-Socks POV-

"Hey, guys!"

My heart raced as I listened to the voices from my bedroom. I couldn't trust myself to be outside of this barrier. Gulvic's been hiding in my mind since Nadwe splashed the lemonade into his chest mouth, only talking to me mentally. But, who knows if he'd take control again if that meant he could possibly murder someone who was clueless about the situation. My sludge-brain shouted at me,

"I like people, and you know those people. Go out and see them again!"

I watched a tentacle sneakily slide out of my back, and slither along the wall toward the bedroom door. I clawed at it and attempted to pull it back, but failed, as the coat of black sludge kept me from getting a grip on it. I only ended up with gloves covered in slime. The tentacle wrapped around the doorknob and turned it, eager to escape and take control.

The door cracked just two inches before I grabbed the yellow pen off my nightstand, and stabbed the serpent with the metal end. Gulvic screeched, making me feel both a headache, and a pain like I'd stabbed my own hand. Black spurted out of the tentacle and onto the wooden floor, probably staining it for good. I heard Blaze growl in my mind,

"Pramn- what is that thing."

"It's called a pen."

"And why did you shove it into your tentacle?!"

"My tentacle? Weird, I thought it was yours."

I heard him growl in frustration in my brain as he took control of my right arm to slap my left forearm, where I had gotten the enderman bite about two weeks ago. A small, ringing pain echoed through on impact. I had completely forgotten about it, as it healed seemingly overnight. As I was starting to question it, Gulvic mumbled,

"I'm really starting to wish I never healed that bite."

I froze, and slowly reminded him,

"..You realize I can hear you, right."

Without thinking, my body sat up and turned to sit at the edge of the bed. Hopping down onto the carpet-topped floor, walking a step at a time to the door.

"No, no, no. Gulvic, stop."

"I will dropkick that crab man so far that he touches the moon."

"Why are you dragging Tbh into this?!"

I felt my left hand touch the doorknob and slowly start turning it to the right. I tried to fight it, but the door was already wide open with my feet already on the other side. I bet my irises had the red tint that I absolutely dispised. Again, I couldn't control myself, but I was conscious. It's such a weird feeling. Every step taken leaves a tingling sensation on my feet, and every touch of a wall ripples through my hands. My arms rise to tuck a loose hair strand under my visor, and they don't follow my command to come back to my sides.
__________________________
-Ally POV-

My first impression from the outside of this base was: "Wow. How do we navigate this place."

We were told to not enter through the front, as apparently it was too complicated and not 'set up' yet. Walking along the gravel path and up the porch, me, Thomas, James, and Oscar reached the door. The three boys also went by some nicknames from highschool which were Tbvg, Joocie, and Oof. Oof was a bit behind us, as he was carrying his luggage in. The rest of us thought we could get our own stuff later. After knocking, Blaza Comneer, who was also a friend from my graduation class, opened the door. He still wore a bear-related sweatshirt and pink shorts, like he always did. He also wore his sunglasses inside, but I didn't question it. He exclaimed,

"Hey, guys! Come on in!"

Just in the first sentence, he seemed a little off. Again, I didn't say anything. Blaza just gave me the vibes that something was wrong.

Stepping inside, I let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't too bad. A gray couch was placed away from the wall towards the center of the room, which surrounded a wooden coffee table in the center. Towards the kitchen, there was a corresponding chair to go along with the couch, which also surrounded the table. I was impressed with the set-up they went with. Tbvg immediately walked over to the couch and sat down, tired from our ten hour flight.

Laff Graize, another friend we haven't seen for a few years, stepped into the room from the hallway. Joocie greeted in his British accent,

"Hey there, Laff!"

Laff perked up, seeing us four. I waved as Oof trudged in, pulling the load of his own suitcases inside. In my pocket, I felt a vibration from my phone. I haven't had any service for about half a day now, so I thought it was about time things started coming through. I pulled it out, and it was a bunch of messages from Nadwe, of all people. I still don't know why he's here with a bunch of adults, he should be in school for goodness sake. Then again, who am I to argue.

