After the final battle with Cthulhu, the boys of South Park could sleep soundly again. All except one: Kenny. Unlike the other boys, he never gave up his superhero persona. He knew it didn't just end with Cthulhu. A new crime wave had hit the small town of South Park, but nobody seemed to know who was behind it, and the thieves Kenny questioned didn't breathe a word about their plans. Some committed suicide before Kenny had a chance to grab them, even though they knew he wouldn't kill them, which just made Kenny more worried about what was brewing in South Park.
Fighting crime all around town was exhausting and, after several years, little by little, it started messing up Kenny's regular life. At first, it was small things – he arrived late at school, sometimes he even fell asleep there – but it was only getting worse. He couldn't focus on anything, and he was acting strangely around his friends, almost as if he suspected them of something. Kyle noticed Kenny's change in behavior, but he kept it to himself, for the most part. Sometimes he let slip that he was worried about Kenny when he was around Stan, but Stan knew to keep his mouth shut.
Kyle had been watching one of his best friends slowly withdrawing from the world, and he decided it was time to take action. He approached Kenny at his home, where he was greeted by Kevin, Kenny's brother.
"Hey, Kyle. I'm guessing you're here for my brother, right?"
"Yeah."
"He's upstairs, taking a nap, but he won't mind if you wake him."
"Thanks, Kevin."
"Just when are you guys gonna start dating anyway?" Kevin thought.
Just about everyone in South Park knew Kenny and Kyle had a thing for each other. Two of the people who didn't know about their mutual crush, however, were Kenny and Kyle themselves. As far as either of they knew, the other wasn't interested in any relationship with another guy beyond simple friendship.
Kyle headed upstairs into Kenny's bedroom, where he found the latter sleeping in his underwear. As usual, his room was a mess. There were clothes scattered all around the room, his computer was on and the window was open. There were also empty beer bottles under his bed, and a few full ones on his desk. However, Kyle simply ignored the mess and approached Kenny.
"Still sleeping at 3 PM... Just what it is that you're up to at night, Kenny?"
When Kyle got close enough, he realized that Kenny was shaking slightly. Kyle sat down next to where Kenny was sleeping and gently shook him, to wake him up. Kenny yawned loudly and opened his eyes shortly after. He was surprised and somewhat uncomfortable to see Kyle sitting in his bed, but he ignored his own feelings and decided to act as if it wasn't a problem.
"Hey, Kyle."
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"I... I came here to talk to you."
"About?"
"It's about you."
"OK..."
Kyle sighed deeply, fully aware that Kenny wouldn't take his concern seriously. However, he could no longer stand by and watch.
"Kenny, I've watched you destroy your body with drugs, alcohol and smoking, but something else is going on now. You're acting strange around us, and you can barely stay awake. What's going on with you?"
Everyone could see that Kenny was having problems, but only Kyle had the courage to ask about it.
Kenny smiled at his friend, amazed and glad that Kyle cared enough to actually address him about his problems. However, to protect Kyle (or maybe himself), Kenny couldn't reveal what he was up to at night.
"Kyle, I... I can't tell you."
"Why not? What's so secret that you can't even tell me?"
"If I could tell you, I would. I wish I could... Trust me on that."
Kyle's curiosity was piqued by Kenny's phrasing, but he decided to trust his friend's judgment. He sighed deeply again and smiled at Kenny, making the blond boy's heart skip a beat.
"Alright. I trust you, Kenny."
"Thanks, Kyle."
Kenny smiled back at Kyle for a few seconds before Kevin knocked on the door to tell Kenny about lunch.
"Kenny! Lunch is ready!"
"I'll be right there!"
Kenny turned to Kyle again, with his smile now gone, and stated the obvious.
"I gotta go now." Kenny said.
"Yeah, I got that. I'll see you later."
