Home Again

Survival Ep 5 - Escape

Shivers crept down my spine when I read a ransom note that had appeared in front of my face. It said,

Dearest Alice,

We have your friend Fierce Fox. Turn yourself in within 12 hours at the old sawmill or she will become the quarry.

Sincerely, MVB.

The formality just made the letter more agitating. I sighed and slumped back on a rock. A rock! I jumped at that. I was inside a dark, underground, dirt cave. There are platforms with small, sharp rocks in the dirt, and resources for someone who lived there. Light lightens up the entire cave, and ropes hang from the roof. I laid my head on the rock, feeling slightly dizzy. He's probably furious, especially after burning down his... The note was in my lap. I had no idea where it came from.

"Got you now, you swine!" someone jeered. This someone is an elderly, dark-skinned man with rough grey hair, posh clothing and a pegleg. He waddled over to me. "Wait - you're not Van Buren."

"No, but I've got a ransom note from him," I told the man, whose name is Max McGullicutty. "He..." I gulped. "He kidnapped my friend. And now he wants... to hunt her. Unless I give myself in at the old sawmill." I burned his house down. Don't I deserve a punishment?

"Van Buren, that dirty thing," Max grumbled, shaking his head. "I've been on the run from him for over a year now, waiting for someone like you to show up. I've been able to survive underground even with this gammy leg - but with your help, we can turn the tables on Van Buren... and save your friend!"

"That's good... I guess." I replied with a subtle frown. Will we succeed? Do I want to succeed? Fear welled up inside me. "What do we do?"

"The old sawmill is the perfect place for us to spring a trap and a rescue mission," Max informed me. "We'll need a rope, a gear, and a whistle. Get those, and then we'll capture Van Buren. Once we capture him, we can save your friend."

I took a deep breath. "I can do it... I think." I don't know. I gathered all the courage I could find in my system. This is for Fierce Fox, I told my cowardly self. She needs you. So, with this new determination, I grabbed a fishing pole from the lower part of the cave. Then I exited the cave and came to this small section before the surface. The remaining snow was sludgy; there was little of it. Browny-yellow grass covered everything, including thick rocks and bushy trees. The forest is quite beautiful. It's a shame I was too scared to admire it.

I hid behind some tall grass, spying on MVB. He was patrolling, holding out a gun. There's a reason Poptropica is aged to 15 years (and older, heh). I climbed up a tall, leafless tree. I nearly slipped off a branch; thank everything for instincts. I leaped across to another tree, not daring to make a sound. Breathing was starting to get difficult due to my anxiety.

I got to the right tree branch. I pulled out the fishing rod and reeled it down. The hook picked up a whistle and reeled it up. I sighed with relief as I clutched the golden whistle in my hand. I wanted to get myself caught so I could restart and get to the starting position easier. However, it would feel like I was cheating... and failure doesn't sit well on my shoulders, so I didn't do that. Instead, I stealthily climbed down into the hole and went to the next area, via an underground passage.

I arrived at the next area. I took another deep breath. The underground part is quite muddy and full of toadstools. There was a rock that could be flipped, so naturally I flipped it. I balanced it on another rock, so it became a platform. I waited until the sniffer dog was gone, then I leaped onto the muddy surface area. I flipped another rock. The dog was returning, so I jumped behind a bush. Strangely, the dog didn't smell me, even though I was basically right next to it.

I continued this process and put the rock onto another ledge. I jumped up the rock and landed on a grass-covered rock platform. From there, I shoved a broken tree down from a cliff. It landed on another platform, creating a bridge (quite a lot of landing and jumping and platforms- this is Poptropica, after all). I raced across the bridge and came onto another platform. There's a tree right next to this platform, which was holding up a trapped grizzly bear with rope. Really cruel. Now I actually wanted the RSPCA to be watching. I freed the bear; it fell down with a mighty crash. It left behind the rope.

I returned to the underground space and headed right. The underground area stopped and curved upwards, leading to the surface. A tree is in front of me, holding a trap. It's not the only trap, unfortunately. There are rocks surrounding a bed of water and creating walls. There are also trees and other plants. I jumped over the tree trap and landed in the water. I swam underneath a rock, which is holding a trap. A large tree was blocking my path; I climbed up its branches. The last branch was rather bouncy; I did countless flips.

A trap was beside my head, and a dog was walking above my head. I waited for the dog to leave before I leaped through the center of the trap. Yes, I survived. I came to the area where the dog was patrolling. I leaped into a bush and waited for it to pass me. When it did, I climbed over a tree, ran across a space, and found a waterfall. It's quite beautiful. It has long, frozen streams, and rocks surrounding it. In the middle of the waterfall is a log being held up. Beneath it is another log, and another.

I got to the bottom and landed in a pool of water. There's a pile of logs holding up a cage. In the cage was a trapped beaver. I released it; it swam away. After that I received the gear. It went into my inventory; I grinned. I finally had everything I needed to save Fierce Fox.

"Perfect!" Max admired, grinning at my work. "Take that equipment to the sawmill and set up a trap for Van Buren. Once you've trapped him..."

"...free my friend," I finished. "Got it." Hopefully. I headed left and came to the area just below the sawmill. It's a beautiful wooden building that shows age with cobwebs and rotting planks. A metal cage held a furious Fierce Fox, who was glaring at MVB. When MVB's back was turned, I crept into the sawmill. Fierce Fox's eyes lit up. She opened her mouth to say something, but I silenced her.

"Shh," I whispered. "I'm getting you out." Water covers the metal floor and sunshine creeps through cobwebs. I placed the gear on the rusty sawmill. It turned the sawmill on; a large, wooden wheel started spinning around. I leaped up to the top and set up the rope. That way, when someone stepped on the step connected to the sawmill, a cage would fall down and trap them. However, I knew MVB wasn't going to fall for that. Luckily, I had another idea.

I headed back downstairs and blew the whistle. I whipped around and faced MVB.

"Ah-ha!" I yelled, grabbing his shirt with all the fury I could produce and shoving him towards the step. He retaliated at the last second and stood up, storming towards me. "Uh oh..."

"Very clever!" MVB sneered, holding out his gun. The sawmill was behind me. "You nearly had me. But no one outfoxes Myron Van Buren."

"How about Fierce Fox?" Fierce Fox asked, riding the bear from before. Max McGullicutty was also on the bear's back. Fierce Fox's cage had a large hole in it made from bear claws. It was quite terrifying; even I got chills.

"Ah!" MVB yelled, flying backwards. I leaped out of his way. He was very close to the sawmill. "You fools! You can't defeat me! It's time to add a new trophy to my collection!" He aimed his gun at me.

"Why?" I demanded, clenching my fists.

"You destroyed my house!" MVB answered, baring his teeth. "And now it's time for my revenge. You shall feel fury like never before!"

"The only fury you'll feel is this!" Fierce Fox retorted, charging towards MVB, lightning staff out. She karate-kicked him onto the sawmill. He got caught on such thing and started spinning around. "You deserve this!"

"You deserve this for destroying my house!" MVB roared back, as he was slapped in the face by beavers. Part of me actually agreed with him.

"I'm glad all those trophies were burnt up," Max expressed. "But did you really set his house on fire?" Fierce Fox nodded enthusiastically. I shrugged half-heartedly. "I guess you've already had revenge then, haven't you..." His expression was mixed. So was mine. Fierce Fox, on the other hand, looked proud as she received the medallion. I didn't feel proud. I just felt... bad. I couldn't even enjoy the relief of Fierce Fox's return.

I'm sorry, I thought.