Chapter 9, and happy Saturday! This is a big, long, dramatic chapter, fair warning, fully in Wakko's POV. So, I'm gonna shut up now, and let you guys read. :)
You don't really want to sue me, you just think you do.
"Hello Nurse!" Wakko yelled as he came into Scratchy's office. Hello Nurse gave a surprised giggle. It had been a while sence Wakko had used his old greeting, but Wakko was in a great mood. He and Dot had actually had some fun last night, just like old times. It wasn't quite the same without Yakko, but Wakko knew that what he said last night was true; Yakko wouldn't want them to be moping around and sad without him. He also had the feeling that Yakko was still alive and out there, somewhere. They'd see him again, hopefully soon.
"You can go in," Hello Nurse said, bracing herself slightly, like she was expecting a kiss. Wakko, however, decided not to today, thinking that his sudden snap back into normalcy had been enough of a shock for her today. Tomorrow, however...
Wakko decided that Scratchy shouldn't be left out of the fun, so Wakko pictured himself inside one of Scratchy's desk drawers. His toon powers kicked in, and soon he found himself in a cramped, enclosed, dark area. He felt a tug on something outside and Wakko got himself ready as light started to pour in.
"Hiya, Scratchy!" Wakko yelled, popping out of the drawer. Scratchy yelped in surprise and jumped out of his chair. Wakko watched his face morph into a combo of surprise and annoyance.
"Vell, Wakko, I'll admit it's kind of nice to see you acting like your zany self again..." Scratchy gasped out, his breathing still heavy, and Wakko giggled. "But, I thought I told you! No more monkey business!"
"I forgot," Wakko said, then started laughing at his own joke. Scratchy looked confused for a second, then sighed as he got it. However, his face soon morphed into a smile.
"I still stand by vhat I said earlier; it's nice to see you acting like yourself again. Vhat brings the sudden change in mood?"
"I realized that Yakko wouldn't want me and Dot to be all sad even though he's not here, so Dot and I played tag last night," Scratchy chuckled to himself as Wakko made his way over to the couch.
"Vait a second, Wakko," Wakko looked at Scratchy, confused. "Ve're going to go on a valk today. It's such a nice day out."
Wakko had a feeling that Scratchy had something else planned, but he was a p-sychiatrist. Of course he'd have another motive. Wakko decided to play along.
Wakko and Scratchy walked out of the office and towards the gate. When Ralph saw them approach, he raised an eyebrow.
"Uhhh," He started to say, looking at Wakko, but Scratchy cut him off.
"He's vith me, und Plotz said I could let him out of the lot." Ralph nodded, and let them through, still looking confused. Then again, he always looked that way. Wakko swore he heard Scratchy mutter under his breath. "It's not like they don't get out vith out you knowing anyway..." and Wakko had to suppress a chuckle. They walked across the street and into a park.
This place feels kinda familiar...But, not in a good way.
Wakko looked up at Scratchy, who was looking straight ahead. "Why are we here?" Scratchy didn't answer, and almost looked a little guilty.
Wakko kept walking forward, but stopped when he realized Scratchy wasn't following him. When he looked back, Scratchy urged him forward, still looking guilty.
Wakko turned back around, and spotted a tree. It was old and gnarled, with low, large branches that look like they'd be good for climbing. It seemed to ring a bell, so Wakko walked toward it. Once he was close enough, he reached out and put his hand on the trunk. He inhaled sharply as something suddenly came to him.
Wakko walked with Yakko and Dot towards the park. The three looked around, until Wakko spotted a human man standing underneath a large, gnarled tree. His head was bent down and covered by shadows, and he seemed to be looking at his fingers, but Wakko could feel the man's eyes on him.
"What's his problem?" Wakko wondered, pointing to the man to clarify things for Yakko and Dot.
"Well, sibs, let's find out," Yakko said, and the three ran up to him.
"Hello Nurse!" Dot called out as they ran up, and Wakko could see why. He was young, though it was hard to tell exactly how old he was due to his head being in the shadows. He was dressed in a black t-shirt with dark blue jeans.
"Ah, ah, ah," Yakko said, holding his sister down. "No bad boys for you." Dot stuck his tongue out at him and pouted. "No, offence, sir, but you're giving 'bad boy' vibes."
The man just chuckled slightly to himself. "Hey, look, he can smile," Yakko deadpanned. "So, allow us to introduce ourselves!"
"We're the Warner Brothers!" Yakko and Wakko called out together.
"And the Warner Sister!" Dot added.
"I'm Yakko!"
"I'm Wakko!"
"And I'm cute!" Dot said, then cowered under Yakko and Wakko's glares. "But, you can call me Dot," She added quickly, blushing slightly.
"We're lucky she didn't sing that song," Wakko muttered.
"I know who you three are," The man spoke suddenly in a gruff voice.
"Well, he speaks," Yakko said, raising an eyebrow. He was about to go on, but the shadow man, which is what Wakko had started calling him in his head, spoke again.
"I know who you three are," The shadow man repeated. "And I'm not happy with you three."
Wakko and his siblings looked at each other and shrugged.
