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I know I saw something back there.
One night, I was helping Ramb close up the shop, stocking TV dinners into the freezer. He got this strange look in his eye, like nothing I had quite seen before and excused himself. Now, obviously I was curious where he was going. Who wouldn't be! He had left in such a hurry! So I followed him, I followed him out of the shop and back to the S-rank room, where he disappeared into the double doors back there. I already had a weird feeling but... I couldn't help it, I cracked the door open and took a look, and as I peeked into the room, I swear I could feel something staring right back at me.
"Oh, Tappins you're funny!" a pippins sat at the bar chuckled, "thats just the playtesting room! everyone knows that!" another chimed in. The pair giggled to each other. "you need to chill ouuutttt," the first pippins groaned, "Ramb got you too worked up or something? come hang with us again Tippy! loosen up!" the second one swooned, elbowing in Tappin’s direction.
"Er, I'll pass, thank you," Tappins stared at the plate he's polishing behind the bar. "But, I *know* there was something back there! I swear!" He looks up to face the pippins at the bar, shoving the plate down onto the table
"Y'wanna bet on it?" The first pippins reaches their hand out to Tappins, a grin spread across their face, the other pippins giggles, their expressions matching. Tappins grimaces, he knew this was coming.
"Deal" he says decisively "And if I'm right, you have to close out your tab," he adds, now it's his turn to smile. "Gh- hey! that wasn't in the deal!" the pippins snatches their hand back, eyes widening, "get back here!" they yell, but Tappins has already left behind the bar, he rolls his eyes, dismissively waving his hand back at the two pippins. "You better save up then!" he sneers.
---
Y'know... Tappins really shouldn't be as nervous as he is right now. He definitely talked himself up a bit more than he should have to those pippins... Tappins groans as he looks up at the door to the S-rank room, hand heavy as he reaches up to grasp the doorknob. After hours the Green Room is always a little freaky, with the music cut and lights low, everyone home for the night, it always feels like something you're never really meant to see. The S-rank room... being in the shape it is, is almost comically creepy, like something straight out of a teen horror novel. The juvenile appearance of it makes Tappins chuckle a bit to himself, ignoring the nervous sweat forming at the back of his neck. The dank hallway leading to the changing room seems to stretch forever as it's illuminated by Tappin’s flashlight. His footsteps echo through the cramped hallway as he carves through the dark.
God the main room is even worse. A chill runs down Tappins' spine as he swishes his flashlight through the long room. Everything is still, *way* too still, the drapes of the changing rooms hang like empty ghosts as they catch the light. The mirrors reflect months old smudges and grime as Tappins accidentally blinds himself. His face twists as he rubs his eyes, to regain his vision. The room is cold, but he has a deal to fulfill. Tappins takes a minute to steel himself as he takes a deep breath, puffing his chest out and smoothing out his poncho. Head held high, he pushes through the dark and straight into the back room.
"See Tappins! its just the playtesting room!" he whispers to himself, "theres nothin- nothin to be scared of,"
He scans the area with his flashlight, hastily grabbing at a controller on the nearby console. He freezes, confused by the unexpected resistance the controller exhibits. Tappins scowls slightly as he pulls at it again, a loud thud ringing through the cramped room as the controller gives way, a loud thud accompanied by a... slithering? scurrying? The hair on Tappin's neck raises.
"It's a maus, it's just a maus... dirty old room, just a maus..." Tappins whispers to himself definitively, taking shaky steps away from the console.
His eyes flick from side to side as he takes another deep breath, "damn it Tappins get your head in the game!" he raps the flashlight on the side of his head a few times. Pressing forward, Tappins finds himself in the entry to the game room, the final hurdle, last area to check. He holds his breath as he sheepishly steps through the doors
SLAM
Tappins jumps as the door slams shut. "Hello? Hey, this isn’t funny! guys?" he presses against the door, uselessly rattling the doorknob, "guys? I know you're out there! Let me out!" he whines, anxiety creeping into his voice. Without warning, the giant monitor in the room clicks on, a loud degaussing noise signalling its entry, Tappins flinches and covers his ears as the loud shrill of the CRT monitors fill the air. He can't help but watch through his arms as the screen flicks on node by node, displaying sickening flashing colours before settling on a bright yellow screen "A DEAL HM? LETS MAKE THIS FUN" it read, before switching to the familiar, blue "NO CONTROLLER" screen.
Tappins stood frozen, his weight pressed against the door. Heart racing, he forces himself to approach the console, plugging in the controller he took from the main room. He swears he can feel eyes boring into him in every direction, carefully observing his every move. Sweat rolls down his face as he backs away from the console, assuming a position of which to properly watch the monitor as the obnoxious boot up sequence finishes. Tappins shuts his eyes as bright yellow squares flash across the screen. He's never dealt with bright lights well, and the comparative darkness of the room isn't helping in the slightest.
