"C'mon Lisa! It's just over here!"
"Slow down! I'm… not… as… fast…"
Lana skidded to a stop, looking back to where her younger sister was gradually catching up with her. Lori was walking behind the two, making sure they didn't get hurt, but Lana had claimed she found 'something Lisa needed to explain' just in the woods and had effectively dragged her here.
"Hey, Lana?" She called. "How much further is it? I don't want you two going too deep into the woods, there's a lotta stuff out there that can hurt you. And I don't want to explain to dad why you're bleeding like crazy again."
"Aw, c'mon Lori! I've been here before." Lana rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. Lori gave her a look and the tomboy nodded. "It's just up here."
The three made their way over a fallen tree, past some thickets, and finally came out to a clearing. The ground had been treaded down, and the dirt was clearly moved about, and the leaves seemed to be piled into some sort of pile. Lori frowned, had Lana found some weird hobo's squatting zone? She really, really didn't want either of them to get hurt on needles…
"Alright Lana, you dragged me away from my work, refuse to tell me what's happening, so what is so important that you had to drag… us… out…" The brainiac grumbled, but began to trail off in shock when she saw what Lana was pointing to. Two trees just up ahead had large, no, MASSIVE marks on them, as if some sort of giant talon had slashed them and not just the bark, but the wood down to near the core of the tree seemed outright ripped out from its place. She had no idea what this was… granted, she wasn't a zoologist as much as a chemist, but she knew enough to know that this… this wasn't anything she knew about.
"Here it is!" Lana declared, moving in a 'ta-da' way as she pointed to the large marks. "I have no idea what could've done this, do you?"
"..n..no…" Lisa muttered, taking her glasses off and cleaning them. Lori felt her eyes widen then her body tense in apprehensive fear, or flight or fight. She knew they needed to go, now. This looked like some sort of super-bear had torn through the place, and if it was still out here, they needed to alert the authorities.
"And it gets weirder! C'mon!" Lana exclaimed, running off down a path.
"Lana! Stop!" Lori yelled running after her sister. "This thing could still be out here!"
Lana had stopped, and was now walking back-and forth along two rows of trees opposite from one another. At first, the two other Louds had no idea what Lana was on about now, but then they saw it. The… marks, for lack of a logical explanation, got smaller, and smaller, and then they stopped.
"So, do ya think there's some sort of monster out here?!" Lana asked, seeming way to excited about the prospect of a dangerous creature being very near their town.
"Lana, monster do not scientifically exist." Lisa spoke in a flat tone. "These markings could've just as easily been made by someone with a knife or machete-"
"Why?" Lana cut her off.
"…uh, perhaps there filming some sort of independent horror film out here, I don't know." Lisa tried to think of an explanation. "But there is no such thing as monsters, and whatever did this…"
She trailed off, not able to think of an answer. She would be lying if she claimed that seeing these markings, which seemed like either claw, talon or some sort of weapon didn't make her very nervous. But at the same time, her scientific side had to know. What did this?
"Okay we're leaving." Lori said sternly. "We don't know what made these marks, or if it's just some elaborate prank. But we're going. Now."
"But Lori!"
"Now!" Lori snapped, a bit harsher than she intended, but she also wanted her sister's safe, and that meant getting away from this. She may have to send a message to the police force or something… or maybe just keep her sisters from returning her for a long while. Lana's head dropped, clearly disappointed, but she didn't argue. She sulked back towards the clearing and Lori turned to her other sister. "Lisa?"
"Yes, I'm coming." Lisa said, deep in thought, looking around them. Something was here, there was something she was missing. Through the naturally occurring umbrella of leaf's that had begun to falter due to the change in seasons, Lisa saw something reflect the sun's rays. She walked over and picked it up, recoiling in shock.
"Lisa! Are you okay!?"
"Yes… it… it was a spider." Lisa lied shaking her head. She quickly put what she had found into her pocket and followed her oldest sister away from here. As she looked back, she realized what they had been missing, and they had potentially messed up their best lead.
"There were tracks leading towards here." The young Loud pondered. "That's why the dirt was all messed up, whatever did this was trying to cover it's path. And we just walked all over it…"
Still, she had a piece of the larger puzzle, and while it was outweighed by her curiosity for answers, she had a very bad feeling in her gut. A feeling that warned not to go deeper, and a feeling she knew she was going to ignore…
Somewhere across town…
Ding…
"Hm? Oh, hey kid."