"Care to elaborate?" Yakko asked.
The man looked up, and the first thing Wakko noticed is that his steel grey eyes were hard. His square jaw was set and he looked a lot more muscular than they originally thought. He took a black backpack off his shoulders, which Wakko didn't notice due to it blending into his sleeves, and unzipped it.
"No," He said, his voice firm. A devilish smile formed on his face. "But I can show you."
Suddenly, he pulled a toon's mallet, and aimed it right at Yakko's head.
"Duck and cover!" Yakko yelled, and the three rolled out-of-the-way. "Mallet's out," Yakko ordered, and Wakko and Dot complied.
The man cursed, and then pulled something metal out of the backpack and clipped it on his belt loop. He set his sights on them, and charged.
"Split up!" Yakko called out. Dot took off back towards the lot, while Yakko went in the opposite direction. Wakko stood still, dodged the shadow man's next mallet swing by rolling forward between his legs, then quickly smacked him in the back. The man stumbled in shock, and Wakko took the opportunity to run back toward the tree. Acting on instinct, he climbed up the tree and began watching the scene unfold.
Dot was heading back towards the lot, and hopefully she'd get help. Yakko had ducked into an ally way, waiting for a chance to sprint out. The shadow man had gotten over the blow to his back and was now looking around, attempting to find one of them.
Wakko wondered why he was so set on hurting them, and why he was mad at them. They never tried to make someone mad unless they were provoked first, which, until recently, this man hadn't done. Wakko was itching to get some revenge, but he needed to get out of here first. The shadow man was too violent to deal with right now.
The shadow man turned towards the lot, then began walking towards it. Wakko could no longer see Dot, so he assumed that she was either hiding, or had gotten back to the lot. He had to hope one of those two things where true.
He quietly snuck down the tree, and decided to head towards Yakko. They could outmatch him together. The split up had been merely to confuse him, and they knew that. After that, they were to either meet up and give the guy a piece of their mind, or go get help. He agreed with Dot's idea of getting help. He just hoped that he and Yakko could hold him off until Dot got back.
Wakko began running, and as he did so, made eye contact with Yakko. They nodded to each other, both understanding the plan. Suddenly, Yakko's eyes widened and he looked like he was about to yell out to Wakko.
Smack! Wakko fell forward after the mallet smashed into his head. He got up quickly, stars dancing in his vision. Looking up he saw the shadow man, holding his mallet and a pair of handcuffs that seemed to be dripping something.
Suddenly, the shadow man fell sideways and in his place was Yakko, still holding his mallet. He quickly helped Wakko up then shoved him in the opposite direction.
"Run! Run, Wakko!" Yakko shouted at him. Still slightly confused from the whack to the head, Wakko started to comply, but stopped when he heard an angry yell that didn't sound like his older brother. Turning back around, he saw the shadow man start to get up and turn toward Yakko. Yakko began to back up, readying his mallet. Wakko began to turn around when he caught Yakko's eye.
"I'll be fine, just run!" Yakko yelled again, and, although he sounded confidant, Wakko heard something he never imagined hearing in his brother's voice; uncertainty. "We'll meet back up at the tower later."
Wakko nodded, then turned back around and began to run at toon speeds.
Run... Run... Run...
Wakko snapped out of the memory, tears stinging his eyes and his breathing heavy. That was the full repressed memory, and this had been the park it all occurred in. He looked up at the tree and quickly backed away from it, as though it was poison.
He heard footsteps walking quickly over to him. No... Wakko waited until the footsteps where closer, then suddenly pulled out his mallet and swung.
"Hey!" Scratchy yelled, dodging the mallet swing just in time. Wakko blinked and quickly recognized his target.
"I'm so sorry!" He cried.
"It's okay, Wakko," Scratchy said dismissively. "I take it you remember vhat happened that night?"
Wakko nodded, then was surprised by how much he was shaking They had all been attacked. And they all thought that the crazy shadow man had taken Yakko. It wasn't just a story anymore; this memory had proven that it was all real, that it had actually happened.
Scratchy quickly hugged him. Scratchy muttered something, but Wakko couldn't hear it.
"You knew that bringing me here would bring the memory up," Wakko said.
"Ja, I figured it out from vhat you remembered yesterday," The guilt in his voice was evident. "I, however, thought that it vould come back much more gradually. I didn't expect the vhole memory to resurface this quickly. Can you tell me the memory?"
Wakko began to go through the memory, and was surprised at how much better he felt getting it out. When he finished, he looked up at Scratchy, who looked grave, and yet slightly hopeful as well.
"Vell, ve now know vhat he looks like, so that vill help the police catch this madman. Ve'll have to talk to the police, und let them know all the details. They may help too," Wakko nodded, expecting that.
"We should tell Dot too," Wakko said. "She has a right to know what happened."
Scratchy nodded as he and Wakko began to head back towards the lot. Wakko began to worry about Yakko again. Now that he remembered this man, that fact that he probably had Yakko was starting to sink in.
Yakko... Wherever you are, I hope you're okay. And we'll find you soon.
