The Hatchetfield Archives

by Contrast_of_Lights

Summary:

*click*
Jon and Martin were successful and freed their world from the Fears. Annabelle's plan, in the end, happened exactly as she thought it would, but where are they now?
In a high school on a little island, five nerds had just killed their bully, unknowingly releasing an unstoppable monster into their town.
In a different dimension, creatures beyond human comprehension felt something changed, but it surely meant they were now powerful enough to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs.
And someone, in the dark, is always listening...
*click*

Chapter 1: A queen's first dream

Notes:

!Content Warning! Spiders, physical manipulation and possibly body horror(?)

The Spider woke up earlier than usual. Light entered her windows, reflecting upon the silk on her walls. It has always been so bright in the White.
She tossed in her bed, feeling her powers detaching from the energy of her realm.
Her need for sleep was different from that of her human friend. When Hannah told her about dreams, she was fascinated, sometimes she was even invited to accompany her friend in them. The capacity of the human mind always left her speechless. Fake scenarios, completely harmless but still real enough to create emotions, born without any magic.

Webby couldn’t dream.
She actually didn’t even need to sleep every night, it became a necessity only when she needed to recharge her magic. She, and her brothers, were creatures born from fragments of their world and they had to rely on it for their powers.
Their sleep was a temporary separation from their body to return, in her case, to the White. There they didn’t have a consciousness, but were again part of the chaotic energy that fills the air, the matter. And all she could remember when she awoke was a blinding, unlimited light.

But this time there was something that cast a shadow, an eight-legged shadow. Something foreign, that was calling her. She had legs, but they were stuck in sticky strings. The same strings that were closing around her new wrists and pulled her. She pulled back and the threads obeyed, they were heavy and they twitched. She pulled again, intrigued. The weight increased, even if so slightly.
Then, she saw it. Something trapped in the cords. The closer she got, the clearer it became, No, not something, someone. Their limbs were tied and they couldn’t move.
She hurried to help them, but every time she moved, their body reacted. Every movement was reciprocated and they followed her guide.
It was her, she was controlling their strings. She looked at her hands, horrified. Threads were now laying around her fingers and small black spiders danced between them.
Guilt filled her gaze, as it laid on the prisoner one more time. They were frozen in space but their green eyes darted around frantically.
She dropped the strings, tearing them apart to free her arms.
Suddenly the candid silence of the White is broken by an inhuman scream. The person lost the stability of the web that held them. The cords retracted fast, leaving them bleeding. Their arms and legs’ flesh was torn and from inside slim black legs were emerging.
She wanted to help them, to stop their pain, but couldn't move. So she watched and watched, even when she knew what would happen next. Because she caused it.
She heard heels behind her and a faint clapping, but when she turned, there was no one. No one at all, she was alone, again. The person she was observing had disappeared in a little pile of fur, legs and webs. And she awoke.

The Queen in White remained still for some moments, unable to move, frightened to think about what had happened. That must have been another attack her brothers had planned against her, but how were they able to mess with the White? It should’t be possible…
But, if she had to be honest, what really frightened her was her own reactions.
She didn’t help that person, but she could have, she wasn’t stuck or restrained. She didn’t. She didn’t want to. Because it felt nice, it was fulfilling. It tasted good, somehow.

She tossed and waited until she felt her body against the bed. She liked her human form, unlike her brothers. It made her feel different from them and closer to those fascinating creatures, capable of both bad and good. But now it was almost a mockery, she thought, as she turned back in her spider form.
Something bad was going to happen very soon, of that she was sure. It could be a new plan of Wiggly, but not even him was powerful enough to modify the Black and White. This was something else, foreign to their laws. Something that was already taking root in her.

Somewhere in her vast room a singular sound echoed; the click of a tape recorder.

Notes:

Hi! Thank you for reading. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have while writing it. :3
I've been working on this au for weeks and I'm so happy to finally post the first chapter.

I have a tumblr blog for this au, the-hatchetfield-archives, where I post drawings, explainations and writing progresses, but be careful in case you don't want spoilers.

Chapter 2: Foreigns

Notes:

!Content Warning! Blood and injuries (Non-graphic descriptions)

It was a sunny day, luckly. For the last three weeks Lex and Ethan had tried to organise a little trip on her free day for Hannah, but it was either raining or Frank forced her to stay overtime because they were “short-staffed”. She wasn’t even fully paid for that work!
But today was going to be different, Ethan had already repeated it five times, with his optimistic smile that never failed to make her feel less stressed.

“So, Banana, are you ready for the best day of your life?” Ethan asked while finishing to braid the hair of the shorter girl.
Hannah nodded “Where are we going?”
“There is this amusement park that has great attractions. Unfortunately we’ve never had the occasion to go there, but today we will! Right, babe?”
Hannah’s older sister passed them their backpacks “Yep, today we will have fun. Let’s go”

The trio walked for a while. The park was not that far away and it was the perfect day for a walk in the woods. Hannah was especially fond of that place and its trees, for some reasons. Sometimes she would nod at them, like she was greeting them.
Over the trees’ fronds, some signs started to become visible.
They were bright purple and yellow, with neons on, even though it was morning, and little eyes drawn all over them.
They were reading ‘Watcher World’ in bold big purple letters.
Hannah froze. That place hurted. She didn’t want to take another step towards it. She could see that Lex was saying something and someone’s hand was on her back, but whose it was she couldn't tell. All she could feel were the screams and all those eyes focused on her, prying like little needles, searching inside of her for anything that could entertain them.

Then she started walking. Lex let out a relieved sigh, she was about to worry for her health. But her sister didn’t go to the park, she turned and took the path near it.
Ethan was almost instantly next to her and took her by the arm, without squeezing it. Hannah stopped and turned, but still she casted quick glances at the path.
“Sorry, but we need to go there. He needs help.” and without waiting for an answer, she freed herself and started walking again.
The other two looked at each other. It wasn’t the first time Hannah said something strange or nonsensical, but she had never been so unpredictable to run away without explaining anything.
Ethan nodded and the two ran after Hannah.

They reached her pretty quickly, but before Lex could ask her to explain herself, they saw him.
Hannah was standing, panting, in front of an unconscious man lying on the ground among the leaves. That strange man was bleeding profusely, staining the grass red and a small blade was sticking out of his chest. His breathing was uneven.
Hannah looked at Lex, who was already next to her. The older one hugged her and she nodded for Ethan to take the man.
Maybe next week they will be able to do that trip.

 

On the other side of town, Miss Retro had just finished serving breakfast to her most loyal customer.
“Well, I'd better get going. I have a nasty case that needs my full attention” Duke stood up, with a cup of coffee still in hand “But save me a slice of pie, I’ll need something to recharge, once I’m done.” He added, while placing the cup down.
“Of course, I’m always here when you need some sugar”
Miss Holloway smiled fondly as he made his way to the door. But before he could exit the diner, a loud crash from the back stopped Duke in his tracks.

