floor 48

Floor 48 was next.

The elevator felt longer than it usually did, as it gave the Toons a chance to rest and prepare for what was next. Rodger didn't mind the wait, but an injured Glisten kept tapping his foot on the ground while others talked amongst themselves.

"Doing well?" Rodger asked out of the blue, making Glisten almost yelp from him breaking their own silence.

"Oh- nono, I'm doing wonderful!" Glisten simply gave a fake smile, but Rodger could only roll his eye. It made Glisten sigh, breaking whatever fake facade was there.

"...I'm just surprised we've gotten this far." Glisten whispered, the magnifying glass listening in. "We haven't lost anyone, even with..."

"Pebble?"

Glisten shivered. "Yes, yes... ugh, I can't help but feel like something is wrong." The mirror tapped his feet on the ground again, almost shaking until Rodger decided to hold his hand.

Glisten stopped, looking deep into the others eyes.

"If it helps, once we finish the 50th floor- we'll leave. We have scavenged enough to last a few months." Rodger explains without much emotion, but the mirror sighed at the news.

"Really now, just for me?" Glisten smiled brightly at the news, Rodger chuckling in response.

"Me and Teagan had already agreed to it- besides, others have been hurt." Rodger then pulls away from Glisten, as he huffs. "It would be better, unless something goes wrong, for us to go up instead of continuing our descent."

"Sounds about right." Glisten attempted to make a scowl, but couldn't help but keep a smile intact. "Oh, so caring and kind..."

"You don't need to be so dramatic, Glisten." Rodger held his hands behind his back, as everyone then heard a small ding- signaling that it was time.

"Try staying close to Cosmo, he'll keep you safe." Rodger hurriedly whispered over to Glisten. "Always remember to use the walkie talkie if something goes wrong."

"Like I'd forget." Glisten winked, and then the elevator opened.

While Glisten waved over to Rodger before joining Cosmo, Rodger only stayed by the elevator as he observed his surroundings. There hardly seemed to be a machine in sight, only overgrown forage from the underground greenhouse being abandoned for so long.

If anything, it seemed easy to see or hear anyone from a distance- aside from the dark, and something peering right at him.

He almost jumped, only to realize who exactly it was-

Dandy.

"...What are you doing here?" Was all Rodger could ask, the rest of Dandy's body being hidden in the dark. "You shouldn't be-"

"I got lost." Was all Dandy could say, a bit of ichor dripping down from what looked to be wounds. Rodger winced at the sight.

He took a step closer. "Are you okay? Our group can bring you back to the surface, we have enough-"

Dandy waved his hands in the air, to signal Rodger to stay in place. "Nono, detective! I'll be fine! I just got attacked… Can you lead the way?"

Rodger couldn't help but feel suspicious in an instant. Everyone he knew was suspicious of Dandy, even those Dandy considered his friends. He had to be careful.

"...Well then. To our group?"

Dandy grinned. "Yes, yes! I even have a few medkits! You aren't all starving for them, right?"

"W-Wait-" Rodger was more than shocked, that suspicious feeling rising up. "For free?"

"For saving me, of course! I thought you were smart..." Dandy couldn't help but giggle. "Just bring me around, everybody will know the deal!"

Rodger couldn't even ask more until Dandy retreated back into the darkness, the magnifying glass trying to follow but only getting lost. The greenhouse was a lot bigger than he expected, only a bright red light in the dark.

He didn't know how to even explain it in his head, but he had an off feeling. He took the walkie talkie out of his pocket, speaking a warning...

But only static came out.

Something was wrong.

-

The last few minutes were spent of Rodger running around, trying to find anyone in sight, but only fresh ichor stains and twisteds around the corner. His knees were already giving out, wheezing out air and only finding half finished machines and what he presumed were the blood of his friends.

He wasn't even sure if Dandy was following him, or if he actually did take everyone one by one, but that popped right out of his head as he noticed Glisten whistling to himself while working on a machine.

"Glisten! Glisten-" Rodger yelped, exhausted as he almost flopped right onto the mirror. Glisten seemed shocked at the sight of Rodger being distraught. "We- Dandy-"

"Dandy?!" Glisten shook Rodger by the shoulders. "What, did you get hit by some nightmare?!"

"Everyone- they're..." Rodger took a deep breath, hugging tightly onto the other toon. "...We need to leave."

"But the machines?-"

"We need to get out!" Rodger sounded nothing more but panicked and paranoid at the moment, Glisten then pushing him back.