Kyle left Kenny's home and headed into his own, where he started playing with his computer, still thinking about Kenny.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Kenny put on the Mysterion outfit he had made for himself, in preparation for another night of protecting the citizens of South Park. He climbed out through his bedroom window, so as not to wake anyone in his home, and headed into town. He quickly found a tall, suspicious-looking man and decided to follow him.
With each step, the strange man looked around him, as if to see if he was being followed. However, Kenny's dark outfit let him blend in with the night and made him practically invisible to the man.
After several minutes of walking around town in circles, the man finally seemed to be heading toward something important. Kenny's heart started pounding in his chest as they approached the stranger's actual destination.
"Finally! I thought he was just going to walk around town all night."
The tall stranger headed toward an abandoned building near the edge of town, where he knocked on the door three times, then opened it. He was greeted by a second stranger, that Kenny couldn't see properly, and started talking about something Kenny couldn't make out.
"I have to get closer to them."
Kenny approached the men as quickly and quietly as possible, until, finally he could understand their conversation. However, he still couldn't make out the second stranger's face.
"-that's everything, sir. We're doing our best to find it."
"Work harder. I want it found this week."
"Yes, sir."
The tall stranger exited the room, but the other one went deeper into the abandoned building, until Kenny could no longer see him.
"I wonder what 'it' is... I'd better ask my tall friend there."
Kenny waited for the tall man to get away from the abandoned building, and, finally, approached him. The man heard Kenny's soft footsteps and turned around just in time to receive a punch in the gut.
"Whoa there, friend!" Kenny said in his Mysterion voice. "We need to talk."
"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" asked the man, clearly in pain.
"My name is Mysterion."
"M-Mysterion?"
"Yeah. I want to know what your friend over in the abandoned building is looking for."
"I can't!"
"Oh yes you can. Tell me now, and I promise I won't hurt you anymore."
Kenny smiled, completely certain that the man would give in. However, much to Kenny's surprise, the man pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the gut. Kenny reached for the knife, to get it out, but the man beat him to it. He pulled it out roughly and stabbed Kenny several more times, before finally stopping.
"Well, fuck. I sure underestimated him." Kenny thought. "Good thing I'm immortal."
Kenny fell onto the ground almost immediately. Gathering all the strength he had left he looked at the man, who looked scared beyond belief. He looked back at Kenny and ran away. Kenny died shortly afterward, and his body vanished, along with the man's memories of killing him.
"Where did he go? I'd better report this to the boss."
The man headed backwards to the empty building as quickly as he could. Once there, he knocked on the door three times again before opening it. His leader was still there, much to his relief.
"Good. The boss is still here."
"Boss, I just got jumped by some guy wearing a cape."
"Did you kill him?"
"I wanted to, but he just... vanished."
"Could it be?"
"Sir, what's going on?"
"What was his name?"
"He called himself... Mysterion."
"Kenny..."
"Sir?"
"You did well coming to me, Nate. However..."
Nate's leader quickly turned around and shot him in the stomach.
"I'm afraid you've been compromised. I can't have that sort of weakness in my team."
"Sir..."
Nate collapsed and died shortly after. Nate's killer picked up Nate's knife and called other people who were in the building to take away his body, and so they did.
"Kenny... Just what are you up to?"
Kenny opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of South Park. Grey particles were raining down from above. At first, Kenny thought it was snow, but then he realized it was ash. Everywhere he looked he saw only destruction, buildings burning and people turned to ash. It looked like the town had suffered a nuclear strike.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
Kenny walked for miles, not seeing another soul. Eventually he arrived at his own house, which he found completely destroyed. Most of the roof had collapsed onto the ground, and the entire first floor had been decimated. The ground floor, on the other hand, still had a few walls up. There was no sight of his siblings or his parents. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound coming from underneath the rubble; almost like a muffled scream.
"Hello? Who's there?"
The sound got louder, prompting Kenny to run toward it and start clearing away the rubble. Once he did, he found Kyle lying there. He put his hand under Kyle's head and held it up, before gently shaking him. Kyle opened his eyes shortly afterward.
