Chapter Text
Elliot woke up in an undestroyed pizzeria.
….
Weird…he could've sworn he was in his room sleeping.
He looked around at his environment. The pizzeria looked like its old self, nothing seemed out of place.
….
Not that he'd remember.
….
Did the pizzeria always look this... .grey and ... .dark?
The whole place gave him chills.
Elliot continued looking around. This place was…. strangely empty, not a single employee or customer in sight.
The pizza boy waited at the counter, waiting to see if anyone would show up.
….
And someone did.
…..
The opening of the front door along with the ring of the bell caught Elliot's attention.
But the one at the door was someone Elliot hoped to never see again.
….
07n7
Elliot froze.
“....you…?”
7n7 didn't reply, he just stood there silently.
“W…what are you doing here!?”
“….”
“Answer!”
There was still no reply, he only got an eerie smile and before the yellow robloxian could react. The pizzeria was once again on fire.
Elliot felt his heart speed up as memories of last time entered his mind.
‘N…no! T…this had to be a dream…right? A…. Another dream!’
He knew this wasn't real, he had to wake up! WHY ISN'T HE WAKING UP!!??
Elliot tried getting his thoughts together when he tripped and fell, and if that couldn't get worse, wooden planks fell on-top of him.
The pizza boy gasped as smoke filled his lungs.
He could feel the fire burning his skin once more.
‘N ... .no! This…this isn't real!!! Wake up!!!’
Despite knowing that this was a dream he couldn't bring himself to wake up.
Elliot struggled and took one final look at 7n7 who smiled before turning away to leave.
“W….wait! No! Come back!!”
Despite knowing that it was all a dream that didn't stop Elliot from screaming.
From begging for 7n7…for anyone to come and save him.
……
But nobody came.
…..
Elliot shot up in bed screaming. He looked around noticing he was back in his room.
He breathed trying to calm his nerves as he laid back on his bed.
“...this has to stop…”
As he laid there, suddenly Elliot felt an intense amount of pain coming from the scared parts of his body.
He let out a small pained scream as he rolled over and hugged himself.
A strange orange light was illuminating from the strange orange lines on Elliot's scars.
It…hurt, it felt as if Elliot's body was on fire once again.
He struggled as the pain got more and more intense.
He laid in pain for what felt like hours and thankfully, it seemed to just…..stop.
He slowly got up, his body weak and shaking.
“What…..was that..?”
Elliot's thoughts were interrupted with a knock on his door.
“Elliot? Are you ok in there?”
It was Dued1.
…..
“Elliot?”
“Y…yeah I'm fine just….I'm fine..”
The pizza boy really wanted to tell him what happened, he really did but…for some reason he just…couldn't.
…..
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I'm fine…what do you want?”
“Well I came here to ask if you wanted breakfast..”
…
“Breakfast?”
Elliot looked at the window in his room and noticed that it was now day time.
Even so, the NPC wasn't sure he had the emotional energy to go out.
Especially due to the events of yesterday.
…..
“Look…I know things didn't go very well yesterday but…please..just try to join us..”
……
There was a long sting of silence between the two. Dued1 sighed.
“...fine…you can come when you're ready…”
As he heard Dued1 leave, Elliot got up, his body still shaking from earlier.
He slowly got out of bed. He might as well go.
At least to make it up to his family.
He finally got out of his room completely unaware of the change that happened to his hair.
As soon as he stepped out of his room the smell of pancakes filled the hallways.
He made his way to the kitchen and saw a small plate of pancakes along with Mr Builder, Mia and Dued1 sitting at the table.
….
“good morning guys…” Elliot said.
“Ah, Elliot good morn-...” Mr Builder paused, “ing…”
The three robloxians stare at Elliot looking surprised and confused.
The awkward silence along with the staring were starting to creep him out.
“Is…something wrong?”
“Nothing it's just…..did you do something with your hair?”
“Uh…no? Why?”
…..
“Guys what's wrong?”
“Elliot strands of your hair are orange”
There was a long pause.
“...what…?”
….
Elliot immediately went to the bathroom to see what his father meant.
And right when he looked into the mirror he saw it.
Different strands of his hair were now orange.
Elliot just stared at himself, he….he didn't understand.