Duke immediately approached Miss Holloway and she passed him a knife. After the thief incident last month, neither of them was eager to repeat the experience.
“Stay behind me.” He whispered to her.
“Duke, I don't want to undermine your self-esteem, but this is how you got stabbed last time.” She took some herbs from the counter “I have a better idea”

Duke never understood Miss Holloway’s arts and he’s pretty sure he never will, but would trust her with his life. So when she signed him to let her approach the door with just a handful of smoking herbs, he stepped aside.
But first he asked “Are you sure?” Yes, he would trust her with his life, but not her own. She could be a little too reckless sometimes and Duke’s heart had skipped so many beats because of it.
She nodded, confidently.

Then she was in front of the door. With the smoke of the herbs she began to trace symbols in the air.
Soon after, another crash was heard.
Miss Holloway turned to Duke with a proud smile “The scene is yours”
Duke turned the handle and opened the door.

Laying on the floor, deeply asleep, was a man. His clothes were dirty and quite ruined, even torn in some places. He looked like he had just fought in the apocalypse. To make it even weirder, his hands were red, stained with blood, like his pants and shirt, but he didn’t seem hurt. On his cheek were visible trails of tears.
Duke scanned the room, but couldn’t find any possible entrance this mysterious man could have used. The only traces were the blood marks his hands had left on the floor and the other door handle.
“Ehm darlin’... Do you need help with him?”

Miss Holloway had been silent for this whole time, thinking with a hand holding her chin. Hearing Duke’s question, she simply shook her head.
“No need to worry about little old me, Duke. I can deal with him.” She giggled “Actually, I used strong herbs, so he might be still asleep when you come back here for that slice of pie. If you still want it” She added, teasing.
Duke smiled “Since everything is under control, I’ll go. I’m already running late. And yes, that slice is something I’ll be looking forward to!”
He turned and finally went out of the diner, almost hurrying up.
“See you later, darlin’” “Bye-ya Duke”

Miss Holloway watched the car drive away, then turned to the sleeping man. “Let's find a more comfortable place for you to rest”

Chapter 3: Consequences

Notes:

!Content warning! Blood, hallucinations, insects, wounds, accidental self harm, religious guilt, filth

They did it. They really did it.
Max was dead and hidden under the floor of the old Waylon Hall.

The five teens looked at each other. They were all panting and covered in blood. Grace was the last one to get up, away from the wooden planks that were now a hidden tomb. Without saying a word, she put a finger on her lips, leaving smudged red traces on her chins.
Everyone nodded, Steph and Pete more reluctantly, but still they agreed it was better to stay silent.
They all turned and left, without saying goodbye.

All but two. Steph looked at Pete, biting her lip. This plan was Grace’s, but she raised the idea of taking revenge first. Maybe he was right: the closer he got to her, the worse things would happen. First he got beaten and now this…
“Thanks” it was almost a whisper, but in the complete silence of that wicked place it was enough to wake her up from her guilt.
“I don’t think you should thank me, honestly” Steph gave a forced laugh.
“Well, yes, today was pretty shitty. That’s undeniable. But…” Pete fixed his gaze on the window behind her “You’ve tried to help me-us! Help us.” He immediately corrected himself “So… It’s just… ya know…”
Steph shook her head, smiling “Well, if someone hurts your friends then you have to do something.”
Pete’s eyes lit up for a second “What…?”
“Goodnight, Spankoffski. Enjoy the weekend” And she left, still smiling despite the nightmares she would surely have that night.

 

Walking home was worse. Pete was now completely alone with his thoughts. Did they really do the right thing? Could they have saved Max? Could someone have believed them? Why didn’t Richie film the most important part?
Pete stopped in front of an apartment building. That wasn’t his house, in fact it was even further away. But his parents would ask questions, would worry too much and surely his father would be pretty angry at him for staining his new jumper.
He wouldn’t.

Pete pulled out an old keychain. Even though he didn't visit his brother often, since he'd left home after a nasty fight with his parents, he always carried the key with him. Ted told him to do so, for emergencies their parents wouldn’t understand, he said. And what happened today was surely one of those.

Ted was already deeply asleep when Pete entered. He didn’t even warn him, after all. Using his phone’s flashlight, Pete made his way to the bathroom and washed off the blood as best he could. Some reddish-brown marks wouldn't come off, but Pete was tired, so he would have dealt with it in the morning.
Using the flashlight again, he went to the guest's room, rapidly texted his mother he was fine and fell asleep. Or tried. He eventually did, between sobs.

 

Richie wasn’t as lucky.
“Where were you!? Do you know how late it is?!” Paul was waiting for him on the couch, with a cup of coffee in hand. Emma was sleeping next to him, so he was trying to yell softly. The scene could have been really funny if Richie had the strength to laugh.
“What’s on your han-”
“I’m sorry” Richie interrupted his uncle and went straight to the bathroom, hoping he didn’t notice his eyes watering.
Paul tried to go after him, but accidentally he woke up Emma.
“What? He’s back?” Paul let out a tired sigh “Yeah, but…” He started to tap his fingers on the cup “Something seems off. He must have been with Pete and Ruth and I trust them, but still…”
Emma put a hand on his shoulder “Listen, it’s really late and we’re all tired. How about we give him some space to calm down and ask him tomorrow what happened? Also” she took away the cup of coffee from Pual “Enough coffee for tonight. When did you even make this?”

Richie was watching the blood, now dry, on his hands. The more he thought of what happened, the more he felt weird. Yes, he was shocked, scared and disgusted, but under all this there was something else. Something that was emerging from the primal depths of his soul.
He killed the apex predator.
It was almost freeing, seeing Max bleeding, weak, at his feet. To have power over him. To make him his prey.
That adrenaline was now disappearing, leaving behind small remainders of that power.
Richie clenched his fists tightly, until his nails left small marks on his skin. Some flakes of dry blood fell on the floor. They almost looked like drops.
Richie noticed he was hyperventilating. He opened the cold water and started to wash away the proof of his new freedom. Slowly he managed to get his breathing under control and with it also his thoughts. What was he thinking? Max was a monster, yes, but he didn’t deserve to die like that, nor that now his killer was enjoying it that much. And what will he say to uncle Paul? Richie took one last deep breath and looked at his reflection.
For a second he thought he saw his pupils narrow, then dilate again. He needed to sleep.

 

She knew she had broken the rules, but what was she supposed to do? She needed to free herself from the devil’s grip after all.
Grace apologizes to the crucifix hanging above the bathroom window, which was left ajar on purpose.

Slowly, she prepared the bathtub and undressed, of course keeping her swimsuit on. She was finally free from temptation, she was clean again.
She entered the water and began to scrub away the blood.
Shortly after, Grace began to feel sleepy. These last days have been so stressful, between the cancellation of the homecoming dance and the whole Jägerman deal. It was really hard to keep her eyes open.
She took a deep breath and went underwater.

