+ ((( Rainbow in the Dark ))) +

What's In A Friend? (Part 3/3)

Hello people!

I have another chapter for you~

It's gonna start to get super exciting from here on out, so stay tuned!

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//CHAPTER 10.3

Orange (Wow it's so surprising-)

Heart pounding with anticipation,

Growing louder with every beat.

Searching for a sign, a glimpse of hope,

Praying that it isn't too late.

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Orange had spent the rest of the night in his lair with the human. The two waited in an uncomfortable silence, waiting out the rest of the hunt.

Orange glanced around at his lair. He was grateful that there weren't any security cameras, or else the human would have been discovered already.

The human fiddled with their hands nervously. Orange occasionally glanced at them, keeping a careful eye on them. He took the extra time to think.

If he was going to try to help this human get away from the theme park, then he would have to make an excuse to leave the Playplace.

Maybe if Orange told the others that he just wanted to see what it looked like, they would let him go. Either that or he would need to sneak away, and the others would still notice that he had disappeared.

Orange wasn't sure if he already regretted this. He was probably just digging his own grave. But it was too late now, he had already started this, he might as well finish it.

The bumping and knocking and squeaking sounds continued until the morning, when the lights flicked on. For a few minutes, Orange had grown worried that it would continue through most of the day, but they had soon died down.

When Orange assumed that the Rainbow Friends were mostly done, he sent the human out. As much as he was worried that the human would die, he knew that he may be able to meet them at the park if they survived the last few minutes in the Playplace.

Orange waited in a tense silence, yet again, as he waited to hear what would happen. He wasn't exactly sure what he was listening for yet, but he was searching for some sign that they were done.

Usually, Orange could tell if the hunt was done by the lack of screaming or if he couldn't get any scents, but this time, he knew that the Rainbow Friends were trying to spare some humans so Yellow and Cyan could get some in the park.

Orange still didn't know why he was trying to save this human. They were probably going to die to Cyan first anyway.

Once again, he was reminded of the terror on its face and the emotion that shone in its eyes as Orange saved it from a horrible fate.

Orange sort of liked it. Saving the human. It felt good. It felt like he was doing something right for once.

He waited for a few more minutes, before he exited his lair. As he sniffed the air, he was met with the strong odor of fresh blood. He gagged for a moment, caught off guard, as he walked past a particularly bloody spot on the wall.

He had never quite noticed all of the gore before. The Rainbow Friends always somewhat cleaned it up after hunts, but for some reason, it had never bothered him so much before.

Orange assumed that watching the humans suffering during the hunts was making him soft. He would need to toughen up if he was going to continue on with his current mission.

As Orange passed by a doorway, he heard a loud popping sound. He froze and peered through the doorway. It was in the direction of the stage. He briefly wondered what the noise was, and then crept around the corner.

The room was empty, but he did see balloons scattered about on the floor. The doors on the far side were open, leading to the same vent that the humans had escaped out of last time.

Orange suspected that the others had them using it on purpose this time, however, to drive the humans towards OddWorld.

He hoped the human he had saved was okay.

Maybe he should just leave the human to fend for itself. It didn't need Orange around to protect it. As long as it could find enough hiding spots, it would be fine, right?

But deep down, Orange was doubtful. He knew that the human would barely survive an hour without him. He stood in the room, still very much conflicted, when he finally decided that he should just do it.

Orange hopped up the ramp, peering through the doorway. There was now a wooden plank, made to look like another ramp there, which looked like it had been specifically placed to lead into the vent.

He hesitantly climbed inside, feeling his way along the small metal vent, hoping that Purple wouldn't be there to rip his head off.

There were small red lights sitting on the floor of the vent. Orange assumed that they were there to guide the humans, so he followed them as well.

As Orange neared the end of the vent, he reached his claw under the half-closed door and lifted it up, crawling underneath. He remembered when he had come this way last time.

While he had been looking to see what was happening at OddWorld last time, he hadn't been trying to meddle with anything before.

Orange felt his heart pounding as he began to come to terms with what this meant for him. If he got caught, then things would surely be very bad.

Not only was there the danger of him actually getting mauled, but he wasn't sure how much more of this the other Rainbow Friends would tolerate. What if they decided that they didn't need him anymore?

Could he be risking his friendship with the Rainbow Friends for this human?

Orange took a deep breath. He knew he wasn't just doing this for the human, not anymore. But also for himself. For Chase. For all of the people that he used to love.

He knew that something had to change, if things were ever going to get better.

Maybe he could be that change.

Even if the others didn't like it, they would eventually understand. It would make sense to them, one day.

Orange felt a surge of determination as he realized this.

He had to do it. He couldn't let this go on any longer. This was the first step he needed to take. This was the start of something that could be much bigger than just himself.

Orange stood up, looking past the wire gate that was once closed, and now open. He dusted himself off and started his way into the woods.

He would do this. He would finish what he had started, and he would face the consequences if he had to.

Orange just had to remember what he was doing this for. If he kept his eyes ahead, then everything would be okay.

At least, that's what he wanted to believe.

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And there we have it. One more chapter done.

(I just looked at my drafts and I just reached 200 pages on there :0 )

Well thanks for reading, and may you have a good day/night!

Next Chapter: An Odd Bond (Part 1/4)