Chapter 5
A week later I watch Toby go around fixing things, the short brunette filling holes in the paths, and planting grass in patchy areas of the ground. As I walked around I drifted off from Toby the brunette nowhere to be seen. Walking down paths stained with blood, pulling arrows out of the ground. I assume it was a battleground, as I walked I pick up more things, a broken pair of glasses, a discarded ripped jacket, a broken bow, and a golden coin. I twirl the coin in my hand looking at what was engraved on it. It had a baby zombie wearing a crown riding a baby chicken with the word “MCC” on the bottom of it, on the other side it had the words “DreamWasTaken MCChampion” engraved on the back. The coin was in surprisingly decent condition, the golden color of it had a shine and it was a lot larger than any other coin I’d seen. I had no idea who Dream was, but whoever he was or where ever he was most likely dead. I continue down the path, finding more and more blood stained paths containing other items until I see something familiar. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tommy looked up at Schlatt, his hero had an insane look in his eyes he yelled at his partner to get the fuck off the stage, accusing him of conspiring against him of going behind his back, he looked truly terrifying illuminated by the lights of the stage. He yelled and screamed at the audience at his partner, at Tommy, at Wilbur who was tied up opposite of himself. The crazed look in his eyes now accompanied by a crazed tone, his voice getting higher and higher, the man was laughing at himself now cackling clutching his head in his hands. Everyone seemed terrified, even his partner, he picks up a sword-swinging it around cackling to himself, he swung the sword at Wilbur a few times, the brunette screaming in horror, Schlatt pressing the sword against Wilbur’s neck. He could hear people scream, Niki ran up the stage holding her crossbow. Aiming at Schlatt’s head, there was a grim look on her face, tears running down her cheeks, her clothes stained with blood I knew was her own. Schlatt looked at her pushing the sword closer to Wilbur’s neck, making a cut that started to bleed. Wilbur coughed up blood, passing out and Niki screamed at Schlatt. He turned to face her a grin on his face, Niki swallowed her tears and fired her crossbow, the bolt burying itself into Schlatts stomach. Schlatt clutched the wound, a look of hatred on his face. Glaring at Niki and the crowd one more time before disappearing. A few minutes later an arrow pierced Niki’s shoulder and she passes out. The audience stares at the scene in horror, a tied up teen, two unconscious adults who were both bleeding out, and Schlatt’s partner on his knees staring at everyone there in horror. A man runs up to the stage yelling, there’s so much blood... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I snap back to reality looking at the red tie I found on the road. I shiver at the memory of Schlatt. I remember Niki and Toby seeming sad when I asked about him but I didn’t realize that was why. To them the Schlatt they knew died that night, I stand and throw the tie into the lake watching it float away. I throw a few rocks at it to make it sink, making my way back up the path I find Toby who immediately runs up and hugs me. He lectures me on running off saying that he was scared, I hug him and tell him he’s clingy. Toby nods and doesn’t let go of me the way back, we pass by Niki who is wearing a blue sweater. I want to ask her about the memory but I decide against it, instead of prompting to ask in the morning. We arrive at Toby’s house where a blonde-haired man with blue eyes like me and Wilbur are waiting, they’re both sitting at the table drinking tea. Wilbur looks exactly like his picture and memories, however, the blonde-haired man seems familiar. He hugs me and reintroduces himself to me as Philza or Phil, I want to call him Big P, I do that and he smiles. Saying something about how I called him that a lot before. Unlike everyone else seeing me he doesn’t seem upset, mad, or mournful, there’s another emotion there I can’t quite place. Regret? Pity? Grief? Guilt? I’m not entirely sure, Phil tells me about the other place, the place with Deo, and about other people I knew, Badlinu, Bitzel, Luke, Nico, Pigical, someone named Boffy, and so many other names. I recognize a lot of those names and a few sound familiar. I even have memories of Deo, Pigical, and Bitzel, I have an image of who Boffy is in my head and one fragmented memory of him. Phil talks more about me when I was younger. Before I can think about what Phil is saying another wave of memories hit me. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Boffy stands in front of Tommy, his face is covered by the paper mask with a crudely drawn smiley face on it he’s had for as long as he can remember. He’s standing outside the door of their little base watching Tommy fight some fire demons that had appeared outside their base again, Tommy runs back inside as the demons spit lava at him. He grabs a bandage from the chest wrapping it around his burnt arm as Boffy drawls on about how dumb Tommy was, he takes a water bucket dumps it over Tommy’s head. The younger snickers at how Tommy looks like a wet dog. Tommy calls him a bitchboy and the two laugh at each other, jokingly poking each other with dull spears. ____________________________________________________________________________ Deo walks around the central city area looking for fairy souls. He had dragged Tommy with him since the last time Tommy was alone he had built a scam shack on their island. He had almost gotten jumped by his ‘customers’, Deo had paid reparations and such so he wouldn’t get randomly jumped. If Deo had been a responsible brother figure he would have told Tommy off about making a scam shack, but because it actually did profit and because it was funny Deo never said anything about it, allowing Tommy to do whatever he wanted with it. Tommy followed behind Deo, watching the older boy climb up buildings and crawl around small spaces looking for fairy souls. Tommy complained about how slow it was while following Deo around, Deo had been climbing up a tree when he heard a yell and saw the older boy fall. He ran over to the bush Deo had landed in, the older boy sat up and grinned triumphantly as he raised the fairy soul over his head. The souls’ rainbow hue sparkled as the pink color of it dulled. ____________________________________________________________________________ Techno stood next to Tommy at the start of an obstacle course, there were 40 contestants and he was determined to win. Tommy ran and jumped, grabbing the ladder, he pressed a button on the headset he was given immediately the other contestants turned into a pair of colorful boots. He pressed another button and heard Wilbur cursing under his breath on the comm line alongside Phil who was laughing, Tommy continued running next to Techno who immediately disappeared on the next ladder jumps, passing half the contestants. He twisted and turned his body to traverse the course. Watching the timer on the left of his visor screen to keep himself from losing track. ____________________________________________________________________________ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Phil watches me with patient eyes, I look at him, We won a tournament together I say, he nods with a smile... I watch him. ‘You know Tommy, just because you don’t remember me doesn’t make me less of your Dadza’. I look him in the eyes and I know, he’s being sincere. He grabs Wilbur and they walk out of the house, Wilbur says something about a championship as he walks down the path.