Don't look back.

Just run.

Run.

Keep going.

You'll feel safe.

Go.

Go.

They're calling you.

They want you.

They need you back.

Turn around.

Go with them.

They're here for you-

No.

No.

Keep running.

She's waiting for you.

She's waiting for you.

They're all waiting for you..

..in the end.

"I think I'm going mad." Fanny breathed out, sulking against the corner of the TLC. Bracelety looked up towards her, concerned at her demeanor.

"What..?"

"I can't sleep. I can't move away from here. I can't do anything right now and its all because of her."

"..Bubble..?"

Fanny shot her a glare, bags hanging underneath her eyes.

"No, I'm talking about Pin- OF COURSE I'm talking about Bubble!" She snapped out. Bracelety grimaced slightly, before looking back up..

"I'm sure they're safe..remember, they're with their alliance!"

"Yeah, an alliance that treats them like shit-"

"LANGUAGE!" A voice called out. Fanny lifted her head to look towards the object that had called that out.

It was Blocky. He sat cross-legged across the chamber, his eyes narrowing towards the two as he overheard the conversation the two were having. A tiny figure laid in his lap, his blades gently swaying in the darkened as Blocky stroked his head gently.

Seems like Grassy and Blocky got along well, since he was now dozing off in his lap.

"Oh- Sorry Blocky!" Bracelety whispered out, waving her hand towards the two.

"I could give less of a fuck right now." Fanny grumbled.

"Stop it with the language! He's just a kid!"

"Yeah, and we're all on the verge of death here, what's your damn point?"

The TLC fell silent, all eyes soon turning to stare at Fanny in disbelief.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"We're safe in here." Basketball sat up, biting her bottom lip.

"Nothing can hurt us."

"Sure, tell that to Puffball."

"She left on her own, and she went down a path that LED her to that psycho! It wasn't our-"

"That killer knows we're here. She knows we're here. Leafy is going to come here, and take us out, one by ONE."

Knock knock knock.

Panic bursted through the chamber, as all the objects scurried to the opposite side of where the knocking was coming from. Bracelety scurried away, fear quickly swirling around in her head, yet Fanny didn't budge to move.

"What is it."

"F-..Fanny..?" Ice Cube gasped out slightly, feeling a few beads of sweat trailing down her face. She pressed herself against the frigid wall, trembling as she desperately tried to get-

"Ice Cube?!" Fanny exclaimed, quickly jumping up.

"ICY?!"

"BRACELETY!"

All hell broke loose for her. Ice Cube began to bawl as she slid down onto her knees, staying as close to the wall as she possibly could. Bracelety dashed over towards the wall where she was, placing a hand on it and trying to help Ice Cube recollect herself.

"Hey- HEY, ICY!" She called out, knocking the wall frantically. Ice Cube wheezed out, weakly banging her foot against the wall.

"ICY, WHATS THE MATTER?! T-TALK TO ME!"

She continued to heave and sob, trying to find the words to speak to her- ultimately failing.

"ICE CUBE, PLEASE, C-CALM DOWN!" Bracelety's eyes filled with tears as she frantically slammed her hands against the wall. This only made Ice Cube panic even more- her body trembling as nausea quickly slammed her in the gut.

As the crying and yelling ensued, Fanny looked up, her eye twitching in annoyance. She slowly stood up, stretching her legs out before making her way towards Bracelety, standing beside her as she faced the wall.

"..Ice Cube."

Crying.

"Ice Cube. That's enough."

More crying.

For fucks sake. I hate this shit. Fanny thought to herself before she gently kicked the wall.

"Listen to me. I need you to stop."

"W-Wha..?" Ice Cube grimaced, looking up as crystal beads of tears slid down her cheeks.

"I need you to stop crying. I hate crying." Her tone was stern, yet it was more gentle- for the first time since being in this cursed little chamber, her tone had changed.

Bracelety stared, her eyes full of awe as she listened to Fanny. Slowly, Ice Cube's cries and wails began to die down, until all they could hear was shaky hiccuping and sniffling.

"Alright Ice Cube. We're here now. You're okay. It's okay." The harsh tone quickly returned.

"N-No..no, I-..I'm not.." Ice Cube whispered out, staring into the blue wall intensely.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?" Bracelety questioned, wringing her hands together.

"I-..I'm not safe...no one is.."

"WHY?!"

"..Sh-she's after us..I..I had to run..it was all t-..too much..!"

Hearing this made Fanny's heart drop, her eyes widening as her eye twitched slightly.

"..Where's Bubble." She gritted through her teeth.

"Ah-..shes..shes with them.."

"With WHO."

"Book.." Ice Cube looked up. "She- oh..I should've..oh.."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I SWEAR!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, PLEASE CALM DOWN!" Bracelety cried out, raising her hand towards Fanny.

Silence.

"..Alright...Now, Icy...What's going on out there?"

