Reality

Todd got the call from Devi about the sequel to Starship Cowboy. He had let out a happy 'squee' (a rarity) and took the bus downtown to get it.

She handed it to him with a smile. "First one out of the box," she said. Todd paid for it, then Devi clocked out of her shift. "Todd," she said before he left, "are you hungry?"

Todd WAS hungry, as a matter of fact. "Yeah," he replied. "Why?"

"You want to grab something to eat with me?"

Todd grinned. "Sure! I'll buy!"

"No, I'LL buy, Todd," she replied. "And I'll drive you home. We can talk for awhile."

"Okay," Todd replied. They drove to a nearby diner, where Todd reluctantly let Devi pay for their meals. They sat in silence for awhile, then Devi struck up conversation.

"I've seen you out pretty late, Todd," she said. "Done you ever get scared?"

"Not really, he replied. "I can take care of myself." Devi frowned.

"...You told me your parents dont care a lot about you...what do you mean?"

Todd repressed old memories that were surfacing. "...My parents resent my existance," he finally said, bitterly. "They just give me things to shut me up, and they always say they hope other people try to kidnap me." He took a sip of his root beer. "It's not so bad."

"Todd, that IS bad," Devi said sadly. "Children should be cared for and cared about. Dont you know that?"

'I used to think so,' Todd thought to himself. He shrugged. "I guess," he replied. "But I have...friends who kind of take care of me, so it's okay."

"What friends?" Devi asked.

'Crap crap crap...' "Just...friends," he said. "I mean...they've been more like parents to me than anyone, besides you." He blushed and shut his mouth.

Devi couldnt help but feel both sad for Todd and touched that he felt that way.

"I did have another person...who protected me," Todd added suddenly. "...But he left. Didnt come back."

"Oh," Devi said. "Who was he?"

"I...dont wanna talk about it," Todd replied. Devi nodded and they finished their meals in peace. When they left, Todd secretly added a $10 tip. The waitress had been a really nice lady.

It was quiet on the ride home. Devi seemed nervous to be in his neighborhood again, but stopped in front of the house anyway. "Thanks Devi," Todd said, getting out. Devi sighed and turned the engine off. "What are you doing?"

"I want to talk to your parents, Todd."

Todd felt a rush of panic. "NO! That's okay, Devi! You dont have to! I'll be fine!"

"Todd, do they hurt you?" Devi asked, concerned. "If they do, Todd, you can stay with me and we'll -!"

"No, it's not that!" Todd becan to panic more when Devi walked up to the door. "Please, Devi, dont -"

The door opened and an arm shot out to snatch Devi and reel her in. Todd bolted in after her and slammed the door shut. "DONT HURT HER, EFF!" he cried.

"I wasnt gonna hurt her, Squee," Mr. Eff replied, rolling his eyes and shoving Devi onto the couch, where D-Boy was sitting and flipping channels. He let out an indignant cry and pushed Devi off of him.

Devi bolted up and ran for the door, but Mr. Fuck steped in front of her, holding a very large knife. "Sorry, Devi," he said, grinning manically, "but I cant let you leave."

Devi was struck with the memory of Johnny the night he tried to kill her. And for some reason, the freaky-looking guy in front of her looked very familiar. "Shit...!" she muttered, backing away. Todd scowled and snatched the knife from Mr. Eff's hand.

"What the hell, Eff!" he snapped, tossing the knife carelessly away behind him. "You know that Devi's not bad!"

"I know, I know," Mr. Eff grumbled. "Force of habit. Keepg the happiness while it's here, and all that rot."

"Johnny's not HERE, retard!" D-Boy spoke, settling on a channel about mental illness. "And I dont think he or Todd will appreciate KILLING the young lady."

Todd bit his lip and looked at Devi. "Devi," he began slowly, "this is Psychodoughboy -" He pointed to D-Boy on the couch. "- and Mr. Fuck. These are the friends who take care of me."

Devi stared at the two disturbing men in the room. They were both about six feet tall, and were dressed...oddly. Mr. Eff was decked out in purple and black, with Z? plastered on the front of his shirt. His eyes were disturbingly red with black arrows pointing from the corners. His smile was dirturbing, and there were black lines running over his lips, making it look like they had been stitched together at some point.

D-Boy was purely black and white, with striped sleeves and the word FUCK over his shirt. The most disturbing thing about him were his eyes - they were spiraled.