"Calm down, old man- maybe that fake Astro is here..." Even if Glisten tried to keep calm, the realization began to rub onto him.

And as the machine blared loudly, they could hear a song faintly playing in the background.

Without even a word, the two of them tried to run to find any other exit. Even if Rodger kept trying to tell Glisten not to directly go within the dark, he didn't listen- the mirror had already gotten the idea that the others were gone, and they needed to leave.

It didn't help that other twisteds appear from every corner, each resembling their friends as Glisten did his best to avoid it all- teleporting from place to place, the two desperately trying to fill machines so they could escape.

And a misstep left Rodger all alone, stumbling onto the floor as Glisten vanished.

He struggled to get up, breathing heavily at how much they ran from place to place. He tried to listen in, if Glisten was yelling his name, but only that music played.

And it got much closer when he turned around.

"Dandy." Rodger couldn't even pretend to believe him, his trust shattered into pieces at this point.

Dandy just gave a big, wide smile as the rest of his body remained in the dark. "Oh, detective..." He hummed, looming down at the magnifying glass. It was like he was attached to something massive.

The flower couldn’t help but hold Rodger's face in his hand, gently scratching the bottom of his head. The touch felt relaxing and familiar.

"You fell for this so many times," Dandy explained, now holding Rodger's head in his hands. "And I always have to bring you back, and you always never speak to me." He hummed, Rodger shivering at what he was told.

"What... are you talking about?" Was all the detective would have responded back, Dandy giggling before being picked up.

"So many times," Dandy continued to hum, raising Rodger to stand up- to hold his soft claws, almost as if they were going to dance. "So, so many times! Sometimes I get sick of it..."

Rodger was pulled right in, Dandy gripping onto his hands as the two were face to face again.

"Until I realized how much fun I could have with you."

Rodger felt something shatter from above, ichor from a capsule falling down until multiple memories of himself fell into his head. It ached and hurt, as Dandy cooed.

Even in a hazy state, Rodger can now see and remember Dandy's massive chimera body. He was held up by Dandy's small hands, all the way up from the giant lion mass of ichor and tapes.

Rodger could only be silent.

"Don't be so quiet," Dandy chirped, their bodies closer together. Rodger had to cling on or else he would've fallen onto the ground. "You aren't even twisted yet- or... maybe..."

His paw turned into claws, scritching at Rodgers' handle and messing with the tied cloth on it. "Do you want to be?"

Rodger's breath was hitched at the touch, now getting closer to Dandy. The flower smiled, being so close, they could just...

The moment was ruined as they both heard a loud scream, turning to see Glisten stumbling out of the darkness with a brick covered in ichor. He looked even more exhausted, like he was fighting for his life.

Then Glisten looked up, panicking.

"H-Hey!" Glisten yelled out, throwing the brick right at Dandy. It only fell on the floor, the flower staring down in pity at the mirror.

Glisten just took a step back, as Rodger was snapped right back to the present. Glisten looked like he was going to break- going to break again and again and he would have to stand back and watch.

"This is just wonderful," Dandy hissed, placing Rodger down as he went closer towards the toon shivering in fear. "Why do you always have to be here?! Why do you always have to come and ruin everything?!"

"What are you-" Glisten quickly vanished in thin air as Dandy took a swing, leaving a slight crack on the floor. Glisten was right back to Rodger, panicking.

The mirror gripped onto Rodgers sleeve. "Rodger, please-" He winced, trying to pull him up. "We have to get out! What were you even thinking back there-"

Rodger kicked and pushed him back, not even daring to look into his eyes. "Run."

Glisten looked like he was about to say something, at a loss of words until he sprinted off at the sound of Dandy. Rodger only laid there with a few glass shards, laying it on the ground.

Dandy stomped back, looming under the detective.

They could both hear the elevator ding, and something closing. Dandy rolled his eyes. "For a detective, you aren't great at hiding something, are you?"

"I know how you feel about him," Rodger sighed, getting up as Dandy lowered himself to his level. "I... simply gave him the message."

Dandy looked like he was going to say something, but he only giggled. "Oh, I'll deal with him later." Dandy then held Rodger's hands, getting closer to the magnifying glass...

He gently kissed his finger, almost like a proposal. "I'm glad to have you back, detective. I've missed you."

-

Glisten fell onto the elevator's cold floor, finally tearing off the ribbon that was preventing ichor from spilling out. He could feel the elevator going up, and he thanked whatever lord existed for that.

He laid in his own ichor, clueless of what was happened, but could guess of what can happen next.

He just wants to know if Rodger is safe.