Chapter Text
In this world—a world where selfish people littered the floors like rubbish.
In a world where people drop like flies, puppeteered and hung up like strings.
A world where you must watch every step—every turn—expecting the unexpected.
There stood a scar.
One would say their smiles were—used to be bright. As bright as the sun, a memory wisped away as fast as time travels. One would say they stood proud and tall, hands clean and unscarred—rare in purity.
A white butterfly flying through the summer air.
A time where all was found and the golden grass blossomed, its warmth radiating and emphasizing the beauty of summer as the butterfly flourished and flew.
A time where that butterfly met another and they thrived together in a time that seemed too much like a distant memory that shone with the stars above—
Forced and cut down and butchered into a paste people would eat and eat and tear apart into shreds. Hit with the hammer of life and reality over and over and over again until it became a scar scraped against the rough concrete pavement.
Nobody cared that that scar had been smudged, no one cared that they had suffered, let alone forced into ungodly acts of reality that was forced and shoved into their already overflowing list of responsibilities.
The river overflowed—washing against the stain that etched into the concrete, but nothing worked. Nothing moved.
Nothing changed.
That stain was forever smothered into the versatile surface.
They didn’t care that it became a part of the solidified aggregate. Not until the scar had fallen from the pressure, eager to take someone with them. Not until the scar lost its wings.
A flower grew through the pavement—mockery disguised as innocence.
The pavement couldn’t cry, but the stain melted from the sun.
And it couldn’t do anything but accept the fate that was etched into their soul the day they first spoke into the flower.
…
…
…
The lights faintly flickered, casting contorted obscurities onto the dirty wooden floor. Silence was sharper than knives— slicing through the sound like a dagger in the dark night.the wooden logs creaked with every brush of wind, creating a disturbing ambience that seemed to follow everywhere.
A thin dust layer coated the surfaces of the decrepit couches— the olive green cushions fading towards the edges where wood met fabric. The hint of rustling echoed through the cabin like warped whispers as bodies moved cautiously across the splintered wooden floor.
In another room, the screeches of the timber chairs were followed by footsteps pattering further and further away—until it dribbled into sharp silence.
Two time stood by a wall— watching the dagger with a glint of envy as it gleamed in the flickering tinted light. Arms crossed, their mind was blank as they gripped their scarred arms tightly. Their hair dropped from the sides of their ears, body warily swaying slightly side to side. Their clothes were crumpled and stained with patches of what they assumed to be dirt-like powder.
There was one question that haunted their mind.
How long has it been?
How long has it been since they were kept and kidnapped against their will?
In this world—In this wretched world is an inhumane being— an iniquitous entity known as the Spectre, a being who insists on controlling everyone who were unfortunate enough to be forced into a world where they are butchered like lambs.
That time had been long ago, though. No one—not a single person can recall exactly how long it had been since they had last seen their home, city, or family. They only comprehended the fact that their sanity is dropping every minute longer they stay chained in this realm.
They couldn’t recall the time, but they can recall when relationships—seemingly impossible relationships started forming between these individuals. It had been so long since they had been unwillingly coerced into their new home—there was nothing they could really do but form platonic relationships with one another—even if they seemed absolutely insufferable or impossible.
It’s better to have a platonic—heck, even a romantic relationship when you’re stuck in an inescapable purgatory, after all.
All hatred and resentment these individuals used to hold for each other seemed to dissipate throughout the time they spent together, locked away. They seemed to agree that they might as well forgive and forget rather than live with the hatred and negativity much longer.
—Though sometimes it slips.
Out from the depths of the void unwillingly.
Like rot slowly climbing up a corpse— eating away at the flesh that decayed on black bones.
Eating away at their bodies and souls—
organ by organ—
bone by bone.
The humanoid— The Spectre is always watching.
No matter where they were, what they were doing, they would never escape the invisible eyes that had stares bore into the back of their skulls like drills.
Puppeteering their brains like they were a show to an audience.
It had tried keeping the games tangled in its web and sealed all holes big enough to look into— but the survivors— the killers were cutting through the silk— just enough to look into.
They were learning. The games, the reason, the rhythm.
Learning too much for its liking.
It knows..
It knows they’re consciousness like it was its own.
It knows the fear that is slowly being broken and battered into resentment and hatred.
But it won’t let them escape.
All they need to do is continue, and it knows what will happen. What the outcome would inevitably be.
And it’s feasting on it.
…
…
…
It was a regular day—in the realm’s twisted standard.
Survivors groggily walked out of their respected cabins, flinching slightly as their bodies were exposed to the cold, stinging air of this cursed purgatory. Some groaned in exhaustion, their bodies still growing accustomed to the strain that followed after all of the cardio that followed in each round.
They exchanged morning greetings with one another, some (Shedletsky) goofing off and playing around with everyone as they slowly trudged their way through the stray strands of grass in the desolate, cold ground. Two time had followed the group, trailing behind them shivering slightly, the sharp glint of the dagger gleaming in their peripheral vision.
The door squeaked open as they nudged the wood, the sounds of quiet chattering and the smell of crispy bacon filling the air with a pleasant aroma.
They slowly made their way across the splintered wood towards the kitchen, where they were met with golden, curly hair and a tall, broad but relaxed figure.
“Oh, hey Two time.” A voice murmured, pulling Two time’s attention into the kitchen.
Elliot was flipping bacon on a pan, other hand occupied with tongs that grasped the soon-to-be cooked meat. The few drops of animal blood stained the metal plate below as Elliot gracefully flipped and plated the bacon he was cooking just a few seconds before onto a porcelain plate and extended it towards Two time.
His hair was tied back using a purple hair tie in a low ponytail—rather than his usual high bun— Two time could tell he was tired. A white apron was tied tightly into a bow, pulled around his waist. The words “Love the chef!” were plastered in red letters in the centre of the white apron, slowly turning brown as the oil stained the material.
“Thank you, dearest friend!” Two time smiled, head wings flapping and bowing slightly before making their way towards the dining table nearby, where a mage with white robes— Dusekkar, and a swordsman with brown, curly hair— Shedletsky were seated. Near them was a sword with a gold handle, and a white, wooden staff with a glowing blue orb seated at the end.
They pulled the nearest chair out, the legs scraping against the floors with an uncomfortable sound.
“Hello friends.” Two time greeted, placing the porcelain plate down on the wooden table gently before sitting down. The others were bickering at each other, chewing at their own foods.
Shedletsky looked up from his plate of eggs and bacon, still chewing on one of the cooked sunny-side-up eggs. He smiled at Two time, waving eagerly as he placed his fork down—the 2 pairs of wings on the sides of his head waving and flapping happily. “Hey Two time! You look like you’ve been through hell and back. You sleep well?”
Dusekkar slapped the back of his head, pointing the fork that was grasped in his left hand towards Shedletsky threateningly. “Keep your filthy mouth closed while you eat! You’re fully grown now, so act discreet.”
Two time in fact— did not sleep well. The night was too silent to their liking— the constant buzzing of their left ear making their head ring alongside an aching migraine that blared near their occipital lobe. It bothered them too much. Not mentioning the fact that their cabin was oddly cold as well— colder than the usual temperature that lingered in their cabin. The silence also kept reminding them of…
…
Him.
..They never slept well. Not after that day.
They can never sleep well again.
T̶h̸e̴ ̸g̵u̴i̷l̵t̶ ̸w̸a̶s̷ ̵e̴a̴t̸i̸n̵g̷ ̸t̶h̴e̸m̴ ̷f̷r̷o̴m̸ ̶t̵h̵e̷ ̷i̵n̵s̵i̷d̴e̵ ̸o̵u̶t̷.̷ ̷T̸o̸o̸ ̴s̵l̵o̵w̸.̸ ̸T̷o̵o̶ ̵p̸a̴i̶n̵f̷u̸l̵.
