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“What's so important again?,”
Gigi pondered as she placed an item into her head. First catch of the day. Her gachapon tilted to the side as she looked at Sprout Seedley, who had a bright smile hidden with a bit of smugness. He flicked back his leaves and said.
“Oh, you'll see, you'll see alright, I couldn't believe it myself when I found this,”
Sprout trailed on as he increased his walking speed. A little bork followed soon after, Pebble, Dandy's dog that was staying with them ever since. . .That doesn't matter. What matters is that they are safe.
“Does. . Does this have to do with why you were squealing like you were having a REAL good dream last night?” Gigi smirked much to Sprout's chagrin. He would immediately deny the claims for the sake of his reputation. (Like it mattered)
“Nuh uh- that's just some- sleeping condition or something,” His gang raised eyebrows as Sprout blushed as he rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. He turned around, covering his mouth with his scarf.
“Wait- you do?, how come you haven't told me- I could’ve bak-”
Cosmo butted in with confusion as he took the poor attempt at fibbing at face value.
“He’s lying, Cos, it's clear as day,”
Gigi placed a hand on Cosmo’s shoulder which caused him to jolt up and freeze like a deer. Sprout frowned pretty cartoonishly as he turned away. The gachapon giggled at this reaction.
“No- I- won't whatever, C'mon Cosmo, let's speed this up, 20 floors is a lot anyways,” Sprout pushed Cosmo along who gave a helpful smile trying to forget all the recent confusion. The pastry was instead focusing his efforts on finding ingredients on the floor so he could bake new items. It's one of the only ways to have fun around here. It was either that or complete any straggler machines which fueled the elevator.
Gigi sighed, rolling her eyes before getting bored. No more loot seemed to be in any of the areas they searched and her faith in Sprout was starting to wane as they hadn't come across squat yet.
“Ewugh, talk about rotten luck, there's absolutely nothing on this floor, at least the others had. . .well things to take!” Gigi complained to Sprout who tried his hardest to not let out his secret.
“Have some patience, will you?” Sprout chuckled out, his laugh turning into a hick as he swallowed it. Cosmo noticed this, but after some nonverbal communication between the two, the pastry joined in, though his excitement was more apparent.
Pebble strode along, his stubby legs not holding him back from reaching decent speed, he circled around the gang around 30 times now. Though he was being very quiet. Not a peep, not even an arf.
After five more minutes, the crew were walking by the food preparation area of the kitchen. It was in poor condition, scratch marks littered the walls, cracks formed across the splintered wood and floors, and Ichor stained the walls like a Jackson Pollock painting. The dining hall wasn't a masterpiece, but this area looked absolutely wrecked. Cosmo and Pebble appeared cautious, but the other two looked unfazed, Gigi even kicking an empty pop can and whistling.
Sprout then stopped in front of a large freezer door. The machine was still functional despite the years after its abandonment and the constant outages. There was a keypad attached to it, requiring an ID to scan it open.
The berry then checked his scarf. He used the accessory as a pocket of sorts. A frown crossed his face when he came up empty. It was just with him three floors ago. Before his annoyance seeded into his timid friend, he managed to throw together a lead.
“Gigi, did you take something from me again?” He turned over to the Gachapon who struggled to keep a straight face. She turned her left leg inwards and glanced to the side.
“Maybeeeeeee,” She grinned to which Sprout pinched his face and Cosmo sighed.
“Whatttt it's just junk anyways, but y'know what they say,”
Her capsule popped open and she dug through it. The cooking bros sighed at the cluttered noises being produced by the digging. Gigi then pulled out an ID card with his name and a photo of the cartoon version of him.
“One gal's trash is another man's treasure,”
She tossed the card at Sprout who missed, but was saved by Cosmo, he observed the card and chuckled.
“I miss your old scarf dude,” Cosmo placed his thumb over the striped white and pink scarf Sprout donned in the past days.
“I know, I know, but I- I retired it I guess,” He shrugged as he tugged on his new watermelon patterned pink scarf. Even he himself doesn't know exactly why. He then stood up tall and pointed to the freezer door.