'This is bad, this is so bad, oh dear what have I gotten myself into...' Tappins thinks to himself, he reopens his eyes, squinting as he tries to focus on the screen in front of him. It looks just like all the other prototype game boards Tenna has back here, just like all the ones Tappins has playtested in the past.
A pixelated pippins stands front and center on the board, its classic red smile and wink completely unrepresentative of how Tappins is feeling. He takes a deep breath and begins to knowingly maneuver his way through the board. He finds the same old weapon any pippins would find, and begins killing the monsters found around before entering a room with another pippins standing in it. "I am the lost pippins!" it says "oh! it seems you already knew that though! you seem just as lost as I am!" it finished. Tappins eyebrows peaked, he'd never seen another pippins in the playtesting games before. Sure, they'd end up in the ones used on the show, but that was after the pippins gave their reports on the board, to add hints to them.
Tappins pressed on, the eyes on the back of his neck burned hotter as he progressed through the level. "I am the lost pippins! headed deeper are we? be careful or you might never come out again!" another pippins npc read. the eyes burn hotter, Tappins swears he hears something coming from behind him, cold sweat runs down his back. "I am the lost pippins! hey I recognise you from ages ago! don't give me that face, you remember me too don't you?" Tappin's hands tremble, his eyes dart to the shadows licking at the corners of the room. “I am the lost pippins! Make sure to check the shadows! Nobody can really be sure what hides in them!”
Tappins pressed on, the air suffocates him, every breath is heavy. his head pounds as he moves room to room, he's running out of enemies to kill, running out of air in this room, running out of places to go... running... His eyes dart to the door in the corner. He squints, the fluorescent colours of the monitor reflect in his eyes like burn in as he tries to make it out. running... He feels those eyes on him again, waiting with baited breath to see what he does.
Tappins books it, slamming into the door of the playtesting room, "HELP! HELP ME PLEASE! ANYONE!" he yells, hitting the door with his fist as hard as he can. The doorknob is useless as it rattles in his other hand. "HELP, PLEASE HELP ME! IM STUCK! ILL CLEAR YOUR TABS, I PROMISE," his voice fills the room, but not any further. Tappins stops yelling, his fist aches, he can feel his heart trying to escape his chest, he can feel the tears roll down his face. "HELP! PLEASE.. please..." he sinks into the shadows, forehead pressed against the door. Tappins slowly turns around to face the rest of the room, eyes shut tight, his lungs heave as they attempt to fill with air. "Please let me go" he says between sobs, he wipes the tears from his face "whatevers in here!" he raises his voice, whipping his head around to make sure it hears, "please..." The monitor shrieks once more as it changes scenes, Tappins shoots his hands to his ears to block the sound, the room is cast in shadow as the screen shuts off.
"OH HOW TERRIBLE, OUR GAME CUT SHORT" text displays on the blackened screen, the monitor screams. "I THOUGHT WE HAD A DEAL?" it read, screen changing. "No! no deal! not with you! please! please let me out!" Tappins choked. "YOUVE FORGOTTEN THEN? I’LL REMIND YOU." The room went pitch black, Tappins couldn't be sure he was on solid ground anymore, the horrible screaming of the monitor cuts out for the worse, the sensory deprivation is far worse. Tappins hears chuckling from behind him, or can he be sure? was the darkness just getting to him? his heart pounded, blood rushes in his ears. Another laugh, the movement of air, a flicker of something in the dark. Surely it's just him imagining things, his mind making things up to fill in the emptiness he's found himself in.
"ITS NICE TO MEET, FACE TO FACE THIS TIME"
Tappins screams, he throws himself backwards at the sight of two, giant eyes staring back at him. He feels as if his very soul is being stared into, a wide grin forms under the eyes as it looks at him. Its voice is eerily familiar, like something from an old memory you only half remember. Tappins tries to speak, tries to call out, but he's only able to produce small squeaks from his vocal chords.
"YOU PIPPINS AND YOUR DEALS," the creature sighs, "I SUPPOSE YOU MAKE SO MANY, YOU FORGET WHICH ONES ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. THAT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM ANYMORE THOUGH, I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT."
Tappin's body retches over, the eyes burning on his neck scorch his entire body. He coughs and hacks, but his mouth is so dry nothing comes out. The tears falling from his eyes have stopped but he's still crying. Tappins cries, screams for help, but no sound is produced. Only the trembling of his body and the ringing in his ears. Tappins feels his throat cut up as he continues to hack on the ground, eventually, a shard of something barely visible is produced from his mouth. It falls onto the ground delicately, only revealed by the small amount of light it reflects.
"A GIFT FOR YOU, SOMETHING FROM AN OLD FRIEND." the creature laughs, eyes and smile contorting hideously. “SOMETHING YOU’LL NEVER FORGET.”
and it vanishes. All at once the darkness vanishes. Tappins is left lying prone on the floor. His chest heaves, every part of his body singes with pain. His vision swirls and blurs before fading to black.
FIN