...

Death isn't an easy subject for anyone. By definition, it just meant that someone or something was dead - the end of their life; and for the longest time, that's what Vee stood by. It meant nothing more to her, representing solely the literal meaning. It was the same for most words, just following their written meaning.

Though life can easily change any meaning of a word within seconds.

Staring at the floor beneath her feet, she let the blood soak on her feet; it'd remind her of how vulnerable they really were now, just little prey things to whatever could get their hands on them. After a moment of revelation, Vee took a step back from the puddle, smearing the blood stained on her foot. Instinctively, she'd clench her fists and twist her head to the side, avoiding any more eye contact with the gore that painted the floor beneath her.

With the witnessing of Boxten's brutal death, the elevator was dead silent. Seemed like every time they'd ever enter the elevator, something would always keep them quiet and fearful. In a way, Vee grew to resent the time they spent in the elevator, using it as a hushed intermission till the next floor, just to rinse and repeat all over again. She knew that as time went by, only more toons could suffer the same fate as Boxten, it was inevitable.

There had to be a way to break the cycle, there just had to. And Vee knew it, she'd find it, just a matter of time before-

She felt a light nudge against her knee, suddenly turning to face whatever took her out of her plotting - Shelly. Almost instantly, Vee calmed herself down and crouched down to Shelly's level. The fossil's eyes were wide open, examining the scene in front of her; Vee could tell by her mortified expression. Maybe it would've been better for her to rest just a little longer-

It didn't matter now that the elevator halted harshly, signifying another floor to complete. Vee wondered if it even ended, there's no way the building's that deep - how would Gardenview even find the budget for it? That thought gave Vee a little hope, but she knew it wasn't for the better. They'd still have to complete these awful floors, which posed even further risks, it wasn't worth it.

Focusing her attention back on Shelly, she checked the crack on her shell. Spontaneously, Vee's hand reached up to Shelly's cheek, gently nudging it to the side as she observed her injuries once again. After a few seconds, Shelly pushed Vee's hand away, opening her mouth to speak.

But nothing came out.

Vee didn't blame her, the poor thing was trembling ever so slightly just at the sight of the splatter of blood. If Vee had to guess, she was probably holding back puking right there and then with how she kept her hands to her mouth, quietly wincing. Probably for the better, Shelly turned her head to face away from the mess.

As she faced away, the elevator's doors opened once more. This sick little game would continue as long as they could possibly survive, whatever the chances of those were; but that wasn't her main focus, reaching a hand out to Shelly. "..Hey," Vee softly assured her, she needed it from what Vee could tell. Shortly after, the fossil's hand clasped against the metal fingers.

Pulling Shelly back up, Vee wouldn't break eye contact as she guided them out of the elevator. One step at a time, they were quick to leave the platform's stained floor, treading onto the wooden planks of the new area. Now that they were away from the scene, it wasn't long till the elevator closed and concealed the gore inside. Vee was grateful for a chance to get away from the mess of blood and guts.

Breaking eye contact and retracting her hand to herself, Vee checked out their surroundings - they were in a kitchen area, maybe a few of the toons would know their way around a bit better than others. She knew nothing about the layout, which was self explanatory as this was an area prone to water spills - that never went well with Vee.

Shelly on the other hand, she seemed a tad bit familiar of the place, drifting away from Vee to walk on her own. Despite her own lack of social awareness, Vee found that a bit shocking that she'd have nothing to say - afterall, she'd just been unconscious, she's bound to have questions right? Though, Vee quickly brushed Shelly's non-verbal reaction off, thinking she's probably just overwhelmed by it all.

Vee felt the same way.

After a moment of hesitance, the robot decided to catch up to the girl, maybe it'd work out a little better. Within a few seconds, Vee was striding by Shelly's side, keeping a consistent pace. With a single look, Shelly seemed absolutely out of it, not even bothering to acknowledge Vee. Keeping that in mind, Vee still remained quiet, observing Shelly's behavior - she's usually so bubbly and lively, but the past few floors completely drained that out of her.

Understandably so, the situation was enough to make anyone miserable - and someone as emotional as Shelly was? It'd destroy her.

They'd walk for who knows how long until they found a machine, to which Shelly took the initiative and did the machine. Vee watched her crank the valve, doing it relatively quickly. Maybe it'd be faster if she did it instead, but something inside Vee scolded her for even wanting to take that away from Shelly. That girl needed something to focus on at least.

It was less than a minute and Shelly almost filled the tank up with the weird liquid. Every time Vee saw it more and more she'd start to question what it really was, and what it's even doing in the machines. But regardless, she shifted her focus back on Shelly, aching to ask her questions. Just as she was fighting the urge to, it slipped out automatically-

"Are you doing okay?"

Shelly froze in place for a moment, before slowly turning to the side, "..Oh, you're asking me?" Her confused reaction was just as confusing to Vee too, there wasn't anyone else around..

