//This is a really long chapter btw//

Weeks had passed. It was already January and still nothing had come up. It was worrying.

Not only had the incident spread all around the state, but the world news had gotten ahold of the story and it went viral. Everyone from around sent their best in hopes things would be alright. But it didn't help the principal. Not one bit.

The principal sat at his desk fiddling with a small velvet box, his thoughts scattered. Stacks of paperwork were all across his desk, untouched for days on end. His computer tab was opened on the search bar; a website for the local news half typed. He opened the small box in his hand.

Inside was a gold ring. The principal was saddened by this. He was going to propose to Baldi. But then everything happened and now, he couldn't.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. The principal flipped over the device so the screen faced him to see a text message. "New text message" It read, with no words underneath. Hesitantly, he swiped the message left and opened the phone's messages.

The principal could feel his heart skip a few beats.

{You know where I have him. Don't bring anyone with you. If you do, he won't be given back unscratched.} It read.

He knew immediately who it was from, which made him all the more worried and relieved. Even more so, he knew exactly where File was talking about.

Should he text back? What if he didn't? Questions upon questions piled Kennith's head, filling him with anxiety towards the message. This was all too much. Was Baldi really okay? How would he know if File kept his word? He couldn't just bring someone with him, or could he? Questions swarming, buzzing, crowding—no.

The principal had to let the police department know. It was a risk, but it would be better. They could apprehend the kidnappers, and be sent to jail for what they'd done at the school and for whatever they did to Baldi.

The principal got up from his desk, exiting his office and going into the main office. There, he saw the vice principal, a woman in her late twenties.

"I need to be somewhere. Can you please take over while I'm gone?" He asked the woman. She looked up from where she sat.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, sorting some papers. "Is it with that math teacher?"

The principal hesitated a second before answering. "Y-yes it is. Also, can you please call to my daughter's class and tell her I won't be back for a while?"

"Of course. Anything for you." The vice principal said, pushing her work off to the side and smiling.

"Thanks." He said. The principal rolled his eyes as he turned away. He remembered her having a crush on him during high school and he wasn't fond of it either.

After leaving the office, the principal exited out of the school's front doors, heading to his car. He started his car and headed for the police department. He felt nervous on the drive there, almost as if he knew something was off about what File said. He hoped that what he was doing was right.

After parking in the department's parking lot, he ran to the entrance and approached the front desk quickly. Gladly there was no line to wait for.

"I need to speak with detective Crafters." The principal said, waving at the lady at the desk. She looked up from her computer.

"You you have authorization?" She questioned, seeming annoyed.  The principal cursed under his breath. Of course he didn't.

"L-listen. I may have a lead on the middle school incident I just—"

"Kennith?" Someone called. Both the desk lady and principal looked in the direction of the voice. It was the detective himself. "Why are you here?" He asked, approaching the two.

"Thank god. I think I know where they're keeping my b—the hostage teacher." The principal said, correcting himself. The detective looked in disbelief.

"I-If you do, we need to go now. I'll call the police force and we can—"

"I can't have him knowing you're there." The principal pushed, thinking back to the message on his phone. "But I'd appreciate it if anyone was close by." Detective Crafters nodded.

"Alright. Then I'll call in a couple police cars and an ambulance." The detective said. "I'll make sure they don't cause any attention."

"Thank you so much." The principal said, sighing in relief. The detective got on his phone and began calling.

"You can wait outside. I'll come out when we're ready." Detective Crafters said before the having to answer the call. The principal let him do his thing and left, going to wait outside.

He arrived at his car, feeling nervous yet hopeful. Never had he been so close to finding someone he loved so dearly. He was almost desperate. The principal glanced over to the entrance to see the detective coming out with two police officers behind him. He approached Kennith while the others got in their police cars.

"I'll have them follow behind and the ambulance will be arriving shortly." He said. "We should be set. You just have to lead the way."

"Okay-y." The principal said, realizing how shaky that came out. He was very nervous now. He got into his car and let the detective sit in the front passenger seat. He then started his car and pulled out.

As he drove onto the road, he saw the police cars follow and an ambulance in the distance catching up. They went onto some busy streets with heavy traffic, halting the drive there.

"Come on..." The principal whispered.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll get there." The detective said, seeing the principal's desperateness. They were both silent the rest of they way, only hearing the traffic move along.

The principal drove for some time, the police and ambulance still behind him. Almost half an hour in, they finally arrived to a small town. There, the principal turned a corner and parked on the side of a road close to an abandoned house.

"...Is this it?" Detective Crafters asked, seeming confused of the location.

"I know my brother. I just hadn't thought to go here." The principal said. "We lived in this town."

"Oh. I see." The detective said. He then pulled out two walkie talkies and handed one to the principal. "Take this. Only use it when you know they're in there. Then press the yellow button three times. That will let's us know when we can go in and take them down." He said, pointing to the button on the side of the device.

"Thank you." The principal said, putting it into his pocket before exiting his car. His heartbeat sped up as he approached the abandoned building.

He remembered this being the place their parents worked at. It was small, but it was a good pay to live where they were.

The principal opened the door, being cautious. It was dark inside. But it didn't help that it was afternoon and the sun would set in a few hours.

Old appliances covered by white tarps were scattered across the small room, giving off a gloomy feel. Everything seemed decayed yet untouched by man for decades. Paint peeling, floorboards creaky and unsteady. Some parts of the floor were faded by the sun's rays as well, the blinds on the windows ripped and crispy from sunlight.

After looking for a while, the principal spotted a door on the ground leading to a basement. He decided to give it a try. He walked over to it, grabbing the rusty handles and tugging at it. It opened easily, but caused a lot of noise in doing so.

Holding his breath, the principal listened for whatever could be near him.

Nothing.

He continued to go down the steps, meeting up with a large wooden door at the bottom. Carefully, he opened it and went further inside.

