Ember was flipping through the book again, uttering to herself, "Okay, so, I need to plan our escape…we need to save the world here…we need⸻"
She saw something.
Something…dangerous. The thing it was, she did not know, but she did know its target. Darwin Watterson.
"Wake up," Gumball repeated as he poked Darwin's fish bowl, "Wake up. Wake up. Wake⸻"
"Would you quit?" Darwin asked calmly, "I'm up, jeez."
"Wake⸻"
"If you tell me to wake up again, so help me."
"Okay, okay, fine," Gumball backed away, already dressed and heading downstairs to meet his family and girlfriend.
"Good morning, family!" Gumball walked to Penny and kissed her cheek, "Good morning, love."
"Good morning, Gummy," Penny blushed, "Is Darwin ready?"
"Yeah, he's coming⸻"
Darwin suddenly came running downstairs, "I'm up!"
"Hey, up, I'm Gumball."
Anais slapped Gumball's cheek. "Ow," he said, rubbing his cheek, "What was that for?"
Anais raised her eyebrow, "Really?"
"Gumball, bus, now," Nicole scolded.
"Okay, okay," Gumball said, walking with Penny, Darwin, and Anais to the bus.
When they got on the bus, Gumball sat with Penny beside Darwin's seat. Darwin was doing his math homework, and Gumball wanted to get the answers.
"Darwin, an I copy your work?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"How are you going to get into college?"
"Please?"
"No," Darwin crossed his arms.
"Come on, buddy."
"Do your own work! What if I'm in college and you're not? It'll be your fault!" Darwin shouted. Gumball raged with anger at that statement. He hated losing an argument, even against his own brother. Without holding back, he tackled Darwin, Penny quickly pulling him away.
"Gumball, what are you doing?!" Penny asked, concerned.
"You know I was just teasing you, Gumball," Darwin assured, "Calm down."
"What's wrong with you two today?" Penny questioned.
"It was...strange," Penny explained to Carrie, "They literally fought."
"Hm..." Carrie thought, "Maybe it's a bad day. Let's see if it gets better."
Ember, staring at another student, walked up to Carrie and Penny, bumping into them, making her quickly turn her head.
"Sorry, girls!" Ember apologized, picking up books she dropped, "Where's Gumball and Darwin?"
"They've been...fighting...it's very strange..." Penny explained.
"Uh oh..." Ember said, picking up the last book, "I was afraid of this..."
"You know something?" Penny asked.
Ember nodded, "Meet me after school at the factory."
Penny nodded in agreement before Gumball and Darwin can be seen fighting, falling down the stairs.
"Boys!" Penny and Carrie shouted.
"I have to finish what I started!" Darwin yelled, before cracking the fire extinguisher over Gumball's head, making him yet again unconscious.
"Darwin Watterson!" Brown called, "Come with me."
Darwin dropped the extinguisher and walked with Principal Brown to his office.
"Gumball!" Penny yelled as ran over to Gumball and hugged him.
"There's something strange going on here," Carrie said, "They've been fighting all day!"
"Meet me at the factory after school. I'll explain everything."
"So, what's wrong with Darwin?" Carrie asked as they entered the factory.
"An evil spirit...his name is Violence..."
"Makes sense," Carrie replied, "But why is he after Darwin?"
"Not sure, but the book that the librarian thrown at me pointed to the end of the world, and Violence is step 1."
"What's step 2?" Penny asked.
"Suicide."
Carrie and Penny gasped in fear, "What?!"
"Violence's plan is the Watterson family to be really mad at Darwin, making him depressed...and point to suicide," Ember explained, "Luckily, there's enough time to stop it from happening. We need a potion to release Violence."
"Is the potion pre-made?" Carrie questioned.
Ember shook her head, "Unfortunetly not. I didn't think this would happen. I'll need a day or two to figure something out. Keep an eye out until then."
Penny and Carrie nodded before exiting the factory.
"What's the plan?" Penny asked her friend.