"...Friends...?" Devi muttered. Todd nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "...I lied to you, Devi."

"About what?" she asked, keeping her eye on Mr. Eff, who was eyeing her almost letcherously.

"Everything." Todd took her hand and led her to the couch, sitting her down. He took the remote and turned off the TV, making D-Boy glare at him. "Devi...the truth is...my parents are dead."

"Dead?" Devi repeated.

"Dead," Mr. Eff leered. "As fucking doornails."

"And...the other truth is that...I DO know about the guy who lived here before me. Johnny." Devi shuddered at the sound of the name. "Johnny was the friend who used to protect me. He once told me that people are not monsters, not boogiemen; no one worth devoting nightmares to." He wrung his hands. "I know that Johnny had tried to kill you. And that he was the one who killed all those people five years ago."

Devi felt very sick. "How do you know all of this?" she asked.

"I was six when I first met Johnny," Todd said. "And I lived next door to him. He would come to my house for bandaids and stuff. He came to visit when he left. But..." He looked at Mr. Eff and D-Boy. "...I didnt really know until I came here that he killed people for a reason."

"'Reason'?" Devi repeated. "REASON! Who could POSSIBLY have a reason for KILLING people!"

"Waste locks," the three males all said at once.

"Waste locks?"

"Waste locks, little girl," Mr. Eff said, grinning. "Beings that keep barriers up to keep human negativity and pure aggression in real, physical form from escaping. And for OUR particular barrier, Johnny was the lock, and to KEEP it locked, it needed blood."

"He painted the Wall to sate it," D-Boy added in. "Without blood, the barrier goes soft, and Moose can get out."

"'Moose'?" Devi asked.

"Dont ask. But anyway, Johnny finally refused to feed the Wall anymore. And due to some very complicated plot developments in this story we call existance, Johnny shoots himself in the head, Moose gets out, Johnny dies, and existance is reinstalled, and all of the human filth begins to build up again. And since Johnny was brought back with existance but decided to split, a new lock was needed."

"And THAT my dear," Mr. Eff finished, putting his hands on Todd's shoulders, "is where our dear little Squee comes in."

Devi stared at Todd, who nodded. "It's true, Devi," he said. "I'M the waste lock now. I'm the one responsible for those deaths and dissappearances." He lowered his eyes. "But you have to know...I'd NEVER kill you. You're too nice a person, and the world needs people like you. If there were, then people like me and Johnny wouldnt have to be the way we are."

"If it's any condolence, Devi," Mr. Eff spoke up, "Nny really liked you; might have even loved you."

"Then why the FUCK did he try to KILL me!" she spat back, momentarily forgetting the mind fuck she'd just heard.

"Other than all the reasons he gave you before the attempt on your life?" Eff said, stepping around Todd to face her. "...Because I told him to." Devi stepped back, and Eff stepped forward. "I told him to caputre the moment and freeze it in time. And of course, what with the little shit desperate for happiness and fond memories, he LISTENED to me!" He let out an insane bark of laughter. "It's nothing personal, my lady, but you ARE beautiful..."

"You're sick...!" she said, trying to back up to the door. "You're sick, and you're dragging Todd down with you!"

"Wrong lady," D-Boy interruped offhandedly. "if it werent for locks, WE wouldnt exist. The fact of the matter is that we are - were - figments of a figment, and we are what you see right now because of HIM." He pointed to Todd, who nodded. "His imagination enabled us to take form, just as Johnny's imagination allowed us to walk back when we were HIS voices."

Devi suddenly remembered oddly-painted styrofoam figures in that room when Johnny had tried to kill her. And in tht stupid recording, didng Johnny mention a Psychodoughboy?

"This is crazy...!" she muttered, stepping back. "This is CRAZY!" She made a break for the door, but a large knife cut through the air and imbedded itself in the door. She shrieked and whipped around to see Mr. Eff standing with his arm outstretched.

"In the immortal words of the Mad Hatter," he said, his grin growing more insane, "we're all mad here."

Johnny stepped off of the bus, grimacing at the now-familiar surroundings. Asshole Central, he thought. Hell-on-Earth Junction. HE slung his small backpack over his shoulder and picked up his small satchel back and made his way to the nearest bus stop.

-'Home sweet home, eh Johnny?'-

"Shut up, Nailbunny."