Whoo! Lookie, an update! Okay I'm sorry for those of you who thought I was dead by this time, but I've been very busy! I graduated, went to Mexico for the summer (and went bungee jumping!), got a new job as an English teacher and moved out of my house (and then moved back home). And then there are the technology problems I've been having as of late. First I got a virus (I call it Vista) then I had some sort of software issues and then another virus and then some hardware issues that cost me much $$$. XO Ugh. And now I'm using my laptop (cuz my other computer is getting wiped for like the third time) and the freaking 't' key keeps popping off. Technology hates me. Not to mention the writer's block I've had. I had almost finished this chapter when I realized I hated it, lol. So I re-did it.
Once again thank you all for your wonderful comments, they are probably the only reason this chapter came out at all!
I extend my deepest most sincere apologies for the long wait.
Now! On with the story!
Chapter 7 (version 2!)
All hell was breaking loose now. The first few creatures that had come out of the portal had wasted no time in disembowelling anyone who even came close to standing in their way, although they didn't touch any equipment, Stan noted. It was horrifyingly similar to the last time he'd been to the Pentagon, complete with mass amounts of carnage. He and his friends huddled in the corner, next to the still unconscious form of the Kyle imposter.
"Now what?" Kenny hissed. Stan shook his head and glanced at Cartman.
"How did they get rid of Manbearpig last time, fat boy?"
"Ay!" Cartman protested, "I'm not fat, I'm-"
"Jesus Christ Cartman, you're fat now just get over it and answer the goddamn question!" Stan growled. Cartman glared at him.
"Not until you admit I'm big-boned, not fat."
"Oh for the love of-!"
"Just do it, Stan." Kenny sighed.
"And be grateful," Cartman added smugly, "If you were Kyle I would get you to kiss my ass instead." Swearing under his breath Stan rolled his eyes.
"Cartmanyou'renotfatyou'rebigboned, now for the love of God tell me how they got rid of Manbearpig!"
"I dunno, they hit a button or something." Cartman shrugged. Stan called upon all his willpower to keep him from strangling the boy in front of him.
"Which button, fatass? The fate of the whole freaking world might depend on this, so don't tell me you forget." Cartman surveyed the room without much interest.
"I dunno." He shrugged indifferently. Stan glared at the other boy, ready to beat the living daylights out of him when Kenny nudged him.
"Stan…is that…" Following the blonde's gaze, Stan turned to the monster that had just emerged from the shimmering blue portal. Was that…wait…what the f**k was going on here?!
***
Secure in the knowledge that Kyle's newly-mastered powers of killing didn't work as long as he remained out of sight, the large hairy monster that had grabbed him now carelessly held him by the head as they made their way through the portal. Kyle was much too busy gripping onto the arm holding him for dear life to be overly concerned with his whereabouts. He winced as the monster came to a halt, claws digging deeper into Kyle's scalp. If the creature gripped him any harder the boy was sure his skull would shatter like glass. He tried to push the uncomfortable picture out of his mind.
"What do we do now?" The demon holding Kyle growled in his low baritone voice.
"We wait until all the troops assemble, and then we launch our attack." Manbearpig growled back.
"What about this one?" Kyle grit his teeth as the monster swung him up by his head. He could feel blood trickling down the back of his head from the claws. He cracked open an eye to look at Manbearpig's horrible face, hoping to catch a clue as to his fate. The smile on the demon's face was enough to make him regret it.
"He was very helpful, wasn't he?" The creature paused thoughtfully. Kyle's arms trembled from the strain of supporting his weight for so long. He prayed they came to a conclusion soon; a day and a half without food was really starting to take its toll on his strength.
"Well you-" Manbearpig stopped abruptly to whirl upon a smaller monster who was examining a terminal.
"Don't touch that!" The larger shrieked. The other creature quickly shied away, cowering in fear. "If you press that button, we'll all be sucked back into that dimension." Manbearpig glared with a look that could kill.
"Sir?..." The monster holding Kyle interjected meekly, holding up the boy.
