Chapter 6.
Jack797– Thank you for your kind words my friend. I love the way you interpreted the ending, as that's exactly how I was hoping it would land. This chapter will have some answers, but I'll leave that for you to see for yourself.
MrRedSnake– Glad you liked it, yeah, that chapter was a bit less dynamic than the others, but I think you need that sometimes when you've had a lot of action all in a row. I won't say when the conclusion to the story will happen, but I wIll say that I know how I want it to end.
Disclaimer: I do not own South Park.
Now, on to the story…
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Darkness. That is usually what awaited Kenny as he drifted in the abyss, impatiently awaiting the moment when he was pulled back to the living world and found himself waking up in his bed.
Sometimes however, things wouldn't go that smoothly. Sometimes he would be what most people would assume to be lucky and find himself at the gates of Heaven. He would walk up, state his name, and being a well known semi-repeat visitor he would immediately be let in to wait until he woke up again.
To Kenny though, going to heaven was pulling the short straw. Sure it was nice getting to enjoy his personal Heaven filled with large breasted women, but being here also meant having to deal with all the Mormons and the torturous boredom they brought. They would talk about some new book they read where a generic loser had a normal life with no excitement, kept a steady job, and remained a strict virgin all their life. Or how they spent the day helping old ladies across the street and donating to some imaginary charity they came up with.
Seriously, how the hell could people have access to anything and everything they could ever imagine, and still choose to do nothing with it? Unbelievable.
That isn't even mentioning the incredibly awkward scenario he was faced with if he happened to come across Jesus while he was there. But thankfully he tended to stay on Earth hosting his show, so those chance meetings were few and far between.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if he was actually lucky, he would end up in Hell. Now, to almost anyone this would be seen as the exact opposite of lucky. And for most, they were right. But to someone like Kenny, it was like hitting the jackpot!
As a very frequent resident of the firey depths, Kenny was always recognized by the gatekeepers and allowed to wander freely. Usually he would go hang out with Damien and Pip, indulging in various vices and gaming the hours away, or he'd visit Satan. Kenny had quickly become great friends with the Prince of Hell, and having known him the way he did, he could confidently say that there wasn't a nicer, more enjoyable guy to be around in the whole afterlife.
But today, for better or worse, Kenny didn't experience either of these things. He felt the pull as usual an woke up in his bed just like a ways.
Sitting up, the boy rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes. With a sigh he pulled himself up and removed his parka. Checking himself over, he was satisfied to see that his scars and all his injuries were gone. Not like he expected differently.
As he made his way to the bathroom, he ran through the events that lead up to his reason for killing himself this time.
It started when he saved Wendy from those sixth graders, where he gained the very scars that led to his suicide. From then on, Wendy had seemed to become fixated on the masked boy's identity more than ever before. He had refrained from interacting with her too much outside of the cape and cowl, but despite his intentions to not pay her investigation too much mind, she always managed to find him eventually. And when she did, Kenny wasn't sure if it was the way she looked at him, the compassion she had when she noticed him hurting or whatever else. But for one reason or another, he found himself drawn to the girl.
Kenny had admitted before how he already found the girl attractive, and each little moment only served to help that develop into something more.
But then she had to connect the dots with his scars, and he was forced to take a reset. He wasn't sure how much she would forget, maybe just the scars, maybe more, he wasn't really sure. This death-reset thing was never very easy to guess on what would and wouldn't be forgotten, as it was situational to the nature of each death.
Whatever, it's all over now. His secret life as the town vigilante was safe and that was the end of it.
Hopefully things would go his way today and he could have a relatively relaxing day at school with less of the stressful antics that usually befall him.
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In the school halls Kenny was talking with some of the boys, mostly about the football game at recess. But what he was more interested in was what Clyde said about Wendy and Stan after he left to dry his face from Cartman's "hilarious" prank.
From what he saw and later heard from Bebe, it seemed that Wendy was more standoffish with her ex's failed attempt to start their relationship again. This could be seen as her still being pissed, but considering that they were approaching a month at this point, Kenny was suspecting (and maybe secretly hoping a little bit) that this was potentially more permanent than the other times.