What is this? Why is his hair orange?
Does this relate to him waking up in pain? He was glowing orange then…from what he remembered anyway.
….
Was…. something happening to him?
If so….why? And….how?
Elliot wasn't able to take his eyes off of his reflection…..how did this happen?
Questions filled his mind he didn't understand.
Why was this happening? What could this mean?
He didn't know.
How was he supposed to know?
Is it because he's been feeling stressed? He heard that people's hair sometimes turn grey when they're stressed, can orange also be the same thing?
First he has a nightmare then when he wakes up he randomly starts going in pain not to mention his scars were glowing and now this!!
So far his morning hasn't been so good.
….
Speaking of scars.
Was it normal for people to have these…. strange orange lines run through them?
…..
Now that he's looking at them…they seem to be the same shade of orange the streaks in his hair are.
…..
That can't be a coincidence…right?
Elliot didn't know what to think of anymore, he just wanted whatever was going on with him to just stop!
This wasn't fair! He wanted to feel like himself again, for things to be normal!
Elliot felt angry, sad and confused.
Out of that anger and sadness he let out a pain filled scream.
There was a knock.
“Elliot. Are you ok?”
It was Dued1 again ... .why is he always checking up on him?
Why not his dad or sister?
Actually…Dued1 has been acting a little off since the…. incident.
“.......leave me alone…”
“Elliot please….”
Elliot didn't reply, he was just done with everything, done with whatever the hell is going on with him.
“I said leave me alone!”
“Elliot, look. I can help please….let me fix you!”
……
There was a long pause.
Fix me…
…..
Dued1 seemed to backtrack a bit, but to Elliot, that just confirmed that something is wrong with him.
“I mean! Look! You need help. You're traumatized and we all want to help you!”
…….
He's lying, Elliot doesn't know why but he feels like there's something he isn't telling him.
“.....I want to be alone….”
…….
“I'll go back to check on you”
…..
He could hear Dued1 walk away.
Elliot slowly sat down on the ground.
He really needed a break.
From everything.
………….
A few hours passed and Dued1 didn't seem to come back.
Elliot decided to finally go out of the bathroom and found that the house was empty.
He looked around at the empty house.
He was alone.
…..
Just like he wanted.
…..
Why doesn't that make him feel happy?
He made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge and noticed that there still some cake left, so he decided to cut himself a slice.
…..
Might as well.
……
As he sat alone at the table, the dark feeling never went away, only growing.
He poked at his cake. He didn't even know why he took some; he wasn't even hungry.
……
He continued to poke the cake, he still wasn't able to get his mind to calm down.
Suddenly there was a knock on his door.
He froze.
……
Who was that?
He knew for a fact it wasn't a family member, they have keys so they would've just opened that door.
There was another knock, along with a familiar voice.
“Elliot are you there?”
Lulu!?
Elliot went to the door and opened it. There stood Lulu, she seemed happy that Elliot answered.
“Finally you open the door” she sighed.
Elliot just stared at her.
“Lulu? What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check up on you, how've you been? Are you ok?”
He invited her in, as he did he noticed that she was carrying a small box.
“I'm ... .fine…” the two went to the kitchen, Elliot opened the fridge, “do you want any cake?”
“Oh! Is that from when your family tried throwing you something to help cheer you up?”
…….
“You know about that?”
“Of course. Mia was very excited about it, she wouldn't stop talking about it”
Hearing that only made Elliot feel more guilt, Mia was generally excited to make him feel better and he just….. ruined it.
……
“I'm sorry I wasn't able to come by, I was busy with my own family…but…I got you something”
Ignoring the fact that she ignored his question, Elliot went to sit at the table beside Lulu.
She smiled before handing him the box.
“Here. Open it!”
He slowly opened the box, though he noticed that the box was moving….weird.
Once he opened the box there was a small white Gubby staring at him.
…….
“I got her for you. I thought you needed all the support you could get after….the incident”
Elliot slowly picked up the small gubby. Her white fur was very soft and she was very round.
“...I…..I don't understand”
“When your little sister said that you weren't doing ok I thought you would need all the emotional support you could get”
Lulu found a bit while talking.
