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(Author's Note: I have a choice for all of you at the end of this chapter, and I'm hoping you choose the option I was expecting. Also, another HSMTMTS chapter will be released soon originally today or tomorrow, but something came up for two days just now so next week so we'll get to see our favorite messy yet sweet pansexual and our hot and mean but also iconic redhead lesbian again.)
"Okay, guys, we have one more artifact to go. We've got this," Sam tried to reassure the team as they sat around, attempting to relax and calm down after everything that had led up to these moments.
"Yeah, but still, one of us has to die, and I just know it shouldn't be me again. I already died basically once," Ethan said, crossing his arms and leaning back into the chair he was in.
"Yeah, but the cards might still pick you," Quinn accidentally remarks, which makes Ethan give her a confused "WTF" face. "Sorry, love you too, bro. I totally agree with you 100%, but also, I shouldn't die either."
"Yeah, I mean, babe, we all have your back, but we can't just die because of that reason. If the cards pick me or you, or even both of you, we just have to follow it. We can't escape it," Chad states to Ethan before turning to the other two.
"And don't worry, Ethan. You still matter to us. You're not expendable or anything," Sam tries to reassure the youngest out of the four.
"You say that, but I've been in three times, yeah, three, and if I go in a fourth time, the carnival master hates gay people! Or just hates me in general," Ethan rants, clearly getting kind of pissed off by how everybody is trying to act calm, which feels so unrealistic.
"But also, I think we all deserve to be here, right? But let's face it, we're kind of a hot mess right now. I've died before, Chad, I love you with all my heart, but you struggle with puzzles without others' help or guidance. Sam, you made a deal with some random people you didn't even know, which was basically selling your soul away, with the price being to kill your friends and your sister. Quinn, though, has kicked some ass. The 'horny meter' has gone up every time we've met a monster. Yes, it's probably broken right now or launched off, but like, well done across the board." Ethan finally vents, leaving everyone silenced or a bit shocked by how he recapped their bad moments to prove his point from a few seconds ago.
"Thank you," Quinn says, an innocent smile appearing on her lips as she puts her hands on her hips.
"Can we just go look at the map?" Sam says, to which everyone agrees. They gather around and place the map on a stool right in front.
"Strange you'd ever forget the night," they read the clue before spotting some familiar drawings of the artifacts from before: the wicker man, the snake, the jack-in-the-box. However, they also see something new – a drawing of a church with another clue that reads, "Twelve. Three. Six. Nine. And then it all starts again." This was oddly something resembling clock numbers.
