Burning cities, heaps of people screaming and running frantically to find a way out.
Abandoned, alone, unloved and unwanted. A waste of space.
Loved ones passing tragically, dying alone and afraid.
Helpless, hopeless, and utterly doomed.
Wakko sobbed as he buried his face into the pillow on his mattress. The double injection made his nightmares all the more terrifying and realistic as he felt completely unable to escape the horror of the visions clouding his mind. His body was growing frail and sickly. He knew that the dip solution was causing it, but he was still imprisoned by his thoughts. It was beyond a bad dream at this point, it was a living nightmare.
Angry and terrified, he threw his pillow across the room and pulled on his floppy ears. Utterly exhausted but completely unable to close his eyes due to fear, the boy just laid down and cried. The nightmares started to distort and bastardize happy memories and thoughts. The image of his siblings was replaced with a horrifying monster, and every thought of food was turned to a disgusting pile of waste. He felt like he was going to lose his mind, when suddenly, he heard a knock on his cell door.
Weak and afraid, he nearly crawled his way to the door when suddenly it was thrown open. Wakko's eyes widened when he saw Alex on the opposite side with a terror-stricken and sickly looking Jarod in his arms.
"But... how..." Wakko's words were weak and stilted.
"I stole a guard key and found the exit, but theres gunfire and shit going on." Alex explained.
Wakko gave a weak grin to Alex, not really comprehending the words he was speaking.
"You... c-came back for u-us..." Wakko leaned against the wall, barely able to stand up on his own.
Alex smiled at Wakko. "Of course I did. I wasn't gonna just leave you with these freaks."
Wakko gave a sweet smile before closing his eyes. His mind was instantly filled with horrific images and sounds, causing him to whimper as he was startled back awake.
"Jesus Wak... c'mon, we're getting you two home, I promise." With that, Alex put his arm around Wakko to help stabilize him as they started walking down the hall. Alex tried his best to hide himself and the two boys whenever a guard would run by, but nobody seemed to pay them any attention. His breathing began to grow rapid as the weight of Jarod and Wakko started to slow him down, but adrenaline had already taken over and he knew that this was a do or die situation.
"YOU!"
Alex jumped as he heard a loud, angered voice scream from behind. Turning his neck, he saw a bloodied Jenkins limping his way towards them. Alex tried his best to run.
"Stay the FUCK back!" Alex screamed.
Suddenly, without warning, Alex felt a sharp, burning sensation in his left leg that caused him to fall to the ground, bringing Jarod and Wakko with him. As he hit the ground, he saw Jenkins pointing a small dip-gun at them.
"You motherfucker!" Alex screamed as he held his leg.
Jenkins walked up to them, completely emotionless and ignoring Alex's screams and insults.
"I never wanted to hurt any of you." Jenkins coldly said. "Now, I have no choice." As he spoke, he grabbed Wakko by the scruff of his neck, eliciting a faint whimper as Wakko weakly tried to fight the strong grasp of the man.
"No! You asshole! Stop!" Alex screamed at Jenkins as he tried to stand up, but his leg was too injured to support his body weight. He collapsed to the ground as tears began to fill his eyes.
"Please! I'm b-begging you! Don't hurt h-him!" Alex wasn't used to the feeling of crying. Tears began to stream down his face and dampen his fur as Jenkins coldly walked off with Wakko. Alex crawled, kicked, and screamed, but was completely helpless due to the dip wound on his leg.
He fell onto his back, sniffling and sobbing as he looked at Jarod who appeared completely lifeless. Alex scooted himself closer to the young human boy and grabbed his hand.
"I'm so... s-sorry."
With that, he pulled Jarod into a hug, who laid there in his arms completely broken.
Harold's ears rang as a combination of explosions, gunfire, and shouting filled his ear drums. His hands clenched his weapon as he followed along the backside of a group of seven soldiers.
When the gunfire started, the surrounding soldiers used explosives to break through the walls of the facility while Harold and a small squad entered in through the door. Guard upon guard poured out into the open, all using their weapons in an attempt to fight back against the invading soldiers. As Harold and his squad went deeper into the facility, he began to notice hallways filled with cells. Anger filled him as he imagined all the children that must be trapped inside them. Whatever the reasons, nothing was worth the fear and pain these kids were going through.
"Movement ahead!"
The soldier's words broke into Harold's thoughts, and his eyes immediately went to the corridor ahead. There was a small over-head arch that led into a separate hallway, and sure enough, he could see movement stepping out from the shadows. He lifted his gun, ready to fire it in a second if necessary. The soldiers aimed their weapons, but Harold's heart sank as he saw what was coming towards them.
