Lost

•● Chapter 11 ●•

After almost an hour, Gregory was beginning to lose hope.

He was still trapped, and Monty was still guarding his only exit. The small, cramped hole was getting claustrophobic as the boy panicked, and breathing was growing harder.

He cried out for Freddy one more time before quickly having to crawl further in when Monty's whole arm broke through the dirt. He was going to break in any moment.

His eyes teared up, and he hugged his knees fearfully. He hesitantly clutched his lantern closer to him for any sort of light.

He would never find Bonnie now. All of it would be for nothing.

Memories of his dad came into his mind. They were now fuzzy and unclear, but they were there. He remembered the night he was afraid of the dark, and Bonnie took him out to see the stars. He does not remember the last time he has felt so safe.

He remembers Bonnie's advice to him.

"... You'll never see the beauty in anything if it's always sunny... Everything shines brighter in the dark..."

The boy scowled. He could not see any light or any positives in this situation. But then, he thought of it in a more literal sense.

Everything looks brighter in the dark.

The boy glanced at his lantern hesitantly. He feared blowing it out, but he realized his time was running out. This was his only chance.

He opened the little door protecting the flame and blew it out, darkening the small dirt cave around him.

It seemed useless at first until Gregory noticed a dim light towards his right.

There was a small tunnel behind a rock. It led to some sort of light on the other side.

He dropped the lantern and pushed the rock out of the way. The space was just tight enough for him to crawl in. He could hear Monty snarling behind him, still attempting to break in and catch him. He forced himself through the muddy, nearly pitch-black tunnel towards the exit.

The dirt tube seemed to be getting smaller until he was having to slide and scoot his way through. He feared the dirt caving in on him, but he persisted as the light became more visible.

He finally squeezed through a small opening and fell a few feet onto the pavement of the city.

He was not sure where he was now, but he was relieved to be out.

He pulled himself up and walked forward, calling out to his dad repeatedly, hoping Freddy would hear him further away.

The streets were desolate, and the air was freezing. The boy crossed his arms to warm himself while he walked.

He heard the aggressive voice of Roxanne nearby growing closer. She did not sound like herself, which led Gregory to believe she too was infected. He would rather stay out of her away and not find out.

His heart dropped suddenly as the realization hit him.

If Roxanne is infected... where was Cassie? Did Roxanne hurt her?!

Gregory was so scared for Cassie. In the nicest way possible, she was rather sensitive. She was not very independent in these kinds of situations and usually relied on Roxanne or Gregory to make her feel safe. He could not imagine how frightened she must be if she was still alive.

He buried that thought deep into his mind. He could not worry about that now.

Gregory heard a familiar deep voice call out to him. He froze in his tracks to listen again.

When he heard it again, he recognized Freddy's voice immediately. His dad was calling for him.

"Dad!" He called back, hurrying towards the direction of the calls.

When they stopped coming, the boy tried listening again.

He heard Freddy's voice call him again and hope welled up within him. He sprinted faster towards the noise and felt relieved.

The noises led to an empty clearing in the city. Gregory froze right before stepping into it.

He could hear his father's voice coming from here, but Freddy was nowhere to be found.

He leaned forward hesitantly. "...dad-?" He asked more quietly.

He heard Freddy again, this time quieter. Gregory took a few silent steps forward, his head and eyes darting each direction and his ears upright in alertness.

When he made it closer to the center, he glanced around in confusion, seeing Freddy was not there.

He whimpered in frustration and fear, wiping his teary eyes. "Dad...! Where are you??" He cried.

Gregory sat down and hugged his knees, weeping with his face in his paws. He was so scared and confused. He was freezing with his limited clothing, and he was all alone.

He felt a gentle and reassuring paw on his shoulder.

Gregory felt relief again and glanced up to see his dad. In that second, he realized his foolish mistake.

The bunny with red, narrowed eyes was grinning down at him. He let out a blood-curdling scream in terror as she took him.