Chapter Text
007n7 laid on his bed- can you even call it a bed? It was cold, hard, and difficult to sleep on, it was the only reason he picked this cabin from the others, nobody deserved this slab of concrete that called itself a bed.
His eyes glaze over as he mindlessly taps on his c00lgui, he's been trying to mess with it ever since he got here, maybe it can teleport them all out of here, maybe it can change this place to what he wants… it's wishful thinking he knows, probably completely impossible, the being keeping them here is a cruel god after all.
It's monotonous at this point, a cycle that he continues trying over and over to the same result hoping it'll change… it's just like this place really, a cycle that plays over and over hoping for something new or different.. 07 doesn't like thinking about it, it makes him feel sick.
The bright black and red screen slightly burned his eyes, he had to squint to see it well, he can't tell if it's because he's tired or if it's always been this blinding… It feels like it gets brighter and brighter every night. But 07 didn't mind, he didn't have the time to care, he'd rather escape and if that means giving himself even more vision problems so be it.
The gui's coding began to blur, yeah 07 is definitely tired.. Maybe he could see if they have a way to make coffee? It wouldn't be healthy per say but it'd help somewha-
“OW!-”
07 hissed as a sudden static hit his finger tips, his skin burned as he grabbed it letting the gui dissolve. 07 has gotten burned a few times doing hacking, he had thought he'd gotten over it not being able to feel pain in his hands anymore, but this time it was different… the burning sensation began to engulf his whole body, his mind felt like it was frying- it felt like what you'd imagine getting the electric chair would feel like the few moments before your demise. He tried to rise from his bed but instead was met with the harshness of the floor.
He whined and coughed, looking at his hands he saw… black and red static slowly consuming them, it was similar to the corruption that John Doe fella had.. Oh god.. Oh no.
07 tried to yell, to scream, to get anybody's attention. But instead a garbled coughing erupted from his throat instead, black ooze dripping from his lips. His body felt like it was contorting and twisting, it burned..
Was he dreaming? Was this all just some nightmare he'll surely wake up from-
“Poor pathetic creature… nobody's coming for you.”
07 paused, his head slowly lifting to see… that thing.
The creature he's only heard being described to him, their ghostly abductor that looked as if they were arising from fog, chains wrapped around their form.
“W-... Why-” 07 could barely get a sentence out before more black ooze sputtered from his mouth.
“Why am I doing this? Simple! I'm bored… and that little gui of yours is getting… Dangerous. I'd be better in the hands of somebody who doesn't know how to use it that well..” The Spectre swayed as they spoke. “Plus, wouldn't it be fun to shake things up? Oh imagine your teammates' faces- seeing their old comrade now a mangled husk of his former self, maybe they'll regret treating you so poorly… I'm not here for a soap opera after all- I'm here for the bloodshed.”
07’s head spun, this creature spoke as if they were just toys- characters in a twisted reality TV show that they could use for their own entertainment. He tried to yell, to fight back but to ooze kept coming and their body burned even more.
“Stop that, you'll just hurt yourself more.” The Spectre sneered for a moment before a more gleeful look came to their face. “Don't worry, you'll get a replacement! I've been needing one for a certain someone for some time after all..”
The Spectre cackled, 07 tried to do something but the pain was unbearable, he couldn't fight this… he let himself slip into a beast…
≻──────────≺
“C00lkidd…”
“No!”
1x dodged yet another poor attempt of the child fighting back, the pillow hitting the wall behind her. The child hid underneath the rest of the blankets and pillows he's hoarded, it'd look cute if he didn't look so monstrous.
“I'm not leaving until you stop throwing this… Tantrum.” 1x leaned on the cracking door frame. “The Spectre isn't happy with you.”
“I don't care!!” C00lkidd hit his hands and kicked his feet. “I don't wanna play no more!! It's boring and nobody knows how to play!! They just pretend to fall asleep so they're not it! It's unfair!!! It's stupid I just wanna go home and be with Papa!!”
1x pinched the bridge of her nose, a deep growling noise coming from the back of their throat as the child continued to whine. It was beginning to piss her off, despite being the incarnation of hatred it's hard to get her this upset.
