turned on his hooves. He climbed the stairs, deciding to retire to his room early. But first, he needed a shower. Quickly picking out a graphic tee and pajama pants, he made his way to the bathroom.

After a warm shower and a quick brush of his teeth, he climbed beneath his sheets. Snuggling into his pillow, it didn’t take long until his eyes began to flutter, and eventually close altogether.

The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway didn’t stir him. His family climbed out, sluggish after a long day. Though feeling stronger and better than ever, they couldn’t help but just feel tired. His mother unlocked the door, calling out to the piglet, announcing their return. Though no response came back, she stomped up the stairs with his father right behind. Both of them entered their room, immediately collapsing into bed without a second thought. His sister made a quick stop in the kitchen, fetching herself a cup of water. Her usual routine before bed: getting herself a snack or drink. She stepped up the stairs, cup of water in hand as she made her way into her shared room with her young brother. She gingerly pushed open the door, finding a little lump beneath the bottom bunk’s blue sheets with pinkish-white hair poking out from it. Wow, he’s asleep early. She thought. Good. The little brat always keeps waking me up in the middle of the night, telling me he “can’t sleep”. As she set her water down on their dresser, she caught herself. Jeez, what is wrong with me today? He didn’t deserve that. She thought. Why am I feeling so… angry? She grasped her cup again, quickly taking a sip of water before setting it back down again. She quickly changed into her pajamas, a simple nightgown. She climbed up the ladder to the top bunk, slipping beneath her sheets. The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyes were shut. She figured that her tiredness left her cranky. She hoped by the time she awakened, her crankiness would be resolved.

If only…

Chapter Text

The piglet startled awake. Hooves gripping his blanket, his eyes frantically darted around, looking for the danger that threatened him in his dreams. The shadowy figure that chased him, eyes ablaze with violence, was nowhere to be seen. His eyes drifted to the floor. A pile of clothes that weren’t there before laid in a messy heap. Are they finally home? He questioned. He turned his attention to the bunk above him.

“Penny, are you awake?” He asked.

No response, not even a slight creak of the bed above him.

“Penny?”

He slipped from his sheets. Hooves touched the icy floor, sending a sharp chill up his back and raising goosebumps along his skin. He quickly found purchase on the ladder, climbing up enough to where he could see his sister. Instead of his sister, he found an empty bed with crumpled sheets.

“Where… is she?” He mumbled.

He climbed back down, hurriedly taking to his drawer to find something to warm his hooves. He found some gray socks, slipping them on hurriedly and finding relief in their warmth. He slipped past the open door, squinting into the darkness. The bathroom was dark, obviously not a soul to be found in there. He creaked open the door to the living room slowly, hoping that the squeaky hinges wouldn’t make it apparent of his being awake. With the door open enough, he slipped through the crack.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the light emanating from the kitchen. Is she in the kitchen? He thought. He knew she would sometimes take trips to the kitchen in the middle of the night. Usually when he’d find her there, they would both quickly get something to snack on before sneaking back upstairs. But something about this nightly trip seemed… off.

Sounds of things tumbling and clattering to the floor echoed from the kitchen. It was particularly loud too, making no effort in being quiet. Did someone break in? He thought. He stepped towards the kitchen. He peeked his head in.

A familiar silhouette was crouched to the floor, ripping things from the fridge. Shelves, drawers full of fruits and vegetables, tupperware filled with leftovers- all being tossed to the ground without care. She grunted and snarled with each angry toss, as if she had gone rabid. Georgie slowly stepped towards her, stepping over spilled substances and food. An apple flew his way, hitting him square in the knee.

“Ow!” He cried.

She stopped in her tracks. The grunts and snarls became labored breaths as she slowly turned towards him. Her body trembled and twitched as she met eyes with her little brother.

“Penny…?”

She slowly rised to her feet, legs shaking as if she had forgotten how to walk. Georgie’s breath caught in his chest as he realized that his dear sister had changed.

Her once vibrant, lively red eyes had turned a deep black. All that was left was a glowing, red pupil in her right eye.

With no words, she lunged.