Shedletsky rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Dusekkar as he groaned from the pain that Dusekkar willingly cursed upon him. He grabbed his own fork, stabbing an egg from his plate before shoving it into Dusekkar’s face.
The egg stuck to the glowing pumpkin for a second—before sliding off his face slowly…
Plop!
The egg landed on the table, bits of egg and yolk stuck to the blue pumpkin as he wore a shocked and agitated expression. His hand gripped his fork tightly as Shedletsky laughed at him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid schmuck!?”
Two time giggled as they watched the two admins bickered, pieces of food flying around as dodges and blocks were reciprocated.
They grabbed a fork that was placed beforehand in their position—most likely by Elliot—and poked at the warm bacon. The sweet and savory aroma wafted through the air as they sniffed the food, the chaos of the admins still going strong in front of them. Before eating, Two time rolled up the sleeves of their blue robe, before picking the utensil back up. The oil greased the fork—then Two time brought the small piece to their mouth.
The flavour was alright—better than some foods the Spectre had given to them before, but Two time wouldn’t be honest if they didn’t say that they didn’t feel nauseous eating the greasy sustenance.
“HEY, YOU TWO STOP TREATING THE PRECIOUS FOOD I COOKED LIKE YOUR— WAR— WEAPON!” A voice yelled. Two time poked around the bacon as they watched Elliot storm towards them, spatula held high as he yelled at the admins.
Two time quickly shoved the rest of the lukewarm bacon into their mouth, moving away from the kitchen table as soon as Elliot made it there and slapped Shedletsky with said spatula.
“STOP PLEASE MERCY ELLIOT! HE STARTED IT—” Shedletsky screamed, before shielding himself from the wrath of the greasy spatula.
Elliot continued to abuse (or that’s what Shedletsky kept accusing him of) Shedletsky as he tried to get Dusekkar under Elliot’s wrath as well, trying to save his own skin.
Two time watched the fight unfold in front of them, turning around and exiting the chaos that was taking place in the kitchen area. Just as they took a step out, a hand grasped their shoulder tightly.
Two time whipped their head around, coming face to face with a huffing and puffing Elliot.
Elliot heaved, spatula in hand. “Two time,” He coughed, “You’re going out right?”
(Two time was usually a patient and calm individual—excluding all of the cult activity they were manipulated into at the start of their stay in this place. They couldn’t help but feel slightly impatient at being stopped from going back to the comfort of their cabin.)
Two time paused for a second, before nodding with a bewildered expression plastered on their face.
“Cool, cool.. Could you get.. Ugh.. Could you get 007n7 for me? That fuckass told me he would start eating more, especially breakfast, and he still decides to not show up. I’ve already told him how unhealthy it is, let alone his current weight situation—”
“Awh! Elliot wants to see his boyfriend! Two time you should third wheel them~” A voice calls out—undeniably Shedletsky’s voice. A yelp echoed out as Two time hears the whack of wood against flesh, followed by what sounded oddly similar to an unclear rhyme. (Dusekkar, obviously.)
Elliot’s face flushed—red spread through his cheeks at the mention of ‘boyfriend’. He looked back into the kitchen, hands gripping on the spatula hard enough to hear the strain in the rubber handle. Two time thought his head would turn into a tomato with how red his ears became at that remark.
“Uh.. Yeah, I can ask 007n7 to come to you by request!” Two time quickly replied as Elliot looked back, hurrying across the cabin and out. The door slammed close just as Two time could hear Shedletsky’s high-pitched screams muffled through the cracked log walls.
007n7 was Two time’s best friend.
When they first arrived at this god-forsaken place, they were the only 2 ‘exiled’ individuals of the group. The others found their.. Antics odd, or they simply disliked their personality from the start— due to this, they were often left out of activities that required the presence of everyone.
Due to this isolation, they found solace and peace with each other, which led to them bonding together when others wouldn’t. Even when the others had started opening up to them regarding their situation in hand, 007n7 still remained as a trusted companion— someone Two time could talk to without a filter.
Two time walked past the shrieking cabin, exchanging greetings to Noob and Veeronica, who made their way towards the main cabin for food. Guest waved from his cabin, hands busy scrubbing at what seems to be a dirt stain at the front of his camo jacket.
Two time couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread was over them— wrapping around them like cold water. It was almost like the air had shifted slightly— in a very unsettling manner.
The view of 007n7’s near-run down cabin came into Two time’s line of sight— the faint silhouette of the father casted onto the cracked window. Two time fidgeted with the silver-banded ring on their right hand, the cool metal searing with coldness.
And just as Two time took another step forward—
The environment changed.
The deafening sound of a clock echoed all around them, signalling the first unavoidable round of the day. A sick game they’re forced to play however many times the Spectre wants. There was no saying who was going to be the cat.
This round— the green hue of the screen gave away the killer.
1x1x1x1.
Two Time opened their eyes to a dull grassy field— a cold breeze brushing past their arms. The moon shone proudly in the sky, moonlight illuminating the glass houses that surrounded the near distance.
(Of course of all times, the Spectre would force them into a round when they least wanted it.)
The breeze caused the grass to flatten into gorgeous, shimmering waves, with each blade briefly turning to reflect the glorious moonlight. Each one was just a thin green wand, but when combined, they danced in a way that eased their suffering and allowed some goodness to enter.
Two time could feel the wind pick up— their rough hair dancing in the wind as they looked down at the dagger secured tightly around their waist. Alongside their dagger, they noticed a familiar photo now perched there as well.
They didn’t remember putting that there.
Two time grasped the photo tightly, but not enough to dent the already deteriorating paper. The edges were crusted and yellowed, and near the bottom were 2 words written in familiar handwriting—
“BEST FRIENDS!”
They couldn't possibly have this photo again— it was left in his bedroom cause he insisted on keeping it.
Nevertheless, Two time folded it neatly, before putting the piece of crumpled paper into their robe pocket, patting it before looking up. Their arms ached— a small reminder of their exhaustion from countless rounds as they trekked past the vast terrain to a glasshouse with an opening.
They could hear 1x1x1x1’s usual terrifying wrath in the distance, the neon green aura highlighting her existence entering a vast cave slowly and sluggishly— like an injured animal losing hope in surviving.
Two Time could tell— they could tell that 1x was sick and tired of all this crap the Spectre was pulling on them as well.
As of lately— majority of the killers have been isolating themselves for the daily rounds they were forced into. They would sluggishly pull themselves into their own little corner far, far away from the survivors and just stay there for the duration of the rounds.
Though there are some obvious exceptions— (Noli is having too much fun, and Guest 666 seems to not understand a single thing that is happening around them.
They could tell that this round was going to be the same based on 1x1’s very obvious mood.
The atmosphere remained as tense as ever despite the threat being, well, no longer a threat; the cold glass still contrasted drastically to the warmth of Two Time as they leaned against the wall. They could hear what seemed to be footsteps making their way across the tall blades of grass as a figure appeared in the doorway.
His burger hat was prominent atop his full head of brown hair, pink glasses perched crooked on the arch of his nose as his blue shirt contrasted with the dull scenery all around them.
It was 007n7.
His brown hair blew softly in the wind, dull pink glasses nestled on his face at an angle as his eyes widened in glee as he set eyes on Two Time.
“Oh hey Zariah!” 007n7 huffed as he made his way next to Two Time.
“Oh, Hello Nathan!” Two Time asked, greeting the hacker back as he pulled up his GUI. “How are you?”
