Cecil was trapped. He couldn't leave the radio booth and the Strex Corp agents in Hazmat suits terrified him all the more. They weren't like the secret agents of Night Vale. They told you everything and that was truly terrifying. Cecil felt himself squeezing his hands into fists and closing his eyes counting backwards hopping that it would make the horrors go away. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one," Cecil would open his eyes and then close them again, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, six, six, six…" Cecil felt his eyes watering and spilling over with tears as he bit back a sob, "Carlos…" He whimpered.
The Strex Corp agent's opened the radio booth door. Cecil looked at them and jumped out of his chair. He pressed against the wall shaking, "I'm not going with you." He said wiping his eyes and grimacing at them. "Oh they don't want you to come out Cecil," A sunny voice said, "They were letting me in." Cecil's foil stood in front of him with a large smile filled with needle sharp teeth. Cecil felt his heart sink to his stomach and felt the overwhelming urge to hurl swarm him, "You!" He growled like a cornered animal. "You're cats quiet adorable," Kevin said and held up a bleeding hand, "Sadly he was quiet troublesome." "What did you do to Kosheck!?" Cecil said turning huffy. "Nothing, nothing, no need to get mad," Kevin said and sat in the chair next to Cecil's. "You should really sit down," Kevin said, "We have a show to get on air." Cecil glared at Kevin with utter malice and hesitated as he took his seat.
The agents nodded at Kevin who grinned. "Hey there everybody this is Kevin welcoming you all to the Bluffs," Kevin said talking into the microphone, "Today it's a lovely 107 outside and oh-oh! I almost forgot to tell all of you lovely viewers, I have here with me my new co-host say hello," Kevin said. It took Cecil a minute before he grabbed the microphone away from Kevin. "Night Vale run as fast as you can, do not look behind you and run, run as far and as fast as possible for your lives depend on it," Cecil said in terror. Kevin wretched the microphone away, "Haha, by it Cecil means our lovely founder's Strex Corp." Kevin glared with his solid black eyes at Cecil who trembled. "He's a real hoot that Cecil," Kevin said smiling at the microphone.
Cecil could feel himself shaking now and he forced himself to stop while Kevin carried on. "Guess what time it is listeners?" Kevin said cheerily, "Time to take your phone calls lets take a few, shall we?" Kevin clicked the phone, "This is Kevin and Cecil who is this?" Kevin asked. "This is Steve," The voice replied coldly. "Oh? Steve who?" Kevin said. "Steve Carlsberg," The voice replied, "I won't let you get away with this you demonic scum!" Steve yelled at Kevin, "Cecil you have to protect yourself!" Kevin quickly cut him off hanging up, "Oh no looks like we lost the connection. Lets go to our next caller shall we Cecil?" Kevin clicked over and the line was quiet for the longest time. "Let him go." It was a tone Cecil had never heard before in his boyfriend. A deep menacing sound that shook the heart in a fit of terror. "We won't stay but let him go," Carlos repeated with the deadly low voice once again. "I'm sorry but who is this?" Kevin said confused. "You know who I am. You can lock me out of the radio station but I'm not going to let you win," Carlos repeated, "We're coming Kevin, all of us are coming." Carlos hung the phone up after that and Kevin frowned. "Listeners, guess what? I'll be giving you step by step informants on the current state of my co-host, how fun!" Kevin said with a clap.
Cecil looked over at Kevin who smiled at him. "Right now my co-host, Cecil Baldwin, is shaking, he is shaking horribly, he looks like he needs a blanket… maybe I should get him one," Kevin said and laughed, "Oh so you're fine Cecil? I see. Poor thing, crying like that… I wonder what will happen when I don't pity him as much as I am right now? What if he got hurt? What if I get hungry?" Kevin said and the window of the radio station was banged on roughly. "Its maxi glass you idiot," Kevin chuckled, "and we have agents covering the streets. Face it you lost already."
Carlos stood outside the radio panting and angry. Steve stood behind him cell phone in hand, "What now?" "We gather the troops," Carlos said and turned stiffly, "Kevin had better watch himself. I'm going to kill him when I get in there." Steve followed Carlos, "You love him a lot don't you." "Well… yeah…" Carlos said as they walked down the rode. Steve looked at his feet, "Cecil was a big geek in high school; screwed up hair, broken glasses, suspenders and high pants, the whole shebang. I was a jock, on the Spiderwolves basket ball team. Cecil would always show up at our games, in a hoodie and just watch us. I felt a little bad for him watching him sit all alone… then I broke my ankle. I got benched and ended up watching the game go on with Cecil… I started to talk with him and realized he was pretty funny. I was a terrible person Carlos," Steve said as they got into Carlos' car, "I messed with his head. After class one day he was sitting there and he looked so sad. I offered him a ride in my car and he took it. I was driving him home when he started to cry, kept going on about how he was being bullied. I couldn't watch him cry so I kissed him. I didn't know what I was doing but soon it was like he'd sucked his way into my life. It revolved around him, he was everything. I showed him how to not look like such a dork, and he did…things… for me…" This made Carlos bite his lip in mild irritation. "And then I dumped him," Steve said and looked away, "It was probably one of the worst mistakes I ever made… I guess I really am just a big jerk…"
"Guess you are," Carlos said with a little defensiveness behind it. Big Rico's looked like it had been prepped for a world war as the car approached and Carlos and Steven stepped in only to be bombarded with questions from Big Rico himself. They passed Rico and walked over to a table a distraught looking Dana was sitting at. "Carlos… you need to hear this…" She said and handed her headphones over to Carlos so he could listen to the radio.