Chapter Text

A scream ripped from Georgie’s throat as what was his older sister attacked him. Arms outstretched to grab him, she barely missed him as he jumped out of the way. She rammed into the wall, growling as she still had her eyes set on him. She pushed off, lunging towards him again. His quick wits took over once more as he got out of the way, running out of the kitchen. His instincts told him to run and find his parents. He ran up the stairs and to his parents’ room. He reached for the doorknob, and to his luck, the door wasn’t locked.

“MOM! DAD! PENNY’S GONE CRAZY A-AND SHE TRIED TO-!”

His parents turned to him, both of their eyes the same as his sister. His father’s glowed a brilliant white, while his mother’s was a sorrowful black. They stumbled towards him, arms reaching for their son as they had also befell the same fate. Georgie backed out from the room, slamming the door shut to keep them at bay while he looked for an escape. He turned to dart down the stairs and to the front door, only to find Penny clamoring up the stairs. Aggressive grunts and growls left her as she laid eyes on her target again. Georgie had to think quick. Going up to the attic would for sure get him cornered, and he wasn’t gonna risk juking his gone-rabid sister and failing. He could go down the stairs but Penny was in the way and would for sure get him and do who-knows-what to him, and his parents were eventually gonna bust out of their room and get him too. Think, Georgie, think! He cried out in his mind.

His eyes landed on the railing, and that’s when it clicked.

With no other option, he pushed himself over the railing. He crashed to the floor, his shoulder and hip shooting up with pain upon contact. He swallowed his scream, only letting out a pained yelp. He quickly pushed himself off the floor, pushing through the pain as he sprinted to the front door. He ripped the door open. Freedom at last, but not yet.

A hoof caught his shirt. The sounds of Penny’s animalistic grunts and snarls were far too close for the piglet’s liking. She had his shirt in a white-knuckled grip, not wanting to let him go. Not wanting him to escape. Georgie desperately tried to pull from her grip, tugging and tugging away while Penny was pulling him ever closer to her. Trying to get away from her like this was futile, unless…

Georgie turned to face his sister, regret and instincts flooding his mind as he stared in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Penny!”

He raised his leg, shooting it outwards as he kicked Penny in the chest. Her grip loosened as she became winded, the breath and balance knocked out of her as she fell backwards.

Georgie charged into the night, running as far as his little legs and lungs could take him. Penny watched as her little brother left her behind, breaths becoming far more labored as she tried to regain the air she lost.

I’m sorry…

Chapter Text

Running, running, running. His lungs grew tighter and tighter, the crisp, dry air making his throat burn. He didn’t know where he was anymore. It’s been who knows how long since he ran from home. Nothing but a dried, grassy plain surrounded him, with a straight road cutting through it all.

He slowed to a stop, the dry air becoming too much for his aching lungs. He bent over, hands on knees as he coughed his lungs out, gasping for air each chance he took. Eventually, air refilled his lungs and he was able to breathe again, though his sides were in pain. What’s even going on? Mom, dad, Penny… What happened to them? Who did this to them? He thought. He looked out into the starry night sky, as if asking the constellations for some sort of answer. An answer for what his family has become. No answers would be given.

“Young man, do you need any help?”

Georgie became startled, jumping to face the voice behind him. Unbeknownst to him, a car pulled up behind him and he didn’t even hear it. Peeking out from the driver’s side window was a leopard lady.

“N-No, thanks.” He squeaked out, straightening back up to continue on his way.

“Are you sure? It’s not safe for you to be alone out here!” She called out.

Georgie stopped in his tracks, turning to face the lady again.

“Why? W-What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you can get hit by cars! A lot of people who drive down here are usually drunk and use this road as a way to avoid the police, and god forbid someone swerves and hits you!” She informed.

Georgie stood silent.

“Wherever you need to go, I can take you there. I promise.”

Well… I definitely don’t wanna die out here. Georgie thought. And… she seems like a nice lady.

Quietly, Georgie stepped towards the car. The car’s locks came undone with a click, and Georgie opened the door. He hopped in, shut the door, and the car slowly rolled off.

“So, where do you need to go? What brings you out here?” She asked.

Georgie couldn’t even begin to explain. He didn’t think that she would even believe him.