It was a long corridor with a string of old lights lighting it's way all the way to the end on the long hall. But he wasn't focused on that. Rather, the first door he could see was bar door with a room beyond. A confinement to keep something or someone in.

He ran over to the room frantically, hoping that he would see his boyfriend on the other side. He came up to the room, looking desperately through to see if he could see anything.

Nothing was there.

All hope seemed to fall off of him like loose grains of sand. He was so close. That was, until he heard something that made his heart pound.

An all too familiar voice screaming and begging coming from down the hall. The principal began to tear up as he ran over to where the noise was coming from.

He approached the door it came from, and quickly opened it to reveal a sight he knew would never leave his memory.

Filename 2 with a remote in a gloved hand sitting down in a chair amusedly as he pressed down a button. Baldi also sit in a chair, but not as comfortable. Wearing different clothes, a blindfold, headphones, and a shock collar. He was tied to the chair, struggling against the pain.

"FILE STOP IT!" The principal screamed, and the glitchy man stopped, but only to talk with him.

"Hello, Kennith." File said, smiling maliciously. The principal could barely speak. He could only look in fear at how scared and shaky his boyfriend was.

"File...why?" The principal questioned.

"I sure you should know." File said. "Just give it to me and I'll let him go."

"I..." The principal was confused. What was File talking about? "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe this will help you remember?" File said, pressing a button on the remote and emitting another shock into the shock collar. Baldi screamed at the shock, shaking harder.

"No NO!" The principal yelled, reaching his hand out. Suddenly, something appeared in his memory. Something faint.

He was in another school. Baldi was there and there was a child. They had notebooks with them and the math teacher looked really mad.

The principal found himself on the ground panting hard. When he looked up, File was no longer shocking the teacher. "What...what was that...?"

"Your memory finally clearing up?" File said. He snapped his gloved fingers and the janitor came out of the shadows. His eyes were glazed over and his stance was almost zombie-like. He had what looked like a knife.

"No, File don't, I just don't know what you want!" The principal said quickly before the janitor could do anything.

"Of course you do." File said. "In fact, my dear brother, both of you know." He gestured to Baldi. The principal felt lost, not knowing what to do.

If he tried to get Baldi now, both of them could he seriously hurt. "I..."

"Maybe I can make that foggy memory of yours go away. Sweep, do it." File ordered, at which the janitor nodded his head like a puppet and directed the blade at the teacher's arm.

"File no don't!" The principal screamed.

"Then give i-it—" Suddenly, Filed cried out in pain and the janitor fell to the floor unconscious.

"File?" The principal tried. File held his head, seeming to struggle.

")̴̹̊̾)̷͙̫̈́-̷̜̈́̌(̶̻̮̦͗͗:̵̧͎͙̓͝)̵̪̣͖̑)̶͇͙̎͑͆-̷̜͈̒͛)̶̰̈́̅͠-̷͇̊̓)̸̬̝̒̌&̷̡̪́̕;̸͍̅"̷̢̟̘̂̋4̶̦̝̮̀̒!̸͉̪̤̏̓̍1̵͙̹̎̆̂ͅ$̵̪̾:̵͎̹̼͘͝$̵̟́̈́́....Kennith?" When the glitchy man looked back up, he looked different. Almost more innocent.

"What the hell..." The principal muttered. File looked terrified.

"What the fuck did I do...?" File fearfully asked, looking at Baldi. The principal couldn't answer. "Kennith I...I didn't meant it..." He clutched his head again.

"File what—"

"You have to go. Nõw K3nN1th. Before they find out." File said, struggling to get his words out. "Get the math teacher and leave. Just leave. Get out of here while you still can."

File glitched out of existence.

The principal didn't know what to do or say. But now was his chance to get his boyfriend. Hesitantly, he walked over to Baldi, touching him to make sure he was real, confirming he was. The bald teacher flinched at the touch.

Feeling a huge wave of emotion barrel down on him, the principal began to rip everything off of Baldi. He took off the shock collar. Then the headphones which he could hear had a noise he knew the teacher didn't like.

Baldi could hear the principal's breath. "K-Kennith...?" His words were shaky and hoarse.

"It's okay, I'm getting you out of here." Kennith said, first taking off the restraints from his ankles, then his wrists. He then took the blindfold off and could finally see the teacher's eyes and their beautiful color again. "Oh my god..."

Baldi didn't hesitate to embrace the principal in a tight hug. He began to sob into his shoulder, finally able to feel relieved and okay. He was shaking like a leaf, grabbing onto Kennith like if he let him go, he'd disappear.

The principal hugged back, crying himself.

"You're okay. Oh my God you're okay." The principal breathed out, rubbing the teacher's back in comfort. Baldi only sobbed harder at these words.

They sat there a while holding each other and crying. Everything was really finally okay.

"I th-thought I'd n-never see you..." Baldi whimpered into the principal's shoulder, holding onto him tighter.

The principal pulled away to look at his boyfriend. He cupped his hand on the math teacher's cheek. "Never would I ever leave you behind." The principal then kissed him. The bald man kissed back, feeling the the principal's soft lips against his. He began to cry again shortly after, still kissing.

The principal suddenly remembered detective Crafters. Pulled away from their kiss and grabbed the walkie talkie from his pocket, turning it on, and pressing it as instructed.

"Come on. We have to go." The principal said, grabbing Baldi by the hand and helping him up. The teacher struggled to stand. "Can you stand?"

"I d-don't know..." Baldi said, his legs becoming wobbly. "I think I'll be okay." He was very weak. But having been held hostage for a long period of weeks made that easy to understand.

The bald teacher leaned on the principal as support anyways. They walked out of the room and proceeded down the corridor when...

"Oh Kennith~" The principal turned his head to meet with File holding a rifle and aiming it at the two of them. "Leaving so soon?"

