"No…Stan, no!" Kyle ran through the wreckage, black smoke billowing out and making him choke. He reached down, his hands grabbing around a body. No, not just a body, his best friend.
He held Stan and kneeled, sobbing into the darkness. In the distance, an evil and triumphant laugh echoed. "Cartman, you son of a bitch." Kyle yelled as he cradled Stan in his arms and cried. He knew he had been long gone.
"Why did he?" Kyle looked around in the wreckage. "I was supposed to be lured here but Stan came instead. He was trying to kill me, but Stan, oh Stan." Kyle clung to Stan before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Kenny had stepped out of the wreckage of his house. "We have to leave, this shit my parents have is going to explode and make things worse."
"I can't leave him, I just can't. Why was he in the way of the train?" Kyle looked up at Kenny with tear stained cheeks.
Cartman's laugh kept echoing in the distance.
Kenny looked down into Stan's blank face and lifeless eyes. "I-I'll try something. Just go run, before something else explodes. Take my sister please." Kenny handed a sobbing Karen over to Kyle. He ran back to the ruins of his house and his parents' meth lab, the train had cut his home in half. He went into his father's closet and grabbed the gun there. He took one last look at Stan's dead body and put the gun to his head to pull the trigger.
One day earlier…
Kyle sat at the lunch table, making sure to save a seat for his friends. They were getting lunch but he had brought his that day. He focused on his sandwich when he looked up at Stan slapping down a pamphlet. "You see this shit?"
"What shit?" Kyle pulled a tomato out of his sandwich, not that big of a fan of them.
"Did you know….oh ho ho. One of the biggest contributors to pollution and global warming is the methane in the air from cow farms?"
"From their farts? Yeah I knew that." Kyle said, peeking at his sandwich again.
Kenny giggled as he sat down next to Kyle. "You're concerned about cow farts now, Stan?"
"Yes! Well, I don't know. I think we need to stop just having them out there for food. Or feed them something different. I've heard stuff you can do with seaweed." Stan holds out the research he's done.
"Fff okay Stan. Whatever." Cartman sits down at his side, Butters carrying his lunch tray for him. "Remember you really pissed off the Japanese the last time you tried something like this."
"I know, that's my fault they're eating more beef now. Maybe we can go to the Japanese about seaweed or something." Stan said quickly, looking through his phone at more research.
"No way, not going to jail again for you, Stan. That totally sucked ass." Cartman put a finger in his face.
"But what about the environment?" Stan bugged again. "Not like I can just get people to eat less beef."
"Fuck no Stan. No. Let people eat what they want you goddamn hippie." Cartman glared at him.
"Yeah fatass, you really don't care? I'll help you out, Stan." Kyle says.
"Who's the one eating beef, Kyle? You want to help Stan. Fine, go ahead. Don't come crying to me when it ends in disaster." Cartamn went back to eating his chicken. "Why are you so quiet, Kenny?"
Kenny blinked, almost falling asleep over his tray. "Just…not getting much sleep lately. Parents and stuff."
"We'll stop falling asleep in your chicken nuggets. You're getting on my nerves." Cartman sneered at him.
"If you hate it so much here, just leave. No one is making you sit with us. Go fatass." Kyle said again.
"Screw you guys, I'm going home." Cartman picked up his tray to move away.
"Thank god." Kyle shook his head as he took another bite of his roast beef sandwich.
Stan had been doing more research on his phone over feeding cows and helping the environment. He came across a train schedule of a new shipment of cows coming through town and up to Denkins Ranch. He learned it was cow's burps that were harmful, not the farts but it didn't stop prompting his friends to keep making fun of him. He also noticed something else interesting as the boys walked home from school.
"So you're still crying over cow ass, Stan?" Cartman laughed.
"Cow burps, and yeah I am. We have to do something soon." Stan stood at the train tracks, the lights blinked and the guards went down as the group of boys waited for the train to pass. Kenny shrunk behind Kyle's shoulder, even being near a train seemed like a bad idea.
Stan's eyes flicked up. "More cows coming into town?" The train stopped to slow over the bridge. He could see the cows through the slats in the farm train cars. "You think, maybe if we put a bunch of seaweed in their food while the train slows…"
"What are you thinking?" Kyle asked.
"We feed the incoming cows seaweed when the train stops, then when people buy their meat and see no difference in taste, we can tell them what we did. Then maybe it'll be accepted." Stan continued.
"Yeah, do it Stan. Do that exactly. We could even film it for evidence. To show how easy it is. I could use my photo editing software." Kyle grinned.
Cartman's eyes flashed. "We could get famous off this."
"Oh no, no, no. I want to help the cows and the environment. Don't want to get caught jackin' it San Diego again." Stan turned red at this, knowing he was banned from there forever.
