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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 5 years ago

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How to Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 20

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

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The three of us walk through the courtyard - well, I say three, but I don’t really know about Logan and Roman, since I can’t see them - and head to the gates. Logan was right about the media being here, there are even more people here now than there were this morning. Safe to say, I’m glad we have these cloaks. I’d rather not have all these people grilling me on what happened to all of us.

“Patton!” I jump a little as I hear Roman’s voice whispering.

“Yeah?”

“I just told Logan - find your parents or family or whoever and take them to the alley just down the street to the left. Then we’ll do the big reveal to them all, out of sight from anyone else.”

I give him a nod, before remembering he can’t see me. “Got it!”

The gate’s opened slightly, I assume by Logan, and we all slip out. I immediately start looking through the crowd, trying to find my parents and Emile. As I do, I see two men being dragged through the crowd by an invisible force towards the alley, as well as Joan and Talyn being dragged the same way from the other side of the crowd.

After gently squeezing past a few people, I finally catch sight of Emile. I run over to him, and whisper. “Emile! It’s me!”

He turns around. “Patton? Where are you? Are you a ghost…?”

I chuckle. “No, but I’m invisible! I have an invisibility cloak. Now,” I take his hand, “grab Ma and Pa and get them to follow you. I need to take you somewhere before I reveal myself.”

“Okay!” he tugs on Ma’s shirt. “Ma, Pa, follow me!”

Before they can respond, Emile starts dragging them, and I lead the way. Despite my parents’ protests, we make it to the alley, where Joan and Talyn, and the two men I assume are Roman’s fathers, are standing, confused.

Suddenly, Roman’s voice speaks, shocking them all. “You there, Patton?”

“Yup!” I respond, making my parents shocked as well.

“Good!” and Roman pulls off his invisibility cloak.

“Roman!” one of his dads gasps. “What on earth happened to you?” He starts picking at the small clumps of caramel Roman still has stuck to him.

“Long story,” Roman replies, shrugging him off. “One that I’d rather not say when news reporters are just around the corner. All of us are gonna save the stories for when we get back to the hotel room. Now, Patton, Logan? You should probably reveal yourselves too.”

I try my best to shift the cloak off of me, though it’s hard with my crutches. However, I eventually get it off. As I do, my Pa pales, and Ma and Emile gasp. “What happened to your leg?!”

I shrug. “It’s not too bad. And I’ll explain at the hotel room. Ooh!” I turn to Roman. “Or, all of us could come back to our room so the three of us can explain together!”

Roman nods. “Good idea, Pat.”

There’s a pause as we wait for Logan to reveal himself. However, he doesn’t. Roman raises an eyebrow. “Um, Logan? Gonna take off your cloak?”

“Um… I-I’d rather not…”

“You’re going to have to eventually, Lo.” I give a reassuring smile in the general direction I think he’s standing. “It’ll be alright. I’m so no one will judge you too hard.”

There’s a pause, before a sigh. The cloak slips off.

Unsurprisingly, his appearance gets the biggest reaction, and Joan and Talyn are the most surprised. “What. The actual. Fuck,” Joan mumbles.

Logan’s face flushes in embarrassment, and tugs at his shirt, trying and failing to get it over his stomach to hide as much as he can. “I, um… I’ll explain later… you know, um, with the others…” He stumbles over his words, not looking anyone in the eye, choosing instead to look down at his feet. “Um… speaking of, can we please just head back to the hotel now? I really don’t want to risk anyone seeing me, and being just around the corner from a bunch of reporters is making me really nervous…”

Roman nods. “In that case, let’s g-!”

“Where’s Virgil?”

Everyone in the alley turns to see Thomas stood there at the opening, looking between us all. “Is he under a cloak or something too? Please tell me he’s here.”

I hurriedly go over to him, seeing him looking panicked. “Hey, kiddo, it’s okay! He’s not here, but he’s not hurt. He’s still in the factory because, well… he kinda won it.”

“He what?”

“All will be explained back at Patton’s family’s hotel room,” Roman responds. “Now we should probably go.”

He pulls back on his invisibility cloak, and Logan and I follow suit, Logan much quicker than me. Roman then calls out. “Okay, Patton, lead the way! … Or I guess Patton’s family because we can’t see Patton.”

Emile ends up leading, my parents still taken aback by, well, everything. The rest of us follow along, heading through the street. It’s now I notice something out of the corner of my eye, up in the sky. I look up, and oh my gosh!

It’s the lift from the factory! It’s flying! Virgil and Wonka are inside. I think about waving before remembering that I can’t be seen.

I really am going to miss Virgil. And Roman. And Logan. Especially Logan. After today, it feels so weird that we’re all just going to go back to our normal lives. Living far apart from each other, only talking over texts, calls, video chats… I hope Lo and I can make long distance work. God, we haven’t even parted yet and I’m already sentimental and missing everyone!

Though… I guess I shouldn’t say ‘normal lives’. Virgil’s is going to be far from normal now. He’s running the best factory in the world! And, um, I think it’s safe to say that Logan’s isn’t going to be normal either. It’ll probably be hard to live normally when he’s all purple and swollen. Poor guy… I’m gonna video call him every night, make sure he’s okay, reassure him I love him so so much no matter what, and just… try and make his life as easy as it can be for him, I guess.

I hope his family doesn’t use it as an excuse to treat him worse, though…

When we arrive at the hotel, we head back to my family’s room and we toss off our cloaks once the door is closed.

“Okay, can you please explain what the frick happened?!” Joan asks as we all take seats either on the beds or the couch, me slipping off my crutches.

“Okay, so, everything started normally enough,” Roman starts. “We went to a room called the Chocolate Room, which was like a meadow where everything was made of candy. It. Was. Awesome! We just got to chill, and eat whatever we wanted. ”

“Then we went to a room that was pretty similar called Dessert Island,” I add. “It was an island where everything was made from desserts and puddings, and it was surrounded by an ocean of lemonade! But, uh… I fell in the ocean, and before I could get out, I, um… got dragged away by orcas made out of marshmallow and liquorice…”

“What?!” Ma comes and kneels in front of me, checking over me.

“It’s okay, Ma, I’m okay. Well, mostly. My leg got really badly hurt, but apart from that, I’m good. Anyway, I don’t know what happened after that, so...” I turn to Logan, who sighs.

“So, um, we went to a room called the Inventing Room after that. As you can probably guess, it’s where Wonka invents his newest sweets. And, um… I interacted with an unstable machine, and it… well…” He trails off, mumbling the ending.

“You’re not gonna be able to get away without telling us, Logan,” Talyn replies, folding their arms.

“... Can’t I? Please?”

The hard stare he gets in response is enough to get him to talk. “I, um… the machine was a teleporter. I went through with a jar of pomegranate and blackberry Crofters- “

“You took Crofters into the factory with you? Into a factory that already has a bunch of food? You really have a problem...” Joan says, raising an eyebrow. “Also, you didn’t have a bag or a coat with big pockets, how’d you get it in?”

“It wasn’t mine. It’s a long story. But, uh, there was a defect with the teleporter that meant it reconstructed all organic matter together. So, my DNA was fused with that of the jam’s fruit. This caused me to, uh...to turn into a giant pomegranate-blackberry hybrid.”

“Or ‘pomeberry’, as I put it,” Roman adds.

“I’m sorry, what?” Talyn asks, looking just as confused as everyone else in the room. “What do you mean you turned into a fruit?”

“I mean I turned purple before filling with juice and swelling up into a ten foot ball. I had to be rolled away to be juiced, which was… an experience I don’t even want to get into.”

“I am actually intrigued by that-”

“Nope, Roman, I’m not talking about it. It’s embarrassi- ow!”

“Sorry,” Joan apologises, looking not at all sorry and poking Logan’s stomach a second time, listening as it sloshes in response. “It really is juice and not fat, huh…?”

“Yep… Anyway, Roman, over to you.”

“Right! So, after Logan was rolled off, it left only the three of us: myself, Virgil, and Ethan. We continued on, led by Mr Wonka, looking at other rooms. It was nice and normal, until we entered the Rock Candy Mines. It was a gorgeous place. Deep caverns filled with glistening gemstones, that were in fact rock candy. As we explored deeper and deeper, I heard a strange rumbling coming from a cavern to my right. So, I went to investigate. And that’s where I found it…

“A dragon! At least fifty feet long, made entirely of rock candy. It’s teeth and claws were as sharp as daggers.

“I knew, from the moment I saw it… I had to slay this foul beast.”

This gains a reaction from his dads. “You WHAT?!”

“Luckily there was a sword nearby and I leapt into action! The dragon put up a good fight, but it was no match for me. I stabbed it in the eye, and got on its back, ready to stab it right through the heart!

“...When I tripped. Luckily the dragon didn’t breath fire. It, uh, breathed caramel instead. I was encased, stuck as a caramel statue. I needed to be chiselled out, or else my oxygen supply would run out. So, I was taken away to be saved. However, I wasn’t quite yet.”

“None of us were,” I take back over the story. “After the whales eventually let me go, a bunch of snakes appeared and swam up to me. They wrapped around my wrists and ankles, trying to drown me.”

“Snakes kept destroying the juicer before I could be juiced. Whenever it was fixed, it would be broken again, and I was left so long I began to ‘ripen’.”

“Venomous snakes and constrictors killed all the workers who were supposed to chisel me out. Luckily after they’d chiselled me an airhole, so I could at least breathe.”

“We all could have died, but luckily Virgil went to the bathroom at this point! And the bathroom was right by the whale enclosure, so he heard the commotion of the workers confused as to why I hadn’t surfaced yet. Virgil came to the rescue, diving in and saving me! He pulled the snakes off, killed them, and pulled me up to the surface. The workers bandaged my leg and gave me these crutches. Virgil guessed that, if I wasn’t saved, the other two might not have been either. So we headed off to the Juicing Room!”

“Where I was starting to slowly ripen.”

“You keep saying that, 'ripen',” Talyn interrupts. “What do you mean ‘ripen’?”

“It would take me three or so hours to do so completely, and if I did so, there would be a fifty-fifty chance of me either being stuck like that, or… exploding.”

“WHAT?!”

“It’s fine, I did not explode, and I only got partially stuck, as you can see. Virgil arrived and killed the snakes breaking the juicer. It was fixed, and the juice that could be squeezed out was. However, there was good news and bad news. The bad was that my binder broke. The good… well…” Logan looks to me, face flushing bluey-purple. I smile in return, taking his hand.

“Since I was scared for Logan’s life at the time, I decided it was the best time to proclaim my love and kiss him… and now we’re dating. So, Ma, Pa, meet my boyfriend.”

“Way to go, Logan!” Joan grins. “Finally got yourself a partner.”

Logan flushes. “Shut up…”

Ma smiles at the two of us. “I think it’s sweet. Just promise me, Logan, you’ll treat my boy right.”

“Maaa…”

Logan chuckles a little. “Trust me, Dot, I definitely will. I mean, if he can love me despite me being part fruit, he deserves the absolute best.”