“Since you got it, you can do the honors,” Sprout insisted, which places pressure upon Cosmo. As he went to scan the card,Gigi looked over to Pebble who was stationed at a doorway, looking down both ways through the kitchen halls. The dog appeared tense, yet his stiff body made reading emotions difficult. Sprout failed to notice Pebble's behavior, but he did feel like something was off.
After some failed scans and teasing, Cosmo managed to go through the card scanner. The door hissed, sending the toons all reeling back. A chilly mist then poured into the hallway, causing Pebble to whine in discomfort and be scooped up by Cosmo. Sprout then grabbed the handle, motioning Gigi to help him pull. The two toons tugged into the door which sent it gaping open.
Cosmo and Gigi's eyes sparkled as the bounty inside was revealed in its full capacity. Boxes upon boxes of frozen ingredients for cakes, cookies, frozen meals, and desserts. Bags of medical supplies including splints, Tylenol, and cough drops. All of this, all tucked away in a frozen wonderworld.
Gigi cracked her knuckles hidden in her sleeves and ran towards the loot, getting ready to horde it all.
“Wait wait wait, this is for all of us Gigi,” Sprout interrupted her to which she rudely replied
“No duh, just let me get my stuff,”
Sprout huffed and looked at Cosmo who was still in awe. It was adorable how his little eye sparkles were multi-colored.
“Sprout- oh Dandy, this is a game changer! I- we can cook all three meals with this!” He hopped up and down in delight, making Sprout feel even more accomplished.
“No need to thank me, I'm just grateful we got to it first. . Before the twisteds,” He then clapped his hands together, getting everyone's attention.
“Anyways, let's load this up shall we?”
And after that, the toons got to work carrying boxes all the way to the freight elevator. Sprout had a little more vigor than both Gigi and Cosmo, so he was able to carry two boxes. Cosmo carried the sweets, Gigi. . . whatever she could fit into her gachapon before dumping it all out in the elevator much to everyone's displeasure, and Pebbled carried smaller boxes on his surprisingly flat back.
That feeling started to get stronger with each trip back, it was one he's familiar with. It tingled his neck, made his legs jittery and churned in his chest. He wondered if he should express his concerns with the others, but he didn't want to ruin what's supposed to be one of their few Happy days. Sprout eyed Pebble clearly had the same feelings, though he couldn't express it verbally. The long strides and constant guarding of the doorways said enough.
It was their fourth trip to the freezer when something falling was heard, causing each toon to pause, except Gigi who was honed in on taking more items. Sprout shushed her and she did so, though confused. Pebble raised his tail up in the air, it moved to the left side and he made a noise. He crept over to the Freezer door and made the noise again.
Cosmo gulped and Sprout moved towards him. Pebble’s noises then turned into straight barks as he noticed movement inside the freezer. A dark figure was digging inside a hamburger box, sending ground beef, paper, and cardboard strewn across the tiled floor. Gigi went to shut the hound up, but he hopped away and continued to bark. The thing then paused eating from the box, its tail going still. Cosmo shifted Sprout a little, signaling to move, but the Berry was petrified at the sight he saw. As the beast lifted its head, he recognized the shape and face. An ammonite.
He hasn't seen her since the fall, all the mains were separated from each other, including him. They found Pebble by some miracle, but they failed to locate anyone else, not even any regular toons. . .live ones at least.
“S-Shelly?-” Sprout managed to mumble out which caught the ire of the beastly toon. It cocked its head over to him. Her lively eyes were replaced with piercing red lethal ones, her pupils were dilated to extreme lengths and that shine in them faded. Ichor leaked from her shell, dripping onto what remained of her overalls which were torn apart to make way for a mutated black ribcage and large bulky disfigured raptor legs supported by a ravaged tail.
She was twisted into a predator and the group. . Were her prey.
