Chapter Ten: Hero Closet
"Those who throw items at the crocodiles will be asked to retrieve them."
|Sai's POV|
"Sai, what's wrong?" Marluxia asks as I stare down at my cell phone all while trying to unravel this brand new mystery. How the hell could I have possibly sent myself a message approximately a minute ago if I was talking to Mr. Huston?
"Somehow I sent myself a text message," I reply. It's a demon phone, I tell you! Straight out of those books by Stephen King! AHHHHH! Run for your lives!
I really have to stop doing that…
"Well don't just stare at the thing," Mr. Huston snaps, "Read what it says."
I flip open my cell phone and hit the enter button to view the mysterious message. Maybe my future self is going to warn me to not go through the swamp? Or like…tell me that it's time to wake up because I'm going to be late for school if I don't?
HELP! STUCK 1N A TRE3 SURroundeD By Z0mbies Halycon malL 3asT Exit
-AxiS
Someone had a little trouble texting…
"HOLY SHIT!" I scream, causing the other two to jump.
"What?" They ask in unison, "What's wrong?"
"Axis! Axis is alive!" I yell. I don't tell them that he's stuck in a tree at the mall. Talk about fail! He's even managed to get himself surrounded by zombies. Why the hell would you climb into a tree-a tree- during a human genocide? Where the hell is Axel? Wasn't he with my brother when all this shit started happening? Has he become part of the zombie population? And where's Rinslet and Zexion? I wonder if they're already at the mall?
Ugh! Dammit!
If we can manage to get to the mall without using any ammo…we might just be able to save my brother. Now watch, there's gonna be a horde of zombies on the other side of the swamp. I don't have much of a choice now if I want to rescue my brother.
"That's great," Marluxia smiles slightly, "Where is he?"
"Uh…" I hesitate, "at the mall, yeah…" Honestly I don't think they'll want to go even a mile near the mall if they know that its run over by a bunch of blood thirsty zombies… I don't think I would go if Axis weren't related to me.
I smile as I send my brother a text message telling him that I'll be right there. Just as I hit the enter button, I notice the color drain from Marluxia's face.
"Mars, what's up? You look a little pale…" I say.
"T-There's…something in the water…" His voice quakes. He extends his arm out to point at the swamp.
I turn around. Ripples break the stillness of the swamp. I can see a few air bubbles rising to the surface. Oh shit no! Can zombies swim! No one ever told me this shit!
Suddenly, the water parts as a blackish brown blur lunges at us. Whatever it is knocks into the wooden paneling causing the whole port to shake. I lose my balance and hit into the only remaining piece of wooden railing.
"NO!" I scream as my cell phone slips from my hand. I watch helplessly as it plunges into the dark murky swamp water. "Axis!"
…Oh…heh…I can't believe I just called my cell phone Axis… Oh fuck! There go the keys!
"Sai! Move!" Mars shouts reaching his hand out for me.
At that moment, as I'm reaching for his hand, I realize that blackish brown blur isn't just your average run-of-the-mill zombie… It's a crocodile…an infected crocodile at that…
I scramble towards Marluxia and firmly grab his hand just as the crocodile starts to charge at us once more. It just barely misses my leg, but does manage to destroy more than half of the remaining wooden planks.
"That's a fucking crocodile!" I scream.
"Noooo…" Marluxia rolls his eyes as the three of us retreat to the door we'd come through only moments before, "What gave you that idea?"
Mr. Huston reaches for the doorknob. He stops abruptly and holds his hand up to silence us. "Do you hear that?" He asks.
"Hear, what? All I hear is the trashing of a sixteen foot crocodile!" I yell angrily. I almost just got fucking eaten! What the fuck!
"No! Not that!" He snaps, "Listen."
I stomp past the two and lean over to press my head against the door.
"Uhhnnnnnnn…" The groaning of the undead… just great.
This shit is so not fucking fair. Now it's fight the horde of zombies or the giant crocodile who has the thirst for the next thing on the food chain- us! Is life really trying to off me off that badly?
"H-Hey! What are you d-doing!" I hear Marluxia protest. I turn around just in time to see Mr. Huston shove my pink haired friend into the water.
I watch in horror as he disappears beneath the green water.
"MARS!" I scream, running over to the edge of the broken walkway.
No.