“Aww, LoLo!” I pull him close, kissing his head. “You’re so sweet…”

“Pat-”

“Get it? Sweet? Sweet like a fruit?”

Logan groans. “Aaand you ruined it.”

“Anyway, back to the tale!” Roman speaks up - I think he might be annoyed we took the attention from him. “I was still trapped in my candy prison, when Virgil and Patton ran in, Logan having passed out in the lift from exhaustion. Which is why I’m so curious about the juicing process, like how did it make you so tired?”

“I told you, Roman, I’m not saying.”

Roman huffs, folding his arms. “Fine… Anyway, they ran in, but the snakes that killed the workers began coming out of hiding. They advanced on us, and I tried to call to Virgil and Patton to warn them, but alas, my mouth was still covered. By the time Virgil freed my mouth and I could cry out, the snakes had us surrounded. It seemed, we were doomed… But then! A miracle in the form of a vat of caramel tipping over arrived, and the snakes were encased, frozen solid, just like I. We were safe, and it was all thanks to Logan, who had woken up, and pushed over the vat.”

“My hero.” I hug Logan close yet again, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and causing him to blush once more. Roman, apparently annoyed that we’re interrupting the story for a second time, quickly continues.

“Anyway, Virgil finished breaking me out, letting it slip that he found me ‘dashing’ and ‘handsome’ in the process, but then he told us that he believed Ethan may have been the one behind it. So! We went and confronted him! And Virgil was right. He was the snake in the grass the whole time.”

“Wait, so he tried to kill you…?” Emile asks, sitting on the bed beside me, and looking up at me with worry in his eyes.

“It’s okay, kiddo, we’re all okay. But he didn’t initially mean to kill us. He was actually on the first Wonka tour, and got the snake face due to an incident on it. Apparently, Wonka rigged the tour so that all but one of the kids got into ‘incidents’, the last being who he saw fit to become his heir. Ethan was mad that Wonka hurt the kids for no reason, and wanted revenge.”

“He initially wanted his parents to sue for the damages caused,” Logan takes over. “However, they refused, thinking the incident ‘cured his pathological lying’ that he suffered with as a child. Then, as years went by, things happened to all the other children who were on that first tour which increased Ethan’s desire for revenge: Charlie, the boy who became Wonka’s heir, died in an accident at the factory. A girl called Veruca’s dad’s business went bankrupt. And a boy called Augustus developed an eating disorder which took his life. When the next tour came around, Ethan planned our… ‘demises’, in the hopes we’d do what his parents hadn’t and sue Mr Wonka. He didn’t intend to kill us at first. However, that plan fell apart when Mr Wonka made us sign a contract first thing, saying he would take no responsibility for any accidents that may occur.”

“So he decided to try and kill us instead, the monster!”

“Roman! You’re being too harsh!”

“He wanted to murder us, Patton!”

“He had a scarring childhood! He’s damaged.”

“Cool motive, still murder!”

“Well, it was attempted murder; we all survived,” Logan corrects.

“And he regretted it right after, it was just too late to take the order he gave to his snakes back.”

“His snakes?” one of Roman’s dads asks.

“As well as getting a snake face, he got the ability to talk to them,” Roman explains. “They helped him organise his dastardly plans.”

“Why exactly did he jump from wanting you to sue to wanting you dead?” Joan asks, trying to turn the conversation back to where it was. “I fail to see how he got from A to B.”

“The way he saw it, if at least one of us didn’t leave the factory, and the rest of us spread word of what happened to them, people would become outraged enough for Wonka’s business to drop so much, he’d get closed down or go bankrupt,” Logan explains. “As Patton said, it didn’t hit him just how horrifying his orders were until it was too late. Luckily, Virgil saved us, so Ethan has no blood on his hands. He apologised to us, promised he’d stay away and out of our lives for good, and left.”

“Well, I should hope he’d leave you alone,” Pa says. “Should we call the police on him or something?”

“Please don’t, Pa. I think he deserves a second chance.”

“I don’t,” Roman mutters.

“I agree with Patton,” Logan says. “The world isn’t completely ‘black and white’. I think Ethan will learn and grow, given how torn up he seemed. Not to mention, as the crime took place on American soil, he’d be tried here if he were arrested, and I do not trust the American prison and law system at. All.”

“But what about Virgil?” Thomas asks. I almost forgot he was here! “If he didn’t get into an accident, and didn’t get hurt, why isn’t he here?”

“I can explain!” I take over again, mostly hoping talking will distract from the pain in my leg that just came back. And my vision’s getting a little blurry... “Wonka told us that the reason he hosted the second tour was to find a new heir, hoping someone older would be more responsible and careful, and so less likely to have an accident like Charlie.”

“We made the unanimous decision that Virgil would be the best fit,” Roman finishes. “Oh! Which reminds me, Thomas, you need to go home!”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s gonna sound weird, but I saw Virgil with Wonka in a flying elevator when we left the factory.”

“... I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s true!” I pipe up. “I saw it too!”

“Exactly. They were probably heading to pick up you and your mother to take to the factory so you could move in. You need to go or you’ll miss them!”

“Well… if that’s the case, I guess I should head off. Virgil’ll freak if he thinks I’ve gone missing.” Thomas heads to the door, but pauses before turning back to us. “Bye, I guess. It was nice meeting you all.” And with that, he leaves.

“We should probably go too,” one of Roman’s dads says. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, and need to get packing.”

Roman turns to me and Logan and pulls us both into a hug. “It was awesome meeting you guys. Skype call as soon as possible, okay?”

“Of course! I’m really gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Pat.” Roman pulls away from the hug. “You too, Berry Boy.”

Logan does not look impressed. “I won’t miss you if that nickname sticks.”

“Welp, guess you won’t then. Farewell to thee!” And with that, he gives us a wave, before leaving with his fathers.

“We should probably go too,” Talyn says. “You know, since we’re leaving tomorrow as well.”

“Yeah…” Logan turns to me. “I guess I’ll text you lat-”

I pull him into a tight hug before he can finish. “I’m gonna miss you so so much! We can make long distance work, right?”

Logan chuckles. “Pat, I’m sure we can. I love you so much.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

I smile, before pressing my lips to his. I’m never gonna get over the fact they taste like pomegranate and blackberry, it’s so awesome!

“Paaaaat, you’re being gross!!!”

I chuckle as I pull away, turning to Emile. “Sorry, Em, you’re gonna have to get used to it. It’s what boyfriends are like together, and Lo and I are gonna be kissing whenever he comes round to visit.” I turn back to Logan. “You’re definitely coming to visit soon.”

Logan smiles. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“I love you, Lo.”

“I love you too, Pat.” Logan pecks a final kiss to my cheek, before standing up. He, Joan and Talyn head to the door, and… I think Logan waves to me? I can’t really tell… My vision’s getting more blurry…

My leg really really hurts…

Did someone just turn off the lights? Everything is going dark...

Maybe… maybe I’ll just take a nap for a bit...

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Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @lesbianimeme

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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How To Survive a Factory Tour - Chapter 19

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

Trigger Warnings: This chapter contains mentions of eating disorders, as well as mentions of deaths

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I can hear Wonka and Ethan’s voices around the corner in the next corridor. From what I hear, they’re discussing new candy ideas Wonka has. Too bad their conversation’s about to be cut short. I round the corner, and there they’re stood. My footsteps gain the attention of Wonka. “Ah, Mr Sanders! Great, now we may continue with… the…”

He trails off when Patton, Logan and Roman round the corner as well, just behind me.

Ethan looks like he’s just been slapped in the face.

“What are you three doing here? You should be recovering in the hospital wing!” Wonka says, before pausing. “Mr Berry, why haven’t you been fully juiced?”

“I couldn’t be. Due to an incident, the juicer kept breaking, and I began to ripen.”

I step forward, glaring at Ethan. “An incident caused by him.”

“When we were supposed to be saved, we found snakes ruining it and trying to kill us. Whether it be by drowning, repeatedly breaking the juicer, or killing literally all the Oompa Loompas in the room!” Roman explains.

“Snakes that we saw Ethan talking to in the Chocolate Room.”

“Ethan attempted three murders today, Mr Wonka,” Logan says. “Maybe four, if Virgil had not strayed from the tour. We don’t know why, but when we’re almost killed by snakes, and one of the tour members has a snake face, it is hard to ignore the correlation.”

“Everything that happened to them,” I glare at Ethan. “It was all because of him.”

Wonka is pale, looking like he has no idea what to say. He turns to Ethan.

Ethan’s head is tilted down, the rim of his bowler hat hiding his face. His fists are clenched, his hands trembling. There’s a moment of silence.

Before he lets out a sob.

He just breaks down crying. In between some of the sobs, I can hear him muttering “I’m sorry” over and over.

The rest of us share glances. None of us expected this. I expected a wicked, evil grin, and him to proclaim “Yes, ‘twas I who sent you to die! And I sure won’t let you to escape now!” or something like that. Or maybe I’ve just been hanging around Roman too long.

Finally, he calms himself, sniffling and wiping his eyes. He looks up at us. “Okay. I admit it. I did try to… t-to kill you… But I never wanted to in the first place! I… Let me just explain. Not an excuse, just talk you through my reasoning and where I was coming from when I made this… stupid decision…

“Seven years ago, Wonka hosted his first tour. After, a book detailing what happened was released based on the story of the factory the winners told. However, the book wasn’t completely factual. In fact, it left out a very significant detail: there were six tickets, not five. The sixth winner just completely hid themselves from the media and the public eye, so they were forgotten about. That child was me.

“Six children won the chance of the most wonderful, marvelous experience of their lives. But that’s not what we got. Things very quickly went from a fantasy to a nightmare. Wonka, for some reason, saw it as morally okay to punish young children, who did not yet have a fully developed sense of morality and right and wrong, for habits that either weren’t their fault or weren’t even big deals.”

He turns to Wonka. “And don’t tell me it wasn’t planned. Every room we went to had something tailored to each child. You had your mind made up about who would win from the beginning, and had to get the rest of us out of commission.”

He turns back to us. “Augustus fell in the chocolate river, got sucked up the pipe. Just because he was chubby and liked food. Violet had the gum and turned into a blueberry. Just because she liked to chew gum a lot. Veruca got attacked by squirrels and shoved down the garbage chute. Punished for what was her dad’s fault, since he was the one who threw gifts at her all the time. Mike went through Wonkavision and got shrunk. Punished for what was his parents fault, as they were the ones who shoved him in front of the TV instead of actually spending time with their son.

“And then there was me. A few things you need to know before I continue. First, I didn’t always look like this. I was completely ordinary looking as a child. I was also a compulsive liar. I had no control over it. It was so bad, there were even times I didn’t know whether what I was saying was true or false. What I needed was professional help to deal with my problem, but instead my parents always used to just scold me and tell me off for lying. So, it just got worse as the years went by, and by the time of the tour, it was at its worst. And despite it being a disorder out of my control, I got punished for it.

