Capítulo 22: Track 22 - Corn Mazes
It was cloudy out. Not that Tabi minded, of course. He didn't very much care for bright days. Things were bad enough as they were. He didn't need the weather to dictate some fake mood.
He had managed to recover some of his pyrotechnic gear. He'd left most of it back at Agoti's bringing only a small flamethrower he custom built and painted. 'Built', though it was just an aerosol can as the tank and a lighter in a bracket, painted to look like a proper flamethrower. A 3D printed grip accompanied it, slots for the lighter and can. Not meant for combat, it was meant for Agoti's live shows.
He found the rest of his gear in storage, Solazar having put it there. Located in the basement of the apartment it required a key to open. One which Solazar had. Tabi knew better than to ask Sol for it, less they blow their cover. He was already suspicious as to why he and Agoti would be going to the outskirts of the city of a sudden. He must have noticed the flamethrower too.
Agoti had made the excuse it was to film some music video, that he and Tabi had gotten permission to do it on this farm.
Tabi didn't sleep well last night, having been awoken by not only some illegal rave in the park but also a police presence. Much to his chagrin, he waltzed over to Agoti's place middle of the night and stayed there, surprising even Solazar.
He had taken a nap and was currently taking another one. Feet kicked up on the dashboard he had his hat down over his eyes and his seat tiled back slightly.
The flamethrower was on the ground where below the seat. It was disabled, the lighter stored in Tabi's pocket.
Agoti was driving, the car's automap showing the route to the farm. S was around as well, having taken up residence in Agoti's phone, watching some downloaded videos. He had spoken to 'Applejack1' more and they had convinced S to come, apparently excited to meet them.
People that had left for cottage country had done so last night so traffic was light.
Displo had done a little bit of research on the address given. It was found on a hybrid farmstead. In his brief research he had found the place was called the AC/SB Farm and specialized in various crops. They were quite a large place with an orchard, vineyard, corn fields and a few other staple crops.
Its biggest export was the orchard which had a few awards from local competitions for best apples. Displo ultimately figured the place to be some of meeting area and noted that none of the farm's owners seemed to be whoever "Applejack1" was.
"It's an alias." Tabi had said coldly.
"Oh yeah, and how you figure that?" S asked.
"Cause 'Applejack's Apples' is a brand of apples. They're imported from Equestria."
Agoti was moreso surprised than anything, speaking next. "How do you even know that?"
Tabi glanced upwards, giving a smug look. "They're the cheapest apples you can get."
You found the remark more depressive than anything. You already knew about his money problems, it never occurred that he'd have to learn all the specific cheap brands.
"What are you, poor?" S said snarkily. Tabi just glared at him, realizing his boast wasn't as well received. He said nothing to S.
Even with the knowledge of an alias, they weren't sure. Displo showed off photos he found a farm festival held there but nobody stood out. There were ponies present, though not any that automatically fit the 'Applejack1' persona. Displo also noted the presence of a magic user in that community unlikely. He didn't hide his skepticism.
It was outside of Newgrounds City, in an unincorporated community called Shumway, about an hour drive out of the city.
With an eye on the road and cruise control on Agoti relaxed a bit. The excursion was making him feel like they were going on some camping trip.
They had entered the sticks. Nothing but the occasional house, rolling hills and farms far as the eye could see.
S had put a button the automap in case anyone wanted to summon him. It was a ring, soaked and dripping in blood. Agoti decided he'd do just that.
"What's up?" S asked, popping into the automap. He stretched his arms, seemingly drowsy.
"So what's the deal with this Applejack?"
"Applejack1. Beats me. She's..I think it's a she, is a magic user that lives on a farm. We've been messaging since."
"Yeah, but like can't you just transfer into her phone?"
"Well, at first I thought it was because they had a bad connection." S scratched his quills. "But I tried something else. And I think her phone might be set up to reject connections like mine. It's similar to the stuff I saw the cloud guy-er-one of Displo's enemies do. I, uh, don't think you know about that. I tried. No dice."
"What about areas nearby?"
"I looked. It's a rural area. There's not much in the way of close connections like back in Newgrounds. Yeah, I can get into her neighbors but what good is that? Still too far to reach." S said. "And I'm certainly not getting stuck again!"
Tabi turned slightly. Even the conversation couldn't rouse him. Between the closeness of his hoodie and the warmth of the car he was out.
"Yeah, I thought you didn't want to come. What with no connections around."
"Hmph. Well someone's gotta go in-between for Applejack. You better not get lost out there. I'm not getting stranded again."
"Don't worry man. We won't. Me and this guy. We're unstoppable."