NO! Not Marluxia! Why! What the fuck!
At that very moment, Marluxia's gurgled cries pierce the air. I watch in horror as the crocodile clinges to my friend's arm. It's teeth stained with the red of his blood. As he screams and trashes around, blood leaks from the sides of his mouth. But it's all over in an instant. It drags him back under the green surface. Red mixes with the green…and silence.
"I suggest we use this time to get across the water while that things busy with your friend…" I hear Mr. Huston say.
"You asshole!" I scream, turning around to face my English teacher. "You fucking killed him!"
A sly grin appears on the man's face. "Would you rather it have been you?"
"Bitch!" I start to rush him, but he holds out the pistol he had found while were in the tree house. I immediately stop.
How the hell…could he do that…? To someone younger than him… To…my friend… He didn't just… He did… Just a minute ago…we were all laughing…and fighting… What is with this day?
"C'mon now, Mr. Oracle," He laughs, "Don't let his death be in vain."
And this is exactly why I hate people with British accents.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" I feel a single tear roll down my face. I quickly wipe it away with the sleeve of Abby's sweatshirt.
"Get in the water, Mr. Oracle," Huston says, ushering me towards the water. He waves the pistol around like it isn't loaded. I hope the bitch shoots himself in the leg. I really do. He deserves it. No, what he really deserves is to be eaten by a bunch of bloodthirsty zombie ducks.
"Hell no!" I yell.
"I never liked you as a student," Mr. Huston says, still grinning. He holds the gun up to me, and I do probably the most smartest thing I could've ever done in my life. Just before he pulls the trigger I hop into the nearby brush. "Oh, hide and seek, eh? I guess I've got time for that."
You won't have anytime on your hands when I'm done with you…
The area of brush is confined to a small amount of space, so I need to think of a decent strategy that I can use it to my advantage.
He's gonna find me quickly since Abby's sweatshirt sticks out like a white flower in a sea of black flowers. …Bingo! I've got it!
I hastily take off Abby's sweatshirt and hang it on a branch where I know Mr. Huston will immediately check. He's probably going to use me as bait for zombies later if he does manage to find me and foil my plan. This is so…second grade.
I crawl up into the same tree (EH! SPIDER!) and watch as my English teacher approaches. He walks with heavy, unequal stride. "Oh, Mr. Oracle…" He says as he sees part of Abby's sweatshirt sticking out.
He's right up on the tree when he holds his pistol up the non-existing victim. He shoots. "Idiot, child," He grumbles as he rounds the corner of the tree. At that point I swing down, landing just behind him.
"Yeah," I say. He jumps up a little, "And this is for my friend, asshole!" I deliver a hard punch to his cheek as he turns around. I obviously caught him off-guard, because he stumbles to the ground.
I leap on top of my soon to be "non-existent" English teacher, and pound on him. I quickly disarm him of the gun. I punch him square in the nose, causing mass amounts of blood to trickle out of it. I think I hear something break too. Ah, well.
When I'm done with him, I stagger away from the motionless body. Now I know how people feel when one of the people that they care about gets murdered or whatever. When they see that person that raped their daughter or killed their husband…it's like a whole new them comes into play. They become capable of things they wouldn't normally consider. Hate. Rage… Or in my case murder…
I lean against a nearby tree. They say…men don't cry. So does that make me a little boy or girl? I'm all alone now… Now I know…you can't trust anyone during a human genocide… obviously not even your own damn teachers. But I can't give up hope… I have to save my brother, find my sister, and get the fuck out of here.
But first…I have to deal with a bigger problem.
Yay, zombie crocodile.
|With Axel and Co.|
-Axel's POV-
After we'd failed at finding Axis, we retreated back into the mall. All of us had come to an agreement that if Axis or his family did not show up here in the next hour we would leave town without them. Course I'm against it, but honestly… I don't want to die. It would be a waste if I died after Leon saved me back there. Besides, it's not like anyone's going to stay behind with me and wait a while.
"I'm sorry," Rinoa says as she stop abruptly. I nearly crash into her for the fifth time.
"Will you stop freaking stopping?" I hiss at her.
We are currently running to the other side of the mall. The only way out of the city is this little bridge-maybe not little, but still, called Sorachi Bridge. We're trying to get as close as possible to the bridge so we can make a run for it.
"But we've been running all day," She groans.
