Chapter Text
"Guys, this really isn't a good idea--" "Stop your worrying, Odhran, it's just the old building for that campy furry pizza chain!! Besides, we're only gonna be in there for what, thirty minutes? Just long enough to see the main areas. Maybe snag a souvenir or two!!" Replied a tall dirty blonde jock– the leader of the group. "Yeah, Gunner's right– you're just being weird about it!!" Laughed one of the semi popular girls, flicking her ash blonde hair off to the side as the four college freshmen walked up to the imposing building ahead. "C'mon, Scaredy-cat, just stick with good old Gunner, Jennifer and your bestest friend Ali~" goaded the platinum blonde pseudo-punk before dragging Odhran by their sleeve. Odhran felt a bad chill the closer they got to the massive building, and all the more intimidating with the blood Moon peeking through the clouds overhead. Before the more reasonably worried young adult could utter another word, let alone try to turn back,, they were dragged into the abandoned South Location of the Mega Pizza Plex, the doors slowly creaking closed behind the small party of four.
The inside was in pretty good shape, aside from cracked paint and fixtures, peeling wallpaper, bubbled carpet here and there, and some familiar statues either leaning from their weight and loose bolts holding them in place, or defaced by prior "visitors". Odhran shook terribly as they looked around nervously as they followed the others, their heart hammering away in their chest. 'Something isn't right here….' They thought to themselves, swallowing thickly as they passed what used to be the food court. Just as they passed the entryway, they felt a hot lick of air, accompanied by what looked like a singular warm-black arachnid limb reaching out in their peripheral vision, only for it to disappear as soon as Odhran looked over in terror. They quickly ran back to the group, feeling a chill down their spine, "Guys, please let's just go !! It isn't safe here!!" They pleaded, only for Gunner to stop and turn on his heels to grip the smaller adult by the collar of their hoodie. "Just quit it!! You're such a fucking superstitious freak– just shut the fuck up!!" The man yelled, bringing tears to Odhran's fear-dulled brown eyes. They looked to the girls, only to see them taking his side, crossing their arms and shaking their heads. When they were let go, the rest of the group continued on, leaving Odhran in a fawn-state, head bowed as they tried not to break down. Gunner knew Odhran couldn't handle being threatened by men--he's never done anything like this before, why was he being so cruel?
Why didn't Jennifer or Ali speak up, even if it was to just get Gunner to back off sooner?
They eventually wiped at their eyes, only to find that the group really had left without them. Panic gripped their heart as they tried to call out for the others, their footsteps rapidly echoing through the building as they tried to find the others. "Guys?? Wh-where are you?!?!" They called out, only for their voice to echo gravely, the tone…. Wrong. This place was wrong– why was it wrong? Think think–
Bells.
Their head whipped over toward the sound, towards what looked like doors that would lead into a castle, with "Superstar Daycare and Theatre" in dust-dulled letters overhead. The jingling sounded again– soft, soothing, calming…. It was a tone that Odhran liked, and before they could stop themselves, they had wandered through those heavy doors, drawn in by the bells that almost seemed to promise safety, comfort. Inside, the lower level looked so similar to a massive play park they had been to when they were small, all brightly colored, loops and passageways twisting and turning, with the company's mascots on the occasional flat wall of the play strictures. There were at least vaguely cube-like structures, all seemingly holding up well despite the lack of care or activity within. Looking closer, all of the structures were connected by netted rope and colorful board bridges to a center spiral slide that was designed to look like a tall tower from an old fairytale. Odhran leaned on the railing as they took it all in, only to hear the bells ring again, nearby to their right. Looking over, the young adult saw the mouth to a multi-colored twisty slide, and following its path downward, saw that it led to a massive ball pit. On one hand, as they got a closer look, it seemed like so much fun, however, they didn't know whether or not it would be sanitary or safe. Really, even if there were stairs on the other side on the outside of the high-walled and netted play area, the fact that it wasn't guaranteed that the play area could be exited without too much struggle made them hesitant to go down the 'Slide into Fun'.
The bells jingled again, though this time, there was a soft yet faintly reedy male voice and a similar yet lower one speaking in whispers, though it was hard to pick up on what those voices were saying. Odhran slowly came closer to the slide, but stayed out of the range if it's maw, before hearing jingling and those same voices once more, "Will….play?" "Rules….Punish…." The young adult swallowed softly, before carefully, carefully peeking down the slide, only to find nothing, spare for a scuffed gold bell on a tattered red ribbon, and a scratched silver bell on a frayed blue ribbon. "I-is someone here?" Odhran called nervously down the slide, before looking at the bells and ribbons, and gently taking them in hand.
They made the same safe and pretty tone as the bells they heard earlier.