“We went to a room called the Rainforest Room. It was like the Chocolate Room and Dessert Island, with everything being made of candy and sweets, but there were more candy animals. Mr Wonka told us not to approach the animals, but I ended up finding a living gummy snake. Snakes are my favourite animal, so I was really excited to see it. I got close, and it was fine. I pet the snake, and it was perfectly content.

“Then Mr Wonka saw me and called my name. It startled the snake, and the snake bit me. Mr Wonka asked me if it bit me, and because I couldn’t control myself, I said no. And that’s when I got my first scale.”

He turns to Wonka again. “How coincidental! I, a compulsive liar, got bitten by a snake that causes you to slowly turn more snake like with every lie! Almost like it was planned.

“You. You ruined my life! Every time I lied, I got another scale, or my eye turned yellow, and I became more snake-like. I became a freak! Sure, you eventually sent me a ‘cure’ that would stop my from transforming with every lie, but by then the damage had already been done, as you all can plainly see. I was abandoned by my friends at school. I was ostracised by everyone I knew, judged wherever I went.

“I wanted justice. I wanted my parents to sue for the damages done to me in this factory. However, they never did. They were happy this happened. I ended up overcoming my compulsive lying not long after the factory tour, so my parents just assumed it was all thanks to Wonka. When it wasn’t. It was my own work and self-help.

“And that was the end of it for a while. However, a few years later, I got curious. What happened to the other children from that tour? So I looked into it.

“Violet went off the grid. She got disowned by her parents, and ended up running away from home. There were occasional sightings of her; I mean, she’s blue, easy to notice. Veruca’s dad’s business went bust. The family ended up going from rich to flat broke because the state they left the factory in left them laughing stocks. Mike, like me, was seen as a freak of nature. Though I think he eventually shrunk back down to normal height, so he was the only one who got an actually nice and normal life in the end. And Augustus…”

Ethan’s tearing up again. He wipes away the tears, taking a deep breath. “After the tour, he developed an eating disorder. And it killed him. Thanks to Wonka, a perfectly innocent child died.

“But he wasn’t the only one, was he, Wonka? Remember, Virgil, earlier today when you asked about Charlie? How he should be here since became the heir to the factory at the end of the last tour? Well, Wonka has something to tell us about that.”

We all turn to Wonka expectantly. The chocolatier has gone pale white at Ethan’s story so far. He gulps. “I… Th-there was an incident… An explosion in the Inventing Room. Charlie… he was killed.”

Ethan lets out a laugh, though it’s dry and sad. “Two children, dead by your hands…

“No longer was my anger at Wonka solely due to what he did to me. It was about all of us. He ruined the lives of four children, and killed two. So, when Wonka announced his second tour, a tour to replace Charlie - this time with someone older who would be more careful, I assume, I saw my chance. I did the same research you did, Logan, and found a ticket. I actually found mine before any of you four did. I then took notes on you all in your interviews.

“One bonus becoming part snake means I can talk with them and ask them to do my bidding. So, I used them to assist putting my plan into action. The idea I had was, if I got you all into incidents, at least one of you would do what I had wanted my parents to do and sue. Then finally Wonka would have to pay for his actions. So, once I had a good idea about all of you, your likes and dislikes, I… broke into the factory and set up everything for your incidents. I switched Wonka’s tour plan to go to the rooms tailored for each of you, and then got to work. I and my snakes weakened the cliff in Dessert Island so it would break when Patton stepped on it, placed hid a jar of Crofters and a snake in the Inventing Room and asked said snake it roll it in and activate the teleporter when Logan entered, and placed a sword in the dragon’s lair that I knew Roman would take and use to fight, and asked a snake to stay there and trip Roman up mid-battle.

“But I want to emphasise, I never intended for any of you to be killed! I just wanted to cause small inconveniences and accidents that would lead to you suing.

“However, my plan went wrong the second we stepped into the factory to start the tour. Because this time Wonka was smart. He had us sign that waiver, meaning he couldn’t be sued. I was fuming. My plan for revenge, my plan to avenge the fallen, was foiled! In a fit of rage, I made a stupid decision, a horrible mistake…

“In the Chocolate Room, I called for a few of my snakes, and told them to make sure at least one of you four died. The way I saw it, if at least one of us didn’t leave the factory alive, the rest of us could spread the word of the incident in the factory that killed them, causing enough public outrage to lower Wonka’s business and hopefully get him closed down.

“The gravity of what I’d done hit me too late. By trying to get you killed, I was just as bad as Wonka… maybe worse… And now you’re here. Alive. Knowing what I’ve done. Instead of avenging the others who were hurt, I just hurt more people… i was so stupid…”

Hiss…

Patton backs away a little as a snake slithers into the corridor. It has two heads and is yellow with black stripes, and is carrying Ethan’s suit jacket in its mouths. Ethan gives it a small sad smile, before bending down, picking up the jacket, and slipping it on. He then picks up the snake. “Thank you, Crowley, Nagini,” he says to each of its heads, before sitting the snake on his shoulders. He sighs, looking back at us. “I’m so sorry. All of you. I don’t expect you to forgive me… but I hope now you understand my thought process that led me to this point. Don’t worry. I’ll stay out of your lives now…” He turns and begins to walk from the corridor, turning the corner.

“... Wait, Ethan!” Patton runs after him. “Stop! Can’t we talk about-” He pauses as he looks around the corner. “He’s gone…”

The rest of us come over and join him. As he said, the next corridor is empty. Ethan has disappeared.

We step back and turn back to Wonka, confused as to what to do now. This wasn’t what I expected. Not what any of us expected. Not at all.

Wonka sighs. “He’s right. I did rig the last tour… I didn’t mean for such things to happen to the children after the tour was over, I just… wanted to teach them some manners. I didn’t think of the consequences. And as for Charlie, I was stupid for thinking a child could run this place. That’s why I hosted this tour. I need someone more responsible, wise, careful. Just, someone older. But, um, I doubt any of you would want to work here after all this… The elevator’s down the hall, you can take it to the front door. I’m so sorry this whole tour fell apart.”

I share glances with the others. Then Roman speaks up. “I wouldn’t say it fell apart. I mean, the Chocolate Room was a lot of fun!”

Patton nods. “Yeah, and so was Dessert Island! It was really cool before I fell in the ocean!”

“And the Inventing Room was extremely interesting and intriguing.” Logan pauses. “Hold on, I just remembered, Patton, I have something for you.” He reaches into his pocket. “Sorry, it might be a little crushed because it was in my pocket when I swelled up, but…” He pulls out one of the gobstopper from the Inventing Room, and hands it to Patton. As he said, it looks a little squished. “It’s an Everlasting Gobstopper. It, well, lasts forever. We were all given them, so I figured I’d get one for you too since you missed out.”

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Patton smiles. “They’re safe to have, right?” Wonka nods, and Patton happily puts the gobstopper in his mouth.

I turn back to Wonka. “They’re right, though. Apart from the incidents, today was pretty cool… Seeing a real dragon, though terrifying, was awesome.”

Wonka looks between us all. “Really?”

We all nod, Roman saying, “Yeah. I think any of us would love to be the heir to this place! I’d happily put myself forward for it!” He pauses. “Except I probably wouldn’t be the best fit. I mean, you said earlier you needed someone responsible, wise and careful. And… well, I tried to fight a dragon earlier. Which, while very dashing,” he shoots a grin at me, “was also rather irresponsible. I wouldn’t last a day owning this place.”

“What about Lo?”

Logan turns to Patton, eyebrow raised. “What? Me?”

“Yeah!” Patton smiles. “Wonka’s looking for someone wise, and you're the smartest person I’ve ever met! And you’re really responsible! You’d be great at running a business.”

Logan shakes his head. “No, I could never be the heir of this factory. I mean, sure I’d have the business side down, but I don’t have the creativity to create things like Wonka does. Not to mention that, while I have a sweet tooth, I just don’t have a passion for creating candies. Which is why you’ve got to be the one, Pat. I mean, you work at a bakery. You know all about food and flavours and things. You’d be a perfect chocolatier.”

“Aw, Lo, it’s so sweet you think that! But I wouldn’t be able to run this place. I wouldn’t be able to handle the business part. In fact, there’s a lot of stuff I wouldn’t be able to handle with a factory of this size. Think I’ll just stick with my dream of opening my own bakery.”

“I guess that leaves one last candidate,” Roman says. “And it just so happens to be the person I think is perfect for the job.”

It takes me a moment to realise it’s me he’s talking about. “Wait, what?”

“Think about it! You’re responsible and careful. And you’re smart - you were the one who managed to figure out it was Ethan behind everything. And you’re brave and quick thinking. It was incredible how you saved us all. And you’re creative! You’re an artist!”

I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean, I’m an artist?”

“This slipped out your pocket when we were in the boat heading to Dessert Island.” Roman reaches in his pocket and pulls out a scrap of paper. On it is a multiple drawings. God, I forgot about that… I was bored one day at work and nicked a blank strip of receipt paper, and just started drawing with my pen. “I was amazed when I saw them, they’re actually really good.” Roman pockets the paper again before turning back to Wonka. “So, you should make Virgil your heir. And, to be fair, I think he needs it the most out of all of us, given his current living conditions.”

Wonka looks to me. “Would you like to be my heir, Virgil?”

“I… Would my family be able to live here too? My brother and mom?”

“Of course! The more the merrier!”

I bite my lip. “Would I be able to go back to high school?”

“Education is very important, so yes.”

“Could you pay for my brother to go to college?”

“It would be no skin off my back. I’d be fine with it.”

Holy shit, this is perfect. I’d have job security. Thomas could go onto study whatever he wants. My family would never be in poverty again. “Yes. Yes, I’d love to take over the factory! Thank you so much!”

“There’s no need to thank me. Now, we’ll all take the elevator to the main entrance so that you three can return home, and then, Virgil, we’ll head off to pick up you family. Come on!” Wonka skips off, and we all follow behind. I still can hardly believe it. I’m the heir of Willy Wonka’s factory.

“Um, Mr Wonka?” Logan asks as we step into the elevator. “Um, it’s very likely that, when we leave, there will be a lot of media outside. And, I don’t know about Patton and Roman, but I don’t really want to be caught on camera like this. Is there any way we can leave through a back entrance or something?”

“Hm... There’s a chance there may be reporters at those entrances too. But I think I know just the thing for you!” He presses a button - the one for the Inventing Room - and we zoom off.

As we travel through the factory, a hand suddenly slips into mine. I turn to see Roman, trying his best to look casual, but his face is slightly red.

He’s really serious about this? About liking me? I mean… I just assumed he was making jokes earlier. Yeah, I know he literally said it wasn’t a joke, but… I assumed that was a joke too. Just… look at him! He’s the handsomest guy I’ve ever met; what would he want with someone like me?

Should I say something? Or have I left it too long now? Is the fact that I haven’t pulled my hand away enough of a sign? No, of course it’s not… Come on, Virgil, do something!

I squeeze his hand. That’s all. God, I’m fucking useless.

