"S-senorita! You don't have to yell!" Gunman looked visibly startled and Sarah apologized.
"I had to make sure everyone heard me. I just remembered something important. Something Death told me when he was collecting Gold's soul…" Sarah raised her head and tapped her chin.
"Death TOLD you something?!" Monoputa squeaked from his throne. "He's not supposed to do that! Gah, I'll have to give him a punishment later!"
"You can't punish him," Hell's Chef fixed his gaze on Monoputa. "He's Death."
"Hmph, I know. Don't remind me…" Monoputa slid down in his chair, folding his arms and pouting like a child denied dessert.
"Anyway," Sarah shot a glare at Monoputa before continuing. "When Death took Gold's soul, he said it had a lot to say. I can't believe I didn't remember until now, but one of those things was that Gold doesn't know who killed him!"
"Whaaaaat?!" Clock Master jumped in surprise. "But… all that struggle evidence…"
"There wasn't a struggle. Gold was passed out cold and dragged into the hallway, albeit clumsily. I hate to say it, but we've all seen what a blow from a Judgement Boy's fist can do."
Gregory let out a sad sigh.
"If anyone got hurt because of Gold, we'd be able to tell. They'd be limping, or heavily bruised, or… worse. If Death's testimony is anything to go by, Gold wasn't even aware someone was trying to kill him until it was too late." Sarah explained.
Everyone was silent for a few moments… until Gregory Mama started to chuckle.
"You just pulled that right out of your ass, didn't you?" She pointed her cane at Sarah and she bristled with astonishment.
"Mama, no! This is import-" Gregory was interrupted by his mother clamping his jaws shut with her free hand.
"Th-there's no need to be rude, senorita! Sarah would never lie about something like this!" Gunman chastised Gregory Mama, who just chuckled again.
"There's absolutely no way Death told you something like that! You're lying right to our faces! You're the murderer, aren't you?!" Gregory Mama looked down her nose at Sarah.
"I-I'm not! This is a key piece of evidence that can't be ignored!" Sarah couldn't believe someone was opposing her. She wanted this case solved!
"Well then…" Gregory Mama let go of Gregory's jaw and primly steepled her fingers under her chin, giving Sarah a chilling smile. "...do you have any proof?"
"Sarah doesn't need proof!" Cactus Gunman considered himself above snapping at a lady, but Gregory Mama was hardly acting ladylike. "She has been working hard to find the truth this whole trial, and we never would have figured out who killed James without her help! There is no way she would tell a lie!"
"Hmph, and you think that would change my mind? You're Sarah's pet dog, after all. Your words mean nothing to me," The fact that Gregory Mama said this with a broad, honest-looking smile and a warm tone made everyone nervous.
"That's very offensive to my people, hag!" Devil Dog stabbed her pitchfork at Gregory Mama, a sneer on her face.
Cactus Gunman turned red as a beet and went silent. Sarah felt anger bubbling up inside her. She couldn't believe this. She had to prove herself right; everyone's lives were on the line!
"There's only one thing to do…" Sarah whirled towards Monoputa and her voice rose up, loud and commanding. "Monoputa! Get Death in here right now! I know you can call him!"
"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…" Monoputa sighed and shook his head. "Didn't I tell you I was mad he even told you that?"
"You can scold him after he's done proving me right! He's as much of a part of this game as we are, even if his role is different! He should be able to testify!" Sarah was all too willing to defend her argument, even against Monoputa.
"Hey, did someone say Death?" A boisterous voice boomed over the soft sound of a bell ringing.
Sarah turned, beaming, to the source of the voice to see Death floating there, scythe in hand.
Monoputa wasn't nearly as delighted.
"What are you doing here, traitor?" Monoputa looked up at Death, a shadow falling across his miffed face.
"I'm not a traitor, Monoputa, I always considered myself more of a freelance agent," Death twirled his scythe around. "I keep the souls safe. Dat's it."
Monoputa was turning red now.
"Don't you get mad, ya can't do anything about it, after all!" Death laughed as Monoputa's face darkened to a shade of purple. "Sarah was in a reaaaaaaaal bad place! I hadta tell her that Gold was rootin' for her to solve his mystery, and he still hasn't shut up about it!"
"Do you have Gold's soul?" Catherine asked, her eyes shimmering with inspiration. "Can he testify?"
Death opened his mouth but Monoputa interrupted him.
