Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, I've been really busy with work. This chapter ended up being so long that I'm splitting it up, so this is not the last chapter.

March 18, 2020

They never expected an actual zombie virus to infect the world.

The Warner's lived in a major metropolitan area, and while California was geography big, most of the 39.5 million people resided near the coast, jammed together in the crowded cities and bustling little towns. So, the Warner's weren't surprised at all when their state was the first to shut down.

They had lived long enough to know that humans were a careless species; even though the studio execs told everyone that it'll all be okay and that they just needed to halt all productions for a few weeks, the Warner's knew better. They knew it was going to be a long time before anybody would go back to work.

That meant no more fans.

No more stars.

No more movies.

No more pranks.

No more people.

The reboot was delayed by a few months or so, but at least it was in post-production and the three didn't have to worry about going on set and possibly getting sick.

At the very start of lockdown, the Warner's were actually doing better than a lot of their peers, as they had basically perfected the art of self-isolation when they were locked in their water tower. It felt like a soft reboot of those old prison days, when all they had was each other. At least this time, they could go outside and walk around the empty studio for some fresh air.

However, that's all they could do in this new world. Since the movie theaters, museums, and malls were all closed down and they had unlimited time on their hands, their insane minds began to wonder and a particular thought kept cropping up.

It was only a thought.

Just a small thought.

The quietness of the studio was getting to them…and the trio kept asking themselves a question.

Just asking, but not really expecting an answer.

But still, they asked.

It was a fleeting idea that would come and go. It probably originated the night Dot told Wakko about her rape, when her and Yakko's old wounds were ripped open and Wakko was left with a scar himself. It was only ever a quiet thought that had never materialized beyond a simple wish the three had. However, now that they had more free time and more things to fear about the world, that wish evolved into something more...

April 5, 2020

One day, to get their minds off of that particular thought, that particular wish, they decided to re-watch the entire series of Game of Thrones. They were bored, it was something to pass the time, and it was fun to get into petty arguments about the show.

They would ALL argue about the last season – Wakko, who insisted that it actually wasn't that bad; Yakko, who hated the whole season from start to finish; and Dot, who did enjoy some of the episodes, disliked others, but really loved the musical score. Also the dragons, she thought they were cute despite their ferocious nature. So, it was 7/10 for her.

So, they watched it.

And watched it.

Episode after episode.

Season after season.

They thought re-watching an old favorite would get their minds off of that particular idea they all had, but instead, the show only reinforced – dare one would say, encourage – them to think about it again…

And instead of just thinking about something…

Or secretly wishing it…

They openly confessed to each other about their wish…

And they formed a plan…

Of course, the eldest did stop it from going any further than just simply planning. He told them that it was fun to plan and dream, but that was all they were going to do, only dream about it.

April 24, 2020

The trio received their monthly residual checks through the mail. They were surprised that it was more than usual, because if anything, they were expecting less. However, they realized that the lockdown was driving everyone crazy and apparently more people were downloading/buying their old show at this time.

So, the Warner's finances were pretty much secured for the next year. While they weren't exactly zillionaires…they were going to at least be comfortable during this pandemic.

They were grateful for that much.

However, as each day came and went, Yakko could see their spirits were fading – their positive and upbeat energy from the beginning of the lockdown was all but gone:

There was Yakko, who was anxious all day, every day. While he definitely was prepared for such a crisis…it still wasn't fun living through it. He tried to get his siblings to follow a routine everyday, to keep their minds active, but each week, it kept getting tiresome.

Although his days were filled with mindless YouTube videos, he did try to read a book from his tablet now and again. Anything to distract him from life in general. However, sometimes he would just read a line or two from his book and then immediately go back to the chaos that was the internet and social media.

He had just started dating the redheaded girl Sarah when lockdown happened, and his physical contact with her was cut short. While he was texting her constantly and having FaceTime dates with her in his car, he did try to keep her a secret, just until he knew it was serious. However, his siblings figured out quickly he was dating again. They noticed that he was spending a lot more alone time in his car without driving anywhere. Even though it was probably just some innocent video chat, Wakko and Dot both agreed it was best to give the eldest his privacy and to not disturb him for anything, lest they interrupt something (even if it was just making stupid kissing faces at her).

There was Wakko, who was depressed and lost his appetite. Yakko saw his younger brother's ribcage one morning as he was putting on his shirt, and after almost having a heart attack, Yakko realized that his little brother probably had an eating disorder. While Wakko still ate more than the average human, he was eating considerably less than what was normal for him. He wasn't doing it on purpose, he just wasn't hungry anymore.

Yakko and Dot knew he wasn't sick, they knew it was just depression, but still, they would weigh him from time to time to make sure he wasn't losing a lot of weight, because of his ultra-high metabolism. He had lost ten pounds one week when they weren't really keeping track and since then, it had been a strict diet of 'eat something, anything'.

To entice his brother to eat more, the eldest bought all of the food from the studio café that would have gone to waste from lockdown. Now Wakko could have all the $15 pretzels and churros he wanted. Whilst it did help him to add a few extra calories throughout the day, it still wasn't enough sometimes.

However, even though Wakko had less energy, he saw how much stress the eldest was put under by trying to keep everyone semi-sane, and because of this, Wakko felt inclined to help out around the tower more than usual. He was depressed, but something came over him and he just had the need to clean everything. Maybe it was just the fact that the virus had toon's questioning their own mortality for the first time in…well forever. Yes, it was true that toons lived a long time as they practically didn't age, but they could still die if they were careless, if they got really sick…or if they lost a lot of ink…

On top of cleaning the tower a lot, Wakko also became more attentive to his sister, because while the eldest was always on edge and Wakko was always down in the dumps, they both knew that Dot was the one having the hardest time of all.