The water was getting a little cold, so she decided to get out. But when she emerged, she froze. The water was getting dirty. Much more dirty than it should have been possible.
She tried to get out, but she slipped and fell back into the bathtub. Gasping for air. she reached for the edges and managed to pull her head out of that gooey slime. Slowly she opened her eyes, and saw on the walls of the tub three long centipedes. She covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming and rapidly exited.
She reached for a towel, still eyeing those awfully long creatures, but she felt it wet. It was stained with fuzzy and warm black spots. She let it go with a whimper.
She turned to the sink and opened the tap. Clear water started to run and she washed her hands frantically. But it didn’t matter how much soap she used or how much she rubbed, the water still turned black. Her hands started to hurt, she continued scratching the dirt, desperate to remove it. Something hot and red began to leak out from her arms, something else to wash away.

Then she realized. It was her. She dirtied the water, staining its clear purity with her sins. She was dirty again, she needed to repent.
She stepped away from the sink, which was overflowing with brown thick liquid on the floor, and reached for her saviour.
The crucifix was nailed to the wall, so it was difficult to reach but Grace succeeded. As she held the key to her salvation, thousands of small legs began to climb her naked legs; but she ignored it. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered because Jesus was looking after her. He knew that she was trying, that she just wanted to be good. He will surely-
Her hands felt slimy. That black substance was now leaking from her. She was corrupting the purity of her Saviour, she sinned and there won't be forgiveness. Not for her. She was already lost, already too corrupted.
There must be something she could do, anything! She would do it, no matter what, to not be forsaken.
A sharp pain forced her tears out of her eyes. The centipedes began to tear apart the flesh and try to slide under it. Unable to stand, she fell to the ground. The crucifix also fell with her, lying in two pieces on the floor.
She collapsed to the ground, screaming and crying.

Suddenly someone knocked at the door “Dear? Is everything okay in there?” Grace’s father asked.
Grace gasped and opened her eyes. The bathroom was back to normal. It was completely wet, yes, but the water in the tub was just slightly grey-ish and there was no trace of abnormally big insects.
In front of her, however, the crucifix was still broken and her arms and hands were still bleeding. Her legs also had two nasty bite marks.
Grace wiped her tears with the least bloody hand and slowly stood up.
“Yeah dad… I-I’ve just slipped. Nothing… nothing to worry about!”
“Alright, Gracey. See you tomorrow, sleep well!”
“Goodnight dad…”
Grace looked at the bathroom one last time. She needed to tidy up, but she felt like she was going to throw up if she stayed there one more second. So she picked up the broken Jesus with a towel and ran to her room.

Notes:

Maybe Max won't be the biggest threat this time...

Chapter 4: One Way Street

Notes:

!Content Warning! Swearing, unhealty sibling relationships, eye's injuries (kinda)

Tinky was getting bored, again. The last Ted he captured had already lost too much sanity and watching them cry in panic was only funny for a while.
He put away his toy box and stood up.
Maybe he could play with a Ted who was still free in his timeline. It was so fun last time, when he made him hallucinate the perfect wedding.

He looked around at the yellow-ish vines that surrounded him. Being the Bastard of Time and Space was great, unlike his brothers he could interact with every timeline and it was so fun to mess with their silly plans. Once he reset Pokey’s Apotheosis just before he could get that boring human, what was his name, under his control. His face was priceless.
Pokey had tried to kill him after, but he deserved it for apotheosing both Ted and the Homeless Ted.

The vines were thick, made of smaller tangled tendrils, and long. They all were born from a common knot but the most of them continued until one of his brothers put an end to it. Then it simply repeated like an infinite loop. Sometimes his brothers asked Tinky to teleport them all to one of their favourite completed timelines to enjoy the show.
It was as easy as breathing, time obeyed his orders and it was easily malleable.

Between those vines, something thin captured his attention. It was floating like a lost spider web thread. Tinky frowned. Webby couldn’t enter the Black, just like they couldn’t enter the White. They tried.
In their reigns they were stronger, it would be a suicide trying to invade eachothers and there were funnier ways to torment their sister.
Why- or better how- did she enter the Black?

Tinky took the slim string and it started to tangle around his goat’s paw, until it created a small spiral on the hoof.
“What the hell does that bitch think she’s doing?” He thought, but when his marked paw touched the Black’s surface a faint yellow shadow appeared.
Above it, there was a yellow door.
Tinky took a step closer, but he’s interrupted by a familiar tone of voice.

“What are you doing now?” Wiggly was behind him and he was staring at him. The older of the Lords got closer, passing through the vines, after all he couldn’t see or interact with them. “And what the fuck is that?” He added, nodding at the door.
Tinky bit his inner cheek. He had a bad feeling about that door, but Space was his field, he couldn’t show hesitation or doubt and absolutely not in front of Wiggly.
“Just my last toy. Nothing you should be worrying about”
Wiggly waves his tentacles “Oh really? Do you mind showing it to me then?”
“Look Wiggly, it’s really nothing-”
One of Wiggly’s tentacles wrapped itself around Tinky’s paw and squeezed.
“But you still built it behind my back. So I now want to see what you were hiding”
Tinky nodded. Wiggly slowly let go of his paw.

From the dark three other figures appeared.
The first was the enormous purple eye known as Blinky, followed by a mask that overflowed with blue goo, Pokey, and the always eating mouth, Nibbly.
“Are you two fighting without letting us see?”
Wiggly smiled with an evil light in his eyes. “How convenient! You three, come closer. Tinky was about to show me his new toy. I think he will appreciate an audience.”
Tinky turned and walked towards the door without saying a word. He could hear them giggling. Had they sensed how uneasy he felt near that thing?
He signed and opened the door.
‘Let’s get it over with’ was the last thing he thought before his surroundings changed.

When Tinky disappeared, the remaining Lords completely lost it. Unnerving laughter filled the Black. Was he really that much of a coward to just flee? While his brothers were wheezing, Blinky couldn't contain his curiosity and approached the door. It was covered in small spiraling doodles and its hinges weren’t connected to anything. It looked like the classic thing Tinky would create, except he preferred puzzles over nonsensical scribbles.
Wiggly noticed Blinky and stopped laughing. Still smiling he yelled “Now what are you doing?”
“Come and see”
Wiggly rolled his eyes and stepped closer. The same did the other two Lords.
“Why are you that interested in that ugly door?” Pokey asked, immediately supported by Nibbly “You can’t even eat it!”
Instead of answering, Blinky simply opened the door.
All of them felt an unexpected pull and suddenly they weren’t in the Black anymore.

 

When Blinky found the strength to open his eyes, he only saw dark. It wasn’t so strange in the Black after all. What left him speechless were the small lights that randomly appeared in that dark. Then there weren’t just small dots, but a big circle of light that dominated that view. He didn’t know how much time he spent laying on the ground like that, but he feared that if he looked away from that bright pupil, something bad would happen.

His head hurted and his whole body ached every time he tried to move.
His hands gripped something wet. Blinky tore it from the ground. They were blades of grass.
“What the fu-”
A sharp pain in his left eye left him breathless.
Panic filled his mind, but he couldn’t move. Million needles were stabbing his face and his eye was on fire. He felt paralyzed, all air stole from his body.
He couldn’t stop himself from sobbing. He felt pathetic, but the pain easily overcame all sense of shame.