"No, once you bite it, you're out of the game, even if your soul is floating around!" Monoputa smirked at Catherine. "You're out of luck there."
"We don't need Gold to testify anyway; we're on the fast track to solving his murder," Sarah gave Death a confident grin. "Death, I need you to tell everyone that I wasn't lying. You told me that Judgement Boy Gold doesn't know who murdered him, remember?"
"I do and I did!" Death nodded at the courtroom confidently. "Hopefully if ya figure it out he'll stop yammering about dat."
"There's all the proof you need, Gregory Mama," Sarah planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward, a smirk on her lips. "From the mouth of Death himself."
"... hmph!" Gregory Mama hated being proved wrong, but she knew arguing further was futile.
"Guess I'll get goin'; I've done my job. Me and the other dead guys are takin' bets on the trial. I don't wanna miss their reactions." Death pointed over his shoulder. "Good luck to all of ya!" With a big wave, Death phased out of the trial room.
"What did I tell you, Gregory Mama?" Cactus Gunman pushed up his sombrero to reveal a cocky smirk.
Gregory Mama hmmphed again, finally silenced. Gregory silently thanked whatever deity was listening for his mother's pacification.
"... but… this raises more questions…" Mummy Papa folded his arms, sticking his tongue out as he racked his brain. "Who… opened the window in the kitchen?"
"The culprit, dummy! Hellooo?" Roulette Boy was obviously getting bored with the trial. He was hugging his head and leaning it against the railing of his podium. "It's how they got that fatty Hell's Chef's stupid knife."
Hell's Chef squinted at the floor and balled his fists trying to suppress his rage at multiple subjects. "I was only gone for a second to get an ingredient from my room."
"It seems that time was all it took…" Neko Zombie mewed. "You had to leave the kitchen at some point, and when you did, the culprit opened the window. After the wind blew out your flame, they took your knife and left."
Everyone nodded, this time seeming satisfied with this answer. Neko Zombie licked a paw and drew it over his ear, glad for the temporary peace.
"Just what was this ingredient you left to get?" Catherine leaned forward and placed her hands on the podium, resting her chin on top.
Hell's Chef tightened his collar and glared at her. "A chef never reveals his secret recipes."
"Well, I don't think it is relevant anyway," Cactus Girl flicked her ponytails.
"Well, if you don't mind me interrupting, my friends, there's something else that's been bothering me…" Gregory spoke up. "Why even kill Gold in the first place? Whose motive was so horrible that they felt the need to kill another to get back to their own reality?"
"Lots of people had really strong reactions to those videos…" Steve pushed his pointer fingers together, his face pale. "I know I wasn't at the back of the line, but I still saw how lots of people reacted…"
"Si, it was… troubling, to say the least. So many people left in tears or even screaming," Cactus Girl cast Neko Zombie a very subtle glance.
"Clock Master seemed awfully happy about having a son to go back to…" Catherine cast him a suspicious look.
"Oh MAN! Did you set up the party so everyone would be drunk and you could murder Gold without any trouble?!" Devil Dog was genuinely impressed. "Yowza! And here I thought you were an idiot!"
"No. NO!" Clock Master's voice cracked as his cheeks burned with fury. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing?! What kind of father would I be if manipulated everyone for my own selfish desire for home? No, I made a promise to myself!" Tears were forming in the corners of Clock Master's eyes now, and he blinked them back, doing his best to regain his composure. "I'm going to get out of here without so much as laying a finger on anyone else! I wouldn't be able to look my son in the eye… I don't want him to be raised by a murderer!"
"Yeah, being raised by a drunkard is waaaay better!" Devil Dog teased.
"I'm working on it!" Clock Master roared. "Sorry that I have more important things to worry about than my drinking problem!"
Sarah was more than a bit shocked. She had no idea Clock Master would get this impassioned about his son… but she figured that was a sign of a good father.
"That's so admirable, senor!" Cactus Gunman was obviously impressed.
"More like sappy and disgusting, bleh!" Devil Dog spat. "Fathers are overrated."
"I threw that party because I wanted everyone to be happy and not think about murder, but obviously one of you twisted cretins was plotting something!" Clock Master's gaze swept over the courtroom like a prison spotlight, lingering extra long on the people who slept in the bar. "Which one of you could possibly have a motive so sick…?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
The courtroom went silent as three spotlights went on Poor Conductor's podium.
"Oh, terrific, we get to listen to him," Gregory Mama let out the longest sigh in history.