“I’m exhausted, if I’m being honest.” 007n7 replied, the faint beeping and clicks of buttons from his GUI playing in the background. Two time giggled, descending down to the grassy floor with a thump. “Couldn’t get enough rest last night.”
“Dear friend, did you know Elliot was requesting your presence?” They started as they gestured 007n7 to sit down with them. 007n7 followed suit, plopping down beside them on the cold, damp grass, pulling the glitchy red box down with him.
“Elliot’s looking for me?” 007n7 asked, clearly surprised and confused. “Why is he looking for me? Did I do something wrong again?”
“No, you didn’t, dear friend.” Two time replied, fidgeting with the dagger, the sharp metal glinting in the dim light. They stabbed the dagger into the ground, digging up a small pile of dirt as they focused their eyes on the blue hue of the glass house in front of them. “Elliot was requesting you consume some nourishment. He says that ‘it is unhealthy that you keep skipping these crucial meals.’” Two time quoted with a hand waving.
007n7 sighed, shutting the coolGUI off and watched as the particles dissipated with a light swing of a hand. “I just don’t feel particularly… hungry, You can tell Elliot that it’s ok, and he doesn’t need to waste anything on little old me” He smiled, looking up towards the moulding roof of the glasshouse. “Also, 1x decided that they didn’t want to see any of us today, she's pissed off.” 007n7 muttered, fiddling with the grass blades that poked their skin.
Two time didn’t reply, a faint hint of worry etched into their features as they watched 007n7 fidget around with the vegetation.
The clock rang in their minds—close and far away. They could never tell where it came from, but only what it told them.
Footsteps followed by rustling brought their attention towards their left, the quiet murmuring of a voice slowly getting louder. A cloaked figure with brown, rough wings emerged from the door, alongside a floating mage with a distinct blue pumpkin on his head. They paused for a moment upon locking eye contact, before going up to the pair of friends sitting on the damp grass.
“Greetings ex-hacker, ex-cultist.” Dusekkar acknowledged, stopping in front of 007n7 briefly before floating down next to him afterwards. Taph flapped their headwings, plopping themselves down next to Two time, waving happily at them.
Dusekkar muttered under his breath, clearly slightly dishevelled from the earlier occurrence with Shedletsky in the kitchen, the mage fiddling with his wand before placing it down gently beside himself.
If Two time was honest, they would say that this looked oddly familiar to an experience they had previously—possibly Deja vu. They couldn’t tell what was familiar about it—the grass possibly.. The coldness..? The moon contrasting brightly to the black ink with white specks sparkling around it?
A memory flashed in their mind— brown, mid-lengthed hair curled on his shoulders, his smile as bright as the stars they dreamed of touching, the days where he kissed Two time and gave the warmest and most loving hugs when they didn’t think they could make it through the day, the flowers he always gave them, the dagger that plunged into his heart, the flowers that grew around his rotting corpse and they didn’t do anything to even save—
They flinched as a hand tapped their shoulder, whirling around to face the person who tapped them. Two time looked at the 3 other people— all holding a worried expression on their faces, each to a different degree.
007n7 waved slightly at Two time, who stared back at him in confusion.
Dusekkar glanced at Two time, before sighing. “Your presence wasn’t here, and we had feared that your consciousness had lacked, and we requested your awareness back.”
Two time blinked as they stared at the 3 people staring at them. To the cloaked avian, Taph, who nodded their head in acknowledgement— their coarse wings on their back and on the sides of their head waving slightly with each nod— To Dusekkar, noticing how Dusekkar’s head light (pumpkin head) dimly glowed, the mage’s white wooden staff placed across the ground carefully— To 007n7, who still looked at them in a worrying way, burger hat now on the grass.
“I am fine, friends. I was just.. deep into thought. What were you saying?” Two time eventually replied, scarred arms grasping their waistband— where the gruff paper caressed their fingers lightly.
“We were asking you if you had any plans later tonight, Taph had asked us if we wanted to have some sort of slumber party? I may be mistakened—apologies—Was it a slumber party you suggested, Taph?” 007n7 turned to Taph, who nodded enthusiastically beside Dusekkar, who also nodded. 007n7 turned back to Two time, showing a faint smile. “We would love for you to be there, it would be nice to hang out altogether.”
The clock sound at first was like a silver thread, which quickly got louder—the ringing seemingly reverberating across the whole map. Each ring got more and more intense, biting into the sharp silence that had engulfed the map moments before.
Two time hesitated for a second, 007n7’s words processing in their mind. They relaxed their shoulders that they didn’t know were stiff and tense. “Of course, I will accompany you all. It would be nice to spend a night with my closest acquaintances.”
The air itself seemed to shiver as the final strike hit, sound almost overstimulating as the map seemed to fade from view.
Two time’s vision soon faded from purple to black.
…
…
…
Two time thought it would just be 007n7, Dusekkar and Taph sleeping in the central cabin.
Now, they were holding a tray of pizza in one hand, and a big pillow (A gift from Taph, Two time does not know where she got it from.) in the other. They wobbled for a second as they balanced themselves.
“Could you bring the pizza to the couches? You can put it on the coffee table.” Elliot asked, balancing multiple cups of water and tea (Two time should ask where Elliot got the tea from.) and following closely behind them.
Veeronica and Noob were snuggled up in multiple blankets on the rug that was placed in front of the couches and behind the coffee table. Taph, Dusekkar, Shedletsky and Builderman were all sitting on the couches, chatting and putting up whatever shenanigans they had to display. Chance had walked into the kitchen, chatting with Elliot whilst flipping his coin (of course he is, Two time isn’t surprised.)
007n7 had left his glasses on the coffee table to go back to his cabin and change into his pajamas, which he told Two time that it was quite childish. 007n7 had also lent Two time a spare pair of pajamas (why does he have 2 pairs?), which they gratefully thanked him for.
Two time would be lying if they said they weren’t curious as to what 007n7 had meant when he said his other pair were ’childish’, but they would find out soon enough.
Now, they were sitting on the couch, pizza in one hand and a glass of tea in the other, dagger resting on the coffee table, and in comfortable pajamas 007n7 had lended them.
Two time took a second to stop disassociating, staring ahead.
They didn’t think that every single survivor had volunteered to join the slumber party.
As soon as they gained their senses back after the oddly ’calm’ round, Taph had immediately went around to each cabin where the survivors all spawned back in to ask them if they were willing to join the slumber party they had planned.
Every single person seemed to refuse being alone in this current state.
The cabin was quiet but lively, a rare simulation of relaxed and communicable acquaintances Two time hardly witnesses. The only people who were chattering quite vociferously were Elliot, Chance and Shedletsky, who seem to be ’gossiping’, according to Veeronica, who was witnessing and snickering at the heated drama between the admin and chef with Noob. Guest listened in, chatting quietly with Taph. The fireplace crackled as Dusekkar used his staff to bring pieces of stacked wood into the fire to keep it alive.
Two time didn’t have much better things to do, besides reminiscing about all of the guilt that had become a daily part of their life, and eating, though they struggle with both points. They leaned closer to Noob and Veeronica, who were towards the left of Two time, and listened in on the conversation.
“C’mon Ellie! Please confess! I’ll be the best wingman you’ll ever see!” Shedletsky whined, putting his hands together into what looked like a praying gesture. “We have been here for—like 2 whole years and we can all tell you love him! You’re not very good at hiding the fact that his daily apologies for these 2—I don’t know—years have gotten into your head!”
