Accidents Made Right 3: Philophobia

Chapter 8: Continuing The Hunt For Understanding

I was staring at the maroon, bricked wall in front of me for a few minutes now. Not thinking or doing anything, just... staring.

Eventually, Steve went up to me and put his shoulder on my hand, snapping me out of my trance before I turned to look at him.

I stared into his concerned, pleading eyes for a while, then after saying "I'm fine," I looked around at the street. It was on fire still, and Matthew was talking to the villagers I freed while Samantha leaned against a wall and minding her own business.

"So... Matthew's helping the people you freed with getting re-situated with their homes."

I shook my head, then looked at Steve before responding "Good."

...

"S-so... what's your p-plan for finding Dylan's l-lab," I asked as I stood myself up.

"Well, we were just in Issac's house, and I didn't see any way to enter a lab... so I'm thinking we search Dylan's house, then your family's house."

"A-and what if it isn't I-in either of those p-places?"

"Then we check the crater. It's far enough from the town and large enough that building a lab there would be a fantastic strategic position."

"S-so where are we s-searching first?"

"I was thinking you and I search Dylan's house, while Matthew and Samantha search the crater. Then, if we don't find anything, we go to your family's house."

"W-why do you think he m-might've set up his l-lab in my f-family's house?"

"Because Robert wouldn't expect it."

"B-but we're talking about m-my father. The only b-being in the O-Omniverse who r-rivals your intelligence."

Samantha went over to us, so after Steve told her the plan, Steve and I turned around and headed down the street, presumably to Dylan's house.

"Fair, but your father's also the type of person who, knowing Dylan would choose his house so he wouldn't expect it, would pretend not to notice."

"D-doesn't he only do t-that when it coincides w-with his plan," I argued.

"Well, then if he did that for that reason..."

We had made it to Dylan's house. It was very... normal. It had a double triangular mushroom-like roof made of bricks. The walls were made up of a rough, slated stone, and there was also a dark oak porch at the front with a regular-sized metal door with a keypad and doorbell next to it. The house also didn't seem to have a garage.

We stepped onto the front porch, and I stood back to watch Steve open the door. Steve looked back at me confused, so I nodded back.

He might've understood what I was implying, because he turned back to the door, sighed, and after a moment he opened it.

I then waited patiently for him to enter the house... but he didn't.

"S-Steve? Is something w-wrong?"

"W-what if Knightmare planned this all out? What if he's expecting us to find Dylan's lab?"

I shrugged, went up to him, and said reassuringly as I stared into his scared blue eyes "You know you don't have to follow through with this. We could go back to the apartment. You don't have to do this."

I put my hand on his shoulder, but he grabbed my hand and moved it off as he explained "But I do. I have to find out the truth... whatever it is about. I need to know."

"K-know what?"

"I... I don't know. All I know is something else is there. If I don't know what... if I just quit now... I'll never be able to live with myself."