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It was quiet when he woke up, covered in sweat. Wallus looked around frantically, feeling his own body to ground himself. All still there. Just a bad dream. Just a bad dream...
A thunderous CRACK against the wall was the next thing he registered, bits crumbling around him. The laugh was the next thing, an ominous baritone sound that seemed to echo off the walls around him. "Too big to fit through the hole like this! How about a bigger one, then?"
Claw-like fingers snatched at his suspenders, a fistful of fabric that Wallus could escape if he weren't paralyzed with fear. "D-Doctor, please!"
"Did you know Kamal talks in his sleep? He told me where you were hiding, you sneaky snake you." Habit's face came into view, aglow in the darkness. The rest of him melded with the shadows, just that horrible, terrible smile visible under his eyes.
Strength was on Wallus's side, but it was hard to move. There wasn't much space, and his joints creaked in agonizing protest as he tried to push back further into the hole.
"Come now, don't fight. Don't you want to be helpful? Good boys and girls get to keep their teeth if they're big and smiley enough!" Habit's words were like a punch to the gut, each and every one. "You're not looking like you get to keep them now, are you?"
"WHY--WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? I-I'M SO SORRY, DOCTOR, PLEASE JUST LET ME GO, I--"
"You made your choice, now come face your consequences. Or would someone else help you feel alllll better?" The hand retracted, and for the briefest of seconds there was silence.
"Wallus, you--you've gotta come out. You're hurting me by being in there. You're hurting us all!" Kamal's voice was meek and hesitant and strained as he spoke, and though Wallus couldn't see him he could imagine the look on his face.
Slowly, like a wounded animal, Wallus pushed towards the outside. "I--Doctor, I'm--I'm coming, just please...let him go."
"Of course! I'm a man kf many words, and I stick by them all. Kamal? Go. You're excused."
"I'm sorry, Wallus..." Scuffling footsteps were audible as someone--undoubtedly Kamal--fled.
"Now then! Just you, and me, and them left. Take a deeeep breath."
The air was suddenly scented like pennies, the giggling of the Carlas in the background rising from just barely audible to full blown cackling that made his ears hurt.
Wallus tried to struggle, but the metallic air was too much. His body hit the floor with a thump and everything went black.
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It was two days before Kamal worked up the courage to come back. He had tl at least TRY to save his friend! He was a coward for running, and he could never forgive himself if he didn't try and run back!
The gates were unlocked. Kamal pushed inside, his legs trembling as he walked through, down to the boiler, through the tunnel, up into the elevator--the steps felt automatic.
The doors opened to pitch darkness as he stepped out. "Boris! Come--come face me you fucking COWARD!"
"Coward? Which one of us ran away?" There he was, seated on his desk, one long leg crossed over the other.
"You CHEATED! Give him BACK to me! Give him ba--AIIEEE!" He yelped in surprise and fear as hands wrapped around him. Wallus's hands. But that wasn't Wallus.
He was looking up at something with all the hallmarks of Wallus, but no face. In place of that beautiful face was a mop head, the thick strands falling like his hair used to.
"I'm not sad anymore, really! It's...peaceful." Said the Not-Wallus.
"What...what did he do to you, Wallus?" Kamal's voice was little more than a whimper as he fell still. Struggling would hurt Wallus's joints--but was this still considered Wallus?
"He took away my sadness. It's nice like this. Why don't you join us? We can be happy...together!"
"Wallus this isn't happiness! This isn't--what do you mean..."us"? I-I got everyone out of here, Wallus." His eyes widened as he caught sight of the waving figure that peeked out from behind Habit.
"FLOWER KID!?" They nodded, clutching their bouquet and plucking out a flower from it to offer. When he refused it, they simply poked it into Habit's hair instead.
"Well, Kamal, here you are. You wanted to prove you're not a coward, hm? Why not prove it now, to both of your heroes?" Habit stood, a hand on Flower Kid's shoulder to keep them from moving towards him. "Go ahead and try and take them. They won't come. They're happy now, you'd just be hurting them. Are you selfish enough to want to prevent their happiness after you already ran away and abandoned them?"
"Boris, this isn't happiness! Running away from your problems won't make you happy!" Kamal took a threatening step forward, but was stopped by Not-Wallus holding one of his hands.
"But that's what you did...to us, isn't it?" He was speaking in soft, timid tones, the pain evident in his voice. Not-Flower-Kid nodded to affirm, and their shoulders sagged in defeat.
"That--that's not the same, Wallus! I didn't do anything like this!" He looked between the two of them desperately, and even without faces he could tell they didn't agree. They were sad, and disappointed, and really believed...he was like Habit?
"See? You're no better than the actions you condemn. Pity." He inspected his nails with disinterest, not even bothering to look at Kamal. "Decision time!" He suddenly clapped his hands together, displaying a hellish, multi-rowed smile. "You can," he held out one hand towards Flower Kid, "willingly join? Orrrr," he extended his other hand towards Wallus, "not so willingly join! Because I'm an oh so very kind man, I'll let you choose."
"The choice is yours. I'll give you a moment to choose." He turned away from the three of them, walking to his window and clasping his hands behind his back as he stared out it.
"Are you really happy?" Kamal asked, stepping out to take Flower Kid's hands. They nodded enthusiastically, bouncing a bit. "And you Wallus?"
"Yes! Much happier than I've been in many years." He tugged on his suspenders a bit, as he spoke, looking quite proud of himself.
"And...YOU?" Kamal dashed forwards, lunging at Habit with all his might.
Habit offered a wry smile as Kamal was scooped up by Wallus. He had felt the assistant's fingertips brush his coat, but Wallus was much too quick for him.
"I'll take that as a "not so willing" then."
"Take him to the chair, Wallus." He waved a hand and dismissed the janitor to his new duties. "Well now, Flower Brat, why don't we go get ready? You can assist me again."
They clapped their hands excitedly before scampering off to go get the required things.
He whistled a little tune as he watched Wallus force Kamal into the restraints on the chair. He gathered up his hair into a ponytail before spreading his arms, Flower Kid and Wallus scrambling to remove his coat and get him into his lab coat, still stained from their own procedures. He did the gloves himself, watching his two nee assistants prepare off to the side to be useful.
Kamal screamed, blood-curdling sounds of horror and curses and all manner of foul words.
"What a nasty mouth you've got on you. Need I remind you there are children present?" He looked at the man with disgust, grabbing the pliers from the tray that Flower Kid was holding up to him.
"WALLUS!? KID!? YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS, YOU CAN STOP HIM, I KNOW YOU CAN! YOU DON'T WANNA DO THIS! TO ME!"
"We want...to be happy. What do you say about that, Doctor? The eggs?"
"You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. Isn't that right, Kamal? You quit your job and hid. Like a coward. You sent a child to come talk to me. Like a coward. You ran away and abandoned Wallus. Like a coward. You claim such love, but you run and hide when it's time. Why would they defend you?" The rolling chair slid closer, so he was looking over Kamal with his grin.
"We can't protect someone sho didn't protect us. You said you loved us but...you lied." Wallus's voice broke, and he suddenly shifted in body language to anger and hostility. "Allow me, Doctor." He wrenched Kamal's jaws open and held him in place.
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No one dared enter the Habitat anymore. The property was abandoned, but squatters avoided it like the plague, stupid teens wouldn't enter even on a dare, and the police pretended it didn't exist. There were enough reports of people that were no longer people, tempting fate to go there was something they were going to avoid.
A bouquet of flowers on a child's body. A great, hulking mop-headed man. A deranged doctor. More recently there were reports of a man with a lotus.
Just rumours, surely?