He suddenly shot the gun several times, successfully hitting Baldi on his lower back and leg but missing Kennith completely. The teacher cried out, falling to the ground.

"No!" The principal yelled, coming down to where his injured teacher lay.

"Kennith it hurts..." Baldi said weakly. The principal tried to stop the bleeding before it got worse, applying pressure. He looked up to see File reloading the gun.

"Time to say goodn—" Another shot rang out but not from where File stood. File suddenly fell to the ground with a bullet through his invisible head. When the principal turned around, he saw detective Crafters with his gun aimed where the glitchy man once stood. He then ran over to the two.

"Is everyone alright?" He called, approaching the two men.

"Baldi is injured. We have to get him to a hospital now." The principal said. He looked back to where File was to see that he'd disappeared.

"Right." He motioned another police officer to help the principal carry Baldi to the ambulance while the detective went to investigate the scene.

People began to rush from out of the medical vehicle with a stretch. They took Baldi from the two and helped him up, taking care of his wounds and asking questions like "What's you're name?" and "Where do you live?"

"Wh-where are you taking him?" The principal questioned.

"To the main hospital in Baltimore." One of the medical assistants answered. The principal nodded, going to his car and following the ambulance.

They arrived within some time and the ambulance came out with the teacher. The principal came out to the front on the building, going to see if he could get in.

He needed to know that Baldi was safe and okay. He couldn't just leave him. Not again.

•><•><•><•

Bright lights passed by the bald teacher's vision blinding his sight in blocks of white. His body felt numb and hurt in certain places.

He could see nurses and doctors alike pushing him in a bed down what seemed like a hall while some worked on his body. They eventually turned into another room.

Here, he could faintly see people doing different things on panels and taking out surgical equipment. But he didn't see it that way. In fact, it brought him back to what File did to him.

Baldi began to panic, feeling afraid of whatever these people were going to do to him.

A nurse came up to him with a gas mask. "I want you to calm down and breath." They said, pressing the mask onto the bald man's mouth. He suddenly felt everything go fuzzy, and he blacked out.

Baldi could feel himself drifting in a blanket of nothing. Where was he? Did Kennith really rescue him? Would he wake up and realize that it was all just a dream?

These questions felt like they echoed into the void of blackness he was surrounded by, having no way of returning to his confused mind.

The teacher suddenly felt everything shift and he was standing in a hallway with his ruler slapping against his hand. He felt himself running to something. But what?

He turned into a classroom, spotting a child. They looked familiar. He approached them, and stared down into their fearful eyes. Why were they so scared?

He felt himself raise the ruler above his head, and bring it down on the child. It went strait through, killing them. He turned around to see Kennith.