Ding!

“Come on, you four!” Wonka runs from the lift, the rest of us following. My and Roman’s hands slip apart.

As we walk through the Inventing Room, Patton looks around, eyes wide with curiosity, given as he hasn’t been in this room yet. Logan, on the other hand, looks rather uncomfortable. As we pass the teleporter and where we were when he swelled up, he hugs Patton’s arm and looks down at his stomach, as if scared it could start swelling again any second.

We continue through the room, until Wonka comes to a stop at a locked box. He inputs the code into the lock and pulls it off. He opens the box and pulls something cloak-like out. He passes it to Logan. “I think this is the largest size. Try it on.”

Logan flushes a little at being told he now needs much larger sizes, but slips the cloak on. As he does so, his body suddenly disappears from view.

“Oh. My. God,” Roman gasps. “Is that an invisibility cloak? Like in Harry Potter?!”

Wonka nods, pulling out two more and handing them to Roman and Patton. “Right you are! And these ones are edible, so when you have no more need for them, you can eat them up! They should allow you to get out of the factory without anyone batting an eye. Come on, let's head to the entrance hall.”

We head back to the elevator, and Wonka presses the button for the entrance hall. We zoom off, and it doesn’t take us long to arrive. Logan and Patton step out, wrapping their cloaks around themselves. However, Patton hesitates before coming back. He pulls an arm from one of his crutches and pulls me close into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Virge! You’re going to be the best chocolatier ever, I just know it!”

I smile, hugging him back. “I’ll miss you too, Pat. But, hey, I’m probably going to get a phone sometime soon now, so I’ll be able to talk to you anytime.”

Patton steps back. “I guess that’s true… I’ll still miss you though.” He steps from the elevator.

Logan offers me his hand. “I wish you the best for the future, Virgil. And thank you for saving my life. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

I surprise Logan by taking his hand and, instead of shaking it, pulling him into a hug. “You don’t need to, Logan. Just like you won’t need to repay any of us for getting you a new binder.”

“I thought you weren’t going to…”

“Well, I was broke then. I’m not now.”

Logan chuckles. “True… Again, thank you. I… I’ll miss you too.” He pulls from the hug, giving me a small wave, before stepping from the elevator as well.

Roman slips a piece of paper into my hand. It’s the paper with my doodles on, only he’s added three numbers on the back. “Mine, Patton and Logan’s numbers. Figured you’d need them to actually contact us.” He pauses. “You know… I really underestimated you when I first saw your interview. You’re incredible. You really are the perfect choice for Wonka’s heir.”

He pecks a kiss to my cheek.

Holy shit.

“Bye, Virge. Call me.”

And with that he turns and steps out of the elevator. He and the other two head to the doors, calling their final goodbyes. As they reach the doors, they pull up the hoods of their cloaks, disappearing from view completely. The doors seemingly open on their own.

“Bye,” I say.

The doors close. And now I’m the only tour winner left in the factory.

“Come on!” Wonka smiles. “Lets go get the rest of your family!”

----------

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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Yo dudes, Ash here. I kinda want to draw some art for this AU. Any suggestions?

Taglist: @pumpkinminette @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing @jessicakennedy957 @why-should-i-tell-youu2 @dont-lose-urhead

#sanders sides #sanders sides au #au #charlie and the chocolate factory au #any suggestions?

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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Roman please elaborate on what you said about remus trying to kill ppl

Roman: He’s never actually tried to kill anyone. Just... caused accidents that made people get dangerously close to dying.

Roman: Like when he stole that morning star from a museum... Accidentally hit the guard chasing him in the head with it. Gave the guard a concussion and caused a little memory loss, so Rem was never caught, but didn’t actually kill the guard.

Patton: ... Has your brother ever considered seeing a therapist?

Roman: No clue. I hope he has, though. He really needs it.

#ask

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 18

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

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Okay. Okay! Oooookay, Roman, it’s going to be fine, everything is going to be fine! I mean, at least you won’t suffocate from a lack of oxygen now! And if you do end up dying, it’ll be in a possibly slightly faster way? Or at least slightly more painless?

Hopefully?

So, um, funny story. I was brought to this room, the Caramel Carving Room, I think Wonka called it, and some Oompa Loompas began to chisel me out. So good news! My eyes are now free to see my surroundings, and my nose is free so I can breathe. The bad news is my mouth is still covered though so I am unable to scream in abject terror, like I feel the need to.

That links to the next bit of bad news: all the Oompa Loompas who were in this room, either working or helping me escape my caramel prison, are now dead. I am surrounded by doll-sized corpses, and I won’t be surprised if I join them soon..

I have no idea where they came from, but a bunch of snakes just slithered out from the darkness and started to attack the Oompa Loompas! The venomous ones bit, the constrictors strangled, and left me the only living non-snake being in the room. They slithered back into the shadows, leaving me here, alone and terrified. Also close to puking, which is something I do not want to happen, given as the caramel in the way means it’ll just be reflected back into my mouth. Which is gross.

What do I do? I can’t cry out for help, I’m just stuck!

I feel close to crying, literally seconds away. I’m doomed to either dying in minutes, or being a living statue for all eternity…

“Roman!”

I look up. Virgil! Virgil’s just run in the door! Oh, my knight in pitch black and purple armour!

And Patton! Patton’s alive, and just behind Virgil, limping on crutches with a bloody bandage around his ankle.

But thank goodness they’re here! They can break me out, and then we can flee to safety-

Oh no. No no no no…!

I try as hard as I can to cry out and warn them, but I can’t. I scream as loud as I possibly can, but my words are indistinguishable. They’re just muffled cries.

“It’s okay, Ro, we’re gonna break you out,” Virgil reassures as he reaches me. It’s not me who’s in danger! Look behind and around yourself for Christ's sake! Can’t you see the Oompa Loompa corpses?! “Okay, how do we do this…”

“There’s a chisel there!” Patton points out. Virgil picks it up and starts breaking at the caramel at my neck to free my whole head. And while that’s good for me, so I can speak again, it’s not for them! Death is fast approaching! The reaper is watching, ready to take them away!

I don’t care if this isn’t the time for metaphors! I’m panicking!

Oh goodness, they’re getting close, dangerously so… Oh shit, oh fuck.

Virgil, either hurry up freeing my mouth or actually look around!

“Okay, one more break and your head should be freed and… There!”

Oh, thank god, I can speak! “SNAKES!”

Virgil and Patton both freeze. They share a glance, before both turning around. They’re facing away from me, so I can’t see their faces, but I can only assume their plastered with terror.

They finally see the corpses of the dead Oompa Loompas. Patton wretches as the sight of them. They also finally see the snakes slithering closer and closer.

“Oh fucking shit…” Virgil mumbles. “We’re gonna die, we are going to die.”

They both shuffle closer to me, backing as far from the snakes as they can. But the deadly vipers and pythons and boa constrictors and cobras and such keep advancing, coming at us from every side. We’re completely surrounded and screwed.

Patton’s started sobbing. Between his cries, he calls out to the door of the room. “LOGAN! I-I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE AWAKE TO HEAR ME, BUT… I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH, AND I ALWAYS WILL! NEVER FORGET THAT!”

Virgil bites his lip, before muttering. “You’re supposed to, like, confess things before you die, right?”

I nod. “Yeah. Well, um, I don’t actually know about real life, but, uh, that’s definitely what usually happens in movie-”

“For some weird reason, in my head, I called Roman handsome and dashing when he was fighting the dragon!”

I look away from the snakes to Virgil. “You what?!”

“Shut up, I panicking for you, adrenaline was pumping through my veins, I was thinking irrationally! Just like I am now for saying that because I probably have more important confessions!”

Before I can respond, I’m interrupted by a hiss. The snakes are a metre away from us. This is it. They’re getting ready to strike. We’re so fucked dead… Bye Dad, bye Pa, bye Valerie, bye Patton, bye Logan, bye Virg-

CRASH!

A large vat of caramel suddenly tips over and the rim slams into the ground. Liquid caramel flows out and covers the floor, and covers the snakes. Every single one of them. In mere seconds it hardens, and the snakes become frozen statues.

There’s a moment of silence between the three of us, all coming to terms with the fact we skimmed extremely close to death, but are still here. Are still safe. Virgil is the first to speak. “Can everyone, like, forget my confession?”

There’s the sound of footsteps. “I’d ask you to thank me for saving your asses, but I have some questions first.”

Patton’s eyes sparkle and a grin appears on his face. “LoLo!” He sprints over to Logan (well ‘sprints’ on his crutches, so it isn’t overly fast), throwing one of his arms around him and - I can only assume they confessed their feelings to each other earlier - presses a kiss to his lips. Logan’s face flushes a darker, more bluish purple, and then Patton pulls away. “You saved us!”

I, like Logan, now also have several questions. “Logan, what the heck happened?! You’re fat! And you have breasts?”

Logan sighs, leaning against the now empty caramel vat. “Yes, the matter of my size was one of my questions, along with where my binder is, and what on earth happened to Roman, and why are snakes trying to kill us?”

Binder? “Ooooh, you’re transgender! That’s why you’re so small and have a baby face!”

Logan glares at me. “Not all people born biologically female are shorter and ‘younger looking’.” He pauses. “But in my case, yes… Anyway, back to my questions?”

“Well… Lo, since it took so long to get you juiced, you had started to ripen by the time it started,” Patton explains. “It meant not all the juice could be gotten out. And there’s no other way, so… you’re stuck with it.”

Logan frowns, looking down at his stomach. He presses into it, I guess trying to come to terms with the news that he’d just have to get used to it.

Patton continues. “As for your binder...” He looks to Virgil, who reaches into his hoodie pocket and holds up a ripped chest binder.

Logan looks like he’s just been told a beloved pet just died. Purple tears are welling in his eyes. “...What?”

“I’m so sorry, Lo… but it’s okay! We could try and fix it?”

“Even if we could, it wouldn’t fit me anymore… I’ve definitely gone up a few sizes now…”

“Well… you can get another?”

“No, I can’t... “ He shakes his head, taking a deep breath. “I, um… When I was younger, my parents raised me and my brother to fit the stereotypes and expectations of our genders. My dad made sure my brother was a sports and fitness fanatic. My mum tried to live vicariously through me, and tried to make me obsessed with my appearance and femininity and all those things… Child beauty pageants aren’t a thing in Britain, so mum would take me on ‘holidays’ to America and force me to take part in them. Surprise surprise, I hated it. I wanted to focus on school and learning, I preferred blue and black to the pinks my mum would make me wear, and I eventually realised when I was six, I wasn’t even a girl but a boy. And that made my parents mad. I knew it would, so I didn’t tell them. I asked my parents to let me get my hair cut short, telling them I just wanted to try out a new look. They weren’t really happy about it, but let me. However, Joan accidentally called me my chosen name in front of my parents one day, and I was outed.