"That ain't the way ta be actin' durin' a Helix bio-terrorism act!" Cid protests. He nearly spits out his cigarette.
"But I'm exhausted…" Rinoa pants.
"And he's a gym teacher, duh," Kite says as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Shut up, Kite," Rinoa and Cid snap at the kid. Kite frowns, then rolls his eyes. He mumbles something under his breath shortly before going to stand over by Yuffie.
"No," Leon, the voice of reason, says, "We should take sometime to rest. We might not have much time to rest after this…the bridge will be crawling with zombies…"
"If you say so," Cid smirks. Doesn't seem to be pleased with this at all.
I guess Leon is right, though. It could be a real problem if we couldn't run when we might really need to. Imagine that. Surrounded by eighty zombies and just when you're about to run…guess what? Leg cramps.
"Yeah, that could be a bitch…" Kite snickers.
"Did I say that aloud?"
"Yeah."
"Not again…"
I watch as Kite sits on the edge of the fountain next to Yuffie and Luneth. Squall sits on the opposite side of them next to his girlfriend. Demyx takes off his shoes and puts his feet in the fountain. Cid joins Leon and Zidane who sit on a nearby bench. Vexen sits away from everyone.
I decide to go sit near Yuffie and Luneth.
"Hey," Kite says as soon as I sit down. He points over at Metro Mart. Inside is a single zombie lurking behind the cash register. "Look."
"…What's it doing?" Yuffie asks.
"Busy being a dead cashier," Kite says, apparently trying his hardest not to laugh. "Serving the undead since November 2009."
Our small group bursts out laughing. Axis probably would've said the same thing if he were here. Imagine he's in some tree… Ah, that would be something…
"Speaking of zombie cashiers…" Luneth trails off for a moment, "I'm famished. Tired. And I want some coffee."
"Good luck with that… Neth," Yuffie and Kite say in unison.
"I don't know why a zombie cashier reminds you of coffee…" Demyx adds.
"No one was talking to you, Demitri," Luneth snaps.
"It's not Demitri!" Demyx complains, "It's Demyx!"
"Oh, what-the-hell-ever," Luneth rolls his eyes, "Anyway, I think we all could use some caffeine…or energy drinks…"
"Which still fall under the category of caffeine…"
"Shut up, will you?"
"I guess we could use some energy boosters…" Yuffie smiles sheepishly.
" Except for you," Kite, Demyx, and I tell her almost immediately.
"Wha! Why not?" She stands up in protest.
"You know exactly why!" Kite points an accusatory finger at his cousin.
"Can't say I do," She tries surpressing a grin.
"I wasn't there so…" Luneth scratches his head, "Someone come with me so I can get us all some stuff."
"No way," All of us answer.
"I'm not going alone, that's for sure."
"Well, obviously no ones going with you…" I smirk.
"Please!" He pleads, "It's right there!"
"If it's right there then you don't need anyone to go with you," I say crossing my arms as I move closer to the other two, "We'll all be right here to watch."
"Don't worry, man," Kite waves his hand, "We won't let you get eaten by the Zombie Cashier because you're being annoying!"
All the other conversations stop. We all stare at Kite wide-eyed. He immediately grows a slight shade of red and turns away.
"So…" Luneth announces a few moments later, "Who wants to come with?"
Of course, at that very moment my stomach growls. Shit… I haven't eaten since…well…last night.
"I'll go…" I say standing up. Seriously it's one zombie. What's the worst that can possibly happen?
"You two have a death wish…" Kite shakes his head. Yuffie bobs her head in the same motion. "If you turn into one of them promise not to eat me."
"You'll be the first person I go for," Luneth reassures him.
"Guess I better find a butter knife," He frowns.
"What! Why a butter knife? Why not a cleaver or something?"
"Cause you're a sissy, that's why."
"You guys are so nice to each other," Squall shakes his head disapprovingly.
"No kidding…"
The two of us stand in front of Metro Mart. The lone zombie doesn't seem to notice that we're loitering around. It just continues to stare at the ceiling. A glob of what looks like a mixture of blood and saliva falls from it's mouth.
"Y-You first," Luneth says ushering me into the store.
"Screw you," I slap him upside the head, "This was your idea so lead the way, leader."