“It’s… a long story. I don’t wanna talk about it.” He mumbled.

“Okay, that’s alright. You don’t need to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” She said.

A long silence filled the air alongside the sounds of the car’s running engine.

“I’m Layla, by the way.” She spoke up.

“Georgie.” He responded, “Can you drop me off at the police station?”

“Sure thing.”

After another long silence spent looking out the window at the passing, changing scenery, Georgie spoke up.

“Something happened to my family. I don’t know what, but they just… changed. It’s like they just became monsters.” He mumbled the last part.

“Aww, I’m so sorry, hun! I… I just can’t imagine what I would do if that happened to my family, and if I was as young as you!”

Georgie just sulked, nodding blankly as he continued to stare out the window. The plains became a woody area, and now has become a small town.

“Whatever you have to do at the police station, I hope they can help you, and your family if possible.”

Georgie nodded, “I hope so…”

The car slowed to a halt, stopping in front of a large building with two glass double doors which shone light upon the tiny car.

“Well, we’re here!” Layla chirped.

“This is the police station?” Georgie questioned.

“Indeed!”

Hope filling his heart, Georgie felt a smile creep onto his face.

“Thanks, Layla. I… really appreciate you helping me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, hun! Be safe, okay?”

Georgie nodded, giving Layla one last grateful smile, before hopping back out of the car. Layla sped off into the night, a savior in a little green beat up car. Turning to the huge doors, Georgie stepped up the flight of stairs with rejuvenated energy. This was his chance to save his family from whatever horrible fate they had befell.

Chapter Text

Stepping into the station, the scent of fresh printed papers and coffee filled the air. A cop sat at the front desk, a dog of the pit bull breed sat with his eyes barely keeping itself open as he stared at a computer screen. He didn’t even notice the young boy enter.

“Excuse me?”

Georgie’s small voice broke him out of his sleepy trance, immediately perking up in alert. He peered over his desk, eyes reverting to its sleepy gaze.

“Hello, what’s your emergency?” He droned.

“Well, its-”

“May I have a name first?” He interrupted.

“Georgie Piggy,” He sighed. “It’s about my family. They-”

“Is it an actual emergency, or did you just run away because your mommy and daddy didn’t give you money to buy something from your little game?”

“No- I-! I don’t know! I don’t even know what happened to them! They became monsters and they tried to hurt me!”

The pit bull sighed, pinching the bridge of his scrunched nose.

“Look kid, whatever happened in your nightmares won’t hurt you in real life, now scram! Come back when you have a REAL emergency.”

The cop leaned back, setting his drooping eyes back on the glowing screen. Georgie grunted, huffing as he crossed his arms.

“Sir, I’m telling the truth! My family visited a hospital, somewhere in the city , and they came home acting weird! Please, I need your help!” He demanded.

The answering machine sitting on the left of the desk rang. The cop picked up the phone, sighing into the receiver.

“Hey Steve.” He droned.

The voice on the other end sounded frantic, almost loud enough for Georgie to hear.

“Steve-” The cop started.

He was cut off as the voice continued to ramble.

“Steve- STEVE!”

The cop’s booming voice made Georgie jump back a bit.

“Steve, tell me slowly : What’s going on?”

The cop nodded as the voice explained on the other end.

“A riot? Which cell block? Cell Block B?”

There was a long pause as the person on the other end continued.

“Alright, Steve. I’ll go check it out. I have a…”

The cop peered back over his desk, sighing once he saw Georgie still standing there.

“Child here in the lobby complaining about something. If you could send another officer here to handle it, that would be great.”

Another pause as the person on the other end responded.

“Okay, thanks Steve.”

The cop slammed the phone down, getting up from his chair with an annoyed groan.

“Be right back kid, gotta handle something. Someone else will be here to deal with you shortly.”

Georgie just nodded as he watched the officer’s large frame disappear behind the door. He sat on a worn couch to his left, cringing when he felt the cracking skin of the cushions crunch beneath his weight. His eyes drifted from item to item in the little lobby. The coffee cup that the officer left behind still had steam rising from it, seemingly unaffected by the cold of this place. The light from the computer casted on a huge stack of papers, which caught the pig’s attention. What’s with all that paper? He thought.