"All the pieces have fallen in place and created a beautiful melody of truth!" Poor Conductor was excited with his discovery, his hands over his heart and his eyes sparkling. "I know who did it!"
The entire courtroom gasped again, staring at Poor Conductor with disbelief.
"Y-you do?" Steve queried, his eyebrows rising up into his hairline with surprise.
"A certain someone told me a certain something… and I saw, out of the corner of my eye, them dumping their drink into a potted plant!" Poor Conductor threw his head back dramatically. "I was shocked! And upon my questioning, they said they had a stomachache and didn't want to seem rude when they refused the drink. But, considering what they told me, I have no doubt that they have a reason to go back to reality! I am as sure of this as I am that my latest composition is a masterpiece!"
Gregory Mama flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder and snorted. "You thoughts mustn't be very valuable then."
"Ohhh!" The spotlights over Poor Conductor clicked off as he whined and hung his head. "Why… would you say that? I do have valuable information!"
"Stop beating around the bush and tell us, Ruffles!" Devil Dog tapped her pitchfork on her podium impatiently. "I wanna see someone get wrecked!"
Monoputa let out a long, romantic sigh as he nodded in agreement with her.
"Fine, but you don't have to be so rude!" Poor Conductor snapped his fingers and the spotlights turned back on, even brighter this time. "Our culprit also has a son! A son that he would do anything for! He told me himself, with tears in his eyes!"
"Who… who is it? Who killed Gold?!" Catherine was eager to give them a verbal thrashing.
"Who stole my knife and tried to FRAME me?!" Hell's Chef jumped in, slamming a fist into his palm.
"None other than our very own…" Poor Conductor whirled to the right and pointed at his neighbor. "MUMMY PAPA!"
The spotlights went onto Mummy Papa and he spluttered a bit before paling and falling to the ground in a heap.
"Get up, you faker!" Devil Dog jammed her pitchfork forward, snarling.
"YOU TOOK MY KNIFE!? YOU TRIED TO BLAME ME FOR THIS?! I'LL KILL-" Hell's Chef was interrupted by Devil Dog turning back into Angel Dog and covering his mouth with both arms. That didn't stop Chef from ranting, though, and he continued his muffled, inaudible rage.
"Come on, my friend…" Poor Conductor crouched down and gave Mummy Papa a shoulder to support himself with. "Say your piece. Let the crowd hear it."
"I…" Mummy Papa gently pushed Poor Conductor away and used his podium to support himself, leaning forward as he tried to regain his bearings. Blood dripped from his head slowly and left little red beads on his railing.
"Hold on! Why would you accuse him?" Cactus Girl slammed her fist down on her podium. "Mummy Papa is a good person! He doesn't have the evil intent!"
Poor Conductor seemed taken aback by her harshness. "I… but, he didn't have a drink… And he has a motive!"
"That doesn't mean he did it! He said he had a stomachache!" Cactus Girl pointed to Mummy Papa. "Have you seen how he acts at all? If he even had the brains to set up this plan, he couldn't have carried it out! There's no proof he was involved!"
"No, that's wrong!" Sarah interrupted Cactus Girl's defense. "There is proof! I see it now… And I don't like to accuse him… but him as the culprit is the only way it fits!"
"How so, senorita? I… I too see Mummy Papa as a good man," Cactus Gunman admitted.
"It is thanks to you and Catherine that I know this," Sarah began to explain. "You pointed out the splatters of blood along the hall and the two types of blood near the body. We thought there was a struggle and that's why it was there. But that's dead wrong; it's because of the blood on Mummy Papa's head!"
Everyone let out a huge gasp as the pieces fell into place. Tears pricked at the corner of Mummy Papa's eyes and he began to sniffle.
"I think because Gold is so heavy, when he was dragging him out of the bar, he was using very jerky motions and this made some of the blood on his head fly off. He probably didn't notice because he was so engrossed in doing the job." As Sarah continued to unravel Mummy Papa's plan, he burst into tears. Sarah's heart began to break, but she kept going.