What was going on? Had he just killed that child?  Why was Kennith there? Ï̷̭̻͈̩̣̮̥̣̤̝͈̓̈͝ͅt̸̝̺͔̖̝̙̝̖̄͌̾̊̈́̅́̄͂̎̽͝͠ ̵̧̛͕͓̞̯͍̱̔̈́̔̒͐̓̑͒̓̈̌̊̈́͠͝ḏ̴̳̟̞̫̙͇̱̭̩̙̮͍͎̳̀̂̎̅͜į̸͍͂̇̆̓͗̂͑͜͠d̴̢̥͇̰͓̝̥̦̺̤͔̮̙͋͐̋̍͂͑̎͊̔̚͘͠n̵̡̛̹̬̤͈̟̩͙̱̹̰͈̞͆͑̌̊́̈́̿͒̓̀̚'̶̨̙̬̜͈̫͓̼͕̫̓̍̈́̿̐́͂͛̉̓͗̋̕̕t̶̨̼̼̙̬̬̣͌̒̆̌̚͠ͅ ̸̡̗̜̣͉̹̒̆̒͌m̶̧̡̙̪͙̺̯̬͎̩̜̣̙̺͊̌̾̿͆͌̐̀̐̇̅̀̎́́̇ā̴̢̝̞̲̟͖̺̠̞͍͚̬̝͖͕͙͆̀̀͊̉̂̓̊̕̚͝͝ḱ̸̩̯͇̖̲̣̆̌̏̍̀̈́͊͐e̷͉̣̞̔̽̈́̿̉̄͌͋̀̈́̚͜͝͠ ̴̧͈̩̯̲̝̪͍̈́̈̈̇͂̉̎̓͂͐̕̕̕ͅş̶̟̤̱̭̜͎͓͖͕̰̤̀̀̉̈́͆͛̽̀ͅḛ̷̦̞͎̽͑̆̾̉͘̚ͅṋ̸̛̺̲̭͎͔͍̖͔͓̉̊͌͆̉̐̅̓̋́͝s̸̢̨͔͎̪͍͔̲̦͎̳̭̓̃̓͑̈́̈́̚͜ͅë̷̩́̐̔̾͂̈̋̓͐̈̉̇͘͝!̶͔̳́̄̈͂̂̈́̍̃̒̈́͗ ̸̻͎͓̲̭͖̜̣̖̙̪͓̻͎̦͚̍͆̐̌̿̆̊͝W̵̡̢̱͉̩̱͖̘̙̝̽͐̋̐̀͛̅͑͌͐̌̉̕̚h̴̢̛͔̞̲̮̃̑̽̀̓̓̂̔̾͂̀͆̕͜a̵̡̡̪̲̥͕͕̬̹̲͓̻͇̥̎̀͌̅̉͋̄̌͛̀̓͝͝͠ţ̶̧̜̹̖̦͍͙̘̗̲͉̫̫̗͎̋̊̀̏͐͒͑̈́̑̊̚̕ ̷̨̧̙̺͉͕̦̝̹͋̆̈́̋̋̄̿̽̽͂̃̊͘͜͝ͅẃ̶̺̱͙̙̜͚ͅa̷̼̫̰̞͍̋̆ͅs̸̲̒̎̋̚͘ ̵̧̧̢̨̱̮͖̱͙̼͇͈̻̼̣̑̽̄͊́͜ģ̴̥̪̿̅̈́̔̾̄̈́͠o̵͔̗̟̪̹̝̬͕̟̤͈̬͇͉̔͆̿͋̿̐͘͜͝͝ͅȉ̷̢̼̼͛̉̈́̓̈́́͝͠ͅͅn̴̢̙̮̙̫̦͈̙̣̖͑̊͋͛̊̂̉̆́̃̍̕g̸̼͈̩͆͛͒̏̈́͋̽͆̉͘͘͜͠͝ ̸͎͖͙̺̳͇̜̯̦̻͈͎̗̅ǫ̵̝̹͓͚͚̙̖̺̻̪̝̫̳̂͗̋͊͆̿̉͛̊͋̏͝n̷̟͖̱͈̬͉̹̜̰̫͒̍̀͘?̸̯̻̱͎̥̲͛̽͒̎̓͆̀̈́̿̓̍͛̈́̚͘͝ ̴̺̩͙̮̲̳̠̣̣͘ͅH̸̯̱͌͝ā̵̙̳͚̰̥̗̥̟͓̜̾̐̓́̉̒̆͛̉̅̅̂͠͝ͅd̶̢͖̩̫͓͍͕̳̥͒͂ ̸̦͉̱̈́̅̋̐̀͛̋̆̑h̸̨̧̧̝̱͖̞͙̯͎͔̜̪͇̝̓͛̊̒͜ḙ̶̥̟̖̾̂́̽͘ ̶̟̟̗̙͈͙̣̊͗̌͌́͋́̓̇͗́̅͘j̴̨̧̬̺̘̣̦͔͔̖͙͇̄̈́̈́̅͑̓̐̕͠ͅú̵̢̨̯̖͚̙̩͈̠̭̳͓̝̘̭̬̐̃̌s̵̡̱̦̉̉̍̋̀̈̍͆͋͛̋̐̈́̈͠t̴̡͈̺̪̓̅͘ͅ ̵̨͉̹͕͍̫̙̬̬̅̒̅̒̕k̴͖͒̈͊̈î̸̭͍͍̀͌͗͐͛͒̕͝͝͝l̷̳̩̏͊̾̿̓͑̅̽̍̋̂͝͠led ̷̡̨̠̺̼͉͙̻̝͚̦͈̆̑̂̎̿̚͝ẗ̵̡̢̛͙̤̠͚͉͇͓̬̩̓̆̐̉̐͐̏̿͜͠ͅh̴̨̦̤̰̠̰͍͔̲͉̜͙̩̓̅̋̆͐͊̀̍̅̆̄̕͘͜͜͠͠͝ä̴̦͈͓̰͙̜̗̈̍͆ͅṯ̶̡͕̦́̌͊͐̈́̆̕͘͝͝͝ĉ̷͂̓̽̔͒̊́̀͘ͅȟ̶̥͈̙̻͓̤͓̫͛͊̀̿͆͛̿̌̒̋̚i̷͉͔̙͒̾̔̋̔̌͂͊̇ͅl̸̢̧̧͎̪̯͙̫͙͚̳̝̈́̀̔d̷̡̖̭͎̩͎̳̘̞̹̱̘̙̱̜͍̓̽̆͆͊̈́̊̈͂̀̍̍̓̃̕?