"Hey, Mr. Trejo." Mad Dawg said with a slight wave.
"Hey Dawg." Bobby nodded, and Mad Dawg's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yo! Santiago!" He grinned. "Long time no see, how you doin'?"
"Hey, uh… you okay? Like, they were sayin' you got shot or something. I appreciate what you did an' all, but I don't want you getting hurt man." Mr. Trejo asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna have to second that." Bobby nodded with a slight grimace. "I'm fine, but, how are you?"
"Eh, I'm fine, really." Mad Dawg shrugged. "It's no big deal, I'm alive, it's all cool."
"Yeah, but… Look, I don't know why you did it or really what happened after the cops showed up, but again, thank you. I mean that." Mr. Trejo exhaled with a frown.
"Heh, it's fine Mr. Trejo." Mad Dawg calmly sat down on one of the raised chair-stools at a counter and sighed, taking his hat off and letting his hair breathe. He needed to get it cut… Whatever, that could wait for another day.
"So, what'll it be?" The older man asked.
"Let's see… Two of the Taco pie…ratas? And two of the Nachos Tacos."
"Pirata, there's no 'E' in it." Mr. Trejo corrected him, and Dawg chuckled embarrassed.
"Sorry… Apparently my dad came from Tijuana, but I don't really know the language, he spoke English most of the time."
"Yeah, I can tell." Trejo chuckled. "When you ran off, I heard you yell 'Mios Dios' or something like that, it's 'Dios Mios', kid, you change the placement."
"Wait, really?" Bobby laughed, looking to Mad Dawg who seemed to hunch downwards defensively.
"I just had a door slammed in my face, sorry for not getting the structure of a statement right while I was running after a guy who robbed the place!" Mad Dawg muttered shaking his head.
"Whoa, easy there niño, I didn't mean anything by it." Mr. Trejo replied raising his hands.
"Sorry… sorry… That was my bad." Mad Dawg admitted sheepishly. "I've been going through a lotta stuff recently, and that was wrong to take it out on you."
"Take it out… Kid, what the hell are you talking about?" Mr. Trejo outright laughed. "You think you took something out on me? Kace, I've been through so much worse, don't worry. If you take something out on me. I'll let you know." He said the last part with a joking edge, and Mad Dawg tried to hide his laugh.
"It is 'Kace' right? Or is it 'Chase' and we misheard it?" Bobby asked, working on the food for Mad Dawg. He didn't notice Mad Dawg bite his lip and consider something. Technically and Legally his name was now Kace Horatio Constantine, but his real name was, and always would be, Mad Dawg.
"Yeah, it's 'Kace'." Mad Dawg finally replied. "I don't know how but my friends gave me the nickname 'Mad Dawg' when I was little. I seriously can't remember how I got the name. But I think It had something to do with a dirt bike…"
"It seems like one of those nicknames you either got for absolutely no reason, or there was an incident with a dog, a can of gasoline, a trampoline, and a hacksaw." Mr. Trejo smirked. Mad Dawg and Bobby looked at him in a 'Uh, what?' way. "Hey, my life is my life."
It felt weird and somewhat wrong lying to Mr. Trejo, but… Was he lying? No, people had aliases, right? Maybe that's what this was. Besides, so long as he was stuck in this dimension, he wasn't the crazy, chainsaw wielding hero who had constant existential crises which dragged a story down and really ruined the flow and tone of what was meant to be a light-hearted comedic story back where he came from. Here, well, here he had a new life. And he knew he was going to royally screw it up eventually, so why not take the time and enjoy it while it lasted?
"Wait. What was that part about me royally screwing this up?" Mad Dawg thought looking up to the author. "Hello?"
Silence.
Huh…
"What?"
I dunno, usually he shows up at this point. Or she. I've never actually met them.
"Wait, you're the one saying I'm gonna ruin this! What are you going on about!?"
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up there Dawg. I'm just reading what was given to me.
"Including this exchange?"
…actually, yeah.
"Where is this even going!?"
I dunno.
"Wait, if you've never met the author, why are you here?"
Honestly? I saw an ad for some narration work, and figured why not? I wasn't doing anything better.