If that were the case then that's one less obstacle if he were to pursue anything, but that still didn't mean that Stan wouldn't be likely to get jealous and violent.
By now, Kenny had had his fill of the conversation and moved on to the classroom before the bell rang. He wasn't sure what he would do when he saw Wendy again, but at least he could take comfort in the fact that he could do it on his own terms.
Kenny slipped into class where there were currently only a few other people at their seats, Kyle, a mopey looking Stan, and Butters. But what is most notable is a lack of a familiar raven haired girl.
Nevertheless, Kenny tries not to pay it any mind and goes to sit at his table and pull out a deck of cards to stack.
"Hey Kenny." Kyle says. The boy stops as he was about to place the last card on his first level of the stack, accidentally knocking the rest down.
He stares blankly at the once promising tower before turning to his friend who is currently leaning towards him with a guilty smile.
"Uh, hehe, sorry."
["It's fine dude, what's up?"]
"I was just wondering how things were going." Kyle asked before adding in a hushed voice. "You know, with your little Wendy problem."
This was how Kenny usually was able to piece together the way everyone else perceived the situations surrounding when he died. Due to the uncertain nature of his deaths, he couldn't be sure how the memory would be altered when he got back, and so he had to read what people said to figure it out.
Taking here for example, it was obvious to reason that nothing about Wendy's investigation had been altered, but that probably meant that he had to stick on his toes around her to not rouse suspicion considering that he was one of the last people on her list. But at least he didn't have any more physical evidence to help her link him to his vigilante persona.
["Nothing to worry about. I took care of it, so she has nothing to connect me to my other "activities" now."] He said, hoping to calm his redheaded friend's concerns.
"If you say so. Hey, what did you do anyway? Does it have anything to do with why she isn't here today like usual?"
["No."] The boy muffled in response. Although, Kenny had been mildly curious about that himself. Miss "perfect attendance" always took pride in never being late, so what could have possibly changed things?
["Hey, how's Stan doing by the way? I heard about how his attempt to patch things up with Wendy yesterday went, and I can smell the alcohol on him even under that thick coat of axe spray."] Being raised in a house where beer was consumed at nearly a case per day between his mom and dad, his senses were fine tuned to the faintest scent of alcohol.
Kyle glanced back at his best friend, seeing him resting face down on his desk with his head in his arms.
"I'd say he's not doing great. You know how he gets at times like this, but I think it's a bit more serious this time. Like, I think Wendy is actually done this time."
I couldn't help but feel bad for Stan. I know that my situation with his ex is sort of up in the air at the moment (or maybe was, what with the scars being gone), but that didn't mean I liked seeing my friend like this.
I was about to continue my conversation with Kyle when the bell rang, signaling that the school day had started. The rest of the class soon started pouring in and finding their seats, with still no sign of Wendy.
Not long after everyone was seated, Mr. Garrison arrived and told us all to "Settle down you little shits" despite the fact that no one was talking.
He started calling out for the attendance as usual, not batting an eye at the few people who had yet to show up, with one obvious exception.
"Where is Wendy Testaburger?" He asked the class. All responding with various forms of confusion.
"That's strange, it's not like her to miss attendance." Right as he finished saying that, the very girl in question came bursting into the room, her appearance being noticeably disheveled.
"I am so sorry Mr. Garrison, my alarm didn't go off and I ended up sleeping in, then I couldn't find my bag, and by the time I left the bus was gone so I had to run here." Wendy said. She was panting heavily, her hair was a bit of a mess, and she was sweating.
"Well, that's fine Wendy. Normally I'd mark this as late, but considering your perfect attendance record and since it's not all that late anyway, I'm fine to let this slide." He said, marking the girl as here on time.
"Thank you Mr. Garrison, I promise it won't happen again. She said as she took her seat.
Just them, Cartman walked in, which was a more familiar candidate for being late.
"You on the other hand Eric will not be getting a pass."
