Sleepless - A BFB Grimdark

Part Eleven - Old Friends and New Fiends

"I'm sorry, but that number is—"

The operator's robotic voice was cut off by Donut hanging up the phone. He groaned and rubbed his head. Barf Bag sat at his dining table, leaned over the whiteboard he had used for a calendar. She chewed on the cap of the marker, staring down at the doodles scribbled all over the board.

"Please don't chew on that, Gelatin's germs are probably on there..." Donut said. Barf Bag tensed, then removed the cap and blushed.

"Oh! Sorry, it's a habit," Barf bag glanced away. Donut pulled out a chair across from his friend and looked down at the doodles. "No luck with contacting Two, I guess?"

"None at all, no idea why I thought a phone number of all things would work," Donut grumbled. "I don't know what kind of tantrum Four's having, but clearly it's taking all their attention. Donut cocked his head as he looked over the board. "You got a solid plan?" Donut asked. Barf Bag pursed her lips and nodded.

"I think so," She perked up and held up the board. "The two of us, with another pair, of course, will go into the woods. We'll be distant enough to look like we're alone, but when the killer comes around, we pop out and whack!" Barf Bag lowered the board to punch her hand for emphasis. "We knock them out cold and drag them out to a clearing I saw on a walk a while ago. Then, we can tie them up and interrogate them!" She beamed, proud of her work. Donut appeared unsure and rubbed his knuckles.

"Yeah, but what if it's someone like Snowball? He could tear through rope like it's butter," Donut said. Barf Bag's smile didn't drop.

"Don't worry, one of us is gonna have a club. That way, if they try and break out, we can knock them out again," Barf Bag tapped her head. "Don't worry, I've got this thought out,"

"I'm glad you do..." Donut said, his tone unsure. "But who are we going to get to come with us? Everyone else in the hotel seemed too scared to even leave the front yard, nonetheless go into the woods," Just then, a soft knock sounded on their door.

——

Lollipop and Gelatin walked into the workshop's clearing, the soft sound of leaves crunching under their feet accompanying the soft rustle of leaves. Gelatin was busy watching a leaf scurry across the grass as Lollipop looked around, listening for any sound.

"Oddly quiet..." She mused. Gelatin looked up at her and shrugged.

"Maybe they're not here?" He asked. "That or they just wanna be quiet, because, y'know..." Gelatin glanced away, though he didn't seem too bothered. Lollipop nodded.

"At the very least, we should leave a note," Lollipop proceeded towards the workshop, gracefully stepping through the grass. "After all, it is imminent that the two should be notified that their missing patient is at least high-strung,"

"Say, that reminds me, what makes you so sure it's Book?" Gelatin hurried to her side, his shorter legs scampering. "I know she can be kinda testy, but not murderous,"

"Clearly you weren't paying attention to our team," Lollipop scoffed. "If looks could kill, she would have brutalized Taco and Saw for merely vanishing for a day! I'm surprised they're not the first ones dead," Lollipop pushed open the doors to the workshop. "Sphericals, we have come with a tip. If you are here, please do make yourselves known," Lollipop called out, an air of grandeur in her voice. Silence greeted her. Not even the sound of muttering or light buzzing came with her voice. Lollipop huffed and looked around, but something felt off.

The workshop's front room was oddly neat. The desks were shoved into the corners of the room, and they were organized to a near painstaking level. The walls were all bare, and the lights were torn from the walls, only leaving stray wires sticking from holes in the ceiling. From the looks of it, whoever removed them tried to trim the wires to be flush with the ceiling. Lollipop stepped forward, her heel crunching against a layer of fine dust. She looked down to find minuscule shards of glass on the floor.