"Still, it's good to have evidence to help everyone. See how simple the solution is." Kyle continues. He shoves Kenny off his shoulder.
"What dude?" Kenny asks. He knew he was acting weird as hell, but he's not sure exactly why he felt a pit of dread in his stomach at this plan.
"Kenny you listening? We need you to do your part of the plan." Kyle was telling him.
"What?"
Stan rolled his eyes. "You work at City Wok on weekends. Can you grab extra seaweed used in the sushi restaurant next door to feed the cows?"
"Yeah…yeah. I will. Be safe guys. I'll talk to you later." Kenny yawned as the train finally passed. He double checked the tracks were absolutely clear before making his way to his humble home.
He found his little sister sitting on the door step, hands on her chin. "What's up Kare bear?" He asked her as she clung to him in a hug.
"Mommy and daddy said stay out of the garage and probably not a good idea to be in the house. Was waitin' for you or Kevin to show up." She says, looking up from pressing her face into his parka.
"Okay, Karen. You have a friend you can stay with? Preferably all the way until dinner? Maybe stay for dinner?" Kenny asked.
Karen nodded and took off down the street. It might not be the best idea to let a little six year old walk down the street herself, but inside the garage was far more dangerous.
Kenny opened the front door and tightened his hood as he entered. He knocked on the door connecting the garage to the house and was met with a 'I'm comin'" from his mom. Carol answered the door in her bra and a face mask on. "Dammit, Kenny, thought you were Bubba."
"What are you doing mom?" Kenny crosses his arms.
"Don't worry about it. Go play. Go do anything." Carol waved her hand to shoo him, Kenny caught a glimpse behind her of piles of powder on the table being sorted. No wonder she didn't want Karen in the house, there was tons of that crap in the air. Something boiling on a single burner in the background making the air smell acrid.
Kenny kept his hood tight as he walked to the back of the house to his room to grab some things before he went out for the evening. He hated when his parents did this shit, it was so dangerous, gross and humiliating. His family would have money for a little bit after, a good dinner of pizza delivered to the house and lots of beer. Then the money would run out and the tension and fights would start up again. A vicious cycle.
Kenny layed down, he did feel awfully tired today. Maybe that shit his parents were messing with was making him sick, not that it mattered. But maybe it did. Kenny wracked his brain, he had to remember to do something. It was like the corner of a faint dream, but it was more important than that. He couldn't die right now, it seemed he was needed. He sighed and set the alarm on his clock. A quick nap then he had a shift at City Wok, and an appointment to dumpster dive after for leftover seaweed. He wasn't going to steal from his job, after all, someone had to keep food on the table for the times when his parents' meth money ran out.
Kyle had his tongue between his teeth as he reached the top shelf in his dad's office for his go pro. He wanted to film what they were doing this evening to help the cows. Stan's plan seemed feasible and would do some good. But Kyle felt uneasy, he jumped right in to help with the little tortured baby cows, but sat out helping with saving dolphins and whales. Maybe it was selfish, or Stan and Kyle were in a phase of growing apart. In all honesty Kyle could admit to himself it's because he couldn't stand to see Stan hurt, sick, drunk, having a breakdown and destroying himself when things went wrong.
Maybe, Kyle could retain some control over the situation, and Stan's rise and fall if he took care of the camera.
A glance out the window and Kyle sighed as he saw a pudgy figure sneaking around the train tracks. Kyle slid the go pro up his sleeve and went outside to confront Cartman. "What the fuck fatass?" Kyle yelled seeing him sniff around the tracks.
"What? I'm getting a layout of the land. What the hell are you doing here?" Cartman said as he stood up from looking over the tracks.
Kyle examined the tracks. "You trying to put a penny on the tracks to derail it? That's bullshit and doesn't work."
"Kyle, really? What the fuck you think this is, some cheesy 90's show?" Cartman rolled his eyes.
Kyle opened his mouth to shoot back an insult, but thought for a moment. Looking around carefully. He took off in the direction of Stan's house.
Night fell as Kenny lugged the box of dry seaweed home. It was only a few days expired, a score as far as he could tell. He looked around for Karen, some relief she was at her friend's house still, he went into his house to rest for a bit before whatever Stan and Kyle had planned. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep before he heard the sound of scrabbling around his back yard. "Guys?"
His face appeared in the window to make sure his box of seaweed wasn't being messed with to see his dad carrying a box of something to the back and his mom doing a count. They chat quietly with each other hopefully not noticing Kenny. He keeps trying to spy on his parents as they walk back and forth from the garage to the back yard. Then something in the distance catches his eye as he sees Stan, Kyle and Cartman enter the backyard. Shit, busted.
Stan knew Kenny had a secret entrance from his backyard to his bedroom. He and Kyle had snuck out of their rooms after bedtime and walked along the path to the train tracks.
"I swear fatass is up to something. We need to get him too, keep an eye on him." Kyle said.
