Lyrics for the song in this chapter are from "What's this life for?" by Creed. I do not own the song. Or anyone from Rugrats/AGU or other series that make cameos.

Bored as all hell, Errol sat as the boys from the usual gang were all daring Harold to eat the cafeteria's mystery meat...with vanilla icing on top. Errol thought it was gross, as did many of the girls. And yet, like everyone else, he found himself compelled to watch the chubby red-haired freckled boy eat it all up.

"Better go through with this, dude," said Sean, "I've got $25 on you actually eating it."

"Don't pay him any mind, Harold," said Daryl, "We both know you want me to win the $25 that I owe Romeo."

That wasn't enough to dissuade Harold. Placing his pudgy hands around the dripping meat, he took the first big bite, letting the juice drip down his chin and the icing stick to his mouth.

And that was as far as he got. He dropped the meat and bent over. Out it came, along with everything else he had earlier that day.

"Debts away!" exclaimed Daryl, cheekily accepting $25 from Sean.

"I've never seen Harold not eat anything before," Dil commented, "What's up with that?"

As Harold was taken to the nurse's office, the atmosphere of the cafeteria slowly resumed to normal. Tommy had been blasting music loudly into his ears, and since Errol was right next to him, he could hear it.

"Hey Errol," said Tommy, "What type of music do you like?"

"Oh, uh, I never really thought about that," replied Errol, "I guess anything that isn't death metal."

"Then check this one out, I think you might like it," said Tommy, sharing an earbud with him.

I see your soul, it's kinda grey,

You see my heart, you look away

You see my wrist, I know your pain,

I know your purpose on your plane

Don't say a last prayer because

You could never find

What's this life for? What's this life for?

For some reason, Errol felt himself drawn to the song. He didn't know anyone that committed suicide, but he still felt like he had lost something or someone. He just couldn't put his finger on what.

"You know," said Errol, "That song...I like it."

And then the most amazing thing happened.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Phil, "Dude! You're smiling! You're actually smiling!"

Indeed he was. But once it was pointed out, it faded.

"You've never seen a person smile before?" Errol asked.

"No," replied Lil, "We've just never seen you smile."

"There's a first for everything," said Errol, attempting to smile again.

The opening of the cafeteria doors echoed as Angelica paraded her way through them and headed towards the boys table.

"You," she said, "We need to have a chat."

"Didn't we already do this yesterday?" Errol asked.

"Not you," said Angelica, then pointing to Tommy, "Him!"

"Me?" asked Tommy, pointing at himself.

"It's important," replied Angelica, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him out of the cafeteria into the halls.

"Is it just me, or has Angelica made a lot of weird moves lately?" wondered Chuckie.

"I was thinking the same thing," replied Kimi, "Has she said anything to you about it, Errol?"

"Me?" he asked, similarly pointing to himself.

"You're her boyfriend, right?" asked Phil.

"Well..." Errol's dragging tin rune led them to believe the worst.

"You broke up, didn't you?" asked Phil.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Lil, throwing her hands up, "I knew Angelica was too much to handle!"

"Actually, we weren't together to be with," said Errol, "She paid me to pretend to be her boyfriend."

"What?!" they all exclaimed, "But why?"

"She said she doesn't want people questioning her love life," Errol replied, "Or lack thereof."

The twins began snickering amongst themselves, but Kimi was all smiles. And Errol noticed it. Was she...relieved?

"Man," said Dil, "Wait until Tommy hears this!"

Something told Errol that Tommy already knew.

The medicine given to Harold did little to help his stomach feel any better, but at least by staying still and resting on a cot, he wouldn't upset it anymore. Yet he couldn't rest. Not when he had the school's resident bad boy sitting next to him.

Z had told the nurse he was visiting his good pal, but in truth, he had questions he wanted answered. Not that Harold was aware of that.

"I thought you didn't get sick no matter what gross food you ate," Z said.