Bobby and Trejo looked to one another and blinked. The older man pointed to Mad Dawg, and Bobby shrugged in confusion with a shake of his head. He clearly had no idea what was happening.
Hey?
Oh, good. There he is.
"Dude, WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M GONNA SCREW THIS UP!?" Mad Dawg shouted at the author.
I don't know. I haven't planned that far ahead, but something has to go wrong eventually, otherwise it's a really boring story.
"I hate you."
I know.
"KACE!"
"Gah?!" Mad Dawg jumped suddenly being ripped back into reality. He looked around, then saw the food in front of him.
"Kace, you okay man? You just zoned out for like, two minutes."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I dunno what happened." Mad Dawg shook his head, before looking down. "AWESOME!"
He set to eating his food. There were a few others in the resturaunt, and some of them recognized him from the recent 'incident', and decided to leave him be. Mad Dawg felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He ate his Pirata's in peace, enjoying the jacked-up tacos, but constantly casting a glance over his shoulder at nothing, believing some sort of monster would break through the window and shoot him, or worse, take his food. He kept chewing, and winced in pain.
"Too hot for you?" Mr. Trejo joked.
"No, I wiped out last night driving around on my ATV…" Mad Dawg admitted, seeming embarrassed. "I nearly knocked one of my teeth out, but it broke off near the base. The doctor's said I'll live, but I'll probably have to get it out and replaced or whatever…"
"Ah, that must've hurt." Bobby muttered, wincing somewhat.
"Oh yeah. It hurt like a monster…" Mad Dawg muttered, picking up the nacho tacos and eating them. They were amazing. He and Bobby caught up, talking about anything really. Bobby mentioned that Lori and Dawg had gotten coffee (with Dawg joking that maybe she was playing them) and his reaction had been genuinely shocking.
"Look, I love her, but she's not smart enough to make it work for more than a week."
"Dude!" Mad Dawg exclaimed, laughing. The pair continued talking for another ten minutes, Mad Dawg munching on the last bits of his food. This was it, he was happy. He didn't need anything else right now. He felt like his life's journey was at an end, that this could be where he remained until he moved on… In fact, this is where he would remain until it was his time to move on. He had seen all he needed to, he had done all he needed to. Now, he could let his mild slip into a paradise as he enjoyed the fruits of his labors.
Ten minutes later Mad Dawg got bored and left to do something, so he paid for his food and hit the road. As he walked, he passed by a music store, and heard a metallic whining sound that made him wince in pain. He looked around and saw that the six albums on display had changed, and he felt fear grip his body as he saw what they now read:
Murderer.
You lied to them.
You lied to yourself.
You will never be free.
You cannot run.
This is a Virus you can never be cured of.
The TV playing music videos had changed as well, as security footage interspliced with a deformed masked figure played. The figure seemed to be glitching, then slowly pointed towards the viewer. All of a sudden, Mad Dawg felt like the whole world was vibrating. Like when a controller with rumble is put on a wooden table, but on a world-wide scale.
"No. No… Stop!" Mad Dawg bit down on his lip hard, trying to force these ideas away from him. That whole… issue had happened nearly two years ago! Why was he just feeling the aftermath of it now?!
"Maybe because you were moving so much, had to fight off cults, terrorist organizations and twisted clones of yourself, you failed to fully process the extent of the damage." One thought came to mind.
"Or maybe he's right." Another came, and Mad Dawg exhaled sharply.
"Don't think about it. Just breathe. Don't think about it. Just breathe. Don't think about it. Just breathe."
He ducked into an alleyway, moving down towards the end to collect himself. He paused, breathing irradicably and heavily. Suddenly, a memory from long ago flashed through his head. He had been terrified, hiding in a closet, afraid of what he had done. Then the door opened, and Mad Dawg had seen one of his adoptive family kneeling down in front of him.
"Kace? You alright?" She spoke softly.
"Immafrek…"
"No… no honey, you're not. Don't ever think that." She had replied, calmly, but sternly. Her tone was always reassuring to him. "You're not a freak, you're something special."
"But… why can I do this stuff? Imnot human. What was I supposd t'be?" Mad Dawg had quietly asked, he had a bit of a speech impediment for a bit growing up, and it always annoyed him.