So…there was Dot.

While she initially volunteered to shop for the seniors in her area to cheer herself up, she would get depressed anytime she would come home and read or watch the news. While Yakko tried to put a parental lock on the news channels, so she wouldn't torture herself every day with it, she always figured out the password. Apparently, he talked a lot in his sleep.

She became so engrossed with the news that at one point, Yakko gave her a timeout – like she was a legit ten-year-old – after he caught her watching the news all night when she was supposed to be asleep. Of course, he felt guilty because…well people don't normally punish others for watching the news.

However, she was driving herself crazy reading articles and think pieces almost every moment of the day, either about the virus or about how selfish humans were, with news of hoarding toilet paper or selling hand sanitizers for a large profit. She would fake a smile at her brothers, pretend that it didn't bother her and even though she tried to stay hopeful and positive, her brothers could see right through her.

She kept insisting that she was fine, which was worse, because they knew the more she tried to repress and refuse help, the more chaotic it would be when she finally did blow up. They kept reminding her what happened the last time she refused help, the last time she held in a secret for so long, even if it was just to one sibling.

Yet, she continued to insist that everything was okay.

That it was different this time.

Maybe so...

She could hide her stuttering; she could hide her trembling hands; she could even hide the times where she was catatonic and stare off into space, forgetting how to speak or even what she was doing in the moment. Somehow, she always managed to snap out of it before her brother's would see her.

But even though she managed to hide most of her symptoms, even though she could act like everything was fine, the one thing she couldn't hide from them was that she was having recurring nightmares again.

Years ago, when she first started having those nightmares, she would always go to Yakko for comfort, which made her sleepless nights his sleepless nights. Now that Wakko knew, the eldest could at least get a few nights rest, without feeling too guilty. It started out as just one nightmare a few days a week, when the virus was first getting out of hand, but then it quickly evolved into several nightmares in a given night.

Although, it varied on the setting or even time period, it was always the same: she was trapped somewhere, couldn't move her body, and at some point, she would scream in pain. Sometimes the dream would involve the virus and she couldn't move because she didn't have her mask on. Sometimes it was an older dream, one where she couldn't move because she was just simply scared or…because someone was holding her down.

Cue her screaming in the dream, cue her waking up in real life.

Sometimes her brothers would hear her wake up, gasping for air; sometimes she would quietly wake up and try to go back to sleep on her own…before she decided to just crawl into bed with whoever was snoring the least. So, it went on…

Night after night.

Week after week.

May 25, 2020

Yakko woke up to find his baby sister was once again sleeping on the top bunk with Wakko. It was almost June and she was still having nightmares every night.

He knew that the virus was having a major impact on people's mental health right now, especially to those who experienced past trauma. He knew that she was going to go through a period of regression at this time and he tried to be ready for it, by God, he tried to be ready, but it was just too much.

It was every night.

Every.

Goddamn.

Night.

The nightmares just seemed worse this time around; if she was allowed to go out to restaurants, hang out with her friends, see a movie, and just have a day out, her nightmares would have stopped a long time ago.

But no.

Because of this stupid virus and because of the stupid humans who were making the crisis worse and endangering his sibling lives, his sister was stuck in the tower all day, with only her thoughts. None of them felt comfortable traveling outside the studio for fresh air, because of crazy people protesting the mask mandate and getting up in other's faces.

Even when the Warner's did walk around the studio for exercise, Dot would always avoid going near certain areas of the studio. Without the people, the studio was like a ghost town that triggered something in her that she had never experienced before in all those ten years she lived with the trauma…but the studio had never been so empty for so long until now. It was just too quiet for her…and Yakko knew it was all the humans' fault.

He was angry.

He was furious.

He was enraged.

He'd had it.

Carefully, he woke his siblings up.

"Dot, did you have another nightmare?" he asked, tired of repeating the same question every morning, even though he knew the answer.

"You were sleeping, but Wakko was up," she said defensively, but ashamed that she was caught. "He said I could come up."

"It's true, I really don't mind," Wakko said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"Guys," the eldest said, before sighing, "I want…I want these nightmares to stop…Dot, I know you're having a hard time, stop pretending you're not."

"It's not her fault, she can't control what she dreams!" Wakko shouted, holding Dot close to his chest out of instinct. He was worried that Yakko was about to give them a lecture, he knew this day would come.

"Shhh, I'm not mad, calm down now," Yakko said, "I'm upset. I'm just at the end of my rope here, I just don't know what else to do. I've tried everything, Dot! Limiting your news time, putting you to bed early, talking, reading, exercising, playing, breathing, meditating, having you listen to a podcast or music while you sleep, nothing's working! Not even the old tricks that used to work, before Wakko knew!"

"You sure do sound like you're mad," Wakko said, suspiciously glaring down at him.

"Yakko, don't be mad, I am trying!" she pleaded. "I had three nightmares last night and woke up three times. I couldn't sleep! I can't sleep! I haven't been able to get a good night's rest for a month. Wakko heard me wake up after the third time, I swear!"

"I know, I know you're trying. I'm not mad at you," Yakko said, "I know you don't want to have these nightmares. I know you don't want to think about…all that again. I know you don't want to live in the past. And I know you want to move on, which is why you pretend that everything is fine! But it's not fine, is it Princess?!"