"Awe what, are you serious? I was literally right behind her. Why does she get a pass and I don't?" The fatass complained as usual.
"Well why are you late Eric?" Garrison said disinterestedly.
"I was just taking a dump."
"That's why."
"Aww naw, that's bullcrap man! I'm not just gonna-"
"Eric, shut the fuck up and sit down." Garrison said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Cartman grumbled, but took his seat and said nothing more.
As the class carried on and Garrison mentioned something about some jackass who smashed a window upstairs yesterday, Kenny had a strange feeling. Like he could feel someone's eyes on him.
He subtly glanced around for the source, and out of the corner of his eye he caught Wendy making glances at him, only to turn away when he looked back at her.
He knew that she had suspicions about him, but the way she kept looking at him just seemed different.
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"Almost there… just a few more loose strands, and… there!" Bebe said as she fixed the last remaining imperfections in Wendy's hair. The girl had been looking for her help dealing with her messy appearance, and the young fashionista was more than happy to oblige.
While Wendy properly fitted her clothes into place, Bebe broke out her hair supplies from her locker and set to work on her messy hair. Wendy had thought that her friend was being a bit excessive keeping so many hair care products at school, but she was grateful for the help and humble enough to admit it came in handy.
Bebe had tried to get her to let her style her hair, with various sprays and conditioners at the ready, but Wendy had managed to talk her down to a simple brush and a light spritz of leave-in conditioner.
Wendy appreciated her friend's help, but she had more pressing matters to attend to than her hair. So once she was a bit more presentable, she thanked her Bebe before walking off to her primary task.
Her quest to find Mysterion had a few bumps and turns, but her time and effort was finally paying off. That was why right now, she was on the hunt for a certain boy with a penchant for the colour orange.
With recess having rolled around, Wendy was hoping to find her target at his usual spot with the boys playing football. But scanning for his unmistakable orange parka, she found no sign of him.
She kept walking around and making her way across the playground, but he wasn't there. She paused as she wondered where he could be, when suddenly…
"Heads up!"
Wendy ducked in time to avoid a football that would have nailed her in the head. Kyle came running up afterwards.
"Sorry about that Wendy, Butters isn't used to being the one kicking the ball." He said, as she handed it to him.
"It's alright Kyle, I was a little distracted anyway." She said. "Hey actually, do you know where Kenny is? I can't find him"
"Huh? Oh, he just went to the bathroom. He should be out in a couple minutes." The boy responded, hoping that his friend wasn't downplaying the situation he had with the girl in front of him.
"Ok, thanks." With that she left and made a beeline straight to the school. She was done waiting, it was time to set this straight once and for all.
As Kenny left the bathroom, he heard someone behind him clearing their throat. He turned around to see Wendy standing there with her arms crossed.
["Oh, hey Wendy. What's up?"]
"I think you know exactly what's up McCormick," She said as she got closer. "I want to know why you ran away."
["What do you mean? When did I run away?"] He asked. He couldn't remember running away from her recently, but it was possible that it may have been after he killed himself yesterday. Wait a second…
["Wait, could you remind me what happened. I'm a little fuzzy on the details."]
"Are you kidding me right now?" She asked, though judging by his unchanging face she concluded that he was being serious. "Ugh fine. We were talking upstairs and you threw a mug that was on the teacher's desk through the window, then you ran off and I couldn't find you for the rest of the day. Kyle said you were hanging out with the boys for the rest of the day but I never saw you." She said.
Huh, so that was what everyone thinks happened yesterday. And from what the others told him earlier, the police ended up arresting a Mexican guy who was fixing the road a block down the road.
Kenny actually felt pretty bad about getting that guy arrested, even if it was the fault of the racist cops. Maybe he should swing by the police station tonight and have a word with Sgt Yates.
"Yeah, but why did you do that anyway, I mean, I know that I kind of cornered you there, but how did breaking the window have anything to do with me asking about your scars?"
That's where Kenny froze.
She… remembered.