"You are, and always will be who you choose to be." Sitara had answered with a smile. "When I see you, I don't see a freak. I see a little guy with some awesome abilities. And somehow, someday, you're gonna make the world a better place." She paused, then added: "But please, don't feel like you have to do everything alone. You're always strongest when you have people who care for you."
"Yeah. And… Heh… I have that." Mad Dawg nodded sighing and cracking his neck. His breathing had calmed down, he could feel the world stop shaking. "I have that. For the first time in forever, I have a new chance. And I can't let my past control my future. It's been about a month? Yeah, a month, and two incidents. Let's get that down to zero."
He left, walking back out and looking over his shoulder at the music store. He frowned in annoyance though, a few of the records hadn't changed, and some had. Whatever. He had better things to do.
Then Mad Dawg realized he didn't have anything better to do.
"Well, since the author is creatively bankrupt, scene change!" Mad Dawg declared, jumping up and climbing into the next scene.
Hey, what was that about being creatively bankru-Night had come once again, and Mad Dawg smiled as he drove into Coyote Acers. He was here early, deciding to get stuff ready. He walked over to the improvised pit and looked down. He found a rock and pulled a knife off of his belt. He carved M.D. Constantine into it, then set it back into the mix. He shoveled the ashes and dirt out of the pit and replaced the sticks and dead leaves. He looked over to the baseball diamond, seeing the shattered scoreboard still standing and laughed somewhat. He scratched a lighter and watched the flame, looking to his bag, then frowned. He extinguished the flame, he wasn't ready.
He did start the fire though, and watched as the leaves and sticks caught the embers and broke into flame. He held one of his smoke sticks up to it and then took a drag, exhaling through his nose and laughing slightly. It was always such a weird feeling. At the same time, he could hear voices talking as a group approached. Looking up, Mad Dawg saw Lincoln and Clyde, as well as Lynn Jr., Ronnie Ann, Rusty, and… that emo Loud girl… whatever her name was.
"Hey Dawg." Lincoln waved.
"Sup' dude?" Mad Dawg nodded in reply. "Where's the other one? Jr.'s friend?"
"Something came up and Margo had to deal with it. Classes are picking up now." Lynn Jr. frowned. "There's so much garbage we gotta sit through…"
"Hey, I never went to public school, and I turned out great." Mad Dawg said, putting a hand to his chest and bowing cartoonishly.
"Okay. On second thought, maybe school is useful…"
"For one who wears scars like jewelry, your personality surely doesn't match your look." The black-haired girl whose hair covered her eyes remarked, her tone seemed dry and somewhat dark. But there was also curiosity and a relaxed side to it.
"Dawg, not sure if you remember, but this is Lucy." Lincoln introduced his sister to the mutant.
"Heyo." Dawg said with a half-wave, he swayed slightly, as if vibeing to some low-fi music.
"So… how much gas did you use to start this?" Clyde asked jokingly. Mad Dawg exhaled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, looking around at the group.
"When this is all said and done, I'm gone." Mad Dawg said, his eyes narrowing. "They can never know what I did… the darkened embers of eternity will consume all… The trails of blazing anarchy shall spread through this town, and I will be the spark which ignites the apocalyptic revolution, of which will be the end of this world as we know it!"
There wasn't a noticeable reaction, but clearly no one seemed to be believing a word Dawg was saying. Ronnie Ann had an amused grin on her face, Lincoln face-palmed, Lynn Jr. blinked, Lucy tilted her head, as if thinking she found some sort of kindred spirit, Rusty laughed and Clyde simply replied with:
"So, Rusty. What've you been up to recently?"
"Hey!" Mad Dawg said annoyed, which did get a laugh from the group. He decided to let everyone chill for a bit, so he started making s'mores in the fire pit.
"Huh, guess we thought of the same thing." Lincoln commented, opening his bag, and revealing the snacks he had brought.
"Awesome, let's binge like there's no tomorrow!" Mad Dawg declared.
"What? And end up like gluttony from your story?" Ronnie Ann asked with a raised brow. Maybe it was just the way he was, maybe it was what he was doing earlier, but Mad Dawg couldn't stop himself from replying:
"Well, you're half-way there already."