"I dunno what happened," replied Harold, trying to not let his anxiety show, "I guess this meat was just bad. Or the icing. But man, it was still delicious, and if that mystery meat didn't make me sick, I'd love to have more!"

"It wasn't the meat that got you sick," Z said in a serious tone, "It was this."

What Z was referring to was a bottle he pulled out from his pocket. Inside was a pink substance that fizzled.

"This is a virus that weakens the human body and kills off many white cells," Z told him, "Someone deliberately put it in the mystery meat and fed it to you."

"Someone tried to get rid of me?" asked Harold, "What an honor!"

"It's not an honor, it's a threat," Z warned, "Someone wants you out of the picture...and I think it has to do with Errol. Tell me something, dude...has Errol said anything strange to you? Have you noticed him doing anything strange?"

"Not really," are plied Harold, "I don't know him that well, but he gave me a bag of Oreos, so I like him."

"I see," said Z, while thinking, If Gemini Labs is trying to protect Errol, then they must have been the ones who poisoned Harold. They must be sending us a very clear warning not to kill Errol...or let others suffer. Dammit!

Z was just about to learn who poisoned Harold. The doors to the nurse's office opened, and heard the nurse questioning whoever walked in.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked.

Z heard the nurse being hit on the back of the head with something hard, then falling unconscious to the floor.

"What was that?" asked Harold.

Z didn't answer his question. Instead, he too took a hard object and knocked Harold out with it.

Sorry man, he thought, but you can't see what might be happening.

Z whipped the curtain back and saw that the door back to the hallway was chained shut. And the nurse's unconscious body had been dragged in front of it. Standing in front of him were three men from a body of people he had not seen in a long time. The same ones who murdered his mother. And murdered Trixie's mother. Gemini Labs' personal task force.

The Bagmen.

All Bagmen were covered from head to toe in black bags, the kind that looked like potato sacks. They all had lots of stitches and sewing on the bags covering them, and they also wore dark goggles that completely covered their eyes, making their actual bodies completely unseen. He recognized them anywhere.

Apparently the Bagmen recognized him as well. And they knew, when he cracked his knuckles together, he was ready for a fight. Z had waited long for this. When the first of the trio charged at him, Z slid at an angle to his side, and dug his kneecap into his side...only for the Bagman's suit to go right with it, even though the human body could not.

What?

The second one attempted to charge from behind. Luckily, Z managed to roll out of the way in time, but it had been so quick, the way that Bagman charged at him. No human could ever be that stealthy and speedy, especially on him. Then again, they did work for Gemini Labs. Probably offered them the best kind of combat training money could buy.

The third one appeared to be just standing there, doing nothing. Z saw his chance, aiming and landing his fist straight through the Bagman's chest. But nothing. There felt like there was nothing in there. Not flesh and bones, not metal, not even the straws like on the scarecrows on farms. It was as if he punched thin air.

The other two were now directly behind him in less than a second. They pushed him forward, allowing the third Bagman to land the most devastating blow to the stomach Z had ever felt in his short life. Even the nail he had stepped on as a kid wasn't nearly as painful, nor did it make him spit out blood. And the blows only kept coming. Z felt himself losing any and all senses save for pain. And just when he thought it was over, he felt the three of them throwing him into the wall.

Z's vision was blurry, but he could clearly see one of them approach him and lift him up by the collar. Without saying a word, or even so much as a grunt, the Bagman threw Z out the window, sending glass shards flying across his cheeks, scarring both of them. And although the nurse's office was on the first floor, it was on the side of the school with the steep hill leading down to the baseball field. And every bit of rolling down, every bump in the grass, all of it was immensely painful in Z's weakened state.

Upon finally reaching the bottom, he could only see the three Bagmen jumping out the window at incredible speed, disappearing into the woods nearby. So much for them getting caught. He realized that once he was found and the investigations started, the perpetrators would be long gone, leaving no trace, not so much as a hair behind. Such was their MO.

This has gone on long enough. Errol has to die.