Luneth takes a deep breath. Aside from the Zombie Cashier, "Zack", the store appears to be empty, but there's not telling that for sure. He steps into the store then looks back probably to make sure I'm still there.
"A-Are you c-coming, you…you ch-chicken," He shakes.
"You can't even say that as your stuttering," Demyx shouts from his spot at the fountain.
"Shut up, Demitri!" Luneth growls, "I'm not a chicken!"
"It's not Demitri, jerk!"
"Neth, no one called you a chicken…"
"…" He looks at the ground, "Let's just get this over with…"
We manage to slip past "Zack" undetected.
Hey! Whoa! Swedish Fish!
Neth grabs one of those random eco-friendly bags and starts shoving all sorts of snacks and drinks into it. He reaches into the refrigerators for the energy drinks. I'm too busy stuffing my face with the little sweet red fish.
"I can live off these things…" He swoons.
"Me too…" I nod in agreement.
"GET ME A BAG OF POTATO CHIPS!" Kite cries from the outside.
"WHICH KIND?" Luneth yells back.
"RRRRUFFLES!" Kite's voice echoes back.
"GET 'EM YOURSELF!"
"BUT YOU'RE ALREADY IN THERE! Hey…where'd Jack go?"
"You mean Zac-" I turn around quickly. The zombie cashier "Zack" not "Jack", no matter what Kite may tell you, was indeed not standing by the cash register where he'd originally been. He was no where in sight as a matter of fact.
"Neth," I poke the boy's shoulder.
"Huh!" He nearly knocks me to the floor.
"Zack's missing!"
"Zack? What do you mean he's- Ah! Look out!" Neth screams pushing into one of the aisles. I fall onto my back.
"Zack" lunges at Luneth. As what seems like a last ditch-effort he takes the energy drink that he has in his hand and throws it at the zombie's head. It impacts the zombie's head and he staggers to the side. The zombie groans and tries reach for the kid, but Luneth already has another drink in his hand.
"Don't just lie on the ground, Axel! Gimme a hand here!" Luneth panics as he tosses the can of Monster at "Zack's" head.
I stagger to my feet looking for something to use as a weapon as I do. I spot a glass bottle of wine and quickly pick it up.
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEAAAAAAAHH!" A scream echoes from outside of the store.
"Oh my Cosmos! They're everywhere!"
For a brief moment Luneth and I exchange nervous glances.
"Luneth! Axel!" Squall yells. I can sense the fear in his voice. "Get out of there, now!"
I turn toward "Zack" and smash the bottle against his head. The bottle explodes on impact. The glass shards slice through the rotting flesh with ease. The zombie groans and then turns at me. "Luneth, run!" I scream.
Luneth immediately flees the store with me running close behind. I thought he'd let go of the bag of food, but he does not. He holds onto it for dear life.
He stops at the entrance of the store.
I can't believe what I'm seeing…
I don't know how they did it, but the undead have managed to completely take over the mall. They stagger down the paths of the mall in search of…well…us. Their next meal. The others are nowhere in sight.
"Neth," I say shoving him out into the open, "We need to move."
Luneth makes a break for the nearest exit. A single zombie stands in our way of freedom. He does not hesitate as he swings the eco-friendly bag at the zombie. The zombie smashes into the wall.
"Where is everyone else?" He asks.
"I don't know!" I fling the entrance doors open. Leon wouldn't die that easily… I mean he's a government agent for pete's sake. I doubt Cid would let anything happen to his niece and nephews.
How did all the zombies get that far into the mall without us noticing them?
"I think I see them," Luneth points at a huge willow tree. The one where Roxas and I used to hang out all the time. Where is Roxas, anyway? Did he…? Is he…?
As we get closer I realize that it's not the others. It's just more zombies…that are for some reason clawing at the willow tree.
"Axis! I'm going to clear a path!"
Is that…?
|With Sai and…well…the Zombie Crocodile|
|Sai's POV|
How do you kill a zombie crocodile? I mean… How do you kill a crocodile with nothing more than a pistol? Plus to add to the challenge you need to conserve ammo so you can save your little brother…
"ARGHHHHHHHH!" I groan, as I hold my head.
This is some serious Fear Factor shit!
Annoucer (Points at me): Can YOU, Saikoro Oracle, survive the Zombie Apocalypse all while having to kill a giant zombie crocodile with nothing more than a pistol AND save your brother that's stuck in a tree at Halcyon Mall?
