The labyrinth of monsters (a Hermitcraft and third life AU fanfic)

Chapter 30 - Doc

I stand, glaring incredulously at EX, in the middle of the bloodbath. My lab coat is torn and red, trident in hand, dripping slowly with blood. My leg stings from where that mutt Ren had bitten into it. I've got my revenge for that now, and his body still lies behind me. 

'So... I didn't expect you to start a huge war in here... and I really didn't expect all those changes in alliance. This experiment really went in a direction I didn't expect...'

'Experiment?!' Grian steps forward from his position in the corner. 'Hold on, you trapped us all in here and watched us murder each other for an experiment?!'

'Most of the dead are alright.' EX assures. 'We made sure of that before-hand.'

'Oh, there's a relief! You predicted us all going on a murder spree!'  

'No, it was designed so the 6 of you in the maze would be against the people inside the maze. There were some deaths we... didn't expect, but we didn't really know what was going to happen in general so...'

At the mention of unexpected deaths, I follow EX's gaze back to the wall where Etho's death is still commemorated for all to see. 

'Anyway, most of you are ok, and you're not the ones who are dead, so I don't know why you're even worried about it...'

'IMPULSE, BDUBS, ZEDAPH. My three best friends. If you were really watching us, then you would've seen how I reacted when they died. But it's ok! Because AT LEAST I'M ALIVE.' 

'Bdubs and Zedaph are ok. Like I keep saying, most of you are ok.'

'And Impulse?'

'Again, there were some deaths we couldn't predict...'

'IS IMPULSE OK?' Tango yells, grabbing Hypno's bow and pointing it straight at EX. 'TELL ME OR YOU DIE TOO.'

'He'll be fine!' 

'You PROMISE?' 

'Yes! I promise that Impulse won't be permadead! Is that ok?'

'Tango, calm down.' Pearl urges. 'He's the only person that can get us out of here.' 

'What would happen if I kill someone now?' I think aloud suddenly. 'What if I just went up to one of these monsters and killed them? Would they be ok?'

'Don't you dare.' I sense the panic in EX's voice. 

'What would you do if I did this?' 

I turn quickly, chucking my trident towards the only person I know will be in the same place, Scott. It hits home and he screams with pain, before collapsing, dead. 

'SCOTT NO!' Grian screeches. 'DOC HOW COULD YOU! YOU... YOU MONSTER! YOU ABSOLUTE F*****G MONSTER!' He lunges to attack me, but Pearl holds him back. 'PEARL, LET GO OF ME! NOW!' 

'GRIAN! Calm down! Please!' 

'NO! HE KILLED SCOTT! HE'D DONE NOTHING WRONG!' Tears mix with blood down Grian's face. Pearl still holds him back. I watch, indifferent about Scott's death. He'd chosen to join the others hadn't he? He knew I wasn't on his side and could've killed him! Beside, his injuries would've killed him soon enough anyway. I look back to EX to prove my point. 

'Oh, but it's ok, because most of us are alright! He'll be alive, right?' 

Grian stops struggling, giving EX an accusing stare. The creator shies away from the attention. 

'Eventually.' He mutters. 'Right, Let's get out of here before anyone else ends up dead.' 

He presses a button on the band around his wrist and everything turns white. A moment later, I'm gasping awake in a new room. 

It's clean and futuristic. Cables attach to my arms and head, and I rip them out, desperately trying to get my bearings. Around me, everyone else does the same. I sit quickly up, scanning my surroundings. It's a large place, with exactly 33 beds, including mine, against the longest walls and one against another. There's a closed door the other side. I see Tango puking out of the corner of my eye. All of his injuries seem to be gone. Mine too, now I think about it.

'Wait... it was all a simulation?' I figure out. 

'Always has been.' 

It's a voice I haven't heard in far too long. I look to my other side, to see Etho, arms crossed and smirking under his face mask. I grin back.

'Etho! You're ok!' I stand up, and we hug. 'Thank goodness...' 

'He's not the only one...' Bdubs has come over too. 'And if Beef's alive too, that's the whole NHO!'

'NH... Oh! The NHO! New Hermit Order! I remember that now!' Images of a jungle base flash through my mind. 

'Yeah, Beef's ok.' Less than an hour ago you wanted him dead... a voice in the back of my head whispers. You tried to kill each other... 

I shake away the thought, seeing more of the once-dead. Tango is already catching up with Zedaph, and Skizz is watching both, though I notice that he's frowning. Scar's also there, equally unhappy about something. 

'Is everyone awake again?' I ask suspiciously. 

'EX said they'd all wake up?' Etho explains. 'Why?'

'I... I don't think everyone made it out.' 

'Who did? We can figure it out from there.' 

'You two, Scar, Skizz, Zedaph and I can see... Martyn... Timmy... False... is that all?' 

'I was the last of us to wake up, when Impulse killed me.' Bdubs tells me

'So, it's everyone who died before Impulse?' I work out. 

'What's so special about his death?' 

'Suicide.' I finally work out what happened. They didn't expect anyone to kill themselves. It must've broken their system. And if they're not awake...

Where are they?

Final chapter. 

And it's rubbish.

Great. 

At least it IS the last chapter...