She looked down when he said her nickname; that always got a reaction out of her and made her realized how serious he was being.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't mean to be a burden; I know it has been ten years, I don't know why I am still like this."

"You don't need to be sorry and you're not a burden; you just need to admit that you need help and it's okay to admit that. I don't care if it happened a hundred years ago, I would still say the same thing, the virus is making everything worse and it's not your fault" Yakko said. He reached his hand up to grab hers. "Look, I am mad, but not at you. I'm mad at…at the world right now and I know you are too."

She nodded and Wakko held onto her tightly. The eldest was proud watching his two siblings take comfort in each other. Wakko was no longer the other brother to Dot, he was more of the silent teddy bear type; gentle, but could get violent if he felt his family was threatened.

Yakko sighed, he couldn't believe what he was going to say next. "And so while I still think it's a very very bad idea…and I want to go on record as being firmly against it no matter what…I…I will give in…and let you do it…if it means us getting back to semi-normal. If it means the nightmares will stop…and it might possibly help Wakko too and get his appetite back."

"Wait, do you mean?" Wakko asked.

"Yes, let's do it. Let's—" he couldn't say the next word, "—carry out the plan," he said instead.

At first, they were shocked that he finally agreed, but then Dot, having heard those magical words 'yes' for something she longed for since…well since it all first happened, it finally broke her. And just like the brothers predicted, chaos was unleashed. Wakko hugged her tightly as she ugly cried in his arms, rocking her side to side as she wiped her nose on his shirt.

Even though it was an awful sight and it took her a while to finally stop her hands from shaking, to stop stuttering and get her words out, Yakko was happy, because this what she and Wakko wanted. To a certain extent, this is what Yakko wanted too.

"Are you sure?" Wakko asked Yakko, as he didn't want to pressure the eldest into doing something that he would regret later on. "What about our morals—"

"—Fuck morals, I want my family back," Yakko interrupted. Wakko was taken aback by his swearing, but he knew that it just meant how dead serious the eldest was about his decision.

"Oh, Y-Y-Yakko, th-thank you!" Dot cried out.

Yakko smiled; if they were all going to sell their souls to the devil, at least it would be worth it in the end. They would all rather burn in hell together than live in paradise apart from each other. They prefer the heat anyway.

"But," Yakko said, causing both siblings to look up, "we're not going to rush into it; we need to be careful. I am dead serious here; you need to follow my instructions to the T. Otherwise the reboot will be in jeopardy and other people's livelihood will be destroyed. This isn't a show; there's no rehearsal; we need to get this right the first time. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," they both said.

The eldest raised an eyebrow. "Well, don't call me sir. I'm not that old. Jeez, children," he said, trying to soften the mood.

"Children," they imitated, although Dot was still a blubbering mess when she said it.

For the next few days, the Warner's snuck tools and lab equipment in that they had 'borrowed' from the studio for their little science project. It was pretty easy though; not even the usual employees that would stop the Warner's for a casual chit-chat had any idea what the trio were hiding in their hammerspace's. They were good actors after all; they never gave the humans an inkling that they were in the middle of doing something nefarious.

Nobody really cared anyway what the three little orphan puppy-dog children were doing as the studio had bigger problems to worry about during lockdown.

So, when the Warner's finished their little project, they quietly disposed of the evidence to somewhere far away…in the cover of night of course, when the whole world was distracted and still.

Yakko kept asking Dot if she was sure.

She kept saying yes.

And Wakko would tell him to stop asking, that she knew her own mind.

So, for over a month, the three of them practiced their cartoon stunts and started working out. They ran around the studio for a few hours a day, lifted a few weights here or there, and learned advance self-defense moves. They even practiced yoga – something Yakko initially scoffed at when Wakko mentioned trying it out, but the eldest had to admit, it did make him more flexible.

This was all in attempt to make sure that they were strong, limber, and in the best shape of their lives.

They've gotta be quick.

They've gotta to be fast.

They've gotta to beat out the rest of the cast—

While most of the world was getting fat, staying at home and re-watching The Office for the fifth time, the Warner's were working on their muscles and honing in on their toon skills.

They had a lot of time though, because the next part of their plan required them to wait and they didn't know when they were going to be called into action.

And so, they waited and trained.

Waited and trained.

Waited...

Until…

Finally, one day…

July 19, 2020

"Guys, come here!" Yakko called out from the bedroom.

He was lounging on his bed, scrolling through his phone, when he received a text. It read, 'Tuesday, the eagle flies' from an unlisted number, but he knew what the cryptic message meant.

Wakko and Dot were eating their lunch in their pj's while watching some stupid reality show on cable. It was rotting their brains and it had no educational value to them whatsoever…but at least it wasn't the news. Anything, but the news. They could be watching porn or a doctor performing a gruesome surgery with the patient's guts hanging off the table for all Yakko cared, and he wouldn't bat an eye, because at least it wasn't the news.

Usually, the siblings would just ignore the first few times Yakko called them because they hoped he would just come to them, so they wouldn't have to get up. However, he sounded more alarmed than usual, and so to avoid the eldest's wrath, they paused the show and raced to the bedroom.

"I just got the message," Yakko said, showing them the text, "it's time."

The siblings knew what that meant; they had been waiting weeks for this moment. The three of them stared at each other almost as if they were having a full conversation with their minds.

Eventually, Dot finally broke the silence and asked, "When and where?"

"We'll do it Thursday night and my friends will send me the address later on. But Dot," Yakko said, getting off his bed and kneeling down to her side, "I'll ask you one more time and then never again, are you absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, positively sure you want to do this?"

