Chapter Eighteen: A Grave Soul (Now Run) At lunch, everyone was silent. The air was heavy with Jane's arrival, followed by her emotional round. Today had been a stressful day for everyone. “Isn't it weird how we're given time to eat and sleep?” Vee said, finally breaking the silence. ‘It would appear you are correct, it is quite odd,” Two Time said, smiling as always. “It's… it,” Jane said, making everyone look at her. “It's what?” Shedletsky said, leaning forward a bit, nearly putting his elbow in his fried chicken. ‘While I was researching, I discovered whatever entity had brought us here. It's very smart, and even though it enjoys watching us die over and over again, it even understands our needs.” ‘So wait, you've seen this… thing? Is there any way we can talk to it or see it?” Noob asked cautiously, as if scared of the answer. “I… I don't know. Whatever this thing is, it likes to hide. It watches from afar. It created this realm, but it doesn't have control over everything.” “What do you mean, not over everything?” Guest said. Everyone was leaning in, now fully engaged in the conversation. Jane stood up and walked over to the chalkboard, erasing all the notes and scribbles on the board. She quickly drew a person floating in the sky and a house. “Okay, this thing in the sky is the entity, right? It can take the top of the house and bring it to its realm, but with the actual house that supported it gone, it has to create something to hold it up. And, it might not be perfect or as stable. Making cracks, where wind or rain can get through. That's kind of how 007n7 was able to stop C00lkid from killing for a minute, before it took control again. And it's exactly how this world works.” Everyone was stunned silent, reeling at the information. “So wait… if we were to find one of these cracks, we could… escape?” Dusekkar said, slightly hesitantly. “Theoretically, yes.” ‘Wait, wait, wait, how do we even know this will work? If these ‘cracks’ really do exist, how do we know they will lead us to the exit?” Builderman said, looking around, waiting for someone to answer. “We don't know. It's all a guess. But if we don't try, then we will NEVER have a way out.” Elliot said, smiling slightly as everyone nodded along. “Yo guys, the next rounds about to start,” Chance said, coming out of the living room. “Remember, everyone, try to find an opening,” Jane said as their visions started to fade to black. "where are we this time?” They looked around, the blue-purple grass beneath their feet, and the pitch-black sky occasionally lit up by forks of lightning. There was a small purple river flowing, with tiny bridges to go across it. Behind them was a staircase leading into a room with no walls or roof, just like all the other structures. Ahead of them stood another staircase, much larger, but it led to a drop off. “I don't know where we are, dude, but we need to find the others,” Chance said, walking across the small bridge. ‘Wait, Chance, stop! What is that ahead?” Chance squinted and saw a dark purple figure, holding something small and glowing, seemingly rapidly approaching. Too fast to be running. It got closer and closer, and Chance got a glimpse of a rotting, purple corpse, half hidden behind a mask, before he got grabbed and slammed to the ground. 007n7's eyes widened as he watched the killer grab and slam Chance, and as the killer regained his posture, his eyes locked with 007n7's. 007n7’s eyes glanced at the floating, glowing star above the killer's hand, and his crown, also floating above him. 007n7 knew this thing from legend. An ancient being, weilding the Void Star, loved putting his victims in the centre spotlight. It killed for fun, making sure it was so violent that it was front-page news every time. It was a bottom-line narcissist. Its glowing white gaze was menacing; his half-rotting corpse body was putrid and falling apart, barely held together by the Void Stars' magic. Its eyes gleamed with malice as it looked at its new victims. “Guys! Over here!” Elliot said, motioning for Jane and Guest to come over. On the ground was a tiny, red crack. Barely noticeable. Something people wouldn't notice, unless they were looking for something. “Could be nothing. Got anything to pry it open with?” Jane handed Elliot her hatchet, and he stuck the blade into the crack, moving it back and forth. The crack split open a bit wider, a red and white glow slightly shining out. “There's definitely something down there. Hey, Elliot, let me try,” Guest said, examining the crack. Elliot handed Guest the hatchet, and he quickly got to work. The crack got wider, and Guest paused, putting his head closer to look through. The light nearly blinded him, and he quickly pulled his head away. “It's too bright to see what's down there. We just have to keep going,” Guest kept hammering at the crack, trying to make it bigger. After a few minutes with no progress, Jane sighed and walked away to find the others.
