Chapter Text
Charlie could feel his world crumbling around him as he stared at the set for his cabin. He didn’t understand how he hadn’t seen it before. It was all so obviously fake. How could he have ever believed that it was real— that the cabin was his home.
He heard Ranboo say his name, something akin to pity in their voice, but he couldn’t manage to tear his eyes away from the fake house.
“Charlie!” Ranboo screamed, breaking him out of his stupor only to see the monster Ranboo had called ‘Security’ stalking towards them from where it had been hidden behind the set. Its deformed body was completely covered in bloody wires and it had a tv acting as its head. There was nothing human about the abomination.
They both took off running towards the button, but Charlie was just a step behind.
He felt something grab at his ankle and then he was on the floor, the abomination of a creature hovered over him. He could see Ranboo stop and turn out of the corner of his eye, but before he could yell at him to keep running he felt something rip into his arm.
Charlie could do nothing but scream at the unimaginable pain that coursed through his body as the creature's wires burned and cut at his skin. He could feel as its claws tore at his exposed arms and ripped through his protective vest and into his chest.
He could feel nothing but pain coursing over his entire body as he writhed and screamed as wires melted his skin. He could still see Ranboo and in a last ditch effort to help he pushed himself up and yelled—
“The Button! Ranboo!” Before falling back underneath the monster as it tore into him.
Charlie always understood that death was inevitable, he knew that one way or another he would meet his end. And in that moment he knew that there was no better way to go than giving up his life so that Ranboo could escape.
He was not the hero of the show, his memories were fuzzy but he knew that had been the demon in the cabin for a long time— had tortured heroes as they came through his home.
He had been a disgusting, evil demon, but Ranboo had come back for him, they saved him even though Charlie knew he didn’t deserve to be saved.
At least Ranboo could get away.
—————
When Charlie came to, he was no longer lying on the floor in front of the cabin, he was in some sort of hospital bed. As soon as he realized panic seized his entire body and he leaned over the side of the bed and puked, his hand frantically searched his stomach area for any signs that his organs had been removed.
After finding that there was no hole in his stomach and his organs were still where they were supposed to be he finally calmed down enough to think about his situation.
How was he alive?
It didn’t make sense, the monster had got to him— it had ripped him to shreds, he could remember the feeling of its claws tearing into his arms and chest. Just the thought of it made him want to puke again.
It wasn’t Important right now, Charlie knew he couldn’t stay here; he had to make it out and meet up with Ranboo.
Oh god Ranboo, he had to have made it out, they had to. Charlie wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Ranboo hadn’t made it out and he sacrificed himself for nothing.
He threw himself out of the hospital bed, careful to avoid the puke on the floor. His clothes were shredded and bloody but there was nothing else for him to change into.
His left arm bore the brunt of the attack and screamed with pain as he tried to use it to stabilize himself. He had giant claw marks running down his chest and his other arm was scratched up and his burns all seemed to be minor— his injuries were nowhere near as bad as they should be.
Actually he should be dead, but that's besides the point now. It must have been the work of Showfall, they had to keep their cast members alive somehow he guessed.
He ran out of the room trying to make as little noise as possible. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had died but he didn’t want to take any chances that the employees would find him.
He ran out of the makeshift hospital and into the main part of the mall. He looked to be on the second floor not too far from where they had been.
Charlie briefly entertained the idea of going back to the supply room with the axe in it, but something told him he didn't have time for that. If he could just get back to the room with the button.
The room where he had died. Maybe he would be able to find the exit that Ranboo had taken.
He did his best not to look at the blood smeared all over parts of the floor and over doors, but it was just everywhere. He managed to find the room with the cabin and button in it.
His blood was still all over the floor but there was no sign of the monster that had done that to him. He forced himself to look away.
There were employees standing completely unmoving, all staring at the button at the end of the room. Charlie hated it, it was unnerving.
A scream tore through the unnatural silence— it sounded like pleading, and it sounded horribly similar to Ranboo.
Charlie ran as fast as he could toward the desperate pleas.
This couldn't be happening—Ranboo had to have gotten out, they had to.
Charlie pleaded with himself, if they hadn't gotten out then what was it all for? He had supposedly given his life on the chance that Ranboo escaped. He ran down the broken escalator and passed the fake office that was still teaming with employees.
He was closer to the source now and he could finally make out what was being said.
“Let me DIE! Please, I don't want to keep doing this anymore—” The person screamed and sobbed, Charlie refused to believe it was Ranboo, the pleading was absolutely heart wrenching. Charlie couldn't stand the thought of that being his friend
“Let me die!” The person broke into another sob, Charlie heard them struggling and lashing against chains but to no avail.
“The audience has made their decision,” He heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hetch. As Charlie rounded the corner he saw the control room— he saw everything he was praying wasn’t true.
Charlie's heart completely shattered.
Ranboo was chained to the wall with a box made of metal spikes poised to close around his head at any given moment. Hetch was there too, standing behind the control panel. There was a chunk ripped out of Ranboos mask revealing part of their bloody chin and wires that were feeding into their mouth, Charlie could see the glint of tears in their eyes and he remembered their pleas to just let them die.
“They have chosen for you to DIE!”
He felt rooted to the floor, he couldn't move as he watched the horrible scene unfold before him. He saw Ranboos' eyes widen fractionally as they made eye contact.
It felt like time was slowed as he watched a tear slide down Ranboos’ cheek.
He watched them close their eyes before the box slammed closed and crushed their head.
He watched as their body continued to struggle and twitch for seconds after.
He watched as blood poured out of the box covering what was left of his friend's limp body.
He watched as Hetch turned around and saw him in the doorway, with tears streaming down his face.
Charlie ran.
He ran as fast as he could out of the room, he didn’t know where he was running to but he needed to get out of this death show. His legs were burning and his lungs felt like they were on fire but he kept running as the tears kept falling. He ran back up the escalator and past his fake streaming setup. He ran past the set of the warehouse and the fake hospital where he had his guts ripped out.
The thought of going back to the storage room where he had found the axe occurred to him, so that was where he ran to.