Phytoremediation

You're trying to replace yourself

Basil began rushing towards the rope ladder, a much shorter walk than the one across the forest. Swathes of begonias and tickseed surrounded the ladder.

I thought tickseed with big yellow flowers like that didn't grow around here... why did I think that..?

Basil shook his head. That didn't matter right now, he had to get up that ladder.

Basil ran through the pink and yellow flowers. The begonias had thorns, prickling him. Mari, Kel, and Aubrey tried to follow his path of somewhat trampled brush.

"These things are thorny, ouch..." Mari stated the obvious.

Kel, apparently needed to double check though, as he cried in pain from trying touch the stem of one of the trampled begonias.

Basil began trying to quickly make it up the ladder, but stopped from the excessive shaking it caused. His friends followed behind while he ascended the ladder.

At the top of the ladder, read a sign, "Emergency ladder for those flying disabled or impaired."

"How thoughtful!" Mari cooed.

"Thoughtful for a buncha kidnappers, maybe." Aubrey said crossly.

"You should try to be more positive, Aubrey... besides, we're here, and we can go save Hero and Sunny!" Mari said with her arms crossed.

"Alright! Vampire adventure! Hector told me all their weaknesses!" Kel exclaimed, he then opened his bag.

"I got a wooden stake-"

"That's just a stick, Kel." Aubrey pointed out.

"Which is made of wood, Aubrey. As I was saying, I got a wooden stake, an onion, and some... aw the water fell out of all the holes." Kel looked sad at his now waterlogged pencil case sized bag.

"Aren't vampires weak to garlic?" Mari asked.

"That's what they want ya to think." Kel said deviously.

"Whatever, let's go find Sunny and Hero!" Aubrey proclaimed, trying to change topics from Hector's supposed vampire expertise.

Basil and the others began walking into the castle. No guards, and no vampires in the lobby of the castle.

"Kinda empty..." Aubrey commented.

"Maybe cause all the vampires are asleep cause it's day time." Kel hypothesized.

Basil and the group wandered around the castle aimlessly, checking doors, trying to find Hero or Sunny anywhere.

Behind a door, Basil saw a kitchen, and in it, Hero. "Hero, we're here to save you!" Mari enthusiastically ran in.

"Wait, Mari, what if... nevermind." Basil's worries were already confirmed, as Mari came face to face with a vampire.

Basil, Aubrey, and Kel rushed in to stand with her. "What do you think you're doing? You are not to interrupt our new chef."

The vampire began conjuring some sort of shadowy magical ball in his hands, likely something that would not be fun to be on the recieving end of.

Kel took the onion out of his bag, and began waving it at the vampire. The vampire broke out immediately in sizable hives.

"Aha! I told you guys it was onions, and not garlic!" Kel held the onion triumphantly.

"No, ish garlic. I'm jush allergic to onionsh." The vampire said on the floor, struggling to breath.

"Aw man." Kel said, putting his onion less triumphantly into his bag.

"Should we... help him?" Basil asked, looking at the vampire gasping for air on the floor.

"I don't think vampires need oxygen, so he won't die of it..." Aubrey said, pondering how a vampire could get allergies anyhow.

"It doesh hurt a lot, though." The vampire coughed out.

"Shut it, bloodsucker, we gotta think here!" Kel yelled at the vampire.

"Shorry." The vampire quietly gasped for air.

"Hero, come here!" Basil yelled out.

"Oh, you guys beat him?" Hero walked over cautiously, "they'll make me restart if I step away from my station... I never made blood casserole before..." Hero cringed at the vampire's hive ridden appearance.

"Sheesh, what the hell?"

"We saved you!" Kel smiled at Hero.

Hero looked at the vampire disgusted, "Yeah... let's leave the kitchen..."

"Sho I guesh that'sh a no on help..." The vampire tried to sigh, but instead made a weird gurgle sound.

Hero speedwalked out of the room. "Alright, do you guys know where Sunny is?" Hero asked.

"We were hoping you'd know..."

"No, but I got some wooden skewers. Here's some for each of you, if things go bad, you can at least take out a vampire..." Hero started.

"Wait, are we gonna split up?" Basil asked as though he wasn't the de facto leader until now.

"Yup, fastest way to find Sunny! Plus barely any vampires are awake anymore." Hero smiled, "Let's go!"

Basil headed into a hallway, while the others scattered around, some going to the second floor. The hallway on the right side of the building was much longer than Basil expected. Basil also didn't expect vampires to exist, or a floating castle to have a rope ladder, but here he was.

Basil began walking up the hallway, checking doors.

Opening one was a broom closet, another had nothing but a noose. The doorplate said "Panic Room" which wasn't exactly what one imagines when thinking of a panic room.

Basil continued through the hallway, until reaching a room bearing the plate of "room."

Basil looked at the small piece of metal. It really did just say "room." Basil shrugged, and opened it. Inside appeared to be Sunny.

"Sunny! There you are! Me and everyone else are here to save you!" Basil excitedly rushed up to Sunny. The door closing behind him remained ignored.

"Oh. Hello Basil." Basil realized this wasn't Sunny.

Too late now.

Omori turned to Basil with a manic smile. The room around them dissolved into an endless red void. A massive red hand grabbed Basil, Omori walked close to Basil and cradled the side of Basil's face. His smile disappeared, and he made a familiar expression. He was wearing Sunny's face.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I'll never let someone do that to you again." Omori's face returned to his manic smile and he began laughing.

"W-Who are you? What are you doing?" Basil had a lot more to ask but, that was all he could get out before the hand squeezed tighter.

"I don't think you deserve to know. But I will at least tell you my name." Omori's smile grew as he introduced himself to Basil, "I am Omori."

Omori stabbed into Basil's left eye, and twisted his knife. "Remember that well."

Basil cried with pain, but Omori stabbed his throat. Omori's voice began fading away, as everything started going dark. "Annoying loud little shi-"