#week3

This was totally inspired by the bonfire wake in MTES and I am not okay 😭 But I wanted to give the boys some closure (they deserve it)

Week 3: Alternate Prompt ("Brothers")

The sniper rolls his eyes, but relents, stepping aside with an exaggerated sweep of his hand. “Fine. Ladies first.” 

“Crosshair should be in the middle,” Tech argues. “He can attempt to scare us just as easily from the back.”

Crosshair grins wickedly. “You know me so well.”

Wrecker is wringing his hands together. “Do we gotta do this?” 

“We already bought our tickets,” Echo says. “No refunds.” 

Hunter massages the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “We’re holding up the line.” 

“It should go Hunter, myself, Crosshair, Wrecker, then Echo,” Tech decides. 

Echo gapes. “Why do I have to be in the back?” 

Tech shrugs. “Because we trust you?” he offers. 

“Ugh, fine. But I’m not holding Wrecker’s hand when he gets too scared.” 

“That’s rude!” Wrecker protests. 

“This was your idea in the first place!” 

“I didn’t know how scary it was gonna be,” Wrecker whines. “Look at this place!” 

“It’s a fairground attraction. It’s not actually haunted,” Crosshair huffs. 

Tech adds, “Not to mention that we’ve seen literal children going inside looking perfectly content and unperturbed.” 

Wrecker balks, a pout on his lips as he glares up warily at the garishly decorated front of the scare house. 

“Your bunk on Kamino is scarier than this,” Crosshair continues, grabbing Wrecker’s arm. “Let’s go.” 

The members of Clone Force 99 move, stepping through the doorway in Tech’s prescribed order, Crosshair practically dragging a reluctant Wrecker behind him. The door slams shut firmly behind Echo, eliciting a startled yelp from Wrecker and a snicker from Crosshair. While the Batch have never personally gone through a scare house before, they’d heard plenty of tales from Echo. Their curiosity had been adequately piqued, particularly Crosshair. However, Echo’s detailed reports had not properly prepared them for the musty scent that assaulted their nostrils, the eerie dim lighting, or the unexplained noises rustling and tapping and knocking. Disembodied footsteps, sinister laughter, and faint, distorted music.

The pattering sound of little feet darting across their path makes Hunter stop abruptly, Tech bumping into him, Crosshair into Tech, and Wrecker nearly tripping over the three of them.

“What was that?” Wrecker squeaks. 

Echo chortles from his lurking presence in the back. “You’re holding up the line, Hunter!” he calls. 

Hunter growls a swear under his breath as he continues forward again. 

“Hunter,” Crosshair admonishes gleefully, “there are children present.” 

The Batch continue their trek forward, their line now compressed so that they are practically walking on each other’s heels. Wrecker reaches forward blindly. “Give me your hand, Cross.” 

“Ew, no! Get your sweaty hands away from me.” 

“Echo,” Wrecker implores. 

“You’re fine. Keep moving.” 

Then the first jumpscare happens. A panel in the wall jostles violently as if someone or something is trying to break through. The squawks of surprise are impossible to untangle, but the disturbance is followed by a brief, awkward silence. Then laughter from Crosshair and Echo. The continued silence of the remaining members is telling. 

With a fortifying lungful of artificially staled air, Hunter pushes on, determined to get this ordeal over with as soon as possible. Tech is muttering under his breath about the mechanics must have been triggered, while Wrecker continues to wheedle with Crosshair and Echo to let him hold their arm or something. 

It is only half a minute later that the next scare occurs, this time in the form of Crosshair bolting from his established place in the line. With a terrifying, breathy laugh, he skirts past Tech and Hunter in the narrow hall, evading their grasps when they try to catch him, and disappears around the next corner. 

“Crosshair!” Hunter calls. “Get back here!” 

He doesn’t come back. 

“That is unfortunate,” Tech sighs. “Now we have the attraction and Crosshair to contend with.” 

“Well,” Hunter says, steeling himself. “No way out but forward, right, boys?” 

“Awwww,” Wrecker keens. “Will you hold my hand, Tech?” 

“Absolutely not,” Tech declares. 

The remaining squad creeps forward, taking each twist and turn cautiously. Even Echo has sobered at the unexpected development of a living, breathing monster prowling in the unknown before them. Unfortunately, their excessive wariness amplifies the effectiveness of jumpscares tenfold. Between abruptly rattling doors, sudden bursts of air, startling appearances of inanimate creatures, and a frightening lack of a certain sniper – the Batch are about at their wits end. Echo even relents to Wrecker clinging one paw of a hand around his scomp in compromise. The knowledge that Crosshair could leap out at any moment did not help matters in the slightest. 

“This is ridiculous,” Echo grumbles. “Where the kriff is he?” 

Hunter calls out, “Crosshair! I know you can hear me!” 

The only answer is the generic evil laugh track that has been haunting them since they entered the house. 

“Kriffing menace,” Hunter mutters. “We’ll find him eventually.” 

Tech hums. “More likely he’ll find us.” 

“I hate this,” Wrecker groans. 

“Yeah, we know,” Hunter says. “Let’s keep going.” 

Hunter slides around the next corner and blinks when he sees a well lit sign marking the exit. The hall is straight and narrow, all smooth, dark walls. Not a single place for a rogue clone to hide away and leap out. His brothers crowd in behind him, peering around with the same stupified, slack expressions. 

“This is it?” Echo asks. 

Tech turns and looks back the way they came. “Perhaps he intends to come up behind us?” 

“Then let’s get out of here,” Wrecker decides, and, emboldened by the promise of escape, shoulders to the front of the line to practically run to the door. 

Hunter, Tech and Echo are right behind him. 

The moment they break out of the scare house and into the fresh air and natural light, Echo soundly closes the door behind them – locking in the lanky, toothpick eating monster on their six. 

“About time the four of you showed up,” Crosshair drawls beside them.

If they weren’t in broad daylight, the four in question might have been able to assert they didn’t startle at the sudden voice of their missing brother. However, Crosshair's amused grin leaves no room for petty lies. 

“You’ve been out here the whole time?” Hunter demands. 

Crosshair, leaning against the wall, pushes himself upright and stretches lazily. “Sure have. Why? Did you miss me?” 

“We thought you were around every single corner,” Echo gripes. 

“Mmmm,” Crosshair muses. “That must have been…” he glances up, as if searching for the right word in the innocent white clouds overhead, “...unsettling for you.” When he is pinned with four bleary glares, he smiles. “But extremely enjoyable for me.” “Well,” Echo says, rolling his eyes, “At least one of us had a good time.”

END

Author's note:

This story is entirely based on actual events 😈 Have I pulled this exact prank on my own siblings? Yes, yes I have. Do I torment family members when we go to scare houses to this day? Absolutely I do. Have my sister and brother-in-law clung to my hands to keep me from running off during a haunted maze? Yes. Did I manage to escape their grasp? Also yes.

Do family members continue to put themselves at risk by attending these attractions with me after all these years? Of course...tis tradition! *And I think they secretly love it! 😇*