“But it's your job you fool! You're meant to ki-.. Play- with them until The Spectre tells us otherwise. You cannot fight that, you don't want anymore warning for them after all..”
“I don't care what that butt face wants from me!!” C00lkidd threw another pillow, this time it actually hit and bounced off of 1x’s face, despite the force it didn't seem to bother her. “I.Don't.Wanna!!!!!!”
C00lkidd continued to whine and cry like a toddler, 1x wonders how that insufferable hacker managed to deal with him for so long if the tantrums were this annoying.
“Fine.” 1x snapped. “But don't come crying when you get punished.”
The door slammed shut, the door frame cracking even more than before. C00lkidd screamed into his pillow, tears staining it at this point.
C00lkidd was tired of this game, he just wanted to go home… nobody knew how to play the game and it was so annoying. He hasn't been able to snuggle with Papa in so long, he didn't want to be here anymore. Who cares what a meanie like Spectre thinks-
“C00lkidd.. Did your father ever teach you words hurt?”
Oh great..
C00lkidd didn't look up to stare at the ghost, he kept his face firmly placed onto his pillow.
“What do you want…”
“Awh, where's that cheery little C00lkidd..? I've missed him dearly”
C00lkidd just huffed in response. He felt something harshly grab the back of his neck making the child yelp in surprise and pain, shivering like a puppy as he was forced to stare at The Spectre.
“You know.. I brought you here to have fun, and hearing you aren't having fun hurts me so deeply..” The Spectre pouted slightly before their usual unnerving girn spreader onto their face. “How about you play.. A different game?”
“.. What typa game?”
“Well it's like.. Hide and seek! You and a few others hide and somebody seeks! You'll need to keep the seeker from touching you too many times or else it's game over! Does that sound fun?”
“Mm.. Do I gotta be the seeker..?”
“Nope!”
C00lkidd thought for a moment looking down at the floor before nodding.
“Mkay..”
“Perfect!!” The Spectre grin widened. “And don't you worry.. Somebody will take your place here while you're playing.”
“Okay! When will it start!?”
“Now.”
Spectre snapped their fingers as a portal appeared below the killer, they let go as C00lkidd fell, the child letting out a fearful scream… The Spectre could get used to it.
≻──────────≺
C00lkidd groaned, his head hurt really badly.. Probably because of Spectre being a meanie and not warning him before dropping him. He whimpered softly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Blinking a few times, C00lkidd noticed he was in the Horror Hotel. He was about to go looking for people before he remembered he was a hider!! He wonders if Papa and his friends are hiders too, who's seeking them? If papa's here maybe he'd be able to hug him again.
C00lkidd meandered around for a little, spotting one of those machine thingys what were they… oh generators right! He's seen Papa and his friends get distracted while doing them so he can sneak up on them which was usually really funny. C00lkidd noticed something.. Usually he's much taller than the generators, being even taller than his Papa and friends!! But now he's the same height as the generator which was weird..
But he didn't mind! C00lkidd just kneeled down to do the generator, he's trying to mimic what his Papa and his friends do, the generator's sparking made him a little nervous but it's okay! He can do this…
… but he feels like there's something watching him.. Goosebumps rose on his arms as he fiddled with the generators, he shivered slightly as that feeling was not going away… something was getting closer.
C00lkidd tried to rush it, the sparks hurt his hands every now and again, he's halfway completed with the generator.. Maybe he could find somebody after this-
"̷C̵0̴0̴l̷k̸i̷d̸d̷?̸"̵
The child froze, that voice… it was warped and distorted, C00lkidd slowly turned his head, his body shivering.
There stood a monster, one that looked just like his father.
≻──────────≺
The survivors stayed in their usual safe place on the map- the ball pit was easy to escape and Builderman can usually get a sentry and dispenser inside. Nobody had seen the killer- a few heard odd noises but not a sight of it.
“I wonder who's the killer.. Do you think they're messing with us?” Noob shivered, huddling close to Guest.
“I'm betting it's somebody new.” Builderman said as he finished up his sentry. “if we haven't seen a trade of them? They probably don't even know what they're doing fully..”
