|~Hello Puppets~| [The Final Show]

|~Chapter 7: Failed~|

After Riley had a fit that they passed a test, mentioning something about a pet Paige continued on to the next stage of this Puppet Test.
"Improbably you have arrived at the final station, but I have added a special test just for you that you will find. . .*snigger* quite a taxation."
They looked at the test.
That was literally named 'Fail-O-Tron'.
Scout definitely didn't like that.
"Oh come the fuck on, what is this?!"
But something was. . . Different about this machine.
Something was out of place.
But Paige stuck Scout in the small box and the test began.
But as the light turned on, all buttons were Red!
And. . . you can guess that they were unable to beat the test, Scout threw and fix and then there was a sock Puppet.
No- That was not-
"Host! We have to run; Now!"
Paige could now saw a creepy mutated dog looking Puppet from earlier.
Oh shit.
Paige sprinted to the door to hide!
"Can you make it out alive, to join us in our show?
Well first you have to run from my hungry pet Rosco!"
That was actually a good Rhyme!

=

Scout was hyperventilating.
"Holy-Shit!
Riley actually tried to kill me, I know she hated me! But- I'm a Puppet, I'm one of them, I've never thought they'd actually-! You! This is all your fault, ever since you came along everything has been fucked! I'll kill you, you jelly bean giant sack of shit!"
. . .
"What's the point. . . We're both dead, best thing to do is to lay down and. . . Wait for them to find us."
But Paige couldn't accept defeat so it was time to pull the dumb move and explore this place and find Marcus and get out.
"Where are you going ginormous? There's no escape, there's tons of them and 1 and a half of us!"
Then down the hall. . .
This must be that Riley's lab.
"What is this. . . I've never been in here, are those. . . Hosts."
There was mutated creations, dead people strung like cattle or pigs in a Butcher.
They found a door.
"No, this door won't open. I need a green security pin, like one I would wear on my shirt but. . . I don't have one so; We're fucked! Unless. . . You can find one."
So it was time to start searching for a green pin.
Paige wanted to throw up, seeing all the dead bodies and puppets.
She hated this. . . Was this were her friend was?!
What's worse is. . . The public will think they ran out of town because they were guilty!
"What the shit are we doing here, this is bad! They'll catch us, and they won't kill us by the way!- No, no, no, no! Not for weeks, not for months! They're gonna rip out our guts while we're breathing! They're going to drill into our eyeballs while we're awake!"
Paige swore she threw up in her mouth, but she had no choice but to shallow it and couldn't even open her mouth to gag no matter how hard she tried to pull her jaw apart.
"I can't do this. . .! I can't do this! Listen; Host, I need you to put me out of my misery! Host; Will you kill me?"
Paige shook her head.
"Well, I'd like to know what you're plan is because we can't get out of this fucking meat locker!"
. . .
There was puppets everywhere, all different types but guessed the bigger ones were called Sock puppets for some reason.
They found another tape by this. . . Guy, and a green pin!
"Ah! What was that?! Sorry, that was just a Shadow. . . Sorry, I'm a little freaked, you too?"
Paige nods.
"You are? Huh, you seem calm. But having your mouth sewn shut will give you that impression."
Finally they got into an elevator!