Wakko grabbed her hand for support.

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

"Because I know last year, you would have said no, so I just want to be extra sure that you're extra sure," the eldest said.

"I know," she said, looking down at her shirt.

She realized that the pj's she was wearing was the same Tiny Toon's t-shirt that she wore the night she told Wakko, almost two years ago.

She ran her fingers through the fabric, stroking the Babs image – once her best friend and role model, someone she always strived to be because Babs always seemed so fearless. Even when Tiny Toon's got cancelled, Dot still asked for her advice when Animaniacs was getting a second season, a third, a fourth. However, sooner or later, Dot felt like Babs was resenting her, because Animaniacs continued to gain popularity as the years went on, but everyone seemed to forget about Tiny Toons.

"Without Tiny Toons," Babs said one time, "there wouldn't be an 'Animaniacs'."

Their friendship quickly soured after that, but Dot still looked up to Babs and she found strength in her Tiny Toons t-shirt, as silly as that sounded. Dot just wished that the t-shirt gave her enough courage to call her old friend.

"I know," Dot said again, looking up to Yakko, "but it's a different world now and people are showing their true colors…showing how selfish and narcissist they are when society seemingly collapses. I know the world can be a good place…I tried to make it a better place," tears clouded her eyes, "…but it's just shocking how bad it can get. Sure, there are people who are out there helping others…being heroes…being saviors…" she crossed her arms, "but I'm personally tired of being a savior myself…"

And that was it, nothing else needed to be said.

July 23, 2020

Thursday came and Yakko's hacker friends did indeed come through. They gave him the address on a written note, casually slipping it into his hands on the street, in case anyone was watching. If Yakko was caught, he could destroy the note so his buddies wouldn't be considered an accessory. His friends didn't ask questions; they didn't want to know. They took a wild guess why he needed their help, but the less they knew, the better. They trusted him and such trust was hard to come by these days.

As the evening was setting in, the Warner's changed from their colorful summer outfits to an all-black getup. Everything from their t-shirts, pants, mini skirt, leather gloves fitted over their white toon gloves was black. Wakko left his red hat behind and swap it for a black one in the meantime (he was always self-conscious about his big forehead). Meanwhile, Dot put her bright yellow flower hairband in her hammerspace for safe keeping. They needed to be like shadows passing through the night and blend in with the darkness; they simply couldn't give away their appearances with splash of color.

Their destination was in San Bernardino, which was east from Burbank and roughly an hour away, so they traveled by toon speed. They ran instead of driving because they couldn't risk the car getting spotted on the road – or worse – pulled over by a cop. With all the civil unrest and protests happening in the streets, it was best to travel through the wilderness and the desert, instead of the freeway. They left their cellphones behind, as it was basically a mini tracking device, and they used outdated walkie talkies and wrist watches, just in case they were split up – the '90's were back baby!

The whole way over, Dot was afraid she was making a mistake.

Yakko was afraid she was making a mistake.

And Wakko was afraid the only mistake they would make is that they would find the wrong house.

It was 11:12 p.m. when they arrived and they quickly spotted the one-story house that was at the end of a block, standing lone and isolated from the rest of its neighbors in the cul-de-sac. The house was run-down; someone did try to plant flowers in the front lawn, however, the grass and weeds were so overgrown that it had suffocated the poor plants. The yellow paint was chipping, the front screen door was ripped, and there were a few beer bottles lying on the front porch.

The three toons stood behind the tall grass, scanning the area to see if the neighboring houses had spotted them yet; but the street was quiet. People were either in bed, contemplating their very brief existence on this planet, or they weren't home at all.

Nobody was going to look outside tonight, at least that's what the Warner's kept telling themselves.

Dot was worried that they had the wrong house. She spotted a kid's drawing of a rainbow taped on the front window and it made her skin crawl.

This must be the wrong house…

She was about to turn around, about to turn back, about to tell her brothers that this was all a mistake…

But then the front door opened…and he walked outside.

The porch light was yellow and dim, he was twelve or so feet away from her, he was a lot skinner, and wearing an ugly grey tank top. But none of that matter; she could recognized that face anywhere – even if that face had become hollow and devoid of nutrition.

It was him.

He was taking out the trash, but instead of walking to the bins, he decided that setting the trash down next to the front door was sufficient enough. He finished his cigarette and dropped it into one of the beer bottles and then walked back inside, slamming the door shut.

"Was that him?" Wakko asked, since it had been ten years that he had beaten up said stranger over a stupid parking spot. Dot was standing as still as a statue when Wakko looked over to her and saw the terror in her wide eyes. "Dot?"

"He's lost weight, grew his hair out…but yes, that was him," Yakko confirmed, "I recognize those eyes anywhere."

"I-I-I…I can't do this," Dot said, breaking out of her trance. She started gasping for air.

"Do you want to go home?" Yakko asked calmly. "We can go home."

"I-I-I-I-I…"

"Breathe Dot, breathe…remember, in…and out…" Yakko said, kneeling down to her level.

"…in…and out…" Wakko helped. "You can do this."

"W-w-what if he has kids with him?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down to a whisper, pointing at the kid's drawing. "What if…if…if he's a father? What if…if…if those kids…used to watch our show? And were fans of ours? Or…or…or they will be fans…soon? I-I-I-I can't do that to children. They-they're innocent! Just like I was!"

"One, you still are innocent. Two, he doesn't have kids," Yakko told her plainly. "Okay? He doesn't have kids. I checked; he doesn't have kids."