"You know Cecil's boyfriend has pretty great tastes… I mean I don't think he'd mind sharing Cecil with me. You know Carlos? I can do anything to him, and you just have to sit and listen, hey if I get around to it maybe I'll leave the mic on just for you." Kevin said with all too cheerful a voice. Carlos glared his hands turning into fists. "Wanna say anything Cecil?" Kevin asked and dead air replied, "Aw come on tell Carlos something I'm sure he's dying to hear you." There was a thump and whimpering. "Carlos… please just run… I don't want you to be hurt…" Cecil's voice was shaky and sounded scared. It broke Carlos' heart to hear him like that, "I can't do that Cecil… I'm coming for you…"
Carlos took the headphones off as Kevin came back and handed them to the ghostly Dana. "Thank you Dana," He said a little sadly and searched the weapons. "Where do you think you're going?" The faceless old woman asked. "Getting my boyfriend back," Carlos said, "Before he's hurt." "Carlos you haven't even been back for five minutes," Old Woman Josie said sternly, "You sit and have a drink now. You aren't getting anywhere beating on that window." "I know…" Carlos said sounding depressed, "I just… I need to rescue him…" Dana screamed and threw her headphones covering her ears, "No. No. No." Carlos ran over retrieving the headphones and listening intently. It was dead air. She said scratching at her ears and shaking her head, "I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear anything. I swear." Carlos came over to her now, "Dana. Tell me what happened." "Kevin… he's evil…" Dana said. Carlos stared at her, "What was it." "He bit something or someone… I couldn't tell if it was an animal or person Carlos…" Dana said trembling. Carlos grabbed his gun, "Let's go Steve." Steve stood picking up his hand gun, "How do we even know that guns will work on him," Steve said. Carlos turned to Steve, "We don't."
Cecil felt small and insignificant. He had been tied to the wall after an escape attempt. Kevin had attacked him when he tried to run away again sinking his needle like teeth into Cecil's shoulder. Cecil's hands were tied behind his back so that he couldn't reach to hold the wound. Kevin was cleaning his teeth in the men's bathroom. "Don't touch my cat!" Cecil spat at Kevin and one of the Strex Corp agents shoved a bit of cloth in his mouth tying it around his head so he couldn't speak.
Kevin came back in hands bloody, "What cat?" He sat in his chair and spun around, "I wonder if Carlos will come. I'd love to see him see you like this." Cecil glared at Kevin. "Oh? What's that on your face? Is that determination…?" Kevin said and walked over to Cecil, "We aren't going to have any of that." Cecil grimaced as best he could at the overly cheerful host. Kevin went to untie Cecil's gag just as Carlos started to bang on the window again. Kevin looked at Cecil and walked over to the window opening the blinds so Carlos could see in. Kevin smiled pleased with the scene, "Hello Carlos." He said black eyes glistening. Carlos' swears at Kevin were muffled as he punched the window. "Scream all you want Carlos, you're not doing anything to help him," Kevin said pleased with himself.
Carlos looked into the radio booth and made eye contact with the shivering Cecil. He mouthed 'I love you.' At him and glared at Kevin before turning. "That's fine and dandy Carlos, but I have my ways to control you, and right now you're making him a very obvious exposed weak point." Carlos turned and ran punching the glass. "Sorry can't hear you," Kevin sing-songed and walked towards Cecil, "I have a radio host to screw." The blinds closed at that leaving them separate.
Carlos ran back to the car where Steve was sitting. "No luck?" Steve said. "Turn on the radio," Carlos answered Steve's words passing through him transparently. "Stop fighting will you?" Kevin's voice hissed over the radio. There was a smacking noise and a cry of pain. Carlos gripped his steering wheel tightly, as horrid noises flowed from the radio to Carlos' ears. Carlos thought Kevin would pause chastise Carlos and go back to talking about flowers, but Cecil's protesting continued until Kevin's smooth prerecorded voice came over with. "And now the weather." Carlos buried his hands in his face, "Turn it off Steve." Steve did as instructed he and Carlos wore the same face. "The voice of Night Vale is falling."