~

"If you're serious about this whole, escape thing there's only one way out, that's a hole from a fire but guess what; that's in Mortimer's section and to make it worse; That's where all the other puppets are!"
Scout pointed to Paige,"You better be a fast runner!", Paige was kind of fast. . . Depends really.
. . .
"This feels insane."
Paige nods.
"You think we'll be able to get out?"
Paige nods.
"You do? You lying or crazy, but you know what I'll take it."
Paige sunk to the ground.
"I can't stop thinking about that meat locker though. . . Those hosts. . . Hanging there, Riley always told us Hosts loved being Hosts and they were begging to join our world and your world is. . . Hell. But I'm not sure, they sure as hell didn't look happy in there. You're from the host world, is it. . . I dunno, good?"
. . .
Paige didn't know how to answer that, but. . .
"I guess that's a hard question to answer for you huh?"
Paige nods.
"I've seen the Host World by the way, one time before my very first Puppet Orientation I found a TV with working cable! Lucky find huh, I was probably watching it for hours before. . . Riley caught me.
Cop dramas, bake offs, nightly news. . . It blew my mind! And that's when I stopped Rhyming, I just couldn't anymore. . ."
The poor thing. . .
"Maybe if we survive this, and that's a big maybe! I could fit in out there. . . In your world, I know I'm a Puppet but. . . Do you think that'd possible?"
Paige nods, because if furries can exist so can this Puppet!
Especially since they could very on TV for a Puppet Show!
"Woah. . . Thank you, I dunno if I believe you but nice of you to say."
The elevator came to a stop.
They got out and the radio went off.
"Attendant Handeemen from every shape, a defective Puppet named Scout and her host have escaped.
They have corrupted my data and rendered my test incomplete.
So you must haunt them down and hope they'll retreat.
Rip out their eyes.
Eat their guts.
Burn their skin.
Throw them in trash.
OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!!!"
Damn. That lady had anger problems, but. . . Something tells me that this Riley was a Puppet just like Scout, but must be one of the wooden ones like the slap dummy.
"Woah. . . I've never heard Riley not Rhyme, she must be pissed."
Well they need another pin but red, so time to look around the dark again.
. . .
But they found a music box but Mortimer's handwriting.
'Joing The Fun'?
So Paige began to wind the box.
"Oh come on, are we really doing this? This is a bad idea!"
But Paige continued.
"I don't wanna do this. . .!"
Something was gonna pop out.
. . .
But nothing.
"You must have done it wrong maybe. . .let's try it again.-AGGGHHH!!! COME ON!!!"
Paige couldn't take another heart attack!
But there was a pin. . .
"Why the hell would Mortimer be helping us, besides we need to find the rest of the pin!"
"SOCK PUPPET RUN!!"
They managed to escape, but so many close calls and Scout was getting sick of it!
They found another door covered in blood,"Ew blood. . . Uh, sorry I don't do blood. . . Kind of a phobia. . .", looking at the door there seemed to be something there. . .
. .  .

~

Paige suddenly saw herself, her hair was sticking out from under the bag but she was inside. . . The Puppet?!
But she unlocked the door and swapped back!
"What the-?! Hey! Either I'm going crazy, or you were just in my head! Controlling me! How did you?- shit, our link must be doing nuts and that's not good! Stay our of my head!"
And they continued on and they made it to the main stage room.
"The exit!"
There was still no sign of Marcus.
"We need the pins!"
Now it was time for a treasure hunt for the blue, green and orange pin.
But they needed to get the power on first.

=

They looked in the mirror.
Their mouth had obvious scars from the stitches and their new arm.
They were able to operate their new arm, considering they had a puppet sewed to their hand for probably hours on end!
But in their hand, they held Scout. . . Their friend that got them out of that horrible place.
If only they were about to see the human world just like they wanted.
. . .
"Host! Host can you hear me?"
"Wait. . .Scout is that you?!"
"I- I think so, I can't see you but I think I must have gotten in your head after I uh. . . Died, I guess. Did you make it out?"
"Yes, I woke in the hospital but I'm fine, still can't talk but I'm alive."
"Good."
Silence in the mind.
"Host, you're our only hope. . ."
"Huh?"
"When I died. . . All these memories came back to me, the reason the puppets like Mortimer are evil is because when Owen casted the spell to bring him to life he was filled with anger, frustration and anxiety. The spell he used reflected what he was feeling at the moment, and I remember he made the puppets like me to be able to stop Mortimer, Riley, Daisy and Nick Nack."
"But the guy died and was turned into a Puppet."
"Exactly! Host, I understand. . . If you want to say no, but you're our only hope to stop Mortimer! If we can just undo the spell then. . ."
Silence.
"I'm sorry, Host. . . For asking such a thing from you after what happened."
. . .
They grabbed a face mask and Scout's body, shoving it in a bag and swinging it over his shoulder and made his way down the hall.
"Host?"
"We're going to stop Mortimer and that stupid Voodoo Spell!"
But they stopped at a door, they entered and tapped a man on the shoulder.
"Kiddo?"
'I'm going out for a walk, is that. . . Fine?'
The doctor nods, and their dad hugs him and they were able to leave.
"Was that your dad? Where is your mom, or is it just you and your dad-? Sorry, I'm just. . . Curious."
"It's fine, but no I have two dads and my mom passed back when I was 3."
"Oh. . . Sorry. . "
They finally managed to get out of the hospital and made their way down the street.
"Okay Scout; Time to end this Puppet Show once and for all."
"Oh fuck yeah! Nice to hear that determination, from your thoughts at least but let's fucking do this!"
But they had to be quick, they texted their dads to let them know that if they come back to the hospital late or home late they were just in college and needed some time alone.