Pebble continued to bark, approaching the twisted, trying to push her back, but he was tackled by another, smaller figure in a hoodie. A crack was heard as Pebble struck the side of the fridge, his hard skin being torn into by razor sharp Ichor claws. Gigi rushed in and pulled Pebble away from the twisted. The gachapon lost her grip and dropped the rock, who yelped and whined as he cowered behind Sprout.
It was then that without thinking, the group ran like there's no tomorrow, Shelly hot on their trail.
Gigi swerved and weaved across hallways, knocking shelves over to buy them more time. Cosmo tried to pick up Pebble again, but the dog was too skittish and kept avoiding any contact. Sprout led the way, he jumped over obstacles, taking Gigi's sleeve when she started to run out of energy.
He tried to get back to the elevator, but to their luck, two twisteds noticed them nearby and joined the chase. Having no choice, Sprout picked the nearest room which could have a chance to save their lives.
-
Sprout rushed into the room, both him and Cosmo shutting the double doors while Gigi placed a metal broomstick through the handles. The muffled screeches and cries from the twisteds ringed inside each Toon’s head. Pebble was in a corner shaking like a leaf, the crack on his head was a stark reminder of the ruthlessness of Outside.
Gigi dug into her head capsule and sighed when all she pulled out was a speed candy. Cosmo and Sprout checked themselves for their healing materials, but both foodstuffs were out fresh.
“Oh- What'd we do?! What'd we do?! What'd we do?! What'd we do?!”
Cosmo paced around, balancing his roll-shaped head in stress. He looked so lost, Sprout didn't blame him, these situations never get any better to handle. He regrets roping them all into this plunder run. This chance for the four of them not to be hungry for weeks on end.
“We- We need to find a way out-” Sprout flinched when a particularly horrific scream came from beyond the door, that had to be. . .
“WHERE?!”
Gigi spoke up, waving her sleeve in front of the Berry Boy who snapped out of his trace and began skimming the room for an exit point. A vent, crack in the walls, maybe even a hiding space would do. Each clank meant one second lost to save all their lives.
“I- I-”
Sprout twirled his sepals nervously before gripping them down as everything closed in on him. There wasn't an escape route. . .they were going to die here. . .or worse. . .
Become like them. . . .Like them
All of a sudden. The barrier broke entirely and Gigi scrambled to force the door closed, smashing ichor-covered claws back outside.
“SPROUT!”
Gigi shouted as she closed her eyes and placed all her intuition into keeping the monsters out.
“I DON'T KNOW OKAY?!”
Sprout yelled in a mixture of emotions. He watched the hope of both of his friends drain away on the flip of a dime. The berry muttered to himself, backing into the concrete wall and sliding down it. He tugged on his leaves until they began to rip slightly. Cosmo would reach out, but Gigi pulled him over to help with the barrier. Both toons struggled greatly holding back.
“I am the reason we are going to die– I should've been smarter than this,”
The berry began to tear up, tears streaming down his face and onto his scarf. Gigi whimpered as her strength began to give out. Cosmo wanted so badly to comfort his best friend, but he couldn't without having this hug be their last. Sprout wiped his eyes moving his right arm to rest bedside him. Instead of touching the ground, he was resting on it upon a warm smooth surface. . .Pebble.
The rocky pup was snuggling against Sprout to provide fellowship to him. Though, that wasn't the only thing he noticed. Black. . . Black viscous droplets were trickling from Pebble’s crack and he took on a sickly appearance. Irritated eyes, Ichor drool.
Sprout’s eyes widened as he mumbled in a mix of shock and disbelief. The rocky pooch, everyone's best friend. . . Was infected. The toon would scoot back from Pebble who stared down at the ground like he knew too. His eyes continued to turn a crimson red.
“No- No- No-”
Sprout shook his head in denial, but before he could have time to even react properly, the doors burst open, sending Gigi and Cosmo into the walls. Twisted Boxten, Shelly, Flutter, and. . . Toodles pour into the room. All charging towards Sprout. This is it, this is how he dies. . This is how the story ends. He and his friends did the dance of suffering for forevermore.
No
If someone was going to die today, it was going to be him. . .