̸̟̫̜̠͙̞́͌̈́͑̓͑͜K̶̲͉͎͕̈́͗́̈́́͐͘e̸̖̟̜̥̣͈̋̉́͋̐̈́̎̾͝ņ̵̡̖̬̠̮̯̺͚̟̟͙̹͙̄̈̈́̈́̉̂̂̚n̶̡̤̩̼͓̮̟̲̤̻͇̈̈́̈́̄i̷̦̯̙̭̠̩̘̲̞̘͇̫͔̝͑̇̈́̂̾̈́͊͊͆̈́̂͜͝͠t̶̺̫̞̹̼͇͈͊̍̎͌̉͛̓͂͠h̵̡̰̗̩͇͝ẅ̶͉͉͇͚̘̟͔̱͙͚̩̥̞̘͇́̀̂̂́̔̔͘̚̕͘͠͠į̶̙̯͖͙͔̬͖̙̪̮̳̀̽̐̉̈́͋̾͌̽̅̕̕̕͜͝͝l̸̡̙̈́͐̏̏͑l̶̹̠͈͎̩͍̮̦͍̞̥̫̿͋̾̏͑̊̔͆̈́͠f̴̖͔̝̹͎̹͚̻͙̗̭̼͈͍́o̴̥̫͎̮̞̭̦̹̍̽̅̿̑̌̈͗̚͝ͅr̶͍̟͒͐̈́͗̍̏̾̽̿ģ̸̨̢͉̘͈͇͕͗̃̽̉̍̅͊̚ͅe̷̼͔͖̩͔̲̰̾̈́͗ͅt̴̛̯͙̝̆̂̿̍̅̈̈́͐̐̃͑͘͘a̴͖̤̲̩͙͔̓̓͌͛̏̆͛͑͊̑̓̌͝n̶͚̋d̴̨̡̢͍͇͖̫̹̘̩̓i̴̛̹̍̽͘ḟ̷̢̛͖͕̗͚͇̲̩͕͂̉́̈͌͋̇̅̋̚͝h̸̡̼̜͇͎͔̲̬̥̫̭͉̉̎̊̔͌̎̽̈̕ë̶͚̹̞͖̩̱̘̭̣̗͖̣̙́̓́̑̀̎̒̒́͛̍͠͠͝d̸̯͈̤̳̹͍͇̘͙̿̿̑̈̀̅͝ő̷̗̠̼͔̤̗͕̲̝͛́̑̒̋͐̚͘͝e̶͙͔̖̝͐,̶̢͔̠̦̬͖̠͇̼͛̌̓͊͋̒̔̄̔̎̆͑̚̕͝ẗ̵̛́͐́͑̿̑̏͝ͅh̷̢̲̣͇̳͖͚̜̳͉̜͕͇͓̾̍̿̈̈́̾̓͆̔͂̚̕̚͜͝͝ê̷̪̮̳̦̤̳͒̐͐͜n̶̢̢̛̗̮͔̥͉̟̟̺̰̦̞̎̀͋̀̃̌̎͂t̵̳͚̖͌̔̐̓̍͑͊h̴̢͉̙̹̝̰̲̭̜̻̓͗̀̏̒͜é̵̦̳̙̼t̴͖̗̼̹̘͖̬͝ȅ̸͇̲͖̞̎̈́ä̸̹̱̮̘̭̫̳́̓c̴̨̣͔̣̼͖̳͍͖͉̦͆̎̌̃͆̈̀̈͜͝ḩ̶̛̤̥̟̖̄̅̀̏́͑́̑̔̑͝e̴̤͋͌͂̀̇͌̔̀r̵̥̜̣̺͔̘͓̽̓̐͂̃̊̾̐̓͠͠͝w̸̨̛͚̖̯͙͉͚̞̼̒̒́̽̑́̅̀̌ͅͅȉ̶̡͖̳̣̖͇̬̪̙͂̑̓̕͝ḽ̴͎̻̖̭̣̥͔͉̱̃́̀l̸̛͖̗̪̉̇̿͆̊̾͐̒̀̄͊d̸̢̨̧̧̹̤͉͔̗͕͎͎̤̈́̔̌̑̇̓͐͑̽̾̑̄͜͝ͅî̷̡̛̛̳̰̖͉̺̪̘̮̬̄̃̀͗́̈͘s̶̠̠̞̱̮͈̰͚͙͙̥̰̫̆͛̆̔̌̒̔́̃͆̽͜͝s̵̢̯̮̉́͒̒̈́̍̌͝a̵̱͎̥̞̬̱͑̿͋͒̕̕̕͜͝͝p̶̨̨̲̖͎͎̥̺̣̩̞̦͕̹̽̐p̵̧̢̮̲͖̰̦̹͎̪̬̼̎̍̅̏̄e̴̖̔̀͌̎̔a̶̰̼̔̓̐̎r̵̬̪̳̞̰̝̮̯͇̟̻̊̌̒͋́̿.̵̫͈̤̣͙̲̯̩̝̑͊͊̾̎͐̓̎̒̊͠Ţ̷̧̗̥̲͕͈͉͍͖̣̯͔͖͍̾͑͂̅́̇̏̈̀̌̅̊͂̌͝ḩ̸̨͍͕̭̦̦͚͓̘̺̫͚̪̥̍̓͊̏̂̿̇̏̂̈́̾͗̿̇͂̅̚͠͝ͅe̶̛̛̳͈̞̠̟͆̊͂̈́̈́̑̈́̄̒͌̚̕͠͝c̶̪͕̝̹̓̌͝ḧ̴̢̢̢̡̧̠͎͚͉̗̹͙̜̦̺̩̪̜͓͖̹͉͕́̍̀̅̋͑͐̌̀̃̆͊͜͜ͅi̵̢̝̘͈̼̰͖̲͂̇̒͂́̍̎̈̊̆̐̍́̆̔̎̂̚͘͠͝l̶̡̢̢̧̛̫̝͎̘͇̬̙̻͉͕͓͔̪͎̘̙̪̦̬̥̫̮̔́̍̽̌́͐́͆̃̋̾̆̀̕͜͜ḑ̸̡͚͓̤͉̗̺̝̦͈̥̺̫̣̲͍̮̘͇͓̤̂̈́͛̐̃̕͝͝ȉ̴̢̢̡̬͙̫͙̣͇̯̯͈̟̖͎̮͇̦͕͎̪̣͖̹̯̜̗̞̿̆͒̈́̉͐̃̒̈́̄͠ͅͅs̸̡̛̠̪̤̰̟̲̬̲̲̱̫̣͕͉͉̖̣͈̩̋̒̈͗͋̅̑̒̿̀͑́͊̌̂̈́̒͑̍͊́̐̍̈́̕͜͜͝͝ͅh̴̨̡̨̠͎͙͍͉̬͕̠̦͓͈̯͎̯̪̤̖͙̘̮̳̥̄̅̊̋͑͑̓͌̐̈́̓̾̓͆̕͘a̴̛̠̿͑̋̃̌̄̀͊̎̿͗̑͋̀͂̓̚̕͝͠͠ḻ̸̛̖̙͔͓̩̤̝͉̭̻͋̋͌̂́͗̽̀̄̉̊̓̃̈́̿͋̂̐͂̈̇̽͘̕͜͝͝f̸̛̯̪̯̮̪͔͎̬̩͇͈͙̙͆̌̓̓̀͌̒̆̾͛̚ͅt̶̢̧̼̭̻̦̲͈̹̙̝̪̖̼̟̺͔̟͈̗̦́͋̂͘̚͘h̵̨͙̘̖̠̤̙͇̼̱͈̣̲̘̫̞̤̥̫̤̩̬̙̟͎̺͎̑̓̓̾̽̽̀̑̌̉̀͆͐̈̚̕̚͝ę̵͕͕͔͙͎̺̙̝͍͔̫̟̜͖̪̦̘͐̐̃̒̊̓̈̍̐̉͂̇̓̇͒̄͐̾̽̃̔̈́̚͜͠͠͠c̶͇̟̉̅̈́̈̅͆͘͠a̵̢̳̓̋̑̋̿̄̏͒̎̋̆̔̈́̅͋̅͒̓̽̐͘͝͠͝͝u̷̡̧̡̹͉̺̙̝͇̹̙̱̪̝̹̟͓̦͓̱̘̦̹͖̥̜̞̿̿̌͗̊̊̽͊̌͗̈́̆̆̾̌̚͝ͅs̸̡̮̭̙̲̭̘̱͍̤̙̘̝̭̼̞̗͇̪̪̩͉̪͍̟̘̤̺̦̈́̂̃̅̒̈̎̀̏̚͠ȇ̷̢̟͎̦̱̣͇̺̯̥̻̲̯̹̼̱͎͚̖̓̔̇͗́