A Few Days Ago. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
"This is Katherine Mulligan with breaking news! It appears that revered everyman Lincoln Loud is revealed to be the primary ringmaster of a pedophilic and incestuous sexual cult that has spanned over the course of two decades that involved the majority of his own family. How he managed to evade the authorities for that long is still unknown, but what has become known is his harrowing escape from the law just a few hours ago in the afternoon from an anonymous tip. The leading detective in this case is newly-appointed Sheriff Kim Granger, a former FBI Agent with a particular set of skills who is steadfast on bringing this fallen hero to justice. She herself has publicly lambasted his highly repulsive actions, labelling them "distasteful" and "disrespectful" to the reputation of an otherwise respected yet solely underrated town. However, she also has stated that she expressed a healthy amount of sympathy for the young man and the quite unfortunate path he has taken."
Every attempt to avoid it was in vain; it was being broadcast on every single channel...
"Oh, what's this? This just in from another anonymous tip: 16 of Lincoln's children have been taken in by CPS, also known as Child Protective Services, who will be working to heal their trauma and make sure that they are subsequently taken in by more suitable families. What will really happen to them? Will they truly recover from the misery that they endured for so long? Who is this mysterious savior that ultimately risked his or her life for the lives of 16 children? Nobody knows for sure, but we here in the town of Royal Woods are sure that Lincoln Loud, his family, and the majority of his friends will live the rest of their lives behind metal bars, contemplating the life decisions that lead them there."
…but that didn't mean it was necessarily bad news bears.
"After all, a lot can happen in the middle of nowhere...especially around the holidays. Until then, I'm Katherine Mulligan with breaking news from Royal Woods, Michigan, WXYZ-7 News."
Letting the TV blare out the next news report (which was just continuing from the first one with the citizens and leading politicians expressing their thoughts on the matter), the "businessman" finished his room-service ordered dinner: a basket of crispy chicken fingers, two medium cups of French Fries, and an Oreo's Cookies n' Cream Milkshake. Afterwards, he stood up and began packing up for his 16-hour drive from North Dakota to Michigan; his stomach grumbled in hunger, despite having an admittedly hearty meal mere moments earlier. His thoughts on the matter? Damn it, I need to stop by a McDonald's on the way there... Yeah, you thought he was thinking about his brother's uncalled-for sexual escapades, weren't you?
He would continuously remind his two younger halves not to stray from the goodhearted path he would often set them on. While he was relieved that at least one of the twins actually heeded his advice, the following emotions ran through his head at the reveal the other didn't: anger, sadness, and disgust. Angry that his brother settled on the most unforgivable and inexcusable actions imaginable, saddened by his perceived inability to steer him away from the dark side, and disgusted over the fact he let his own perverse interests twist him into the man he is today. The responsibility fell on his shoulders and nobody else's.
. . .
. . .
. . .
Oh, did I forget to mention that this particular young man is Logan Loud, the secret older brother of twin siblings Lincoln and Linka Loud?
. . .
. . .
. . .
Yes, actually.
It was early in the morning when the black 1970 Dodge Charger R/T pulled up to the now crowded street of 1216 Franklin Avenue, where what could be described as utter calamity was taking place. The police had ordered the place wrapped in police tape, the reporters swarmed the household's radius in an effort to make the front page first, and even the surrounding neighbors (ranging from kids to adults alike) exited their own to eavesdrop and post whatever they could on social media. From what he could tell, the former group were doing whatever they could to prevent the latter two groups and other eager-to-know civilians from entering inside and nabbing an insider look. The people knew something happened but they didn't know exactly what, and they intended to keep it that way...for now.
Had they not been watching the news lately?
Buttoning down his overcoat, Logan exited his car and watched the chaos ensue before heading towards his former place of residence. He flashed his near-perfect replica of a Michigan PD badge to a nearby police officer, who waved him onward and granted him access. Glancing around to find almost everything covered in clear tarp, he solemnly sighed and spotted the newly-appointed Sheriff giving out commands to her team. She was tall, blonde, and green-eyed, in addition to her accent that gave away she was Australian. She donned a brown leather jacket above a tan long-sleeve collared shirt, black dress trousers with matching dress shoes, and a black beanie cap with gloves. Judging by her eyes and body language, she hadn't grown accustomed to the winter season just yet; if anything, she seemed more like a summer girl. Based on the stigma this particular season was associated with, though, he couldn't blame her.
