Distrust CH1: The Beginning
#1 of Fanfiction
Please keep in mind that this is an fanfiction for the Don't Hug Me I'm Scared series, based loosely upon the plot of the Sundance pilot.
Originally uploaded to Archive of Our Own in April of 2022, the work is currently ongoing. Following chapters that have been created will be uploaded shortly.
The buzzing of static was the only thing heard for days around the area in that section of the forest. It was around the area near the oddly burned statue, the same place children were warned to stay far away from. Mothers warned that the strangest things occurred in the forests around Clayhill. Terrible screeching and the sound of horrid music filled the air as you walked through the brush, some children had whined that you could hear people screaming. People recalled that they had seen people walking through the forest, a trio of three resembling the colors of a traffic light. Some others had warned of a thin man walking across the forest, and that while his stare was blank, it seemed to warn of danger.
It was not long before Clayhill's police force had been ordered to visit the area to find the source of the horrid noise. People had reported feeling panicked and losing sleep. Three officers reported to the job: The chief Harrison, a respectable man who had been in the force for years; The deputy Dan, another man who was quite jittery when the case was started; and finally, Officer Momo, an orange tabby who was one of the newest officers in the force. She was eager to prove herself worthy in her position, especially to her brutish boss. They had entered the forest in the dead of night, going deeper and deeper into the forest as the buzzing grew louder. Each officer was shaking, stressed and tired as they frantically searched for the noise, ears ringing. It wasn't long until Momo had noticed a house standing clear in the field, and she had directed both the commanders in the direction of it. They knocked down the door before witnessing a horrible sight:
Three figures. Red, green, and yellow, laying seemingly dead on their kitchen table. The buzzing was more of an electronic screech at this point, and it seemed to be coming from the living room's television. The air was thick with smog, a deadly amount filling the lungs of everyone in the house. The walls were covered with splotches of red and black gunk. The force acted fast, and each were dragged from the table and out into the clear. Momo was ordered to stay behind and check their vitals. None of them were in good shape, but all were beginning to breath steadily again. The small green duck wore very nice clothes, a brown vest with shorts. Opening the vest, she saw that he had a very long scar scaling from his chest all the way down to where his intestines would be. It was pink, and it seemed recent despite no stitches being visible. The tall red shaggy-headed fellow had no injuries except for what seemed to be electric burns on his hands.
She especially paid close attention to the small yellow boy, wearing little overalls with a lowercase 'd' sewn on the pocket. It reminded her of the overalls her niece Marigold wore. He was covered in the black gunk, it smelled like oil. The noise ceased, allowing the forest to quieten and the officers to recover. It wasn't long before medical professionals were called, and each were taken to Clayhill's hospital.
Exactly three months later, each of the trio had moved permanently into Clayhill. They had taken new names considering that they had no previous ones. The duck took the name "Robin", claiming that it made him "seem dapper." The red man took the name "Harry", claiming simply "it makes sense." The little yellow boy named himself "Doi" claiming "it sounds like a toy!" They had moved into a nice little house with a cute face on it, and Robin had claimed himself a garden full of violets and nettles. It was a new start for the trio, and all seemed calm in the small city.
That was until the mayor went missing.
The day had begun like no other. Everyone in the city had woken up to the peaceful noise of the bird's chirping, the sun gleaming, and the air fresh. Robin had groggily pulled himself out of his bed, pushing loose feathers off his bedsheets. He was molting from stress, seemingly related to his PTSD. All of them had been diagnosed and each were seeing a therapist regularly. It was just regular for the aftermath of...whatever happened at the old house they lived in. But things were looking up. Harry was close to getting a writer's job, and Doi was finally beginning to go outside and explore around the neighborhood. As for him, he was just okay with doing housework like his parents had him accustomed to. He didn't mind, but sometimes he wished he could be better. He shook his head and begun to get dressed as he planned to get the day going. He tried to look away from his torso scar, as it was the only thing he could remember from the events in the old house. The song still lingered in his mind, making him shiver.
