Chapter Text
When it came to the specter realm, the survivors were forced to adapt to many uncomfortable changes.
Food of course was sporadic and not guaranteed, they only had one outhouse and outdoor shower to share, and there were barely enough blankets and sheets to keep someone warm throughout the frigid nights.
The one thing though, that the survivors missed the most, the one thing that no one would mention out loud, was alcohol.
The closest thing they had to it was Noobs bloxxy colas, and even those were usually hoarded by the young survivor.
So when Shedletsky and Chance had returned from a scavenging trip in the woods, with a couple cases of cold ones and a bottle of wine, the struggling group immediately jumped at the opportunity for a night of relaxation.
The admins and Taph took the wine bottle for themselves, seeing as they were the defacto leaders of the survivors, it usually meant first dibs on food and resources. Guest, ever the selfless one, asked for half of one of the beer packs to be stored away in the self-made medical wing, seeing as it could be used as a replacement for rubbing alcohol when it came to patching wounds, or even to help someone relax as a makeshift sleeping gas if they needed to perform serious surgery. Noob took the remainder of the first pack to drink in their cabin along with Veeronica and Two-Time. They had learned recently that the cultist had not been allowed to drink when they still lived in the group, thus Vee and Noob were excited to introduce them for the first time.
The final case of beers was taken by Elliot, who promptly invited Chance, Guest, and 007n7 to drink along with him in his cabin.
The rounds were finished for the day, and there were no tasks left for the four aside from trying to sleep through bone chilling temperatures. At least the alcohol could help them warm up a little. 007n7 was still a little nervous though.
First of all, he didn't expect to be invited by Elliot of all people, and he’s 99% sure he only did so because he was the only one left without a share of the haul. Second, he's not exactly the biggest fan of drinking in general. The last time he ever drank for pleasure was when he was in college, well below the legal limit, but it wasn't like he or his friends were counting. Ever since then he’s only drunk a few beer bottles when he was at his lowest. When Noli had left without a word, when bills kept piling up no matter how many jobs he took on, when Coolkid first went missing.
Still, he didn't want to seem rude, so he accepted Elliot's offer.
It was a good thing he did though.
At first things were a little tense, and 007n7 ended up slinking away in a corner, trying to make himself unseen. Then Elliot and Chance finished their first drinks, and the atmosphere of the room relaxed. And after Guest took a couple sips from his own bottle, 007n7 felt confident enough to get his first drink.
Throughout the night, the four drank, talked, laughed, all the things good friends seemed to do. It had been so long since 007n7 felt like this, and the feeling was addicting.
His memory began to become fuzzy around midnight, both by the alcohol and general fatigue. He remembered stumbling over to the couch, laughing at some story Elliot was telling. Then he remembers Chance asking the yellow haired robloxian if he should go jump in the lake, the other slurring out a wheezy ‘yes’.
Which eventually led to Elliot sprinting out of the cabin after Chance to stop him from actually killing himself. All the while 007n7 couldn't hold his own giggles and laughs back in anymore. Chance would surely lose this race, Elliot was by far the fastest robloxian the hacker had ever met.
007n7 could remember Guest settling down next to him, chuckling at the actions of the pizza boy and gambler, mumbling something 007n7 just couldn't quite remember.
It got more serious after. Once Elliot had dragged Chance back in by the ear and the two collapsed into the pizza workers bed. With just the soldier and former hacker in the room awake, the two began to speak about their children.
It was always something they could relate to the soldier. Sure, he wasn't the only other father out here by technicality, but 007n7 still felt he could relate to Guest 1337 more than anyone else.
007n7 shamefully doesn't really remember what Guest talked about, probably something about his wife and daughter if he had to guess. He also doesn't remember how he responded, but he does remember Guest's expression afterward.
It’s strange, all the times 007n7 talked about Coolkid with Guest in the past, he had always seemed happy to indulge him. But when 007n7 spoke, the soldier's face twisted into confusion, and almost… Pity?