̅̋͋̉͗͘͜͠ą̶̧̛̹̩͙͓̞̖̙̰̤̦̀̏̋̓̈͒̓̃́̊̔͊͆̌̓̎̅͋͋͌̾̂͗̏̕̚̚͠͝ͅn̶̨̨͍͎̣̣̪͌̓͜d̵̮͍̹̭̺̝̪̽͑̐̚ͅT̸̨̛̬͓̠̙̪̈́̅͗͛͌͌͌̒̋̍̽͘̕͝Ḩ̵̻̺̭̥̞͖͖͙͓͔̙̥̭̺̠̻̤͎̻̜̥̙̙̙͚̽͊́̌͊͑͐̍̀̍͒͝ͅÉ̵̢̳̳̘͉̹̟̝̫̙̈́͗̿̾̌̉͛̍̓̏̄̈́̎̈́́͛̿̆̈́̆͘͝͝͝Y̷̩̯̼̓͂͗͝a̷̪͔̫̳̯͋͊̍̈́ͅr̷̡̧̪̙̣͔̻̳̠͍͔̹̻̯͈̺̩̫̼̲̟͊̅̑̑͛̌̃̑͒̄̚̚͝͝͠ͅȩ̸̛̈́̿̀̋͑̒̂̑͗̆͑̎͑̉̔͗̈̑̾͒̚͝͝ṭ̵̢̡̡̨̛̹̯͎̩̤͉̙̖͈͕̲̘̦̣̈́̑̎͆͗̓͑̍̆̎̌͋͊̆̃ͅͅḧ̷̨͙͎̤̝̭̱͇̰̪͍̲̺̙́̓͑̇͌̎̎́̓̏̎̽͌̓̈́̆̄̎̈̎͒͆̈́̈̿͛̚͜͝ẻ̴̢̛̟͚͉̺̫͖͇͍̺̪̙̼͔͚͖̹͎͕̤̥̫̼̫̞̳͕̖͛́̀̓̂͂̃͊̐̓͗̚͜ó̶̧̫̝̦̖̣͓̰̋͒̉̈́́̽͛͊̕͝ṫ̷̢̢̧̢̡͍̜̱̪̹̥̗͖̠͈̳̞͖̟͔͇̫̫̟̤ḩ̷̧̛͎̞̳̼͓͍̖̮̯̙̖̦̣̫̞͍͖̯̺̯̎̆͐̏̒̆̌̈́͛̈́̋̑͌͌̕ȩ̸̧̙̫͇͎̻͕̘͖̪̖̦̬̲̗̘͍̯̗̞̱̥̝͙̿́̀̑͂̈̎͋̓͐̋̽͆͂̍̓̀͒́̾͜͝͝ṟ̷̡̡̢̪̙̫͍̼̪͎̻͈̱̦̟͉̹̜̜͙̽̀̉̍̾́́̌̈́̓̈́̓͆̌͋̕͘̚͝͝.̵̢͔̹̻̦̞͚̜̞̯̘̯̱͂̀͋͌͂̋̽̈́̕͘ͅÀ̶̡̢̢̛̛̠̖̘̻͔̗͚̜̳̣̲̥̩̹̩͕̰͚̿̈́̄́͂̔̿̓̋̓͒̍̈̾͘͜͝͝L̶̡̢̛̛̛͈̩̦̟̼̦̳̫͍̘̿͆̍̆́̃͋̈́̔̄̅͋̊̓̐̓̔̏̿̔͠͝L̷̢̢̡̨̝͙̲̮̟͈͈̪̤̳̞͕̜͒̈́̍̇̀̿̊̀͋̂̈́̍͆̒͌͆̃͊͒͘̕͠Ẅ̷̺̟̥͓̱̥̼͎̤̪͙͇̻̫́͗͐̽͊̅͋̃͊͗́̚͠ͅI̸̺̅͊͋̀͌͌̄̏̎̓̾́̋̃̆̓̕͠L̴̛̘̍̀̐͌̓͌͛͒̒̈́́̇̆͋̃̿̾̒̀͌̊̑̈́̅̉Ḽ̶͌̅̀̎̓̊̊̏̌͑̄͋͗̐̈͋̃̐̾̑͒͘͠͠F̶̣͔̠͍͈̺̘͎̭̳͍̪̱͖͖̤͙̪́̓̾͗̅͛̋̒̀̐̽̀̂̉̌̿̆̃̋̎̄̋̀̈́̔̿́͠A̴̢̛̹̘̥͇̰̖̹̔̈́́͊͝İ̷̡̡͎̲͍̬̙͎̖̖̜̲͇̻͈̯̼̺̱͍̺̓̾͌̓̒̀͒̾́͗̇͌̾͗̐̿̈̂̀̚̚͜͠ͅL̶̖̺͔̳̘̹̐̌̅͌͌͗̓͋̌̅̋͠͠͝I̵̧̧̨̢̛̪͓̫̱̣̮̠͓̺͔͓͍͖̓́͌͒̒̄̓̐͆̎͋͜F̶̗̝̯̰̙͗̌̂͛̂̈́ͅṮ̵̥̣͈̱̮̦͕̳̣̪̗͖̰̮̩̯̽̌͐̊̓̀̎̏́H̷̡̛̛̱̞͙͔͉͎̰̳͍̺̖̭͑̒͋͌͗͆̎̏̃̇̓̊̇͑̔̀̄̑̋̚̚͠͝Ȩ̷̦̤͍̟̝̙͍̯͇̤̙̗͍͎̮̗̹̖̖̳͚͍̝̭̽̇́̈́̀̿͗̒̾̋͆̋̈́̀͆̾̽̄̍̚͜͠͝ͅY̶̢̢̳̥̫̭̥͚̱̪̳͈̣͈̯̣̏̆̾̃̄̐͒̑̈̊̓Á̷̛̛̞͚͍̜̻̬̺̖̂̀̏̿͐̅̓͆̔̏͗̎͐͊͗͛̅̋̈́̋͆̅͘̕͝ͅṘ̶̢̛͕̖̝̝͙̞̝̖̼̙̰̝̣͕̃̂͑̅̑͂̅̔̐̇̋̂́̆̂́͝Ẽ̶̢͔̖̰̣̠͔̲̖̞̟͙̤̲̭̺̦̜͔̑͌͂̈́̃͂͒̒̿̅̅̇̑̔͗̉̈́̿̃͛̈̕̕̕͘Ń̵̛̰̲͙̈́̿͛̆̈́̽̃̉͊̽̔̾̌̅̀̇̉̓͛̈́̽͘̚̕͜͝͠O̵̢̨̝̭͇͙͓̜̜͎̥̣̠̯͉̝̟̝̤̹͕̙̮̦͙̹̳̹̽́̌̂̈́̓͊͒̓̊̏́̑́͋̽̂̏͐̔̚͘̕͜T̸̨̞̤͈̖͚̜͙̯͉͚̤͓̤̞̲̬̳̞̼͇̹̯̯͈͉͕̦͌̃͐͌̓̽͋͒͋̾͗̌̄̂̽̈́̔́̏̓͑̔̀͒͘͜͜͠͝C̶̡̄͑́̀͒̋͆̋͗̕̕Ȃ̴̛̛̭̯̟͉̇̀͂̃͒̐͒̑͒͂̈͌̈́͌̀͊͛̋̂͐͠R̶̢̜̺͚̤̩͚͍̼͋Ȩ̵̢̢͚̯͍̲͙̰̗͉̦̹̥̱̳͓̲̲̥̤͚̺̼̫̪͙͚̜͋͑̽́̈́ͅF̵̧͓̙͉͉̟͉͔̻̦͍̱͈̂̿͗̈́̇̕ͅƯ̸̢̭͙̫̭̣̜̭̿̀͋͂͋̐̈́̑̎̌̑̏̿̕͝L̴̖̞̼̱̦͎̆̈́́́̂͊