Chance pushes Shedletsky aside, chiming in as he faces a pink-cheeked Elliot. “Yeah Ellie! And we could all see how you fail to keep the ‘oh I hate him so much he ruined my life and work place’ act whenever he saves you in a round or apologises for being a ‘nuisance’—“
“He is NOT a nuisance!” Elliot hits Chance with one of the slippers he wore, throwing it across the couches and over the coffee table. Chance yelps as the shoe hits him square in the face, knocking his glasses off his face and holding his nose. Shedletsky cackles beside him, patting his back as Builderman sighed at the constant yelling on the couch edge. Chance grimaces from the pain, yelling back at Elliot. “ITS HIS WORDS NOT MINE!!!”
As the admin, chef and gambler bickered at each other, Two time got up, tired of the yelling— also letting Taph and Noob know that they were going to go and get their own blanket from their cabin, as well as finding the ex-hacker. They left their dagger there, trusting that their friends wouldn’t do anything malicious.
Just before they left, they whispered into Noob’s ear quietly—
“Please notify me of missed information regarding this… affection situation at a later hour, and please let me know of all details, thank you friend.”
—which noob smiled widely and quickly agreed with.
It felt even colder than it usually was after rounds as they opened the creaky, wooden door and stepped out of the noisy cabin. Two time assumed it was because they were wearing thinner material unsuitable for this weather, but they can’t help but feel as if it was deliberately set this way.
It felt like something had changed— or rather— shifted.
It is quite odd. Two time hadn’t experienced anything similar to this occurrence in the entire time they were trapped here— however long that was.
The went to their own cabin first, which was relatively close as they speed walked to get to the warm confinements of their log walls. Two time quickly yanked one of their 3 blankets off of their bed, hanging it on their shoulder as they exited their cabin and turned left.
Their destination— 007n7’s cabin— was the furthest cabin out of all of them, a spot the ex-hacker had chosen for himself when he first came here. There had been multiple attempts made by multiple people to get the father to move into one of the spare, closer cabins, but all offers were politely declined for reasons Two time do not know or do not recall.
007n7 had always been an odd individual, despite his honesty and politeness.
Two time had noticed— one day over a year ago that 007n7 often tried to access the realm’s servers after coming across what seemed to be cables connected into the ground, through rough, coarse dirt, and through stone. He would often refuse to tend to his own daily needs in trying to achieve whatever goal he is trying to obtain.
They stopped in front of an old log cabin, spiderwebs decorated the corners where roof and support beams met, the horizontal logs showing small signs of decay and cracking as bark broke off with every touch. The windows on either side of the door in the middle were slightly cracked, scratched and yellowing from what looked like sun damage, despite the realm having no sun to bask in.
Two time stepped up the wooden steps, which showed cracks that threatened to collapse at any moment— knocking on the wooden door that looks like it is in its last life.
“007n7? Are you in there?” Two time asked, their tail swinging slowly behind them. “Are you ok?”
Faint rustling could be heard from within the cabin, before the door unlocked with a small click, the scraping of wood against wood echoing before a familiar face emerged.
And Two time stood there, stunned.
They were trying so hard not to laugh at 007n7.
007n7 was in an oversized shark onesie, the hoodie shaped like the jaws of the shark were open wide to show his face. His hair was messy underneath that giddier, but in all honesty, it suited him. There was a zipper that went from his stomach to his neck, and a small shark tail that extended from his tailbone outwards. The sleeves and pants were baggy, hiding his figure well. It looked soft, the material slightly fuzzy and shiny at the same time.
Two time laughed— feeling like their lungs were burning as 007n7 blushed in slight embarrassment.
“Yeah yeah— ok laugh all you want, let’s get to the cabin, it’s really cold out here—“ 007n7 murmured, a hint of amusement lingering in his voice as well. Two time offered their blanket to him, which he politely declined, much to their disappointment.
The walk back wasn’t that much interesting, with the cold being their enemy, they wanted to get into the cabin as soon as possible to escape the sharp pain of wind hitting against them.
When they finally arrived back at the cabin, the loud yelling from before had quieted to murmurs and the occasional shout from one member. Two time fumbled with the door knob, struggling to turn the old junk of metal that just seemed to refuse to cooperate with their efforts.
In the end, Two time had to knock 3 separate times, each time louder than the last for the others to be able to hear them.
When the door opened, they came face to face with a tired Elliot who let them in with a slightly frustrated expression— which quickly turned into a shocked expression, his cheeks heating up to a bright red as 007n7 thanked him for opening the door before scurrying inside and into the piles of blankets the other survivors had set up near the fireplace.
Two time watched Chance and Shedletsky snicker as 007n7 sat on the edge of the couch, where Elliot had been sitting, They recalled.
Two time sat down next to Veeronica again, laying the blanket over themselves as they watched Elliot make his way back towards the fireplace, asking 007n7 to move over so he could sit next to him. Two time could hear the chaotic duo (Chance and Shedletsky) giggling at the occurrence.
The food on the table seemed to have vanished, a single slice of pizza laying there— lukewarm.
“007n7,” Elliot faced towards him. “Eat that pizza. I know you didn’t eat anything before the round today.”
Even as 007n7 declined, stating he wasn’t hungry (he definitely was, Two time can tell based off how he eyed the pizza with a hungry look), Elliot kept insisting, until 007n7 reluctantly accepted the pizza, only eating half of it before placing it down.
Two time noticed that Dusekkar and Taph had already fallen asleep— drowsiness winning the fight silently.
They snuggled under the covers, feeling relatively tired themselves. The comfort of people around them made them feel safe— cared for.
“█████, I must ask, would you still love me if I were a rock?”
█████ chuckled lightly, kissing Two time lightly on the cheek.
“What type of question is that, love?” █████ giggled, hugging Two time from behind as Two time braided flowers into a beautiful, white lily crown.
“It is merely just a question of thought, dear.” Two time laughed, laying back slightly into █████’s lap, looking up at the beautiful face of their boyfriend.
“Well, of course I would love you if you were a rock, nightshade. There wouldn’t be any state of you I wouldn’t love.” █████ leaned down, kissing Two time lightly on the lips.
They felt their eyelids slowly droop down, the soft sound of talking slowly drowning itself out as Two time embraced the darkness that once again took them from purple to black.
…
…
…
“Two time! There you are, love.” A voice softly spoke. Soft, curly brown hair bounced on his shoulders as he made his way towards Two time, bouquet in hand. “I.. had something to give to you.”
Two time was standing in a large field of grass, familiar, purple flowers dotting the green with contrasting vibrancy. The wind that blew against them wasn’t sharp— it held warmth they had yearned for years. The sky was filled with colours they thought they would never see again— a giant mix of orange, yellow, blues and pinks spread across the landscape like ink on paper. Azure stood in front of them, holding out silver-banded rings with wood spiralling around the metal like a snake. Their initials were indented into the metal, a symbol of their companionship.
Two time could remember.
This was the day Azure had asked Two time if—
“Zariah, my dearest lover, my beautiful girlfriend. Do you want to be my promised partner? Until the cosmos disconnect and rip apart, till death comes and forces us apart, till love filters into nothing but a theory within our universe?”
His hair gleamed golden from the sunlight, a golden time of their life.
The most beautiful.
They had cried then.
They had accepted him within a single heartbeat, with love so deep it hurt.
The love that Azure so gladly gave them.
Azure had gently slid the ring that had his initials onto Two time’s right hand ring-finger, bringing the hand to his soft lips— pecking the back of their hand. Two time took the other ring from Azure calmly, despite their heart racing at 200 km/s, bringing the ring to Azure’s right hand ring-finger and sliding it.
They were both a perfect fit. Like a butterfly to a flower, like a flower to a butterfly.
Azure gave Two time the bouquet filled with purple roses and purple orchids, the vibrant purple contrasting the green and sunset colours that surrounded them. Two time could feel themselves tearing up as they took in the love Azure had for them.