“Well at least it's an easy round?” Elliot nervously chuckled.
Small conversations happened between the survivors, they didn't get the time to talk like this since they're fighting for their lives, but everyone still spoke quietly just in case..
“I have a question.” Two Time clapped their hands together, getting everyone's attention. “Has anybody seen 007n7 yet? I heard some… odd noises from his cabin last night.”
Everyone paused, looking at each other before mumbling “no”’s or shaking their heads. Two Time frowned.
“Do you think he's dead?” Noob worried.
“Nah.. Dude probably would've screamed by now..” chance absentmindedly flipped his coin.
“Two Time.. Did you get to look at 07’s cabin?” Builderman looked down at the cultist, who hummed softly in thought before responding.
“A little.. I was looking at it before this round. There was no sign of him but there was this black goo on the floor.. It was like tar in a way. I have no clue what could've happened, I could only pray to The Spawn he's safe..”
Everyone murmured in agreement, 07 wasn't the most popular person in this group, but they had to stick together in this purgatory. Even with grudges it's better to put those to the side until they've escaped..
The survivors continued their conversations, a few theories on who the killer was or where 07 was dominating the group, it was just such a strange circumstance that everyone was worried even folks like Elliot who never got along with him.
Suddenly, a scream was heard.
It wasn't a scream anybody recognized, it was shrill, high pitched, echoing through the hotel making a few people's ears ring. Shedletsky pulled out his sword, getting up from his spot.
“You all wait here.. I'll investigate.”
“Are you sure you don't need us? It could be dangerous.” Guest asked.
“No- if that thing comes for you all you'll need extra protection, don't worry I'll be back soon!” Shedletsky grinned before running off.
≻──────────≺
Run.
That's all C00lkidd could do. Run as far as his little legs would take him, that creature posing as his father chased after him.
"̶C̸0̸0̵l̴K̵i̷d̴d̵-̷ ̴c̵o̴m̴e̵ ̸b̵a̴c̴k̶ ̶h̶e̴r̴e̴!̸!̶!̴"̶
It's voice was scratchy and sore, black sludge spilling out everytime it spoke, it was a poor imitation of his dad- his dad's voice was soft, warm, gentle, this… this was the exact opposite.
C00lkidd ran through rooms, trying to get it off of him, but it wouldn't budge.
"̷K̷i̷d̸d̶o̸ ̷p̷l̷e̶a̷s̵e̴ ̵c̷o̴m̷e̵ ̵b̵a̷c̶k̵-̴ ̵l̶e̵t̷ ̸m̴e̷ ̸c̴h̸e̶c̸k̵ ̵o̷n̴ ̵y̴o̴u̴.̸.̵.̴"̴
“LEAVE ME ALONE” C00lkidd shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. He huffed, slowly down, no no no he can't be getting tired now.. He ran out one room into a hallway, he noticed somebody.. A man with a white shirt, yellow skin and curly hair… Shedletsky!
C00lkidd knew he was a friend of his papa's, he had a big sword that normally hurt real bad.. That wasn't even allowed in tag! But maybe.. Maybe it'll help him this time.
Shedletsky stared in confusion.. They hadn't touched this generator? How was it halfway completed? Was there somebody new or-
“ HELP!”
Shedletsky jolted, looking over to the small creature running towards him and…
Oh my god.
He looked at the beast- no- his friend. Twisted from the Spectre, arms and legs had been elongated, making him tower over any of them while standing up straight, corrupted code surrounded his form as it made this shrill noise.
That thing running towards him was C00lkidd usually Shedletsky would slash him without much thought but he was now small, the stature of a child. His arms were spread out as he ran towards the admin, tears streaming down his cheeks as he ran from the mangled version of his father.
Shedletsky closed the gap between the two, scooping the child in one arm, lifting his sword in the other. He slashed at the beast, it made this ear splitting scream once it was it, Shedletsky ran behind it disappearing into a room nearby.