<----------->

It was getting late. The principal paced in a hospital's waiting room, waiting to know the news about Baldi. After being checked in, the teacher needed emergency surgery to remove the bullets and sew them up.

"Is he okay? When can I see him?" The principal asked the front desk lady, who looked up from the monitor on her desk. She smiled sympathetically, knowing he was just worried.

"I assure you, everything is okay." She smiled, turning herself fully to face him. She then typed something into the monitor before speaking again. "It says here that they're half way through the operation."

The principal nodded at her words, only feeling slightly better. "Okay." He whispered, mostly to himself.

"Might I ask what happened?" She asked, straightening herself in her seat. The principal felt his heartbeat quicken. He should at least tell her.

"I...he's that math teacher." The principal started.

"Oh! You mean from that news report a month back?" She questioned, seeming intrigued. "You must be that principal then?"

"Y-yes he is. And yes I-I am." The principal replied, feeling strange. He forgot about the news. Maybe his stress was making him forgetful. "I saved him from those people and I'm just worried."

"I totally get that." She spoke. "So are you brothers?" The principal felt shocked. He didn't think someone would mention it that way.

"Oh! N-no not at all. We're-..." He hesitated, feeling his face heat up. "We're in a relationship." The lady was suddenly excited.

"Wow really?" She exclaimed, seeming happy. "That's so cool! I hope you're doing okay. I'd hate it if my fiancé was kidnapped." But the principal felt himself blush. He hadn't meant for it to sound like they were going to get married. Not yet at least.

"Th-thank you for understanding." The principal said, stumbling over his words and wanting to end the conversation fast. The front desk lady nodded.

"Of course. If you need anything please ask." She said, going back to her work.

The principal nodded in return and sat down in one of the waiting room's seats, left alone to his own thoughts. After some time, the woman at the front desk left and was replaced with an older woman. It seemed like an eternity had passed, though it had only been an hour.

"Mr. Prince?" Someone called from the front desk. The principal turned around, feeling his heart beat quicken.

"Yes? Is everything alright?" He said, seeming frantic. The front desk person, the old lady, sighed.

"They've finished on his surgery. You're allowed to go back now. He's in room 99." She said, opening the doors deeper into the hospital where a doctor stood.

That number. Why did it sound so familiar? The principal could see something fuzzy in his memory. A door with that same number and when he opened it, playtime was playing jump rope with someone on the other side.

"Follow me." The doctor beckoned, motioning for the principal to follow. The principal did so, shaking off the feeling and followed the man to the destination.

"Is there anything I should know about?" The principal inquired, so he knew what to expect when he got in the room.

"He's asleep right now and will remain that way for a few hours, if not, the rest of the night." The doctor began, bringing up a clipboard with several papers to his face. "I'd suggest being delicate with him. He'll be dazed and sore when he's awake."

"Got it." The principal said as they arrived to their destination. The doctor opened the door, and revealed the room.

Upon entering, the principal could see a small dim room with a curtain obscuring the bed. The walls were painted a soft light green, and a large window cover most of the far wall with the curtains drawn. Two chairs were to the right of him, and a wheelchair aside the curtain to his left.