Tabi awoke sometime later. Sleeping in a position like that hurt his neck. The stiffness of it was the first thing he complained about. He had also developed a headache, noting that it was just because he hadn't slept much. Adjusting himself he took his hood off and stared out the window. Agoti was 'auxing' it up, playing some of his own music for S. Tabi just tuned it out.
If there was one thing the outdoors did for him was that he didn't feel he had to conceal his identity. Nobody out here would recognize him or even care what he looked like. He was also itching to use the flamethrower. It had been a long time since it had any action. He had brought half-as a deterrent, half as a test to see how good 'Applejack1' could wield fire. If her magic wasn't better than some 'toy' what would be the point of having her.
As he was inspecting it again, Agoti spoke.
"You know that's only a last resort thing, right? You know how I am with fire."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I know you're sensitive." Tabi said jokingly.
"Hey, it's not a sensitivity. That's a life-or-death thing."
"Pfft. Like we're even gonna need it. I don't get why you guys are so ready for war. All she wants to do is talk." S said.
"Don't be so naive. This 'person' wants to meet us on some secluded farm. I don't trust it. Not for one second." Tabi said coldly. His 'deterrent' really was the whole reason. Unseen below he still had his hunting knife.
"Well, we'll see when we get there." Agoti said.
Tabi continued to look out the window. He hadn't seen wheat fields like this since he was last in Europe. He hadn't been out of the city for years, originally preferring to stay in Newgrounds City until he was successful in getting revenge. And he didn't want to go back to Russia lest he be accused of becoming a demon or something. They had less tolerance for the paranormal there.
"So this...Applejack. What exactly are they like?" Tabi asked. He'd heard snippets of the mysterious 'Applejack' but didn't know much beside them being a magic user.
S turned to Tabi's direction, looking at him through Agoti's front camera.
"Applejack1 actually. Well she, least I think she's a girl. She's a farmer and huge magic user. And she's really smart too. She cracked my riddle pretty fast. Didn't tell me much other than that."
"That it?"
"Pretty much. I have a few videos of her casting spells too."
Tabi didn't comment on that. He'd seen the videos. Blurry, low-FPS clips of someone casting magic in a field. The castor was always just out of shot too.
"What makes you think she even wants to join us?"
"Gee, I don't know. Not like I've been messaging her."
"You know what I mean. What does she think of the family?"
"I don't know. I haven't asked her."
Tabi sighed, not offering up a response. At least he could enjoy the scenery and clean air even if this was a whole waste of time.
The trio arrived shortly around lunch time. It was around then that Agoti effectively lost his signal, now relying on a 2G connection. The signal was weak enough that S said he couldn't transfer himself out. He noted that you had apparently attempted to summon him but due to the poor connection could not transfer.
"Did (Y/N) say anything?" Tabi asked. S shook his head. "Nope! Just tried to summon me. I'm sure (Y/N) and Kapi are doing just fine!"
They pulled into the off-road past a trail of trees. From there they drove into a dirt parking lot. The lot only held a few cars, Agoti's clean vehicle clearly sticking out. Though it was the middle of the day there was not a soul in sight. The abundance of clouds only made the scenery more ominous.
The three got out of the car and looked around. The place was as described. Past wooden gates Tabi could see a large white wooden house, a barn, entrance to the corn fields and an orchard all in the distance. The farm was impressively large.
Through a sachet across his shoulder Tabi had the flamethrower attached to his back.
A painted sign atop the wooden gate read "AC/SB Farm and Homestead".
"Well, where is she?" Agoti asked. He didn't want to just trespass without a good reason. Tabi agreed, though his reasoning was that he still believed Applejack1 to be sketchy.
Looking at the orchard made him hungry. He'd been saving his paycheck for new equipment, having to skip out on the last two meals.
"Hrm. The service is cutting out." S said from Agoti's pocket.
"Figures. I don't have nationwide coverage."
"I can't message her like this. Gimme a second."
Suddenly, Tabi's phone went off, much to his annoyance. S had transferred there.
"There we go!" S announced. Tabi pulled out the phone. "No, No. I said you can't use my phone!"
"Well too bad. You're the only one with a good signal."
Tabi growled. Agoti just looked at him. There was no other choice.
"Fine. But as soon as we get back in the city, you're never going back in my phone again." He pointed directly at S, angry. "And don't go snooping either!"
"Yeah, yeah, I won't. I can already see there's nothing interesting here."
"And you better not waste my data either. I only have 5 gigabytes a month."
"Geez, it's just text messages. Relax. You're getting more worked up than Knuckles...Let's see."
Tabi's phone went off a few more times as S set up the chat app.
"She says she is in the corn maze. Just come right in."
"Fine." Tabi said. Putting the phone back in his pocket, he and Agoti began.
