Rainbow Friends: Project ODD Vol. 1

Chapter Seven: "Lights Out, Fights Out"

Veronica slowly wakes up from unconsciousness, rubbing at her temples to try to alleviate some of the pressure. She blinks a couple times before looking around the room, immediately taking notice of the bright light's absence. Instead, there are several green glow sticks scattered around, lighting up the dim room just enough to see what's going on.

Veronica gets up from the bed with a groan before walking over to the group she'd been with before. "What the hell is happening...?" She asks groggily while trying to shake the last bit of sleep from her system. The four kids look at each other for a moment, eventually just shrugging simultaneously.

"We have to go on another dumb scavenger hunt. Ugh, I swear, it's like a loop that never ends." Jason grumbles irritably, crossing his arms over his chest. "Amira hasn't even turned up yet either, so how the heck am I supposed to get through this without worrying about her?" He adds in a quieter tone, his eyes glued to the ground.

Ronnie throws an arm over Jason's shoulders and lets out an exaggerated sigh. "C'monnn, she's probably fine anyway! Besides, I'm sure she's just lost somewhere, so no need to worry your little head about it!" He ruffles Jason's hair roughly, earning a low growl from the latter.

That's when the door to the room creaks open ominously, not like usual where it just swings wide open. Veronica sighs softly before gesturing the kids along as she walks out of the room. "Come on, we should get going. This time, nobody's losing sight of each other, alright?" She warns sternly, earning a series of nods from everyone.

Once they all make it outside, they realize how dark the facility actually is. It will definitely make searching for these random items all the more dangerous, considering how difficult it will be to spot any approaching Rainbow Friends in this pitch black environment. Veronica just hopes they'll get out of this one alive.

The intercom crackles to life moments later. "Looks like you'll have to turn the power back on." The voice announces through the speakers. "Find a way to power up the backup generator."

Veronica groans loudly as she runs a hand through her face. They've already wasted enough time with this stupid cycle of finding items for this speaker weirdo. Seriously, it's like this guy is trying to work them all to death.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll let you all leave afterwards." The voice continues with a hint of amusement laced in his tone. A red light soon shines down from the ceiling to illuminate several flashlights placed on a table, and everyone is quick to rush over and nab one for themselves. Thank goodness for this, otherwise they might've actually been screwed.

"I don't think you guys really need this, do you? Unless you plan on wandering off again." Veronica looks at each of the kids with a knowing smirk. Maya shakes her head furiously, as does Ronnie, while Jason and Aiden remain silent. Veronica can't help but chuckle a little before handing them all their own flashlights. "Fine, fine..."

"Yay! We've got light, guys!" Maya and the others rejoice happily as they blink their flashlights on and off repeatedly. Veronica shakes her head fondly at the sight, wondering why these little goofballs seem so excited just to have flashlights in their hands. Kids these days and their silly antics...

They journey through the Hemlock Woods area, and soon enough, Maya runs ahead to grab what appears to be a battery on the floor. "Hmph, these are so dusty..." She brushes the dust away before holding the battery close to her chest and running ahead once again as everyone else follows behind her.

As Veronica walks though, she finds herself thinking about who that mysterious speaker guy could be. Whoever he is, he's definitely a lazy asshole, making children who don't know any better act at his bidding. But why choose a fourth grade class of all things for this task? Why not choose people who would be willing to volunteer?