Chapter 5: Confessions (Without Faith)

Without faith, we'll go on 'til it's over
Know the world doesn't always love you
But you never let that define you
Just have faith, we'll go on
We'll get closer
To everyone who ever tried to hate you
Say goodbye, it was nice to know you

Foreword-

So... It's been pretty much a month exactly... Sorry about that, I've just been having to get a few things in order. That's just life, I guess. I've occasionally wondered where to go next in the story, and always drew blanks until just recently (Even though the idea I have for it is something I had already thought up of anyways). It's always been difficult for me to go from Point A to Point B, I'm usually thinking about Point A and Point C, with no real Point B in between. I dunno if that makes sense or not, but I hope it does. Regardless, my mental state has gotten better since then, and my writer's block is at an end, so I'm hopefully going to be back to putting out a chapter per day or two. We'll see what happens!

A man sat in the chair across from Sunny, who was sitting on a couch. Sunny sat uncomfortably, not wanting to be there, yet it was his decision to go.

"You need to talk to me, Sunny. We've seen each other three times, and it feels as if I just can't get anything here. I don't mean to rush you into saying everything all at once- In fact, I don't want you to do so. However, we have to start somewhere. What's on your mind right now?" The man asked.

Sunny looked at all of the decorations around the room. He refused to make eye contact with the man. "I hate it here."

"Here as in with me?"

"No. I hate this town. I want to go back home. I want to be with my friends again." Sunny said.

The man nodded. "That's a perfectly understandable feeling. Is there anything in specific about Bluebell that you hate?"

"It's loud. It's busy. I can't hear myself think. I can't relax. I used to be able to walk wherever I needed to go when I was home. Everything's so busy that I need my mother to drive me everywhere. This is the only place that she doesn't drive me to, and I have to wait for the bus to get me here. Everybody here just... Isn't the same."

The man nodded once more. "You used to live in a much smaller town."

"It was nice there." Sunny said.

"You're going to visit everyone this coming winter break, right?"

Sunny nodded.

"What do you think you guys are going to do once you're there?"

"I don't know. But I'll be happy just to be with them."

The man smiled, and he set aside his notepad, putting it on the small table beside him. "That's awesome, Sunny. I like that a lot."

Sunny smiled as well, and he looked at the man. He was older, likely in his sixties. He had mostly brown hair, though he had quite a few gray strands, to the point where they were hard not to see them. He had a rather friendly-looking face, and his light blue t-shirt gave off a comforting aura.

"Have you made any friends here?"

"Not really... Though I did meet two people who seem okay."

"Did you get their names?"

"The girl is named Luna, and the boy is named Neil." Sunny responded.

"Do you see a possible friendship with either of them in the future?"

"Maybe, I don't know. She doesn't seem to speak at all. I think she seems nice."

The man picked his notepad back up, making sure that he caught up on his notes.

"I think we're finally making great progress, Sunny. It may just be a start, but this is a huge step for you. I may not know much about you yet, but I can tell that you don't open up too easily." The man said. "I wish we had more time, I've already come to like talking to you, but I have another patient coming by in around five minutes."

Sunny nodded, and he got up. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to get you anything before you go? Some candy? Something to drink?"

Sunny looked down and thought for a moment. "Do you have any Orange Joe?"

The man chuckled. "Yes, I do. Let me go get that from the break room."

The man walked out, and Sunny smiled. He had no idea why Sunny wanted the coffee.

Kel slammed his hands on the dining room table. "Team! We need to do something about the Recycultists! They're back at it again!"

"What'd they do this time?" Hero asked.

"Are you sure you're not just overreacting?" Aubrey sarcastically asked.

"Wait, it wasn't just a daydream?" Sunny blinked.

"Yes! They built another base, and they're going around harassing all the parkgoers!" Kel said, looking out at everyone else.

Hero, Aubrey, Sunny, Kim, Vance, and Basil all looked at each other. Sally, who was on top of the table, didn't pay attention to her brother in the least.

"So... We're supposed to do what about this?" Vance asked.

"Are we supposed to get some pet rocks to fight them or some other nerdy thing?" Kim asked.