They reached for Azure’s hand, fingers grasping for the warm hand of their lover—
And the world turned black.
Rot climbed his body— hair turning into a dark brown rather than the golden
Their lover played on the ground, the green grass that danced in the wind was coated with thick red. In their chest— a dagger— one that stuck where the love he had for them raced at ferocious speed. He heaved and sputtered, the deep red dripping down his mouth as he tried to speak, coughing and wheezing from the pain.
Two time crumbled at the sight of him, tears falling down their cheeks as they repeated apology after apology, sobbing and heaving as they tried to stop the bleeding.
They could feel the eyes of their god— the eyes of their ‘acquaintances’ that bore into their skull— the stress that came with—
“If you don’t do this, if you don’t go ahead with this act for our god— our saviour— Two time, I will personally make sure you both will suffer the pure wrath of what the Spawn can do.”
Two time wasn’t— hadn’t been scared of their threats originally, not until they threatened to torture their said lover, claiming his loyalty had hit the stage of apathy. A stage deemed unsavable and salvageable.
They were given what was the worst choices in all their life—
A slow death for Azure—
— or a quick one.
They had aimed for the heart— the one place they sought for every time they felt like getting rid of themselves— getting rid of the filth that infiltrated the world that was already filled with them. They had hurt him, all for a title of loyalty and forgiveness. They had to hurt him, or they would make him hurt more than his lover delivering a death quickly.
“I’m s-so sorry, Azure I’m so sorry forgive me..” Two time sobbed, holding his hand. They kissed Azure’s cheek, who looked up at Two time with confusion and so much- too much love laced into his voice.
Too much for what Two time had done.
“W-what.. Two time..? Zariah.?” Azure gasped, hands trying to grip the hand of their lover, their rings clashing slightly with each other.
”W-why?”
Two time sobbed at Azure’s broken up voice, clinging onto his hand as he brought his other up to their face, wiping the tears that fell. Their black hair blocked the face of him— who still comforted them on his own deathbed.
They were truly weak.
“I-im so sorry— oh spawn— I am so fucking sorry—“
Azure showed a look of pain, betrayal and hurt— the face imprinted into Two time’s mind despite Azure being like ink in water.
His face melted— contorting into an agonizing expression, the ground engulfing his body as Two time desperately grabbed after him.
The world changed yet again— warping into what was like hell specifically changed for the degradation of Two time’s mentality. The grass was replaced with blood stained concrete— the red blooming further and further as a flower sprouted from cracks in the distance.
A brilliant purple.
Nightshades.
Two time felt their body crumble— the torment they endured after the death of their lover— the knives that dug into their skin as a sign of loyalty— the mental chambers they were forced into for “being disloyal” to their ‘loyalty’, the torture they were forced to endure over and over and over again—
The teeth that dug into their skin, the punching, the kicking, the hitting, the cutting, the stabbing they endured after— that they can’t escape from—
The scent of musky iron that was permanently etched into their brains like claws with teeth, the second loss mocking them in a state of a flower just out of reach as they were beaten and beaten till they could barely breathe— barely walk.
And it was just the surface level of what they had to endure after the dreadful day of their lover’s passing.
It’s all their fault. Their fault, their fault, T̴h̵e̶i̴r̷̵f̴a̴u̷l̵t̵t̴h̶e̶i̵r̸f̴a̶u̵l̸t̵t̴h̸e̷i̵r̴f̸a̵u̷l̵t̸T̷H̸E̶I̸R̸F̷A̴T̷T̵H̷E̴I̷R̸F̸A̴U̷L̶T̶—̵
“Two time?”
Two time gasped awake, the darkness greeting them. The fireplace in front had long since been out, the charred pieces of wood remains drenched in what Two time assumed was water. They notice that most survivors were still dead asleep, their soft snoring and faint murmuring being the only disturbance of what would have been complete silence.
Two time could feel the thin sheen of sweat that had gathered on their forehead, tears unknowingly streaming down their face as they quickly turned around to the direction where they felt like they were being stared from.
It was Chance.
“..Chance..?” Two time muttered, breathing out a sigh of relief they didn’t know they were holding. “Wh.. What are you doing awake, dear friend?”
“I never really was a deep sleeper, and stupid Shedletsky over there woke me up from my beauty sleep.” Chance replied, yawning. “I think the bigger question is.. Are you ok?”
Two time froze for a second, thinking of a response that would satisfy Chance and prevent more questions being asked.
“I am.. fine dear Chance, you do not need to worry about my well being.” Two time resulted, picking at the scars that littered their arms. A firm hand gently grabbed their hand that was scratching at their arm, a worrying face etched on Chance.
“Don’t do that.” He said, voice firm and lower— as if he were afraid of their reaction. Two time immediately stopped, hoping that Chance would drop this topic. “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it, you were just shaking and crying, which is why I tried to wake you up.”
Two time sighed, putting their other hand on top of Chance’s— cupping it in place.
“It’s ok, Chance, I am fine. You do not need to worry about me. I just had a disturbing dream regarding….” They trailed off.
Their eyes focused on 007n7, whose head lay gently on Elliot’s shoulder as Elliot’s arm was wrapped slightly around 007n7. The blanket was falling off of them slightly.
“Something that you do not need to know.”
Chance seemed to accept that.
…
…
…
The next day was quite uneventful. Well, to Two time, at least.
Most survivors woke up and got ready, whilst some (Taph and 007n7) were still asleep.
It was honestly endearing to watch Elliot lay 007n7 down delicately onto the couch and tuck him in. Shedletsky and Chance wouldn’t stop pestering the poor chef about it once they had caught sight of the delicate encounter.
Elliot had retreated to the kitchen quickly afterwards, Guest following closely behind him to assist with making breakfast.
Two time could tell everyone was preparing for the worst despite the majority of the killers now being harmless. They could never know if the Spectre would place the killers who would still gut the survivors, after all. Usually, when the Spectre offers mercy and one single round, the next day would be total chaos.
In Two time’s realistic opinion, they didn’t think that they would need to prepare as much considering the fact that the majority of the rounds are now considered time to just quote on quote ”Touch grass” (According to Shedletsky at least). So they ended up waiting in their oversized pajamas at the couches, watching the avian and ex-hacker breathe idly in deep slumber. Their hands twitched, feeling their heart ache with something close to bittersweet pain.
They wished they could feel their happy smiles and restful slumber.
A voice called for Two time, the voice calm but firm.
“Two time. Elliot says breakfast is ready.” A blue-headed male called them. He looked rested, his silver necklace gleamed on top of his white, fabric striped tank top.
Two time reluctantly got up from the old, but oddly comfortable couch. They could feel their back scream with protest as they grabbed their silver dagger from the wooden coffee table in front, before stepping over the abandoned piles of blankets and pillows and making their way towards the kitchen.
Guest retreated back into the kitchen, Two time following closely behind him. Elliot was once again— in the familiar white apron stained yellow with oil, flipping this time: eggs in a pan. At the kitchen table sat 2 familiar admins— Shedletsky and Builderman, alongside Noob and Veeronica who were already digging into the sunny-side up eggs that sat lukewarm on their plates.
Two time felt the familiar buzzing in the back of their head again— the near-pain felt echoey, like a bad feeling that constantly plagued their mind.
They almost felt like they heard a voice that whispered right next to their ear.
“It’s all your fault.” It—He whispered.
“But do not worry, for you will not be a nuisance so long as you die.”
…
…
…
They felt the world glitch back in place— the darkness fading into nothing but a speckle as their vision was rightfully returned back to them.
Familiar wind brushed past their hair, coarse strands flying idly atop their head.