"Yeah, you.. uh, don't look too good," Vee admitted, watching as she continued to swerve the valve of the machine ahead of her. Shelly was quiet, which was killing Vee inside as she just wanted a response, anything, from Shelly.

"Mhm, yeah, I'm good," Shelly muttered under her breath, barely audible to Vee. While Vee would want to believe her words, she had a few indicators that could tell Shelly wasn't truthful.

The light, cold sweat that started to form on Shelly's skin.

Her whispers that barely made it past her quivering lips.

The tremble in her hands.

With a final twist, the machine's light went flashed red to green, indicating it was complete. Shelly let out a quiet sigh, pulling away from the machine to continue their exploration. As they went towards the backroom of the establishment, a robotic voice spoke up again, "..Do you need help? I can stick nearby, if that's fine."

Unsurprisingly, Vee's question was answered with silence. Slowing down her pace, she figured maybe Shelly wanted space to herself. Vee lowered her head, glancing to the floor; it felt embarassing to feel that small rejection. That was until she heard a quiet voice, "Yeah, I don't mind."

Looking back up, Vee saw that Shelly was waiting for her. Immediately, Vee picked up her feet and rushed alongside Shelly; though she'd slow down as they continued, going at a pretty mid pace. Now it was time to scout for machines.

Once again, Vee was fighting the urge to start small talk - never thought she'd be trying to talk to Shelly of all people, but she'd garner a bit more interest than Vee initially guessed. She practically couldn't separate herself from her for whatever reason.

"..You were out for a while, you sure you're okay?" Vee asked curiously, glancing every so often at the crack on her shell. She couldn't deny that Shelly was on edge, so maybe it wasn't the best to start off with that as a conversation..

"..Yeah, just a small headache," there was a falter in her voice that couldn't be covered up, but regardless Vee decided not to press further. As Vee thought about something to say to loosen her up, they rounded around a shelving area.

Finding a machine around the corner, they both glanced at each other.

"Yours?"

"Alright."

Vee stepped ahead, clenching the wheel; only a few turns in and it was near a quarter of the way done. She was pretty quick at extracting the liquid, practically flawless. While she was cranking the wheel, her mind wandered off back to Shelly's injury.

It was silent till Vee's adamant voice cut it in half, "Does it hurt?" Despite the fact she kept her eyes on the wheel, somehow she knew that her words snapped Shelly back into reality, "..yeah."

The quiet affirmation made Vee feel some way.. maybe her 'heart' melted at her voice. After a few more twists on the crank, Vee could finally look back at her. The bandaids that lined over Shelly's crack were the only thing that could really help.

Shelly, who had noticed Vee's staring, reached up to her head, lightly grazing the crack. Bringing her hand back to herself, she noticed the stain it left on her fingers, staring blankly. With her friend in a daze, Vee stepped closer to Shelly, bringing the girl's hand down, "hey- hey, it's okay, just- ..try not to focus on it too much, alright?"

Vee struggled to say anything else, mentally fumbling over her words - she wasn't overwhelmed, but there's no reason why she would! Just calm her down, bring a little light back into her eyes. "..If it makes you feel better you- uh, look nice.. even with the crack."

Whether it was voluntary or not, Shelly looked back at Vee, staring at her screen. As the two looked at each other in silence, Vee found her reaction unexpected. Shelly's unfazed stare softened into a small, light, scoff. "..You don't actually think that," she murmured, her voice regaining a tiny about of energy.

Seemed her self esteem wasn't the highest to begin with, denying anything positive about herself. Vee figured, she'd already been quiet and closed off for the majority of it.

"It's true, I think you do," Vee responded, relieved to see Shelly ease up, even if it was a tiny bit. This response garnered a small murmur from Shelly, one Vee couldn't make out if she tried. Maybe she was trying to hide it, suppress it, whatever, but a small smile cracked at the corners of the girl's lips. It lit up her face a little, who didn't get a little giddy at a compliment?

"Thank you," the ammonite meekly murmured, a soft smile plastered on her face. It was welcoming, inviting Vee with the warm embrace it promised. In a way, it was contagious, infecting the robot to feel a genuine, deep-seated bliss that grew the more she looked at Shelly.

  And as she knew it, Vee's screen also shifted her programmed, scripted grin to a smile that she felt content with sharing. Taking notice, Shelly's attention went to Vee's face; she almost seemed to admire it. Although, Shelly's attention drifted to the corner of Vee's screen.

Shelly came even closer to Vee, almost leaning on to her. Before she would question why, Shelly brought her hand and traced the crack on Vee's screen-

"Hey look, we're matching," Shelly's voice chirped quietly as she pointed directly to the screen's chipped state.

In mere seconds, Vee's screen grew warm - and she knew it wasn't a mechanical error; only when she looked at Shelly's face did her screen begin to overheat. Warmth drew to her hands, and almost on cue, her fingers retracted from Vee, a soft voice speaking out, "oh, you're really warm- you good?"