"When he dragged him out far enough so that he wouldn't be seen, Mummy Papa used Hell's Chef's knife and tried to attack. But Mummy Papa isn't very strong. We saw when he was running on the treadmill that he is better at endurance exercises rather than strength. That was why he missed the first time. This probably woke Gold up which is why his soul knew he had been attacked, but didn't know who: because he was face down. When Mummy Papa beheaded him, he probably fainted from the stress which is why so much of his blood is at the scene. Since we were all intoxicated, after he had woken up, he would have had plenty of time to clean himself up and pretend he was just as badly affected as the rest of us… It's the only way this murder makes sense." Sarah nodded, her eyes closed in grief. She was confident she had it right, but… she felt awful. She knew in her heart that it was Mummy Papa or everyone else, but that didn't make her feel much better about seeing another person die.
Hell's Chef thrashed around even more, but completely ceased when Angel Dog whispered something in his ear. Hell's Chef smirked beneath his collar and began to wait.
"I… oh… you're completely right… I don't want to lie anymore!" Mummy Papa grabbed his head, his tears falling freely now. "What TV Fish showed me was horrible. My son… he didn't look like… me. He looked more like you." Mummy Papa pointed to Steve, who jumped a little. "A… a human. My wife too. They were back in reality, crying, wondering where I was… Even if they didn't look like I do, I knew that was my family as soon as I saw them... My heart broke!" He looked at the crowd with desperate eyes, begging them to understand. "They're very sickly and they don't have anyone to provide for them. They're alone and… I… I couldn't let this go. As soon as Clock Master told me about the party, I knew it was my chance. I thought this was fate… somehow working so I could go back to my son. As soon as I got the invite, I read the book. Hell's Chef… with his temper and his sharp knife… he'd be the perfect person to blame. So I staked out the kitchen when it was empty and found a means to keep him from intervening."
Angel Dog tightened her grip on Hell's Chef's shoulders, but Hell's Chef kept his anger bottled up. Frankly, he was just glad he wouldn't be dying today.
"I didn't drink at the party because I didn't want my head to be any worse while I carried this out. I pretended to be drunk and I pretended to pass out. I feigned sleep on the floor until everyone around me left or dozed off…" Mummy Papa couldn't look anyone in the eye. "I crept down to the kitchen and waited around a corner, hoping Chef would leave. And when he did… I thought this was fate, too. I was so sure I was meant to return to my family… I went in the kitchen as fast as I could, opened the window, and hid behind the fridge. It was nerve wracking and I was sure it was bad for my health… but so was staying here knowing what was happening to my wife and my son. When Hell's Chef came back, knife in hand, he instantly cursed the open window and as he went to shut it, it blew out his flame.
My confidence was… higher than ever. I wasn't used to that feeling… so I came out from behind the fridge and pried the knife from his hand without fear. It was… much heavier than I thought, but I managed to drag it up the stairs with me. I leaned it against the wall and went to get my target; Judgement Boy Gold."
"Sorry to interrupt, but…" Catherine had tears in her eyes. "Why kill Gold? Why…?"
"I saw… how he looked at Judgement Boy… he might have been strict with him, but there was a fatherly glint in his eyes. I didn't know I had a son back then, but something about that… made me happy… but when Judgement Boy died and Gold broke down… his attitude changed for the worse. When I looked at him, I saw a man with nothing left to lose. I thought… of what would happen if I lost my family, or they were killed… as horribly as Judgement Boy was…" Mummy Papa had to pause to let out a couple of choking sobs. "I'd lose all will to live. When I overheard him saying he'd stop at nothing to survive, it sealed the deal… I thought Gold would murder someone to get out and put this all behind him… and if he got caught, he wouldn't care, because he already lost the person who meant the most to him…"
Catherine was openly sobbing now. Gunman tapped her on the shoulder and opened up his arms. Catherine flew into them, crying onto his shoulder profusely. Gunman shot Sarah a guilty look and she gave him a feeble smile of approval.
"I thought… I could be guiltless if I killed him, since… I had something to go home to, and he… didn't…" Mummy Papa choked a bit. "... but I wasn't guiltless. I hesitated. I got woozy when I was about to land the first blow… and hit his back. Gold cried out, but luckily, since he had just woken up, it wasn't too loud… but it was enough to make me panic. I brought down the knife as hard as I could and… it was off. It was done. I'd killed him." Mummy Papa seemed like he was getting dizzy. "It was… too much to take. I fainted. But, luckily, not for long. I managed to clean up in the restroom and change my bandages before I returned to the bar. I fell asleep on the floor, right where I was before. It was easy… to act lethargic and uninterested. I'm good at ignoring pain… well, most pain…" Mummy Papa wore a small, sad grin, tears flooding down his face. "... hopefully… that will make my execution… less horrible."
