TAKEOVER!: CONTINUED

CHAPTER 34: Danger, Danger!

Skittles was leading the Gang down a long, dark hallway. It was now 3:00 AM, and everyone was exhausted. 

Blockhead and Conscience, carried by Captain, were out cold as he followed close behind everyone else, half asleep. Salad Fingers was hardly able to stay awake while ENA was asleep, floating alongside them by using some sort of autopilot in their mind. "Lucky... get to sleep while yo-you're traveling late... lu-lucky, lucky girl... or lad... I don't know anymore", he groggily mumbled. Pico was being carried by Cassandra, who was in alien form to be able to fully do so. Edd was fully energetic, Alien Hominid on his back and looking around cautiously. Skittles halted them by putting up a hand, causing them to suddenly stop and bump into each other, accidentally waking the sleeping characters. "Weh?!", Conscience groggily exclaimed. Blockhead yawned and showed a long, segmented, wooden tongue. "Where are we..?", Blockhead asked as Conscience stared, shocked and now fully awake. "We're at the site that they're storing the newest reported victim in... I've heard he's been really fucked up", Skittles stated. Captain's eyes widened and he stepped forward. "I didn't know anyone else got ca-a-aught..!", he yelped. Pico yawned and stepped down so Cassandra could do her thing. She sauntered over to the door and looked it up and down before simply opening it. She growled, sounding like a casually speaking lynx. "What? Unlocked!?", Sal stated in surprise and shock. "They do that to people they know can't operate a door...! It's a sick joke meant to tease them.. They did... they did that to me!", Conscience whimpered. Blockhead nodded. "They did it to me, too... I couldn't reach it, even when I jumped! I tried over and over to get out, but... it was no use...", he sorrowfully stated. Suddenly, a whimper sounded from the middle of the large, dark room. They all got a good look in and stared in horror.

There were rotten chunks of flesh everywhere, blood on the walls and fragments of bone on the floor. They scanned around and noticed him in the center of the room;

It was Matt.

He was crying in his sleep, holding his disembodied lower jaw close to his chest while curled up. He was missing pieces and he'd turned a sick, greyish-blue...

 he'd grown claws, along with massive, sharp fangs that jutted out from his top jaw, which looked gruesome and torn with his tongue loosely hanging out of his jangled throat. 

He was absolutely mangled.

Edd began to sob as he recognized the sobbing, decomposing, mangled mess that used to be one of his best friends. "M-...M-Matt...? I-is that you?", he whimpered, stepping closer. 3 steps away, he leaned over him, trying to restrain tears as he studied the horrific wounds and transformations he'd endured... 

The wounds were yellow or black in some spots, being heavily infected. His blood was heavily decomposed, looking black with large clots and chunks in it as it lay dried on and around him. He reeked of the unmistakable smell of death as he trembled and laid there in agony. 

His yellowed eyes slowly began to open, and suddenly, they widened and he gasped as he tried to run away, falling and crawling away on his back while hyperventilating. His eyes darted, focusing on one gang member at a time. "Matt! I-It's us!! You're safe now! You won't get hurt again, I-I promise!", Edd shakily cried, trying to smile as he approached. "You... still want me..? You're still... my fr-friend...? But I--...", Matt whimpered, confused. He genuinely thought they wouldn't come to get him. "Yes! Of course we're still friends, silly! Why... why wouldn't we be..?", Edd asked in bewilderment. "I-I've done so many horrible things to you and Tom... I was always this ....thing... this scary, rotten monster on the inside... I-I don't want to hurt you!", Matt sobbed in return, causing Edd to feel angry. "He told you that, huh? Well, you may have done some bad things, but listen... you're not a monster, or even a bad person! You're friends with us for a reason! You may be an idiotic narcissist...", Edd started, crouching in front of him, "..but you're our idiotic narcissist, Matt", he finished, tilting his head with a comforting smile as Matt's eyes widened and gleamed. He sobbed and grabbed hold of Edd, who jumped in surprise at the sudden zombie-hug, but ended up chuckling and hugging back. "Heh... not gonna get that smell off for weeks... it's okay, Matt, you're safe now", he chuckled as he uncontrollably sobbed. "Thank you!! Th-thank you!!! I'm so glad you came for me..! I didn't think you would..", Matt whimpered. Pico and Alien stepped forward to help him up, and they pressed on to find another empty room that they hadn't already been found in.