The berry shot up with a stroke of adrenaline. He huffed and approached the twisteds. Their eyes flared at him, so demented, so lost. Perhaps when they are tearing him to strawberry chunks, Cosmo and Gigi have a chance to escape.
Shelly opened her mouth to show her mouth full of serrated teeth that glimmered in the artificial light. Her eyes remained beady, but the unlying feeling of rage pulsated from the thing. Rage well deserved.
The toon winced and stuck his hand out to block, but the bite never came. There was no excruciating pain other than his sore bruises. He slowly opened his eyes to see what was going on.
The dog has other plans. . .
Pebble growled and barked at the Twisteds, biting Shelly’s leg. She screamed and kicked him off. Pebble landed on his back and struggled to get up at first, but the consuming Ichor infection helped him to get back on his feet. Rock and stone cracked under pressure, however the loyal dog pushed through the pain to stand his ground. He barked some more and ran off deeper into the floor. Shelly chased after the dog, followed by a confused Boxten and Flutter. Twisted Toodles grumbled in confusion. Her young mind was blinded by the overstimulation of sound.
“PEBBLE–”
Sprout yelled as he reached his hand out which caused Toodles to lock onto him and screech. Toodles was then struck in the face by the end of a metal broomstick. The twisted toon landed head first onto the floor and started convulsing before going limp, releasing a deep croak. The dreaded black material pooled under her head
“Oh my god-”
Cosmo dropped the stick and covered his mouth. Tears started to well up in his eyes as his fingers trembled. Gigi and Sprout gasped, Sprout being paralyzed for longer.
Did he. . . ?
Sprout didn't have time to think, to speak, or to do anything when Gigi grabbed his hand and forced him to run. The three of them made a mad dash for the elevator. Sprout gets to it first, followed by the other two. Cosmo spun the valve to the last machine which beeped in completion. The elevator groaned as the door began to close. Sprout immediately turned back around to look for Pebble. There was the distant wailing of Twisteds followed by crashing and glass shattering which all added to a cacophony, drowning out the little sounds from their dog. No howls, no barks, no whines of pain or death, just noises.
“He's- He's still out there,” Sprout muttered as he set foot back onto the floor, but a red hand yanked him back.
“Sprout, he's. . .gone.”
Gigi said weakly as the freight door fully closed and the gang started to ascend. Cosmo opened up a supply crate, grabbing medical supplies and snacks to help them recover. His hands shook as he dropped a bandage and began to sob. He fell to his knees and cried into Sprout's body. Sprout just continued to stare blankly at his dull reflection in the aged metal. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, like he's been through entire wars.
He truly failed.
-
The elevator ride was quiet and somber, the only sounds were the colliding metal, rhythm-based hymns of the cords pulling them up, and the quiet sniffles of the cosmic pastry who was now trying his best to patch up Gigi and Sprout’s bruises. Usually, the elevator stopped at the top floor, floor 13, as for some reason it couldn't ascend further. It was where their little safe haven was, free of twisteds.
However, It was taking a while to get there. Maybe it was how time slowed once the mourning began, or stress, or a mix of the two, but something was off. Their luck kept getting worse.
Gigi looked up at the elevator, gasping when she noticed they were on floor 8, then 7. .how is this possible? Sprout was too tied into his emotions to notice and Gigi knew best to not ruin that. . .she was grieving too. The number kept getting smaller and smaller until the elevator came to a screeching halt, stopping at Floor 0. The industrial door slowly began to lift, bringing aromatic smells and cheerful music with it.
“C'mon Sprout, let's- let's go to the kitchen and-” Cosmo tugged on Sprout’s scarf, but stopped when he stared at the entrance.
Eight toons stood in front of the three, each geared up in survival equipment, but relatively healthy. There was. . Poppy, Connie, Shrimpo, Goob, Scraps, Tisha, Glisten, and. . .
Shelly.
How was this. . . Possible? Shelly was twisted, he saw it with his own eyes. Is he crazy? Is he insane? Is he losing his mind? The parties gasped at each other's presence. Shelly's jaw dropped as her eyes became watery.
“S-Sprout?”