His floppy ears perked at the sound of a familiar tune coming from his left, peering up at the television hanging from the wall.

“Good morning to all, this is the early morning news. I am Diana Dane,” The female reporter started.

“And I’m Horace Houndsby.” The male reporter continued.

“Today at four in the morning, police and the E.S.A.F. have responded to multiple riots breaking out across the country. E.S.A.F. Chairman, Kevin Kross, gives a statement.”

The camera cuts to a man of the kudu species.

“Currently, we are not sure of how or why this is happening.” He spoke, a stern look on his face. “This all seemed to happen spontaneously, but rest assured, we have everything under control and will keep you all updated.”

The screen cut to footage from within a city that was burning. Animals alike frantically ran to and from places, tossing bottles alight with flames through the broken windows of already ablaze buildings. The E.S.A.F., armed with shields, batons, armor, and belts full of what he can assume was probably tear gas among other things, marched towards the growing crowd.

“This is live within Old Oak City, where our very own Kamila Kangaroo reports live from the scene.” Diana states.

The camera cuts to a kangaroo woman, face a mask of concern as she glances from place to place.

“Yes Diana, I’m here within Old Oak City, about a few miles away from the scene. It is extremely hot here, um,” She nervously laughs. “Currently, the E.S.A.F. are making an advance through the city.”

“What’s the situation looking like over there right now, Kamila?” Horace asked.

“Well,” Kamila turned to face the flaming city, hand raised to shield the brightness of the fire from her eyes. “It doesn’t seem to be calming down yet and, by the looks of it, it seems like the rioters are beginning to attack other rioters, and the E.S.A.F.”

“Wait, the rioters are beginning to attack other rioters?” Horace questioned.

“Y-Yes Horace, um-”

A loud explosion rattled from the TV’s speakers, the reporter ducking down momentarily as a bright flash of orange and red exploded from afar. Kamila raised back up, turning to the scene behind her.

“Yes Horace, it does appear that the rioters are beginning to attack other animals!” Kamila shouted in a panic as she turned back to the camera.

All other chatter from the reporters fell deaf on Georgie's ears as he noticed, from the distance, a hooded figure stalking towards the reporter, its head facing down. Its side was lit by the aflame molotov in its right hand. Alighted by the flame, from what Georgie could vaguely see, a dark liquid trailed down its arm, staining the material of its torn up sleeve. It raised its head, and Georgie could not deny what he saw.

Orange, glowing eyes illuminated its face, and he could just see how mangled its face was. A chunk was taken out from where its nose used to be, leaving blood spurting from its nose bone. Its bloody jaws opened, arm cocking back with the molotov in hand.

With a strong swing of its arm, the molotov went sailing into the air.

In just a matter of seconds, the reporter had burst into flames. Shrill screams erupted from the burning woman as she thrashed around, desperately trying to put herself out.

Blocks of blue, white, red, green and other assorted colors filled the screen, a high pitched noise emitting from the TV. Georgie sat frozen in place. He couldn't dare to move his eyes from the screen. 

He couldn’t believe it. 

He just witnessed someone die.

A loud bang broke him from his paralyzed state, his head snapping towards where the sound came from. Faint flashes of light emitted from the glass window of the door that the officer left through, followed by the sound of gunshots. But beyond the gunshots, he heard screams. Screams of terror and anger, muffled only by the flimsy door that separated him from the chaos outside of the little lobby. In the window, a blurry shadow approached quickly. Georgie felt his guts twist, becoming cotton-mouthed as his heart raced. He was paralyzed as the blurry figure flung the door open.

It was the cop from earlier, covered in blood as he held his right eye. He slammed the door shut and pressed himself against it, trying to hold back the flurry of bangs that came from outside. In his other hand held a gun, its slide pulled back and empty of bullets. His frantic, darting eyes finally met Georgie’s, and relief seemed to wash over him.

“Oh, kid! Thank goodness you’re here! L-Listen-!”

He faltered as the door was rammed into. He pressed harder into the door, grunting with all his might.