Logan waited until she was alone and approachable, heading over and giving her a warning. "Sheriff Granger?"
The Sheriff turned around in alarm but lowered her guard upon seeing it was a citizen drawing close. Then again... "Who are you? And how did you get in here? This area is restricted for civilians."
"Well, ma'am, I'm not a civilian. I'm a person of interest," Logan stuck out a hand for her to shake as he introduced himself, "My name is Logan Loud, Lincoln's older brother."
Her breath almost got caught in her throat at the mention of those two names, but she managed to compose herself long enough to shake his hand. "Loud? As in...?"
"Yes, ma'am. I came to Royal Woods as soon as I saw the news. I don't have enough time, so I need to tell you information that could potentially help the case you're investigating."
Sheriff Granger opened her mouth to ask what in the hell he was talking, but stopped herself once he offered pure confidential. "What's in it for you?"
"... I'm just trying to make the world a better place."
Accepting that straightforward yet somehow vague answer for now, Sheriff Granger let Logan lead her into the kitchen for some honey lemon tea. She secretly turned on her voice recorder on her smartphone and placed it face-down on the table.
"So, Mr. Loud... What made you decide to come forward about your younger brother's crimes?"
"Misery, rage...and disappointment."
"Disappointment? In what?"
"Picture this: you're among the middle children in a family of 13 and tasked with looking over the two you feel you're the closest to. In other words, a case of the terrible triplets. One managed to evade the dark path she could've eventually chosen...while the other didn't. All because of a series of poor life decisions that presumably end with my younger brother on the short end of the stick every single time, the biggest offender being him locked out of the house simply for being bad luck. It ultimately culminated in a very nasty break-up between the eldest daughter and her boyfriend, who did absolutely nothing wrong and was simply a victim of the wrong place at the wrong time. So... One fateful night, she comes home from a party drunk off her ass and stumbles off to her room to nod it off. Only it's not her room. It's her younger brother's. One moment later, they're both naked and fucking like the animals they are, but it's one-sided on little Lincoln's part. After a hour or so, however, the alcohol-drenched kisses get to him and a new personality of his begins to come out. He becomes dominant, authoritative, controlling. He ravages his older sister as if she was his sex slave. When it was all said and done, Lincoln just impregnated Lori and blessed/cursed her with a baby girl. This continues for the rest of the month until he finishes up with her...and moves on to the next sister. And the next...and the next...and the next...and the next...and the next...and the next...and the next...until he advances to his mother."
Her hand now suspended in mid-air from handing her tea cup in shock, Sheriff Granger stared at a stoic Logan in horrified shock before sipping her beverage to break the tension.
"W-What happened then?"
"He moved on. Moved on to his other friends. Starting from his crush Ronnie Anne Santiago and ending to Luna's girlfriend Sam Sharp, he ending up fathering all of the poor children from all of the poor girls he knocked up...meaning almost all of them in the town. With that in mind, that brings the supposed total of 16 to 32."
"32...?"
"Thus far. I'm sorry, Sheriff, but I felt like I needed to tell you this before any more girls become victims and suffer the same fate my sisters did two decades ago."
"... N-No, it's fine." Granger, visibly unnerved, continued drinking before she realized something. "Boy or girl?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You said you and two others were the middle children in the family of 13. Was the other sibling a boy or a girl?"
"A girl, and thankfully the only one who avoided getting caught up in his little rape fest." Logan blew on his cup before sipping slowly, "Her name was Linka. A family friend arranged for the both of us to live with our Grandpa Albert when he caught wind of the situation. He promised to look into it, but warned that he couldn't conduct a proper investigation without conclusive evidence."
"Was he the anonymous tip the news report made him out to be?"
"No, he merely was a good officer who wanted to do the right thing. The tip supplied him with the evidence he needed to report to the police."