The man that Harold shot - Jenkins, was slowly approaching them with a bitter, angry expression and a frail, sickly looking Wakko in his hands, held up by the scruff of his neck. In Jenkins left hand was a dip-gun that he pointed towards Wakko, who was unresponsive.
"STOP!" Harold screamed as he halted the attack of his men, allowing Jenkins to step closer to them.
"Leave. Now. Or the boy dies." Jenkins deadpanned as he brought the dip-gun to Wakko's back, eliciting a whimper from the boy.
Harold lowered his weapon, but did not let go of it. "Please, stop. We can discuss this."
"There is no time for discussion. You've taken the lives of many men, don't let this boy die too." Jenkins coldly explained as he took a step closer to Harold.
A tear leaked from Wakko's eye as he groaned. "P-Please..."
Harold saw the expression on Wakko's face. The terror, the sadness, the longing for his loved ones. All those emotions burned through Wakko's voice as he said that one word. His heart ached for the boy, but his hands began to tremble as he looked into Jenkins eyes, seeing nothing but anger and frustration as he pushed the dip-gun harder against Wakko's back, causing him to tremble.
Wakko was inches from death. The world around him seemed to go completely numb as his eyes fell shut. Jenkins was holding him by the scruff of his neck, yet he no longer felt any pain. The dip solution scourged through his ink stream, but he no longer felt sick. The dip-gun was shoved against his back, but he wasn't afraid. All feelings began to disappear, one by one, as the boy began to fade into unconsciousness.
Wakko fell limp in Jenkins grasp, causing the man to take his gaze off of Harold for a brief moment as he tried to shake Wakko back awake.
Harold used the brief second of distraction as a chance for attack as he brought his weapon up and aimed it towards Jenkins' head. Within mili-seconds, Harold squeezed the trigger and sent a bullet flying through the ear, piercing Jenkins through the left side of his face. Jenkins didn't even have time to react as the bullet shot through the vital portion of his brain-stem, killing him instantly.
Wakko fell to the ground as Jenkins fell back in a heap, causing a sickening "thump" sound which echoed throughout the hallway. Harold was stunned for a brief second, but the site of an unmoving Wakko broke him from his paralysis.
"Break in every cell door. I want every child checked by a medic, now!" Harold's words rung in the ears of the soldiers as they began kicking in each door. Child upon child was carried from their cell, each one appearing weak and afraid, barely able to move.
Harold approached Wakko, who laid limp on the floor with his ears drooped beside him. His body was frail, and the white fur on his face was matted and dirty. Dark circles encased his eyes and his trademark blue sweater was worn and stained. Taking a deep breath, Harold put two fingers alongside Wakko's neck, checking for a pulse.
Harold gnashed his teeth as he initially didn't feel anything.
"C'mon, boy. Stay with me." Harold placed a hand on Wakko's shoulder and used his other hand to check again for a pulse. This time on his wrist.
Nothing.
"Shit..." Harold gulped. "Your sibs are out there. They came all this way to see you."
Harold choked back a sob.
"They miss you so much, Wak. All day everyday, they fought for you."
Harold tried to hold in another sob, but soon felt the sting of tears filling his eyes.
Just as Harold was about to break down, a medic knelt down on the opposite side of Wakko, carrying a small bag of first-aid equipment.
"Sir, all the children are alive and will recover. The dip-solution will eventually leave their body. However, we found two other boys outside of their cell - a brown bunny toon and a young, human boy."
Harold barely paid the medic any attention.
"The bunny was shot and injured, but is expected to make a full recovery. He has been administered a small amount of morphine and is being taken back to the medical station."
Harold clenched his hands, trying to focus on the words spoken by the medic.
"However, the other boy seemed to have been given a rather large dose of dip-solution recently, leaving him immobile and... seemingly, dead. He has been revived by a stimulus shot, but he is in critical condition. Humans just can't fight this stuff off like Toons can."
Harold's eyes widened as the medic took out a rather small syringe filled with a green substance - a stimulus shot. The medic took Wakko's wrist and poked through his skin with the small needle, injecting him with the green fluid. Harold then took his two fingers to the side of Wakko's neck and nearly jumped when he felt the distinct pulsations of a beating heart and an active ink-stream.