“Please! I need you to call an ambulance, and maybe even the police! I know it sounds silly, but-!”

The door was rammed into again, a faint crack emitting from it.

“Everyone here has gone crazy! They’re biting- er, scratching- eating- Agh! They’re attacking each other! I swear I’ve seen one of ‘em missing their arm…!” He muttered the last part.

“But please, kid! Just take my phone on that desk and-!”

The door burst into pieces as whatever was outside got inside, sending the officer flying to the floor.

Prisoners, dressed in blood-drenched orange jumpsuits and white undershirts, charged forward into the lobby. Each of them sported injuries of their own, as well as the same glowing eyes. Blue, red, green, and pink crowded the fallen officer. The green-eyed prisoner jumped on top of the officer as the others took to holding him down, Blue taking his arms and Pink and Red taking his legs. With his hand away from his eye, Georgie could see why he was covering it. His eye was no longer there. All that was left was a bloodied socket.

“No, please! Kid, help! HEL-!”

The officer’s pleas became garbled screams as Green swooped down, latching onto the officer’s throat with sharp, bloodied teeth. Like a feral animal, she wrenched her head side to side as blood splattered across her snarling snout and face. The others watched intently as she pulled back, the officer’s screams fully ceasing as his throat was torn out. He gargled, eyes never leaving Georgie’s as the life he once had was snuffed. Now limp, Green turned her attention to her next victim: The young piglet who stared in horror as tears fell from his wide eyes. She roared as she scrambled up, slipping on the officer’s pooling blood as she went after him. Upon her cry, Pink, Red, and Blue got up as well and made a break for him.

RUN!

Georgie scrambled off the couch right as Blue launched himself at him. He pushed the glass doors open as he sprinted out, Pink and Red now hot on his heels. The animalistic screeching of the two prisoners made his heart hammer in his chest. Passing by a trash can, he pushed it over behind him, making Pink trip and tumble over it while Red hopped over it with ease. He swiped at the boy, making him yelp as his claws barely grazed him by an inch. Georgie turned a sharp corner into an alley, creating a significant distance between him and Red that, unfortunately, wasn't enough as Red was easily back on his curly tail again.

In the distance, Georgie could see a dumpster that was sat against a wall, short enough for him to climb on and hopefully escape the monster that threatened his life. Using all the stamina left in him, he sprinted forward in long strides, leaping onto the dumpster and scrambling onto the lid. Red’s clammy paws caught his ankle, yanking at him as the piglet tried to escape. Georgie held on to the lid for dear life as he tried to pull his ankle from Red’s crushing grip. He turned onto his back, facing the rabid inmate.

He wasn’t going to face the same fate as the cop.

With a primal yell, he pulled his leg back and slammed his foot into the beast’s snout, a foul crunch emitting from it as it collided with his nose. Red screamed as he reeled back, losing grip on his ankle as his paws went to his broken nose. Georgie turned back onto his stomach as he got up and jumped over the wall. He was on the run once more.

Hours later, he found himself in another alleyway, tired beyond all sense. His tired eyes searched for somewhere to rest- somewhere to rest his eyes just for a little bit. His eyes fell onto an open tent that was tucked into the darkest corner of the alleys. All sense lost to his tired state, he went towards it. Climbing inside, he zipped it up slowly as he tried to not make too much noise. If Red was trying to find him somehow, making any more noise would surely lead Red to him. Once fully zipped closed, he collapsed onto the hard floor. As his eyes shut and his mind went blank, he thought back to that TV broadcast.

Before the cameras cut, Georgie could’ve swore he saw the monster who lit the reporter on fire… smiling.

Chapter Text

“Georgie…”

The boy grunted as he turned over, hugging his pillow tighter as he buried his head further into it.

“Geeoorrggiiee…” The voice sung playfully.

“Another minute…” He whined.

Sweet silence encompassed him. Whoever was calling to him seemed to have finally gotten the message of ‘leave me alone’. He sighed into his pillow as he drifted back into a dreamless slumber.

“GEORGE!”

A heavy weight toppled over him, knocking all breath out of him immediately. His eyes shot open, finding his sister sat on top of him with one of her arms tucked behind her. Her eyes were vibrant, a smile on her face as she met eyes with her little brother.