"I-I found your bells and ribbons….? D-do you want them back?" They called down the slide again, swallowing a hard lump as they felt the hairs on their nape stand tall, feeling eyes on them. Then, came those voices again, faintly clearer, "Bells…. Slide…." "Slide…. Down…." With a deep breath, they reached their hand into the maw of the slide, and tried to get it past the plateau so gravity could handle the rest…. However, being short with an equally short wingspan, when they dropped the bells and ribbons, it just wasn't close enough to the curve. With a frustrated huff, Odhran gripped the outer lip of the slide to anchor them as they leaned inside, aiming to push the bells and ribbons down, like what had been requested– or at least that's what they had thought. Suddenly, those warm-black appendages they had seen earlier took hold of them like a demented claw machine, and dragged them past the point of no return, before vanishing as quickly as they had appeared once more. The young adult screamed as they went down, down, down….
They'd been sliding down, left and right just long enough for them to stop screaming, and just as they had the thought to try to put their arms out to try to slow and stop their descent, they shot out of the end of the slide into the ballpit they had seen earlier, though it was deeper than they thought it would be. Weren't ball pits supposed to be what, three feet deep? When they tried to stand in the pit, they found that the surface reached their shoulders– it was five feet deep, give or take a few inches. They looked around as they tried to wade through the balls only to hear muffled jingling, as well as an odd tugging on their wrists. They brought their hands out into the open and saw that the red ribbon and its gold bell looked good as new, neatly tied into a bow on their left wrist, while the blue ribbon and its silver bell was on their right, looking undamaged as well. They jingled the bells softly in confusion, finding comfort in their tones until they heard creaking metal and its own jingling coming from a castle balcony overhead, making Odhran's blood run cold. They scrambled to the ledge of the pit and began to scrape and claw their way out, letting out a panicked whimper when they heard something fall into the pit behind them. They knew better than to look back, and kept hopping and trying to get out, only for something to grab hold of their foot, earning a startled scream, which became a confused yelp as they were launched out of the pit, rolling once, twice before landing on their back after knocking over…. Barrels? Colorful barrels? They didn't know, they didn't care, and Odhran got to their feet before making a beeline to what looked like the exit doors. However, part way there they heard their friends arguing behind the security desk, and headed more that way.
While glad to see the three were alive, it was deeply concerning how roughed up they all looked. Clothes torn and tattered in places, Ali had a split lip, Jennifer was rubbing at a bandaged arm, the wrappings stained red in a few places, while Gunner had a gash along his cheekbone and blood matting his hair on the right side. "Wh-what happened to you guys–" " Where were you, Odhran?!" Boomed Gunner's voice when he and the others looked at the last member to show up. "Yeah, you went up and disappeared and then we got dragged into this hellhole!!" Jennifer stood, jabbing a finger into Odhran's chest accusingly. "We're stuck here because of you!!" Ali added, glaring at the stunned and anxious young adult. "B-but I didn't–" "You got yourself lost again, and when we tried to look for you, some fucked up spider monster thing dragged us here one by one!!" Odhran looked at the three in confusion, "What do you mean? I-I looked into the play area and didn't see any of you in here–" ''Just shut up, Odhran!!" Jennifer commanded, causing the final arrival to flinch hard, and take a step back. "It doesn't matter what you did or didn't see– you didn't keep up with us!! Don't you always complain and fuss over horror movie rules, even though this is fucking reality?!" Ali chimed in, causing hot, angry tears to form in the accused eyes.
They wanted nothing more than to tell their friends how they had abandoned Odhran when they froze up– but they bit their lips shut, not wanting this confrontation to get worse. Instead, they wandered off before anything else could be said– it didn't stop Gunner from saying something in a biting tone- and headed towards that center tower they had seen earlier. It looked to be about at least two stories tall– was it that big when they looked at it from the outside? Regardless, they climbed up the caged staircase, needing time alone, recover. Honestly, with how hostile the others were, it was best to stay separate until they apologized, like they usually do whenever they get mad at Odhran. Though…. It didn't feel like it would be anytime soon. Once at the top, they noticed how cozy it was, littered with soft-looking pillows in crescent and full moon shapes, as well as a few sun-shaped cushions and starry and galaxy-themed blankets. However, in a corner opposite of the maw to the spiral slide downward, sat two large plushies, one bearing a moon-like face wearing a blue and starry nightcap, poofy navy blue to white ombre sleeves with starry accents, and even poofier blue pants with silver stars, while the other was sun-themed, rays framing its face while a two-tailed jester-like hat matched his poofy pants with red and gold stripes, while it's sleeves were an ombre from red-orange to a nice warm yellow. Odhran carefully approached two plushies and, after giving a cautionary poke to them both, they hugged them close as tears began to fall down soft freckled cheeks. And, soon, they were curled up, sobbing into the two plushies' heads, unaware that a pair of sad, glowing red eyes were watching the human upside down from where the owner was perched on the tower's roof.
When Odhran cried themselves to sleep, laying in a soft fetal position, the figure from the roof silently crawled down enough to reach a long, clawed robotic hand inside, before working on making it a bit more comfortable for his and his partner's Obsession. A soft blanket tucked around them, a sun shaped pillow with a crescent on top to lift and frame their head, and a soft, gentle touch to wipe away Odhran's tears, before slipping back into the shadows.
Rulebreakers and bad friends will be punished.