007n7 doesn't really remember why he reacted that way, but he also didn't stop. He kept talking, well more like slurring out barely coherent sentences with the soldier. Guest remained calm, not angry, but not happy either, still he didn't shut down 007n7 or try to stop him from speaking. He just kept his look of concern up as he listened and rubbed the former hackers back. All the while 007n7 didn't stop talking. It felt like as soon as he let one thing slip from his mouth, he couldn't stop. He needed to let it out, he needed to let it all out.
He still couldn't remember what he was saying, but he did remember the soldiers final words to him before he passed out.
“ Just go to sleep Sev, you must be so tired.”
And for once, 007n7 listened.
—
He still couldn't remember just what he spilled to the soldier when 007n7 woke up in the morning. The only thing he could feel was the raging headache of a hangover, and the sound of someone, probably Chance, puking just out the front door.
Rolling over with a groan, 007n7’s suspicions were confirmed as he saw Chance hobbling back into the cabin, wiping his mouth with their sleeve. Elliot was still fast asleep on the bed, and Chance didn't hesitate plopping down right next to him and snoring immediately. Flicking his gaze to the other side of the room, 007n7 could see Guest laying on the carpet, fast asleep as well.
Immediately 007n7 felt guilty. If he knew Guest wouldn't return to his own cabin before sleeping, he would have given up his spot on the couch for him instead. The soldier deserved it more, considering he spent whole rounds punching and blocking and running just to ensure the survival of his team. He deserved the more comfortable bed.
007n7 settled his legs in front of him, before lifting off the couch and making his way to Guest. He knew he couldn't just carry Guest to the couch. First of all, he didn't know if the soldier was comfortable with that, and second of all the man had muscles that were as tough as steel, and probably weighed as much too. 007n7 want exactly the fittest of the group anyway.
Instead, the man gently pulled a blanket from where Chance and Elliot lay, as well as taking one of the small pillows, before arranging them on the sleeping guest. Other than stirring slightly in his sleep, Guest didn't wake up, seemingly getting more comfortable with the new furnishings he had received. It wasn't much, but it made 007n7 smile.
After he was finished, 007n7 turned back and took in the state of the cabin. It was awful really, empty beer bottles all over the place, dirty plates that looked like they had been there for years, and a bunch of used paper towels and tissues used to cover old stains.
Well, 007n7 was already up, might as well make himself useful and clean the place. Plus, he’s sure Elliot would appreciate it. Maybe this could be his way of saying ‘thank you for the invite’.
The hacker finished his tasks pretty quickly. He handled far more egregious messes raising a small demonic toddler back home. This was nothing compared to the times he had to clean up charred and chewed bookcases and table legs.
The last thing that needed tidying were the dirty plates, which required the kitchen in the main cabin to clean up.
Seeing as the morning sun still hadn't risen yet, 007n7 deduced that no one else would be there. However he was proven wrong once he stepped through the door of the lodge to see Taph and Dusekkar sitting at one of the tables, seemingly in deep discussion.
007n7 made his way to the sink as quietly as possible, content with the idea of not stirring up anything with the pumpkin headed admin so early in the morning. The mage however seemed to have different plans.
“ If you believe you are invisible to I then you are no more bright than a common housefly,” Dusekkar sneered.
“ Sorry, sorry-” 007n7 mumbled, that seemed to be his default response nowadays, “ I just didn't want to interrupt you two”
“ No interrupting has happened, no, our conversion has just reached its natural final flow,” The mage continued, “ What are you doing up at this hour, without changing, or even a shower?”
007n7 scratched the back of his beck, “ Elliot, Guest, Chance and I had a bit too much to drink.” He sheepishly smiled as he recalled the vague memories of the night. It was a good night, he hoped he could have more of them with the three survivors. “ I woke up before any of them, so I wanted to clean up.”
