Chapter Text
“Papa..? Where are you…” C00lkid called out into the night, “Hello? Anyone..?” He looked around nervously, the trees surrounding the highway he spawned in seeming more and more daunting with each step he took.
Last thing he knew he was in the garage with 007n7, watching him work on some-sort of technology. His adoptive father had been working tirelessly over his desk, furiously coding and tweaking pieces of what appeared to be a watch. Every once in a while he’d look up and ask for spare drill bits or wires with a halfhearted smile on his face. Honestly, all of it had started to bore the kid. He was getting tired of messing with his coloring book that 7n7 had set up for him hours ago. I mean, you could only color in different care bears so many times before it became BORRRINGG!
“Hey kid, think you could pass me the wrench?” He looked up, spinning his chair to face his son. “I think this’ll solve a heck of a lot of our worries,” 7n7 offered, his eyes almost feverish with focus. C00lkidd put his crayon down, groaning.
“Daaadd,” He pleaded, “How much longer until we can play..?” C00lkidd stood up, grabbing his father the wrench he requested. He dragged his way over, slugging along the wall. His hands grappled with the weight of the item in his hand, the perfect weight and size for throwing. C00lkid stood there for a few seconds, waiting. The wrench was just too perfect to not make use of it.
. . . Succumbing to his impulsive thoughts the kid chucked the wrench towards the new tech. It landed perfectly on a red button on the side of the watch. As the code surrounding the watch glitched, c00lkidd found himself corrupting. The watch had begun to tweak out and a window of “C00lGUI” popped out in front of the red child. C00lkidd’s eyes lit up in fear.
“Hey!” 007n7 called out. He got up quickly and rushed to him, “Kid, KID! Stay with me!” A desperate portrait of fear splayed across the former hackers face as he rushed towards him, “Ah shit. SHIT.”
C00lkid looked up at his father who rarely swore.
“Pap-!” He cried out tearfully. His words were shaken and displaced with his change in scenery. He found himself transported to some-sort of highway, only illuminated by the lights of a few dim street lamps–if you could even call them that. C00lkid ran to the side of the road, recalling the many scoldings he’d gotten for running out to the middle of the street. He looked out fearfully, finding himself overwhelmed, “Hello!!” He yelled, “Father..?” At this point C00lkid hadn’t been by himself very often, never straying from 007n7 or his clones for very long. C00lkid never really liked the clones his caretaker set up for him while he went to work. He found their eerie coldness unsettling. But as the child looked out into the seemingly endless road, he wished he at least had that frigid stare to keep him company. “Can we stop playing now..” He called out in between tears. “..Please?” The kid looked towards the trees surrounding the road, night howling and humming of crickets seeming incredibly scary. He scanned and scanned, but no sign of anyone. “I should’ve-” he sniffled, “never threw that wrench.”
HONK HONK
C00lkid looked up, blinded by the LEDs of a large van. He jumped back out of instinct. The car screeched to a halt and was quickly followed by a brisk swinging of the drivers door opening.
“H//HEY!” A corrupted voice called out, “WH4T A//RE YOU D0ING OUT HER3?” The kid looked up, surprised to see another person. He quickly wiped his face with his hands and fought to stop crying. It….didn’t work very well.
“STR-” C00lkidd sniffled again, “STRANGER DANGER!!” The kid began to step backwards, still bawling.
“HEY! I6TS OK!” The half rotten, purple skinned stranger kneeled down, “AR3 YOU L0ST??”
C00lkid looked up, meeting eyes with the stranger for the first time. “You’re…” He paused , “...purple..?”
“I S7PP0SE SO…” The stranger grinned unnaturally. The kid looked the stranger up and down again, observing him from all sides. He honestly looked… kinda scary. His face was rotten in and he had the stench of death lingering from every side of him. Scars racked up his non-concealed arm from skin picking and scratching. His purple hue reminded C00lkid of himself. For some reason, the glitched particles surrounding the broken crown above the stranger's head and the broken code corrupting half of his body brought him back to his papa’s garage. The guy seemed unnerving at first but strangely he found himself comforted by the absurdity of it all. “H0W’D Y0U E//ND UP A11 THE WAY OUT HERE, KIDD0?” The man asked.
“I was messing with Papa’s stuff..” His eyes began to dry, “It glitched and I ended up here…”
“OH..” The stranger tilted it’s head slightly. He was confused. “GLl1TCH1NG? S33MS..UNNATUR4L..” Maybe this kid’s caretaker was some sort of Coder? But the whole ‘Glitching’ aspect of it took him for a loop. The whole thing intrigued him. Maybe he should entertain this for a moment. After all, what is a few hours to a god? The stranger shifted his weight, offering his hand to the kid, “MAYB3 Y0U CAN T3LL ME MORE WHIL3 I TAKE YOU INT0 TOWN?” C00lkidd blinked. He knew his dad told him to not get in the car with anyone, but something about this rancid, purple man brought a bit of comfort in the confusion of his evening.
“...Can I pick the station..?” C00lkidd nervously asked, taking his hand. It was rough and textured, but warm nonetheless. The strangers talons and calluses gently grabbed his hand, as to be careful not to scratch the new hitchhiker.
“OF C0URSE Y0U CAN, KID.”