"I say we watch him, and treat him like it never happened," Carrie suggested, "Others might not treat him right, but we will. Since you live there, watch him tonight. Text me."
Penny nodded as she walked toward the house.
"I can't believe you, Darwin!" Nicole shouted as Penny entered the house.
"You better believe me, Nicole!"
Nicole gasped. Darwin always called her Mrs. Mom.
"You're not my son, anyway," Nicole raged.
"I know."
"Darwin, come here," Penny demanded.
"Sorry, Penny, I'm in the middle of something here," Darwin answered, "Perhaps it can wait."
Penny rolled her eyes and headed upstairs, hoping Gumball was awaiting for her. Luckily, he was. He was ranting to Anais about Darwin's behavior when Penny reached the door. She opened it and saw him raging in anger, while Anais was agreeing with the mean things he was saying.
"Gumball," Penny started, "W-We need to talk. It's about Darwin."
"It can wait," Gumball responded.
"Actually, it can't," Penny replied, "It's important."
"I don't want about talk to him at the moment and neither does Anais."
"That's not Darwin," Ember finally managed to say, "Ember said the end is near, the end of the world. The spirit, Violence, his plan is to drive Darwin to suicide. We have to stop this, Gumball, can't you see?"
"What?" Gumball's voice was trembling in fear and shock while Anais froze in her place.
Penny nodded depressingly, "Unfortunately, it's true."
"We need to watch him!" Gumball said, trying to make his way out before Penny stopped him.
"Gumball, the spirit will kill you if you go down there. I'll handle this," Penny said, leaving the bedroom and walking downstairs, "Darwin, we need to talk, now."
"No," he replied.
"Mom, dad, come here," Penny demanded. Nicole and Richard walked over to Penny, waiting for an answer on what she needed. She took a deep breath, and let the words out, "That's not Darwin, it's an evil spirit that took his body. His name is Violence, and his plan is to drive Darwin to suicide. Do not make Darwin sad, instead, love him more and Violence will not win."
Nicole raised an eyebrow, "What kind of substance are you high on?"
"I'm not joking!" Penny argued.
"I will not have Darwin in my house. He needs to learn his lesson."
The evil spirit exited Darwin's body suddenly, making Darwin look around.
"What's going on?" Darwin asked.
"Shut up, Darwin!" Nicole shouted.
"Mrs. Mom, what's going—"
"I'm not your mom! You're no longer in this family!"
Darwin could feel his heart break into pieces. He looked to the ground, saddened, "O-Okay," he uttered, making his way to the door.
"Darwin, wait!" Penny called out, following a running Darwin outside, "Where are you going?!"
"To the bridge."
Penny grabbed her phone and quickly called Carrie, contining her run, "Carrie, he's going to the bridge."
"On it," Carrie replied. Penny called Ember and told her to meet them at the bridge.
"I need to end this," Darwin said, "My pain...my depression...I-it's too much...I can't take it anymore! I hate being pushed around! I'm a walking fish, not a sidekick!"
They finally reached the bridge as Ember and Carrie stood at it, awaiting their arrival.
Carrie could feel her throat swelling up, almost breaking into a cry when she saw Darwin coming toward the bridge.
"Darwin, stop!" Ember shouted, holding onto Darwin, "Penny, call Gumball!"
Penny nodded and quickly called his number. "Gumball, he's trying to jump! Get here fast!" Penny hung up and Gumball was suddenly running to them, pulling Darwin away from the tall bridge.
"Buddy!" Gumball said, trembling in fear, hugging his brother while sobbing, "It's okay, it's okay, please don't jump!"
"I'm no longer in this family anyway, why does it matter?!" Darwin shouted, "Mrs—I mean, Nicole said so!" Darwin broke down into tears, falling onto his knees as Gumball frowned.
"Buddy, s-she didn't mean...she didn't know...she didn't—"
"Mean it!" Nicole finished as she ran up to Darwin and picking him up, hugging him tightly, "Gumball darted out of the house, explaining what happened, I'm really sorry, Darwin, you are my son! And what Ember said was true! It's the spirit's fault, not yours!"