Memories were scattered from all their perspectives. Doi apparently remembered almost everything, along with some other events as well. Harry remembered some choice events, like the clock and the notepad, along with his own experience in a quote unquote "different world with a lot of Me's." He felt bad, but he was also grateful that the horrid thing he went through was seemingly the end of his trauma. He never hoped to see another talking object again. If they did, Harry had a spare ball bat in the closet. They could always replace something, rather than replace each other. He mixed up some waffle batter and poured it into the iron to let it cook. He had to keep himself on track, those things were in the past. Harry sluggishly walked into the kitchen, grabbing a mug and pouring some coffee into it. "Morning." He greeted, his monotone voice filling in the silence of the room. "Good morning!" Robin said, dumping some fresh waffles onto a plate. "Breakfast is almost done, I'll wake up Doi in a minute." He said, adding some eggs onto the plates. "I can get him if you want." Harry said, setting his cup down. "No, no. I got him." He said, leaving the kitchen and heading up the stairs.
He knocked twice on Doi's door. "Doi, it's time to wake up." He said, before opening the door to see the boy covered with his blanket. "What are you doing...?" Robin asked, stepping inside and standing at the foot of his bed. "My middle is haunted again." Doi responded. Robin rolled his eyes and muttered 'Good golly we're having that dream again.' He picked up Doi and begun to walk out of the room as the other was just a little confused.
With everybody at the table, breakfast was finally being served. Robin could finally enjoy his food until he saw Doi staring blankly at his plate. "What is it, Doi?" He asked. Doi only whimpered in response. Robin's eyebrows furrowed as he examined the plate, confused until Harry simply spoke: "Eggs." Robin sighed as he got up and transferred the eggs to his plate, making sure they didn't touch anything else. Doi smiled again and began to eat as Robin was kicking himself for not remembering that the boy was afraid of eggs. Harry turned on their television and begun to watch the news.
"Odd events this morning as the Mayor Pigface hasn't seemed to have left his office from last night. People have gathered for the daily morning meeting only to be hung dry. A police officer has given this statement." An anchor woman handed a mic to the very same officer that had saved the trio months before: Momo.
"We are preparing to enter the town hall to check on Mayor Pigface. We do not know his current condition, but we are ready to set this entire thing straight." She left to calm the crowd.
"I'm Tally Turkey from Channel 8 news, we'll keep you updated."
"Sounds like the Mayor's having a meltdown." Harry said, taking another sip of his coffee. "Or woke up late." Robin added. "Maybe his middle is haunted too!" Doi exclaimed.
"Maybe we should join the crowd, I'm interested to where this might go." Robin said, finishing his plate. Doi excitedly stuffed the rest of his in his mouth as he followed the duck to the coat rack. Harry shrugged before setting his cup down and shutting the television off.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the town hall. A crowd stood, looking confused. Officer Momo guarded the door, along with four more officers. She turned to see the trio and walked towards them. "Nice to see you guys are all right, settling in well?" She asked, looking beyond tired. "Yeah, we're doing fine. None of our furniture is speaking, heh." Harry chuckled, only to receive a confused look from the tabby. "...Right. Well, prepare to see this spectacle. It's about to either go really good or really bad." She remarked, walking back up the steps. Everybody begun to constantly question where Mayor Pigface was, as he seemingly had stayed in his office all night. Harry joined the crowd, asking other people what else had happened that morning. Robin huffed, holding Doi's hand as he looked at the building's windows. He couldn't see much, except for an ominous red light. It made him shiver, and he wondered if he needed to alert the now-distracted police. However, he wanted to know what that was going on. He suddenly felt afraid, like that light inside was a warning, and the last time he took a warning...it ended with his guts on a plate. He composed himself, before giving another huff and deciding that he might as well do something if the police weren't.
He walked over to Harry and whispered to him. "There's something weird going on...I'm going to figure out what it is." Harry just responded with a surprised look as Doi was handed off to him before calling after the duck. But Robin simply made his way up the steps before looking back to see that the police were still distracted with the crowd. He grabbed the door handle, before taking a deep breath and opening the door. He hadn't noticed that Momo had turned and had seen him.
What he saw inside the office, shook him to his very core.