#and blankets

Tonight was quiet, and peaceful for most of the citizens in the town.

However, deep within the forest—an isolated place where few dared to wander—something had happened.

Something bad had happened

Six kids stood beneath the charred remains of a massive tree. Its trunk was blackened, its branches reduced to lifeless skeletons stretching toward the night sky. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air.

All of them looked exhausted. Their clothes were torn, their faces covered in dirt, scratches, bruised and every breath they took came out heavier than the last.

Something happened, they got in the forest, met an entity that resembled a Witch, and then were unwilingly forced to participate in all of the Witch's games.

Not so great experience.

Just moments ago they were being robbed into some kind of tv show, then had to fight off an entire swarm of zombies, they nearly never walked out of this forest alive

Somehow, against all odds, here they were, standing fully intact under a burnt tree.

Susie stood silently, still carrying Pump in her arms. Her brother had long since fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion and crying, his pumpkin was torned harshly, small hands weakly clutching the fabric of her coat. She would prefer him like this anyway, as Susie didn't know if she could deal with anything else tonight.

A few steps away, Robert wiped the blood trickling from his nose with the back of his sleeve, his coat were ripped slightly, with dirt covering it. One of his arms remained wrapped around Roy's body, helping him stay upright. Roy had taken the worst; bruises covered his arms and face, and every step looked painful, though he stubbornly refused to complain.

Ross was nearby, his eyes fixed on the scorched tree before lowering them to his own trembling hands. Despite wearing gloves, they were scraped raw, streaked with dirt, and littered with fresh cuts, and bruised. His ears still rang from the deafening explosion, gun shots and the lingering buzz drowning out the quiet sounds of the forest.

He put a hand on Roy's shoulder, while trying to offer a soft smile for Robert, hoping to at least ease his friends' tension. But he couldn't do it, he was too exhausted for that anyway.

Skid stood quietly beside Susie and Pump. In his hands was the bag of candy he had received as the "grand prize" for winning the Witch's game. He held it tightly against his chest, but for once, he didn't seem excited.

No one spoke.

None of them could say anything.

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It had been a rough day and all MK wanted to do was create a mountain of pillows, dive right in and bask in its comfort. Unfortunately, his day had only gotten worse when he had to fight off a demon who had it out for him. Luckily, he had been able to take out the demon with a fairly small amount of damage to the city and himself. As he climbed the stairs to his apartment, he thought about his day and realized that he hadn't seen Mei, Red, Rumble or Savage all day. They would usually come hang around as he worked, but he didn't see them once. It kinda hurt but was mostly worrying.

He pulled out his phone and texted Mei, pausing before opening the door to his apartment. He removes his shoes, and was heading further in when the light suddenly flipped on. His missing friends all jumped up from their hiding places to yell 'SURPRISE!!!!'. The scream that left the boy caused him to light up like a flash granade, blinding everyone.

Mk took a moment to register the room and his friends while they blinked to try to get their sight back. "Um... Hey.. Why are you in my apartment? And where have you been all day?" He asks them, making Mei look over. "We wanted to surprise you with a fort of pillows and have been setting it up all day." She explains with a grin, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

Mk looks around dumbfounded. It must have been quite the expression as it caused the others to snicker in some fashion, even causing Rumble and Savage to glow lightly. They quickly stopped when MK began to tear up. "Hey, Noodle boy. Why are you crying?" Red asks, trying to hide his concern. "S-Sorry. This.. I just wasn't expecting it and I really needed it today. T-Thank you." He says as he tries to wipe the golden tears away.