The pumpkins' angered gaze returned, but this time his rage was not directed at 007n7, but at someone else, “ I told that vile chicken that drinking would do no good! Now we have two drunk sentinels and a support too!”
Taph signed something quickly to the mage, with Dusekkar responding in a barely audible mutter. 007n7 meanwhile was amused at the pumpkins rage toward his own co-worker.
“ Haha, yeah… I mean I guess everyone just wanted an excuse to relax, you know?”
Dusekkar scoffed, “ You may have a point, that might be true, but see where relaxation will help once a killer comes after you!”
The mage left soon with the demolitionist, just as 007n7 finished placing the clean dishes on a towel to dry. Checking the time, he could see it was still about 6 in the morning, early enough for most to be awake, but were probably all oversleeping due to the alcohol. The round today didn't start until around 10 anyway, which meant 007n7 had about 3-4 hours to kill before then.
He could feel himself getting exhausted already. The adrenaline of waking up so early had left, and now he wanted nothing more than to sleep again. He debated making his way back to his own cabin, but it was the very far corner of the campsite, hell of a trek.
He knew Builderman would get frustrated with him if he slept in the main lodge, but maybe he could use the drinking as an excuse for it? Say he just couldn't make his way back to bed and passed out. It’s not like the hardhatted robloxian would be awake enough to be mad at him anyhow, considering the wine Shedletsky had snatched for the both of them.
With that personal hesitation settled, 007n7 curled on the couch. It was soft, a lot softer than his own bed, but he knew that wasn't fair of him to complain about.
He couldn't help it though, as he fell asleep a lot faster than he normally would in his own shoddy shack.
—
When Guest woke up, he was confused when he felt a soft pillow beneath him and a warm blanket wrapped around him. Sitting up he confirmed the soft sheets were real as he gazed around the room.
Elliot and Chance were awake, the former buttoning up a new shirt and the latter brushing out his hair, but there was one person who was missing.
Guest groaned as he got to his feet, exhaustion still weighed heavy in his mind, but he still made his way to the two robloxians.
“ Hey, where's Seven?”
Elliot simply shrugged while Chance seemingly had a realization.
“ Ohhhhh dude I think he woke up? I mean I think I woke him up when I woke up because I kind of got sick in the front yard.”
Elliot immediately gasped in disgust, “ Chance! I’m gonna have to fucking clean that! Why didn't you puke in the trash can or toilet?”
“ WELL firstly because I didn't want to stink up the place while we slept, and TWO I couldn't MAKE it to the toilet!”
As the two bickered, Guest began connecting the dots together as he peaked outside, the aforementioned pile of puke now cleaned up- as best as it could be in this place.
“ Looks like Sevs got you covered there Elliot,” he chuckled.
The yellow robloxian paused his argument as he glanced over where Guest was staring, “ Oh, he… didn't have to do that.”
Chance finally turned around to survey the rest of the space, “ I think he cleaned up the rest of the house too.”
Guest stood up from his crouched position and stretched, “ Well, im headed to the main cabin to grab a bite to eat, but when you guys see Sev again you oughta thank him.”
Elliot and Chance had nothing else to say, simply nodding in agreement to the man's words.
Guest knew he was being a little harsh. Out of all the survivors in the group, Elliot and Chance at least spoke to the man without harshness in their tone… most of the time. But last night changed things for him.
He isn't even sure how it started, but it ended with the hacker drunk and spilling his guts out about something Guest knew he wouldn't have said if he were in a normal mental space. After the hacker had finished, Guest took the time to process 007n7’s words, and what it meant. Suddenly things about 007n7 made a lot more sense, Guest understood why the man was the way he was. A part of him was still guilty, he knew this secret wasn't meant for him to know, and if he was lucky Sev wouldn't remember spilling it either. It wasn't a very pleasant secret to let out, and even worse one to know on Guests part. The least he could do was be there and support the man, he had suffered enough as is.