Me (Kicking at the ground): Hell no.
Announcer: Then you die, NOW! (Stabs me in chest)
Me (Grasping onto the announcer's jacket): …Why? (Slumps to the ground, dead)
But seriously… How do you kill a zombie crocodile…that ate my best friend?
I stand cautiously near the edge. I haven't heard anything in a while from my friend-eater in there? Maybe Marluxia's made of cyanide? …Man…I wish Marluxia would've overpowered the bastard and thrown him into the lake. I'm sure I would've been like "what the fuck" but I'm sure I would've gotten over it rather qui-
"OH MY GOD!" I scream as the crocodile rises from the water. Teeth still stained red with my friend's blood.
As I scramble back to the door, I knock into a light stand. I catch the stand for it crashes it to the floor.
And then an idea comes to mind.
I've got myself a stun rod!
Okay. That was lame. But what if I use this stand to electrocute the thing to death? I mean… assuming it has enough volts to do any damage.
I smash the light bulbs against the ground and toss the lamppost into the water careful not to unplug it. I grab four more nearby ones and do the same thing.
I go to grab the last one that's there, when I notice the crocodile is trying to claw it's way onto the deck. "Shit!" I throw one of the useless light bulbs at it's face causing it to hiss loudly, and pick up it's pace.
And then… I throw the light stand into the water.
Literally… the water begins to light up all kinds of blue and white colors. It looks kind of cool…up until the crocodile explodes. I duck down screaming all blood rains above and crocodile parts fall all around me.
"THIS IS SO GROSS!" I cry trying not to throw up.
But hey…look at the bright side… Geniuuuuuus!
|With Zexion, Fuu, and Rai|
|Zexion's POV|
"Alright, just as we planned," Rai says tapping impatiently on the steering wheel, "Make sure you hit the button underneath the cash register. It takes the lock off the gas pump."
Okay," Fuu and I nod out heads in agreement for what seems like the fifth time.
"And grab whatever food you can, y'know? It's gonna be a long trip and I don't plan on making any stops," Rai smirks.
"Alright, Rai…" I groan, "We know what we need to do."
"Okay. On the count of three." Rai places his hand on the handle of the driver's door. I'm still in the back, but ready to push Fuu's seat up as soon as she gets out.
"One."
"Two."
I can't believe I'm doing this…
"THREE!"
They fling the doors open and sprint out of the car. I follow quickly behind them. We take out any nearby zombies that could be a problem to us later on. Rai stays behind to pump the gas so we can get out of there as soon as the tank is full.
When Fuu and I enter the gas station store, I immediately notice that there's a puddle of blood on the ground. Also from the looks of it…there was some type of struggle since some of the store's items are scattered all over the floor. I wonder…Has everyone that was in here become a part of the undead?
"The button," Fuu snaps her fingers in front of my face.
"Yes," I say, "Let's make sure the store is clear first…"
The two of us step cautiously around the bags of chips and candy, careful not alert any zombies that may be in the store that we are here.
As soon as we turn the corner into the aisle of coffee and energy drinks we spot a zombie clawing at a closet.
Without hesitation, Fuu disposes of the zombie, who flops to the floor as soon as it has been shot. Blood slowly leaks from the area where the bullet has penetrated.
"Clear," Fuu says.
"I'll grab the food," I tell her. She strides over to the other side of the store.
I grab a random O-CO reusable bag and start grabbing whatever food and drinks and I can find. I peer out the front door to see Rai pumping the gas. He sticks his thumb up at me, once he realizes that I'm watching over him.
I smile.
I can't help it. With Rinslet dead, possibly my family and friends too, I can barely find myself not thinking about this or that, or why. Why is this happening to us, to Switch Blue? To my friends, my family, to the random person whose blood is on the floor?
"Thank you," Fuu says so suddenly that I almost thought she was a zombie. I didn't even notice her come up next to me. I thought she was still on the other side.
"F-for what?" I ask.
Her red eyes avert away from mine. "For taking us along with you… If it weren't…for you…and…" She stops for a moment, then continues on, "We wouldn't be here right now…"
As matter of fact… If it weren't for Rinslet telling the two of them to come with us, they'd probably be gone along with Wendy's. Rinslet seriously tugged them out of the seats just so that they could escape. They seriously owe their lives to her.