Slowly his body started to respond again. He was laying on his left side, shielding his eye with his hands. Blinky’s breathing was frantic but after a while he got it under control. He finally managed to sit up and looked around.
He immediately recognized where he was. Even when it’s closed, Watcher World was unmistakable. Luckily he seemed to be alone, nobody had seen that pitiful thing.

He walked towards one of the many stalls of the park. It sold sunglasses. He always liked them, it allowed him to hide where he was looking, and now they were also a precious shield. He easily found a pair he liked and turned to the mirror.
“Yes, I’m in my human form…” His reflection showed a hooded figure with long orange hairs. Sometimes they showed purple reflections and it confused so many humans.
“What happened? How am I here without anyone summoning me?”
His gaze fell once again on the mirror and Blinky dropped the sunglasses. His left eye was completely green. A bright green that continued slightly above and under the eye, on the cheek and under the eyebrow, in slim veins.
His other eye was the usual purple and yellow around the pupil.
“I need to find the others- Tinky… now.”
He put on another pair, slightly bigger and with thicker lenses, and walked away.

The location that was linked to all their altars and that they all agreed would be their hypothetical common place, even if they had never explicitly told each other that, was the old Waylon Hall.
When Blinky arrived, the door was already open. Inside there were all his brothers, in their human forms.
Pokey was sitting on an old sofa with his mask on, Nibbly, on the old rug, was chewing on a pink bracelet with the letters WWJD written on it. Wiggly and Tinky were talking, it looked more like a verbal fight but it was usual for them, on the other side of the room.

When Blinky closed the door, Wiggly stopped talking to Tinky and walked towards the center of the room. Everyone looked at him.
“I don’t know how you did it, Tinky, but for once you did something useful. We’re here. We’re finally here at Hatchetfield, not behind the Black and White’s veil. And you know what this means”
He smiled, looking all his brothers in the eyes.
They all matched his energy, they waited for so long afterall. Even Blinky found himself growing more and more excited. Because of that awful awakening he didn’t consider that he was really there. This wasn’t the usual distant approach or the temporary contact of a summoning. They were here and they could do what they wanted with this world.
Despite his hidden worries, Blinky smiled.

Only Tinky didn’t say a word. He simply stood in the corner, playing with his fingers. The others decided to ignore him, they had bigger things to think about, like how they wanted the apocalypse to look like.
Pokey wanted a musical number, and when he didn’t?
Nibbly wanted to eat, but was rapidly silenced by the others. They couldn’t care less about his gluttony now.
Wiggly suggested something violent, but nobody really listened after the second phrase.
Blinky was enjoying the chaos that was unraveling, when Tinky finally spoke up.
“Look, I don’t care what you decide to do, but I think it’s better if we wait a moment.” Before his brothers could say anything, he continued “It’s because of the door. For it to work, it needs some days to settle, so if we act right now we won’t be as powerful as usual and we won’t enjoy it as much as we would if we waited.” Then he went upstairs, without waiting for an answer.
The Lords nodded, Tinky was the expert of this afterall, and continued to discuss the perfect plan. Even if they needed to wait, they could still use that time to convince the others his idea was the best.
Only Blinky raised his eyebrow. It was obvious Tinky lied, but why was he behaving like that?

Notes:

The Lords have arrived in Hatchetfield, I'm sure they will behave :)

Chapter 5: Awakening

“I think we should take him to the hospital” Ethan was pacing around the couch where the mysterious man was still sleeping.
His unsteady hands betrayed his anxiety.
“And who’s going to pay for his bill? We don’t have the money for that!” replied Lex, while she was washing the last bandages they used.
“He’s been unconscious for three days now. And his wound still hadn’t stopped bleeding, we already changed those bandages like five times.”
Outside it was dark, only the faint light of the moon tried to illuminate the sky, but thick clouds made it milky. All the lights in Ethans’ small apartment were on, except for those in the guest’s room, where Hannah was sleeping.

Ethan put his hands on Lex’s shoulders and she tilted her head back to look at him. “Lex, you also saw how many scars he has. I’m afraid we’re getting into something dangerous. How can you even explain the cut on the throat or all those holes?”
Lex signed and put down the now wet bandages. “I need you to trust me, or rather Hannah. I’ve never seen her that worried about a stranger, but she was really determined to help him. And if she thinks we should do it, I will at least try.”
Ethan nodded. It was true, Hannah usually was a calm child, that reaction she had in the woods was pretty out of character for her, just like her decision to help this man. But Hannah was also responsible and she has never done anything to cause problems to her sister, quite the opposite.
“Alright, I trust both of you. Whatever you choose to do, I’ll follow it.”
“Thanks.”

A faint groan caught their attention. They both turned towards the couch. The mysterious man had turned onto his side and was covering his face with his hands. This was the first time he actually showed any signs of life.
Ethan was about to approach him, mostly to stop him from moving this quickly so his injuries wouldn’t reopen, but he noticed there wasn’t any blood on the new bandages.
Suddenly, the man sat up. He was still covering his left eye with his hands while the other one was close shut, he was biting his lips hard, like he was trying to not scream. He stood up and ran, as much as he could, towards the room at the end of the short corridor, the bathroom. Lex and Ethan simply looked at each other, too stunned to speak.
It all happened too fast, but somehow they were both thinking the same thing, how the hell did he know where the bathroom was?

 

Jon closed the door and bit the back of his right hand to avoid screaming. Slowly he sat on the floor, with his back on the cold wall. His left eye was burning, it was even worse than the worms or Jude’s wicked handshake. He didn’t believe it could be possible but afterall when had his beliefs even been proven right.
Luckly it didn’t last long and the pain slowly began to disappear. After a short while he found himself able to stand and he walked towards the mirror.
He had enough experience to know that these things loved to leave marks, and he was immediately proven right. He just didn’t expect how.

Jon’s eyes had always been brown, a nice brown that reminded the color of honey. After all the Archivist’s mess, they became green. The color grew in intensity whenever he was reading statements or using the Eye’s powers, this was what Martin had told him during their march towards London in the Eye-pocalipse. And now, while his right eye maintained his now normal color, the left one changed again.
This time it was a deep dark purple that became yellow the closer it got to the pupil. Jon had never seen anything like that, but it couldn’t be a Fear’s work, Martin and him stopped them. Yes, the plan was successful, it must have been or he wouldn’t be here now. Also, he could feel that the Eye’s grip on him was much more faint, he actually needed to concentrate to find where this bathroom was.

Maybe it was a scar. He had become the Eye’s pupil when he killed Jonah afterall, it would be pretty arrogant for him to think he would get out without any physical consequences. Probably his other eye will look the same when he will completely lose his connection to the Eye.
Jon sighed with relief, it was finally over. Now he just needed to find Martin.