"Come on, guys, we need to be serious about this! Nobody can have a good time at the park because of them! My dad tried to grill some burgers, and you know what they did?" Kel looked at Aubrey.

"What'd they do, Kel?" She sighed.

"They gave him plant-based burgers!"

"Okay, that's actually a crime." Kim said.

Basil frowned. "But... They're good..."

"Alright, flower boy. I'll let you off with a warning this time." She grinned at him.

"It's not like I don't eat meat! I just also like vegetable burgers..."

"What did those poor plants ever do to you? They're living creatures too, you know!" Kim joked.

"S-Stop it!" Basil said.

"Kim, ease up on him, alright?" Aubrey said.

"Alright, alright... You know it's just fun to tease him."

Aubrey shook her head.

"Plant burgers... That's just bad." Vance said.

"Did they make them themselves, or were they pre-packaged?" Hero asked.

"Pre-packaged!"

"The audacity of those fiends!" Hero got up.

Next thing they knew, they all teamed up against the menace that were plant-based burgers. Basil was reluctant to do so, but he felt he had no choice. Sally, meanwhile, didn't, because she is a baby. She doesn't even know what plant burgers or meat burgers taste like.

"Alright, here's the plan! I'm gonna act as a distraction with Aubrey!" Kel said.

"Great." Aubrey sighed.

"We're gonna argue and act like we're littering! If that doesn't work out, Hero'll just use his gentlemanly charm to make them look the other way!"

"You got it, little brother!"

"Sunny, Basil, Kim, and Vance, you guys will sneak in!" Kel said.

"I... I'm not the best at being quiet." Vance said.

"You're not that fat! You can do it!" Kel clapped.

"Wow. I wasn't referring to my weight, but thanks." Vance shook his head.

"Alright, everyone got the plan?" Kel asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright! Let's go!"

"And by the power vested in me by the holy rubber glove, I declare that we mount our plant-based crusade until we attain our one true vegetable victory!" The Recyclepath said. "Now, go on and show the people the light and the truth! The era of carnivores shall be no more!"

The Recycultists all marched out, packages of plant-based patties in hand. They had a mission, and no one would stop them.

Aubrey and Kel went to Faraway Park, and the latter threw a bag of trash on the ground.

"Oh no! I hope nobody sees this awfully loud and conspicuous bag of trash that I definitely accidentally dropped on the ground! I hope nobody releases that I littered and will make me clean it up!" Kel shouted.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Aubrey shouted. "You can't just litter like that!"

"Aw, shucks! I've been spotted! I can't believe anybody noticed me throwing my garbage on the ground!"

"But you're not on the ground!" Aubrey shouted, trying not to laugh as she did.

"Ow, that one actually hurt." Kel said in a deadpan tone.

Aubrey stifled a giggle, taking a moment to regain her composure. Two Recycultists looked over at each other.

"This is clearly an act, right?" The first one said.

"Yeah, one hundred percent." The second one replied.

"Should we wait for him to pick it up?" The first one asked.

"Yeah, probab- Oh, ew, look at how rotten that banana peel is! Come on, Jim, we gotta go clean this mess up!" The second one ran over to Kel and Aubrey. "Stop! Pick up that trash right now!"

"Oh no! It's a Recycultist! I've been bamboozled! What ever will I do?" Kel asked.

"Pick up the fucking trash, idiot." The first Recycultist responded.

"Wow, what's up with everyone and trying to hurt me today?" Kel asked himself.

Hero, Sunny, Basil, Kim, and Vance poked their heads out from behind the fence by the entrance.

"You know... We could just hop the fence by the picnic table." Vance said.

"Or we could just walk around... Like upstanding citizens..." Basil replied. "I don't want to look like a criminal in broad daylight..."

"Look, flower boy, we aren't trying to escape from prison, we're trying to stop a bunch of psychopaths from forcing us into vegetarianism!" Kim said, flicking him on the nose.

"Shh! We have to be quiet." Hero said. "Look, let's just go with Vance's idea, alright?"

"It's broad daylight!" Basil whispered.

"Just stay by the trees on the right, alright?" Hero whispered.

"Okay..." Basil nodded.