"C'mon, we gotta get him out of here." Harold took Wakko into his arms, cradling him like a sleeping baby as he ran out of the facility and into one of the large jeeps. The man driving the vehicle wasted no time revving up the engine as Harold sat in the passenger seat with Wakko limp in his arms.
Harold felt Wakko stirring as a soft, weak groan escaped the boys mouth.
"Hey, it's okay, you're safe now." Harold tried to sound reassuring.
Wakko's eyes briefly opened, just long enough to get a view of Harold and the vehicle surrounding him.
"What's... h-happening?" Wakko spoke in a soft whisper.
"You're safe now, Wak. We are with the police. Your siblings are waiting for you."
Wakko eyes opened again when he heard Harold mention his siblings.
"M-My... siblings?"
"That's right, Wak. They have been so worried about you." Harold smiled at the boy.
"W-Where are they?"
"They are at the medical station, waiting to see you."
A small tear escaped Wakko's eyes as he smiled.
Harold closed his eyes and laid his head against the chair. He took a deep breath, feeling for the first time that maybe everything was actually going to be alright. Wakko stirred again, but then fell limp. The faint, stilted breath of Wakko was a constant reassurance to Harold of Wakko's well-being. As long as he felt the boy breathe, he knew he was OK.
Harold felt a sense of peace and joy as he saw the large medical building approaching in the distance. It was a makeshift building, like something you would see at the local county fair, but it was the only sort of medical center within a fifty mile radius. Inside was several medical staff working to ensure the well-being of the rescued children. Beds were closely stacked along every possible space as several nurses and medics made their way around checking the vitals of all the kids.
Harold stepped out of the vehicle with Wakko in his arms. Standing in the far left corner, frantically scouring the hoards of children, was Yakko and Dot, who almost fell to their knees when they saw Harold enter with Wakko.
Yakko brought a hand to his mouth as he slowly approached them, his eyes wide and, for the first time, unable to find the right words to say.
"WAKKO!" Dot screamed as she ran towards them.
Harold dropped to his knees as he held Wakko, who was unresponsive.
"He's very sick. He needs to be hooked up to an IV."
Yakko and Dot both affectionately squeezed his hand as Harold laid the boy down onto an available mattress. Harold did his best to explain the situation as he mentioned the dip-solution and how they were pawns in a medical experiment. Yakko could hardly believe what he was hearing, but did his best to remain calm and understand what had happened to Wakko and the other children.
"You two need some time with him." Harold said as he placed his hand on Yakko's shoulder. "If you two need me, you'll find me just outside the building." With that, Harold walked off.
Yakko stood in silence as he watched medics surround his baby brother, attaching various medical equipment to him. He felt an ache in his heart; he was so desperate to just jump next to Wakko and embrace him. He missed the warmth of his touch so badly and wanted nothing more than to just hold him.
"Wak! Come on! Say something!" Dot spoke frantically. Yakko placed a loving hand on her shoulder.
Once the medics cleared and there was some space next to his bed, the two siblings went over and took a seat next to their brother. Yakko took Wak's hand and affectionately squeezed it while Dot laid her head against Yakko. Time went by without a word spoken, when suddenly, a small, brown bunny with crutches and a bandage wrapped around his leg took a seat on the opposite side of the bed. The bunny didn't speak, but just gazed upon Wakko with forlorn eyes.
"Whats your name?" Yakko broke the silence.
"Alex." The bunny responded with little emotion.
There was another stint of silence as Yakko, Dot, and Alex just sat around Wakko, all eagerly hoping for him to wake up soon. Yakko looked up and studied Alex's expression, which indicated a strong sadness and regret that the brown bunny was clearly trying his hardest to suppress.
"Do you know Wakko?" Yakko asked.
"We were... w-we helped..." Alex choked on his words as he cleared his throat. "We tried to escape together- me, him, and another human boy, Jarod."
Yakko frowned as he heard the intense emotion in Alex's tone.
"We almost made it too..." Alex wiped a tear from his eyes. "But, we were caught."
Dot frowned and held onto Yakko's arm.
"The asshole who ran that place..." Alex paused briefly and wiped his nose. "He took them and gave them a double injection of the dip-solution."
Yakko's eyes widened as he looked at Wakko, who appeared so small and sickly in comparison to the other children.
"Jarod, h-he..." Alex buried his face into his hands as he let out soft, stifled sobs. "D-Didn't make it."