The notifications were from roughly nine hours ago, when we were already on the plane. As Laff and Joocie caught up, as Oof asked where his room would be, and as Socks turned the corner, my organs felt like they became a black hole in my body. A cold, pin-needle sensation ran down my back, as I read on the screen,

"ALLY THIS IS DYLAN/DINO FROM NADWE'S PHONE! IF YOU HAVEN'T LEFT YET, DON'T LEAVE TO COME HERE!!"

I kept reading, confused and concerned at the same time. The boy's speech and chattering was blurred, as I was entirely focused on the messages.

"SOMETHING STRANGE HAS BEEN GOING ON AND SOCKS AND LAFF ARE POSSESSED! IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN!"

I scanned the last message, which wrote,

"I REPEAT, DON'T COME! YOU'RE RISKING YOUR LIFE!"

I stayed silent as I lowered my phone from my face. I stared at Laff and Socks, both of them I haven't even had a conversation with yet. Was this a prank? The two of them both looked fine. The more I looked, I noticed that both Socks' face and Laff's mask seemed to have faint, smokey-black streaks staining them. Could that just be the lighting, or was something really happening here.
________________________________________________
-Blaza POV-

Hearing footsteps, I looked to the left.

Socks? What is he doing out here?

I worriedly stared at Socks, who looked like he was studying our four friends. Feeling my stare, he turned to me and gave me a small smile. Dark circles under his eyes held brown pupils, from what I could see. Joocie saw him as well, and exclaimed,

"Oh hey, Socks!"

"Hey!"

Socks paused, but quickly continued,

"Uhh- do you guys want me to show you to your rooms?"

I took in a sharp breath, confused and nervous about the offer. Was Gulvic actually gone? I looked at Socks, trying to implicitly ask him whether or not he was just being polite or genuine. He glared back at me for a split second with a look that said 'I'm fine'. Oof accepted, saying,

"Sure, why not?"

Thomas yawned,

"Yeah, I don't want to take up the whole couch."

Socks' mouth formed into a sly smile and cheerfully replied,

"Cool! Follow me."

The four then followed Socks as he walked down the hallway. I looked at Laff, who stared down the hallway. Ryzo whispered through Laff's mouth,

"Socks isn't in control right now."

I perked up and looked at Laff. I asked,

"What? But his eyes were-"

He interrupted, saying,

"Gulvic could be using Socks instead of the physical body itself."

"What? Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's very different, actually. Using the body means that we are in full control, and the human isn't able to take control without our consent or by force. Using the host is forcing the human to do it for us instead. He mostly talks, so his teeth probably belong to Gulvic's. It's also the most discreet place to show control, so."

I thought for a moment.

So Gulvic was using Socks as a mask again?

A familiar beeping noise arose from the silence, from above my head, actually. This made Laff and Ryzo turn around, the right eye being Laff's, the left eye being Ryzo's. I let out a nervous chuckle, as no one knew about Fuzzy Wuzzy yet. Laff asked,

"What is that?"

"His name is Fuzzy Wuzzy."

"And why is it sentient?"

I thought, and I haven't thought about it recently.

"You know, I wonder the same thing."

"Meep!"

I felt the hood's ears rise and fall, showing some sort of excitement. The two ahead of me stared in shock, and maybe a bit of nervousness. As a bit more black flooded from his eye, Ryzo asked,

"Is it possessed?"

I looked at him confused, and bluntly reminded,

"How am I supposed to know that? You're the ghost here."

"Well, you can't see ghosts when they're possessing something."

I sighed, followed by a high-pitched sigh from Fuzzy. I set myself straight by mumbling,

"We're getting off track."
__________________________
-Joocie POV-

Following Socks along with Ally, Oof, and Tbvg was tense to say the least. The base seemed empty and lifeless compared to the video calls I've had with Laff, Meme, and Woolf. It felt like something was definitely wrong, but then again, I've never been here in person. Socks stopped walking after passing four doors, one of which seemed to be a closet. Opening the door, he declared,

"Here's the first guest room!"

