Balloon's POV:

Fan and I walked for miles. As it turns out, the lab was located in the middle of nowhere, making our journey home a lot harder.

It was also pitch black out, and ocassionally Fan, who was leading the way, would let out a small yelp due to tripping over a rock or a tree root.

We continued walking through the dense forest and eventually made it to a small clearing.

"Let's take a rest here..." Fan said, sitting down on the soft green grass.

I laid down next to him and stared at the sky, which was visible from the clearing.

"It's been forever since I saw the stars." I sighed.

The sky was speckled with small lights that seemed endless.

It was beautiful and calming.

Fan laid down as well and stared at the sky. He smiled to himself.

We were both relieved to be out of there, but the weight was not yet off of our chests.

We still had to go back and free everyone else.

We couldn't just leave them there.

"Maybe we should sleep for a bit. Theres not much of a chance that anyone will find us way out here." Fan said quietly, as not to disturb the peace.

I nodded in agreement.

Fan rolled over and almost instantly fell asleep.

I chuckled a bit when I heard him sleep talking, but decided to try and keep quiet.

It was still a bit uncomfortable sleeping on the ground, but it was a lot better than the metal floor of that lab.

The grass was soft and lush. I ran my hands through it.

It was surprisingly warm out.

I sighed and closed my eyes, letting the chirping of the crickets lul me to sleep.

Honestly, I didn't want to go back home.

There wasn't anything there waiting for me, nobody even seemed to care that I was gone.

I would rather just stay in the forest, where nobody was there to judge me.

No loud noises of the city, or honking of cars, just the soft rustling sound of the leaves and the chirping of crickets, and the birds in the morning.

Though, the thought also made me feel unbearable lonliness.

That reminded me of Suitcase, who probably doesn't even remember me by now.

I miss her...

Maybe going home would be best. Best for Fan at least.

He seems dead set on seeing his friend again and getting help from the others. I wouldn't want to leave him to do that alone.

Like everyone else left me.

Suddenly I heard rustling behind me.

It shook me to my core.

I slowly turned around, praying it wasn't a MePhone or Cobs.

Animals didn't really bother me at this point.

I shook Fan awake, grabbed his hand, and rushed to hide in a bush.

He looked shocked and confused.

"What's goi-" Fan whispered before I shushed him.

We both watched anxiously.

Suddenly, someone stepped out of the bushes.

But it wasn't a MePhone or Cobs.

I recognized the person...

...Taco?...

Taco had previously been one of the students at the school, long before this whole madman experiment took place.

She was expelled for stealing something important from the school, though I'm not so sure what it was.

Everyone thought she had moved to a different country, at least, thats what I heard.

Why is she here?

She stepped out of the bushes and sat down on the grass.

She didn't say anything, just sat there and plucked some of the blades of grass up from the ground.

She seemed to be thinking about something.

I glanced at Fan.

He seemed confused.

Fan had never seen Taco before, since he was new to the school, and she was expelled long before he arrived.

Taco and I had never had the best relationship, in fact we were enemies.

She used to act really dumb all the time and I found it annoying and irritating, so I was kinda mean to her, but I guess she was only using that personality to prevent herself from being caught.

We watched Taco for a bit longer.

Maybe I should talk to her... she might be able to help.

I tensed up a bit and hesitated, but stood up and walked out of the bush.

Fan gasped and tried to reach for me but I had already exited our hiding place.

Taco flinched and stared in shock for a second.

"Balloon-?" She said shocked, still with wide eyes.

"Uh- h-hey Taco!" I mumbled awkwardly, waving.

Taco looked me up and down, then stood up suddenly.

"What are you doing here!?" She snapped suddenly, making me flinch.

"Um- well- it's a long story..." I muttered. She just glared at me.

She looked surprised and angry, and honestly, I thought she was gonna murder me.

She sighed. "Are you alone?" She asked quietly, glancing around.

"Um- well... No, but it's only one other person!" I said, rubbing the back of my head.

Taco stared at me skeptically before walking over to the bush I came out of and pulled Fan out, tossing him to the ground.

Fan yelped and sat up, rubbing his head.

"So this is who you were with?" She asked.

I nodded awkwardly.

Taco examined Fan for a bit.

"That's honestly pretty pathetic." She muttered as she walked back over to me.

"Wh- hey!" Fan fussed and crossed his arms.

"Listen Balloon. You wont tell anyone I'm here. Got that?" She snapped.

