Chapter 6

Heavy footsteps and the snarling and snapping of jaws almost drowned out the sounds of the alarms blaring throughout the warehouse. Shrimpo was lucky enough to be near the elevator when the last machine was completed. He knew, at this current moment, if he was anywhere that wasn't the elevator, he'd be a dog's chew toy; more accurately, a snack.

It was only floor 6, and it seemed that luck was not on their side, as darkness enveloped the warehouse before the group. Not only that, but a particular Twisted that spawned on the floor, made everybody (Shrimpo included) on edge for the entirety of the duration.

With him in the elevator was a weakened Cosmo, a panicked Sprout, and the extractors, consisting of Finn, Glisten, and Boxten. Shrimpo watched from the back of the elevator. The ticking sound emitted loudly through the floor, and admittedly, the anticipation was giving him chills.

The anticipation spiked as he saw a little rock dog bee-lining for the elevator. Behind him was a massive canine, slobber and ichor flying from its maw as it barked behind the tiny pooch. The Toons around him called his name, now making way for him to enter the elevator. The dog continued to run, the beast growing ever closer.

Then, just as the timer came to a cold stop, the dog skirted into the elevator. Immediately after, the elevator snapped shut just as the massive Twisted lunged for it. A sickening thud rang throughout the space. Then, the elevator began its descent.

Shrimpo was stiff where he stood. Pebble was shaking from muzzle to tail tip, and collapsed onto his stomach as Sprout and Cosmo knelt beside him. The other Toons spaced out to stand beside the walls, giving the two space as they observed the tuckered-out Toon.

Shrimpo only watched from the sidelines as Cosmo shot a worried glance at Sprout. Sprout gave him a similar look.

"Okay..." Sprout turned his head towards the staring crowd. "Okay.. uhmm..."

Slowly, Sprout stood up, as Cosmo slowly picked up and cradled Pebble in his arms. The rock dog was clearly injured, as a deep gash resided on his back, almost in the shape of claws. He stood beside Sprout. The two exchanged glances again. Shrimpo wondered when they'd stop playing the staring contest, and get to the point.

Sprout cleared his throat. "Cosmo doesn't have any healing items, and I don't have enough tapes. We're out of a distractor until we can get Pebble healed."

A murmur of clear concern waved through the Toons. Shrimpo only leaned against the wall in silence.

"Pair up with someone, and try to stay out of any Twisted's path until then." Sprout finished, then he turned his focus back to Pebble. Shrimpo heard a small whine come from the dog.

Shrimpo scowled, and dropped his gaze. He was fully prepared to not be picked. Frankly, he didn't want to be. He ignored the small talk between the Toons in the elevator. He rested his gaze on the floor, whiskers twitching.

He hated elevator shifts, but he hated Twisteds more. The strange doppelgänger husks of the Toons that wandered through the floor is an anomaly Shrimpo couldn't begin to understand. It wasn't something he wanted to waste his time analyzing or theorizing about. He didn't understand why these clones of Toons, made for the appeal of younger minds, would turn so monstrous when exposed to ichor. He didn't even understand ichor, other than the Toons were created from it. Maybe it was better they never learned, or maybe learning could help them in the long run. Either way, Shrimpo wasn't going to bother himself with theorizing.

It'd be better if he was never wrapped up in all of this mess. He didn't want to be on a team, or a buddy system! He didn't even like the Toons in the team, none of them! Shrimpo half hoped Sprout would've just called the mission off short and ascended back to the lobby. At least then Shrimpo could fill his day with more important things.

He was dragged out of his thoughts when the elevator halted its descent. He lifted his head. Sprout and Cosmo were the closest to the door, Cosmo still holding an injured Pebble. Finn and Glisten stood next to each other a distance behind the two bakers. Glisten was clearly displeased to be around the fish bowl, who seemed unbothered. Shrimpo blinked, then turned his gaze to the back of the elevator. Boxten stood there, arms resting awkwardly at his sides. He was looking in Shrimpo's direction, then directly at him, their gazes meeting.

Shrimpo furrowed his brows, and Boxten glanced at the floor. A second later, a groan came from the old machine, and the elevator door opened. Another warehouse was before the group of Toons, this one different from the previous floor. Immediately, the trio and duo began their exit, leaving the shrimp and the music box by themselves standing in the elevator.

Shrimpo turned back to Boxten, who stared back. He swayed slightly, hands timidly moving to hold together. "I guess we're stuck with each other..."

Shrimpo just nodded, frown deepening. "LET'S JUST GO."

Boxten didn't say anything more, and followed as Shrimpo stomped his way out of the elevator. Immediately as they exited, the door snapped shut behind them.Shrimpo looked around as Boxten jumped from the sound.

There was a small room directly right of the elevator. Investigating proved to be smart, as when he took a few steps towards the room and peeked his head in, a machine stood in the corner. He turned back towards Boxten, who stood there awkwardly, watching him. He motioned with his head for the Toon to follow, and he did so, with a slight nervous stumble.

The two of them entered the small room in silence, and immediately Shrimpo got on the machine. Boxten said nothing, watching as he tightly gripped the valve and forcefully turned it.