Kennith walked in more, finally able to see Baldi again. He was sleeping soundly, a monitor off to the right indicating that his vitals were all normal. A warmly lit lamp sit on a white desk nearby, illuminating the area in a warm glow. The principal came closer to the bedside, watching the teacher sleep.

"Do you know of any relatives of his, or anyone who's close by?" The doctor asked, coming up from behind. The principal thought for a minute before answering.

"No. Not that I know of." He said.

"And who are you to him?" The doctor then questioned. Kennith looked over, not hesitating this time.

"I'm in a relationship with him." He replied. The doctor nodded, taking the clipboard from earlier and writing something down.

"If you're the only closest person, then I'd like you to fill out some paperwork." The doctor said, handing a paper over to the principal. "He'll have to stay overnight. Feel free to stay with him if you'd like."

The principal nodded. The doctor left him after a moment. He then looked over the set of papers he was given. It was general information. Some he was sure he'd have to ask Baldi just to make sure. It could wait.

He grabbed a chair, scooting it quietly over to the bedside. He sat down and put the paperwork off to the side. The principal stared at the math teacher a while, reaching over the bed's rails to hold his hand.

"Thank god you're okay..." The principal whispered, rubbing his hand over the bald man's arm for comfort of himself and his boyfriend. He studied Baldi closer, since he was so near to him now.

He had dark bags under his eyes having probably not slept for a good while. The small bit of hair on his head was still there, but very thin and marred. He had nasal cannula up his nose, providing oxygen for what sounded like his extremely shallow breath.

They had him in patient's clothes now instead of the ones the principal had found him in. Faintly, he could see a scar in the middle of his collar bone going down past the clothing.

He looked at the teacher's arm, feeling something there. It looked like binary code heinously cut into his arm. "01001000 01100101 01101100 01110000" It read. It was strange. What the hell did they do to him? He'd have to ask when Baldi was awake.

The principal leaned against the railing, feeling tired. He began dozing, catching himself doing so a lot of times. But then again, he felt so relieved. They were together again and a lot of stress had come off his shoulders.

Eventually, the principal fell asleep still holding onto Baldi. They both slept peacefully, unbothered by the world around them.

<---------->

It became morning. The sun shown through the blinds, casting a yellow glow across the room. Baldi was the first to wake.

He felt drowsy, not knowing where he was or if it was real or not. He couldn't tell anymore. After a moment, the teacher's vision focused, showing where he was.

He was in a hospital bed in a small room with assortments he was used to. Cancer really does make you remember the hospital doesn't it? He thought, before starting to remember other things. Like why he was here in the first place.

Baldi was alive. He was saved from that hell. It really happened.

The math teacher felt something move on his arm. He wearily looked over and felt his heart warm. Kennith lay fast asleep, almost uncomfortably against the bed's railing. But he seemed better. Like he was relieved. Probably about him.

"K-....Kennith?" Baldi whispered, moving his arm to shake the principal awake. The principal grunted, squeezing his eyes shut and then slowly opening them.

He raised his head from off of the bed railing and stretched, yawning lazily. He then looked at his surroundings to meet eyes with the math teacher.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Kennith, jumping a little in his seat. "Oh my god you're awake!"

"I sure am." The bald teacher replied. He could hear all sorts of noises too. The heart monitor making a steady rhythm of beeps. The bustling of patients and doctors outside. The air flowing from the tubes up his nostrils. But it all felt better than what he was in before.

"I'm so happy." The principal smiled. He got up from his spot, coming closer to Baldi and leaning in. The teacher didn't hesitate, allowing the principal to kiss him once again. The soft press of his boss's lips against his felt nice, almost better than when he was rescued. They kissed for a long while.

"Ahem." Someone called from the entrance. Both men were startled, looking up from their moment. The doctor Kennith followed last night was there. "Sorry to break up your...romance. We need to make sure that our patient here is doing okay after last night's surgery."

The principal paused. He asked, "Ok. Should I leave?" The doctor smiled, shaking his head.

"No you're fine. You can sit down off to the side while we work." He replied, and simultaneously, two more people came in with medical supplies. The principal hesitantly backed up but Baldi stopped him, grabbing his hand.

"Can he please stay here next to me?" He asked the doctor. The medical man hesitated while the two others behind him looked for an answer. After a minute, he nodded, shrugging as he did so.

"I suppose. I understand if you'd feel better." They then proceeded with the check up, making sure his blood pressure was good, making sure he was breathing well and the sorts.

"His breath is still a little weak." One of the assistants said. Then turned to the teacher. "Is it hard to breath at all?"

"Only a little." The bald teacher replied, squeezing the principal's hand for comfort.

"Ok. We might have to have you on oxygen for a few days." The doctor said, taking out a paper. "But other than that, he should be good to leave the hospital today."

Feeling a wave of relief, the couple smiled at each other.

"We just need you to do some paperwork and you'll be good to leave." The doctor said. The others left while he handed over some papers. "Also, make sure he eats soft foods for a few days and drinks plenty of water. We want to check up on him next week to make sure everything went okay."

"Okay. Thank you so much." The principal thanked, shaking the man's hand before he left the room.

"I'm...so glad." Baldi said, and the principal saw him crying. "I've never felt so relieved to be alive and safe." The principal leaned in and hugged him, the teacher hugging back tightly.

They were safe and happy once again. Finally Together.

Hullo! Author again. I hope this story is going okay! So sorry that this chapter took longer to get out! It's hard to write with school and homework being in the way. Hopefully you understand!

I know I've kept saying this, but thank you so much for all the love and support! It just means so much.

As for this chapter, it was really long, so I hope you don't mind! There might also be a lot of grammar mistakes. :)

But anyway, the next chapter might not be up for a little while because obviously school has made it hard to write chapters. Thanks for being patient.

Bye for now :)