"Woah, hold on. I wanna see too!" S shouted from Tabi's pocket.
"Yeah, well too bad." Tabi said.
"Aw, come on. Let the little guy see." Agoti said.
Still annoyed at his invasion of privacy Tabi took his phone out and tossed it to Agoti. "You hold it then. I'm not playing babysitter today." He grumbled.
Agoti looked at S and shrugged.
The corn maze entrance was just in-between two pine trees. They seemed a little out of place for the location, but it made for a lovely entrance. Outside of the maze, next to the gate was a small shack.
Passing by it there was nothing inside except an axe, lantern and discarded furniture. Ignoring it all, Tabi moved the gate aside. A chain padlock hung from the gate, but it had been unlocked.
As they stepped inside something occurred neither of them expected. At first glance, S thought he had turned on some camera filter accidentally.
As if stepping into another room, the lighting around them changed. The sky grew a dark orange, the sun glowing pale behind now-brown clouds. A yellow haze descended on them, lowering visibility. The stalks of corn, once visible and colourful were rendered dark and burnt by the sky's change. They appeared black under the lower light conditions.
"What the hell is this?" Tabi remarked, more annoyed than surprised. "I don't know." Agoti responded. "Oh it's the same for you guys? Thought the camera broke."
Tabi's phone dinged a notification though that didn't stop him. From behind Agoti, he and Tabi looked at Applejack's messages coming in.
applejack1: I want you to do something for me first.
applejack1: If you can get throu
applejack1: Wait theres two of you
applejack1: You arent sonic
applejack1: Thats you right?
An attachment was sent, of a blurry photo of Tabi and Agoti from a few minutes earlier. Both looked around but there was no sight of a photographer.
"Oh, I should have probably warned her." S said guiltily. He sent off a few messages making up something about being the tech guy of the group and that he was sick and had to send other team members.
"Wait, you told her you were the real Sonic?"
"PFft, yeah why. You think the real one's gonna sue me?"
"We're so screwed." Tabi muttered. S genuinely didn't see the issue with it.
Applejack1's messages came back fast.
applejack1: ok i can still do this at least
applejack1: just gimme a sec
applejack1: I want you to do something for me first.
applejack1: If you can get out of this maze...I will join you!
applejack1: ahahhahahahahaa
Attached next was a GIF of a movie clip of someone laughing maniacally.
Tabi took a step back and hit something. Turning around he saw the entrance they had come from had vanished. In its place were more corn stalks.
"I knew this was a setup." Tabi cursed. Furious, he was already halfway through loading the flamethrower, preparing to set fire to the stalks.
"Woah, relax man!" Agoti said, alarmed. Agoti wasn't the only one freaking out, several more notifications going off on Tabi's phone. Applejack1 was sending lots of messages.
applejack1: NO WHAT AR EYOU DOING
applejack1: WHY DID YOU BRING A FLAMETHRWOOWR
applejack1: ill call the cops if you burn my maze down
applejack1: its totally safe i swear
applejack1: not any creatures here just a maze pls just do it trust me
Applejack1 wrote rapidly. Tabi put it away, even more annoyed.
The dark orange haze had made it harder to see. Everything was still visible, just under a dark glow. Tabi's eyes managed to pierce through, allowing him to see easily. With Tabi's phone as a flashlight, Agoti used that to help.
More notifications rang off. Applejack1 had sent a few more messages that the flamethrower wouldn't be needed and to please put it away.
After a brief back and forth between S and Agoti against Tabi he agreed to sheath it.
"Though I swear if any thing happens I will burn this place to the ground."
"It's just a maze. We might as well play along." Agoti said. "Hey, this could be a team-building exercise." He continued, with a hint of sarcasm.
Tabi just sighed. He did feel he was being a bit grouchy. Maybe he just needed to lighten up.
They would have to just brave the maze.
Now Playing...
Artist: Loscil
Song: Equivalent 3
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDp2Y4T1_eE
With no map, a poor cellular connection and dark corn stalks all 'round they could only walk aimlessly. At one of the turns they came upon a telephone pole, just sitting at the intersection point of several paths.
Despite being dense the stalks were still traversable. Tabi considered going through them but as he pushed one aside he saw something skitter across.
"Did you see that?" Tabi asked.
"What?"
"The wall. Tell me you didn't see something just run by."
"I didn't see something just run by." Agoti said, sarcastically.
"Durak. You really didn't see anything?"
"Nope."
A ding went off. "Applejack1 says to avoid cutting through walls." S said.
"I should have stayed home. Sent Kapi to this stupid farm." Tabi muttered. As they crossed another path Tabi stepped in mud. While he was already grumpy this only made him more irate.
Passing another pole, Tabi got an idea.
"Agoti, can't you climb up this and see the maze?"