"I see. And what happened to Linka and, to an extension, Albert?"
"Albert and his girlfriend Myrtle watched us until we were of age to move out and move on with our lives. However, considering the indirect trauma we had to endure while underneath that rooftop... We just couldn't. Linka actually suffered a few mental breakdowns the first nights we moved out, so she had to be admitted to the hospital for a few weeks. Other than that, though, she's been doing good so far. She changed her name and moved elsewhere; she charters boats for a living."
"Good for her. And you? What about you?"
"Well... I don't want to say that that I was unresponsive throughout the entire ordeal, but...let's just say that I took it all in stride. I wasn't surprised when the news broke out against Lincoln, but that didn't make me any less disappointed. Even from the beginning, I knew that he would grow up be something of a troublemaker, but I know better now."
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss and your brother. I promise that..."
"You don't have to promise me anything."
"Why?"
"Because I know already that Lincoln is beyond saving and salvation. Whatever chances he had at redemption, he threw out the window. I can only hope that the few people who found no pleasure in this sick, twisted nightmare of his find a happy ending of their own."
. . .
"I see. Thank you, Mr. Loud, for sharing your information with me."
"Thank you, Sheriff, for listening to me."
The moment Logan's back was turned, Granger reached for her phone and tapped the stop button...wishing the next moment that she hadn't.
"Oh, there's something else you need to know, Sheriff."
"What's that?"
"The present Lincoln is not the same as the past Lincoln. This Lincoln is ruthless, relentless, and he's more than willing to kill anyone who stands in his way; in fact, he's killed more than 20 people to keep his secret a secret. And that's not even the worse part."
"What is?"
"If you're in charge of this investigation, I highly suggest that you be careful. He apparently developed a god-like complex over the years I "visited" him. The more women he seduces, the less sanity he acquires. He's not just narcissistic, he's downright psychotic."
"Jesus..." Granger muttered to herself as she finished her drink and handed her cup over to Logan, who placed it in the sink for him to wash. He felt pretty bad about spooking her out with the facts laid out on the table with a spot of tea, but she needed to know if she were to proceed with the case.
"Is that all? Before I leave?"
"It depends. Where are you going afterwards?"
"I'm going after him."
"What?"
"I gave you most of the information you need to look into the case further, but he's my little brother. I don't care what you do to find him, but if one of your officers puts a bullet in his head before I do, I'm more than willing to return the favor."
"Mr. Loud, it's the 21st century; vigilantism rarely goes over well with the law."
"I'm fully aware of that, Sheriff. That's why I'm telling you this now in the hopes of your precinct staying out of my way. I won't interfere in your investigation unless I need to, so for now, just label me as another anonymous tip turned wild card."
Granger thought it over before saying, "Does nobody know that you two even exist?"
"I made sure nothing would come to fruition until he receives a fair trial. Now...do we have a deal?"
Logan stuck out his hand for Granger to shake again, this time in agreement. Glancing back and forth between him and his palm, she reluctantly reached out and took it to shake.
"Deal...even if it's one-sided."
"I promise nobody else would get caught in the crossfire."
Logan turned tail and exited the house with his hands tucked in his coat pockets, Granger watching him with a tentative stare as he did.
"I sure hope so..."
The minute he stepped inside his car, Logan noticed that he wasn't alone.
"Did she tell you to stay out of it?"
. . .
"In a way."
"And she still gave you permission?"
. . .
"Huh. So what now?"
"What do you think?"
Logan then turned over the engine before they drove off in pursuit of Lincoln Loud...while TLC was playing over the radio.
"Don't go chasing waterfalls...
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to...
I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all...
But I think you're moving too fast..."
A/N: In case you're confused, this is a take on the highly popular and controversial "Sin Kids AU" of The Loud House, specifically my own. There are some parts influenced by "Too Little Too Late" by ShootingStarBlitz, but I'm simply a big fan of his/her story and would never plagiarize said story for the sake of it. Many film genres are blended here, but it's primarily a Film Noir Superhero story with downplayed supernatural elements.
Until next time...