“Penny-! Get- off-!” Georgie wheezed as he roughly swatted at Penny’s side.

“Then wake up, dummy!” She retorted as she stood up. “Don’t you know what day it is?”

“Is it ‘Let Me Sleep In Peace’ Day?” Georgie responded sarcastically.

Penny frowned.

“No, dumbo!”

The arm that was tucked behind her back came out, presenting a cone-shaped hat that was decorated with glitter and a little pom-pom on the tip of it.

“It’s your 10th birthday! You’re turning double digits, little bro!”

She quickly strapped it to his head, letting the stretchy string snap to his chin.

“Ow…” Georgie winced, rubbing the bottom of his chin gingerly.

“C’mon,” Penny urged, grabbing his hand. “Mom and dad are waiting for you!”

Georgie was led out by Penny, who walked a bit too fast for him to catch up. The siblings- or more like Penny- hurried down the stairs and to the dining room. Penny opened the door, and the scene Georgie found inside was like a dream.

Streamers themed after his love of robots and dinosaurs decorated the walls and ceiling. Gifts wrapped in different assortments of wrapping paper piled up against the wall, waiting for him to open them. A huge cake sat in the middle of the table, frosting white and decorated with blue icing dollops around its edges, corners, and exterior. Figures of robots stood atop the cake, appearing to be holding the two huge candles that indicated the age he would be turning. In the midst of it all, his mother and father stood there, faces turning into one of joy as the birthday boy entered the room.

“There’s my boy! Happy birthday, son!” His father cheered as he wrapped Georgie in a tight hug.

“Happy birthday, my darling,” His mother approached him just as he left his father’s grasp, cupping his face as she bombarded him with a flurry of kisses across his face.

“Ah! Mom!” He giggled as he gently pushed her away. “I’m too old for that!”

“You’re never too old for a kiss from your mama, Georgie,” She chuckled. “Even when you’re one hundred years old, I’ll be giving you kisses like you’re still a baby.”

“Happy birthday, big head!” Penny shouted through her teeth as she roughly grabbed his head, shaking it around like a Magic Eight Ball.

“Now, Penny,” Their mother warned. “Be nice to your brother. You know he gets headaches easily.”

“Sorry! I’m just so excited!” She said as she let go of his head, leaving Georgie dizzy- as well as a little queasy.

“Alright, now that Georgie’s here, let’s get to singing ‘Happy Birthday’!” His father announced.

Georgie pulled out a seat for himself as his family gathered around him. The lights around him dimmed. His father ignited a lighter, pointing it onto the candles’ wicks until they lit up. The candles were now the only thing that lit up the room.

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Georgie,

Happy birthday to you!

The monotone singing erupted into whoops and cheers as clapping filled the room.

“Make a wish, big head!” Penny urged.

Georgie stilled as he thought about it. What could he possibly wish for? He felt pretty content with his life so far. There wasn’t anything he really wanted more besides his family at his side.

He blew out the candles, and the lights flicked on.

“You don’t wish for anything?” His mom asked.

“Uhh, yeah,” Georgie shrugged. “All I wish for is… just for you guys to be here!”

His mom smiled wide, embracing him once more in a loving hug.

“Oh, Georgie,” His mother cooed. “We’ll always be here for you!”

“Yeah!” Penny agreed, ruffling his hair. “Even when we’re all dust, we’ll still be here with you- in spirit!”

“There’s nothing in this world that can take us away from you, son. Remember that.” His father affirmed, giving his shoulder a tight squeeze.

Georgie’s heart melted, his eyes welling with tears.

“I love you, guys.” He squeaked out, hurriedly rubbing away the tears.

“Here,” Penny said, presenting a knife. “Take the first cut. After all, you’re old enough to cut your own cake now.”

