Hidden Mysteries

Hell of a Drive

AN: Warnings for blood and violence
Y'know that song that plays during that scene in the Steven Universe episode where Pearl gets chased by the cops (Fifteen Minutes by Mike Krol)? Yeah, I was playing that song on loop all throughout writing this chapter. What can I say? It slaps.
Enjoy this chapter, dudes! I know I enjoyed writing it.

The ground shook violently, rumbling throughout the town as monsters of all shapes and sizes emerged out of seemingly thin air; all of their eyes immediately falling on the group of four kids, growling and roaring maliciously.

"Run!" Balloon gasped, as everyone turned around began running away as fast as their legs could carry them, not even bothering to glance behind them.

"Oh, they want to play the good old fashioned cat and mouse game, do they?" Merripen chuckled, staring at his monstrous army. "Well, go on, my friends! Go and get 'em!"

As the monsters trampled off into the distance, the group of four were running along the path, the adrenaline pumping through their bodies fueling them as they ran for their lives.

"You had to tell him you'd rather die, didn't you?" Fan gasped, staring at Test Tube. "What were you thinking, Test Tube? I thought you were smarter than that!"

"How was I supposed to know that Merripen was going to send a horde of monsters after all of us?!" the green-haired girl cried, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Maybe because he kinda controls the dead?"

"I don't think we've even encountered most of these!" Suitcase gasped, digging in her bag and pulling out one of the journals, flipping through it as she ran. "C'mon, Mom, please tell me you put some of their weaknesses in here, please please please..."

"We need to get out of here, quick!" Balloon began glancing around the area rapidly, eyes squinting as they fell on a car in the distance, two people talking outside it. "Look, there's some people over there! Maybe they can give us a ride!"

"Wait a minute, that's Paintbrush! And OJ, too!" Test Tube exclaimed. "Hurry, guys! We gotta get to them, pronto!"

~~~

"Thanks again for coming along to help me pick this up, Paintbrush," OJ thanked his sibling, tossing the final leather sack into the trunk of the car. "I really needed the help, here."

"Eh, no biggie. I don't have any plans until later tonight, anyway." The teenage artist looked at all the bags in the sack, neither of them knowing what was inside. "Did Mom or Dad say what's all in here? Or what they're for, at the very least?"

"Nope, don't have a clue," OJ replied. "Dad told me not to look in the bags, either. I didn't say anything about it back then, but I thought that was really suspicious."

"Yeah, about that..." Paintbrush rubbed the back of their neck as they watched their twin brother shut the trunk. "Have you noticed Mom and Dad have been acting kinda weird lately?"

OJ looked up at Paintbrush. "You mean like how Mom's been a lot more tense and stuff?"

"Exactly! Mom's usually super chill, I thought I was just overreacting or seeing things when I noticed she's been a bit on edge lately," they exclaimed. "And she's been having a lot of secret conversations with Dad, have you noticed?"

"Kinda hard not to." The elder twin leaned against the trunk of the car, sighing. "I've heard like, tiny bits and pieces, but they suddenly change the subject whenever they notice either one of us coming. I think they're hiding something from us."

"What do you think they're keeping from us?" Paintbrush asked tentatively.

"I don't really—"

"Paintbrush! Hey, Paintbrush!"