[Time Skip]

(Socks PoV)

I'm finding myself hanging out with Blaza a bit more since we revived him. I don't really know why - guess I'm afraid of losing him again.

Well, that's what I tell myself. Deep down, I really like him. More than just as a friend.

I stood back and watched as Woolf was telling Blaza the basics of flight. Woolf himself was wearing a black elytra, enchanted as to allow flight instead of just gliding.

As much as I liked watching, another issue was itching me.

I haven't seen Meme since he went to Laff's four days ago. At first, I had though he had just gone straight home after visiting Laff, but I asked Nadwe and he hasn't seen him either. Neither has Wicktoria.

So I'm really starting to get worried.

"Something wrong?"

I turned and saw Joocie standing behind me. The humanoid cup of lemonade was looking down at me worriedly.

"Meme's missing," I replied, "I'm just worried about him."

"Oh," Joocie said, "I was just about to ask you if you had seen him."

"Has no one noticed?" I asked him.

"Wicktoria and Nadwe definitely have," Joocie said, "Not sure about anyone else."

I sighed. "Maybe I should go ask Laff. He was going to visit him last I saw him, so maybe he knows something."

"I'll come, too," Joocie added, "I'm curious to know where he went as well."

I nodded, and stood up as to begin walking to Laff's.

—————————

I knocked on the door of Laff's house, and it was quickly answered by Laff.

"Hey, mates," Laff said, "What brings you here?"

"Hi, Laff," I greeted, "Have you seen Meme lately? He said he was gonna go ask you something a few days ago, but I haven't seen him since."

"I don't ever recall seeing him," Laff shrugged. "Maybe he went home before coming?"

"Nadwe and Wicktoria haven't seen him either," Joocie added in.

"Huh," Laff said, "Well, if I see him, I'll let you know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said.

As Laff closed the door, Joocie and I turned to walk away.

But as I was walking down the steps, something caught my eye.

On the railing of the porch, a loose nail had snagged a tuft of cyan blue fluff.

I walked over and grabbed the tuft from the nail. It felt exactly like Meme's onesie.

So he was here...

"What you got there?" Joocie asked, walking over to me. I turned and showed him the fluff I had found.

"Is that...?"

"A piece of Meme's onesie, yes."

"That means he was here."

"Exactly. But why would Laff lie about it?"

Joocie thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"Should we ask him again?" I questioned.

"I think so," Joocie nodded.

I turned back around to knock on Laff's door once again. After a moment, a very annoyed Laff answered.

"Something wrong?" He asked, "If this is about Meme, then I already told you thirty seconds ago. I haven't seen him, and I'll keep a look out for him."

I held up the piece of fluff I found.

"You sure?"

Laff stared at the tuft, and his gaze darkened.

"Boys, I know what it looks like," Laff sighed, "But I swear on my word, I have not seen him. Maybe he left as soon as he got up here?"

"But why would he do that?" I said, "He came to ask you something."

"It could be possible that I wasn't here when he came, so he left to go find me!" Laff said, "Why are youse not believin' me?"

"I don't know," I sighed, "Something about this is just a bit suspicious."

Laff sighed.

He gave us one more glare before pulling us into his house and locking the door behind us.

Before I or Joocie had a chance to react, Laff had us pinned to the wall with a beam of gravity from the Ascender, fixed since the incident with Dino.

"If you boys say one word about this," Laff said, "You will join Meme."

"So you do know where he is?!" I said.

"I'm gonna say this only once, and this is a one-time thing," Laff said, "If either of you says a word about Meme... youse'll be in trouble."

What the heck was up with his voice right there?

Suddenly, Laff let off the power beam. Joocie and I dropped to the floor, and I heard Joocie yelp in pain as his cup hit the wall. I turned and saw that some juice was leaking from a chip in the top.

"Believe me, I'd kill youse right here," Laff chuckled, "But then, everyone would trace the disappearances back to me. And we don't want that. So go on. And don't utter a single word about this."

I nodded quickly, and helped Joocie get up. Laff unlocked the door and allowed us out.

He slammed it behind as we exited.

I turned to Joocie. "Are you okay?"

Joocie nodded. "Y-yeah, beside the chip. Gonna have to get that fixed."

"What even happens if all the juice spills out?" I asked.

"It's literally the same as bleeding out," Joocie explained.

"Oh."

I muttered to myself, "Why did it have to be the doctor that went missing?"

After that, I walked back to the village with Joocie, trying to think of a way to fix the chip from his cup.

—————————

(Blaza PoV)

"There you go, now you're getting it!"

Woolf exclaimed as he flew next to me in the air. I was a bit wobbly, but other than that I was holding myself in the air pretty well.

"Hey, I'm flying!" I exclaimed excitedly.

In my excitement, however, I lost my balance and was sent crashing to the ground.

Woolf landed gracefully next to me as I climbed out of the bush I had crashed in.

"Hiding in the bushes again?" Woolf chuckled.

"Shut up," I said. But humor edged my tone - it was kind of funny. I always liked to jumpscare everybody from bushes.

Woolf looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. "Shoot. I need to go take care of Dino. Wanna come?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

After I climbed out of the leafy hedge, I stood up and followed the wolf furry to the Gulag, in the middle of the clearing. He typed in the password on the keypad and the chain-link metal gate opened with a creak.

I could immediately tell something was wrong.

The aura of death hung to every gust of wind, every square inch of the prison.

I put my hand on Woolf's shoulder to warn him. Woolf turned and looked at me, confused.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Something's off," I said darkly, "I can sense death's aura from where we stand."

Woolf just stared back at me blankly, not really understanding. "Say that you're joking. Right now."

I shook my head to say no.

The furry turned to look at the obsidian prison worriedly, then continued forward.

I followed him close behind as he opened the door to the small prison.

....to nothing.

The room was empty. The small window, which I had been told was covered, let sunlight shine through, flooding the cell wi with golden rays.

Dino was not present inside.

"What...?" Woolf whispered, "Did he..."

I opened the cell door and walked into the prison, kneeling down to look at the floor. I brushed my hand on the smooth purple obsidian, and turned my fingers upward as to see them.

A light coating of dust-like ash blanketed my hand.

And then the light...

The scenario played through my head.

"He's dead," I said.

"What?!" Woolf exclaimed, "How can you tell?"

"Ashes. All over the ground," I explained, standing up and showing him my hand, which was covered in the dark gray dust. "He was a vampire, you say? The cloth must have come off the window and burned him alive."

"Wouldn't he have made some kind of sound?" Woolf asked, "Last time he was in sunlight, we was screeching pretty loudly."

"I don't know. You guys know more about the whole Dino situation than me," I shrugged.

"What do we do?"

"I guess we tell everyone."

"Alright, then. Let's go."

I nodded, walking out the door and into the sunlight to follow Woolfster.

—————————

Good. They don't know about me just yet.

Soon, they will all be mine.

One soul at a time.

—————

before you guys ask: Blaza has no memory of killing Dino

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