"Just throw it in a corner somewhere for now." Manbearpig replied in disgust, pushing past. The demon shrugged and followed instructions. Literally. The next thing Kyle knew he was flying through the air. His first thought was of relief; his arms had been about to give out. His second thought was on how painful the collision with the wall was going to be. Oh shit… There was an explosion of pain and then blissful darkness. It didn't last as long as he would have liked though. His body welcomed him back to consciousness with a fresh wave of pain. Sitting up slowly he put a hand to his aching head and tried not to panic when it came away soaked in red.
"Kyle?" A familiar voice called out uncertainly. Kyle turned in surprise to see his three friends. Well, his two friends and Cartman anyway. Cartman was glaring at him like this whole mess was his fault and Stan and Kenny were staying at a safe distance, exchanging looks.
"What do you think?" The hooded boy asked.
"I dunno dude, this is just really f**ked up…" Stan replied, glancing at Kyle again. What the hell was going on here anyway? He slowly climbed to his knees and noticed Stan and Kenny edge away uncertainly, almost fearfully. What the hell?
"What are you guys doing here?" He croaked out. Damn, did his voice really sound that bad? Kyle hoped that impact hadn't broken anything, although he knew he should be grateful just to be alive. Kenny probably wouldn't get so lucky.
"Kyle, is that really you?" Stan asked, from his safe spot.
"Really me…? What the hell?" His friend glanced at him once then glanced at something to his left. Kyle followed the gaze and he felt his eyes widen. Despite everything he had already seen his mind could still hardly comprehend this. A body lay on the ground, looking bizarrely tranquil in the midst of all the chaos. It was clad in clean clothes and looked in much better shape, but Kyle could still recognize himself. Borrowing a line from his best friend he finally managed to speak.
"Dude, this is pretty f**ked up right here."
"You're telling me." Stan muttered. Kenny nudged him.
"So you think it's…?" Stan glanced from Kyle to the clone still sleeping peacefully on the ground. How the hell can he even sleep through all this? He glanced at his two friends who were watching him very closely. Oh God, now I have to prove to them I'm really Kyle? He briefly wondered about Stan and Kenny's initial hesitancy. What has this imposter done anyway? He quickly shoved these thoughts out of his mind. There would be time for that later. For now he had to find some way to get rid of the problem at hand; namely several hundred demons that looked like they had crawled up straight from the pit of hell itself.
"Kyle?" He heard Stan call out hesitantly. He was busily scanning the room, trying to ignore the fire in his shoulder. Something was definitely broken, he decided grimly.
"That button," Kyle answered, pointing with his good arm to a red button outlined in yellow and black stripes. It was the kind of button that just screamed 'Do not touch!'
"What?" Stan asked.
"That's the button that reverses the portal." Kyle answered. The two boys eyed the amount of monsters that crowded the general vicinity.
"Uh…there's kinda a lot of…" Stan began. Kyle sighed.
"I know…"
"Besides, I don't even know if you're telling the truth or not…"
"What?" Kyle turned towards his best friend in annoyance. Stan shrugged helplessly. Kyle grit his teeth, glancing at the blue portal. The last of the creatures were just pouring through now. In a few minutes they would begin destroying everything. He pictured the horrors of Imaginationland happening here in the real world and shuddered. No, he couldn't allow that to happen. Not to everyone here. Not again. He braced himself against the pain and lunged forward, focusing on the button. Almost there…so close… He was going to make it! Kyle reached out, his fingertips just brushing the red plastic before his feet were knocked out from under him. He went down hard, his head narrowly missing the edge of the terminal. Frankenstein lifted him up by his leg swinging teasingly close to the red button that would end this madness.
"What do you think you're doing?" The monster asked. Kyle kicked in frustration, still reaching for the button. It wasn't fair. After all the shit he'd put up with, to be stopped this close to his goal. He tried to twist out of the creature's grasp but the giant man was stronger then he looked. And he looked pretty damn strong. Frankenstein leaned in closer and was met by a kick in the face. Kyle grunted in satisfaction as he heard a loud cracking sound.
"By dose! Du broke by dose!" The monster howled, holding his bleeding nose with his free hand.
"Now put me down asshole!" Kyle yelled, swinging wildly.
"Stop kicking, you little bastard!" Frankenstein threatened.