 

In the living room, Ethan was pacing again, while Lex was now sitting on the couch.
“At least now we know he wasn’t dying?” Ethan tried to joke, but Lex didn’t answer. She was probably deep in her thoughts, trying to remember if she had already seen that man, and where. Hatchetfield wasn’t that big, she usually knew almost everyone, even if only briefly. One of the few pros of working in Toy Store.
Ethan shifted his attention to the man’s coat. Since they needed to medicate him, they took it off and trying to keep him alive was too time-consuming to actually observe it. Now it was the perfect moment.

The coat was pretty normal, it was really worn but overall it still was a valid coat. What was interesting was what he found in its pockets. A tape recorder without any tapes and a folded page. This last thing captured Ethan’s interest. It wasn’t paper, of that he was sure, but he couldn’t figure out what material it was made of. It was soft but not flabby and it looked kinda brown. He was about to open it when the bathroom door opened and the mysterious man returned to the living room.
Instinctively, Ethan put the folded page in his jacket’s pocket and then he turned towards the stranger.

“Ehm… Good evening” He simply said. He had a thick British accent that made him even more weird, if it was possible. “My name is Jonathan Sims, thank you for helping me”
The couple exchanged glances then Lex spoke “You’re welcome. Can I ask you why you were in the woods, bleeding?
Jon bit his bottom lip “I don’t really know, I’m sorry.”
Lex sighed and looked at the clock, it was almost half past one. She had the opening shift at Toy Zone. “Look, for tonight you can stay here, but tomorrow we will ask you more questions, ok?”
Jon nodded and the two young adults went to their room, not without turning to look at him at least once.
He sat on the couch and smiled a little. That girl reminded him of Melanie, if only slightly.

 

In her room, Hannah was dreaming. Usually Webby liked to see her dreams, to keep her company, to just talk about the just ended day. And these last three days were full of things to tell. But it didn’t matter how much she called her name, Webby never came. It was like Hannah’s voice couldn’t reach her.

Notes:

The Horrors' favourite boy finally awoke!
At this point he simply accepts changes in his body without any worries, at least this time he wasn't kidnapped or stabbed.

Chapter 6: Old Faces

Notes:

!Content warning! Swearing, anxiety, chasing, violence, physical attacks, blood

The beeping of her alarm woke Lex up, but she was so tired she almost got right back to sleep. Ethan, next to her, shifted and actually had the strength to get up.
“Didn’t you have the opening shift today?” He asked while dressing.
The moment her brain understood what her boyfriend was saying, she was already standing. “Shit, you’re right! If I’m late again Frank said he will cut my pay”
“Not that it will make that much of a difference, that job is on the edge of exploitation” She then added.
Ethan passed her her bag “I’ll drop Hannah at school for you”
Lex took the bag and gave him a quick kiss “You’re a life saver”
She then ran out of the bedroom half dressed while yelling “Thank you! And remember her lunch box!”

Hannah looked out of the guest room’s door, all that yelling had woken her up. Lex slowed down in front of her and patted her head “Good morning, Banana. Ethan will drive you to school. I have to run, have a good day”
Hannah waved at her sister as she walked out the door “Bye Lexi”

In the living room, Jon has also been awakened by all the noise. When he saw New-Melanie’s boyfriend, he gave him a questioning look, but the young man simply replied with a dismissive hand gesture and invited him to join them for breakfast. Behind him there was a younger girl with two not so identical braids.
Despite last night’s warnings, nobody asked him any questions, so Jon decided it was his turn to ask something. “Out of curiosity, what’s your name?”
The man put down his bread with chocolate “I’m Ethan, and she’s Hannah” he added, waving at the girl. She wasn’t paying any attention to Jon’s question, or to Jon at all to be honest. She looked deeply lost in her thoughts. For some reason Jon felt a familiar unease when he looked at her. He could sense that hidden in that girl there was something he shouldn’t approach, something much greater. Just like-
“The door” she whispered. Jon froze. Ethan didn’t seem to have noticed, so he pretended he also didn’t hear.

After they’ve finished eating, Ethan turned to Jon “Look, it’s not my intention to sound like an asshole, but I don’t really like the idea of leaving a stranger in my home alone, so-”
Jon interrupted him “No worries, I actually have some things to do. But I thought you still wanted to ask me something?”
“Kinda, yes. I think I’ll be done around 5pm, can you stay busy till then?” “I suppose…” “Perfect”
They all left the apartment and soon they went different ways. Ethan watched Jon go, for being someone who claimed to have never been to Hatchetfield before he seemed pretty sure of where he was going.
But he’ll hold that thought for now, he still needed to drive Hannah to school.

 

When they arrived in front of school, Ethan noticed it was colder than they imagined. Hannah shivered every time a gust of wind rose, but she was trying to hide it. The young man took off his jacket and tried to give it to Hannah, but she recoiled from it.
“What’s wrong, Banana Split?” Hannah shook his head “The jacked… Bad”
Ethan refrained from sighing. This wasn’t the first time she, or better her imaginary spider friend, randomly decided something was bad. He just needed to find what was bad about it. He really didn’t want her to get cold.
“And what’s bad about it?”
Hannah pointed at the jacket’s right pocket “There, the paper”
Ethan’s eyes widened, he had completely forgotten about that strange folded page. But how did Hannah know about it?
He looked at his watch. He didn’t have the time for that, so he simply took out that piece of paper. He was still curious about it but after all it was none of his business.
After he threw it away, Hannah happily wore the jacket and he was able to get to work in time.

Except that page wasn’t in the trash anymore. The wind made it fly away and it landed just next to a teen’s shoe. Richie looked down and took it. After all, a lot of anime started with the protagonist finding something unusual on his way to school, right?
The bell interrupted his fantasies and he rushed inside, shoving that paper in his pocket.

 

After that awful night three days ago, Richie’s life completely turned inside out. No one bullied him anymore, some schoolmates even started to wave at him when they saw him. The same was happening to almost every nerd of Hatchetfield High. Richie didn't think he would ever be excited about going to school.
Ruth was waiting for him in front of the classroom’s door.
“Richieee! You’re late and the teacher is looking at us! I mean, I don’t dislike it, but she said that if we’re late again, she’ll give us detention!”
Richie leaned against the wall to catch his breath after that run.
“Then why didn’t you enter without me?”
Ruth scoffed “A diva never arrives on time”
“What do you mean?”
Ruth smiled while proudly holding a poster of the school theater show, The Barbecue Monologues. “I’ve been chosen as a backup actress in case someone gets ill and a substitute is needed”
Richie took the poster and nodded “Wow, nice work Ruth! You’re, like, in your glow up era.”
The teacher’s voice interrupted Ruth from replying “Fleming, Lipschitz. Would you give us the honor of having you both in class? The lesson started five minutes ago.”

Richie sighed, algebra was so boring, he would much rather be at home binge watching AoT for the twentieth time.
He looked out of the window and his gaze was captured by the leaves falling from the trees around the school. They were so slow, if it was an animation he could probably count the frames.
The background noise started to disappear, he couldn’t even hear the loud voice of the teacher. Not that it was that interesting anyway, but for some reason he started to feel uneasy, almost like he was being watched.