I tensed up a bit. "Well- I wasn't planning on telling anyone... I just noticed you and figured... maybe you could help us out?" I mumbled quietly.

Taco raised an eyebrow.

"Help with what?" Taco asked.

I glanced at Fan, then back at Taco.

"Well... we're kinda... on the run... Not from the police of course! But- we-" I stumbled over my words.

"We were- what I mean to say is-" I didn't know how to say it without it sounding weird.

"Ugh! Just spit it out Balloon!" Taco fussed.

"We were kidnapped-" I finally blurted out.

Taco's face turned from annoyed to confused, and even a bit concerned.

"Wait what?!" She exclaimed.

I nodded awkwardly and showed her that my arm was missing, which she must've missed before because of how dark it was.

"We were pretty much tortured..." I mumbled.

I hated talking about it.

Taco just stared in shock, speechless.

Fan gave a nervous glance and then looked at the ground, rubbing his arms.

"So... do you know exactly who did it?" Taco asked in a whisper.

I nodded a little.

"You... You know the old principal right...?" I asked.

That basically told her everything she needed to know.

"You're kidding right?" She stared at me in the eyes.

I shook my head.

Taco put one hand on her mouth and began pacing back and forth.

She was muttering something to herself but it was too quiet to hear.

"So you're being hunted down by a kidnapper???" She exclaimed putting her hands on her head.

I nodded nervously.

Maybe this was a bad idea. I don't think she's gonna help us after hearing about this, she wouldn't risk her own life to help someone like me...

Taco sighed.

"Ok fine. I'll help you. But only because this is a serious situation!" She huffed.

My eyes widened.

"W-wait really?!" I was ecstatic.

She looked away and nodded.

"Oh thank you Taco!" I exclaimed running up to her and hugging her.

She shoved me off.

"Hey hey just because I'm helping you doesn't mean we're friends!" She snapped, dusting herself off.

I chuckled awkwardly before apologizing.

I glanced over at Fan, who had a large grin on his face.

He stood up and walked over to Taco, thanking her.

She stared at him for a bit.

"What's your name anyway?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Oh! My name is Fan, I was new to the school befo-" Fan said before he was cut off.

"Ok, cool. Nice to meet you too I guess." Taco muttered.

Fan stared for a bit.

"Rude..." he mumbled under his breath.

Luckily Taco didnt hear or else she probably wouldve killed him.

"Follow me." Taco suddenly said.

Fan and I glanced at eachother before following her.

"Where are we going?" Fan asked.

"To a place that's safe to stay the night in for now. I can take you back to the city tomorrow." She said, not looking back.

Fan smiled a little.

I could tell he was excited to get back home, but, I could tell ue also felt some guilt.

I wondered if it was because we had to leave everyone else behind.

I walked over to Fan and put a hand on his back.

"They're alright Fan... We'll get them back" I whispered.

Fan glanced at me, then smiled a bit.

"Thank you." He whispered back.

I think things are finally starting to get better...

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Lightbulb's POV:

First, I heard a strange hissing noise, and then I heard a lot of whispering.

What's going on?

Suddenly I heard a gasp and running, then after that...

...nothing...

I was confused.

"What's going on?" I asked.

I didn't get a response.

I tensed up a bit, starting to worry.

"They're gone." Someone next to me mumbled.

I couldn't tell who it was, but I responded anyway.

"What do you mean they're gone...?" I mumbled.

The person next to me sighed.

"They escaped and left without us."

That sentence made my heart drop.

They just... Left...? Did they really just leave without trying to save us?

I felt tears begin to well up but it burned horribly. I attempted to keep myself from crying.

"You're just joking right?" I said with a nervous laugh. "Cmon- Fan, Balloon- please tell me this is just a joke-"

There was no response. I didnt even hear a shuffle.

I couldn't keep myself from crying anymore.

I burst into tears and began crying more when I felt the unbearable pain.

They really had left us all.

This has been their plan all along hasn't it?

Did they even really care about us at all?

It was all too much to bear. I had trusted them. I thought we were friends.

Guess I was wrong.

This is my fault isn't it...

If I had fought back or at least attempted to escape when I was getting my picture taken, nobody would've come looking for me and nobody would've gotten hurt.

I heard the rumors, and I ignored them.

I deserve this...

After a while, I finally stopped crying.

I decided to just lay down, try to take my mind off of this.

But how could I?

They had just left without telling anyone.

And I doubt they'll come back, who would want to come back to this hell anyway?