"̸N̴O̶!̸!̶ ̷G̸I̷V̸E̵ ̷M̶E̷ B̷̼̠̣̞̰̍Ã̶͓̙̱͝͝C̴̱̳̅̌K̴̡̠̘͍̕ ̸̢͖͉͂̿M̷̜̠͋̉̈́͌̾Y̵̨̛̼̩ ̴̨̻͖̺̉̈̍͜S̷̝̈́̏̾̈́͐Ó̵̯͉̭͎̗̐̚Ṉ̸̻͙̉!̵͓͇͖͌͝!̸͂̍̉ͅ"̶̨͙̩̭̦́̅̀̋
The sword fighter hid in one of the closets as the beast ran past, Shedletsky holding the child close to him. C00lkidd silently sobbed into his chest, shivering like a leaf. Shedletsky’s hold was strong, it was a bit comforting to the small child.
“I don't wanna play this game..” C00lkidd sobbed. “They said it was fun but it isn't!!”
Shedletsky gently shushed the child, rubbing circles into his back, it's fbeen awhile since he's done this…
“Hey hey.. It's okay.. You're okay.. I've got you…” Shedletsky did his best to comfort the sobbing child. “What happened..”
“The- the Spectre said- said that I could play another game because- *hic* because tag was boring.. B-but- *hic* but they didn't tell me that- that it'd be scary..” C00lkidd hicked and sobbed as he spoke, trembling in Shedletsky's arms.
Shedletsky was disgusted.. Why would that thing- do this? It was cruel to bring a child into here in the first place but this? Forced to go up against his own father and twisting him so heavily.. Shedletsky squeezed the boy tighter.
“Don't worry.. It'll be okay.. I'll keep you safe..”
“D-do you- *hic* do you promise…”
“I promise..”
Shedletsky let himself slide down onto their floor, C00lkidd snuggling close to him for comfort. This kid didn't deserve this, even with all the hacking and being forced to kill them.. This was too harsh. He didn't deserve this.
The two sat in that position, Shedletsky occasionally murmuring gentle soothing words, the comforting was interrupted by more screaming- shit. 007n7 must've found the others.
Shedletsky pondered just staying here.. Guest and Chance could handle themselves, maybe he could just say he died somewhere to avoid the shame of hiding. However the child tugging at his shirt snapped him out of that thought.
“Come on-” C00lkidd sobbed. “We gotta go help ‘em.. They might get hurt!”
Shedletsky looked down at him before nodding, he kept the child close to his chest as he stood up. He walked slowly, carefully, he doesn't know what 07 was capable of, and the sound seemed dangerously close…
≻──────────≺
Guest hissed as Elliot began patching him up, Chance and Two Time were taking turns distracting 007n7, Dusekkar providing support for those two, Noob merely hid behind the wall with Guest & Elliot.
“The fuck is that thing.” Guest huffed out, the soldier's eyes filled with fear for the first time in years.
“I have no idea..” Elliot spoke softly. “That- that can't actually be 07..can it?” Elliot shivered at the thought, he hates to admit it but he's grown to care about the man these past few months.
“That thing it's- it's horrific..” Noob murmured, tears welling their eyes. “I'm surprised Chance and Two Time can even- face that thing!”
While that.. Thing was getting distracted, Builderman built a sentry nearby, hoping maybe those two could lure it in.
He heard the creaking of the old floorboards, he glanced over to see his fellow admin leaving one of the hotel rooms.
“Shedletsky.” Builderman’s tone was sharp, making Shedletsky jolt slightly.
“Heyy builderrr..” Shedletsky squeezed the child closer to him, making it so Builderman couldn't see him. Builderman raised an eyebrow.
“.. What are you hiding?”
“Nothin'-”
“You're clearly holding something.”
“I dunno what you're talking about.”
“Shed.. What are you hiding.”
Shedletsky looked away, a mix of shame and guilt on his face.. How could he explain this to him or anybody? C00lkidd is a danger, he's killed them countless times and here he was, cradling him like a newborn child.
Builderman stepped forward, reaching out, Shedletsky pulled away.
“Shed what's gotten into you all of a sudden-.. That thing didn't corrupt you did it?”
“No!” Shedletsky looked at his old friend before glancing away. “It's just-.. I dunno how- to explain-”
“You don't have to explain if you just show me!”