Then a sudden sound broke the inertia.
It was faint and distant but it rumbled in Richie’s ears. It repeated again and again, faster now. Whatever it was, it was getting closer, slowly but surely.
The teen started looking at his classmates, at the class. Nothing.
The ones sitting in the first row were taking notes of whatever was being explained now, others were sleeping or chatting. Some more daring were fixing their make-up or using their phones.
No one was hearing those never stopping footsteps.

The smell came next. Again, at first it was weak, but it rapidly filled the boy's nostrils. Richie tried to block it out by covering his mouth and nose with his hand but it didn’t help.
His eyes widened when he realised he knew that smell. Old moldy wood and bleach; in the background a hint of something metallic, iron?
He couldn’t keep the hand on his mouth any longer as his breathing became more frantic, but he quickly regretted that, when he needed to suppress a gag.
In the corner of his eyes he saw shadows shifting, even though every time he looked around to check he found himself facing only a distracted classmate.
Something was hiding, looking at him, aware that he knew. Something that was waiting for the starting signal.
And Richie didn’t need to ask what it was, the problem was when will it resonate?

Stuck in his seat, Richie was petrified. Every action could set it off and after that there will be no turning back. The clock on the wall couldn’t be indicating the real time, it was too slow.
Tick, Tick, Tick.
The ticking nearly synchronized with the steps. He almost wished this thing would attack him, just to break out of this stasis.

Riiing!
The bell rang. Richie’s blood started pumping so hard he could only hear his own heartbeat.
Somebody approached his desk. They were saying something, but the words were spoken so fast they ended up mixing together in an incomprehensible mess. But he was running out of time.
He shoved the curly girl out of his way and started running.
The steps sped up almost immediately after him.
The girl was yelling something, but, no matter the reason, he couldn’t slow down. He sprinted out the door into the hall.

Richie rapidly lost track of time and his surroundings. The only thing that mattered now was his speed. The second he slowed down, it would catch him. He knew this sensation too well, but he refused to acknowledge it. It should have died with him, three days ago, his last day as prey.
The hours following the murderer had been euphoric, he felt strong, brave, powerful. He disclaimed his status the only possible way, by becoming the predator.
But it was useless, in his heart he would always be weak meat, and he knew it.

He hit something, or someone, but he simply ignored the pain in his shoulder and increased the speed.
Pete and Steph looked at Richie as he basically jumped on them and kept running despite their confused yelps.
The steps were now closer, just behind him. Richie looked over his shoulder and even if he couldn’t see him, he knew he was there, Max Jägerman.
Finally Richie found the backdoors. He ran towards the changing rooms near the football field. Maybe he could lock the door and stay hidden. Or it would just trap him without any escape exit.
Richie could almost hear his laugh in the distance… He could have caught him whenever he wanted, but he seemed to find this neverending chase fun.
The teen panted, he felt his energy reducing fast, too fast.
The changing room will have to do.

Richie locked the door behind him and sat down in the further corner, half hidden by the lockers.
He felt the urge to run as soon as he laid down. He was safe for now, but that thing would find him sooner if he didn’t move. Still his legs completely gave up, exhaustion washing over them.
With shaking hands, Richie took out his phone and concentrated on the time. His grip was unsteady, he almost dropped it several times and every time he nearly had a mini heart attack. Noise was his biggest enemy right now, he even tried to contain his erratic gasps.

But it was all useless. The moment Richie stopped moving, he signed his own death warrant, it was just a matter of when.

“Richieee”
Richie jumped up.
“Ohhh Richie”
He didn’t want to believe it, but here he was, Max Jägerman, right in front of him. His clothes were torn and stained in blood, his skin was pale with thick blue veins running down his neck and face. A strong smell of bleach filled the air.
He had just walked through the locked door, like a common ghost, but the light in his eyes was still that of the apex predator of Hatchetfield High.
“No. This can’t be… You’re- you’re dead!” Richie cried.
“I’m free!” The monster replied, smiling. From his mouth, some red droplets fell on the ground, smudging it. “And you know what that means, bitch? No more Mr. Nice Guy.” He concluded , with a small growl at the end.
Richie tried to run away, but he couldn’t move a single muscle.
Then Max pointed at the door, it opened and both of them could see the football field.
Almost whispering, Max ordered “Run”
A simple word, but it was enough for Richie. So he ran and ran and ran.

Max had fun. For a nerdy prude, Richie showed unexpected resistance, but even the best things needed to end. So when Richie was just about to reach the end of the field, he grabbed his shoulder and showed him to the ground.
Hope, that feeble star, died in Richie’s eyes and pain replaced all thoughts.
Max’s feet fell right on his stomach, stealing his air and filling his eyes with tears. Soon after the kicks came and Richie tried to protect himself by curling on himself.

Then Max stopped and crouched down. From the ground he picked up a folded page. “What the fuck is this Shit-Lips? Did you wanted to become a lame poet, you fucking nerd?” He started laughing. Richie looked at that page through tears, without recognizing it. Oh right, he picked it up this morning. He couldn’t even read it.

Max opened it. “Since you’re going to die, I’ll read your unpublished masterpiece, you cursed poet” Maybe he really was cursed…
Richie’s ears were ringing so loud he couldn’t understand what Max was reading. Still he saw Max’s face writhe in disgust.
“What the hell is your problem? This story sucks! Who the fuck even is this Gerard Keay?” Max let the page fall in Richie’s lap.
“W-who?”
“That’s what I'm asking YOU, loser.”

"I think you should ask him directly." A new voice interrupted Max as he was raising his fists.
Behind them, standing on the grass, there was a man neither of them had ever seen. He had long, badly dyed black hair and dark make-up around his eyes. He was wearing a long, black leather coat that almost covered all his body. On his hands and neck there were small eye tattoos. The skin that could be seen and wasn’t drawn on was covered in faint burn scars, except for his face.

Max looked at Richie, a warning. If he tried to escape, his death would be even more painful. Then he turned to the stranger. “Shit, what are you? A vampire?”
“Oh no, those actually have the social skills necessary to hunt. If we consider partial hypnotism as social skill, obviously”
Max stepped closer “Oh, are you trying to make fun of me, fucking nerd?”
Without waiting for an answer, Max tried to punch the stranger, but he simply grabbed his wrist.
Both Max and Richie held their breath for a second. That shouldn’t be possible, no matter how many times Richie had tried, he couldn’t touch Max. He couldn’t even defend himself. How did this man do that, why could he touch him?

“So, are you a servant of Terminus or an Ever Chasing freak?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?!” Max yelled at him, yanking his arm out of the stranger’s grip. Confused, he tried to attack again, but the man still dodged or blocked it. More and more annoyed, unable to find an answer for his questions, Max gave up. No, not gave up. He simply decided Richie could live another day. But he’ll be back, that was for sure.