Speaking of, Guest noticed the man sleeping on the couch once he entered the main cabin, quiet snores escaping his lips. Smiling, Guest bent down to gently shake the hacker awake. A round was starting soon, and he wouldn't want 007n7 to spawn in asleep and completely vulnerable.
“ I’m up, I’m up…” 007n7 groaned, his eyes remaining shut.
“ You don’t sound very ‘up’,” Guest teased, “ A round’s starting soon, better to be awake for that.”
“ Yeah yeah I know, just gimme like five minutes,” 007n7 responded as he rolled over.
Guest rolled his eyes in amusement, knowing full well it wasn't going to be 5 minutes, but he decided not to pry further. If the man wanted to sleep until the round began he had every right to do so.
He decided to move onto the dining area instead, aiming to see who else was awake for the round that was beginning soon. Sure enough, Builderman and Shedletsky were lounging in one of the booths, the former sipping on some old coffee while the other was rubbing his head.
When Guest entered the room though, Shedletsky immediately perked up with a smile, “ Hey! Late start today, huh?”
Guest huffed, “ Yeah, don’t think I'm the only one though…”
Dusekkar and Taph were nowhere to be seen, neither were Two Time and Veeronica. The only other ones who were awake were Chance and Elliot who were still getting ready in their cabin, and Noob who Guest saw was watching some old cartoon upstairs.
“ Dusekkar told us it wasn't a good idea to consume the alcohol so late at night,” Builderman grumbled, “ He prolly had a point there.”
“ Well let’s just hope the Spectre only sends those of us who’ve actually awoken into the round,” Guest offered, with the other to admins humming in agreement.
Directly after, Guest's vision swam, the corner of his eyes darkening, the telltale sign of a round beginning. However, once his vision cleared, he was still standing in the main cabin.
This wasn't uncommon, the Spectre only allowed 8 survivors in a round, sometimes less, so a couple people were often left behind. However, Builderman and Shedletsky were still standing in front of him too, equally confused looks on their faces.
“ Shit,” the feathered admin finally let out, “ Did something just happen or did we get extremely lucky?”
It could be, it could be that the three of them had gotten really lucky. But something in the pit of Guests stomach was screaming that something was wrong.
He stood up from the table with shaky legs, “ I’m gonna go see if Chance and Ells got put in the round-”
But as soon as he returned to the living room, he spotted the gambler and pizza boy, one confused and the other excited.
Chances smile widened once he caught sight of the blue haired guest, “ Guest! Looks like we got lucky today, huh?”
The soldier did not share their enthusiasm as he spoke, “ Shedletsky and Builderman aren't in the round either.”
The gamblers face fell as Elliot grew visibly worried, “ Shit, that’s gonna be a hell of a round for whoever's in there then…”
This was all wrong, the Spectre would be giddy with excitement to put barely functioning robloxians nursing hangovers into a round to suffer. To leave so many out of a round felt… wrong.
The only survivors not accounted for were Two Time, Vee, Dusekkar, and Taph. However before Guest could rush outside to each of their cabins to check, a shaky voice called from upstairs.
“ U-uhm guys? I think you might w-wanna see this,” Noob shakily called out.
Builderman and Shedletsky, who joined the others in the common area, shared a worried look before Builder responded, “ What is it?”
“ Just- just come up here.”
No one dared speak a word as the group walked upstairs, as they did, the young robloxian pointed to the TV, “ L-look.”
The screen displayed footage of a round, confirming that one did indeed start. However, there were only four perspectives to be seen.
The color visibly drained from everyone's faces when Builderman knelt down to check who was there. However, no one could have predicted the strangled noise that escaped the older man's lips as his eyes widened even further.
“ What? What is it?” Elliot spoke up, panic clear in his voice.
Builderman solemnly turned to view the rest of the group, “ The round… It has three killers.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
“ And the only survivor…”
“ It’s 007n7.”