“I'm- I'm not doing that-”
“Shedletsky-”
“You'll get upset-”
“I'm ALREADY upset because you're hiding something that could be HELPFUL-”
"̶̝͕̩͙̙̠͉̈͛͂͆͊ͅS̵̢͚̬̻̅͐͋͑͑̑͒͘͝H̶̨̟̬͖͎̩͉̻͚͕̲̭̤͓͕̋̃͊͒̊̀͗̾̾͒̇͝Ë̵̛͖͈͍̬̟͕̹̹̹̜̹̱̮̼̣́̓́͂́̊͝D̵̝̫̼̖̰̲̼̭͔͚̗̞̰͇͋̈́͐̇̌̀̒͒͋͛̉͘L̸͈̹͉͕͎̭̳̞͛̋͑̽̉̇̉̅̚ͅE̸̢̜͕̗̳͖̣̓͒̽̍͋̈̀T̷̠̺̜͍̤̥̤̙̥̞̣̱̈́̋ͅS̷̛͓̥̣͎̓̍͊̔̈̓̅́̕͠ͅK̸̨̹̟̖͓̼̠̪͚̪͍͘͜͜͝Ý̴̛̭̟̻̳͐͗̑͗̿͐̇̾̊͜͝"̴̨͎̮̫̝͖̂̄͂
Shedletsky and Builderman both froze, her faces turning to 007n7, he stood up straight glaring at the admin before bending down and booking it towards him.
Shedletsky didn't hesitate, he ran. He ran as fast as he could, that thing didn't even seem to care about the others, rushing past them to beeline towards Shedletsky. Despite nearly fumbling and falling Shedletsky did his best to escape, he tried to pull his sword out but seering claws slashed his back, his sword clattered to the ground- he couldn't grab it. Somebody else could grab his sword or it'd appear next to him after this round was over, he needed to protect C00lkidd.
He slowed down, huffing, blood pooling down his back and onto the floor. He wonders if Builderman's dispenser was still in the ball pit, but he couldn't go see- it'd risk its destruction and his death.
"̴S̵h̴e̷d̴l̷e̵t̸s̶k̵y̵.̴.̷.̸"̵
007n7’s voice rasped as he spoke his name, Shedletsky held C00lkidd tighter, he needed to find a way out..he needed to survive. He glanced down at the kid, the c00lgui in his hands, he was sniffling as tears kept going down his cheeks.
"̷̠̱͕̀̈́G̶̡̖̟̏͌̈Ê̶̥̓̕T̴͍͕̑̎͒ ̶̭͋̈B̵̦̼̉Ạ̷̩̝̑̊͛Ĉ̸̣̅̔Ḱ̵̟̝͓͝ ̴͉̪͕̏͝H̷̱̜̪̓͠Ê̶͕̻̪R̸͈̆́E̸̛̦͔̙͒̐"̸̧̩̹̿͒͗
Shedletsky turned to face 07, instead of being faced with his demise he watched as he ran in a different direction towards… him?
Oh.. Oh! C00lkidd's gui must be similar to 07’s, it must have a similar cloning technique to his.. Shedletsky wasted no time, he rushed towards the ball pit, thank god the dispenser wasn't moved or destroyed. He slumped over on the wall, taking a sharp inhale as he did so.
Shedletsky's eyes were closed, he let out a shaky breath feeling as the dispenser helped his wounds. His eyes opened as he felt C00lkidd wiggling out of his arms, he sat next to the admin, the gui still pulled up.
His hands were shaking as he looked over the minimal amount of choices he had, they seemed different from 07’s..
“Hey.. Don't stress yourself out too much kid..” Shedletsky gave C00lkidd a gentle smile but frowned when C00lkidd shook his head.
“Nuh-uh.. you got hurt cuz of me..” The kid puffed his cheeks up, his finger slowly looked over his options seemingly reading something before clicking a button, a random treat appeared on the floor. C00lkidd grabbed it and handed it to Shedletsky.
“Here.. I see Mr. Elliot healing you with pizza all the time..”
Shedletsky looked down at the chocolate bar, he realistically didn't need it, the dispenser was right there and he still had his chicken.. But he slowly opened the wrapper and ate it anyway, he'd rather not upset the poor kid. He looked over to see C00lkidd with a wide grin, his tail thumping the pretend ball floor.