That DID get a reaction as the whole campfire fell into an icy silence. Mad Dawg blinked, realizing what he had said, and to who he had said it. Ronnie Ann didn't need to say a word, just from the look on her face, it was clear she was beyond pissed. Heck, even Lincoln gave Dawg a very clear 'Dude, that went WAY too far' look.
"Huh… I… I'll just hurt myself pre-emptively." Mad Dawg remarked.
"Yes. Do that." Ronnie Ann scowled. However, she didn't expect Dawg to stick his hand into the fire and hold it there for a few moments, then yell in pain and pull it out. The group recoiled in shock as Dawg held up his charged hand, looking at the remains of it. The skin was burned and somewhat gone, and his finger structure seemed to have changed, seeming almost like claws now. But that could've just as easily been the fire or the excoriating pain he was in. Worst of all, it seemed like Dawg didn't know if this would heal properly or not.
"Okay… that was a mistake…" He wheezed. He slowly reached for his bag and dug for a minute. "Ugh… hey, Linc? I've got a medkit in my bag, but I can't open it. Could you…"
Dawg didn't need to finish, as Lincoln got up and opened the small box. Mad Dawg took some bandages and duct tape out and wrapped up his hand, seething and wincing in pain. He sealed it off with some duct tape and looked back to Ronnie Ann.
"That uh… that was a dick move on my end. Sorry." He admitted. "This isn't an excuse, but back home insults like that were a dime for three dozen. It was pretty much a requirement for living there…"
"Right… Uh… Look, I thought you were gonna punch yourself in the face or something. You really, really didn't have to do that. And no offence here, but please don't ever do something like that again."
"Yeah, why did I do that?" Mad Dawg scowled, not talking to anyone around the campfire.
No so creatively bankrupt now, am I?
"Actually, considering this is the sixth or seventh time you've made he hurt myself to prove a point, I'd say yeah, you really are."
….oh.
"Can we all agree to just ever speak about what just happened?" Clyde muttered, feeling like he was going to pass out after what he just saw. IT really seemed like every time he was around Mad Dawg it either ended in a good way, or it ended with him questioning his sanity for willingly being in the same town as him.
"Yeah… Uh… heh… Don't worry, I'll live." Mad Dawg smiled. He felt the weird sensation of his healing factor kicking it. It was like lathering oneself in body wash, and it stung the same way when you poured it into an open wound. Only here the pain was constant because his entire hand was the open wound. "Alright, you guys ready to continue with the story?"
"Woo!"
"Totally."
"C'mon, let's go!"
"A'right." Mad Dawg nodded with a smirk, then looked to Lucy. "So, you're new here. To make a long story short, what I'm talking about is that my family told me stories about the seven deadly sins. Essentially, each sin has a living embodiment, and said embodiment can only be surpassed by someone who exceeds them." Lucy nodded in understanding. "And each embodiment cannot die until surpassed. So, I told the tales of Gluttony and Greed, a woman who ate to feel happy and a woman seeking answers."
"Have you ever thought about making a book out of these?" Lincoln asked. Mad Dawg paused, then frowned.
"Nah, they were always meant to be spoken legends, stories told for free among friends and strangers, not ones sold in a store. At least, that's what my grandfather said." He answered.
Mad Dawg paused, looking to the fire, as if determining something. Then smirked, looking up to the group.
"All right, let's begin."
Tossing something onto the fire, the flames took a rainbow colouring for a few moments, they dance through a spectrum of colours before settling on a yellowish colour. He noticed their surprised reactions and felt proud of himself. He loved this stuff.
"So, if you really wanna be pretentious, people consider the Ying and Yang to be embodiments of light and darkness, and how one cannot exist without the other. That light and dark endlessly struggle against one another. Me? Eh, I think it's a design representative of… stuff. Honestly, I don't have some deep meaning. Sorry…" Mad Dawg began, seeming serious, then rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. "This first story is gonna take us back, a long, long, long time. Back to the medieval times. There was a knight known as 'Titan', he was a beast of a man, nearly eight feet tall, over four-hundred pounds, a warrior who traveled from kingdom to kingdom. His battles were known for being brutal and bloody, but they would always end the same way, with Titan victorious. This happened for many years, and Titan became revered among nobility. He was also a kind man, who fought for the innocent. But there was another. His name was 'Cillian', he was a nobleman who trained his entire life to be strong, to become a warrior, a hero. Someone his kingdom would remember for an eternity."
