The Unsolved Case

You ain't goin' nowhere (16)

The four tortured objects stared at the shattered remains of their captor, expressions a mixture of shock and horror. Pepper almost cried at the sight of another death, standing up on shaky legs. She avoided the shards of glass, trying to make her way to Taco.

Pepper gently scooped Taco up into her arms, being careful with her.

Taco was one of the only people in here that really.. helped with her trauma. Taco helped her cope, and Pepper gave her advice on how to apologize and such. It was more of an exchange than an actual relationship.

But nonetheless, the two had developed some sort of bond. It was nice, to say the least.

.

Pepper exchanged glances with Pickle, who looked sick. He was trying his best not to vomit, looking away from the corpse of their tormentor.

Pickle picked up Bow, who was barely even conscious. She could hardly even stand on her own, of course he was going to help her.

But there was one question that remained in his mind.

Where is Trophy..?

Sure, they all know that he's here now, but where? Test Tube could've put him anywhere. And even so, they were probably already on a time limit to escape. MePhone was still around, after all.

Pickle took a step out of the room and into the long hallway, eye scanning the area. There was their old room, which reeked of death. And then there were a few other doors.

Their old room had blood seeping through the gaps of the door.

He shook his head of those thoughts, swallowing even more bile. He'd lost his appetite by now.

..

Scratches on the floor remained, tints of gold mixed in. But the room that they led to? There was none. They only led into the hallway.

They weren't going to be able to take Trophy with them.

He was stuck here, stuck with Test Tube.

Just until help arrives for him, Pickle reminded himself. As soon as they all reach the hotel, he's going to tell everyone what happened.

They all had to know. This had to stop. The torture couldn't go on for any longer, Pickle wouldn't let it.

So, on they went, making their way to the exit.

They finally had freedom.

.

..

But was it really worth it?

—

Trophy blankly stared at the gray walls surrounding himself, his gaze clouded. He could hardly even stay awake.

His left side felt lighter. The photographer brought a hand to where his left handle was.

But there was nothing there, save for the jagged edges that remained.

Tears welled up in his eyes, even as he tried to keep them bottled up.

But nobody was looking.

Boys don't cry, his parents had drilled into his mind. Who was he to question them?

.

The photographer brought his knees to his chest, resting his head on them. He sniffled, wrapping his arms around himself.

He really was a wimp.

—

MePhone dismissed himself as soon as he could, saying something like 'i'm not responsible for this so you can't sue me again' and then walking off, presumably to grab a 27th cookie.

But Test Tube wasn't listening.

Her 'ears' rang, her own screams replaying in her brain. The scientist's expression was one of horror as it dawned on her that, yes, her subjects had a chance to escape now.

They were going to tell everyone.

A pit of dread settled in Test Tube's gut. She stood there like a deer in headlights.

Well, that was before her legs moved on their own. It was like she couldn't even control her actions anymore.

All for science, she told herself over and over again. There were no humane experiments left for her, she told herself. This was the only way, she told herself.

But was her 'truth' really true, or was it just a pretty lie that she used to justify herself?

She would never figure that out.

But there was no time to dwell on the regrets and dread that settled in her brain like a disease.

Ignoring the weird looks that most residents gave her, mainly Soap and Knife, she made a bee-line for the hotel's doors. She couldn't let them escape. Not after how far she'd gotten with this.

.

..

Before she knew it, she was outside of the doors and running on the stone pathway in front of the hotel as fast as she could.

She couldn't- no, she WOULDN'T let them escape. Not after everything that she's done, after everything that she's figured out.

Her thoughts became white-noise as she ran like her life depended on it, legs aching at the halfway point.

She was so close.

But why did she feel like turning around and letting this slide, to go back to her friends while she could?

.

Test Tube pushed onward, shaking away those thoughts. They were the least of her concerns at the moment.

So, she ran. And ran.

The vending machine was in her line of sight by now.

So close to it, so close to saving her hard work-

But four pairs of eyes stared her down, boring a hole into her soul.

Test Tube stopped, gasping for air. She bent down to do so, hands on her knees as she stared at the grass beneath her feet.

.

Whenever she looked back up, all she saw were the expressions of the ones she tortured.