"Then put me down!" Kyle seethed in exasperation.
"I have a better idea," the creature answered darkly, grabbing Kyle's free leg with its other hand. "You stop kicking or I start tearing limbs off." Kyle froze.
"Okay." He swallowed. From the other side of the room Kyle heard a loud bang like a gunshot. His curiosity burned but Frankenstein was in the way of his view.
"Goddamnit my nose hurts you little asshole," the giant mumbled, "I should…just killll youuu…noooowwww." His speech slurred and his grip lessened. "Whaaattttthehellll…" The monster slumped over dropping Kyle next to the terminal. Confused, Kyle glanced at Frankenstein who appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep. Then he noticed the dart in the back of the pasty giant's neck. A tranquilizer? He glanced up and noticed Stan was now holding a gun and smiling. Damn, he's got good aim. Kyle shook his head. He would congratulate his friend on his marksmanship later; right now there was a more important matter to attend to. He stood and reached for the button again.
"NO!" A voice roared behind him and Kyle felt claws hook into the abused fabric of his jacket. Not this time! He vowed determinedly. His palm hit the switch before the arm attached to the claws could completely pull him in. The effect was immediate. The portal sparked wildly, whirling faster. The nearest enemy, an unfortunate storm trooper was sucked through before he could even figure out what was going on.
"No!" The creature holding him roared again. With a frightening sense of nostalgia, Kyle realized it was Manbearpig. The huge creature fought the pull of the portal but it was no use. Screaming obscenities, the monster was dragged through the doorway to the imagination once again, which would have been fine, if he had not taken Kyle with him.
***
"Waugh!" Cartman yelled as the shimmering blue portal sucked him closer. He tried to slow his slide and managed to snag the edge of a demolished computer terminal.
"How do we stop it?!" Kenny yelled from across the room, hanging onto a heavy desk for dear life.
"The button!" Stan hollered back. "Cartman, you're the closest! You have to hit that button again!"
"Jesus Christ, do I have to do everything around here?!" Cartman growled in reply. Heaving himself closer to the destroyed terminal that was currently his only lifeline Cartman surveyed the room. The computer terminal with the button was fairly close, but it would mean letting go and letting the portal drag him closer so he could reach the other terminal. And there was that chance that he could get sucked into Imaginationland with all those hellish creatures. It was not an appealing thought. Mentally cursing out the goddamn Jew that had gotten him into this situation in the first place, Cartman let go of his only lifeline, feeling the portal draw him closer. He almost missed it too. The edge of his target slipped out of his grasp for a moment and for a terrifying second, he thought he might not make it. Then his hand found purchase on the metal base and he slowed himself, pulling his body closer. Cartman hauled himself up to a standing position and quickly hit the button. The current stopped and the portal returned to its calm blue color. There was a long moment of silence that followed, and then Kenny sighed.
"Thank God that's over." A voice piped up. One of the handfuls of remaining scientists surveyed the room from the opposite corner. There was a murmur of agreement from the other scientists and Kenny.
"What about Kyle?" Stan voiced.
"The little boy with the orange coat?" One of the scientists asked.
"Yeah, did you see what happened to him?" Stan asked hopefully.
"That giant Manbear creature had him when he was drawn back through the portal." The technician gave Stan a sympathetic glance.
"No it was really more of a half man half pigbear thing." Another of the technicians spoke up.
"No, I think it was more of a…" The scientists continued discussing the logistics of Manbearpig as Stan approached the portal determinedly.
"Stan, what are you doing?" Kenny asked suspiciously.
"I'm going in after them." Stan answered, turning to face his friend.
"Stan-"
"Look Kenny, we came all the way here to look for Kyle, I'm not giving up now. That really was him too, I'm sure of it."
"But Stan-"
"Don't try to talk me out of it."
"I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. Look." Kenny pointed behind Stan. The raven-haired boy turned, his mouth dropping in surprise.
***
Kyle's face was once again pressed close to the earth, to avoid any violent deaths on the evil army's part. He was pretty sure his nose was currently buried in the remains of the exploded storm trooper's intestines and prayed he was wrong.