“My parents struck up a deal for me: I could be a boy if, like my brother, I pursued sport. I refused, wanting to focus on school. So, they refused to let me transition. They neglect and ignore me in every way except for when it comes to policing my gender identity. Ever since I got my first binder, they’ve monitored everything I order, so I haven’t been able to buy a second binder to wear when I’m washing mine, or buy a packer. They made sure I never went to the doctor for consultations about surgery or starting HRT. When I turned sixteen and no longer needed parental permission to change my name, I was ecstatic, since they couldn’t stop me.

“But anyway, in short, I can’t get another binder. My parents won’t let me.” He shrugs, wiping his eyes.

Patton doesn't waste time in pulling the berry boy into an embrace. Logan hesitates, before burying his face into Patton’s shoulder and hugging him in return.

“I have an idea,” I speak up. “Us three could, like, chip in some money to order you a couple new binders and send them to you? Then your parents won’t be able to stop you getting them because you weren’t the one to order them, and they won’t know they’re coming.”

Logan looks up, shaking his head. “No, you don’t need to do that…”

“I think it’s a great idea!” Patton smiles. “We should probably get you some new clothes too. I mean, they’re looking just a liiiittle small now…” He gestures to Logan’s exposed belly.

“Oh, no, I should be alright on the clothes stuff… One of the things I did when I was younger in protest of my parents was purposefully put on weight, since my mum was obsessed with keeping me ‘perfect’. When I changed my name and started to take more steps to transition, I started going to the gym and doing exercises which were supposed to give you a more masculine build and lessen curves, so I ended up working off all the weight. I still have all my old clothes tucked away somewhere in my closet, so I can just wear those until I pick up new things myself.”

“Oh, okay. But we’re still getting you those binders!”

“Well, you two will,” Virgil corrects, having gone back to chiselling me out the caramel. “I’m still broke. Sorry, guys, I won’t be able to pitch in.”

“That’s alright, Virge,” Patton reassures. “We understand.”

Logan, having calmed down substantially already, looks over at me puzzled. “So, can someone tell me what happened to Roman?”

“I valiantly fought a dangerous, caramel-breathing dragon!”

“More like made the most idiotic decision on your life,” Virgil mutters as he frees my legs, so the only part of me left encased are my feet.

I smirk down at him. “Idiotic? I thought you said earlier it was dashing and that I was handsome?”

His face burns and he glares at the ground. “Shut up…”

Logan turns to Patton. “Did I miss something?”

“Virgil decided to confess his feelings for Roman in his ‘final moments’.”

Virgil turns to them, glaring. “I don’t have feelings for him! It was just the adrenaline of the moment!”

“Oh, hush, Virge,” I grin. “Just accept it. No one can resist Roman Prince.”

Virgil glares at me, while Logan mutters. “I certainly can,” causing Patton to chuckle. “Anyway, my last, and probably the most important question: why on earth are snakes trying to kill us all?!”

Patton looks to Virgil. “Virge said he had a hunch as to why…”

Virgil doesn’t respond, but his expression darkens. He continues to chip away at the last of the caramel while the rest of us wait for him to answer. He doesn’t until I’m fully free. He stands and straightens up.

“I think Ethan sent them. I think Ethan set up all the ‘accidents’ to kill you.”

I blink at him, stretching my legs and trying to pick off small leftover chunks of caramel stuck to my clothes. “Ethan? Seriously? Wouldn’t it make more sense if it was, like, Mr Wonka’s fault? I mean, this is his factory. How would Ethan set up accidents for us in a factory he’s never been in before?”

“I don’t know… But it can’t be Wonka. I mean, why would he kill a bunch of his own workers?” He gestures to the Oompa Loompa corpses around us again. “Not to mention, Ethan’s just… weird! I mean, Ethan - a guy with half a snake face and patches of scales all over his body - we caught whispering into some bushes in a language with a lot of sibilance, almost like parseltongue in Harry Potter, and then it just so happens that you are almost murdered by, of all things, snakes? It has to be connected!”

Logan raises an eyebrow. “We have no evidence. Even if this is somehow true, we have no way to prove so.”

“We don’t necessarily need it. If we confront him, he might panic and admit to it. It’s our best shot. I mean, I’d rather we expose him now before whatever murder plot he has worked up for me happens.”

“But what if it wasn’t him?” Patton asks. “He might get mad or upset at us for accusing him.”

“In all honesty, Pat, I don’t particularly give a shit about his feelings.” Virgil starts walking towards the door. “Come on. We have a snake to expose.”

I share a glance with Patton and Logan, before we all follow him. Virgil is looking between two buttons in the lift. After a moment, he mumbles “fuck it” before pressing one of them.

The doors close, and there’s a pause, before we zoom off, Patton and Logan leaning against each other, neither of them used to the ride yet.

“Okay, so, do we have any idea what Ethan’s motive could be? Just why he’s doing this to us?” I ask. “There’s gotta be a reason. Like, if it were my brother who did this, I’d just let it slide as ‘oh, no motive, he tries to cause chaos and attempt murder almost everywhere he goes’-”

“He what?”

“But Ethan seems different. He seems like a man with a plan. He doesn’t seem like he’d do this without a reason.”

“True…” Logan nods. “Has he said anything to any of you that could drop hints? Because I only really had one conversation between just the two of us, and there was nothing suspicious there.”

“We just talked about musicals,” I shrug.

“I didn’t really have a conversation with him,” Patton says.

“Me neither. I went to the bathroom right after Roman got taken away, so I wasn’t really alone with him to talk to him,” Virgil adds.

“So we have no clue what the motive is…” Logan sighs. “Awesome…”

There’s a jolt as the lift stops, and apparently I’m the only prepared for it as Patton and Logan almost fall into each other again - even though they’ve both confessed, they still get awkward and flustered about it. However, I’m immediately distracted from them by Virgil, who was also knocked over by the force of the abrupt stop, falling backwards. My reflexes kick in and I grab his hand, catching him before his hits the floor, and then pull him back up.

Which in turn means that we’re stood facing each other, faces millimetres apart.

I grin. “Did you just fall for me, Virgil Sanders?”

His face is burning red and sours, refusing to look me in the eyes. “Is this really the time for joke flirting?”

“Who said it was a joke?”

And now his face is burning even more. Then the lift ‘bing!’s, and he shoves me away, straightens his hoodie, and steps out of the lift. The rest of us regain our composure, before following him.

Time to put my affections aside and get the snake to confess his sins.

--------

Roman is now available for asks

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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YOOOO IM CATCHING UP ON THIS AND IM S C R E A M I N G LIKE IS IT ETHAN?? DID HE FAKE THE TICKET?????? WHAT HAPPENED AHHHHH

All will be revealed in due time. But I’m glad you’re enjoying the story

#ask

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

Note

To be honest Patton, Virgil is not the only one who has that theory. Things like that don't just happen - 🌸

Patton: I guess so... I just wish he’d tell me what he was thinking. I get saving Roman’s our top priority right now, but if someone is doing this to us on purpose, I’d like to know who! I mean, I don’t want to be around someone dangerous...

#ask

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

Note

So Logan, Patton, how are you feeling after everything? - 🌸

Patton: Worried. Very worried... And curious. I mean, by the sounds of it, Virgil’s got this strange conspiracy theory about what’s going on. I guess it is a kinda weird coincidence we all got into accidents today.

Logan: ‘M just tired...

Patton: Get some sleep, Lo, you need it.

#ask

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 17

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

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Mmn… Too early, I don’t wanna wake up… I can hear my alarm buzzing, and I know I should get up for school, but for some reason, I just feel really heavy and tired, and I can’t be bothered to move. Think I’ll take the day off.

I try to reach over to turn off my alarm. But… I can’t move? I physically can’t, all I can do it flap my hands a little and shift my feet. What the-?

Oh. Oh, I just opened my eyes, and now I remember: I’m at Wonka’s factory, not home. And I’m - as Roman put it - a pomeberry. The beeping is coming from one of the juicers in here. I must’ve passed out at some point, probably from a mix of the dizziness from being rolled and the pain.

Swelling up didn’t actually hurt on it’s own. I guess, when my skin turned purple, it also gained this elastic property than allowed it to stretch to handle the volumes of juice. It just made me feel really full and lethargic. No, what’s really hurting is my clothes, they are digging into me so so much, I feel like I’m going to be cut in half! I’m glad they somehow defied logic and stayed on, preserving my modesty, but I’m really starting to question whether modesty is worth the pain.

Why haven’t I been juiced yet…? I’ve been sat here long enough to have a nap, I should be in there by now! I’d rather not explode or be stuck like this!

I might just go back to sleep. A bonus of being a berry is that pretty much all of you is a pillow, it’s pretty easy to sleep. At least then, if the worst does happen, I get to go peacefully. It’s a dark thought, but given that I can’t do anything, all I have is my thoughts. I just have to take them as they come.

I close my eyes again, nuzzling my head into my body, sighing. Honestly, now that I’ve been like this for a while, the fear has mostly faded, and I’m starting to get used to it. Heck, even the sloshing juice inside me is, somehow, oddly enough, a little relaxing. I may as well make the most of it and get some shut eye…

“I knew it… He should have been juiced by now, there’s definitely something wrong.”

Is that Virgil?

“What do you mean jui- AH! LOGAN?! What happened to you?!”

Patton?!

Oh dear god, Patton’s seen me as a giant fruit... I’m glad he’s okay after the whales got him, but I don’t want him to see me like this! I’m huge, I’m a freak! He’s never going to want to be anywhere near me again… I blew my one chance at love because I was stupid enough to go into a machine I knew was unstable. God, for someone so smart, I can be a real fucking idiot.

“So, um, Pat… Logan kinda turned into a giant pomeberry. A hybrid of a pomegranate and blackberry,” Virgil explains. “He’s filled with juice that needs to be squeezed out of him. Speaking of…” He runs over to two Oompa Loompas, who are nervously talking together. “Why hasn’t Logan been juiced yet?”

One of the Oompa Loompas responds. “It’s the juicer. It keeps breaking! We repair it, only to find another bits broken, and then we repair that to find yet another bit broken! We don’t know why.”

Virgil’s eyebrows furrow. “Can’t you use a different juicer? There’s more than one in here.”

“But only one can be used on human fruit,” the other Oompa Loompa responds. “The others are for normal fruit only. If we put Mr Berry in one of those, he’d be completely crushed.”

Virgil bites his lip, looking panicked. Is it weird he’s probably more worried about my safety than I am? I guess now that Patton’s seen me like this, I’m so embarrassed I’d honestly rather die.

“Lo? Can I, like… roll you down? I, um, it’s hard to talk to you when I can’t really see your face,” Patton’s voice suddenly says, though he’s stood in a place so that he’s obscured by my stomach. I think I must have swollen even bigger while I was passed out, I don’t think I was this big before. Does that mean I’ve ripened? I don’t want to be stuck like this! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a big fat fruit!

No… calm down Logan. You’re having cognitive distortions and jumping to conclusions. This may be extremely humiliating, but you need to remain calm.

“Logan?”

Oh, right, Patton asked me a question.