"Kyle! What happened?"
"Y-You're alive? I'm so happy."
"Kyle... What happened here?"
"Cthulhu was released... He leveled the town within minutes. Almost everyone died. I came here to find you, but... your house fell on me. I think I broke my legs..."
"It's OK, Kyle. I'm going to get you some help."
"I... I-I don't think I'm gonna make it."
Kenny looked at Kyle again. He instinctively raised Kyle's shirt and saw a massive bruise across his stomach. Tears started forming in Kenny's eyes as the fact that Kyle was going to die registered in his brain.
"Don't say that! I... I'm gonna save you!"
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
Kyle closed his eyes and went limp, sending Kenny into a frenzy of shaking him and yelling his name.
"Kyle! Please, wake up... Wake up..."
Kenny's tears dropped from his eyes and fell on Kyle, soaking his clothes. Suddenly, everything around Kenny started to fade away, until only he and Kyle were left. Soon afterward, Kyle vanished too, leaving Kenny floating in emptiness.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
Two big red eyes opened from the darkness, and a figure began to form. It had dragon-like wings, glossy green skin and tentacles on its face. Kenny recognized it immediately as Cthulhu.
"What are you doing here?!"
Cthulhu opened its huge mouth and spoke in a deep, eerie voice.
"Puny human! You cannot stop what is to come. You will die, just like everyone else you've ever loved!"
"Kyle..."
Cthulhu opened its mouth again, this time swallowing Kenny whole. Kenny screamed in fear and pain, and woke up on his bed, covered in sweat. He gasped and breathed rapidly for several minutes, before finally calming down.
"Another nightmare... This time it was worse."
Kenny had been having nightmares about Cthulhu ever since Bradley defeated him. Every time, they became more and more vivid, with more information being revealed. Kyle's death had just been the latest in a long list of terrible events that would come to pass if Cthulhu were released.
"I can't let that happen. I have to stop Cthulhu. If Kyle died, I... I don't know what I'd do."
"Kenny! It's time for school!"
"Coming, mom!"
"Well, time to learn crap I'll never use later in life. But first, a shower. I stink."
Kenny got up from his bed and rushed into the bathroom to shower. Once he was done, he ate his breakfast before packing his bag and leaving for school.
Kenny arrived at the same time as Kyle and Stan, but Cartman was nowhere in sight.
"Hey, guys!"
"Hey! Look who's early for school!" said Stan.
"Yeah... I couldn't sleep."
"Why not?" Kyle asked, concerned for Kenny.
"Just a nightmare... It's nothing."
"And here I thought you stayed out all night... I guess I was wrong." Kyle thought.
The bell rang, announcing the start of the school day, and so the boys headed toward the large building. Cartman arrived shortly afterward, clearly upset about something.
"Hey, Cartman. What's got you down?"
"A friend of mine died yesterday..."
"Wow, that sucks." Stan replied.
"I used to die almost every day, and you never seemed to pay attention to it..." Kenny thought.
"Well, that's life."
Cartman led the boys into the school building. Kyle, Kenny and Stan thought Cartman's reaction to a friend dying was strange, but they dismissed it.
"Cartman has always been somewhat... detached from everyone." Kyle thought. "It's no wonder he'd say what he did."
"Come on, let's get to class."
"Lead the way."
I hope you liked this chapter.
As some of you probably know/remember, I mentioned a new series of stories. Well, I've already finished the first two chapters of the first story (I was inspired), but I can't decide on a name for the first one; that's why I haven't uploaded either of them yet. As soon as one of my betas gets back to me with a name, I will upload both chapters at the same time.
You probably also noticed that this chapter took a long time to upload. It was another naming issue, added to the fact that I didn't like the chapter at first. However, after fully reading it a second time (the first time being when I wrote it), I liked it. On a related note, the second chapter has already been written, but, like this one, I can't decide on what to name it. If you think you can help, send me a PM and I'll send you the chapter.
