A Change in Fate

Chapter Six: Hunted Down

    Gregory managed to calm himself, exhaling slowly and repeatedly. He could do this; he could get out. After all, he wasn't too far from the vent he'd entered through originally, right? Daring to look, he peeked around the pipe. Blackness greeted him, only broken a little by his dim flashlight. He could not see the vent, but obviously, it was there. His skin crawled and he ducked back into his hiding spot at the echo of small footsteps. The sound grew quite loud, dangerously close to him.

    "We'll find you eventually," the tiny animatronic whispered, before the footsteps faded. He pressed his lips together, his eyes flicking around the darkness. Having to wander through a pitch-black environment with not one but three roaming animatronics sounded nearly impossible, and almost as petrifying as the last time he'd been in this room. Perhaps more. Ugh, what am I supposed to do? he thought. I only have a dumb flashlight. They'll catch me for sure! His head tipped to the side. Except I can't see them. Does that mean they can't see me? Perhaps they had the same disadvantage. So long as he went as stealthily as possible, he could get out, and then he would never come back to this place again. For real this time.

    With a firm nod, he crept out of his hiding place. He made sure to crouch as low to the floor as he could and clicked off his flashlight. It helped him see, sure, but it also made him more visible. As far as he knew, Ballora couldn't see, but those two baby animatronics could. What were they called again? Bidybabs? He thought he remembered hearing that somewhere. Stop getting distracted, Gregory. He edged forward, his breath catching with each step he took. Just keep going. You can do this. The darkness continued to close in on him. He could hear nothing, only his own labored panting. He didn't let the fear stop him, going as carefully as possible in what he hoped was the right direction. In the dark, with no sense of direction, it was nearly impossible to tell.

    "We know you're still here!" a childish voice called out. Gregory froze in his tracks.

    "We'll find you eventually," whispered another, too close for comfort. Gregory wobbled where he crouched, silently begging himself not to fall over. He felt completely exposed, in the midst of darkness. Clicking came. He bit down on his lip again. The footfalls grew nearer, followed by the quietest of giggles. "All around the merry-go-round..." she began to sing. Gregory bit harder, drawing blood. "The monkey chased the weasel..." The Bidybab's voice became louder. Go away. He held his flashlight like a weapon, eyes flicking through darkness, fruitlessly searching for his pursuer. "The monkey thought 'twas all in fun..." The floor vibrated beneath his feet; the clacking of metal echoed behind him. "Pop goes the—" she broke off. A long silence followed. Not a sound came, not even Gregory's panting, for he now held his breath.

    Finally, he heard something: footsteps. They slowly grew fainter, fading...fading...fading...until it was gone.

    Gradually and silently, he let his breath back out. After taking a moment to catch his breath and tame his nerves, he forged on. Foot over foot, step after step, he went through the darkness. He didn't get far, before a soft tune rose near him. Ballora's music. He halted. It grew louder. He clamped his eyes shut. The music faded. He went on, edging through the pitch black, silently begging for himself to reach the vent. He stretched out his hand in an attempt to feel the wall he supposedly headed towards. His fingertips met nothing.

    "He's close," whispered a Bidybab. Gregory froze, unable to tell how near this voice was. When he heard nothing else, he dared to keep going. Thankfully, nothing came at him, and he went on for a while, feeling his way through the black. Ballora's music came again. He halted, listening to the haunting tune chime around him. He couldn't tell which direction it came from. It sounded like it was everywhere. Behind him, to his right, to his left; above him. Once it grew louder, he detected its origin. To his right. He gulped hard, listening fearfully as it passed by. It felt like Ballora spun through his head, the tune radiating off the floor and burning through his ears. As it began to fade, a Bidybab spoke, "Keep searching, he's here."