"PLEASE, LET ME EXPLAIN!" Book wailed out, quickly darting around a few trees. Ruby and Bubble quickly followed her; Bubble being wary about where she was running, and Ruby simply crashing into whatever there was. She was fuming- she didn't care what happened to her. All she wanted was that monster to pay.

"Oh I've already heard ENOUGH!" Ruby screamed out, running after her.

Book continued to run- a burning sensation beginning to permeate through out her lungs. She began to wheeze out, clutching her chest as she was beginning to stumble.

She just wanted to stop. She wanted it all to stop.

She wanted her old life back.

Ruby. Bubble. Ice Cube.

Match. Even Pencil.

But here she was- her alliance leaders dead, and with the rest of them convinced that she had been the mastermind of it all.

Book clenched her eyes shut as she came to a halt, leaning against a tree while pained wheezes and gasps escaped her lips. She tried letting fresh air enter her lungs- but with each breath she took, an agonizing sensation burned in her chest.

"BOOK!"

Oh, shit.

Book began to scramble back up, but was quickly tackled down by Ruby- both of them rolling on the ground. Book cried out, as Ruby quickly pinned her down, fury blazing in her eyes.

"You're not hurting ANYONE anymore." Ruby growled out.

"I-I never HURT ANYONE RUBY!"

"SURE you didn't, you fricken' LIAR!" 

"DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I'D DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! MURDER PENCIL, BURN MATCH, KILL EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE GODDAMN CITY?!"

Ruby stayed silent, pressing her body against the dirt below.

"Oh, you'd definitely do something like this to me."

"GHH- WHAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE IDEA-"

"I loved her.."

Ruby's saddened tone quickly caught Book off-guard. She stared at her in disbelief, watching as Ruby's eyes began to gloss over with tears. Her grip on Book's arms began to loosen as she looked away.

"Sh-..She may have been mean..sure, b-but deep down, I knew that...that she was something special.." she whispered. 

"..I knew that she was a good object...a-and I was right...she was changing..changing for the better.." 

Book listened. 

"But you took it away from me...you took her away from me, you took my life away...and do you know why you did it..?!" She etched in closer, the anger subtly returning to her.

"..because you were jealous. You wanted to get rid of h e r, so you could have me. I may have played along into your little game, but I'm cutting the strings now- my heart STILL BELONGS to her, no MATTER-"

"SHUT UP!" Book screamed out, tears pouring down her face. "JUST SHUT UP, SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"

"WHY SHOULD I?! HUH?! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID-"

"I WAS TRYING TO FIND YOU!" Book snapped.

"YOU FUCKING REMEMBER IT, DON'T YOU?! AFTER NEEDLE DIED, AND TEARDROP WAS IN YOUR STATE, YOU WENT TO FUCKING HELP HER, AND WE COULDN'T FIND YOU! SO GUESS WHAT WE HAD TO DO BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE BULLSHIT THAT WAS HAPPENING?!" Book shoved Ruby off of her, shakily standing back onto her feet. 

"WE LOOKED AND LOOKED AND EVENTUALLY, PENCIL TOLD ME TO LOOK INSIDE OF PIN'S HOUSE. SHE HAD THE SUSPICION THAT SHE WAS BEHIND IT, YET DID WE FUCKING LISTEN?! NO. I SEARCHED EVERYWHERE IN THAT GOD-DAMNED HOUSE, AND I FOUND THAT SHIT!" She grabbed her head, tears of frustration pouring down her face. 

"I WANTED TO SEE WHAT IT WAS, BUT I DIDN'T, BECAUSE I SAW Y O U. YOU WERE SAFE. YOU WERE ALIVE. AND I-I EVENTUALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT, AND-" Her yelling quickly died down- her expression soon morphing into guilt.

"I-...I had the evidence with me...for all of this time.." she slowly hugged herself. "I-..I could've saved them..Pencil..Match.." 

"Book.." Ruby slowly began to stand up, reaching out for her..

"...TB...GB...Coiny...Fries..." her fists clenched tightly..

"S-..stop.."

"G-Gelatin...Puffball...Teardrop.." her eyes narrowed..

"Book..!"

"..Needle...F-.." She fell silent. 

Ruby stared at her in disbelief.

She could've saved them.

They could've been here today. 

Right now. 

Together.

Get angry.

Get angry.

She could've saved them all. Flower could've been here.

Standing next to her. 

Holding her hand. 

Ruby's face scrunched up, seemingly at the edge of exploding...

Yell.

Scream.

Hit her.

Beat her.

She took her away.

She's using you.

Get her.

Get her.

Get her.

Ruby slowly wrapped her arms around Book, letting her eyes close. She didn't utter a word- letting the silence speak for itself. Book flinched slightly at her touch, looking towards her and stuttering slightly.

"Wh-..What are you doing."

"..I'm sorry."

"..No..Ruby, j-just-"

"No, Book, I'M sorry. Th-..This isn't your fault. This isn't." She clutched her hands close to her chest, letting her gaze interlock with hers. 