“Mph… Yeah, I gwuess…”

I hear footsteps as he walks around me, before one of his hands presses into my back, and I’m pushed forward to be led on my stomach. It’s only now I realise I’ve been crying, as a purple tear falls from my cheek and onto the ground below me. Even my tears have juice in them. I’m definitely more fruit than human now.

Patton walks back around into my view, and I immediately look away. I can’t make eye contact. I don’t want to see the disgust and horror in his eyes.

“Oh, Lo…”

He’s… pulled one of his hands from his crutches and is wiping the tears off my face? I tentatively look back up at him. He’s not disgusted. He’s giving me a reassuring smile.

What?

“You know… if it makes you feel any better, you feel really soft. I bet hugging you would be really nice.”

This can’t be real.

“In fact, I’ll give it a try! You look like you need some comfort.”

Nope. Not real. I’m dreaming. I just fell asleep again, didn’t I? I’m going to wake up and, when I actually see Patton, he’s going to think I’m a freak-

“SNAKES!”

Both Patton and I look to Virgil. What on earth is he talking about? Is it nonsensical dream talk? Probably. I mean, I cannot be awake.

“What is it, Virge?” Patton asks.

“I was right! I just saw a bunch of snakes going into the juicer, they’re what’s breaking it! And if they keep breaking it, Logan won’t be juiced in time, and he’ll ripen, and then he’ll either be stuck as a pomeberry or explode!”

“Explode?!”

“Yeah, which is why we need to kill these fuckers.” He hesitates, before going over to a nearby toolbox that one of the Oompa Loompas had left out. He reaches in and pulls out a wrench. “I’ll go deal with them. Pat, you stay and explain to Logan what’s going on.” He turns and runs off to the juicer.

It occurs to me at this point, I haven’t actually looked at the juicer. I have no idea how it’s supposed to work. I take a close look at it now.

It’s made up of three main components. There’s a large, currently empty, tank that I assume the juice is going to be collected in. Coming from it are four hoses, which I’m assuming will be attached to me and will carry the juice to the tank. Though I’m concerned about where the tubes will be attached to me… Anyway, the final component is four machines around the area I guess I will sit during the juicing process. They have metal arms protruding from them, and I can only assume they’ll press into me and squeeze the juice out.

All in all, I am not looking forward to it.

“So, um, guess I should explain like Virge said,” Patton says, drawing my attention back to him. “So, when the whales let me go, a bunch of snakes swam up to me and wrapped around my hands and feet so I couldn’t swim. I almost drowned-”

My eyes widen. “What?!”

“It’s okay! I’m okay. Virgil saved me. But now those I guess same snakes are trying to destroy the juicer so you can’t be saved… But Virge is gonna deal with them.”

But what if he can’t? I mean, I know I said earlier I’d be okay with exploding, but that was hyperbole. I don’t want to die!

My fear must be clear in my expression, as Patton slips his hand out his crutch and rests it on my cheek. He wipes away my tears yet again, while running a hand through my hair with his other hand, pushing it back from my face. “I promise you’ll be okay, Logan. With all my heart.”

There’s a pause, the two of us looking in each others eyes.

And that’s when he kisses me.

He kisses me.

My eyes widen as he presses his lips to mine, and my heart swells - pun not intended. His lips are soft, and taste a little like lemonade. My eyes close, just enjoying the ecstasy of the moment. Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach - and given how big it currently is, there’s a lot.

I don’t think this is a dream anymore. It feels too real to be a dream.

Then Patton pulls away. We both just stare at each other for a minute, before both of us smile. He chuckles. “Your lips taste like pomegranate and blackberry.”

“Wours taste wike wemonade,” I respond.

He chuckles again. “Your voice sounds kinda cute like that.” He pauses. “Oh, who am I kidding? Everything about you is cute…” He rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, Logan Berry.”

“I wove wou too, Patton Picani.”

Wait. I need to tell him. I mean, it’s not fair for us to be a thing without him knowing. Right? I don’t know, I’ve never been in a relationship before! Are we even in a relationship? I mean, we kissed, we told each other that we love each other, but he hasn’t asked me to be his boyfriend, so I don’t know what we are. Do I ask him to be my boyfriend? Or do I first tell him that I’m-

“Snakes are all dead,” Virgil comes over to us. The wrench has blood on it, and there’s a bit of a splatter of it on his shirt. “You can be juiced now, Logan.”

On cue, a bunch of Oompa Loompas run up to us. One of them grabs Virgil’s arm, starting to pull him to the door of the room, and gestures for Patton to follow. However, Patton protests. “No, hold on! I want to stay and make sure Lo’s okay!”

The Oompa Loompas all share glances, before one responds. “It’s probably best Mr Berry has privacy for the process…”

Well, now I’m even more terrified.

And with that, Patton and Virgil are pulled from the room. Patton gives me one last wave and reassuring smile before the door closes.

The Oompa Loompa who took us outside tells us to wait out here and that they’ll get us when Logan’s juiced. And then they head back in.

I fiddle with my crutches, biting my lip. I turn to Virgil. “Do you think Lo’ll be okay.”

He nods. “Yeah. I mean, the Oompa Loompas see pretty confident that he hasn’t ripened yet.”

“How did this even happen? How did he turn into a pomeberry?”

“He went through an unstable teleporter with jar of jam. His DNA got mixed with the fruit in it and caused a mutation.” He pauses. “A teleporter that he said activated by itself… this is getting more and more fishy by the second.”

There’s a moment of silence between us. It’s broken when the door to the Juicing Room opens, an Oompa Loompa stepping out. Wow, has Logan been juiced already? That was fa-

“Mr Berry’s just started to be juiced. But, um, we noticed an item of his clothing was torn, so it can’t be worn. We didn’t know what to do with it, so... “ They hold it out to me, so I slip my arm from one of my crutches and take it. They head back into the Juicing Room.

I look back at the item of clothing in my hand. It’s the crop top I saw Logan wearing yesterday at the hotel! Why was he wearing it under his shirt toda-

Oh. OH. This isn’t a crop top. Oooooh, I’m stupid…

“Um, Pat? You okay?”

I look up at Virgil. “This is a binder.”

“Binder?”

“A chest binder. Logan’s trans.”

“Oh.”

“I know.”

Virgil bites his lip. “Hope he’s okay with us knowing…”

“Me too. Bit of a weird way to be outed.”

There’s another awkward silence. I decide I should probably change the subject, tucking the binder under my arm. “What happened to Roman?”

“Oh, um… So, he thought it would be a good idea to fight a dragon. Luckily, it breathed caramel instead of fire, so instead of being burned alive, he was just encased in the stuff. But, um, that means he has a very limited oxygen supply.”

“That doesn’t sound good…”

“It isn’t.”

I lean back against the wall, just watching the river flow past. I kinda want to have a little, but I think after what happened to me, I think I’ll be avoiding oceans and rivers and such for a while. Then a question pops into my head. “Where’s Mr Wonka and Ethan? Why aren’t you with them?”

Virgil shrugs. “Went to the bathroom. And you’re lucky I did, it was the fact that the bathroom was next to the whale enclosure that meant I was there to save you in time.”

“Should we maybe go get Mr Wonka and Ethan? Then we can wait for Logan, while they go save Roman!”

Virgil shakes his head. “No. I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“I’ll explain later.”

And so, we wait in silence for a bit longer. I start looking over Logan binder, seeing how broken it is. Unfortunately, it looks pretty bad. I’m not sure it can be fixed. Looks like he’ll have to get another.

About fifteen minutes later, an Oompa Loompa comes out again. They clear their throat. “So, um… I just need to tell you: it seems Mr Berry began ripening due to it taking so long, as we weren’t able to get all the juice out. We got out most of it! But, um… well, you’ll see.”

Virgil and I share a worried glance before following the Oompa Loompa into the Juicing Room. The tank for the juicer is filled with purple-red juice. My eyes dart around until I see Logan.

He’s sat on the floor, leant against the wall, and there are a few notable things to point out. One, he’s looks seconds away from passing out. He’s exhausted. Two, he’s still purple from head to toe. The only things that returned to their previous colour are his eyes. I’m glad. I missed the sparkling sapphire of them. Three, thanks to his binder being broken, he now has two noticeable lumps under his shirt. And, finally, the most notable thing:

He’s, well, very chubby. The leftover juice has resulted in him having a bigger, softer frame. His belly’s poking out his between shirt and jeans, and his jeans are very stretched at the thighs.

I go over and slowly kneel beside him, slipping off my crutches as I do so. “LoLo? Are you okay?”

“Mm… Pat…” His head slips down into my shoulder and he curls up to me. I press a kiss to his head, before turning to Virgil.

“Do you think you’d be able to carry him to the lift? I’d do it, but…” I nod to my crutches.

Virgil shrugs. “I’ll try. But, um, I’m not exactly the strongest person.” He steps over and hooks his arm around Logan’s waist and helps him up to his feet. “Jeez, the juice has made him pretty heavy…”

“Careful, Virge, he might be able to hear you. You shouldn’t be rude about his weight.” I slip my crutches back on and clamber to my feet. “So, time to save Roman now?”

“Yeah. Come on, Mr Wonka said he was being taken to the Caramel Carving Room.”

The three of us head from the room and back to the lift. Virgil sits the now fully fast asleep Logan on the floor before searching through the buttons. I sit back beside Logan. Curious, I reach out and give his stomach a small poke. There’s a faint sloshing.

“Oh, Lo…” I hug him close to me as Virgil presses a button and we zoom away.

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Logan is available for asks

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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I’m not sure if this really reached everyone. Just gonna try doing the tags again

Taglist: @clone-number-1 , @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 16

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

———-

Wonka let me take the elevator to the bathrooms. The journey was no more gentle than the last, which definitely didn’t help my already extremely panicky mood. While here in the bathroom, I have done a wide variety of things, none of which are anything you’re supposed to do in bathrooms. Instead, these are the things I have done: have a panic attack, cry, punch the wall, immediately regret it, use toilet paper to clean my newly acquired wounds, throw up, cry some more, and all of it came together to finally exhaust myself to numbness, so now I feel like I can barely function.

All my friends could die. Or could already be dead. On the way to the bathroom, when I finally had the courage to open my eyes, the elevator passed a room that looked like a hospital ward. That’s where Patton and Logan should be recovering, right? And where Roman should soon arrive?

But they weren’t there. None of them. It was empty. No sign of them having been there earlier either. There was no lemonade or juice staining any of the beds. Patton’s hoodie, Logan’s tie, Roman’s purse, none of them are led over the back of any chairs. There weren’t any Oompa Loompas preparing the room for their arrival or cleaning up after them either. It was barren.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s a horrible sign. Sure there could be another hospital wing, sure they may have already been treated and are now waiting in some common room or something for the rest of us to finish the tour - and the Oompa Loompas had already finished cleaning the room again. But it still made my fear increase by ten thousand percent.

Anyway, that’s the state I leave the bathroom in. Just… completely dead in the eyes, mind abuzz with worst case scenarios.