Georgie took the knife in both hands. He examined the blade. It shined in the light above, a blurry reflection of his face showing on it. Slowly, he brought the blade to the cake. As he brought the knife to the cake, he felt the air around him shift. The air felt thick, almost stifling as he pressed the knife into the spongy cake. The knife glided through slowly, almost like he was trying to cut jello. Inch by inch, the knife sliced through. The tip of the knife came to a halt, now stuck to the bottom of the pan the cake sat upon. The rest of the knife followed suit, finding rest at the bottom. A satisfied grin came upon his face. Wow, that was surprisingly easy! He thought. And not as scary as I thought it would be!

“Mom, dad, Penny! You guys see tha-!”

Just as he turned away to ask, pain shot up his arms. His hooves fell numb. He turned back to the table.

The once pristine white cake became spattered with red, and the party-themed table cover began to bleed red. Right there on the table, his hooves laid, a cleaver separating his forearms from them.

A scream tore from his throat as he brought his arms to his chest. He became quickly drenched in his own blood. His eyes darted, finding the once comforting and lively scenery turned into a hellish nightmare. Instead of streamers, intestines hang, dripping blood as if they were recently harvested. The walls and floors became fleshy, turning the once fresh air into one of staleness and death. The gifts turned into corpses, piled on top of each other and missing chunks of their flesh or even their limbs, and his family…

Their glowing eyes were all set on him .

WAKE UP.

Georgie screamed as he jolted up. His heart pounded, feeling like that of a hummingbird’s. Tears rolled down his cheeks, creating new wet streaks over the dry ones that existed. There were sounds around him, but they were too muffled to discern. The monsters, other animals, or maybe even just some cars passing outside- he didn’t know. His eyes blurred with tears, he could barely make out anything.

Anything, except a figure crouched in front of him.

The noise was coming from them. Georgie scurried away until he hit the scratchy back of the tent, hurriedly rubbing away at his eyes so he could see who or what it was.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?!” They shouted.

He blinked, eventually clearing away the fog from his eyes.

It was a girl. Two round, pink ears sat atop her head. Her fur was colored in shades of gray, velvet, and white. Her nose was pointed, two yellowed buck teeth sticking out of her mouth. She was dressed in tattered blue overalls and a red and black striped shirt that had some holes in it. The fur atop her head was choppy and placed into two unbrushed pigtails, showing who-knows-how-long of time without care.

“Speak, stupid!” She yelled, jamming her hand into her overall’s pocket and pulling out a makeshift knife, made from what looked to be a rusty scalpel duct-taped to the handle of a knife.

“Hey, hey! I’m sorry! I-I didn’t know anyone lived here! Please don’t hurt me!” He hurriedly pleaded as he held his hooves up.

The girl’s eyes squinted, brows furrowing as the whiskers on her face twitched. Her eyes scanned him, analyzing him. After a moment, her eyes softened.

“You don’t seem like a danger,” She said, sliding the knife back into her pocket. “ I hope. ”

“N-No, I’m not, I promise.” Georgie replied, swallowing the lump in his throat.

The girl looked away, slowly sitting herself down. Her eyes averted from his, he could see the gears spinning in her head. She looked back up at him, adjusting in her spot to sit on her knees.

“Name’s Tilly.” She spoke.

“Georgie.” Georgie replied.

“Why are you here? You… don’t look like anyone i’ve seen around here before.” She questioned.

Georgie stiffened. How was she going to believe him if that officer didn’t believe him either? He had to come up with something- something believable.

“I… I ran away from home a few weeks ago. I’ve been going around trying to find somewhere to stay.” He mumbled, eyes glancing at her and the wall behind her.

“I don’t believe you.” Tilly said, bringing her legs out from underneath her.

She hugged her knees as she rested her chin atop them.

“Why are you actually here?” She asked, staring into his soul with her mud brown eyes.

How does this girl know I’m lying?! What is she, a mind reader?! Georgie thought.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’ve been around a lot of liars in my life, and you’re no different.”

Tilly reached into her pocket and pulled out the knife from earlier. She twirled it around in her fingers.

“Now, why are you really here?” She asked finally.

Georgie sighed as he finally held his eyes on her.

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me but… What I said earlier was true; I did run away from home, but it wasn’t a few weeks ago.”

Georgie noticed the light shining through the tent, warming the tent to almost a stifling degree.