“You went through something terrible and your body was seriously damned…not that you look bad! You look great. Love what you did with your hair, if dying your hair helps then do it”
“I didn't -”
“What you went through is something I could never imagine going through. You must feel terrible”
“I…I do but-”
“Especially since you were the only employee that survived”
……..
Elliot froze. He looked at Lulu.
“Only employee to- what are you talking about?”
……
“You didn't know?”
He didn't know? Didn't know what? There's no way he's the only employee to survive! Dued1 said so.
“They aren't dead. Dued1 said they went to the hospital like I did”
……
“Elliot…they weren't even able to get out of the building”
The pizza boy froze.
….
No
She's lying! But….it's Lulu…Lulu doesn't lie…but…m Dued1 wouldn't lie either…would he? No…no he's known him for years. He's practically part of the family! He….he wouldn't….he's never.
But…Dued1 was acting weird since the incident….but…. he'd never….he…
But….. weren't some of the employees getting shoved into the ovens?
……..
If they were locked in the ovens then…how could they get out?
…..
Elliot was now lost in thought as he tried to make sense of it.
“Elliot? Are you ok?”
He didn't seem to hear her, he was too deep in thought, the small Gubby seemed to nuzzle his hand seemingly noticing his speeding heart.
…..
Didn't his employees have friends and family? People who they'll never see again?
…..
Wasn't one of the employees working that day only 16?
……
Wasn't the only way he's alive because 7n7 and his army dragged him out?
But …why?
He's just an average employee?
What's so important about him that's worth saving compared to someone who was only 16?
Someone who had an entire life ahead of them?
“Elliot! Elliot please talk to me”
He….he isn't special! He's just a guy that works at a pizzeria his dad co-owns.
Why did he get to live while they didn't?
“Elliot please! Breath. Everything's ok!”
Elliot was no longer mentally there so he wasn't listening, his mind kept going back to that day, to his fellow workers.
….
His fellow deceased workers.
His mind started to spin, his mind and heart started to fill with hurt and betrayal.
…..
Why wouldn't Dued1 just tell him? Why would he like something like that?
As his mind spiraled he started to lose himself more and more and the next thing he knew he couldn't keep himself up.
And before long.
Everything.
Went.
Black.
The last thing he heard was Lulu yelling his name and the front door opening.
************
Elliot opened his eyes to find himself in his room, the small little Gubby was lying right beside him. As soon as she noticed he was awake she started licking him.
He also noticed Dued1 pacing around his room and Mia by the foot of the bed.
“He's awake!”
Dued1 turned around to look at Elliot.
“Oh thank Telamon you're up! Are you ok?”
“I….guess…”
“Good…good”
There was awkward silence, Mia was trying to pet the Gubby.
“....Dued1…did ... .any of the employees working that day ... .die?”
…..
Dued1 seemed to freeze a bit and seemed to think on…. something.
“I…what? Where did you- Lulu…” Dued1 scuffed at her name, “No! No one died! They're fine!”
“They are?”
“Of course! Their just healing that's all”
…..
“So I'll see them again when the pizzeria reopens right?”
“I….well uh……they actually moved..”
…..
“They…moved?”
“Yep! They did!”
Dued1 was giving him a nervous smile, Elliot narrowed his eyes.
He looked at Mia who awkwardly looked back at him, most likely thinking the same thing as him.
……
“Well…if you say so. I hope they're ok! But”
“They are!! Whatever Lulu said was a lie! She's a liar! Don't listen to her!!”
Dued1 answered a little…too…quickly. Due to the fact that she isn't here, Elliot can guess that they most likely kicked her out.
“...oh really?”
“Yes really. You know how she is……Lulu…”
…….
“Welp I'm still very tired. Can you guys please leave”
“Of course!”
“What? But I want to hangout with the Gubby. She looks like a ball of mozzarella”
“Mia, Elliot wants to be alone. You can play with Gubby later”
Mia pouted but seemed to understand. Elliot smiled lightly as he watched them leave.
Once they were gone the smile on the pizza boy's face faded.
That reaction Dued1 made confirmed everything.
…..
He was lying.
….
The next time Elliot looked at the mirror, he saw that more strands of hair had turned orange.
Whatever was going on was a lot more serious than simple trauma, and Dued1 most likely knows what's going on and is not telling him.
Elliot just wants to know why.