The Epilogue: Uplift the Veil from Your Eyes

HDM: dun dun DUNNNNNN!

Dream Sequence

I keep on returning to this world; why do I even bother going to sleep? I know this place like the back of my hand. Qualik wants a word with me, the swirling red clouds indicate that he's not happy. I open an iron-barred door with some struggle. Its heaviness is so real.

It opens slowly with a dull creaking noise with every inch it moves. I walk into the room, there's no windows to let what little light to pass in. The walls are stone along with the floor, making it very cold, dank, and dim. There's a long table with two chairs arranged. I sat in the one and waited for my 'host'.

Qualik emerges as a shadowy fog. He appearance has changed quite a bit from my teenage years. His mohawk is now flaming with different colors, ranging from a blue-green to a violet color. His mouth bears longer and more vicious teeth. The white in his eyes are now a deep crimson. Instead of him 'bleeding' he's more of a smoky shadow with red and black colored smoke. Instead of a heart on his chest it's just a smile with one of its eyes gauged out. He looks more cruel and sadistic. His fingers remind me of thin blades and his skin color looks like it's swirling a metallic silver and a granite gray. His smile...it still haunts me when I'm awake. He's worse than childhood monsters...because he's real.

"Kenny, I'm not happy with your performance..." he snarls but still in a cool articulate tone

"How are you unhappy when you have that cute, perky grin?" I ask in a defiant tone.

"DON'T be a smartass, you know WHY I'm unhappy!" he snaps.

"No, I'm pretty clueless. I've been avoiding sleep so you wouldn't have to talk to me." I say, dripping in sarcasm.

Qualik's shadows turn into a brighter red. His eyes narrow and his grin turns into a sneer. "Where is he?" he asks me. "Where's who?" I crassly reply. He slams his fists against the table; cracks form and squirm towards my end of the table. Funny, they look almost real.

Then the cracks basically slither off the table and creep across the floor. I watch them with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Like boa constrictors, the shadows slipped around my torso and arms and tightly bound me to the chair. I feel my heart and lungs being pushed against my skin uncomfortably. They squeeze tighter and I feel nauseous.

Qualik glides towards me slowly, like he's making me suffer on purpose. "Kenny, Kenny, Kenny..." he says while shaking his head, "Know this...you cannot escape me, I will get what I want one way or another. You decide to be difficult." He strokes my right cheek with his index finger. I can feel a sharp coldness and boiling hot sensation all at the same time.

"Now, are you going to co-operate?" he hisses in my ear. I did not answer. I see him snap his fingers and the shadow monsters strengthen their grips even more. I can feel my ribs cracking and I scream in pain. I spit up blood and it lands skillfully on Qualik's face. The blood just evaporates off of his chalk white skin. "I'll take that as a yes." he assumes as he lessens the grip. I gulp the air like a fish.

"Now...where's Kyle Brofloski?"

Did I hear him correctly? Is he asking where is he buried because that's the only thing that I could actually tell him. Why does he want to know the location of my dead friend...or lover...whatever the hell we were. "You want to know where he's buried?" I say to him. His eyes swirl the color of crimson and tuscan red...like it's a pool of blood. "Don't PLAY dumb! Where is he!" he shouts.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Kyle is DEAD!"

"No he's NOT!"

"I went to his funeral!"

"It wasn't his!"

He then quickly goes from being pissed to this eerie calm. He's lying...he's got to be lying. I can feel hot tears drip slowly against my cheek. Qualik sticks out his tongue and his stretches long enough so it can touch my cheek. It quickly retracts like measuring tape and gives me a grin. "Tears are just delectable...don't you think?" he chuckles. He's enjoying this...the twisted fuck actually enjoys this!

"Poor, pathetic, sniveling Kenny...he's gettin a widdle upset..." he taunts.

"Shut up..." I grit my teeth.

"All alone in this cold, dark world without his lover."

"I mean it..."

"He promised to come back but never did...now he's alone and still insane!"

"STOP IT!"

With all of my strength I try to rip away from the snake-like shadows. They release and I lunge for Qualik's throat. I press him to the ground and shake him repetitively. He just laughs. "LOOK YOU! You have FUCKED with me and my HEAD for FIFTEEN FUCKIN' YEARS and NOW you're saying that one of the FEW people I gave A DAMN is actually ALIVE?" I yell at the monster. He fades away, leaving me staring at the floor. I pound the floor so many times I think my hands started to bleed. I hear him above me...laughing.

I hate his laugh...

I feel his hand hit me in the back of my head. He put so much force that I slammed my cheek against the cold tiled floor. I graze my fingers against my cheek to see blood. He pushes me on my back and applies pressure. He's so strong...I cannot squirm away. "Get one thing straight, Kenny. I am immortal. You cannot beat me; I will NEVER leave. You can avoid me all you like and so can your little lover but I CAN and WILL find ALL of you! You think this is bad; you're in for a rude awakening!" he screams. He presses harder; I think I heard a bone crack! I look and see it's just the tile breaking from the pressure.

Kyle is alive...

KYLE is ALIVE!

He KNEW Kyle is ALIVE!

HE DID NOT TELL ME KYLE IS ALIVE!

I feel the anger and rage building every time I think about it. He didn't tell me ON PURPOSE! "You KNEW!" I scream. I push him off of me with such force. He is taken aback. "Remember...this is still MY imagination that you've infected. I still have control...for example..." the ground suddenly turns liquid underneath Qualik and sucks him in. The only thing I can see is his head. The tiles wrap around my right arm to form an axe. I aim right down the middle. Qualik looks at the axe with fear and dismay. "Oh shit..." he lets out before...