"You little bastard!" Manbearpig seethed. "Do you really think this will stop us? What will stop us from marching right back through that portal and destroying your world?" He's right. Kyle realized in despair. I have to stop them now… He clenched his jaw as his head was pushed harder into the earth. There had to be some way to stop them. What could possibly take out a whole army? Suddenly the thought came to him. Oh shit…there has to be something else… It was getting difficult to breathe now. He had a feeling Manbearpig planned to kill him here and now. Then it doesn't really matter, does it? He asked himself. He closed his eyes and thought hard, remembering the moment, the fear, the confusion, the strange whistling noise in the air… The pressure on his head lessened suddenly.
"What's that?" Manbearpig growled, then froze, no doubt spotting the rapidly growing speck in the sky. With a fierce growl he turned back to Kyle.
"Don't you dare!" The monster hissed as the whistling got closer. "Get rid of it! Now!" Kyle smirked to himself. This was really the end. This was how he was going to die. He waited for the fear, but it didn't come. Maybe he had used up all his fear if that was even possible. All he knew was that he was so tired of feeling afraid, tired of being in pain, tired of all this crazy shit, hell he was just plain tired.
"Get rid of it!" Manbearpig screamed, twisting his good arm in a painful position. Kyle took a deep breath, knowing what was coming and relieved that it wouldn't last long.
"No." He said, his voice muffled by the ground. He heard the snap the moment before the pain started. The creature was panicking now as it grabbed Kyle's other arm, twisting it in the same threatening position.
"NOW!" Manbearpig roared desperately. Even as the tears of pain rolled down his cheeks, Kyle smirked, secure in the knowledge that Manbearpig wouldn't have enough time to break his other arm. He was right.
***
The portal shimmered one last time and then vanished. Stan stared at the metal ring that had once contained the ethereal blue portal.
"What happened?" He whispered. Then louder. "What happened!?" The technicians finally stopped their conversation on Manbearpig's anatomy and noticed the disappearance of the portal. One of the scientists made his way over to one of the few still-working computers. He tapped a few keys then frowned.
"It…it would appear…our imaginations have ceased to exist."
"What?!" Kenny demanded, looking at the man like he'd sprouted a second head. "Is that even possible?"
"It's strange…but it's exactly like when the government nuked it."
"A nuke?" Stan cried, "but…what about Kyle?..." It was a stupid question, he knew, but had to ask.
"I'm sorry, I'm not picking up any traces of life on the other side…everything on the other side has ceased to exist…including our imaginations themselves, which is why the portal vanished." The scientist replied. Kenny asked another question, but Stan wasn't listening to their conversation anymore.
"Ceased to exist?" The boy whispered, turning towards the empty ring that had held the portal. After this whole messed up journey, it was over just like that? He felt the tears well up in his eyes and angrily swatted them away. His best friend…gone…it was a reality he'd never wanted to face. He still had nightmares about the time when Kyle's kidneys had failed him; it had been such a close call. You're my best friend. I don't want you to die until I do. That was the moment when he realized just how mortal human beings truly are, how easily death could rip apart a friendship like nothing else, and how much he took those closest to him for granted sometimes. Foolishly, he'd assumed he'd learned his lesson and now his life would continue on normally without any tragedies such as this. The tears came again and Stan didn't even bother wiping them away this time. It would be futile anyway.
"Stan?" He could hear Kenny walking up to him. He turned away from his friend, not in the mood to be comforted.
"Hey, Stan." Kenny repeated, edging a little closer. Stan ignored the boy. He did not want hollow words of comfort now, for Christ's sakes, he'd just lost his best friend! He should be allowed to have a moment or two in peace!
"Stan." Kenny repeated for a third time, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. Stan didn't want to hear it. Words were meaningless and empty. They had no power at all. Nothing anyone could say would ever change things, no mere words would ever bring Kyle back.
"Stan, Kyle might not be dead. There might be a way to get him back yet." Then again, Stan reasoned, I could be wrong.
IT'S DONE! Not the story of course, but this chapter. Hurray! Okay, only one more chapter to go, and maybe an epilogue. Yay! As usual, comments, questions and such are always appreciated, and I just want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have stuck with me so far. Thank you and good night! Or…afternoon…whatever.