Yakko was stunned by his words. Dealing with grief was not something Yakko had ever really done before. The most serious situations he had to deal with was always just things with his siblings, whether that be fights, bad dreams, or bullies. This time, someone that Wakko knew and probably cared for was dead, and Yakko had no idea what to do. He wished he could make things better for them, that he could push some sort of magic switch that would cause the pain to just... go away. But he couldn't. All he could do was be there for them.
"I'm so sorry, Alex." Yakko spoke with a level of uncertainty and hesitation that was completely foreign to him.
"Don't be." Alex wiped his eyes and sat up straight in his chair. "It's my fault. They were the ones who were caught, not me."
As Alex spoke, his breathing rate began to increase and a small tinge of anger filled his voice.
"Jarod was innocent. He has two parents who love him who are now gonna be planning a goddamn funeral." Alex's leg began to shake as he spoke.
Yakko felt his stomach get tied into knots. He thought of what would have happened if it was Wakko who didn't survive. He couldn't even imagine the devastation of losing him, which made him feel terrible for the parents of Jarod. Yakko's eyes began to swell with tears.
"It just..." Alex could barely speak. "It should've been me."
"Don't say that." Yakko retorted.
"Nobody would miss me. I don't even fucking have parents." Yakko cringed at Alex's words, while Dot's ear twitched as she heard the F bomb.
"It doesn't matter, Alex. The world would miss you." Yakko did his best to sound comforting, but he feared he was only making it worse.
Alex was about to respond when he heard a faint groan coming from Wakko. The three children stopped in their tracks as Wakko's eyes slowly lifted open, and Yakko got chills when he felt Wakko grip his hand ever so gently.
"Wak? You OK, bud?" Yakko leaned over to Wakko.
"Yakko..." Wakko's voice was dry and cracky as he responded.
Wakko lifted his arms towards Yakko, who gently wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled against his forehead. Dot got out of her chair and crawled up onto the bed, joining in on the embrace as she felt her brothers warmth.
"Am I dead?" Wakko asked.
Yakko couldn't help but chuckle.
"No, you're very much alive." Yakko ran his hand across Wakko's cheek as he embraced him.
Wakko sighed and felt his mind and body relax as the warmth of his siblings embrace took over.
"I love you guys... so much..." Wakko's voice was still tired and cracky as he spoke.
Alex smiled at the three of them as he caught Wakko's gaze, who gave him a concerned look. Alex could tell that Wakko wanted to know where Jarod was, but instead of speaking, Alex just gave him a sad smile. Wakko could tell by the look on the boys face that he was gone, which caused him to let out a small choke and grip his siblings harder.
Alex watched the Warners embrace with a sweet, but sad smile. He was used to being lonely, but watching someone else receive love and affection just made it more painful. He was about to stand up and leave the three alone when he heard Yakko speak.
"Hey, Alex. Wakko wants to say something to you."
Alex felt like a deer in headlights. Yakko and Dot scooted over to make room for Alex, who knelt beside the bed close to Wakko.
"Alex-" Wakko choked and cleared his throat.
"C'mon now, don't choke to death just because you wanna say something." Alex tried to speak with his usual dry, sarcastic tone, but he found himself feeling more emotional than usual.
"T-Thank you."
Alex felt a tug on his heart. "There's nothing to thank me for, Warner."
"You were t-there for me. Y-You came back for me when you didn't have to." Alex's throat began to swell up. "You... y-you made me less afraid." Alex felt a tear fall from his eyes as Wakko spoke. He only knew Wakko for a short time, but he could tell that Wakko cared for him.
"Shit Wak, now you're making me cry." Wakko wrapped his arms around Alex's shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. Alex was reluctant and awkward at first, but soon gave up and allowed himself to enjoy the display of affection.
Soon, Alex started thinking about Jarod. He began trembling as he imagined how happy the young human boy would have been in this situation.
"It's not your fault, Alex." Wakko whispered, causing Alex to choke back sobs. "I promise it's not your fault."
"He should be here right now. With you." Alex responded.
"I know, Alex." Wakko felt his composure begin to fail. "But he's not. W-We can't do anything about it."
Alex didn't respond.
"Just... P-Please promise me you won't blame yourself." Wakko's tears streamed down his face.
Alex let go of the embrace and wiped his tears away. He smiled at Wakko. "I promise."
Well, here we are! Not quite the end, but almost the end. I hope having Jarod die wasn't TOO upsetting. I was very heavily debating on whether I really wanted to do that, but I decided that it was a fitting, angsty ending to this story. After all, endings aren't always 100% happy.
I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I really appreciate every review I get, even if it's a negative (constructive) one. Thanks again!
