"Gumball. Come check this out." Penny pushed the table out of the way. "Looks like someone was just here." Looking inside to see food and soda cans scattered all about as the flies landed on some of the opened cans. It was a mess. Like a teenager not cleaning their room for a week. But the smell, the smell was dreadful.

"How come we didn't see this when we passed by?" I asked.

"Maybe because we almost slid down to the first floor. And because our fight or flight response kicked in." Penny added, walking into the room. "Plus, what so wrong about food being out?"

"Maybe because it indicates that someone is in here or was in here." We both looked around, trying to ignore the smell. "Why does it smell so bad?" And with that, our question was answered. Penny and I froze in place wide-eyed at the sight of a blanket covering what looked to be a body. Just her foot at the end of the blanket peaked out, showing some decaying as the larvae feasted.

"That explains the smell." Penny coughed, gagging at the smell hitting the back of her throat. "I can taste it." She walked off, out of the classroom gasping for air as she cried out, "I shouldn't have seen that."

"I never imagined seeing a dead body in my life before. That's something I didn't sign up on my list of things I wanna see in life." I gasped for air, moving my hands up to my face as I blocked the smell from reaching my nostrils. I felt like throwing up.

"Man, whoever they are died in Miss Simians classroom. I don't think she wants to know about this." I closed the door behind me, breathing in new fresh air. "We need to block this door and put a note on it. Someone might come around and find the body at some point. Especially if they're looking for survivors."

"I wonder what happened to them?" Penny quivered at the sight she just witnessed. "Maybe they had a heart attack or died of natural causes." She didn't want to believe that crazy man who's been hunting Gumball down was the cause of whoever was in there. But she did see a knife on the side.

"Let's get out of here. I really don't like this anymore." I felt Penny grab my hand. She squeezed it tightly as we wondered around the halls for an exit. Each window we passed by had this beautiful sunset. The sky filled with yellow and purple mixed with orange as the sun shined on her gorgeous face. Each window we passed by showed her true beauty. I couldn't stop staring at her. And she seemed to not notice as my eyes looked at the side of her face.

"You know. We could stop somewhere to rest. We do have to grab the food from the lunch room. And the first aid kit before we make our way out of this building. Or we could grab them quickly and find a place to sleep." She slowly let go of my hand.

"You're right. The lunch room is not that far, and where right at the nurses office." She opened the door. "Ladies first." She smiled.

"Why, thank you." I giggled a little, we walked through and rummaged through the nurses office. Digging out anything that had band-aids, rubbing alcohol, and even the snack I munched on earlier. I smiled, looking over at Penny as I opened up the small bar. She looked over, wide eyes at at bar as I split it in half. I handed her the half. "Sorry, this is the last bar." I said.

"Thank you." She blushed, grabbing the bar as she slowly munched on it with a smile. Her slow chews as she took in every flavor and sweetness. Savoring every moment of the bar. I could see a tear slowly falling down her cheek.

I couldn't handle myself and touched the side of her cheek, brushing the tear away with my thumb. She flinched at the feeling of my fingers on the side of her face. But slowly leaned in on my hand.

We both blushed at the sudden change in the environment as our eyes locked onto each other. A new feeling that I never felt was forming right in front of her. My eyes shifted over towards the window. The sun was quickly setting over the hill. I looked back at her with a smile. Her hand grabbed mine as she pulled it away, glancing out at the sunset. Her smile soon faded.

"I wish I was home." Was all she could say.

"Why do you say that?" I ask.

"Because. Well, look at us. We're both trapped until the military can come in and help us. We're just sitting ducks at this point. Plus, we should be heading to the cafeteria right now." She stood, letting my arm fall to the side as she zipped up the backpack with the first aid kit inside.

"You're right. It's getting dark, and we should try to find shelter somewhere else other than here." A small whimper escaped my mouth. It may have been the sudden feeling I got or that she pushed my hand away. It just broke me on the inside.

"Okay, ready?" She asks, standing up with her hand out for me. I rub my stomach, feeling a bit more hungry but also feeling the stitches after I rub against them. I completely forgot about my stitches after all the running and falling that I was just in. I'm just shocked that I didn't open them up.

"Ready." I mumbled. Grabbing her hand.

Both of us peeked out the door. Nothing. Good, because I don't wanna bump into him. Not right now. Penny grabbed my hand as we both quickly rushed out over to the corner of the hallway. It was the sudden pull from her that caught me off guard. Both of us turned another corner and down the steps towards a double door. She let go of my hand as she slammed the door open.

"Hurry!" She says.

"I'm coming." I coughed, catching up to her. Darting behind the corner at a quick pace as she tried to push the fridge out of the way. "Penny, wait. You'll hurt yourself." I said. Grabbing the bottom as I slowly pushed.

"No!" She yelled. "No, just. Let me do this. I don't want you opening your wounds." Her voice softened. Pushing the fridge out of the way. "Hurry, we need this food and fast."