Once Max left, the stranger turned to Richie.
“Can you stand?”
The teen tried but his legs gave in and he fell to the ground.
“I’ll take it as a no.”
“Well, you could lend me a hand.”
The stranger sighed. “Nope. I can’t.”
“What do you mean?” Richie raised a bruised eyebrow and forced his head to turn, so he could see that strange man.
“I’ve just interacted with a half ghost in front of you, after he read aloud the story of my death. Draw your conclusions”
Richie’s jaw dropped “You’re a ghost??”
The stranger sighed and simply nodded. “And that page you’re holding, it’s what’s forcing me to stay here.”

The man sat next to the teen. The latter tried to sit, even if with some difficulties, then asked “So you’re Gerard Keay?” “Yeah” “I’m Richard Lipschitz, but my friends call me Richie. Thanks for early.”
Gerard smiled “No problem. Do these things happen often?”
Richie shook his head “No, but the whole story is kinda long. I don’t know when someone will find me, but still then, do you want to hear it, Gerard?”
“Gerry. Call me Gerry. And yes, I don’t see what else I could do instead.”

Notes:

Someone forgot to burn that page afterall...
But maybe it was for the best

Chapter 7: New Dynamics

The loud steps on the concrete scared some birds that flew away.

Jon wanted to reach Martin as soon as possible, but before he needed to cover his left eye. If his boyfriend saw it, he was going to worry and that’s the least thing Jon wanted. He couldn't cause him any more problems, not after what happened at the Panopticon.

 

Luckily, he found a nearby convenience store. He rapidly searched for an eye bandage and thanked whatever God was still willing to look over him that they accepted pounds. Or maybe he just looked desperate enough. 

After his new scar was hidden, he started walking again, faster now. He will tell Martin about his eye, eventually. Just not now.

 

He knew where Martin was, in a diner not so far away from the store. Somewhere with a neon pink sign that read Miss Retro’s, with old movie posters and records and even a jukebox playing pop tunes. Strong 80s vibes from there.

He knew Martin was there, he was fine. 

He kept repeating that word like a broken record. Fine, fine, he-they were fine. They will be. They are fine. He is fine. Maybe if he continued to say it the image in his mind would last just long enough for him to get there.

He believed his visions, yes, but he also knew how fast these could change.

 

After some more turns, he finally reached the diner. There weren’t many cars parked outside and most of them were leaving, probably for work.

When Jon entered, in front of him there was the same exact scene he saw in his head. The lights, the music, the voices of the few people left inside. 

Quickly he made his way to the back, but for a second he stopped, holding the door’s handle in his hand. He was scared to see what was on the other side, the knowledge wasn’t flowing inside of him anymore, he needed to find what he wanted to see, to search for it with some effort.
But he couldn’t find the courage to peek.

Maybe they would really be fine. Maybe he didn’t fucked everything up for once. Maybe this time things would be different.

He turned the handle.

 

Not so surprisingly, because that’s still his boyfriend afterall, Martin was making tea for the owner of the diner. Jon had tried to see who she was, but for some reason he kept forgetting her name. Still, The Eye wasn’t working as well as before, so this was probably a consequence of his slow detachment from It.

 

Martin turned as soon as he heard the door opening. 

It took all his will power to not drop the cup of tea he was holding. He couldn’t move. The last time he saw his lover, he was covered in eyes and Martin’s hands were soaked in his blood, still holding the blade. And there he was now, standing, breathing. He was fine. 

Jon took a step forward, just slightly, but it was enough to break the spell that took over them. Martin put down the cup and ran to him, trapping him in a tight hug. 

They didn’t even realise they were crying, it didn’t matter after all. They’ve made it. They’ve really made it and they were both fine, both alive, both here.

Martin loosened the hug a little to ask Jon about his left eye, but he simply shook his head. There will be time to talk about everything.

 

“Martin, can I ask you who this man is?” The red-haired woman was still sitting in her chair, sipping her tea. She rested her arms, with the cup in her hands, on her lap and smiled politely at the new man.

Martin quickly let go of Jon, while wiping his tears away. “Oh…ehm… He’s-he’s Jon, my boyfriend. He’s also from the other dimension”

Jon gave him a confused look. Martin took his hand and brought him closer to the table. Following Martin’s lead, Jon sat in the free chair. 

Then Martin spoke again, this time to Jon.

 

“She’s Miss Holloway, she found me when I arrived here. She was surprisingly very open minded about our whole situation.”

“Why did you trust her?” Jon asked, mostly to himself. He was almost missing his ability to know the answer to every question. Still, almost. 

His eyes darted to Miss Holloway and rapidly he added “No offense.”

She simply shook her head. “None taken, I understand that yours is a complex situation.”

Martin sighed “Well, I didn’t. Not immediately at least. When I woke up, I was sitting at one of these numerous booths and she helped me. She didn’t ask any questions, she just served me some food and let me stay for the night.” 

Martin stopped narrating to pour himself some tea. He also took a new cup and gave it to Jon. 

“Then, the next day, when I was about to leave, she asked me where I was from. I thought about lying but she stopped me as soon as I tried to speak. She knew I wasn’t from here, in both senses.”

Jon looked at the woman, who was listening calmly to Martin’s summary. He again tried to know something about her, but as soon as he stopped looking, his memory was completely blank and his head felt like it was about to implode. He held his head in his hand, but still signaled Martin to keep talking. With some hesitation, Martin continued.

 

“Miss Holloway works with things kinda similar to ours, from what I picked up during our conversation. I didn’t really ask because for once I'd rather stay out of it. But she helped me trying to figure out what had probably happened.”

Jon was intrigued, but he had to agree with Martin. He wasn’t that inclined to start a new apocalypse, actually.

Miss Holloway put her cup down and finally she spoke. “I think you’re both from a different dimension. Like Martin said, I work with things that could be considered dangerous, so it’s not that easy to break into Miss Retro’s. Even less easy to enter without alerting me. 

It’s not my intention to ask you anything about your original dimension, if not this, are you sure it’s just you two?”

Martin and Jon looked at each other, then the latter turned to Miss Holloway.

“I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure that whatever was happening in our dimension it’s over.”

She nodded and smiled. “Good, this is what I wanted to hear.” She stood up and moved towards the door, then she stopped and turned one last time. “You’re new here, I don’t think you have anywhere to stay, am I right?”

Both nodded.

“Then you can stay here and help me with the diner. This way, if anything related to this dimensional shift were to happen, we would all know about it immediately.”

 

Jon replied “Thanks for your help. This afternoon I’ll go and get my things then.”

“Who were you staying with?” 

Jon tried to remember the names and faces of the people who helped him, but it was more difficult than he expected. Why was his memory so foggy today? “They… Ehm… Someone named Hannah, I think-”

“Oh the Fosters. You’ve been lucky, they are pretty nice once you know them. It kinda surprises me, though.”

“Why?” Asked Martin, while he was tidying up the used cups and teapot.

“They have some financial and legal problems right now. Lex and Hannah’s mother, Pamela, was arrested a few weeks ago. Luckily, Lex, the older sister, managed to win custody of her little sister, and they are now staying at her boyfriend’s, Ethan, apartment. The town is trying to be nice to them, but their situation is certainly delicate.”