"What spirit?" Darwin asked, wiping away his tears.
"The world is going to end soon, and Violence, the evil spirit, had a plan to drive you to suicide. If that happened, step 3 was to send Gumball down a path, like a drug dealer, because of your death. Step 4 was Gumball dying of overdose and the world turning to static since you two are the stars," Ember explained, "Please, Darwin, we don't want to see you like this."
Gumball, wiping his tears, nodded in agreement, "Please, Darwin, don't jump...I could never get over it!"
"Okay..." Darwin responded.
"Come on, Darwin," Nicole said, setting Darwin down, "Let's go home."
As Nicole and Richard got farther away, Carrie ran up to Darwin and hugged him.
"Please don't scare me like that!" Carrie scolded, still fearful.
"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to..."
Over by a tree, the evil spirit raged quietly, "Argh, they ruined the plan! Time to infect Ember," he started laughing in a villainous way before disappearing.
"Gumball, I'm okay, now," Darwin said as Gumball tightly hugged him on the bus.
"Sorry, dude, but I love you too much," Gumball replied.
Darwin rolled his eyes with a smile as Ember and Ken got on the bus.
"Still hanging on?" Ember asked Darwin as she sat in the seat in front of them. Darwin nodded in reply.
Gumball finally managed to let go after a while, "I'm sorry, bud, you know I'm still scared..."
Darwin smiled, "It's okay, Gumball, I-I don't blame you."
Lunch..."So, Ember, got any solution for the end?" Gumball asked.
"I mean, I have come up with a potion," Ember claimed, laughing like a villain in her mind. The spirit had entered Ember's body on the bus. The potion she had made was full of poison.
"Aren't you gonna explain what it does?" Carrie asked.
"Oh, uh, no need, just drink it and you'll be invincible!"
Carrie whispered to Darwin and Gumball quietly, "That's not Ember."
"Don't you want to be invincible, too?" Penny asked.
"I'll be fine," Ember assured, "Now drink the potion."
"If you're not drinking it, then we're not," Carrie claimed.
"Yes, you are!" Ember shouted, silencing the whole Cafeteria. Violence panicked and left her body, going back to Darwin, "Uh, what just happened?"
"Violence entered you and made us drink poison," Gumball answered, pointing to the poison bottle beside them.
Ember grabbed the bottle, and hurriedly darted at the trash can, threw it inside, and ran back to her seat, "There, it's gone."
"I'mma go get some fresh air," Darwin said, throwing away his tray and heading outside. The spirit exited his body and shaped into his pure form. He was a form of black smoke with red, evil-like eyes, with pupils like a cat.
"Violence, it's you!" Darwin noted, "What do you want from me?!"
"Your life," Violence answered before punching Darwin's neck, sending him feet into the air, rocketing back down. Darwin hit the ground so hard, it caught his friends' attentions from inside of the cafeteria. Gumball was first to run out as Violence disappeared completely...for now, that is.
"Oh my god, dude, are you okay?!" Gumball shouted, running to his brother, slightly lifting his bruised face.
"I need...medical...assistance," Darwin said, his eyes rolling to his brain, body turning cold and still.
"Darwin?!" Gumball shouted for his friends, "Help!!"
Ember, Carrie, Penny, and Anais ran outside to Gumball, Penny picking Gumball up to his feet followed by a hug.
"Anais, call 911!" Ember demanded, handing her the phone.
Gumball was crying as the ambulance arrived, scared to death of what would happen if he ever died. He wanted Darwin to bear with him. Please, he thought, you're not taking too much of my time. I want you to be alright.
Nicole and Richard finally caught up with family, Darwin carried to the ambulance and Gumball and Carrie crying, Ember with a frown.
"Gumball!" Nicole called out, running to her eldest son, hugging him tight, "It's okay, it's okay."
"Please, Darwin, don't give up on me..Ember, please do something, we need a potion!" Gumball demanded.
"Okay, Gumball, alright