"Wait. You're going to fast. I need to catch my breath for a moment." I said, taking the backpack off. Just pack the food while I catch my breath." Leaning against the wall as I adjust myself.

In and out, just breath at a steady pace. Nothing is gonna happen. She's just trying to get us out of here.

"Hey, Gumball. Do you think this would fit in the bag?" She lifted a box of cereal up for me to see.

"No." I said bluntly. "Grab anything small. We can't put too much in."

"Okay." I listened to her shuffle anything in as best as she could. Organizing the whole layout so she could fit more in.

"That should be good." She says. Slipping on the backpack.

"Wait. I can carry it!" I moaned out.

"Sorry, Gumball. But you're still healing from the attack." She grabbed my hand, leading me towards the doors. "Plus, we need to hurry out of here." She stopped. She went silent as she heard the steps coming closer to the cafeteria doors.

"Hide." She says.

I slid over towards the chairs. Looking at the Penny who hid over in the other direction. The sound of the shoes that squeaked the floor had suddenly stopped at the doors. The both of us laid on the ground in silence as the doors came slamming open against the walls. The sound of the feet started echoing over towards the serving station with a few more behind.

"Man!" A female voice echoed through the silence. "I can't wait to get back home away from you!"

A backpack was slammed on the table. "Oh, just shut up, Debbie!" He yelled out. "You have been a pain in my ass all day." She pushed a chair in his direction.

"You know what, Julius. You've been a pain in my ass all day, too." Everyone forget. Staring at the couple as they started yelling at each other.

"Wow, okay! You two need to be separated from one another for a while." Says mowdown. Coming from someone who has a violent past. I was in shock when he said something. A giant pink bear.

Julius mood shifted. "I'm sorry, Debbie." He says. "It's just. This past week has been a pain. Plus, with that crazy man outside attacking people." He must be talking about my attacker. Penny shifted over when Julius started making his way around the table where she was at. I watched in horror as she slowly slid under the table and out of his sight. Her hand was on her mouth as she slowly calmed herself down. My heart stopped as Julius stood right above her.

Penny's wide eyes stared down at the white shoes before taking a look up at his face. He had no knowledge she was there. Especially when she started moving slowly under the table to prevent him from seeing her. His bomb like face looked to the left in the direction of his crew.

"Um, Boss." Mowdown said. "Someone was here." Both Penny and I started sweating. They knew something was up. All three of them huddled around the fridge. "Someone was in our food supply. They didn't take much." Debbie pushed him to the side while Julius stood behind her. The other two will be back soon. And they do need the supply of food for all of them.

Penny slowly slid a bit more as she turned around to face me. She pointed towards the door. I shook my head at the bad idea she had. But she slowly started to crawl towards the doors. What scared me was her showing herself until she made her way underneath a round table. Closer this time to the front doors.

"I want everyone to check around the building. Now." I could hear the tone in Julius voice shift. He was no longer angry at Debbie. But pissed off at us. The doors opened to two figures walking through. Scythe and reaper burst through with a bat with spikes on the end. Both of them stopped laughing as Julius stood there. Penny froze. Her eyes opened wide as she was out in public view. Quickly scurrying underneath the table again.

"Oh shit!" Scythe said. "D-did we do anything?" He asked.

"Put this building on lock-down. We have intruders." Both of them turned, walking out towards the hallway. Debbie and Mowdown walked over towards the doors before being stopped. "Debbie. Go along. Mowdown, stay with me. We're tearing this lunch room apart."

Shit! This isn't good.

Penny eyes started watering when she heard the sound of a bat hitting the floor as the nails made a screeching noise. Slowly being dragged across the dirty cafeteria. I shifted, slowly pulling myself closer to see what Julius was doing. He stood, looking at Mowdown as he pointed to the tables. Fuck! I moved, pulling myself over towards the back of the wall and away from Julius as he started flipping the tables. Penny began crawling her way over towards the front again.

Mowdown threw the chairs at the wall. His anger showed through when his hands picked up the table before throwing it over towards Penny's direction.

I watched in horror as the table landed just a few feet from her. Her hands covered her mouth as she tried so desperately to keep herself from yelping or screaming out loud. I couldn't just sit here and watch Penny almost get squished by a flying table.

The sound of Julius slowly approaching me had me on the edge. I just didn't think. I slid, pushing my hands on the cold floor as I tried sliding out over to Penny. My eyes closed as I tried to feel around for her hand. "Gumball!" Julius said. I froze, looking over at him.

Oh... that didn't go as planned.

Penny pointed to the doors. Her hands pushed up against the table that leaned directly on top of the table she was under. I nodded as I stood up. We both made a run for it out the doors and into the hallway. I didn't realize around that time. But her and I were holding hands as we ran as fast as we could down any hallway.

"Dang it, Gumball. Why can't you just stay where you're at." I heard Penny's voice echo through the halls.

"Shut it, or you'll get us caught." I mumbled. Pulling her over against the wall as I heard the sound of shoes running towards us. "Hurry, in here." I pulled her into the closet. Both of us are standing still as the sound of their shoes come to a stop in front of the closet door. Penny and I are pushed up against each other as we listen to them talking.

