Wonderer's Wish World: An Empty Land

A Surprise in Every Little Friend

For a minute, no one spoke, too surprised to really say anything. In the silence, they could hear Hazel's footsteps crack like thunder, slowly getting softer as he walked away from them. Soon enough, it was just the four of them and their thoughts.

Eventually, Luz spoke up. "Uh... did you find something, Kris? A... dollmaking room? Why would Hazel be made about-oh, he's probably putting people into the dolls."

Kipo's mouth fell open as she looked from Kris to Luz. "How did you... Kris didn't even say anything? They're not using sign language at all, so how...?"

"Oh, I just understand them," Luz explained cheerfully, and though that made no sense, Kris nodded anyway. Kipo's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a couple second before she just decided to accept it.

"Anyway," Luz continued, now that all of that was over and 'delt' with. "So... you saw a body? In Hazel's room?"

Kris thought for a couple seconds, and then shook their head.

"There wasn't a body?" Luz asked, perplexed. "Just something that looked like a body, huh..."

"Excuse me!" Alice suddenly interjected, and they all paused, and looked over to her. What they saw surprised them.

"I don't understand what you all are saying!" Alice told them angrily. "Why are you accusing him of those things?! You say that... Hazel is a murderer, or a serial killer, but then you saw that you haven't actually seen anyone be murdered, so I don't understand how you're all so convinced!"

"Huh...?" Luz asked, but Kipo frowned. Alice was making a good point, and though Hazel WAS scary, Kris and Luz's accusations were really coming out of left field. Where did they get all of that?

"Well..." Luz paused, seeming to think about that for a second. "You see... we think... well, he's a little suspicious, don't you think?"

"I don't!" Alice was almost shouting at this point. "Hazel has been nothing but kind this entire time! He's taken care of you all, protecting you all, and yet you go after him with these baseless accusations!"

Luz frowned, looking somewhat sheepish now. "Oh... well, yeah, I guess..."

Luz trailed off, and Alice waited, probably for an apology. But Luz didn't look quite ready for that yet, Kipo could see she wasn't totally convinced that Hazel was innocent yet. They were at a standstill.

"If we wanted to check to make sure, all we'd have to do would be to find the people Hazel killed, right?" Kipo guessed, and everyone looked to her. "After all, there aren't many places to find thing in here, probably."

"Yeah... that's right!" Luz said, instantly brightening. "All we have to do is find evidence!"

"Okay!" Kipo said. "Where is it?"

"...Uh..." Luz's face went blank and she glanced around. Her face brightened when her eyes landed on Kris. "Oh, Kris knows! Or... has a guess, at least."

"Oh?" Kipo turned to look at Kris, who shrugged. "Okay, lead the way, then!"

Kris turned on their heel, marching to the door behind them, but Alice stopped them before they could open it.

"W-Wait, we can't do that!" Alice cried. "If Hazel catches us, he'll be disappointed... B-Besides, we won't find any of your 'evidence' anyway! Hazel is innocent!"

"But we need to check!" Luz argued, not unkindly. "I'm... sorry, Alice, but I don't think Hazel is who he thinks he is..."

"You have no basis for that, it's nonsense!" Alice claimed. She sounded frustrated.