I just laid there, still crying a little, but there weren't many tears, at least not enough to hurt me as much.

After a while, I just cried myself to sleep.

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No POV:

Test Tube and Nickel made their way to the school.

It was extremely risky, but what other choice did they have?

Test Tube glanced back almost every second to make sure nobody was following them.

Nickel just kept his eyes straight ahead.

Eventually they made it to the school, which had been closed off at the moment.

"So how do we get inside?" Nickel asked.

Test Tube gestured to follow.

They both walked around to the back, where Test Tube had entered previously.

Nickel looked nervous as he glanced at the bandages around Test Tube's head.

"Where did you get that injury anyway?" He asked, he noticed a bit of the green liquid seeping through.

"Hm? oh this?" She said pointing to the bandages around her head.

"Well- I actually got it from here. That reminds me. Watch out for the MePhone with the red X on it." Test Tube said.

Nickel gulped and wondered how she was able to keep so calm talking about that.

Test Tube began to pick the lock of the door, and from past experience, got it done a lot quicker than the first time.

They both entered and Test Tube propped open the door just a little with a rock she found outside.

She had a couple more in her bag just in case.

They entered the kitchen and Test Tube pulled out another rock and propped the next door open.

Nickel wondered why she was doing it, but decided not to question her.

Test Tube then put one finger over her mouth, signifying Nickel to stay quiet.

He held his breath and they both began to walk to the gym.

They eventually got to the gym, where they saw the camera, still lying on the ground, and the closet door opened where MePhoneX had exited.

Test Tube causiously approached the closet door, briefly seeing a glimpse of MePhoneX inside.

It was shut off at the moment.

She gasped quietly and held her breath, slowly shutting the closet and pulling a ball rack in front of it to block it off.

Nickel just watched.

Test Tube exhaled deeply and rushed back over to Nickel, then set up the camera's.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Nickel whispered as Test Tube began to take the cameras apart.

"I'm going to try and rewire the cameras and add a chip in. If I do this right, it should teleport us to them." Test Tube responded, still fiddling with the cameras.

"I also brought more materials to make a second device that should teleport us back to the cameras. I never thought it was possible but looking at the functions of the camera, I can see how it works." Test Tube rambled on.

What a nerd... Nickel though as he watched Test Tube do her work.

Nickel got bored and began to wander around the gym.

He then accidentally stepped on a basketball that was lying on the ground which, he couldn't see because of the dark gym, causing him to slip.

He hit the ground and the ball flew right into the cameras, knocking them over and creating a loud crash.

Test Tube gasped and attempted to catch them before they fell, but failed to do so.

Test Tube covered her mouth and Nickel stood there with wide eyes.

Suddenly, they heard a banging noise.

It was coming from the closet.

"Oh no..." Test Tube whispered and she scrambled to her feet and attempted to grab as many things as possible, before the metal door of the closet was busted open, narrowly missing Nickel as it flew across the room.

Nickel screamed and Test Tube rushed over to him and picked him up, which surprised him, but he was too scared to be upset about it.

Test Tube sprinted out of the gym carrying Nickel, as MePhoneX chased behind them.

Test Tube swung open the kitchen door and ran to the exit as fast as possible.

The door shut behind them and they continued running, when suddenly, Test Tube tripped over a rock after getting outside, Nickel rolling on his side across the ground.

Test Tube attempted to get up when suddenly, she was grabbed around the neck.

Nickel quickly got to his feet and watched in horror as Test Tube was lifted off of the ground, MePhoneX's grip slowly tightening.

Cracks began to form across Test Tube's body as she gasped for air.

Suddenly...

...She shattered to pieces...

Green liquid spilled everywhere as shards of glass flew every-which-way, some of them cutting Nickel's face.

Nickel gasped and was shaking uncontrollably.

He was paralyzed with fear.

MePhoneX turned its gaze to Nickel, who was motionless.

Nickel couldn't do anything. He had just witnessed someone die, and was about to be next.

MePhoneX stared at him for a bit.

"No life detected." A robotic voice said from MePhoneX.

Nickel held his breath, and just stared in shock as MePhoneX walked back into the school.

He was confused and terrified, not wanting to move.

He felt himself begin to cry from both sadness and relief.

Test Tube was dead now.

He needed to do this on his own.

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(Augdhahs sorry I haven't posted a chapter in a while, I've been busy running an Object Show Camp on discord shbzhzudhsbdjebd)