"Huh, probably. Hold your phone." He tossed him the phone and jumped to the pole. With both arms and legs on either side he started shimmying up. The pole was in rough shape, splinters abound. He took extra care to avoid them. About halfway up he noticed there to be a few holes smashed into the wood. Only a few seconds after noticing did the source of them appear. A metal hook, shot from an unknown direction landed right near Agoti's head. It embedded itself easy in the wood. Looking back to its source he saw a scarecrow attached to a pole away reel in the hook, lunging at Agoti. Its sack mouth was open screaming silently at the digidevil.
His eyes went wide.
In an instant Agoti let go of the pole and using his hoodie slid down the pole fast as he could. He knew better to use his hands otherwise scratching them with the frayed wood.
A splinter caught the hoodie and stopped his momentum. He ripped his hoodie arm off the pole and jumped off, just as the scarecrow landed where he once was.
"Applejack1 says no cheating." S said.
"I don't care what Applejack1 says. When I find her, she's gonna be regret having ever solved that stupid riddle." Tabi shot back.
With a loud thud, Agoti got up off the corn stalks he crushed.
"Are you okay?"
"A little razzled but otherwise fine." Agoti said, brushing himself off. "The hell was that?" He looked up to see the scarecrow glare down at him before launching off.
"Let's go. We'll find the way out of this stupid maze." Tabi spat, helping Agoti up.
They continued along, wandering aimlessly down paths. S had begun constructing a map, ordering Tabi and Agoti to draw Xs or Os at the various intersections.
Applejack1 sent a message that it was clever what they were doing but wouldn't help. S chose not to say anything, Tabi was mad enough as it is.
Just as the trio narrowed another turn something latched onto Tabi's foot, an audible squelching noise heard.
"What the hell?" Tabi remarked before turning back.
A small jack o' lantern with glowing yellow eyes and mouth had latched onto his leg and was pulling him back. It had several vines around it acting as tentacles.
In an instant, Tabi's eyes went red. While most people would've been scarred by the occurrence Tabi was enraged. Using his free leg he raised up and stomped right through the pumpkin, smashing it into several pieces. He continued stomping, shouting something in Russian.
"I don't care about the charges. Just let me burn this whole place down." Tabi said. He brushed the pumpkin seeds off his shoe, though it had now been stained orange.
"It's almost over man." Agoti found the whole situation amusing and was trying not to laugh.
"Yeah, very funny. Now I'm gonna be smelling like pumpkin the rest of the day. This can't get any worse."
"Hey what if you got on top of me then I held you up. Maybe we could see the maze?" Agoti suggested.
"I'll pass."
As they proceeded through the maze, they noticed strange things abound. There were more of those little jack o' lanterns around and more of those cable scarecrows. They'd also noticed a few flying banshee-looking figures. They knew better than to try and take them on. They glowed translucent, like a white sheet floating. They also wielded an axe, something Tabi envisioned himself using against them.
It was easy to duck down and avoid them. The cable-based scarecrows interacted little with them, except in one instance where they shot a cable at Agoti, purposely missing.
Tabi had half considered grabbing it yanking the scarecrow off. Had it not been quick enough that would exactly have happened.
Tabi also swore he saw someone walking in the distance on stilts though the haze was too thick to tell. Despite the maze having been set up in such a way, none of them were scared.
S found the whole thing fascinating albeit very amateurish. If I was out there, man, I'd show them true fear. Maybe I can convince Applejack1 to come in VR. I'll show her how to scare people, he thought.
He was purely here for the show. If he wasn't mapping out the place he was sitting back, eating popcorn as he watched.
Tabi was simply too angry to be frightened. Even after they avoided one of the banshees, axe swinging wildly, he remarked he'd seen worse in Russia. He had taken an offensive state, ready to start fighting back. He hadn't drawn his knife yet but as soon as one got close, he was ready. Just try me.
Agoti was simply amused at how angry and irate Tabi was at the whole situation to really bother him. Between the banshees and scarecrows and lanterns he wished he had brought some sort of weaponry what was done was done. If any creature went at him, he still had his fists. He felt strangely safe. He had seen the creatures get close but just stop. It was as if they were only trying to scare him.
The clouds had blotted out the sun and the haze only made it harder to see. The trio didn't have a clue of the time or place.
"Yeah, we passed this pole already. I'm sure of it." S remarked.
"You sure? There's no symbol."
"Positive. I got the map right here. They must be covering it." S said.
"Great. Are we sure there's even a way out?" Tabi asked, still pissed off.
"That's what Applejack1 said. Looking at the map we haven't gone left here. Let's try that."
"..." Tabi just grumbled.
The next chapter will be called Folk Horror.
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