"This is wrath, it's gotta be." Lynn Jr. whispered.
"Nah, it's definitely pride." Rusty whispered back. "Titan and Cillian are warriors, their pride will be their downfall, and they might be trapped forever trying to outdo one another."
"Cillian and Titan worked together for a time, repelling Vikings and warring clans. In many ways, Cillian was Titan's equal and even his better, and vice-versa." Mad Dawg continued. He enjoyed the confused looks on everyone's faces. "There was a difference between the two, however. While Titan was a warrior who fought in bloody battles, he rarely took the offerings that were presented to him by the townsfolk and nobility. To him, the battle was what he lived for."
"Ha. Wrath." Lynn Jr. whispered.
"But Cillian on the other hand… Well, he was different. He did it to prove himself better than Titan, to prove himself the best. But it never worked. Even though he didn't bathe in it, Titan was the one who received the praise for his actions. While Cillian, did it to be adored. He wanted to be known, to have his name shouted from the streets."
"So, why didn't they?" Clyde asked.
"Cillian was many things. A warrior, a fighter, but he was also a man who fought dishonourably. In the times of old amongst Highland Clans, a dishonourable warrior was worse than almost anything." Mad Dawg answered. The answer seemed to satisfy Clyde's curiosity, but Lucy seemed to be about to ask a question, until Ronnie-Ann answered it for him.
"The stories take a bit to get going, the 'Deadly Sin' aspect comes in soon though."
"Despite the good deeds he did, Cillian wasn't a warrior who fought for others, he fought for himself. As such, his deeds were ignored, or even given to Titan. He became a ghost in the living world, and he hated Titan for it." Mad Dawg continued, before taking a moment to take a bite of his burnt s'more. "However, Cillian knew that if he killed Titan, he would be next. He couldn't kill the hero, he had to upstage him. Unfortunately, Titan would fall in battle not long after, and the kingdoms built a statue to remember him. Cillian… didn't take it too well. He believed that he should be the one remembered, he should be the one celebrated. So, he decided he would make himself known. He spent the following decades constructing his own castle, his own statues, along the hills of what would become known as The Quiraing. He made structures spanning the hills, reminders of who he was every two minutes. He survived long enough to do so due to the curse, he saw the curse as a gift, a way to forever extend his legacy."
"…so…what happened to him?" Lucy asked, tentatively.
"Do any of you know what The Quiraing is today?" Mad Dawg asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah, it's a bunch of huge cliffs now." Ronnie-Ann nodded. "It looks over the ocean, facing a massive rock bed below."
"Yeah, that's what it is now. Back then, it was more of a hillside, but the ground wasn't solid. Storms were frequent in Scotland, and one night, there was a storm that was remembered to this day. The winds seemed to have a vendetta against the ground and earth itself, the water roared and screamed, but all the while Cillian refused to leave. He built his legacy on these hills, but now they would be no more. The storms tore the hills apart, dragging Cillian, his statues, his castle and his legacy into the waters below. Some people claim that the weather was made by Titan, as consequence for his actions, but no one really knows. The remains fell and created the rock bed below, while Cillian was dragged to the bottom of the ocean, trying to escape, but now cursed to wait until someone else exceeded his envy."
The group went quiet, taking in the story. They looked to one another, nodding and taking it all in, the ideas, the implications and his ultimate fate. Clyde seemed to have a remorseful look on his face, and it made sense. Despite his actions Cillian wasn't a horrible person, sure he made mistakes, but… I mean…
"So, that's the tale of envy." Mad Dawg concluded. "Admittedly, it's not my favourite of the bunch, but it is what it is."
"That's really cool." Lucy said, her tone clearly impressed.
They took ten minutes, making s'mores and watching the fire. Finally, Mad Dawg spoke up again:
"Who's ready for the second story?"
"Let's do it." Rusty grinned.
"Jumping back to the whole ying and yang thing, some of the sins have a counterpart to them. Gluttony and Sloth, Greed and Lust, Wrath, and then Envy and…"
"Pride." Was collectively said.
"Yup." Mad Dawg nodded. "This is a story… well… I don't know all of y'all super well, so this may hit each of you in a different way. That's my warning."