Shrimpo kept his focus on the slow dribble of ichor pooling into the machine. Boxten moved from directly watching him, to slowly swaying on his feet, his gaze drifting all around the room. His hands held together, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Shrimpo could somewhat hear a faint tune emitting from the music box. The tune made him tense, and he blinked, successfully hitting another skill check, just barely.

He heard a ding somewhere in the distance, as well as a splash . The fins on his head twitched. His whiskers did the same. After a few more seconds of slow notes, he snapped his head towards the music box. "WILL YOU QUIT THAT?"

Boxten flinched at the sudden outburst. "Uh- what?"

"STOP PLAYING THAT STUPID MUSIC!" Shrimpo shot a glare at him, hands still moving the valve.

Boxten shrank back, his eyes sharply moving to stare at the floor. The music came to a halt. He held a sheepish stance, feet together with a hand holding onto his other arm. "Sorry..."

Shrimpo only continued to glare at him. He tightened his grip on the valve. He hated this stupid music box. He was the equivalent of looking at a stray cat, always skittish yet always there. Why did he keep having encounters with this meek pathetic excuse of a Toon? He was only good for filler episodes, and Shrimpo had no idea why he bothered to even talk to him. It wasn't like he had anything of interest to say. No will to bite back, and always has to utter out a 'sorry' at any inconvenience. It was sad, really.

He wasn't paying attention to the machine as he continued to look in the music box's direction. Boxten looked visibly uncomfortable at the staring, Shrimpo could tell. He decided that his incessant glaring droned on for long enough, and turned back to the machine.

The valve jammed suddenly. The sound of ichor in the chute made a clogged sound. In his little detour to his thoughts, he hadn't realized he was in the middle of a skill check.

Oh, shit.

A loud blaring alarm suddenly screeched from the machine, causing him to flinch back, hands flying from the wheel. Boxten wasn't much different, seeming to almost jump out of his skin. Shrimpo whipped his head to look at him, and Boxten looked back with wide, brown eyes. Shrimpo moved his head to look back at the entryway and into the main warehouse. In the corner of his eye, he saw Boxten doing the same.

He had to squint to see, but in the distance, he saw a dull pink creature. It had large, dark wings, and large red eyes. Twisted Flutter, a rare Toon to encounter. Shrimpo must've stared for too long, as in its patrol, Shrimpo felt a wave of panic as its eyes trained on him. Immediately, it began to fly towards the room at great speed.

Before he could react, he felt two hands grabbing at his arm, and let out a surprised yelp as he was dragged out of view from the entryway. He was dragged to the ground, and he stumbled off his feet onto his knees. There was another harsh tug on his arm, and he instinctively moved in the direction. When he stopped, he found himself under a desk, his neck uncomfortably craned to fit his head.

He breathed heavily, since when was he breathing so hard? He looked towards his side, and saw a very panicked Boxten.

"WH—" Before he could snap at the Toon for so much as touching him, the music box snapped to look at him.

" Shh!! " Shrimpo had never seen a more serious yet scared expression on a Toon's face. Boxten looked at Shrimpo with small pupils, and upturned brows. The box then turned to look out into the room.

A second later, Twisted Flutter came flying in, and Boxten hunched back under the desk as much as he could. Shrimpo found himself doing the same. Flutter's movements were graceful and quick as she stared at the vacant, half-finished machine with pin-pricked eyes. Then, almost as soon as she entered, she turned and glided out of the small room. Their gazes followed the Twisted in her departure, and stayed as still as they could for a few more moments. Shrimpo could feel his heart beating in his chest.

He slowly turned to look at Boxten, who didn't look at him immediately. He watched the area near the entryway for a few more seconds, before letting out a long sigh, letting his shoulders relax. He slowly turned to meet Shrimpo's gaze. The two stared at each other.

"I think... the coast is clear..." Boxten's voice was barely above a whisper. Shrimpo blinked, then moved from underneath the desk. Boxten shortly after followed him.

Shrimpo looked towards the machine. The ichor was still, unmoving. He heard another ding in the distance.

He turned back to look at Boxten, his usual glare plastered on his face. "NEVER do that again." His voice was a growl, yet much lower in volume than usual.

Boxten slowly nodded. "Sorry."

He continued to look at the ground. He didn't move or say anything else. Shrimpo just resumed his work back on the machine in silence. No grumbles of annoyance, but he did kick the machine a few times as he roughly turned the valve.

The encounter was... strange, to say the least. It wasn't as if he was unaware of Flutter approaching, he saw her with his own two eyes! But what left a weird stirring of confusion in his stomach was why Boxten felt the need to... whatever he did. Shrimpo shook his head as he continued to extract. The machine was almost full of ichor, just a few more valve turns.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Boxten constantly checking over his shoulder, out into the entryway. As if he was on guard, watching for any dangers. Any other Toon might've seen it as very thoughtful, even brave. Shrimpo just continued to turn the valve, ignoring the stirring.

He let go of the wheel as he heard a ding emit from the machine. He looked up at the now green light indicating its completion, then turned to look at Boxten. He was staring back.