The heat never left Vee's head, but she noted it subdued a little, "..Yeah, it's getting better- I believe my ventilation had a bit of blockage." That little white lie relieved Shelly, her concerned expression shifting to a relaxed one; though Vee was still concerned about the random malfunction.

Despite her worry, she told herself she'd ask about it later, though, they had a job to do now.

"-Sorry about that, should we look even further?" Vee suggested, which received a nod from the fossil. With that affirmation, the two trailed out of the shelving area - and into an unkept kitchen.

Littered with baking supplies, cooking utensils, spills, crates, you name it, Shelly and Vee navigated through the mess. Peering over the counter, Vee noted one of the missing toons from earlier - Poppy, the bubble - but she'd been covered in that damned liquid.

It spread to her too, it's relentless.

Trudging about like a mindless zombie, her figure trembled; she seemed almost meek compared to her originally bubbly, outgoing herself. That wasn't her anymore, just something using the shell of poppy to wander aimlessly; Vee figured that much after a few encounters with these things.

As Poppy whipped her head back, the two toons ducked behind a counter just out of sight, waiting for the bubble to pass on by. With their backs pressed against the counter, they glanced right to see that the zombified toon was walking off - with her back facing them.

With a gasp, Shelly got up from the floor and extended her hand to Vee, pulling her up. "..She was nearby a machine, behind a rack, I can see it over-" Shelly cut herself of for a moment, pausing as she squinted her eyes, "Oh, never mind, Rodger's on it."

Vee was glad that someone was doing it, but a question nagged at her, "..So, how many machines does that make? Three..? You think the others are on the rest?" Vee brought up to Shelly.

To reply, Shelly shrugged, "No telling, but there's always something we can do if we can't find one to do," she murmured, pointing at the items at the floor. "Maybe these will be useful y'know?" Shelly's attitude became a little more lighthearted.

With an odd, fond regard to her words, Vee watched as Shelly picked up the candies, stuffing them into the pockets on her long overall dress. To be honest with herself, Vee found it relatively goofy and slightly immature, but nonetheless it was somewhat endearing; she even caught herself picking up a candy and handing it to Shelly.

In the time it took for Shelly to pick up the items scattered on the floor, Rodger already finished the machine and walked past the two. It brought Vee back to her senses, "..Hey, mind if we make our way back to the elevator?" Vee suggested, "you can pick up whatever it is on the way there."

With a smile on her face, Shelly agreed, and she began to lead the way again. Instinctively, Vee followed close, her eyes peeled for any other threats - though thankfully there was nothing coming for them. Although the monsters weren't the only thing she was looking for, and between her and her thoughts, she was quietly praying to find a miracle out of this nightmare.

As they walked through another portion of the floor, a dining area, Vee occasionally glanced at Shelly, who'd stop sometimes to pick up whatever peaked her interest - how much room did she have in those pockets?

Vee playfully scoffed, finding Shelly's need to collect any and everything she found amusing. Staring at Shelly, her attention drifted slightly to a doorway just out the corner of her vision. Facing it fully, she could see it was puddled with the black substance near the bottom, accompanied by a sign: "Staff only."

For a moment, Vee felt entranced by it, stopping her dead in her tracks as she stared at it. "-Hey Shelly?" Vee called out, causing the girl to twist around, "yeah?"

Vee pointed to the door, "What's that about?" She'd murmur as Shelly approached her, shifting her gaze to the door - her face winced slightly. "I don't know- but you know that we're not supposed to go in there," she tugged at Vee's shoulder, "and besides, it's almost time to get to the elevator anyway!"

It's dangerous, but there's never a reward without risk.

Although even if Vee wanted to tug free and get out of there, bolting straight to the door, Shelly wouldn't let her with that deathly grip - who knew she'd be that strong? As if to prove the fossil's point, that faint ambiance switched to the alarming echo, signaling everyone to get where they're supposed to.

"C'mon, we shouldn't wait long," Shelly's voice undeniably hinted her nervousness, which kicked back in once she heard the alarm. Naturally, she tugged at Vee's shoulder as she gestured towards the elevator, pressing Vee to make a choice immediately.

With heavy feet, Vee finally turned away from the door and faced Shelly, begrudgingly following the tugs that dragged her towards the elevator. Whilst she'd feel the girl draw them closer to the elevator, she couldn't swallow the feeling that they missed one of the only chances at cracking whatever was going on here. One last glance at that forsaken door fed into that sinking feeling in the back of the robot's mind.

Once their feet hit the platform of the elevator, they came to a direct stop to catch a break. Seemed like the rest of the toons felt the same way too as they gathered themselves into the elevator, leaning on to the railings as they gazed past the kitchen for the other lost toons. Floor after floor they seemed just as sick of it as Vee was; maybe they were praying for something to break the cycle too.

But looking back at Shelly, she felt she might've made the right choice after all.

..

"Hey Shelly?"