SHINKT!

I am woken up with a jolt. I look to see Reighlie in this leather chair. She has a notepad and pen in her hands and she looks at me with concern. I look around the room. There's bookshelves and framed PhDs all around the room. I look and see that there's suctions and wires all over my body.

"Welcome back, Kenny. The readings weren't looking too good so we shocked you back...hope it wasn't too much..." Reighlie says in a brisk tone. I rub my head and shake my head. "No...I'm fine...Reigh, I think I did it..." I tell her. Another doctor comes in and takes the readings from a computer I was hooked up to. "Did what, Kenny?" she asks.

I came to realize awhile back that she could maybe help me in a way other therapists couldn't do...she was on a more personal level. After I told her about Qualik, it was her idea to register my dreams...or nightmares. I had to be induced with sleeping pills before going through all of that...but is it truly over? "Reigh...did you know Kyle is still alive?" I ask her. She looks up from her notepad and stares. She does know...she has that 'how do you know' look. "Kenny...I want you to not get upset..." she begins.

"Kenny, about five years ago...the town committee believed that Kyle was too...outspoken about the BHIH. So, they incriminating evidence like the cutting and the attempted suicides against Kyle and threw him into the insanity ward. He met up with Stan, who was also charged for Borderline and other things. Now, if the state believes you're unfit for society you were sent there with no just reason.They scheduled Kyle to get a lobotomy. He was either going to die on the table or lose half his brain or just be some smuck in the ward. He wouldn't give anyone a fight.

Stan was scheduled to be released for good behavior but it was really because they did not have enough evidence to keep him in the BHIH. Stan also got full blown AIDS from an unsterile needle. Stan knew that he wasn't going to live long and Kyle was going to die or lose his brain. So, with help from me and a few doctors I knew, we devised a plan.

Stan replaced Kyle on that operation table. Kyle cut and dyed his hair so he would look more like Stan. The operation was a success and Stan lost his brain. We tried to get him out of the ward but the State wouldn't allow it..."

I look at her in disbelief. "So...Stan is dead...and Kyle's alive somewhere?" I say. She nods her head. I would be angrier but the machine sapped a lot of my energy. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask her. "Only Kyle, his parents, and myself know about this. I was going to tell you when you overcame this...monster in your head. If you knew, then Qualik would have used it against you and found Kyle faster."

"How? How can Qualik find him and why could he not find Kyle?"

"We gave him medication so he cannot dream...that's the only method Qualik can get to victims is the subconscious..."

"But how would I help him?"

"I don't know how but someway he could use your memories to get to other people. Apparently that's how he found Kyle and Stan in the first place."

"So...I'm the reason Stan is dead and Kyle is running..."

Later that night

I look through the phone book and saw three entries of Marsh, S. I failed to find Kyle the first two numbers so I have one more chance. I dial the number and listen to the ringing. I hear the click and I could have sworn my heart stopped beating.

"Hello?"

"Is this Stan Marsh?"

"Yes?"

"Was your name...Kyle Brofloski some time ago?"

"Who is this? How do you-"

"Kyle? It's Kenny..."

He stopped talking. I think I heard the sound of the phone dropping. I decide to keep talking...even if he does not want to listen. "Kyle...I know that you don't want to hear me or see me...figuring we haven't spoken in fifteen years but I'm going to talk anyways. You were at the grave too...you heard me say all of those things. I beat him, Kyle. Qualik is gone...I killed him with an axe! I...I didn't want to hurt you and I know I did and I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt...but I couldn't stop that...I cannot make anyone happy..."

"Shut up..." I hear him.

"What?"

"Quit this teenage angst...I know you're sorry and I know you're reasons. I'm the one who cut you out of my life five years ago...to keep my own identity secret. We both drove eachother away because..." he cut himself off and changed the subject. "I want to see you...come to two thirty-three Harbison Street and go to seventeen B on the second floor."

After we say our goodbyes, I head out the door almost immediately. Before I look in the mirror and saw I still had a five o'clock shadow and looked a bit unkempt. I decide to wash up a bit and put on some clean clothes before seeing him. I got into my car and drove down to Harbison Street.

I saw the apartment building and turn into the parking lot. I walked to the monitor near the door. I pressed the button labeled 17B. "Hello?" I heard the intercom. "It's me..." I reply. "I'll buzz you in..." he says as the door opens. I walk up to the second floor to see the number seventeen at the end of the hall. I knock twice on the wooden door and saw the doorknob turn slowly.

Kyle opens the door far enough so I can see him. He has short layered black bangs that almost color his natural green eyes. He's wearing a brown sweater with blue jeans. He's more toned than before but is paler. He does look a lot like Stan, except for the eyes. He opens the door and almost pulls me in. He starts touching my hair and cheek and hands. "You cut your hair..." he says. His voice is low but smooth.

"You dyed yours black..."

"You have clean clothes..."

"You're paler..."

He comes very close to me; I can smell his Axe from this distance. He pushes me against the door and holds me there. We're mere inches away from each other. "You left me...you said you'll come back..." he says. "I came back didn't I?" I reply crisply. Our voices don't reach above a whisper now. "Stay this time?" I can barely hear him state. "I promise..." I reply with a soft smile. He smiles as well.

Then I received a long forgotten kiss...

End of Epilogue

HDM: hope that clears everything up for you guys...this is really not my style but I figure I tortured you enough so here's a nicer ending than the 'real' one...