I just wanted to unpack quickly and get it done.

"It doesn't matter who takes what room-"

I had interrupted Socks by running into the room and diving onto the bed, splashing a dollop of juice on the floor. I screamed,

"Dibs!"

Ally burst out laughing, and agreed,

"Okay, okay. This can be your room, Juice."

I joked,

"My territory, get out."

Oof reciprocated,

"I apologize, my master."

A chuckle followed his sentence, meanwhile Socks seemed a little confused. I snapped out of the joke and said,

"I can hold off unpacking so I can get to know the place. I'll follow you guys around until you're done."

Socks smiled, seeming eager to show us around. He seemed a bit quieter than usual, but he did seem a bit tired too. The twenty-one year old spaceman exclaimed,

"Alrighty then,"

He pointed to his left, and explained,

"That's the library at the end of the hall, and next to Joocie is.."

He paused to think, which I felt was a bit strange since he's been in this place multiple times. He started walking to his right, out of view from inside my room. As I rushed out of my room to meet up with the rest of the group, Socks explained,

"I'm actually never really in there. I think it's a kind of second chill-out room or something. Anyways up this other hall on the right is Meme's room, Nadwe's room, Laff's room, and the bathroom. On the left is Tbh's room, and Blaza's room."

With every mention of a room, Socks gestured to each. As we walked, the only other sound apart from Socks' rambling was the wheels of Oof's suitcases. As we passed Meme's room, Tbvg asked,

"Oh, is Meme in his room right now?"

Socks quickly turned around, looking panicked after the question. He stuttered, through bladed teeth,

"O-oh, no. He's back at his own place now."

Tbvg, not seeming to notice the stutter or the teeth, naively understood. Not seeing anyone but Ally slightly concerned, I asked,

"Hey, Socks, what's going on with your teeth?"

His umber irises darted to my square, glowing-yellow ones.

I swear his irises are chestnut brown- maybe my phone has a weird tint or something.

Socks darted his eyes away from mine, answering,

"What do you mean?"

He seemed nervous, like he was trying to hide that he'd just robbed a bank. He refused to make eye contact with me. Socks started biting his cheek and winced, visibly confirming he was nervous. I continued pursuing him with a barrage of questions.

"Your mouth looks like you got dental implants from a shark."

Letting out a nervous laugh, he shot back, slightly annoyed,

"My teeth have always been sharp, what are you talking about?"

Ally joined in, sounding more concerned than me.

"Socks, are you okay?"

"I'm completely fine."

Socks was frustrated with us, I could tell. Since when did he have a temper?

"Are you sure? You're acting like we did something to annoy the hell out of you."

Oof and Tbvg stayed silent, probably just as confused as I was. Socks looked at Ally, starting to laugh under his breath. He spoke with an intoxicating tone, like he was acting like a snake.

"Oh, you didn't do a single thing. Trust me."

Still laughing, he blinked, and black eyes with red slits cut through my vision. Black ink rolled down his cheeks from his eyes, like he was sobbing. His voice became distorted and deep, so much so that it didn't sound remotely like Socks anymore. I slowly took a step back as four tentacles as sharp as spears erupted from his back, facing towards the four of us. Ally, who was obviously as terrified as me, immediately screamed and ran back down the hall we came from. Oof dropped his case and the rest of us followed suit, including Socks. Before Ally could get through the doorway to the room we first came in, a tentacle ripped through the air and stabbed into the doorframe. To avoid being stabbed through the head, she ducked and turned to the left in a panic, running down the stairs of the basement.

My mind was too foggy to think, so like a sheep, I followed Ally and Oof down the staircase, nearly slipping on some kind of liquid at the bottom. Tentacles smashed themselves into the walls behind us, nearly stabbing Tbvg through the head multiple times as they caused chaos. I turned a corner, and ran into the only room with a cracked-open door.