Jane pondered as she walked. What if this didnt work? She shook the bad thoughts away and kept looking for others. As she walked, her head bumped into something. Looking up, she gasped and stepped back. 007n7 was hanging, a rope tied to his leg, dangling him in the air. He was obviously dead. “J-Jesus… who would do this?” She asked aloud, shivering as she continued walking. After a little bit, her foot stepped into a warm, wet puddle. Looking down, she saw a slowly spreading pool of blood. Being careful not to step in it, she walked around the puddle, looking for the source. It was Noob. He had multiple knives in his chest, which had impaled him into a wall. Suddenly, a loud, glitchy voice spoke behind her. “D0-o you yo# l-l!ke my ha@nd-y-y w0rk?” She spun around, and behind her stood a rotting, putrid, purple corpse, half its face covered by a comedy mask, a white Void Star floating above its hand, and a crown floating above its head. W#l-ll-l? Wh@t do-o yo# y0u you th!nk?” It said, glaring ominously at Jane. “It looks… amazing!” Jane said, slowly backing away. “I th!nk a-a face like y0ur-yo#rs would look per-p*r-perfect in my show-sh0w!” It said, slowly advancing. “Oh well, thank you, but no thank you…” Jane said. “W#ll-well that's no-0 fun!” Jane barely had time to react before it lunged at her. Guest tensed as a rolling sound echoed, getting closer. “Elliot, stop digging,” He said, listening. The sound got closer, and a shape appeared in the mist. Guest put his fists up, ready for a fight, but as the figure came into view, he sighed in relief. It was Veeronica. She hopped off her skateboard and picked it up, then looked behind Guest and Elliot at the red and white glow. “What is that?” She asked, pointing. “That is our exit. I think,” Guest said, pointing toward the crack. “If we can get it open, we could get out of here,” Elliot said, picking up the hatchet and getting back to work. “Uh-huh.. so you mean to tell me that your master plan to escape is to open up a ‘crack’? While there's a killer hunting and murdering everyone?” Veeronica said with a slight attitude in her voice. “Well, it's the only chance we hAVE WOAH!” Elliot said as he angrily hit the hatchet against the crack, causing a loud rumble as the ground shook, and the crack spread, growing bigger and bigger. “ELLIOT! GET BACK!” Guest said, grabbing Elliot's arm and yanking him away. The ground crumbled where Elliot had been standing seconds earlier and fell into the glowing red and white void. “W#ll my-my! !t s#ems-seems s0men#s been baad-bad-@d!” A voice came from behind them, and they turned to see Noli, standing there. “l0oks like YOU w!ll have to b#-be punished-!shed!!” He said, before running at them. Veeronica swivelled around, hoping to see someone, anyone! But the mist was too dense to see anything beyond her arms. She didn't know which way was back to the rift, and she knew the killer could appear any moment. She walked aimlessly, but it felt like she was going in circles. After a few minutes, the mist finally began to dissipate, and, in the distance, Veeronica watched as Noli stomped his foot into Elliot's skull, before he began glowing red. “Uh oh, not good!” She said, quickly looking around. In the distance, she saw red and white glowing. The rift! She grabbed her skateboard and quickly rolled away, with Noli in hot pursuit. She rolled closer and watched in horror as the rift slowly started to close. Something was trying to stop her from leaving! She quickly hopped off her skateboard and ran toward the crack. She didn't have much time, because at any second, there wouldn't be enough room to get through. She quickly dived toward the crack, but something wrapped around her foot and slammed her to the ground. Looking behind her, she saw Nolis' rotted face. “S0rry-rry, but yo# cant le-le@ve!” Veeronica struggled before using her other foot to kick Noli square in his putrid face. Noli screeched in pain and loosened his grip just enough for Vee to get out. She crawled to the closing crack, and dove in, closing her eyes against the blinding white and red lights, as she fell and fell. Ts sound like a Fortnite event I'm crine what was I ON last year