"It IS! B-By not saying anything, by not showing that-..that LIST, I let everyone DIE! THEY COULD'VE-"

"Yes, I know that they could've been alive right now. But wh-what was there to do?" 

"I could've showed it to GB, To Coiny, to ANYONE. ANYONE who could take on Pin and defeat her. We could've stopped her, and this mess would've ended LONG AGO. BUT NO!" Book clasped her hands around her head. 

"Everyone we knew. Everyone we loved. Everyone we appreciated. DEAD. DEAD WITH NO WAY TO COME BACK, BECAUSE THE RECOVER CENTER IS GONE!" 

"Hey-"

"THAT'S ANOTHER THING! I-If I showed GB this, not only would they have been able to STOP Pin, they could've finished the RECOVERY CENTER. That way, everyone who was dead would have been back, and- and-" She sobbed out. 

"I-I'M JUST LIKE H E R."

"NO, Book, thats not TRUE-"

"I'M HOTHEADED, I-I'M ARROGANT, I-.. I-"

S L A P.

Book held her cheek, a burning sensation quickly spreading all over her cheek. She fell silent- her eyes widened, and her head slowly turning back towards Ruby.

Her hand was now poised downwards, as she slowly began to walk towards her.

"..Stop. Listen to yourself.." her voice was nearly inaudible, being reduced to a hush.

"I know...you could've done something, anything...but its too late for that. You have to keep going...okay...?" She held her hand out..

"Please, Book...I'm so sorry about what happened before...I-..I promise that its going to be okay..you know why..?"

Book sniffed out slightly, wiping her eyes.

"Wh-..Why."

"Because...you and me? We can make it through. You're intelligent, clear-minded, and ready for anything. Even though all of this made us fall...that doesn't mean we should wait until Pin comes by and gets us." Ruby smiled. 

"We can fight back. Together."

"T-...Together..?" Book shakily let her hand intertwine with hers, the soft feeling of Ruby's hands soothing her as Ruby gently pulled her in for an embrace. Ruby comforted Book, rubbing her back gently and placing her head on her shoulder.

"Together."

"YOU HAVE TO HIDE, NOW!"

"B-But where?!"

I-..I DON'T KNOW, JUST HIDE!" Bracelety cried out, frantically slamming her hands against the wall. "SHE'S GOING TO HURT YOU!"

"THAT FUCKING BITCH!" Fanny angrily kicked the wall, tears threatening  to make their way down her face. "I HATE HER. I HATE HER!"

"She lied to all of us...Sh-She..." Pen curled up, fear eating away at his thoughts while Eraser held him close, his eyes narrowing angrily. 

"Oh, she's going to get it, big time."He grumbled.

"That means sh-she killed everyone! Even Coiny!" Basketball looked down, trying to let her mind absorb what was going on.

"But why?! He was her boyfriend for fucks sake! That bitch is crazy!" Snowball roared out. 

A commotion was quickly boiling up in the TLC, yet Bracelety didn't focus on any of the cries or facts- instead, she focused on Ice Cube. 

"YOU HAVE TO GO HIDE ICY!"

"I-I don't know if I-"

"JUST HIDE! GO, OR ELSE-"

"OICE CUBE!"

Ice Cube whirled around, panic slamming into her mind at the sudden call. But as she saw the translucent, rounded figure, relief washed away the bricks of fear- running into her arms. 

"B-Bubble.."

"OIce Cube, we hoive to go! Now!"

"B-But-"

"BUBBLE?!" Fanny perked up.

"I-IS THAT YOU?!"

"Fanny..." Bubble let go of Ice Cube, rushing over towards the TLC.

"Fanny, I-I'm soiry..."

As the two quickly began to chat, Ruby and Book caught up to the two, reuniting with them and quickly explaining everything that they could towards them all.

Pin peeked at them from a tree, a smirk growing on her face. 

Let me guess. Jackpot?

Absolutely.

What now.

You don't sound too excited, hm..?

You've done ENOUGH TO ME. I-I JUST WANT TO-

HUSH! Now, what do we have here...?

...

Datura flowers. Once ingested, one will be unable to distinguish your hallucinations from reality, which is very dangerous. Other effects include tachycardia (heart beats so fast that it becomes inefficient at moving blood around). So..what's your call.

...Oh, maybe I'll handle it the easier way, hm...?

She cracked her knuckles, eyeing the group from afar...

Shocker. Their relationship hasn't exactly...shattered, yet.

Oh, don't worry. 

I've got it under my control.

My control.

She walked out of the tree.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the distinct fear that micheal or cary has found this and read it still haunts me oop

anyways, hello everyone, boy am I sleepy

its a late upload today, but since I'm going back to school soon, I gotta write as much as i C a n

i hope that my writing is good, i hope you all are enjoying it so far

thank you for reading, i'll see you all in the next part <3

~ice