They felt the buzzing return, the familiar ache settling this time near their temporal lobe. They rubbed their forehead, hoping that massaging it alone helped.
It always helped when he did.
Two time shook their head, noticing the similar— if not same tinted glasshouses that scattered around the grassy terrain.
It was odd that the Spectre had chosen the same map twice in a row. In the previous years (or year?) the Spectre would always place different maps for every single different map. It would also never pick the same killer in a row, unless it was severely tired of the killers as well. Two time realised that this is a rare case of the same killer-same map as they saw the familiar green aura of 1x trudge through the grass again.
There was never really an instance where it picked the same killer again, only when it was tired of their shenanigans.
The map around them was as familiar as their palm— it's like tracing the unbelievable amount of scars that had littered their body since.. That..
“Zariah! Wow, ha ha how did I find you again?” A hand tapped their shoulder, making Two time flinch harshly.
“Whoa, you good?” The unmistakable pink glasses man— 007n7, they now knew— stood in front of them, coolGUI already out as he typed away at the keyboard.
Two time stared blankly at the male, before slumping down to the floor once again with a relieved sigh. 007n7 quickly followed suit, still tapping on the black-red panel in front of him.
“What are you doing?” Two time asked, curiosity in their voice as they peeked over at 007n7’s occupied hands. 007n7 looked at them with a confused look, before Two time continued. “I have noticed, dear friend, that you have spent a lot of time on your.. Panel these last few rounds.”
007n7’s screen continued to beep with every tap against it, pixel-like particles emitting from the GUI as Two time watched lines of code pass the screen before disappearing—pulled off of the screen and disintegrating like neon particles.
“..Recently, in a round with Slasher—You may not remember because it had been a while back. It was a few rounds before 1x. I was with Guest and Noob, and we were just going around doing generators as it brought down the remaining time needed to spend in the round.” He took a breath, typing more and more as he paid no mind to Two time’s fidgeting fingers. “You know how when I want a code to be applied, I click ‘RUN’ and it disintegrates into these.. Flecks in the air right? Similar to how a fire emits embers essentially.”
Two time nodded, now using their nails to poke half-crecent indents into the rubber handle.
“Well, I found that a new option had appeared in my list of codes, and I found myself inputting the code into the command panel.. And it gave a very odd response. The particles—yes, did disintegrate, but it seemed to glitch and fizzle out rather than fading out.” He murmured as he ceased his typing, turning the screen towards a puzzled Two time. “Like here.”
007n7 pointed to a panel where a string of red code buzzed in and out like a flickering light. Angry, red particles emitted from the line of code, the letters and numbers feeling hot as they brought their finger near the line.
“..Why is it hot?” Two time asked, flinching their finger back as the heat got near unbearable. 007n7 shrugged in response, before tapping at the screen a few times.
“Watch—Nothing happens when I click ‘RUN’ either. It’s like a useless command that I had somehow managed to obtain. It’s such a shame it doesn’t do anything.” 007n7 tapped on the screen, watching the alphanumeric characters rise up into the air—flickering like a torch in the night. It rose a few centimetres before fizzling out like fire being put out by water. It left behind flickering blue and reds, before the remaining residue glitched out of existence.
007n7 slid his hand down in a downwards motion, watching as the coolGUI fizzled out of sight and sighed. Two time sat there, still processing what they had just seen—dagger now digging into the grass. The silence stretched on, only the ambience enhancing small shuffles as the clock slowly ticked down.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
They could hear the soft mumbling of nearby survivors— blades of green swaying with the wind as they shuffled. The pair just stood there, fidgeting with their fingers as the clock continued its gradual descent to 0, the echo of each tick radiating across the map. The whiff of damp grass had also returned— the breeze flowing past their body as their breath hitches before turning towards the source of the voice.
“Hey, Two time?” 007n7 asked, staring at the dead night that spread across like ink. Two time turned towards him.
“Yes, Nathan?” They replied, stabbing the dagger into the floor one last time and leaving it there as they awaited his response.
“If we ever..” He trailed off. “If we ever get out, what would you do?”
Two time froze momentarily. Their fingers ceased movement as they took in the words of their companion. They watched as stray leaves brushed past their skin, the dry, brown vegetation crinkling as it blew past them. They brought a head to the side of their head, scratching it slightly as they wore a confused expression.
“What… Whatever do you mean, friend?” They settled on.
“Well, what would you do if you managed to escape this place, back into the real world?” 007n7 replied. “Would you go back to your life? Or stay with us? I believe that you do have a partner as well—Azure is it?”
“Would you go back to him?”
Two time knew deep down in every life they would always go back to Azure—No matter the circumstances. They would never ditch him ever again—not since they had taken his life.
They could feel their eyes tear up with stinging pain, their vision turning blurry a bit. Their hand unconsciously found the silver dagger.
They knew Azure was dead.
They watch it happen.
They would be completely alone if they made it out.
“..I’m not sure. But, I am sure that I would spend every moment no matter whether dead or not, making up for all the mistakes that Azure had to suffer because of me.” Two time muttered, picking at their nails. They could feel the paper wedged in their belt crinkle slightly, the dents in the coarse paper memorised under calloused fingertips.
“..It’s ok, Zariah. I believe you will make up to him eventually. He is just grieving right now. You’re stoic, you’re strong— stronger than me,” 007n7 stated, giving Two time a brief, firm hug before separating. “We will make it out, ok?”
Two time really didn’t believe 007n7. They always had a nagging feeling lingering at the back of their head whenever they thought about the circumstances of escaping the realm.
“..I do not believe that I will escape alive, Nathan.” They muttered.
Just as 007n7 was about to reply, a static noise erupted throughout the realm—interrupting his speech.
“..The round is about to end. Seems shorter than before.” 007n7 mumbled, still fumbling and inputting commands into his coolGUI— an error message still continuing to return despite what he inputs. “That’s odd..”
His fingers glided across the panel, a groan pairing with as another glitch wiped the code off the screen to be replaced with giant, red, bold letters stating: ‘ERROR!’
Two time looked over with unease stitched into their expression—mouth opened as they were ready to ask a question.
As a word barely got out of their mouth, the ticking of the timer rang out into the map— a fading presence blooming like frost through the floor of the map as if it were a memory wipe.
The bodies of the survivors dissolved before their eyes, the fading of their vision expectant—
—except Two time and 007n7 didn’t black out.
..what?
The panel in front of 007n7 glitched— screen blacking out as particles flew out, a stinging sensation blossoming across the two as they felt that their own body spasm like a bullet had ripped through their core.
The world went inverted— colours disoriented— like they were dizzy— like it was corrupting them. The panel glitched out, disintegrating into particles as Two time watched the body of 007n7 collapse and fall past the floor— like they were being forced down by an unknown force.
“007n7?!” Two time yelled, watching the hacker vanish through the floor.
Around them, the map collapsed like a puzzle falling apart— objects and buildings were ripped apart and pulled down, crumbling like sand in an hourglass. The floor broke like broke glass—pieces of wood, dirt and grass crumpled and folded.
The world got redder—hotter—
Rapidly.
The pain was unbearable— like they were sizzling alive in lava, their skin felt like it was bubbling from the sheer temperature the world surrounded them with. Their scars felt like they were ignited—The delicate skin felt like a red-hot iron rod being pressed down onto.
Two time screamed, gripping their dagger as they felt another wave of agony spike through them, falling freely as they watched the last of the map fall past them, leaving them in an empty void of white remnants of the map.
It shone like heaven— the white light filled their vision with light that resembled their vision of Azure’s soul. He always had the brightest, most beautiful and kind soul Two time had ever set sight on.
They grasped onto the flapping piece of paper that seemed on the verge of flying away—praying to Spawn that this would end quickly and soon.