Shrimpo kept his hard look, and Boxten kept his usual expression. Upturned brows, wide eyes, honestly, he looked tired. Shrimpo couldn't really blame him. If he was struggling to sleep, then it'd be obvious as to why he was tired. Boxten's sleeping patterns were none of Shrimpo's business, so he dared not comment.

Another ding rang out through the floor. Boxten lifted his head in acknowledgement of the sound, breaking eye contact. He fiddled with his hands. "Someone's likely on the last machine." He commented in a low tone. It sounded like it was more to himself than addressed to Shrimpo.

He then turned his head to the crustacean, his voice louder to address him. "Should we... wait by the elevator?"

Shrimpo crossed his arms. "OBVIOUSLY." He snapped, and Boxten hunched slightly. He nodded, and moved to leave the room. Shrimpo followed on heavy steps.

The two stood at the entrance to the elevator for a solid minute. In that time frame, they were joined by the bakers, but without a dog. Boxten gazed at them, while Shrimpo didn't turn their way.

"Where's Pebble?" Boxten's voice was quiet, as it usually was.

Cosmo was the one to answer, moving to stand on the side Shrimpo wasn't occupying. "We were able to find a bandage for him. He's back to distracting." The pastry held an overly-soft smile on his face. Sprout stood right next to him. He felt eyes on him as Sprout glanced in Shrimpo's direction. He let out a grumble.

"So, how was it, being stuck with him? " The question was to Boxten, as Sprout looked at him with his large green eyes. The question was genuine, but laced with a sneer. Shrimpo knew exactly who that was directed at, and his whiskers twitched with agitation. Boxten looked surprised at the question, and he put his hands in his pockets as he shifted his weight on his feet.

"Um..." He looked down at the ground. He was visibly uncomfortable, even Shrimpo could see that. Cosmo was giving Sprout a look, but the strawberry didn't seem to notice. He was leaning down slightly to meet face to face with Boxten, if the music box looked up at him.

Boxten simply shrugged. "It was fine.."

"Just 'fine'? Shocker." There was a hint of mockery in Sprout's voice. He turned his head to look directly at Shrimpo. Shrimpo tightened his arms closer to his chest, whiskers continuing to twitch. He grumbled, and Boxten kept his hands together in front of himself.

"You didn't give him any trouble, did you Shrimpo?" Shrimpo shot a glare as Sprout addressed him. While the strawberry was smiling, nothing about the smile was friendly.

This made Shrimpo's expression more furious. "SHUT UP!"

"Is that all you say when people ask you questions?" Sprout's smile immediately dropped into its real meaning. Boxten backed away from the two, as he was the only barrier between the Toons. "It's not really polite. Then again, you are the opposite of polite . "

Shrimpo scowled. "I HATE BEING POLITE, AND I HATE YOU!"

"You hate everything, we know . It's all you're good for, hating." Sprout's leaf-like tail swished like a bothered cat.

Shrimpo bared his teeth like a dog at the comment. " YOU'RE NO GOOD!"

"Yeah? And what exactly do you provide to the team, or to anyone for that matter?" Sprout cocked a brow at the crustacean. Shrimpo knew what Sprout was doing. If this was an attempt to 'keep him in check,' then Sprout was making a poor excuse doing it. His fingers dug into the arms they held.

As much as he wanted to bark a retort, he found himself bare of anything to say.

He blinked. He looked down. He looked back up just as quickly. "FUCK YOU!"

"Right." His southern voice deepened. He stopped bending over to meet eye-to-eye with the crustacean, and stood up straight. His tail waved him off, which only made Shrimpo more furious. Shrimpo turned away, ignoring as Sprout's attention went to Cosmo. He didn't glance at Boxten, who was now behind him.

Silence fell between the group, for only a split second, as shortly it was broken by a final ding, a splash, and the creaking groan of the elevator door opening up. The alarm started, and Sprout and Cosmo wasted no time in scurrying into the elevator. Boxten simply walked, and Shrimpo stomped after him. Once inside, he went to his usual spot near the back of the elevator, against the wall with his arms crossed.

He didn't pay attention to the remaining Toons filing into the elevator until he heard the door shut. He didn't pay attention as Sprout began addressing the rest of the team, resorting to blankly stare at the ground. When he felt the elevator beginning to ascend, he blinked. He looked up. No one looked injured, at least not severely. He noted a crack in the glass of Glisten's face. The mirror looked half-driven to tears. Everyone else seemed to have claimed a spot in the elevator, not socializing.

Not that Shrimpo cared. At least the shift was over.

He felt his lip quiver, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He closed his eyes. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. His eyes stayed dry.

He opened his eyes. He glanced at Sprout and Cosmo, who stood beside each other. Then he glanced at Boxten. He stood almost in the corner. He was staring at the floor.

Shrimpo went back to doing the same. He slowly twirled his foot on the floor as the elevator continued to slowly ascend. The fins on his head twitched, his whiskers doing the same.

He preferred when people just pretended he wasn't there. He hated the thick silence. He hated these Toons. He really hated these Toons. He hated these Toons more than anything else, even more than extracting ichor. At least with extraction, it was consistent. The same couldn't be said for the Toons around him.