Not even bothering to slam the door, I instead slammed myself against the wall. It turned out that Oof managed to make it in here with me. As I heard a stampede of feet outside the door, I made sure to close my eyes, as they gave off a golden glow. I took a second to breathe, to comprehend what just happened, and my stomach churned as I breathed in the pungent odor of blood. It didn't seem real old, and it wasn't fresh either. It lingered in my senses, choking me from the inside.

Opening my eyes, I saw blood splattered on the wall, three bullets on the ground, and next to it was a generator that seemed dented from the shot. I saw tufts of black fur near the splatter, crimson footprints that faded away towards the door, and black spots and streaks on the door. My gaze went back to the tufts of fur, which from what I could see looked exactly like Woolf's tail. I muttered,

"No.. it can't be-"

"Oh, but it is."

The two of us both screamed at the sudden voice from outside the door. Again, they were red slits but the voice didn't belong to Socks. He slowly walked in, and my heart sank. Laff, my closest friend, now my enemy. Is this when death will take me, only a few meters ahead of me? Bracing for my last breath, Laff explained in a dark, yet comforting voice,

"Joocie, Oof, I'm Ryzo. The other one is Gulvic. I don't want to hurt you."

I simply couldn't speak. My heart was pounding inside my chest. Oof was the same way. Ryzo quickly continued,

"I know it's probably hard to believe, but me and him are of the same species. No, we weren't human. We have to talk about this later because there is absolutely no time to explain before Ally and Tbvg are both dead with a hole through their head."

My entire body felt frozen. Oof breathed out exactly what I was thinking,

"Weren't? So you're dead?"

"Both of us are, and Ally and Tbvg are about to be if we don't teasiae yean and move."

"What?"

Ryzo groaned out of annoyance, rolling his bright red slits for eyes.
_________________________________________________________
-Meme POV-

"Just over this way!"

"Wait up! You're not the one making sure this thing is in mint condition, okay?"

"Okay, fine."

I stopped, letting Muffin catch up with me and Woolf with the tearglass. Staring up at the autumn treetops, I thought out loud,

"Why don't we just fly above the trees? That would be easier."

I got agreeing mumbles for an answer as the three of us flew towards a clearing within the leaves, getting blinded with the setting sun as a consequence. It was beautiful, actually. It was nearly the entire spectrum of colors all in one view. Pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, and indigo flooded the sky, with blotches of white crowding the sky like the spots on a cow's coat. Forcing myself to get back on task, I ripped my gaze away from the sunset. Continuing to follow the map that was nearly to the point of ripping, I spotted Nadwe, Tbh, and Dino walking back to the base through my peripherals. Tbh and Nadwe were carrying bags of bottled water, lemons, and limes for whatever reason. I didn't question them, instead asking Woolf and Muffin:

"Hey, since the base is in sight, would it be okay with you two if I flew ahead?"

Muffin stayed silent, concentrating not to drop the artifact. Woolf answered,

"Sure, go ahead."

I gave a slight smile to show my gratitude, and wound up to throw myself through the window like a baseball. I leaned my head back, and propelled myself forward as fast as I could. From being over fifty feet in the air, I came in like a wrecking ball. In fact, I launched myself so far that I phased through the floor, into the basement. I had just enough time to see Oompa running towards the basement door in a panic.

I immediately choked on my own plasma as everything went into slow motion. Gulvic's back was right in front of me, his tentacles stabbing me spiritually, but originally ready to stab through Ally and Thomas' faces. As I got skewered on the tentacle, I got whipped around, being able to see Ryzo. The other hybrid was running towards Gulvic, tentacles also back and ready to fight. Joocie and Oof slowly followed behind Ryzo. Blaza was watching this all from the room's corner, as well armed with a frying pan.

Well, isn't this quite the predicament.

_________
Was working on this all day, your welcome.
3167 words