I start to shuffle dejectedly back to the elevator. What room did Wonka say we were going to meet up in again…? It was either the Television Room or the Coconut Ice Rink, I think… Guess I’ll just go to one, and if they’re not there I’ll go to the other. Then I can finally beg to check on my friends and then either go home and sleep, or cry over the loss of my frien-

Keep reading

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 16

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

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Anyway, that’s the state I leave the bathroom in. Just… completely dead in the eyes, mind abuzz with worst case scenarios.

“I don’t get it! The whales finally let go, he should have come to the surface by now!”

“You don’t think he’s drowned, do you?”

“Well, let’s not jump to any conclusions, he was okay when the whales last dragged him up…”

“What do we do?”

“We should probably contact Mr Wonka and ask. I mean, we’ve never had to deal with this before!”

The yelling voices draw my attention to a nearby door. My eyes widen, life sparking back into them as I read the sign above the door: Whale Enclosure.

Patton.

They’re talking about Patton. Patton’s still with the whales.

But he’s still probably alive. .

I run inside. In it are various tanks of lemonade, in which different types of whales are swimming around. One has blue whales, one has humpback whales, one has beluga whales, and then there’s the one with the orcas. A group of Oompa Loompas are stood on a platform around the edge of the tank, staring down into it. I go up to the ladder and climb up, joining them all. “What’s going on?”

They all turned to me, obviously confused by my presence, before one responds. “It took a while, but we, um, got the whales to let go of Mr Picani… but he hasn’t come to the surface. Something’s wrong, and we don’t know what to do. He could drown!”

That… is not good.

I look back down at the yellow abyss below me. Patton is somewhere down there. Hopefully alive, but probably not for much longer. Someone needs to do something.

I need to do something.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling off my hoodie, shirt and jeans. It’s a little awkward stood in front of all the Oompa Loompas in only my boxers, but it’s okay. I’m not stood there for long, as I go diving into the lemonade.

My leg hurts so much… and I’m so dizzy. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone up and down, up and down, up and down…

Well, at least I’m getting used to it. I’m learning how to hold my breath for longer! I held it for a whole forty five seconds at one point!

Hehe… heh…

Okay, I can’t do this anymore. I keep trying to spin this positively, but I can’t. I’ve been on the brink of death for ages. I could lose my breath any second and inhale a bunch of water. And… I’m terrified… I hate it, I hate it so much, why hasn’t anyone saved me already?!

I’m going to die, aren’t I? I am. I never got to say goodbye to my parents, my brother, my gran, my friends, Roman, Virgil…

Logan. I never got to say goodbye to Logan. I never even got to tell him properly in words how I feel…

This is all my fault… I never should have gone so close to the edge of that cliff. If I hadn’t, I’d be happily enjoying the tour with all the others, getting to see all the other rooms and spending time getting to know the man I love. I’m so stupid, stupid, stupid-

OW! Ow ow ow ow ow, my leg’s starting to hurt more! And… everything’s finally still?

The whale’s let go… the whale’s let go! I’m free! And bleeding out a little faster than before, but still free! I start swimming upwards. If I can get to the surface, I’ll clamber out, and the Oompa Loompas can fix me up! I’ll be a-okay!

Wait, hold on… What’s that? There’s a shadow in the water, but it looks far too small to be a whale… It doesn’t seem to have any fins either, or any arms or legs. It’s kinda just a noodle wriggling through the lemonade. I think it might be a snake. Oh, and it’s got a little buddy! Aw, that’s cute.

They’re both coming towards me. I wonder if I can pet them? But then again, I should probably focus on getting to the surface. I mean, I won’t be able to hold my breath forever. I just continue on my way, watching as the surface gets nearer and nearer-

Oh! The snake’s swam up beside me. Hey, little guy, wanna help me get to the surfa-

What the-?! It’s wrapping around my wrists! It’s- it’s tying my hands together! And the other’s doing the same to my ankles!

I can’t move! I can’t swim! I’m going to drown! Help! Help me! Someone, anyone!

Oh goodness, oh golly, oh… oh…

Oh fuck! Fuck shit arse fuck fuck fuck!!!

Yeah, I’m Irish, what do you expect? I may try to be PG, but given as I’m on the brink of death, I think I can swear a little.

I feel my lungs losing energy. I won’t be able to hold my breath for much longer. This is it.

Bye, Ma. Bye, Pa. Bye, Emile. Bye, Roman. Bye, Logan, my love. Bye, Virg-

Virgil?

VIRGIL!!!

Virgil’s there! He’s swimming towards me! Oh, thank goodness!

He looks pretty surprised at the snakes bounding my wrists - which is unsurprising. I mean, I’ve heard of water snakes, but ones that can swim in lemonade, and act like handcuffs? That’s pretty absurd!

Anyway, Virge swims over. He must notice I’m using up the last of my oxygen, as he tentatively puts his hands on my shoulders, before pressing his mouth to mine. I’m taken aback for a moment before I realise he’s just breathing a little more air into my lungs. He pulls away, and then grabs the snake around my wrist and starts to pull at it, trying to pry it off me. It puts up a bit of a fight, but Virgil eventually manages to get it off. He pauses, clearly confused about what to do with it. He ends up grabbing it’s head and neck and-

NOPE! I turn away, unable to watch as Virgil does the dirty work. I only turn back when I feel Virgil pulling at the other snake around my ankles. Oh god, there’s the floating body of the other one…

Virgil pulls the other off my ankles, freeing me again. I turn away a second time as he ‘deals with it’. Once that’s done, he hooks his arm around my waist, and the two of us start to swim up. And thank god we do, I don’t know how much longer I could hold it. There’s the surface, getting closer and closer and so so close, and...

Oh, fresh air! We break the surface, and I’ve never been more relieved to have my lungs fill with oxygen. Virgil climbs up onto a platform around the rim of the tank, and hoists me up after him. My leg stings as it’s pulled from the lemonade, but it and the rest of me are quickly covered in towels. After it’s dried, the Oompa Loompas remove the towels from my leg and start wrapping it in a bandage instead, which is dyed red rather quickly. They have to wrap quite a few layers for all the blood to be kept in.

As they do so, I look up at Virgil. He’s got a towel as well, and is drying himself off and starting to get dressed again. I hear him muttering in annoyance at how the stickiness is making it hard for him to get his jeans on, and I give him a smile. “Thanks for saving me, Virge.”

“No problem.” Is the response I get, but he seems… off. Distracted.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“No. Not at all. We need to go, right now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s weird that two snakes just came up to you and tried to drown you? Two normal snakes, not candy ones, just appearing from nowhere? There’s something more going on here… And I think I know who’s behind it.”

“Who?”

“No time to explain. Since the snake’s tried to kill you, they’ll probably do the same to the other two as well…”

The other two? “What do you mean the other two?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know… Logan and Roman, they, um… got into accidents on the tour too. They were taken away to be saved, but, um… if those snakes stopped the Oompa Loompas saving you, I think they’ll do the same to them.”

No… no no no no! Logan and Roman can’t die!

“We have to go help them!” I start pushing myself to my feet, only to be pushed back down by Virgil.

“Pat, you’re injured. Look, I’ll go deal with it myself, you need to go rest your leg.”

“I’ll be fine! I just need crutches or something. I have to make sure Lo and Ro are okay.”

As if by magic, as I mention crutches, an Oompa Loompa comes forward and hands me a pair of them. I give them a smile as they help me to my feet and slip my arms in the crutches. I look back to Virgil. “See? I’m good to go!”

Virgil sighs. “I guess you can come. But be careful, alright?”

“I will be! Come on, we need to save Lo and Ro!” I turn, only to realise that since we’re up on a platform around the top of the tank, I can’t go down the ladder with the crutches. “Um…”

“There’s an elevator you can take down over there!” an Oompa Loompa points out, leading the way.

“Thanks!” Virgil and I follow them, stepping into the lift. Soon, we’re back on the ground floor, and Virgil leads me from the room. We head out into the corridor, with me trying to go as fast as I possibly can on the crutches, and Virgil leads me to a lift that I think is made of glass? That’s so cool! And there are so many buttons on the inside… that’s a whole lotta rooms.

Virgil looks frantically through them, biting his lip. “Come on, where is it…?”

“What you looking for, kiddo?”

“I’m trying to find- Aha! Never mind, I got it.” He presses a button, and we immediately zoom off. I almost lose my balance, but Virgil grabs my arm before I can fall over.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” he mumbles, closing his eyes. “Ugh, I hate the speed, but honestly I’m glad about it now. I mean, we really need to hurry. If Logan hasn’t been helped yet, he might be close to ripening, or maybe even has already started to...”

“Ripening? What do you mean ripening?”

“Long story. You’ll probably see in a minute anyway.” Before I can question further, he changes the subject again. “Are you okay, though? I mean… being nearly drowned by whales must have been terrifying, and what they did to your leg...”

“Yeah, it was really scary… and it hurt a lot… But I’m okay now. I mean, you saved me! Remind me to give you a big hug when I don’t have these crutches on.”

Virgil gives a small smile. “I will, Pat.” He pauses. “I missed you, y’know. I really could have used you around when shit went down with the others.”

“Aw, kiddo… Thanks. But I was only gone for, what, half an hour?”

“... It’s been about two or three hours.”

“I’d been being tossed around those whales for three hours?!”

Well… I have better endurance than I thought!

Suddenly, the lift jolts to a stop, and I almost fall over yet again, but once again, Virgil holds me up. When the doors open a moment later, he steps out and I follow just behind.

We’re in a tunnel, the chocolate river running through. We’re stood on a walkway running along the side that passes multiple doors. Virgil looks through them frantically, trying to find the right one, before he pauses outside one. He takes a deep breath. “Logan should be in here. Hopefully fine. But probably not. Come on.” He pauses. “But, um… you might want to prepare yourself. He looks quite a bit different from how he was earlier. It’ll be quite a, well, big shock to see”

“In what way?”

“It’s, um, kinda hard to explain… I guess the effort to try to would be fruitless,” he chuckles a little, though I don’t know why, before continuing. “It’s best you just see for yourself first. Then I can explain a bit better, and without sounding crazy.”

He pushes open the door, and as he does, I look up at the sign above it. It reads: THE JUICING ROOM.

Before I can ask what ‘juicing’ means, Virgil heads in, and I follow, scared of what state I’ll find Logan in on the other side.

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Patton is now available for asks

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

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how-to-survive-a-factory-tour · 6 years ago

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How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 15

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

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By the time the elevator stops, I feel like I’m going to puke. I hardly paid attention to what Wonka was telling us about all the rooms we passed, too busy counting myself through breathing exercises. Travelling that fast without safety harnesses has to be illegal.

I stumble out the glass death trap, taking a deep breath. I jump a little as a hand is put on my shoulder, but relax as the person speaks.

“You okay?” Roman asks. I nod.

“Y-yeah, just a little shaken from the ride…” I stand up straight, fiddling with my hood strings. I finally get a good look at our surroundings when we do so. “Uh… where are we?”