“I ran away a day ago. My family had come home from the hospital while I was asleep. When I woke up… I’m not even sure how this happened, but they became monsters. They had these… weird glowing eyes, a-and they tried to hurt me.”

Tilly’s eyes seemed to flash with recognition. Her brows furrowed and the twirling knife was paused between dexterous fingers.

“ Glowing eyes? ” Tilly repeated in question.

Georgie nodded. Tilly’s eyes left his, staring away again as the gears in her brain got to work once more. Her whiskers twitched again.

“I… think I've seen what you’ve seen.” Tilly finally spoke after a moment.

Georgie’s eyes widened, a deep weight pressing down on his gut.

“You saw them too?” He asked.

“Yeah. A lot of them, actually. There was this one with red eyes, dressed in some kinda prison outfit.”

Georgie felt his heart stop.

“I had just left here and he was right in front of me. The moment he saw me, he was chasing me all over!” Tilly waved her hands around for emphasis. 

“And the moment I left this alley…” Tilly sighed heavily. “There were a ton of them like him out there.”

Georgie brought his knuckles to his mouth. He bit down on them as he became lost in thought.

“They saw me, and they began chasing me too. That guy, I don’t know what was up with him, but he seemed… almost bloodthirsty . Even when the others eventually got tired and left me alone, he still followed me. I mean, the guy’s nose looked like it got kicked in, so… I’m guessing he must’ve thought that I was the one who did that to him, or something…”

Tilly noticed the boy in front of her no longer paying attention.

“Is there something I should know?” Tilly questioned.

Georgie peered up at her before looking away again. He straightened up from the slouch he was in.

“It’s just that… that guy you described. He had red eyes?”

Tilly nodded, eyebrow raising in curiosity.

“That guy was chasing me down too. I tried to get away by climbing on top of a dumpster. This dumpster was next to a pretty short wall, s-so I thought I could use it to jump over it, to get away from him. The moment I got on, he grabbed my ankle.”

Georgie reached down to the afflicted leg, rubbing at the soreness that was left behind.

“I-I got scared and-”

“Wait!” Tilly interrupted. “Is that why he has a broken nose?”

Georgie nodded.

“I kicked him and he let me go.”

“No wonder!” She laughed as she folded her arms.

Georgie nervously laughed. So he was looking for me! He thought. He must’ve thought I was in here… thankfully, I wasn’t.

“So, that guy chased me around for a while. I managed to lose him after I ran into this abandoned warehouse down the road.”

She leaned back on her hands and stretched her legs out. “And now here we are.”

Georgie folded his arms tight to his chest. This girl, “Tilly”, was so… nice to him all of a sudden. One moment she was threatening him for being in her “house”, and now here she was just sitting back as if they’ve known each other for a long time.

“Say, if you don’t mind,” Tilly spoke up as she grabbed ahold of a dirtied backpack that was laying at her side. “Could you… help me? I-I could use some help getting some… food and stuff.” She shrugged. “E-Especially with whatever is walking around out there.”

What? Georgie thought as confusion crossed his features. This girl wanted me out of her house, and now… she’s asking me for help?

“It’s just that I went out to get more food but… y’know.”

Georgie hesitated for a moment, before he gave a slight nod.

“Well… yeah, sure,” He uncrossed his arms, opting to lean back on his hands too. “I’m a bit scared to go back out there alone, honestly.” He nervously chuckled.

Tilly shared the same laugh. She threw a strap over her shoulder as she picked up a discarded pair of shoes, which had soles that were held to the shoe with duct tape.

“Good.” She replied shortly.

As she tied the shoes to her bare paws, she took a quick glance towards Georgie, where she would notice that he was only wearing socks on his hooves.

“You might wanna wear some shoes.” She noted.

“Hm?” Georgie looked down at his hooves.

“You might wanna wear some shoes. Trust me: It’s not a good idea to be walking around here with no shoes.”

She picked up another pair of shoes and tossed them at his hooves. These ones were almost twice the size of his hooves. He was about to question the size of them until Tilly muttered.

“I accidentally stepped in pee barefooted once. It left my paw itchy for a while.”

Without a word, he tied the shoes to his hooves hurriedly. Nevermind. Ew.