Mad Dawg paused, thinking about the story. He felt anger and regret form in his gut, but he knew this was a way of dealing with what he had been through.
"So, there was this kid." He began. "The name is lost to time, but this kid had talents like you couldn't believe. They were a gifted academic, artist, and athlete, every time they had a test, they got the highest mark, every competitive activity, they came in first. The kid loved it, they felt like they were free, like they were on top of the world, but there was someone who loved it more than them. The kid's parents weren't much like him, The mother was a janitor, the father was a teller, They both pushed their kid to be the best they could be. To always strive for perfection, to be the best in everything."
Lynn Jr. blinked, frowning somewhat. She felt like she knew what going to happen, and it wasn't a good thing…
"So, he did. He sacrificed his social life to uphold the image his parents had of him. He pushed himself beyond all limits to please them. He believed they loved him, that they loved him for being their child…" Mad Dawg continued, but his composure seemed to deflate. "They did love him, for a time, but eventually they focused more on what he could do, rather than, y'know, the fact that he was their son. Heck they focused on it more than their own lives. Maybe they pushed him because they didn't want him to end up like them, or maybe they were trying to feel what it was like to succeed through him."
Everyone looked to one another, Rusty had known what that was like for a time, but things were better. None of the Louds had experienced that to the extent this kid had, and Clyde and Ronnie-Ann hadn't been through it, but they could tell that this sucked.
"As the years went on, the parents paraded their son's accomplishments around, showing them off to anyone who would listen. But the kid had it hard, as they grew, the pressures got tighter and goals larger. One way or another, he tried his best, but didn't always succeed. He pushed himself harder and harder, trying to do well, believing these achievements made them happy, made them love him- er, them. They were able to believe it for long enough, then… aye…" Mad Dawg shook his head, seeming like an old man who had seen something happen a million times, yet somehow no one seemed to learn their lesson. "They were coming home from school, having stayed late. He didn't see the car coming…"
Mad Dawg didn't need to say another word. Everyone recoiled in genuine shock and sadness. Sure, this was just a story, but still.
"The parents… well, they had different reactions. The mother shut down, she mourned, she was broken, she realized she lost a son. She realized what had happened. The father though, he acted no differently. He believed that his son's success was all he needed to have a better life, and he refused to acknowledge that he could be wrong. When they fell into financial strife, the father decided to use what his son had made in order to make money. He believed that he was as smart as his son, he made things worse. So much worse."
"I can imagine." Rusty nodded.
"Well, his wife couldn't stand him, and she left. He claimed he left her. Things didn't get much better from there…"
Mad Dawg continued his tale, explaining how the man acted as if everything was fine, refusing to give up this image of who he truly was, and how it caused him to come crashing down. Leaving him broken, alone, and going in circles, now cursed to continuously attempt to climb back up to some level of decent living, only to be knocked back down and unable to accept the truth.
"…apparently, Pride is the sin that gets replaced the most frequently." Mad Dawg concluded. "I can see why, the sad thing is, I doubt most of the people who are cursed don't even realize what their issue is, and if they did, they wouldn't be able to be free from it." He paused for a moment, then said: "I'll be back in a sec."
He got up and walked off towards the nearby woods, leaving the group in silence. Finally, Lucy spoke up.
"I feel like the 'pride' story is based on his own life. And he uses these stories as a way to cope or attempt to shed his guilt and past sins."
"Hey, that's kinda mean." Rusty frowned. "Dawg doesn't seem like the kinda guy who-"
"When we first met him, he lived in a tree in the park." Lucy cut him off. "He was clearly mentally broken, and is still trying to repair himself to a degree. His sporadic movements and anarchic attitude are clearly just a front for someone who is deeply troubled."
"Well yeah. But he's trying to change, so who cares?" Ronnie-Ann spoke, surprising a few of the others. "When he met Bobby, apparently, he got shot trying to stop a robber, he apparently spends some of his free time just hanging around and talking with anyone who needs it. He doesn't seem like the same guy Lincoln's sisters apparently hit with a van."
"Can confirm." Lincoln nodded, taking a drink. "They did hit him with a car, and he was very different from how he is now."
"Well, I think it's pretty clever to be honest. Make up stories about your mistakes as a way to warn others about making a similar one? That's neat." Lynn Jr. shrugged.