And they would find their wishes quickly coming true as a force smashed into them agonizingly, before they saw nothing but black.
…
…
…
A groan echoed beside them, soft and quiet.
Two Time jerked upright, panting, body trembling with aftershocks of the agony still ghosting through their limbs. Their hand instinctively reached for their dagger—still there, gripped tight and bloodied. The piece of paper was stained slightly with red, the page still relatively intact as they watched the 2 faces imprinted on the sheet smile back.
The world around them was completely black— the once familiar and calm white light nowhere to be seen.
They turned toward the source of the sound.
“007n7?” they rasped, voice cracking.
The hacker lay a few feet away, half—buried in a haze of an unconscious state, flickering like a broken light. His coat was shredded, blood trickling lightly from gashes across their chest and arms. His breathing was shallow—a bit too shallow for Two time’s liking, but he was alive— (thankfully.)
“Nathan,” Two Time muttered, stumbling toward him and falling to their knees beside the broken form. “Are you feeling ok?”
007n7 groaned in protest as Two time tried to move him to examine his injuries. He quickly forced himself upright and faced Two time with a grimace on his face.
“I’m ok, Two time. It is ok—I.. I’m fine.” He settled on. “Wh..Where are we?”
The void around them pulsed— white and grey pixels glitching in and out like corrupted memory. It wasn’t like the world they were forced into many years ago. This area of the world was much emptier—much quieter. Too quiet for Two time’s preference. Not even the Spectre’s malice could be felt digging into their skulls.
Not yet, at least.
The faint buzz in the air dragged on, the occasional sizzle wafting through the air. The terrain glitched under their feet— like the void below their feet was trying to mend itself— like they were a corruption. The silence was heavy on their minds— tense with the uncertainty of the two survivors and a soft hum in the air.
The faint buzz in the air dragged on, the occasional sizzle wafting through the air. Two time could feel the dull pain blare at the back of their head again—This time, sharper. Painful.
Two time could feel a presence around them— like something was staring directly at them.
They couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them.
Every single move they make.
Every single sound they emit.
007n7 looked up, noticing that the glitch particles were oddly familiar to ones he had seen before—
..
.
Wait.
He swiftly pulled up his panel— a habit of such as he punched in code after code. His fingers flew past the UI keyboard, pulling up the panel in which the corrupted code file had been sitting since a few rounds ago. He quickly ran the code, watching as the particles flew upwards—glitching, then—
His coolGUI panel melted—dripping through his fingers into the eternal abyss.
“What— what the fu—”
The silence of the void bent.
The air felt heavier—like it was weighing down onto the two individuals. Two time felt like gravity had risen, the dagger they had clutched in their left hand pulling them down more. Their hair felt heavy against their head, the stray strands hanging lower than the usual bounce or curl.
Two Time stiffened, eyes scanning the glitched haze. The silence wasn’t empty anymore. It was pregnant— expecting. Like something had just stepped into the room and was waiting to be seen. The buzzing at the back of their head was unavoidable now— the pain was unbearable and Two time could do nothing but hold the sides of their head in agony.
Beside them, 007n7 shifted, one hand clutching his side where blood seemed to seep out and into the blue fabric of his shirt. He panicked, trying to spawn his GUI over and over again, but only particles accompanied the hand gestures as he frantically swiped upwards.
The sky tore open.
Not with noise— but quietly. No thunder, no rupture, no sound that audibly entered and escaped their ears. Only a soft, blurry him, like fabric being yanked and pulled apart thread by thread. Pixels of this world flickered and peeled— like the air was a tangible object, a thing they could peel off— one by one. The darkness felt like it was melting, the black spreading and falling like drops of rain— splattering onto their skin like water.
Two time hauled 007n7’s arm around themselves, supporting the hacker as he got used to walking again. They moved backwards as the ink seemed to conjoin together— creating a silhouette that Two time instantly recognised.
It was Azure.
Tall, poised, just like Two Time remembered— arms firm by his sides. There was something different though— there were 6 tendril-like appendages dragging behind him, 2 of them melting into a static-like mess. His head tilted unnaturally to the side, mouth open in a frozen, silent scream. The hat that perched on top of their messy black hair crooked just slightly too much— like there was an error in the system.
Then his body flickered— skin jittering, shoulders painfully spasming.
The figure shifted, facial features moving and moulding around—
Into Two Time.
Their own face looked back at them now— tear—stained, hollow—eyed, mouth twitching in a half—smile that didn’t belong to them— that wasn’t them. The wings that extended from the sides of their face seemed to drag in the air— like they were too heavy to keep up. Their backs turned slightly, feathers floating down like snowfall— a forbidden, painful sight to stare at. A choked sob echoed, then looped, then reversed in pitch.
The real Two time felt like puking, watching the figure stare directly back at the pair with a sinister but blank look in its eye. They quickly backed away more— 007n7 tripping but catching himself as he let out a confused but a frightened noise.
This was worse than the chicken jokes
The figure jerked, skipping forward like a corrupted frame. The smile widened, glitching into an unnatural, split maw that stretched from one side to the other. Their eyes— now voids thin as a needle— flickered with neon, red static.
The form twisted again— now 007n7’s, but wrong.
Wrong in every possible way.
The face was stitched together with bits of broken UI. His own command lines scrolled across his hand’s, melting like the ink that Two time had seen just earlier. His legs were replaced with what resembled a pair of goat’s legs and his face held a somber melancholic expression— the deep sadness heavily defined in his cheekbones (or, well, one cheekbone.).
“You called, little hacker. So clever, indeed.” The figure mocked, the body quickly being engulfed with thick ink-like liquid.
“How adorable.”
Their hands wafted around like smoke in snow, black trails curling and twisting around—
Before it materialised into a blood red sword. Its size was something like a battle axe— the intricate gold patterns littered the sides of the sharp blade, the handle drenched in the ink-like substance. The sword seemed to glint despite the lack of light source, the tip pointed threateningly at Two time’s eye.
“Would you like to see the lines of little code you used to doom yourselves?”
The Spectre’s mouth split downward, tearing into a horizontal glitch. Command lines poured out like smoke— fractured symbols drenched its mouth like a fountain, scrolling endlessly into the void. The thick smell of iron and musky soil saturated the void like the endless abyss was carpet.
The air thickened. It felt hard to breathe— like there was no air in the atmosphere— dense enough to suffocate.
Two Time stepped back, wings twitching— heavy and uneven. They held 007n7 tighter as they backed away even more, on the verge of running.
The figure stood still, core shining brightly as particles of glitched code waver around. The smoke around the body materialized once more, the colour turning into a tick, blood red.
…
“Stop trying to escape, puppet.”
…
…
…
The round had ended rather quickly— which was highly unusual considering that it should have run for another 5 minutes, Elliot noticed. He brushed his hand through his hair, watching as the world returned his vision through a haze of glitches and spasms.
The survivors quickly scattered around, retreating to their respective areas as they rested to prepare for the next round. The rustling of their footsteps seemed to echo slightly longer than it should have.
He couldn’t help but feel as if something was wrong. It was like a buzzing at the back of his head— a constant tingling sensation that he couldn’t quite itch.
Deeply wrong.
..
Elliot was the first person to notice the difference.
There was something wrong— something different in the air that he couldn’t make out. He could tell there was a difference, after all his senses were better than an average human's.
It seemed heavier— tenser. Like something important was missing from his memory. He couldn’t tell for certain, but it felt like he was missing something in this operation of ungodly rounds.
…
..Something was missing and it was pissing Elliot off.
Nothing was physically wrong that round, not that he could tell, but he could tell that something was very, very wrong.