"Not sure about that, buddy," Monoputa giggled. "This one's one of my favorites~"
"Monoputa… please… start the vote-"
"Yaaaay! Finally!" Roulette Boy fistpumped.
"This kid gets it! I like you," Monoputa gave him a thumbs up.
Mummy Papa sighed remorsefully and gave the courtroom a gentle, tearful smile. "I'm sorry… for what I did, but… I did it for my family. I'll die knowing I fought for them until my last moment… I'll die knowing… it was all for them… I just hope they can forgive me… for never coming back when they needed me most..."
Everyone in the courtroom was silent and solemn, except for Monoputa, who cackled and began the vote.
The panel on each podium flipped open and everyone pressed their finger onto the image of Mummy Papa, Hell's Chef pushing hard enough to crack the button's plastic.
The TV screen lowered and the image of the slot machine appeared, rolling and rolling until it stopped on three pictures on Mummy Papa. Applause and thunderous trumpet music came from the screen as the word "GUILTY!" flashed in neon colors.
Mummy Papa closed his eyes and braced himself as he waited for the metal collar to close around his neck.
"Ohhh, this is gonna be good…" Monoputa smirked as he slammed his gavel on the big red button.
MUMMY PAPA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.
Two chains of a sinisterly familiar design extended from the wall. One clasped firmly around Mummy Papa's neck, as he predicted, and the other around the hilt of the sabre embedded in his thick skull. With tremendous force, Mummy Papa was yanked out of the courtroom to the horror of everyone but Roulette Boy and Hell's Chef. Mummy Papa tugged and pulled at the collar around his neck, trying to put the grating feeling of the sabre in his head to the side. When he finally reached his destination after what felt like a shameful, pain-filled eternity, he was forcefully thrust into a hard, wooden chair which refused to budge from the floor. It all happened so quickly: Mummy Papa was forced into a sitting position, the chains around his sabre and neck let go, the dislodged sabre came flying off with humungous force, ropes fastened around Mummy Papa's chest, tying him to the chair. Hardly feeling the sabre's removal, Mummy Papa only just had enough time to look around and see the padded room along with the table of torture implements beside him before Monoputa caught the sabre's hilt in midair.
Everyone in the courtroom suddenly found themselves outside the execution room, staring at the horror within through a window. All of them waited in nervous anticipation for the horrible death of Mummy Papa.
The maniacal prompter retrieved his stepladder, and briefly, tauntingly, waved it in front of the culprit's face. Within moments, Mummy Papa heard the tap-tap-tapping of Monoputa's feet on the steps and a bead of sweat rolled down his face. Monoputa reinserted the sabre into Mummy Papa's skull and, with his two tiny, powerful hands, pushed downwards with all his might. The sabre slowly riiiiiipped down Mummy Papa's head, stopping just above his mouth. Smugly, Monoputa walked around the front of the chair and grinned up at his victim. His jaw dropped when he realised Mummy Papa was in fact still alive!
"Is that all you got?" Mummy Papa teased, unfazed despite his split brain. "I've had worse headaches than this."
Stamping his foot, Monoputa stormed over to the torture table and grabbed a bottle of potent poison. The once slow tap-tap-tapping was faster in tempo and Monoputa was at the top of the stepladder in a matter of seconds. Grinning wildly, Monoputa forcefully pulled the sabre out of Mummy Papa's head and poured the evil substance down his gaping throat. Down it flowed, like a waterfall of acid, and Monoputa emptied it to the last drop. He cackled wildly, his hands on his stomach.
"Do you have any more?" Mummy Papa piped up, licking his bloody lips.
Monoputa stopped, in shock. "What?"
"Do you have any more?" He repeated.
Monoputa let out a scream of rage and frustration. The sabre glimmering in the dim light, he cut open Mummy Papa's ropes and began to stab him all over his body, each puncture resulting in a revolting squelching sound. Blood oozed out of the gashes, trickling all over Mummy Papa.
"You'll have to... do better than that, Monoputa," Mummy Papa chided with a weak, broken, but still victorious smile.
"THAT'S IT, SMARTASS!," Monoputa jumped off the stepladder.
Pushed to breaking point, Monoputa sprinted past the torture table, grabbing a bomb as he ran. He raced to the other side of the room as fast as his teeny legs would take him, lit the bomb and watched the flame spark to life.
"SURVIVE THIS, SABREBOY!" Monoputa screeched, tossing the bomb with amazing accuracy.