Surely enough, one after the other, they climbed the fence. Vance had to boost Basil up because he wouldn't climb over himself. Vance then tried climbing the fence, but he had difficulty in doing so.

"Go on without me. I'm too much of a liability." Vance said.

They all saluted him, with the exception of Kim.

"Eh, he'll be over in a couple minutes. He's not that fat. But he's right, we need to go." Kim said.

"Owwwww!" Kel screamed as he fell to the ground.

Hero looked over to him. "When the hell did they get stun batons?! Actually, that doesn't seem feasible at all... Or cost-effective..."

Aubrey took out her bat, let out a war cry, then she attacked the two Recycultists.

The four went on ahead to the gang's old hangout spot. Vance would soon make it over the fence. What a protagonist. As the five made it inside, they saw a Recycultist guarding their new base. They were building a religion, they were building it bigger.

"Alright... Let me work my magic." Hero smiled. He walked over to the Recycultist. "Hey there! I couldn't help but notice that you're looking kinda sad! What's got you down?"

"My mom packed me a hamburger, and I want to eat it... But it would be going against the Holy Bin... But I also don't want her burger to go to waste..." The Recycultist frowned under his bin.

"Tell you what, friend!" Hero said as the other four crept over to the tree by the shovel and pail. "We can go back to my place and grill both burgers! I'll have your mother's burger, and you can have your plant burger!"

"Kel would call him a traitor right about now." Kim mumbled.

"You'd really do that for me...?"

"Of course!" Hero grinned.

"Well... Let's go!" The Recycultist said as the two skipped out of the hangout spot.

"I can't believe that worked." Sunny muttered.

"... How the hell...?" Kim mumbled.

The four of them walked up to the Recycultist's New HQ.

"It's gonna be dirty in there, isn't it...?" Basil asked.

"Need a protective suit or something to keep you squeaky clean?" Vance asked.

"No... I'll be okay..." Basil sighed.

The four of them went inside, sneaking past all of the Recycultists, who were conveniently eating veggie burgers on their lunch breaks. As they got to the top of the tower, they came face to face with the Recyclepath.

"Who goes there?" The Recyclepath asked.

"Hey." Kim replied.

"... You're not the heroes who I was supposed to battle." The Recyclepath said.

"Yeah, your Holy Bin's an utter sham." Vance said, and he decked The Recyclepath in the face, knocking him to the floor.

"What was that for?!" Basil asked angrily.

"I dunno, it just seemed cool." Vance shrugged.

"Ow... Not cool, bro... You weren't supposed to actually hit me..."

"Stop making people eat your leafy shit! If people want to be like flower boy over there, it should be by their own choice!" Kim said.

"Hey..."

"That's where you're wrong! The Holy Bin has told me-"

Vance grabbed the guy by the neck. "Say, how tall would you say this building is?"

"At least... Sixty feet..."

"Man, wouldn't it be tragic if I threw you through those little recycling signs?" Vance asked.

"You... Wouldn't..." The Recyclepath choked.

"Eh... It seems like it'd be fun to." Vance said, walking towards the back of the room.

"Okay..! Okay...! I'll stop..."

Vance let go of the Recyclepath, dropping him to the ground. "That wasn't so difficult, now was it?"

"Jesus Christ, bro..." The Recyclepath coughed.

Kel, Aubrey, and Hero walked inside.

"Hey, you guys got him?" Kel asked.

"Yeah, we got him." Kim replied.

"Awesome! We win again!" Kel said, and he ran over, helping the Recyclepath up. "That was fun, you guys wanna do this again next break?"

"Sure thing, Kel..." The Recyclepath continued coughing.

"What'd you guys do to him?" Hero asked.

"Vance choked him!" Basil said, pointing to Vance.

Aubrey glared at Vance.

"What? It was funny." Vance shrugged.

After a good laugh, all of them went home. The game had been decided. The Recyclepath, however, wanted to have more fun with their game... It wouldn't be quite over just yet.

Afterword-

Nothing much to say here, just know that I don't actually hate plant-based burgers. I just thought it'd be a funny little catalyst to everything in this chapter. I hope you guys liked it, and I'll (hopefully) continue updating this as frequently as I used to!