"B-b-but he could have knocked someone up…like what if…what if…what if he cheated on his wife before – I mean, he's the type isn't he? And he-he's a taker, not a giver, he wouldn't wear any-anything. He-he-he could have had conjugal visits or—"

"—Dot, shh," Wakko whispered, as she was making too much noise. He pointed to the house, "the only way to know is to ask."

"Dot, you have two choices," Yakko added. "We can just turn back and go home – which I would prefer – OR we can do what we came here to do, it's your choice though. What do you want to do?"

"I-I-I…I want t-t-t-to…"

"Breathe…breathe…" Yakko said calmly. "Remember what I said, we can't have a panic attack in the middle of the street, you need to breathe…"

"Inhale…exhale…" Wakko added. "And even if you don't end up doing…well…anyway, you should at least confront him, you deserve that small justice."

"Take a moment before you speak," the eldest said. "Really think about what you want to do here. Remember…there's no shame in turning back now."

"And take your time," Wakko said, "you know how we feel; I vote we go inside—"

"—And I vote we go home, but it is your choice Dot," Yakko said. "We both will do what you want to do, whatever you choose, come hell or highwater."

"I-I-I…" she said, as tears formed in her eyes.

She thought she was ready for this; for weeks now, she had been physically and mentally preparing herself for this encounter. But now that she was here, now that she had seen his face for the first time since it happened, she felt that pinch of shame, of guilt, of helplessness again. Her eyes darted from one brother to the other, knowing that essentially, she was asked to choose between the two. She just didn't know what to do—

"God damnit! I'll take out the garbage like you want then, Jesus!" a voice cried out. The door slammed opened again and the man was talking on his cell phone.

He picked up the trash that was sitting on the porch, grabbed the empty beer bottles, and made the eighteen-foot journey from the house to the edge of the street in his bare feet. The Warner's carefully watched him from behind the tall grass. He threw the trash in the bins and the bottles in the recycling, and slammed it shut.

"Happy?!" he screamed into the phone.

"Hey!" a female's voice cried out on speakerphone. "I know it's an adjustment right now! I know it's hard! I know you're stuck in the house all day while I get to go to work! But just because you were released early, doesn't give you the right to lie around the house all day and do absolutely NOTHING, acting like you're the motherfucking King! Okay?! I'll help you get back on your feet, alright, but you first gotta help me! I'm working 16-hour shifts nowadays! I am LETTING you stay with me for a while only BECAUSE you gave me your WORD that you would help out! And don't you ever, EVER scream at me again—"

He hung up his phone and walked back into the house, slamming the door shut before leaning his forehead up against the hard surface.

"Bitch," he whispered to the door before sighing.

"Oh, and I've missed you too…bastard," said a voice behind him.

He dropped his phone, completely startled. He wondered if one of his adult nieces from out of town had arrived home unannounced and was trying to scare him.

"What the fuc—" he shouted as he turned around. He saw their faces, their black and white bodies, their animal features, and even though they were wearing black masks over their mouth, he could sort of make out the rounded noses hidden underneath.

They looked like ninjas.

The tallest male was sitting on the small beige couch, making himself comfortable. The shorter male one was leaning up against a side table with his arms crossed.

And the very short one, the only female, was standing front and center. She made a show of taking out her yellow flower hairband from seemingly out of nowhere and wrapped it around her ears.

It took him a good ten seconds to finally recognize them, after all, it had been, what, ten years? Eleven? Can anyone really remember a person they met once ten years ago? Especially with masks over their face?

It took him a good ten seconds to finally remember.

He recognized the tall one sitting down, but he had been standing the last time the man saw him…which is why it took him ten seconds.

He could sort of make out the middle one, he remembered him wearing a hat, but it wasn't black or was it? He only saw that kid for a few minutes…which is why it took him ten seconds.

And finally, he recognized that flower, but the girl before him was wearing all black now, not the bright yellow he remembered…which is why it took him ten seconds.

"H…hello?" the man finally said, frozen in his spot. "I…what are y-y-you doing here?"

She couldn't tell if he was scared, just shocked, or just generally confused by what was going on.

"Do you remember me?" she calmly asked, her black soulless eyes studying him.

"I…yes…" he said and looked down. Was that shame? Guilt? Or fear? "What…what are you doing here? What-what do you want?!"

There was a long pause and it made him uncomfortable.

"Guess," she finally said, completely emotionless.

He let out a small gasp, but he tried to remain calm. "I…uh…I…er…your brother…uh, that one," he pointed at Yakko. "That one already did his worst on me…and that one," he pointed at Wakko, "was also there too."

"Yes," she said. "But I wasn't there."

The man bit down on his lip. "Well…h-how did you find me?"

"Hackers," she said, still emotionless in her voice. "Don't you love technology nowadays?"

"Th-then you know…I've…I've already done my time," he said, getting a little impatient. "If-if you've been tracking me all these years, then you know…I've done my time!"

"Yes…well…" she said. "Time for those other women; time for those other crimes…but not time for me."

"So…so what? Just pretend one of those years was for you," he said, waving his hand to dismiss her. "And anyway, the statute of limitations is up! You had a chance to bring a-a-a case against me…all those years ago! If-if you thought I hurt you so much! Although…you'll-you'll be happy to know that I was in solitary—"

"—I'm sorry, you've misunderstood what was going on here," she interrupted. "See, I'm not interested in what you've been doing for the past decade. I'm here to let you know what I've been doing…you see, you did indeed 'hurt' me. You sent me to the ER; I was bleeding; I lost a lot of ink. Did you know that if a toon loses too much ink, they could die? That's what happened to Betty Boop."