It plopped into Mummy Papa's lap and he looked at it helplessly. "Oh my…"
BOOM!
Pieces of Mummy Papa splattered the walls and floor, coating them in red and the blood trickled down like raindrops on a window. The force caused a good portion of Mummy Papa's stomach to hit the now cracked viewing window and it slowly slid down, leaving behind a long, vile stain.
Monoputa wiped a piece of Mummy Papa's kidney off his hat, leaving a red smudge. He turned to the horrified crowd and let out a relieved sigh.
"I always win in the end," He grinned maniacally and held up two fingers in victory.
It was at that moment that everyone in the room was fully reminded of Monoputa's power and his unquenchable thirst for despair, chaos and mayhem. Gunman was quaking to himself, Cactus Girl glowered at Monoputa with sheer hatred next to Steve who had fainted face down on the floor. Poor Conductor hugged himself, a guilty look on his tear-streaked face. Even Gregory seemed shocked; eyes bulging and his hand over his mouth. Gregory Mama was dumbstruck, her brain still trying to process what had just happened.
Neko Zombie mrrowed bleakly and Sarah blinked back tears. Mummy Papa… He's really…
"Finally…" Hell's Chef grumbled, earning himself a smack on the head from a tearful Angel Dog.
"All he wanted was to see his family," Sarah muttered. "He didn't deserve this."
"Yeah he did!" Monoputa came striding out of the execution room, still covered in blood and bits of Mummy Papa. "He killed someone! Even if you have a reason behind it, killing someone always gets you executed! Whether it was an accident, on purpose, or on impulse, the murderer will get a punishment without fail~!" Giggling, Monoputa gave Sarah a side glance. "Unless, of course, you can't figure it out. Then they get to go home! Too bad Mummy Papa will never, ever see his family again!"
"STOP GLOATING!" Clock Master shouted at Monoputa, fists clenched. "I can't believe this happened…! I could have prevented it! I should have asked Mummy Papa if he was all right… as a father like he was, I could have told him what I was doing to safely return home to my son! I… if I had, we wouldn't have lost Judgement Boy Gold and Mummy Papa… Mummy Papa would have been able to go home with the rest of us…" Clock Master was getting choked up, but he kept his tears back.
"I don't know why you guys think you're all gonna go home together," Monoputa sighed and absent-mindedly flicked one of Mummy Papa's eyeballs off of his shoulder.
"BE QUIET!" Clock Master steeled himself from rushing forward and kicking Monoputa into the wall.
"Hmph!" Monoputa sniffled, wiping his eyes. "So rude…"
"Clock Master, please calm down!" Angel Dog pleaded, her hands folded under her chin. "I hate to say it, but… what's done is done. This shouldn't change your attitude. Keep working hard to survive and get home to your son and… I know you will. None of us have a drive quite like yours."
Clock Master took a few deep breaths and calmed himself, but his heart still felt heavy as lead. "Thank you, Angel Dog…"
Sarah couldn't help marvelling at Angel Dog's skill. Even if she had an evil personality lurking within her, Angel Dog was honest, bright, and never failed to soothe people, no matter how horrible they felt.
"How touching…" Monoputa mocked. "But that doesn't change the fact that right now you guys are in some serious trouble and you ain't getting out on my watch! Ahahaha!" He pointed a tiny finger at the elevator, still grinning madly. "Now I have some gold plating to reuse! So get up there and let's see some more despair and drama! Andele!"
He may be right, Sarah thought as she shuffled to the elevator. She watched the others follow her example and Cactus Girl picked up Steve, carrying him with her on the tiny journey. Right now, our troubles aren't over and Monoputa won't let us out so easily. But I know we can overcome him! Everyone filed into the elevator, openly aware they were short one kindhearted soul. We just need to find a way…
"Everyone," Poor Conductor began, ashamed. All eyes turned his way and he needed no spotlight. He already had everyone's miserable attention. "It was because of my knowledge that such a man has passed." He bowed, his head hung low. "I would like to formally apologize for-"
"Are you crazy?!" Gregory looked at him like he was just that. "You saved everyone here! All of us! You shouldn't be sorry!"
Poor Conductor blushed and a few tears went down his cheeks. "Is this what it's like… to be respected?"
His sobs emanated throughout the elevator as it continued its ascent. No one wanted to tell Poor Conductor to stop. Not even Gregory Mama. He was echoing all their heart's woes for them.
13 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE