The end was near for the Wattersons.
Why were we so stupid? Of course making things worse wouldn't fix anything! But we had to try something. And that something got us cornered in our own house as everyone wanted to destroy us for everything we've done in the past. We didn't pay our consequences, and now it became a snowball effect. When all hope seemed lost, I remember exclaiming one thing as our doom drew closer to us.
"The only thing that can save us is reality being completely reset by some kind of magic device!"
And suddenly, someone responded to me.
"But that doesn't exist. The only way to 'reset' is killing all of you."
At first, I was thinking it was one of the town's people. But who would say something like that? I guess anyone could at this point. However, it wasn't a voice I recognized at first. Everyone stopped their assault and turned around to see who said that. The silence was filled with the slow claps as he approached us. He split through the angry mob, as Jesus splitting the sea.
There stood a man I remember: Michael Wolf. He is a black wolf, about age 20. His hazel eyes were covered by sunglasses he was wearing at that moment. Last time I met him, we was in a fancy red suit with golden tassels on it. It looks like a bigger version of what I wore to Penny's House that day, the same day their spider attacked me. However, today he was wearing a different outfit. A black hoodie with a dark blue shirt underneath replaced the red suit, and the gray overalls were exchanged with simple gray shorts. His dragon tattoos that lay on his forearms show. As he slowly claps, he pulls out a gold and diamond encrusted cane from his back. He's as healthy as on ox, and his back is as straight as possible. The cane is obviously just to show how wealthy he is.
I don't know how, but somehow one day he became a Millionaire. Rumor has it that his parents were rich, and didn't give any of their fortune to their son. But when they died, the money was given to him. If that's the case, I can see why they didn't want him to have their wealth. The last time we encountered him was when all of the natural disasters occurred. His motto in that situation was 'If you can't keep up, you die.' We refused to let that fate happen to us, and so we battled for the positions of the last survivors to be rescued on that hilltop. I was able to knock him off an edge, but I didn't want the guy to die. He would rather die than get any help from the Wattersons. Or so we thought. But here he stands, everyone in Elmore turning their heads as he walks towards us.
"This is what makes me different from all of you, Wattersons. I cause damage and get away with it. You cause damage, and you pay the punishment." Michael laughs.
"How are you still alive? You fell off of that cliff that day, and that was about a 100 foot drop!" My mother yells at the sight of her Ex-Boyfriend.
"Let's just say I'm magical. Or the fact that I put on the Helmet on the last second and was able to save myself. I'm one lucky man."
"What are you doing? Stop him! He's a criminal who almost killed all of you!" Anais was directing to the people of Elmore.
"They won't do anything for you. Because they trust me."
I see my mother's face turn from fear, to anger. "Wait a minute, you're the one who told everyone, didn't you?"
"Told them what?"
And then I understood what Mom was talking about.
"You did! Everything was going fine when everyone didn't know about our consequences, but now you told them about the consequences that wasn't even all of our fault!" I shout.
"What are you, stupid? I didn't tell them. I reminded them. Reminded them of how you Wattersons are. The way you act, the way you talk, and even the way you breathe. You're all nothing but the Devil, a curse that lays waste to everything it touches." What Michael says next, all makes our blood boil. "I dare even say you're the one that started the natural disasters a year ago."
That's when my mother snapped. She clenches her fist, and thrusts it at Michael's face, pounding against his skull on impact. His sunglasses shatter and fall to the ground, many pieces on the ground. In shock, he checks his own face. Blood trickles down his right nostril. His reaction I'll never forget. His pupils shrank as he looks upon the blood coming down his face. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he made the most ferocious growl I might ever hear.
"Kill them. Kill them all."
Everyone in Elmore resumed their attack, but I realized something as I turned to Dad. He hasn't said a word, or done an action since he was poking a few of the people who were entering through our window. He's thinking of a plan. Just as I knew it, Dad uses the rake he had to charge through the people, and out the door. This gave all of us enough time to reach our car. Mom get in the driver's seat, and quickly started it up.
"Come on, come on! Why must movie cliches happen now?" My Mom yells in frustration as she turns the key consecutively in a pattern, car revving and dying.
"They're coming!" Darwin exclaims as he looks out the window to our house.
"Please... please..." It seems like Mom is about to burst into tears when finally, after one last effort, the engine starts. "Get's go!"
She puts the pedal to the metal and we drive off. I turn around and look out the back window to make sure Michael isn't following us.
"After them! Get your cars! I'll make sure they don't go far." Michael gets on his Harley and accelerates after us.
Well, now we're in a car chase. Escaping the problem will only make it worse, but what do we do, then?
"I'm gonna rip your head off and shove it down your body, Wattersons!" Michael wheelies in an attempt to go faster as he gains on us.
"What do we do?" Dad asks.
Mom is frozen at the wheel. I'm guessing thinking of a plan before Dad even asked.
"Looks like Mom is thinking. Anais, any ideas?" Darwin turns to Anais who is beside him.
"I... I don't know anymore!" Anais is the one who is almost in tears now.
I check again to see if Michael is still gaining, but the only thing I see now are the distant cars of Elmore.
"I think- I think we lost him." I turn forward again, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Michael on the left side of the car. At first I thought I was imagining things, but I look again to check. Nope, he's there.
"Wattersons!" He screeches as he slams into the car repeatedly and rhythmically as Mom starting the car.
"Mom?" I turn back to Mom to see if she's thought of a plan yet.
"Hold him off! I still need time to think!" Mom finally replies.
"With what?" Darwin asks.
But it was too late for anyone to respond, because once again, similar to Mom starting up the car, one final effort of Michael slamming into our car makes Mom lose control. She starts screaming as she tries to gain control of the vehicle once again. Time ran out to control it, because in front of our eyes was the school entrance. And the next moment, we were in it, shattered glass strewed across the clean tile floor.
"We can't stay here!" Mom jumps out of the car, but easily walks, being cautious of the glass. We follow her, doing every motion she does, like a Puppeteer controlling his puppets. Once we're finally safe from our feet being stabbed, we rush to a higher floor. As we run, I hear the angry mob in the distance, but Michael is right on our tails.
"You can't run forever! Pay your consequences with death!"
We continue to run up flight after flight of stairs, passing lockers and classrooms as we do.
Suddenly, I hear a banging sound, followed by a whizzing noise.
"He's got a gun?" Anais shrieks
"Last time I heard, he invested most of his money into weaponry!" Mom replies.
"This guy really hates us, doesn't he?" Dad rhetorically asks.
After a certain amount of stairs (I lost count due to how many there are, and the fact that we have a killer right behind us), I can fell my energy running out. I pant heavily as we run up more stairs. Just when my body was about to give out, I see a light.
"Everyone, to the roof!" Mom opens the door, and we file in. She sees Michael behind right behind us, getting closer to the door.
"Don't close that door!" He warns.
Mom closes the door, and locks it. We look upon the once peaceful city, now turned to complete chaos. This whole time, I thought that the angry mob was following us too. Now as I look down, I see every friend, foe, and stranger near the walls of the school. They're saying things like 'Make the Wattersons pay!' and 'It's time to pay up!'
"Every time we think we got away, we keep on moving into another corner! What do we do, Mom?" Darwin asks.
Mom has two simple words that is enough for all of us to understand. "We fight."
I think about this for a moment, but there is no way out except to fight. To show that Michael is the greater monster than my family. I nod, along with the rest of the family. The locked door clanks and clatters as we prepare for the worst. The clanging gets louder, as I shiver at the thought of fighting him again. The hinges on the door finally break down, and Michael tackles the door down. He's holding an ax in one hand, and a silver revolver in the other.
"Time to pay, bitch! Pay your soul to the Devil, and then, maybe he might give it to someone else, or perhaps just keep it to himself because your souls are so evil, or... you know what, fuck it! Making comebacks suck!" Michael's so insane he can't even think of a good line.
"We're not gonna back down from you, Michael." I say.
Michael stops in his tracks. "You're not... afraid? Oh, that's just great! All this time, I've been trying to strike fear into you, make you shake in fear of my mightiness! I set up this whole plan and everything in my mind! I can kill you, but it'll be no fun when you fight back, damnit! Why can't things go perfectly my way?! Fine, fine, we'll do it live! Doing it live! You get that? Put this on camera for me! Someone who's a cameraman better get footage of this..."
Mom's had enough of his rambling and kicks him in the chest.
"Do you know, how fucking rude that was?" Michael replies much calmer than I expected. He decides to forget it, and finally makes his first attack. He swings his ax left and right, and we dodge out of the way. I try to calm myself as I dodge his strikes, one after the other. Pretend it's a video game. This is the final boss, and I have practiced big for this. Completed the Dungeon, destroyed the enemies, and got to the finest hour. This is the Wattersons finest hour for sure. Every move, every action, will be life or death.
After a few swings, Michael gives off a cry in frustration, and pulls out his revolver.
"We can't dodge that, bullets move too fast!" Anais warns the rest of the family. How am I going to get past this? Will this be our weakness?
Michael pulls the trigger, but it clicks.
"Shit! Forgot to load it again!"
Thank goodness for his insanity.
Michael pulls out a box of bullets, and is able to put one in the barrel, but Mom smacks it out of his hand before he can load more. It slides across the roof, hoping that it falls off, but it slides short, and stays on the roof. Michael dives for it, but Darwin slides it out of his grabbing range.
"I don't need a gun to kill you, anyways!" Michael yells.
Down below, I can still hear the crowd roaring in anger. I have to put an end to this. I usually would try to find something to amplify my voice, but my anger is my amplifier so that everyone below me can hear me.
"Stop! Take a look around you! Is this what you want Elmore to be known for? Causing damage to itself? Michael is a murderer, and Leslie is an example of that! We might have caused damage, but you tell me which one is worse: causing damage on accident, or killing a child on purpose?" Everyone's screaming finally stops. Just to make sure it stays that way, I continue.
"We didn't mean for any of this to happen. All of the accidents we made are not purposeful. We're just a dysfunctional family trying to make our way though everyday life. We don't have much, and lose a lot. But Michael Wolf is a rich man who got everything he ever wanted... and it's not enough. We make mistakes, but don't you? We make a lot of mistakes, but everyone does. There's only one way to do something right, but endless ways to do something wrong. We might not make the right choices now, but I know we will in the future. We are not failures, we are a work in progress. I also know that every action has a consequence, good or bad. And the bad consequences need to payed for and not ignored. Some are small enough for a single person to fix, but sometimes a mistake is so big, it takes more than one person to fix. We make those big mistakes, but we don't have to do it alone. We are Elmore, and we either rise together, or fall together. Instead of shunning us for our mistakes, you can help us. Help the Wattersons become a better family than before. Why? Because we are united! We are a city, trying to make by! Most importantly, we are not a team, we are more than that. We are a family, families that live within one big family! Michael Wolf is not part of our family, but a mere outcast who shouldn't belong in Elmore! Any people who hurt our big Elmore families are the ones who should be burned at the steak, and destroyed for their actions, because Michael Wolf's actions are no mistake. He is a criminal who needs to be stopped!"
As I speak, I start of slow and soft, and raise my voice, making it more dramatic. That's one thing I actually payed attention to. Famous people in history did that to convince others much better. I can feel the people raise their voices into a cheer. I take a deep sigh of relief. It worked.
And then I feel pain shock through my body, starting at the chest. I'm afraid to look down, but my head moves on its own down to my chest. It's the thing I feared the most.
My tan shirt is tainted with red. I touch it to make sure, and I see the blood on my hands. I scream out in pain as I realize what happened. The cheers of the people turn into gasps and screams as I yell out in agony.
"What a touching speech. Well, you can take that, along with all of the people of Elmore to hell." Michael laughs.
"Gumball!" My mother cries out to me as I turn around. Michael is holding his silver revolver, smoke coming from the barrel of the gun.
"Your time is up." Michael says as he turns away from me.
He's right, my time is up. I've tried my best for the happy ending I was hoping for, but it's too late for me, now...
but not for everyone else.
As Michael takes his few steps, walking away from me, I reach out for his waist, and clench hard with both hands.
"What the...?" Michael doesn't realize what I'm doing until he turns back at me again. I look him straight in the eye without saying a single word. He knows what things I'm saying my the glimpse in my eye. His eyes shrink as I strike fear into his soul.
All it takes is one step back, and my foot slides off of the roof. Gravity starts to follow, as I clench onto Michael as hard as I can. I blink for just a moment, and suddenly, the wind is rushing at us, looking down at the people of Elmore. Floor after floor, we both begin to plummet to our doom. I can hear the heart wrenching cries of my family as I fall. In this moment, it seems like time moves so slowly.
Suddenly, the world around me fades as flashbacks of my past appear around me. All of the mistakes I've made. Flooding the House, letting my jealousy change who I am, getting obsessed over a stupid helmet, and all of the pain I've brought on my own family. It all starts flooding in, and it first I want them to go away. Then I realize why I'm being shown these moments. They were my mistakes, and they're in the past. The real question is, have I changed because of this? Have I became a better person than the first time this all happened? I remember that first time all of this chaos happened. Over a DVD... what a foolish thing to get worked up about. Everything would have been fine if I would've just faced the consequences... for my actions...