"And heck, he's a great storyteller!" Clyde added.
"True, true." Everyone nodded.
Mad Dawg had returned, and sat back down, looking around then remembering something.
"Right, I don't play guitar." He muttered.
"Ah, too bad." Rusty grinned. "Seems like the right time to be playing one."
"Yeah, I'll bring some bagpipes next time." Mad Dawg agreed. "They're similar enough, right?"
"NO." Was collectively shouted.
"Yes." Rusty said after the silence returned, and everyone looked in anger at him. The looks of 'Do not encourage him' clear.
"Relax, I'm kidding." Mad Dawg waved dismissively. "I wasn't gonna ask if you wanted me to bring them. I was gonna do it anyways!"
There was something almost… cartoon super-villainy about the way he finished that statement, that it made most of the group laugh. Their conversations, jokes, (and insults) continued well into the night. More than a few times, they tried to get Dawg to tell another of the stories, but he was adamant that two was the limit every time.
"Hey, Dawg? You say you're from another planet, right?" Rusty asked, having only heard bits and pieces of who 'Mad Dawg' was. He was skeptical about him being a mutant, but after seeing him burn his hand and then it begins to heal, and seeing him put a hole through the scoreboard, he was much more willing to entertain that theory.
"Dimension. Another earth." Dawg answered, sipping on another Hydra Energy. Clyde gave him an annoyed look and took it from him, mentioning something about 'being a caffeine junkie' under his breath.
"Oh… uh, okay." Rusty blinked. "I gotta ask, how'd you get here?"
The non-Louds (minus Clyde, so really just Ronnie-Ann and Rusty) looked to Mad Dawg for an answer, the curiosity clear on their faces.
"So… Okay." Mad dawg began, before exhaling sharply. "Everything I am about to say, is true. I know it sounds nuts, but this is just my life."
"Again, can confirm." Lincoln nodded. "He's crazy."
"Yea-HEY!" Mad Dawg exclaimed in realization. "Anyhow… Uh, back where I'm from, there was this terrorist group, and they were a buncha assholes. So, eventually, me and my friends, a bunch of peace-keeping heroes, decided they needed to be stopped for good. There was like, a huge battle and stuff. I don't really know what happened. I went up against the head honcho of the place, and THAT was a mistake…"
"How so?"
"The dude is nearly nine-feet tall, weighs close to four-fifty pounds, and has a giant metal death gauntlet for an arm that can destroy an entire skyscraper with a single punch." Mad Dawg answered, annoyed with someone. He passed a tablet over to Ronnie-Ann who watched skeptically… and then in horror. She passed it to Rusty, who had the same reaction, then Lucy and so on and so on… The group seemed horrified but also amazed. "…so we went mano-a-mano and I kinda, sorta, killed myself." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed in shock and disbelief (aside from Lincoln and Lynn Jr.)
"I set off a bunch of explosives in his face, while he was holding me by the neck. And we exploded. Everything went dark, and then I got hit by their van." Mad Dawg shrugged. "And before you ask, I have NO IDEA how I'm alive, either some sort of Guardian Angel saved my life, or this is the afterlife."
The questions continued into the night, Mad Dawg spoke calmly and honestly, but the whole group could clearly tell that talking about this was disheartening to Mad Dawg, he seemed genuinely saddened. Still, he bounced back eventually, keeping quiet for the rest of the night.
"Hey, Linc." Dawg called. "Tell Loona I'll be there tomorrow morning for the rehearsal."
Mad Dawg didn't hear Lincoln's reply. He just breathed heavily and looked at his hands, tomorrow he would either conquer his demons, or be consumed by them. He sat by the fire for another twenty minutes, and then extinguished it. He got up and walked away from his ATV, he walked into the woods and looked around. The world was still, not even a leaf rustling, it seemed like the world wanted to see what would happen next. Mad Dawg sighed, wiping a tear from his eye, and grabbed a knife and stabbed himself in the thigh. The blade dug deep, ripping flesh and making Mad Dawg roar in pain. He fell forward and felt his body begin to shake…
A.N. So, if you know Mad Dawg from either of his other stories, they might know what's happening… if you don't? Well, next time things are gonna be FUN! The first story arc is complete. Mad Dawg has gotten his tacos, and now… let's get ready to Rock and Roar!