At least, she remembered his scars. But, he killed himself, he took a reset, she was supposed to forget like everyone else!
This can't be happening, it isn't possible, this never happened before!
If she remembered his scars, that meant she remembered everything. She knew about his secret life, and there was nothing he could do to change it now.
"Kenny… are you ok?"
He couldn't handle this. He wasn't sure what to do, so he did the only thing his mind could think to do in the situation.
He ran.
…
"Hey! Kenny, get back here!" And with that, the chase was on.
Kenny may be the most athletic of the kids in his grade (and maybe a few beyond) but Wendy was no slouch, and being the fastest of all the girls, she was able to keep up with him.
The chase ran through the halls, with Kenny sliding around corners and overturning an abandoned janitor's cart to slow his pursuer down. But unfortunately for him, Wendy had been practicing her parkour skills in her free time and vaulted over the obstacle.
Kenny reached the doors and burst out into the playground.
"Get back here Kenny!" Wendy yells as she runs out the doors.
The commotion draws all eyes to the two as they pass by the other students, most moving aside, not wanting to get involved in the chase.
Kenny reached the play structure on the far right of the courtyard and quickly vaulted up the jungle gym before leaping into the tree next to the school.
He climbed from branch to branch like a squirrel until he reached a larger one higher up that faced the school. His eyes scanned and quickly picked out a pipe running up the wall, so he readied himself, took aim and jumped, managing to grab a hold and hang on before climbing up.
Wendy was momentarily stunned like everyone else as she saw this, but recovered quickly and tried to climb up the pipe after him. But right as she did Kenny kicked the connection point below him and broke the pipe, sending it tumbling down along with Wendy.
She picked herself up as she watched Kenny making his escape. No. She was not letting him get away. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them from him if it was the last thing she did.
She turned to Bebe who was standing nearby.
"Give me a boost." She said, to which the blonde girl understood and nodded. hurried over to the wall and clasped her hands together into a foothold while Wendy backed up for a running start, then she ran towards Bebe and used her foothold to boost herself up and grasp onto the pipe before climbing up.
Wendy climbs to the top and pulls herself up right as she sees Kenny booking it across the roof. She sighs in frustration follows him as fast as she can, but with him being the more practiced traceur he slowly gets further and further away.
Her hair whips behind her as her breath begins to become ragged. She isn't used to this kind of chase, and the fatigue was beginning to catch up with her.
They ran and ran, hopping and vaulting over the various vents atop the roof, until Kenny came across a particularly large gap where the roof level momentarily dips.
He thinks he's safe so he stops to take a breather, when he looks back at Wendy he sees her following him. He expected her to slow down, but she only sped up and took a big leap all the way across, landing on the balls of her feet and bending with it, but continuing with a roll. Kenny silently cursed himself for teaching her that kind of move.
They keep running until they reach the end of the roof where Kenny is about to try jumping off, only for Wendy to find and catch up with him. The two get into a scuffle as she tries to restrain him, but eventually he manages to break free.
Unfortunately his doing so also knocks her off balance and she falls backwards, over the edge.
As she falls, she can feel her heart fall still. Her eyes widen as time seems to slow to her.
But as she is falling, a gloved hand grabs hers. She looks up to see Kenny with a look of panic on his face that matches her own.
Kenny tries his best to pull her up, but both of them are tired from all the running and she slips from his grip multiple times. But, pushing against his exhaustion, he manages to pull her back up and they both unceremoniously collapse next to each other.
For a moment nothing is said as they both merely lay there and watch the clouds go by. As the two lay there panting and out of breath. Wendy decided that enough was enough, and she is tired of running.
"Kenny, we've been doing this cat and mouse game for weeks. I'm tired, you're tired, so can we please just stop for a second and just honestly talk, please." She asks him earnestly.
Kenny turned his head to face her, finding her meet his own. They stared back at one another for a long few seconds, each silently debating what they would do next, before Kenny sighed in defeat.
["Ok."]
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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
Remember to consider reviewing, as they are always appreciated.
Thank you all, and with that I will see you next time Titans…