The Rainbow Friends: Chapter 1

Chapter 6; Odd World In Sight

We burst out of the bedroom, following a trail of red arrows that resembled the one leading us astray earlier. The anticipation of what lay ahead gripped all of us—myself, Dan, Jingu, and Noah—as we entered a room shrouded in mystery. The vibrant walls, painted in a medley of vivid yellow, green, and blue hues, exuded an electrifying energy. It was both exhilarating and bittersweet, as we were finally leaving this place for good, but it meant bidding farewell to Blue. Though he appeared harmless, sitting with a crestfallen expression, his crown slipping askew, Blue's sadness resonated deeply within us, piercing our souls, except for Jingu, who remained unfazed.

We see two toilet doors with a blue outline of Blue for the boys and a purple outline of Purple for the girls. Noah instantly sees it and tries to open the door to the toilets desperately but it wouldn’t budge anywhere. He started to pull the door harder but then he eventually gave up.

“We haven’t gone to the toilet, eaten or drank anything in days,” Dan says to us.

As we approached, we noticed a sign that read "Don't pop the balloons."

"Don’t pop the balloons," Dan exclaimed, taking in the sight of the very important sign.

We all agreed to respect the sign and moved on, making our way to the wooden stage at the side of the room. It was surrounded by red curtains and had a microphone stand in the very corner. In the centre however was Blue. He was sitting down looking all sad.

“I swear Jingu if you mess us up, I’m going to be so upset,” Dan exclaims to Jingu not taking it in, “Don’t pop the balloons.”

Respecting the sign's instruction, we cautiously proceeded, approaching a ramp to the exit.

Ignoring our warnings, Jingu dashed across the room, recklessly popping every balloon in his path. In response, Blue charged menacingly towards him, only to halt abruptly, locking eyes with Jingu before surrendering and returning to his desolate spot on the stage.

“Jingu you’re dumb. You’re so so stupid!” Dan gets annoyed, “you popped the balloons and nearly died? Good! Stay in your place buddy!”

Jingu didn’t take any of it in as he goes and pops another roof balloons.

“Jingu! What’s wrong with you?!” Dan shouts. Blue chases after Jingu. We all run up a ramp at the other end of the room. It led up to a table with a chocolate cake on it and a bunch of forks.

Dan repeatedly says no as Blue gets closer and closer to us but he gives up again.

“I want out! I want to leave now,” Dan says.

We get to the cake and we all eat a slice apart from Jingu again! He picks up a balloon and smashes it into the forks near the cake. The balloon pop echoes through the building. Blue gets up and stares at us.

"Jingu!" Dan's voice grew strained, his annoyance reaching new heights.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Blue, who seemed more formidable than ever. His single large black button eye, paired with a sewn-on white one, exuded pure malevolence. The crown atop his head slipped further, revealing red stains—blood—seeping down onto the floor. His disproportionately long arms swung menacingly, while his stumpy, crooked legs added to his grotesque appearance. His gaping mouth emanated an irritating sound, releasing light blue drool that failed to escape, perpetually dangling at the precipice. His devilish eye seemed to penetrate my very soul, extinguishing its light. Suddenly, Blue gave chase, and the intensity of the moment intensified.

“JINGU! Why would you do that you stupid person!” I screamed, my frustration directed at him. The metal exit door swung open, granting us an escape route. In the room beyond, a human-sized vent awaited, a wooden plank ramp leading up to it, supported by blocks matching Blue's size. Everyone rushed inside while I secured the door shut with one of the blocks.

“Go go! I don’t care about you Jingu. We have to move the blocks so the ramp falls down,” I overheard Dan mutter. With all our strength, we pushed the blocks, successfully dislodging them, despite Jingu contributing nothing once again.

The ramp crashed down with a thunderous noise. Racing up the incline, we reached the metal door through which we had entered, now distorted and bent from Blue's pursuit. Crawling through the vent, we left behind the wreckage.

"It’s a maze! I hate mazes," Dan complained, voicing his frustration once more. Anxious glances were exchanged. Time was running out, and the sight of Blue drawing nearer sent shivers down our spines. But surrendering wasn't an option. Blue's crown and his sewn-on button eye glimmered faintly in the scarce light.

My friends' survival became my primary concern, even if it meant leaving Jingu behind. I stole another glance backward, realizing that the gap between Blue and me was rapidly diminishing. Just as I thought it was the end, Dan seized my arm, pulling me towards him.

"Why, Dan?" I asked, gratitude lacing my words.

"Because you're my friend," he replied simply.

We continued crawling frantically towards the exit, surpassing both Jingu and Noah. As we passed Jingu, Dan couldn't contain his jubilation, shouting, "Yes! Jingu, I hope you get caught! I hope you become Blue's prey!"

We emerged from the vent, closely followed by Noah, but Jingu lagged far behind.

“Jingu, haha. Get caught buddy! I hope he gets eaten please,” Dan begs.

I began to see that Dan hated Jingu in every way possible when he says this, "Yes! Jingu I hope you get eaten! I hope you get eaten alive!"

However, our victorious moment was short-lived. Dan spotted a door leading out of the vent and saw Blue and Jingu closing in rapidly. Without a second thought, both of us seized the door handle simultaneously. Unfortunately, our effort proved futile as the door bounced off Blue.

Blue turned around, retreating back into the factory.

"See you later, Blue!" Dan shouted, jubilant. As we celebrated our escape, I couldn’t help but wonder what was in store for us next and I saw someone I hadn’t expected to see ever again..

To be continued...