The man looked down at the floor, frozen in the moment.

"Hey!" Wakko said. "You look at my sister when she's talking!" he pulled out a mallet from behind his back.

The man looked back up, but he was blushing.

"As I was saying," she said, continuing to be soft spoken, yet firm, "I stayed in a hotel for a while because we were afraid you followed me home…so I couldn't even be with my brothers during that time I recovered."

The man spoke up, "Well, you see, I've learned a lot since—"

"—I'm not done! I didn't tell 'this one'," she pointed at Wakko, "until a few years ago, because I was afraid that he would kill you." Wakko nodded at the man to indicate yes, he would have killed him.

"Okay," the man said, "I-I-I know what I did was…well it was…um…"

"Um what?" she asked.

"Look," he said, getting angry, "I was going through a rough time; my marriage was on the rocks and I was lonely. I just wanted to meet young women and when you ignored me, I…was just angry. I think somehow it reminded me of my wife. I-I-I was angry and in a moment of rage…I grabbed you…and as soon as I-I-I grabbed you…I knew you were going to tell someone if I let you go—"

"—Sooooo, let me get this straight," Yakko said, crossing his arms and leaning forward, "your solution to initially hurting my sister…was to hurt her more?! Am I getting that right?!"

"Look, do you want money or something?" the man asked. "It was many years ago; I'm not making excuses—"

"—But you are," Dot interrupted, placing her hands on her hips, "you think if you paid me, I'll shut up and go away. Just like back then, you wanted me to be quiet, so you found a way to shut me up so I wouldn't go to the authorities. Well, it was a good solution…for you, but your 'solution' caused so much pain to our family," she was getting angry again. "Not just to me, but to them too! Because of you, we lied and hid things from each other for years! I used to be mad at my brother for how he handled everything, but then I realized, I shouldn't be mad at him, I should be mad at you," she said, her eyebrows twisted towards each other, but she calmed herself down before she said, "so, no. We don't want your money, good sir."

"I'm calling the cops," he said, getting tired of this ambush. "You can't just show up to my house—"

"—this isn't your house," Dot said, pointing at a photo of a family of five on a nearby coffee table. "This is your friends, I'm assuming."

"Alright, yes, fine!" the man shouted. "It's my younger sister's—"

"—well!" Yakko exclaimed. "We have something in common, as I too am the eldest brother, except…I must ask, Princess?" Dot turned her head to him; they were careful not to use their real names. "Have I ever called you a bitch before?"

"Why no, big bro, you have not," she politely said, smiling, although it was hard to tell with the mask.

"Have I ever called you a bitch, baby sis?" Wakko asked.

She turned her head to him. "No, dear middle child."

"Now then, have I ever called you…uhhhh, what's that word?" Yakko asked, thinking hard. "It's at the top of my head, I just know it...Ah! Yes! I got it!" he snapped his fingers. "Have I ever called you…a cunt?"

The three of them glared back at the man, their eyes shooting daggers.

"Look, I…I went to prison…I've done some reflecting on my life…prison changes you…" he said and Dot took a step towards him; now he was scared. "When…when that whole #metoo movement thing happened…I discovered my sister, yes – the house that I am living in right now – apparently she was getting groped by this senior in high school and-and she had to changed schools because of that! But she never told me before! We weren't close then and I had moved out, which is why I never knew! Nobody told me! But…but I swear, I've changed—"

"—you called your sister a bitch just now," Dot said, "don't use her past trauma to show your own growth. We heard her voice; we heard how you spoke to her."

"Well, that was a private conversation! I am just tired right now! It's just standard sibling—"

"—I fight with my brothers too, but we never use that language," Dot said, taking another step forward. She paused and looked around the room. "Do…do you have any children? I see toys around…"

"What? No, I don't, those toys are from one of my nieces—"

"—she's not here right now, is she?" she asked, worried about the answer.

"No; she's living with her dad while I'm staying here—"

"—okay, thank you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. He didn't like that, he regretted sharing that bit of information. "I feel better now."

"So, we're good then?" Yakko asked her, she nodded at him.

"What, why?" the man asked. "Why do you feel better? Wh-why is that good?" He looked down to search for the cellphone he had dropped earlier, but it had magically disappeared.

"Looking for this?"

The man looked up and saw the middle one holding up his broken Android.

"I'm quicker than people give me credit for," Wakko said, before winking.

The man had only taken his eyes off of that one for a few seconds. He was absolutely awestruck by the trick yet terrified, "How did you—?"

"—it's a toon thing," Yakko explained, "also, don't bother with the landline, he got those too." Wakko then held up two cordless phones.

"Look!" the man shouted. "I've-I've done my time! I was released early for good behavior—"

"You were released early because of covid, dude," Yakko corrected him.

"Well, sure, it was because of covid, but I'm still out! And still on probation! And-and I'm a changed person, I swear! I've seen some shit! It changes you! It changed me!"

Dot took another step towards him. "Prove it," she said.

"Wh-what?" he asked.

"Prove to me that you've changed," she said.

"H-how?"

"Turn yourself in for the crime you committed against me," she simply said.

"What?!"

"Turn. Yourself. In. For. The crime. You. Committed. Against. Me," she said slowly as if he were a toddler. "You want to prove you've changed? You want me to get out of your life forever? Then face the consequences you have successfully escape thus far."