"You head out that way. I'll walk this way. And do not let them escape this building. I want them alive and in a chair tied up. You let them escape." Julius stopped. "You'll know." The sound of their feet slowly faded away.

"Gumball." Penny whined.

"Yes?" I looked at her face. Holding in her tears. "Wait. Did they scare you that bad?"

"No! You're stepping on my foot." She hissed.

"Oh... sorry."

Slowly opening the door as I listened closely to any noises. I motioned her to follow as we wandered down the hallway towards the front exit of the schools entrance. Both of us sigh in relief at the sight of the doors before stopping halfway down the steps. Reaper and Scythe stood guard looking out for us.

I squeezed her hand as a sign of fear. She squeezed back. We can't move forward until they're either away from the doors. Or distracted. I slid down the steps slowly with her, watching as I glanced back at Penny for a sign.

She shook her head, 'I dont know' while trying to hide her sudden fear she had. We were trapped when Debbie and Mowdown walked up towards both boys. Speaking a few words to each other. I was about to turn around so we both could find another way out. But I was suddenly kicked down the steps.

I gasped out from the sudden pain. I was curling up in a ball as I tried to protect myself from any more damage. Penny whimpered at the sight of my body. Her hands reached out towards me as she tried to move, only to be stopped by the sudden feeling of hands wrapping around her arms.

"Now Penny. Wanna watch what happens to your precious boyfriend? It might not be a pretty sight to see." My ears started ringing as I glanced up at Penny. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she watched helplessly as the bat lifted slowly in the air.

The sudden feeling of pain spiraled up towards my arm. Blood slowly soaked through my bandages and dripped on the floor. Watching the blood slowly drip into a small puddle while I await the sudden feeling of rusty nails digging deep into my skin.

"NO!" Was all I could hear from Penny. She had somehow pulled her way out of Julius grasp as she pushed herself in front of Mowdown. Her arms reached out to both sides as she closed her eyes tightly. The sound of her shell echoed through the empty halls. Everyone froze.

"You hit a girl." Everyone hollered out. Penny collapsed to the ground as her shell slowly cracked open.

"Fuck! Dad is going to be pissed." Was all she could say.

"Penny. Are you okay?" I asked, pulling her close as I wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm fine." Everyone backed up as her shell fell off her. "I just." She kicked the shell as she stood up looking pissed. "Man, you don't understand what you just woke up." Her hands clutch in a fist. Her body had this glow to it. Like a night light. Wings small, but moved in a beautiful way while her horns. Well, they're still there. I glanced up at her, smiling as I didn't realize that my entire face was red.

"Penny. You're -" She stopped me.

"Gumball. Look away." She said. I just kept staring at her. "Gumball. I just told you to close your eyes now!" She looked down at me pissed.

"Now. Where should we behing?" My eyes closed as I heard her slamming their bodies on the floors and walls. The sound of glass shattered all over the floor as they all cried out in pain. I slowly opened my eyes.

I didn't recognize her for a moment. From a red dragon back to her new form. She looked beautiful standing there while she breathed in and out with pure rage. She did do a number on most of them. But Julius, who was slammed against the wall as she reached an arm out. It was different. The way her arm reached over as if it grew twice the size, grabbing Julius throat as she slid him up against the wall.

Her eyes glared at him as she had her head turned, looking directly at him. His gasping and clawing at her hand as she slowly walked towards him. Her eyes locked onto his.

"Now listen to me." She spoke. "You leave him out of this. He's already been through a lot." She let go of him, watching him fall to the ground as he gasped for air. It felt weird seeing her angry all of a sudden. Like a new person just appeared out of nowhere. She turned, looking at me.

"Gumball, i -" She swallowed that hard lump in her throat. "This body... this figure is the real me. That shell was just a mask to hide this." Tears formed in her eyes. "I just. I felt like you wouldn't accept me for who I truly am."

Slowly but carefully, I stood up from the sudden feeling of dizziness as I held my bloody arm. Looking at her as she started crying as her hands moved around in a frantic way as she spoke. Her tone of her voice was all shaky while the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Penny." I said calmly while I slowly walked my way towards her. "Please listen to me. I'm not scared, I don't find you ugly or disgusting. You have a beautiful soul and a wonderful personality. This, this is the real you. I like you for who you are." I stopped. I'm catching myself as my eyes started to blur and my head throwing in pain.

"Penny, I really Lik-" I took a step closer before collapsing on the floor. The sound of my body hitting a little too hard as I listened to Penny voice and tone change from complete disgust about herself to a worried and scared girl as she watched in horror as my body laid still on the floor. Like she just witnessed a murder take place in front of her.

"Gumball!" Was all I could hear as I was trying my best to stay awake. "Hang in there, buddy." I could feel her hands sweeping me up bridal style as she desperately moved me to another room before I blacked out.

"Your arm!"