Amnesia: The Painter's Prison [An OSC AU]

DÉPLACER

"NONONONONONONONO! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Test Tube paced back and forth in the middle of the hotel's living room, panic seeping into her very being. "Remember our breathing exercises, Test Tube..." Candle chimed in, "Take a deep breath i-"

"HOW CAN I POSSIBLY RELAX?! PAINTBRUSH IS GONE, NO ONE CAN FIND THEM, I TOLD YOU I WASN'T CRAZY!! THEY JUST VANISHED INTO THIN AIR AND I'M NOT GOING INSANE!! T-There's gotta be an explanation right, science can explain EVERYTHING! A-Almost...everything...right?! RIGHT?! SOMEONE PLEASE SAY I'M RIGHT!!"

"Okay, Test Tube. Let's get you to bed..." Cabby rolled up to Test Tube and placed her hand on her shoulder, leading her to the elevators.

"THERE'S NO SLEEPING WHEN THERE ARE ANSWERS TO BE HAD!!"

"Come on..."

Cabby pat Test Tube on the back as they rounded the corner. Now the living room was silent except for some small whispered conversations. Baseball sat on the couch next to Nickel and Balloon, a solemn look on his face. "...What's with that look?" Nickel asked, raising his eyebrow. Baseball let out a sigh, "It's just...everyone else who disappeared were part of the finalists, right...? Why...did Paintbrush have to go? Why couldn't it have been me! I probably deserve to suffer more than them...Right?"

"What? N-No! Baseball, you should be glad you're okay!" Balloon said.

"Yeah! What'd we do without you, huh?" Said Nickel.

"I just...I think I need to take a breath."

Baseball got up from the couch and went out the doors of Hotel OJ, going over and sitting by the lonely vending machine. It was weird without Test Tube there to keep him company. But her getting sleep was better than just her worrying about every little thing happening at the moment. "Am I...really going to be next?" He thought aloud as he looked up at the night sky.

...

...

"You know, Balloon's been talking about you a lot since you disappeared, Suitcase," Paintbrush said, the sound of footsteps and rattling chains echoing through the stone walled corridor. "Ball...oon...?" Suitcase's voice croaked out as she was guided by Paintbrush down the hall.

"Yeah. Not just Balloon, but almost everyone else has been worried sick about you guys...speaking of which, you haven't see-...heard Knife or Lightbulb around here, have you?"

"Knife...? Light...bulb...?" Suitcase mumbled, almost as if she didn't know what Paintbrush was talking about.

"...You...you remember who I'm talking about, right?"

"I-...I..."

Paintbrush suddenly stopped when Baxter snapped his claws. He crawled out of Paintbrush's bristles, climbing down their handle and landing on the stone cold ground. "Baxter! Where are you going?!" Paintbrush yelled as Baxter ran ice to a small grated vent in the wall. "Stay here, Suitcase," They pat Suitcase on the head and followed Baxter over to the grate.

"Is there something in there?" They asked, fiddling with the grate until it suddenly came off with a snap. Once it did, Baxter crawled through the opening. "Go get it, bud!"

About 10 minutes passed, probably, until Baxter came out of the vent again, carrying a slip of paper in one of his claws. He climbed into Paintbrush's hands again, snapping his open claw to communicate with them. They listened closely, as if he was speaking clear English.

"...A computer...? I didn't think this place had service..."

Baxter then lifted up the sheet of paper he grabbed, showing Paintbrush its contents. They picked up the paper, reading through it. Most of it was just jumbled numbers and letters, but there was something clear they were able to read at the top of the page.

"...Amnesia code?"

The paintbrush looked over at Suitcase, who was sitting on the ground. "Suitcase, do you know anything about this?" They asked, beginning to read over the code on the paper slowly so that Suitcase could understand it. In the end, she just shook her head/body. "N-...No...I don't...understand any of it..."

Paintbrush sighed in defeat, "It's fine...I'm sure we'll figure it out." They then handed the code back to Baxter. He took it in his claw, and then ran back into their bristles.

"If there's a computer here...it can probably provide us with some answers...we've gotta find it. Baxter, do you have any idea where that room is?"

Baxter just snapped his claws once in denial.

"...Well, it's definitely downstairs somewhere. Come on, Suitcase. Let's just go and figure this whole thing out."

"O...kay..."

Paintbrush held onto Suitcase's handle again, leading them down the stone filled hallway, away from the grates and pass the bodies that littered the hallway around them.

And yet...

Neither of them could hear the sound of a distorted growl behind them.