“The round I'll be over soon.” Shedletsky said softly. “Hopefully that thing doesn't get anybody in the meantime.”
“Mm.. I don't wanna play anymore.. Maybe The Spectre will put me back to normal.”
“Maybe.”
“Don't worry, next time we play I'll make sure not to tag you so hard!”
Shedletsky smiled at the kid.. He didn't really know what to do or say, this poor kid was forced to think he's playing a fun game when he's hurting people and now… he's being hurt as well.
C00lkidd snuggled up to his side, Shedletsky raised his arm for a moment before letting it gently rest on the kid's shoulder.
“You're soft like my Papa..” C00lkidd murmured.
The two stayed still, Shedletsky closed his eyes leaning back.. He felt the texture change as he was teleported back to the cabin, but their position stayed the same position for a long while, eventually Shedletsky felt C00lkidd's weight leaving his side hearing small giggling. His eyes slowly opened, he could see C00lkidd excitedly looking at flowers.. Wait.
C00lkidd shouldn't be here.. Did The Spectre really flip his and his father's roles just like that? That's.. Unbelievable. Shedletsky watched the child closely, C00lkidd happily looking at the daisy and poking at it every now and again, giggling the whole time.
Shedletsky stood up, making his way to C00lkidd and squatting down.
“Papa has a lotta flowers.” C00lkidd said. “We have two big sunflowers out by the front of our house.. And we have some other flowers in the house, like uh.. Roses.. Tulips.. Uhh, a few others..”
Shedletsky nodded along with what the kid said, he began blabbering about other things that came to his mind, his talking didn't last long, yawning loudly and slightly scrunching up his face.
“You must be pretty tired huh?”
C00lkidd nodded, yawning again.
“Do you think papa's here..?”
Shedletsky stayed quiet, scratching his chin.
“Uh.. Maybe.. We'll go see later! Come on- you can stay in my cabin for the night." Shedletsky picked the kid up, holding him close.
“Mm.. Where are you gonna sleep?”
“I'll get a sleeping bag or somethin’, don't worry about me kiddo.”
C00lkidd hummed slightly, his eyes dropped close, softly snoring as he fell asleep. Shedletsky was careful with his movements, doing his best to not wake him up, he didn't know if this kid was a light sleeper or not. Locking his cabin door he tucked the kid into bed, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hands covered his face, letting out a small sigh. What was he going to do.. 07 was gone, and how his son is trapped being a survivor with the rest of them.. Shedletsky liked making himself the leader in a way, or at least a second in command to Builderman, but he feels that crumbling in a way… how is he going to explain this? Would the others get upset at him defending this child? So many questions but not any sign of an answer.
He snapped out of his thoughts from a knock on his door, he stopped himself from yelping in surprise so he didn't wake the kid up. Carefully he made his way to the door, opening it slightly to see Elliot probably doing his usual check up.
“Hey Shedletsky! Are you doing alright? Builderman said you were acting weird earlier.” Elliot gave him that nervous but sweet smile he always had.
“Yeah yeah.. I'm fine, I was just stressed from seeing.. You know.” Shedletsky glanced away, Elliot nervously chuckled.
“I get you.. I wonder what that thing even was, cause there's no way it was actually 07!” Elliot's voice cracked slightly, Shedletsky could tell he was lying to himself. “I hope that thing doesn't come back anytime soon..”
“Yeah..”
“... Oh! Builderman wanted to talk to you-”
“I'll go see him later.”
“Uh well.. He said it's important- plus he has your sword-”
“I'm- a little busy- I'll go see him when I can.”
They looked at each other, Shedletsky giving him a nervous grin. Elliot sighed, not fully believing him but not wanting to argue.
“Okay.. I'll tell Builderman, just don't leave him hanging.” Elliot walked away, Shedletsky gave him a small nod as a goodbye.
He locked his door again, dragging himself to his bed and sitting himself down. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking down at the sleeping kid, he looked so peaceful, so… innocent. How could anybody hurt him, or put him through this.. Shedletsky felt sick again.
What was he going to do…