Everyone had contributed to finding the other survivors, making sure that they were ok as the sentinels (albeit Two time wasn’t there or anywhere to be found..?) completed all the generators as well as making sure that the killer was one who was peaceful. Dusekkar and Chance found it odd that the Spectre had chosen 1x to be the killer again.
Nothing besides those attributes were out of the ordinary. Majority of the survivors found it odd that this round had also ended quickly, but they also dismissed the.. Peculiar circumstances quite quickly as well.
They all did—
But Elliot.
Elliot had made his way up the stairs, the wooden steps creaking when pressure was applied. A thin layer of dust gathered on the handrail, small wooden splinters surfaced and poked outwards as he walked past and onto the second floor. The quiet murmur of the survivors echoed across the sleek wooden floors as Elliot plopped himself down onto a nearby bean bag— arms crossed and broad as he covered his face with his bright red sun visor in frustration.
He closed his eyes, sighing deeply as he listened to Shedletsky’s quiet bickering that echoed downstairs in the main part of the central cabin. He could reminisce about the earlier conversation (or argument..?) with Chance and Shedletsky, the words still bright and stubborn in his memory.
“We have been here for—like 2 whole years and we can all tell you love him! You’re not very good at hiding the fact that his daily apologies for these 2—I don’t know—years have gotten into your head!”
Elliot could feel his cheeks heat up as he grumbled at the memory. He shoved his hat lower, covering his face fully as the conversation downstairs continued. He assumed Shedletsky was talking with builderman, with his thick accent standing out in the conversation.
Shedletsky was an irritant. He loved to bother Elliot about the most unnecessary and irrelevant topics ever. Even when he bothered Elliot about seeing 007n7 trying to sneak a blue onesie past him and Elliot didn’t believe it (he is never doubting Shedletsky again). The blue fabric really suited him. And Elliot would never admit it out loud but it looked quite cute on him. He could totally see 007n7 wearing it and matching with Coolkid.
Elliot could possibly go on about how 007n7 was.. Kind of cute. Yes, he still hates him for what he has done, but the guy had apologised multiple times. It was— truthfully— Elliot, who was stubborn in not accepting the poor man’s apology for years.
“Awh! Elliot wants to see his boyfriend! Two time you should third wheel them~”
It honestly reminded Elliot of his sister— Mia. He missed Mia a lot. He hasn’t seen her in a very long time.
It also reminded him that he hadn’t seen 007n7 all round, Two time as well.
007n7 was very similar to Two time. Elliot had noticed over a period of 6 months (According to Dusekkar) that the ex-hacker had not eaten nearly enough for his age. He knew that 007n7 should be eating at least 3 times the amount he usually eats— or he will be severely malnourished. The guy also always disappears— like Two time, who always retreats to his cabin or their own cabin.
Ugh.. He couldn’t get 007n7 off his mind.
Elliot paused for a second, the conversation downstairs also pausing for a second.
“Hey, Dusekkar, did you see 007n7 or Two time like— at all? I didn’t even see them when we all came back to the cabin.”
The conversation seemed to freeze.
Elliot also froze.
…
…
..wait a minute—
…
…
…
Their body ached— bruises and lacerations covering their body like a second skin. Each small movement felt like walking on knives— like a punishment for trying to survive in the first place. Their legs trembled with pain, the muscles aching from the sheer force they put on them.
Two time heaved— velvet red spewing out of their mouth as they looked up at the phantom chasing 007n7.
007n7 was littered with scratches and cuts, coolGUI materialised in hand as fingers frantically flew past the glitchy keyboard. He spent a full 20 minutes avoiding the blood red sword stained with their blood— forcing the coolGUI to rematerialise in his hands.
The Spectre’s sword glided down— metal to a red—black shield as 007n7 panted in relief. The force that came afterwards pushed him off his feet, forcing him down as he quickly formed another shield to put a barrier between the sword and his flesh.
The relief didn’t stay for long.
“TWO TIME!”
The figure— The Spectre lunged at them— appearance glitching like a depraved dossier.
The red sword made its way onto Two time’s right arm— a sharp, agonising pain blooming like a bleeding heart—
Before Two time felt their wings poking at their skin— ripping through the flesh with what sounded like fabric ripping. A halo manifested above their head— the brilliant white contrasting with the deep red that stained their clothes.
Oh fuck.
“RUN!” Two time screamed— fear in their voice, their dagger parried the large sword thrown their way as they ran alongside the injured figure of 007n7.
The Spectre let out an exaggerated whine— not from missing— but for mockery as the phantom pulled the sword out with little effort before gliding towards them with haste.
“You all are getting too much freedom— So I’ll do the pleasure to take it from your corrupted souls.”
The sword was like code itself— a corrupted file sharpened with shrapnel and rotten code slicing through the air like it weighed nothing. It seemed to flow as Two time aimed the dagger at the head of the Spectre, the metal failing to reach the flesh.
007n7 screamed in fear, fingers desperately coding and flying across keys as lines of code zapped and flicked onto him like sparks from a fire. The pain was near unbearable, the sparks seeming to divide upon impact into countless smaller pieces.
Two time could hear the agonised yell from 007n7—
Before everything went silent.
And for a second— in the dark— in the void deprived of light—
Two time saw—
Azure.
He stood there, shock engraved in his features— confusion staring into Two time. He gasped— blood splattered out of his mouth, the red standing out against his dark-tone skin.
And engraved in place of his heart, through the layers of purple tinted Gray fabric—
A dagger.
The world seemed to zoom out— the colours and light returning before Two time could make out the pain that seemed to slam back into their body.
The noises of yells and screams returned— the sharp ache within their legs returned with no warning.
007n7 was beside them— running and yelling at them to “JUMP!”
Two time pushed with all their might— as hard as their strained legs could push—
A glitchy portal-like circle appeared as 007n7 slammed his hand into his coolGUI—
The Spectre was still chasing them— Two time could feel the cold, metallic fingers of the spectre graze their neck— the feeling of metal against soft, plushy skin—
—before they fell face first onto a cold wooden floor, the echo of the Spectre ending abruptly.
The floorboards creaked— cracking under the pressure of 2 bodies colliding together in a massive fall as they felt the shift in the atmosphere. It was cool, contrasting to the heat of the moment just before they landed onto the splintered wooden floor.
Two time panted, eyes wide in fear as they turned to their right, noticing the man in blue bleeding and glitching. They winced as the adrenaline wore off— the pan settling in sharp and agonizing.
“N-Nathan—?” They murmured, crawling weakly towards the man.
The other man was face down, blood dripping down their mouth slowly as his eyes slowly blinked— like they were still adjusting to the lighting and reality. He wheezed, like he was drowning underwater, voices reaching out, but just out of reach to him as he coughed and stared at, no— through Two time.
—Like they were ghosts.
The man’s glasses are cracked, the glass crinkling as bits fall out. His hair was heavily dishevelled, with some red staining the natural brown.
For a second— Two time remembered the piece of paper attached to their waist. They frantically (as fast as they could with the intense pain coursing through their body) felt their waist, feeling for the piece of paper that crinkled. They brought the paper up, the sheet crumbled and stained with a few drops of blood.
Two time huffed out a laugh, pain blaring through their core as they shifted— eye nearly swollen shut as they laughed out. Their body was wrecked with pain, the soreness of their legs settling in.
They could hear the vibrations of multiple footsteps slowly echoed— getting louder like a crescendo to a crash.
Their bodies sounded like thunder in the night, the banging and clashing of feet vibrating through the floor intensifying as they could hear voices gradually get louder and louder.
As the view of the rest of the surprised and horrified survivors came into Two time’s eyeline, they let themselves black out, exhaustion finally catching up to them.
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