There aren’t any windows, the only light sources being fire-lit torches on the walls. And speaking of the walls, they’re made of rocky uneven chocolate. In front of us, on the ground, are tracks leading off deep into the caverns.

“I said earlier, we’re in the Rock Candy Mines!” Wonka responds. “Here, hundreds of Oompa Loompas are mining through this chocolate in order to excavate clumps of rock candy, which are driven out in mine carts, and taken to other rooms in the factory. Say, how about we hitch a ride in the mine carts? They’ll help us get deeper in the mines much quicker than if we walk.”

He goes over to the rails and pulls a lever beside them. About two minutes of standing in awkward silence later, a chain of mine carts zooms into view. They stop as they reach the end of the track.

“Hop on in, everyone!” Wonka climbs into the back cart. Ethan hops in the one in front of him, then me, and Roman takes the one at the front. Once we’re all securely in, Wonka leans over and pulls the lever again. There’s a pause… before we shoot off.

I cling to the edges of the kart, praying I don’t fly out of it. This is just as bad as the lift, Jesus!

Roman lets out a whoop in front of me. What the hell, dude?! WHAT SINGLE PART ABOUT BEING HURLED IN A DEATH TRAP WITH NO SEATBELTS DESERVES A ‘WHOOP’?!

I’m gonna throw up, I am 100% going to throw up. I’ll try not to do so all over Roman, but given he’s right in front of me, and I’m too terrified of losing my head if I lean over the side, he’s right in the firing zone. So… good luck, Roman. It’s not my fault, it’s Wonka’s for almost definitely violating OSHA requirements.

Then finally, after god knows how long, the carts slow and pull to a stop. Roman, Ethan and Wonka hop out, while I more so crawl, knuckles white.

“When we leave here, can we walk? Please?” I ask.

Wonka shrugs, picking up one of the flaming torches from the wall to carry with him. “Sure, if you want to spend an hour walking.”

Roman shakes his head. “No way. We have walked enough.”

You know, there are some times when I really hate him and want to punch him in his perfect fucking face. This is one of those times. I’d take walking over those mine carts any day.

Wonka starts leading us even deeper into the caves, and begins explaining the process of how the rock candy is mined. I kinda stop listening after a bit. This is the most boring part of the tour so far, to be honest. It’s just a bunch of Oompa Loompas mining candy with pickaxes. Nothing particularly special or extraordinary like the rest of the factory.

My mind starts to wander. I wonder what Thomas’ doing right now…? Probably either editing his video at Remy’s place or at home. Remy’s either at home or at Starbucks. Mom’s probably still at work.

Aaaand now my mind’s wandering to Patton and Logan again. Right now, Patton could have been ripped to shreds by the whales, or drowned in lemonade… Logan could have exploded in a mess of juice, or ripened so that he’s stuck as a giant ball…

If he does get stuck, I wonder what will happen to him? Will he be kept in the factory? Or will he go home and just sit around there for the rest of his life, having to rely on his friends and family to take care of him? Either way, sounds horrible…

Ugh, I need to stop this! I need to stop thinking of the worst case scenarios for those two. Come on, Virgil, distract yourself, there’s gotta be something you can distract yourself wi-

… Where the hell is Roman?

Here I am, walking along with Wonka and Ethan, but Roman is nowhere to be found. Oh god, did something happen to him? Are Ethan and I gonna be left alone as the last tour members?! No way in hell! Roman is not fucking dying on me t-

“Psst! Virgil!”

I pause, turning around. Roman is still here and alive - thank god - and standing just around a corner down another route in the cave. He gestures for me to follow him down it, a wide grin on his face. I look back at Wonka and Ethan. They’re just wandering on down, not even noticing Roman and I lagging behind. Well, we probably shouldn’t stay behind and get lost. I don’t particularly want to end up like Patton and Loga-

Aaaand I have no choice in the matter as Roman is dragging me along with him anyway. Great.

“Dude, do you really think leaving Mr Wonka is a good idea?” I hiss at him, trying to pull my arm from his grip, but there’s no budging. Why does he have to be so strong?

“Sorry, Virge, but you have to see this! It’s awesome!” Roman squeals, practically breaking into a run. I do the same, not wanting him to rip off my arm by going too fast.

We continue through the tunnel for a minute or so longer, before Roman slows to a stop. We’ve reached the end of this cavern, and are stood in the mouth of a large cave.

And in this cave, fast asleep, is a fucking dragon .

It sounds insane, I know, but there it is, right in front of me. It seems to be made of a mix of boiled and rock candy, and is a reddish-pink colour, with a black stomach and horns. Instead of snoring, it lets out occasional small growls, showing off its long sharp teeth.

Welp, this is the most terrifying thing I’ve seen all day.

I turn to Roman, whispering, “Let’s get the fuck out of-”

“I’M GONNA FIGHT IT!”

“What?!” Wait, no, Virgil, don’t yell, no matter how stupid Roman is, you don’t want to wake the dragon.

“I’m gonna fight it! Just like the Philip in Sleeping Beauty…”

“Are you insane?” I hiss.

“Oh, come on, Virgil, I do fencing, I am skilled with a weapon. Speaking of…” He walks up to a pile of something in the corner and- HOLY SHIT IT’S A SKELETON. It is literally a pile of bones with a sword through the chest!

Roman pulls the sword out. “Here! I have a weapon! I’ll be fine.”

I look between him, the sword, the skeleton, and then back to him. “You are going to get yourself killed.”

Roman just chuckles, flashing me an a-million-dollar smile. “Just watch me.”

And with that, he sprints toward the dragon, sword raised.

“ROMAN!”

My cry doesn’t wake the dragon, but Roman piercing the sword into its eye certainly does. It jolts awake with a howl, before thrashing around until the sword is flung from his eye, heading right at Roman, who… catches it with ease?

...Whoa.

Roman goes running at the dragon again, letting out a battle cry. Thanks to the dragon being blind in one eye now, Roman is able to land quite a few initial hits while it’s finding its feet. It’s honestly incredible.

Extremely anxiety inducing, sure, but incredible.

The dragon soon spies Roman out of its one working eye, pupil narrowing on its target. It raises its tail in the air, letting out a roar, before slamming it down. Luckily, Roman dives out of the way just in time, slickly going into a forward roll and jumping to his feet, before leaping back into action.

I know fully well I should be running off to find Wonka and beg him to save Roman from the biggest mistake of his life. But… Roman actually seems to be handling this pretty well. Like, I could actually see him as a Disney Prince. He just needs the outfit, then he’ll be fully the part of a dashing, handsome prince…

… Did… I just call him handsome? And dashing?

...What?

“Virgil! Watch this!”

OKAY, Virgil, ignore the weird thoughts and focus back on the situation- ROMAN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON THE DRAGON’S BACK?!

He’s just stood there, gripping one of the dragon’s spikes to stay in place as it thrashes around, trying to throw him off. He’s just grinning smugly, raising his sword in victory, despite the fact that the dragon’s still alive is directly contradicting the idea he’s won. So, instead of being a celebration of success, it just comes across as a really fucking stupid move.

Suddenly, the dragon stops thrashing. It growls, opening its mouth, a bubbling sound coming from the back of its throat.

And that’s when I remember the biggest defining feature of dragons: fire breathing.

Oh dear god.

The dragon raises its head, mouth opening even wider. A jet fires out into the air…

Only its not fire. Whatever this dragon is breathing is a golden brown liquid, as it falls back down, splattering on the ground. A bit lands in front of me, and I bend down, tentatively poking it. It’s not burning or painful, and whatever it is, It’s starting to harden already. Kinda reminds me of caramel…

Oh wow. This dragon breathes caramel. That’s actually pretty cool. And thankfully less deadly.

“What on earth is going on?!”

Wonka’s come in, Ethan beside him. And apparently the one second I’m turned away from Roman to see them arrive is the only second needed for something to go wrong.

“What the- AAAAAAAH!”

I turn back around to see Roman falling to the floor, the sword slipping from his grip. As he lands on his stomach with an ‘oof’, the weapon clatters away from him.

Wonka pulls out a walkie-talkie, muttering into it. “Oompa Loompas to the Dragon’s Lair. Bring tranquiliser guns.”

Roman recovers and starts dragging himself over to the sword. However, as he does, the bubbling sound comes from the dragon’s throat as it starts to prepare another caramel blast. Roman reaches for the sword as the dragon opens its mouth, aiming at him.

“ROMAN, LOOK OUT!”

Right as I cry, the dragon fires, and caramel covers the fallen prince.

Oh god. Oh Jesus Christ.

There are footsteps as Oompa Loompas run into the room, all with guns. They aim them at the dragon and fire. In seconds, it’s fast asleep.

I tentatively walk over and kneel beside Roman’s caramel covered form. I poke it. It’s dried, he’s stuck in the solid casing.

“Roman….? Can you hear me?”

There’s a pause, before a muffled scream comes from inside the caramel casing.

Well… at least he’s still alive?

Wonka turns to one of the Oompa Loompas. “Break Mr Prince off the floor and take him to the Caramel Carving Room, please. Make sure you break him out before he runs out of oxygen in there.”

He could run out of oxygen?!

Oh fuck, oh god…

A group of Oompa Loompas run over and push me back from Roman. One has a hand cart, presumably what they’ll use to take Roman from the room. As they start to break him off the floor, music starts to pick up, until all the Oompa Loompas burst into song.

“Roman Prince, the arrogant pest He’s always proclaiming that he’s the best We hope he likes the smell of caramel As it will infect his final breath

Roman Prince, ego way up far His maddening mantra was “I’m the star!” But now say goodbye to the title role As he takes his final curtain call

Yes, now he’ll join the other two From the tour ejected Will he survive the tragedy? Or will corpses be collected?

One drowned whale food All eaten up One stuck as fruit Or has blown up Now Roman’s joined the two of them And he may surely meet his end

Roman Prince, the pompous bitch Will soon develop a nasty itch We’ll soon hear the twit screaming from in the food As his oxygen store runs out for good!”

And with that, the Oompa Loompas wheel Roman the caramel statue from the cave. They really saved the worst song for him…

“Hm. That’s odd. They usually don’t use such foul language,” Wonka says. “Anyway, shall we move along?” And with that, he skips from the cave.

I just kinda shuffle behind him and Ethan. I can’t take this. I cannot take this, not anymore. All three of my brand new friends could be dead. I feel like I’m going to be sick. And heading back to the door to the room on the mine carts doesn’t help. By the time we’re back in the corridors, I’m trembling from head to toe.

“Right! Where shall we go to next…?” Wonka wonders aloud. “I think the Television Room is just down the hall, as is the Coconut Ice Rink. What would you two prefer?”

Okay, Virgil, tell him your sick of this. Tell him you don’t want to spend any longer in this death-trap, you just want to see your friends be saved and make sure they’re okay, and then go, leave, get out of this torture chamber-

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

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Roman is no longer available for asks

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