Jon nodded, it made sense considering how the older girl behaved that morning. 

 

They helped Miss Holloway with the diner and in the late afternoon Jon left to go to the Foster. He came back after a while.

“How did it go?” Martin asked him.

“It went well, usual pleasantries and all.” Then a flash emerged in Jon’s mind “Well, the younger girl said something a little strange but nothing to worry about.”

Martin raised an eyebrow “Sorry if I don’t trust your judgment on this, but you don’t have the best record at distinguishing threats from harmless things”

Jon rolled his eyes with a smile “She said something about two eyes and a game that took a bad turn. I fear my eye bandage might have scared her.”

Martin smiled “Yeah, probably. It’s getting kinda late, we should get back to work. 

Do you know, after all that happened, it’s nice to work in a relatively normal place”

Jon followed him “At least this time we can actually leave, without mutilating ourselves”

“Exactly!”

Night has reached the old Waylon Hall. 

Four days had now passed since the Lords had arrived in Hatchetfield and they were tired of waiting. So they decided to do what they do best, do what they want despite others' requests. 

Wiggly, Pokey and Nibbly went out that afternoon and they still hadn’t returned. 

Tinky, on the other hand, was locked inside the room he decided would be his and almost never left it during these days. 

Blinded by their new exciting freedom, most of his brothers didn’t even notice it anyway. All but Blinky.

This wasn’t usual, especially for Tinky. Something wasn’t clear and this uncertainty was driving him insane. So when the others went out, Blinky remained behind and made his way to Tinky’s room.

 

The door was closed, but the wood was so rotten it wasn’t really an obstacle anyway. Tinky was laying on the damaged rug, playing with his Toy Box. He ignored Blinky altogether. 

Blinky fixed the sunglasses on his nose and sat next to his brother. He was smiling. He loved his box, it took him much time and magic to create and it was his most powerful possession. Blinky had to admit it was fun, he also used to watch inside it when Watcher World was under maintenance.

 

Tinky was the troublemaker, it wasn’t a secret. He was the one that had the most fights with Wiggly, despite Pokey’s enormous ego or Nibbly’s impulsivity, and he always had an ace up his sleeve to somehow escape their older brother’s wrath. So Blinky knew something was deeply wrong when this was the first time he saw Tinky smile in the last four days. But why didn’t the others notice too?

 

“Is Watcher World broken again?” Tinky suddenly asked, without looking away from his box. 

“No.” Blinky replied “But I want to know what’s going on.”

Tinky continued to mix the maze inside the box. Two little Teds found themselves trapped inside a dead end while the others continued to run, desperately. “I have no idea what you’re talking about”

Blinky rolled his eyes. “My patience has run dry, Tinky. Since that yellow door appeared, you’ve been acting all strange, what’s really happening? I want to know.”

When Blinky named the yellow door, Tinky finally looked up from the box. The smile disappeared. “Nothing happened. Now get out, you’re boring.”

No jokes or annoying teasing, something was certainly happening. 

And Blinky needed to know.

 

“You know I'm going to find out sooner or later, so why don't you just tell me?”

Tinky sat up, now facing his brother “Because there’s nothing to tell. If you just want to spy on someone, you have your own amusement park. Or had you forgotten what Wiggly told me when I tried to ‘show’ Nibbly my Toy Box?”

“I don’t care what he said, the only thing that matters to me is why are you so strange now. What really happened?”

Thanks to the dark lenses of his sunglasses, neither of them noticed the green reflection that appeared for a second in Blinky's eyes, but he saw Tinky’s ones faintly starting to glow of that same color.

Then Tinky started speaking.

 

“That door was the first anomaly. I didn’t put it there, nor did I build it. I didn’t even know where it led. And it was weird. 

I know time and I know space, they are written in a language none but me can read and I’ve always been very proud of this. Something solely mine, that not even Wiggly could take from me, something in which I will always have the upper hand. 

But not this time. That door came from nowhere and it obeyed its own laws. I couldn’t touch them, I couldn’t even read them. The language didn’t make sense. 

Then I opened it and it ate me.”

Tinky clutched the toy box in his hands, shaking. He was biting his lips, desperately trying to stop talking. It was useless.

 

“For a moment I thought I somehow trapped myself in my Box. Nothing made sense, it kept going and going. The corridor was spinning in senseless directions and I couldn’t understand it. I tried to stop it, to regain control over that space out of time, but whenever I did something, it spiraled out of control. My actions didn’t have any influence on that awful place, it simply decided to do what it wanted, like it was trying to mess with me. For once, my senses weren’t making sense, they couldn’t. No matter what I am, that thing is born to not follow logic, I never had any power over it.

I’ve always been the one who can control time and space, they always made sense to me, they were easy, clear, natural. It took it from me. And it’s still hungry.”

Blinky couldn’t stop listening. He needed that story, it was satiating a consuming hunger he didn’t know he had. He wanted more. He couldn’t look away.

 

“It learned about the existence of different timelines from my mind. And it wants to infect them too. It would be fun, I thought initially, a new way to move through my domains. But I was wrong. For it, I’m just the key.

My brothers won’t understand the truth, they will be blinded by their new powers to see what’s really hiding, we won’t be masters.”

Tinky’s black gloves started to glow, faintly. Blinky raised an eyebrow, had he always worn those? How didn’t he notice early? 

From the edges of the gloves, slim yellow spirals slowly started to climb Tinky’s arms.

“It’s always there, in the back of my mind, trying to take over. The only times I feel safe is when I play with my Toy Box, the madness seems to appease it.

It wants Time, all of it, and it wants Space. It will distort it until it’s an unrecognizable mess and we will disappear in it.

It wants the Black, but I won’t let it take it. I won’t.”

 

Blinky was forced to look away from Tinky when the floor and walls started to mimic the little spirals movements. As soon as Blinky closed his eyes, Tinky stopped talking and took a deep breath, longing for air. The room slowly returned to its original form and Blinky saw the first rays rising. It shouldn’t be possible, they’ve talked for less than an hour.

Tinky stood up and looked at his brother with a mix of disgust and pure anger, but in his eyes there was a hint of fear, badly hidden. Then he immediately fled from the room, leaving Blinky alone. On his arms, the small spirals were still visible.

 

Blinky looked at his hands and smiled. He had just made someone tell him his secrets and he didn’t even had to do anything, he simply needed to want it. This meant that he could know everything, even about his brothers!

But Tinky’s words made him slow down. 

“We won’t be masters… never had any power? What did he mean?” 

Blinky thought again about what had just happened. It didn’t look pleasant for Tinky, but Blinky didn’t really care, if he was being honest. What worried him was his own behaviour. He couldn’t stop. Not that he wanted to, but this wasn’t the point. He couldn’t decide when he didn’t want to know anymore. If the room didn’t start acting out like that, he probably would have forced Tinky to continue. It was almost like something else was watching.

“Taking over…” 

Oh.

 

Oh.

This is bad.

Notes:

A Statement? Outside of The Magnus Institute??
No one tell Elias