"That's insane! I'm not gonna do that! Like I said, I served my time!"

"And like I said," she pointed to herself, "you didn't serve time for me. You weren't punished for me—"

"—your brothers did punish me!" he shouted, pointing at the two animals behind her.

"Aww, that's right, they gave you one beating," she said in a condescending voice, "pwoor baby, did you have a sore body for a whole month afterwards? Did you have night terrors and nightmares for a year? Did you have trouble sleeping, waking up in the middle of the night, afraid that you were back at that same spot still?"

The man was quiet and she took another step closer.

"When they were smashing your face in," she said with venom in her words and stared into his eyes, "did they mention how small and warm your ink pouch was? How…pretty and tight you kept it, and in pristine condition too? Did they call you a dirty little Oreo whore? A furry bitch? A cute little warm cunt? Did your mind blackout for a minute or so and you can't remember what happened in that one minute…but you know it must be bad, because…well you can't remember it at all? Did you listen to any music while they broke your bones? Can you listen to those songs now without those memories resurfacing in your mind, causing you to have an anxiety attack to a song about dancing your heart out? You know, to 'put YOU in the mood better?'"

The man blinked; he didn't know what to say.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally said, "then you didn't serve your time."

"I…I can't anyway!" he shouted. "The statute of limit—"

"—your confession would be on record…and while nothing would happen in the human world, toons would at least know and they'll have my back no matter what some human judge says," she squinted her eyes, "we're not a forgiving bunch; when a human hurts one of us, they hurt all of us."

His palms were sweating. "Look! I can pay you; my sister makes a lot of money, I swear! I-I-I already did my time! Just let me live my life! It happened ages ago!"

"Then, can I ask you something? That kid that harassed your sister in high school, did he ever face justice?"

"…no," he said. "He was a senior—"

"What if…" she said, putting on her most perfect smile, although he couldn't see it through her mask, he could only see her eyes squinting upwards, "you found out that he came back to town one day, and your sister was getting anxious because of his presence in town…"

He didn't like where this was going.

"And you went to go finally confront him after all these years later, to calm your sister's nerves, so she can be at peace," she continued and her brothers smiled at each other under their masks. "But then you discover he has cancer or he's a paraplegic from an accident or whatever, and he would tell you, 'it was so-and-so years ago, I'm having a hard life right now, isn't that enough? Can't you just let it go?'…but your sister doesn't think that's enough…because he hasn't paid for his crime against her. What would you tell her then? That she should just…what? Move on? What do you think she would say to you? I heard her on the phone, so I can tell you what she would say."

"I…I…I…"

"Do you see why I want you to turn yourself in?" she asked. "You do have a choice in this matter, though. I'm not completely heartless…well, almost…I did once make Meryl Streep cry…long story…but anyway, I'm giving you two choices right now: turn yourself in," she lifted the palm of her right hand up, weighing the options, "…or else…" she lifted her left.

The color drained from his face when she said 'or else'. He turned the knob behind him and quickly ran out the door, crying out for help.

He shouted, but nobody came out, the street was quiet. Either his neighbors couldn't hear his shouting because the house was too far away from the others or nobody really cared at all. The neighbors that could hear him probably figured it was just a family fight that it wasn't any of their business and would only go outside if the shouting dragged on too long. It was just like a car alarm going off; they didn't care if a car was being stolen, they just wanted someone to turn off the annoying sound blaringly through the street, even if it was the thief themselves.

After a minute of his neighbors ignoring his cries, he caught the eye of a stranger who was out for a midnight jog around the cul-de-sac on the warm summer night. It was an affluent neighborhood, even if his sister's house was rundown, and so soccer mom's in yoga pants running around the block wasn't an uncommon sight. He frantically waved to get the person's attention and when the stranger ran closer to him, he almost had to pinch himself, to see if he was dreaming.

It had been years since he'd seen a pretty woman in real life, at least, one that wasn't a correctional officer or a lawyer or a fictional character on tv. No, an actual real woman; the midnight jogger had sleek blonde hair pulled back into a bun, ocean-blue eyes caked in mascara, and even though she had a red mask over her mouth, he took a wild guess that her lips were big and luscious. The mask almost added a bit of mystery to her, like it was a veil, hiding all her secrets beneath.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked in her sweet voice, maintaining some distance from him, because he wasn't wearing a mask. "You said there's someone in your house? Have you called the cops yet?!"

"I-I-I-I…they took my cellphone, they're here to kill me, I just know it!" he said, getting flustered, but he took a moment to look at her legs craved out in her tight yoga pants and the small grey jacket that made her chest look bigger.

"What?!" the woman cried. "Who? Who's here to kill you?"

"Toons…toons…I've…I've changed though—" he started coughing, "sorry, just out of breath…I haven't…haven't ran like that in a while…just…you gotta help me…" he started coughing again.

"Here!" the woman shouted, tossing him a water bottle from her backpack. "I haven't opened it yet; I'll call the cops."

"You-you're not going to leave me though, are you?! They're toons! They could be anywhere!" he cried.

"No, I'll stay here, just please don't get too close, I have children at home, I can't get sick," she took out her phone and started dialing as he started drinking, trying to calm his nerves.

Although part of him was paranoid that the toons would sneak up behind him, the other part was a little glad that they scared him. He would have never caught the attention of this stranger, who now seemed really concerned for his safety and would probably stay by his side all night to make sure he was safe. He let out a small smile at that thought.