We haven't changed. This problem started with not facing our consequences, and is ending with that. I'm such an idiot.
Then I remember where I am again. I sacrificed my life to help my family. To help Elmore. Maybe...
maybe I'm not so useless after all. Maybe I did learn from my mistakes. Those mistakes that was made, I might have been a part of, but no one else should punish for these actions. I'm willing to die for my family. Mom, Dad, Darwin, and Anais... they're all so important to me. If only I had one more chance to redeem myself, I would change myself, I would turn my horrible world upside down, and do the best I can at everything. But I got too many chances. And now I've run out. It's time to pay the price, and I'm ready.
The ground is coming closer to me, and I close my eyes for impact. When I open them, I see a bright light. Is this the moment where I'm about to go to Heaven?
No.
My eyes adjust, and I'm still in Elmore. I look down to see that my gun wound is still there. I look around, and I'm right next to the school. But, I'm not on my feet. Then, I hear the most beautiful voice call to me.
"Will you be the peanut butter in my PB&J?"
I look up to see the love of my life, Penny holding me in her arms.
"You're okay, now." Penny rubs my head. I look up to the roof, and I see my family looking down at me, tears in their eyes.
"Michael... where is..." I didn't have to finish, because she gestures to a police car, the roof dented, and Michael laying unconsciously on top of it.
I hear a Band-Aid near me communicate on her phone.
"We need an Ambulance here, stat! This kid is gonna die, so bring it ASAP!"
As my family run down the stairs back to the ground, some people I know confront me in conversation.
"That speech you gave. Only famous people like Martin Luther King Jr and Adolf Hitler were able to successfully make such a motivational speech like that. Perhaps there is hope for you and Darwin after all." Mr. Brown says to me.
Larry is next to speak to me. "You would sacrifice your life like that? Why?"
As I speak, my voice comes out hoarse and weak. "Because I'm going to repent, and fix any problems I've caused in the past."
Larry takes a moment to pause as he thinks about what to say next. "You know what, I'm starting to think that this whole Retraining Order was going too far. I should probably... think about lifting the order."
This brings the corners of my mouth up.
I turn when I hear the footsteps of my family.
"Gumball! No buddy, please don't die!" Darwin says in panic.
I try to calm him down. "Darwin, Darwin. Remember what you've taught me. Find your happy place. Find your..." Another surge of pain goes through my body, which makes me wince.
"Son, did I do good as a father?" Dad asks me.
"Dad... you're my hero. You've always been my hero."
This makes Dad start crying.
"Why would you sacrifice yourself like that? It doesn't make any logical sense." Anais replies.
"Sometimes, love doesn't make any sense." I simply retort.
Finally, Mom puts her hand on my cheek.
"Gummypuss, you've always been my winner." She smiles.
I can hear sirens and I see the Ambulance coming this direction.
"Please hang on, Gumball." Mom tells me.
But suddenly, my eyes start to become heavy. Everything around me is fading, and the last thing I hear is Mom.
"Hang on."
When I wake up this time, I'm not at the school anymore. I can feel the needle in my arm, feeding me water. I look around, and I remember this room. I've been in this same hospital many times. And in front of me, I can see my family.
"How do you feel, son?" Dad asks.
"Better, but it still hurts." I reply.
"Well, the good news is that they were able to remove the bullet from your chest, and they patched you up nicely." Mom tells me.
With that, I look down at my chest. The red stain is gone, and my chest is patched up with stitches.
"But that's not even the best news." Anais says.
What are they talking about? There's more? In curiosity, I ask.
"What's the best news?"
Darwin has a big smile on. "Your speech motivated everyone to help fix Elmore, together!"
This makes me really happy. If it didn't hurt to stand, I would dance for joy. I started this, so should I help out?
"Do you need any help? I could-"
"You don't need to help, Gumball. Everyone is helping out, and you've already helped so much." Anais smiles. "You need to rest."
"I wish we could stay longer, Gummypuss, but we should get to helping out. We'll come see you everyday. How does that sound?" Mom asks.
I smile. "That sounds great."
And with that, my family leaves my room, and I look outside. Everyone is helping repair houses, fix roads, and helping Elmore become a better place. Yep...
I helped make this happen.
END