Punishment (A Little Nightmares Fanfic)

Act 1: The Theater Part 2

The boy suddenly stood up and ran away, back the way I came from. I reached out to stop him, before stopping myself. Had I shoved him? What happened to me just then? I shake it off, letting out a sigh. "I need to keep moving forward..." 

I was about halfway through the hallway, ink covering the floor. The puddle had begun to dry up, the ink sticking to my bare feet. I walk forward, a door waiting for me at the end of the hall. 

The next room was small, a bed frame taking up most of the space. The mattress was under the bed frame, black ink staining the white cushions. A rotting piece of the wall seemed to be my only path forward. 

I charged towards it, slamming my shoulder into it and crashing through. The sounds of nomes running away caught my attention, letting me know that there was a path forward. Another lantern was in the wall, making me smile. I pull out a match, lighting it and bringing it to the wick.

The lantern burst with light, making me smile wider. Looking around, I see a path forward, a vent at the end. Knowing my direction, I head forward. As I head towards it, I hear the sound of something wet drop behind me. "What th-..." 

I was cut off as a black leech wrapped around me, just as I black out. 

A gasp as I'm suddenly awake next to the lantern. Another nightmare. I look towards the vent, standing up and making a run for it. The leech couldn't catch up, as I lifted the vent covering and slid inside. 

The familiar cold metal greeted me, as I pushed forward. At the end of the vent was a hole to large room. A rope was hanging in the middle, a hole in the floor below. The sound of something hitting the floor caught my attention, as I drop into the room. 

Dropping down, I slip around the hole. A rotting smell fills my nose, making me avoid looking down. My eyes water, but I ignore it and find my way to the other side of the room. 

A staircase led me up, more nomes running away as I reach the top. One stops to look back at me, before running quickly. I jogged over to a table at the end of the room, jumping up and climbing my way onto it. 

The noise of paper being moved caught my attention, as I slip down the other side of the table. A hole connected this room to the next, the noises getting louder as I come near the hole. It was small, forcing me to crouch so I can enter the next room.

The next room was filled with clothing, the Pianist was sitting in front of a shattered mirror, sorting through sheets of papers. Quietly, I tip-toe under some of the costumes, sneaking my way to the door.  

The door seemed to need a lever pulled, said lever being too tall for me. Looking around, I see a path to it. Said path was very close to the Pianist, making me shudder. 

"Think, Kid.." I mumble to myself. I needed to somehow distract him, and quickly. 

Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. I make my way back to the other room, looking around. "Where did those little guys run off to?" I ask myself. 

The sound of squeaking caught my attention, a pointy hat peaking out from behind a wooden board. Pushing it to the side, the nome and its friends look at me. "Hello, little guys. I was wondering if I could get some help," I whisper to them.

I whisper my plan to them, as they give me slight nods. I give them a thumbs up, as they following out of their hiding hole. I head towards the hole, waiting for them to do their part.

Just on queue, they manage to push the table over, a loud smash of wood ringing out. Just as I thought, the Pianist let out a awful scream, pushing open the door as I sneak into the other room. 

I quickly tun over to the table with the broken mirror, climbing on the stool the Pianist was using, using to to let me reach  up to the table and jump onto the shelves. From the shelves, I jump down to the lever to open the door. 

Falling down from the lever, the door screeching open for me, I hear the sound of the Pianist making its way back to me. I run through the door, just as I hear the monster chase after me. 

The rows of seats gave me an idea, as I slid under the first row. The monster huffed as it looked around for me. The dreadful sounds of it panting as it moved made my heart sink, but I knew I had to stay quiet. 

It walks all around the seats, trying to find me. Quietly, I sneak under the next row in front of mine. The Pianist kept looking, before letting out a irritated grunt and heading to the stage. It opened a door, leaving the area. 

I let out a sigh, stepping out of my hiding spot. I look around the area. I was in some kind of theater, the rows of seats all facing the central stage. The only way out was back the way I came and the way the Pianist just went to. A piano was hanging by three ropes above the stage, swaying gently.

I seemed to be at the far right side of the theater, a small staircase leading up to the stage not too far away from me. I looked around the large room, discovering another statue. This one seemed to be have the Pianist itself, as I through it against the ground. More black mist and another coin, making me smile as I lay the coin in my box.

I sigh, looking at the stage. Only one way to go, and I'm not excited about it. I stomach the fear, heading to the stage. 

Walking up the steps, I'm greeted by a cold draft as the curtains suddenly block my way back. The door slowly opened, beckoning me forward. Stepping into there, the soft notes of a piano played in my ears.

The Pianist was sitting on a piano bench, playing music quietly as I stayed by the door, keeping my eyes on it. The music was soft, gentle, calming even. Suddenly, it slammed on the keys, making me jump slightly. It stood up slowly, staring at me. 

I needed to run. Now.

I quickly ran back on stage, the Pianist calmly walking after me. As it entered onto the stage, it closed the door behind it, a grin spreading on its face. The notes of roaring pianos pierced my ears, as it dashed at me. I quickly dodged, looking back at the piano above us. 

I had an idea.

As it ran at me again, I slid under its legs and quickly untied one of the ropes holding up the piano. The piano dropped slightly, but was still hanging high up. The Pianist swipes at me, making me jump over its arm and falling on my chest. 

My breath escapes my lips as I land, my lungs flaring up briefly as air escapes them. I stand back up, a little dazed, barely able to dodge the next attack. I run to the next rope, untying it quickly. 

A slam of a hand nearly hit me as I jump out of the way. I need to get that last rope, I need to end this. The Pianist rushes towards me once again as I slid under it's legs once more, untying the last rope. I jump to the side as the piano falls finally, the weight cracking and breaking wood boards as it lands on its mark.

The Pianist was broken under the weight of the piano, the force opening the door as my next exit. A glimmer caught my eye as I step close to the body. A silver wrist bracelet with a small cross was on its wrist, making me grin.

I slide it off the wrist quickly, my vision turning a shade of grey for a second before going back to normal. The bracelet was big enough to be a necklace for me, so that's exactly what I used it as. The cold metal touched my skin as I put it around my neck. 

With a sigh of relief, I head towards the door and make my exist. A vent lead me out of here,  a metal latter leading me up. The sounds of nomes greeted my ears as I climb up, making me smile. 

At the top was a metal plate, making me push it to the side with a grunt. I climb into the metal room, a black lumps of rock all around me. Nomes were playing around in the stuff, throwing it at the wall and watching it bounce off. I pick up a piece myself, smiling. 

A hole let me into a bigger room, a big machine in the middle, a fire roaring to life in it. A few nomes were tossing coal in them, giving me an idea. Walking over, I  climb up the ramp they were using and toss the black lump into the machine. 

It suddenly roared loudly, the ground shaking and making me fall off the ramp. When I expected to hit cold metal, I didn't. The world went dark as I fell into a void. 

Word count: 1598