"Yes…" I say. If only they could say it to her…
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The two of us jump from the sudden banging on the closet door. A zombie?
BAM! BAM! BAM!
(A/N: For some reason I just started to think about the Flintstones. Sorry.)
I gulp deeply as the two of us back away from the door. Maybe there are a whole bunch of zombies in there…
"SOMEONE! PLEASE! DAD!" A girl's cry erupts from the door. "DAD! OPEN THE DOOR!"
Fuu and I immediately rush over to the door.
"DAD!"
"DADDY!"
We drag the zombie's body away from the door.
"I'll open it," I say, gripping onto the door handle, "Just cover me…"
Fuu nods her head.
I turn the doorknob and pull it open. I quickly hold up my pistol.
A girl and a young boy fall to the floor in front of us. They appear to be siblings. The girl is thin, much like Fuu, but appears to be a little bit taller than her. Her hair is jet black and she has some sort of blue green bow tied in her hair. Her eyes, red from what looks like crying, are a sea-green color. Freckles scatter across her cheeks. She's wearing a long gray thin sweater along with a long frilly skirt. The boy is much younger than the girl, probably in first or second grade. He has similar features to his…sister? Instead of long hair, his is shorter than hers, but it goes down to where his back and neck meet. But it's not like that all around. It frames his face almost perfectly, except for his bangs. He's wearing a bright orange sweatshirt and red and white checkered pants.
"H-Have you seen my dad!" The girl immediately cries.
It appears she doesn't realize the world has ended.
"No," Fuu says.
At that moment I realize how much in common they have with the zombie that was clawing at the door. That zombie wasn't just a zombie…that was their father.
I think Fuu has realized it too. But I don't want to be the bearer of bad news…especially to a little boy.
"H-He… He shoved us into the closet wh-when some…weird people came into the store…" The girl cries, "He's got to be here… Around h-here somewhere…"
But I can't bring myself to tell them what their father has become…
"No one else is here," Fuu says, coldly.
"B-But Daddy!" The young boys, begins bawling his eyes out. His sister sits up and holds him tightly in her arms.
"H-He probably just went to get h-help…right?" The girl buries her face into her brother's sweatshirt.
"I'm sure he's around…here somewhere…" Fuu smirks.
"H-He wouldn't…just…run off…w-w-wi-without us…right?" The boy cries.
Honestly… I feel like crying too.
"Dad…"
"Guys!" Rai's voice booms from behind us, "We need to leave, y'know? NOW!"
Fuu tosses me the bag of food she has. I nearly spill it all over the floor. She grabs a handful of the sibling's sweatshirts and pulls them to their feet. "We need to leave."
"What?" The girl smacks Fuu's hand away, "I'm not going anywhere without Dad…"
"Guys…there's a whole bunch of them comin' our way, man!" Rai says. I watch as he runs over and opens the driver's door and gets in. He starts the car.
"If we don't leave now, we're all going to die," I snap, "I have not come this far to die in this city…"
Everyone stares at me wide-eyed.
"Wh-what's going on?" The boy asks.
I stare down at him.
"…It's the end of the world."
End Chapter Ten
The Pinball Wizard: Ughhh… It took forever to write this chapter… Oh yeah… Sorry about Marluxia and Luxord. Luxord was going to be killed off in an earlier chapter…but…yeah… Now seemed like the perfect time to kill him. Marluxia…well…he…was supposed to live… Thank you reviewers, although you are probably mentally cursing me out. See you…soon?
Hmm…Let's list the people who've died!
Sweet Oblivion –Chapter One
EMS/Policemen –Chapter Two
EMS –Chapter Three
Julius –Chapter Three
All the people in Taco Bell –Chapter Four
Tifa (Rinoa mentions it) –Chapter Four
(Dammit! No one died in Chapter Five!)
Rinslet –Chapter Six
Ultimecia- Chapter Seven
Rikku –Chapter Eight
Mother & Child (Kite mentions them) –Chapter Nine
Random Woman Who Should've Bled Out –Chapter Nine
Marluxia –Chapter Ten
Luxord –Chapter Ten
Sibling's Father –Chapter Ten
Heh… More shall be added…soon.
Next Chapter: All Killer No Filler, Kids!