"Hello?" the woman said on the phone, "yes, I like to report a break-in happening right now…not me, one of my neighbors…yes…yes…yes…excuse me sir?" the man looked up. "What did they look like?"

"They were three black and white toons—"

"—three African American and—"

"—no! They weren't Black! Jesus Christ, lady! No, listen!" he shouted; he figured she would be a bit of a ditz. "They were three toons! They were animals of some type that were literally the color black and wh…it…e…."

He paused.

"Black…a…n…d…"

Hmm.

"Black…and…wh…it….e…"

Weird.

"Bla…ck…and…wh…"

Maybe if he just tried one more time?

"Bla…ck…an…d…—the…fu…ck…is…go…ing—"

But he was interrupted by a coughing fit that seemed to never end.

In that moment, his heart pressed up against his chest…squeezed his chest…

His breathing became heavy…

His dark beady eyes turned pink…

He coughed harder and harder, his throat felt like it was on fire…he tried to clear it…but no matter how many times he coughed or drank the water, it could never be so…

"Sir?! Sir?! Are you okay?!" the blonde woman shouted; she went back to the phone. "Yes…yes…I think the man is experiencing some kind of asthmatic attack!—"

"—ca…ll…a…n…ambu…lance…" the man took another sip of the water, hoping to put out of the flames in his mouth.

But he paused.

Something was strange.

Something was wrong.

Something was off.

His throat kept getting tighter and he realized that the water wasn't actually helping him at all.

In fact, it was making it worse.

He looked down at the bottle and realized that it was the culprit. He looked up to the woman still on the phone.

"Sir?! What's wrong?!" the woman shouted. "Sir?!"

"Ma...am…I…thin…k…the…toons…poi…soned…this…" he managed to get out.

He looked around him…how did they do that? It was a brand-new bottle that he just opened! How did they—

"They…are…quick…li…ke…that…" he said, remembering what the tall one told him moments ago.

"Poison?!" the woman cried.

"Yes!...I…I…ye…s…"

"He thinks he's been poisoned," the woman said on the phone. "Yes…yes…"

"Thro…at…clos…ing…"

"You can't breathe?" she asked, panicking. "Yes…yes…we're outside…no, he's afraid they're in the house…yes, he does…okay…okay…will do…they want us to go into the backyard and wait there."

"What…why?…"

"I don't know!" the woman exclaimed, becoming frantic. "Maybe so we're not out in the open on the street, maybe to give you some privacy from your neighbors, or maybe because they think that the toons might be here! They said to just do it!" she shouted and the man had no choice, but to follow the operator's instructions.

The woman carefully helped him up from behind, so she wouldn't get his germs from his coughing. They slowly made their way to the little gate which connected to the backyard. While the backyard was bigger than expected for such a small house, it was just as unkempt as the front yard. The lawn was dry and brown, there was mulberry tree that was still alive, but looking frail, the pink flowers planted alongside the house were dead, and a stack of wood from an unfinished craft project was left out in the cold.

"Ha…ving…trou…ble…" he fell to his knees, putting a finger in his mouth, hoping to puke up the water or whatever it was that had poisoned him. He was still holding the water bottle to test it later. He managed to get something out, but still…his throat continued to close…his breath became shallow…he felt a really weird gassy aftertaste…or was it nutty…he couldn't really tell…what was it?

"Are you sure you're having a hard time breathing?!" the woman asked again.

"Ye…s…I…can…'t….get…it…out…." he said, crawling on the grass for a few distances to get away from the puke, before collapsing on the wet ground. "Wh…en…will…th…e…police…get…here?"

The woman scanned the area and when she saw that the backyard was completely isolated from any nosy neighbors who might catch a glimpse of the scene playing out, she closed the gate behind her.

"What…are….you….do…ing…?" he asked. "They…won't…see…us…if…it's…cl…osed…"

She was no longer panicking, she seemed calm now. She casually walked over to him and held up her phone, revealing that that she never actually called 911 to begin with. In fact, it wasn't even a real phone, it was a plastic toy that was painted black, with a picture of a bunny on the screen now visible to the man.

"Wh…at!" he shouted, completely shocked.

He looked at her hands and realized that she was wearing black leather gloves. He didn't think of it when he first saw her, he was too busy looking at...well everything else about her and never noticed her hands. A runner might wear gloves at night…but it was summer and really warm out, in fact, too warm for someone to be wearing a jacket and gloves.

She could only be wearing gloves for one reason and one reason only – to hide her fingerprints.

"Wh…o…?"

She put the 'phone' away and carefully removed her mask. Underneath the red cloth was a fresh set of red lipstick and touch of blush on her cheeks – usually not something a jogger would wear. His pupils dilated; his mouth gaped open; he just couldn't believe it. Their disguise was so good. How did they make a human-like disguise and hide their toon features—

"Little darlings?" the woman called out in her sweet voice, looking around.

The three black and white toons jumped down from the frail mulberry tree directly behind the man. They had all been watching the little show play out this whole time, hidden behind the leaves and tall branches.

"Oh, there you three are!" she said smiling.

"Wh…a…t…" the man asked, looking behind him to see the toons.

Wait, so if…that wasn't their disguise, then who…?

The man slowly turned back to the woman, "B…u…t….you're…a…a…human…" he said, shocked by the betrayal of his own species.

"Yes," the woman coldly told him. She crossed her arms and stared down at him, like the little man he was and said, "but I'm also a nurse and my patients come first."

She looked back up at the trio and smiled again, putting her mask back on when they came running towards her.

Dot Warner carefully jumped into her arms and whispered:

"Hello Nurse."