They stopped and picked up Cartman and a few supplies.
"Okay fatass, let's check your pockets." Kyle demanded.
"Kyle…there's nothing I love more than steaks and hamburgers. Why would I fuck this up for you and Stan?" Cartamn said, gathering up his mission impossible breaking and entering play set.
"Cus you're a selfish sociopath. You're fucking with something." Kyle yelled back.
A loud moan came out of the nearby bedroom.
"Guys shut up." Stan said. "You're going to wake up Cartman's mom."
"Don't worry about it. My mom's been up all night and making lamb noises. She said don't bother her during her work. Cool my mom got a job playing lambs." Cartman shrugged.
Stan raised an eyebrow and Kyle looked horrified at this thought. "Let's just get out of here. The train will pass through soon." Stan said.
The three walked in silence to Kenny's house, other than Kyle calling Cartman an absolute idiot a few times but stopped when they reached the McCormick backyard to see Stuart and Carol moving boxes back and forth.
Stuart looked almost angry as the boys approached them. Carol looked embarrassed as her hands clumsily dropped one of the little packages, landing near Stan's feet.
"You didn't see nothin' boys." Stuart started.
"Oh yeah? You didn't either." Stan said back, poking the little package with the toe of his sneaker.
Kenny shook his head, quickly getting out of the back entrance through his closet to meet his friends. "You're here to work on that project together. Come right in."
Carol gave a little sheepish smile. "See boys…when the cow train comes through someone hired us to give these cows some vitamins…yeah vitamins and we can't have you boys playin out here. It's dangerous. Go in the house. Now." Roughness creeping into her tone.
Kenny dragged his friends into the house and slammed the door behind them, utterly embarrassed.
"Damn, your parents suck Kenny." Cartman said.
"Like you're one to talk." Kyle shot back.
"Let's all agree all our parents suck. We have about fifteen minutes until the train comes. I think whatever shit your parents are doing will help us. The train stops and they feed the cows, we can dump the seaweed in their food bins and they'll eat it up to the farm. Easy." Stan smiles triumphantly.
Kyle looked down. "I don't feel so comfortable making a video if Kenny's parents are doing that."
"Yeah I don't want to end up in foster care again." Kenny grumbles. "Shit me and Karen…where is Karen? Is she still at her friend's house?" Another thing to worry about. Kenny managed to not look his parents in the eye as he pulled out the box of expired seaweed.
"Damn, this shit stinks. I hate you, Kenny." Cartman said, covering his nose.
"It's Stan's stupid idea. He should throw it in." Kenny shot back.
"Shut up you guys. Fine I'll do it." Stan looked around the McCormick's house. "The roof."
"What about it?" Kyle asked.
"Let's get on the roof without your parents seeing. They can feed the cows and we can add our own. I'll throw it in." Stan hesitates. "Just come with me."
Kenny nods. He can keep an eye out for Karen easily from the roof. "Right this way, be prepared if you were worried about the seaweed stinking."
Kenny led his friends through the living room into the garage, now open and cleaned out. There was a small step ladder that led to a loft in the garage that his parents sometimes rented out to friends of theirs, causing more chaos in the McCormick household. Thankfully it was empty now and the boys were able to climb to the top of the loft and out a side window to the roof of the McCormick house.
Of course Kenny's friends made him drag the box of seaweed up to the roof with him, but Kyle was nice enough to help Kenny push it up the ladder. The four boys sat on the roof overlooking the city. Three looking down for signs of the incoming cattle train and Kenny hypervigilant for signs of Karen coming home and her not seeing what their stupid parents were up to.
Eleven at night hit and the unmistakable sound of the train's horn came through as the boys looked on. "Ready? You're gonna hold me, right?" Stan said as he positioned himself with the seaweed over the edge of the roof.
"Yeah dude." Kyle grabbed the back of Stan's jacket to lean him over the side of the house. Kenny quickly grabbed the back of Kyle's jacket and Cartman at the end.
"Don't you dare move fatass." Kyle called back.
"I don't know, Kyle. Might need to take a crap." Cartman said back.
"Guys shut up, the train is slowing down." Stan hissed over the sound of the clanging barrier gates of the train crossing.
Down below the McCormick parents started to feed little packages to the cows, slipping them through the slats in the sides.
The other boys took careful steps to tip Stan forward. He started to shake the seaweed into the cows' pen, Kyle keeping the go pro behind him to capture it and keep Kenny's parents out of view.
Kenny could feel the back of his parka slip and looked behind him. "Cartman? Don't fucking let go."
"Told you…gotta take a crap." Cartman said.
"Fucking idiot, just hold it Cartman while we finish. Hurry up Stan!" Kyle yelled out.
"Almost, almost." Stan called out as he shook out the seaweed.
Kenny heard it, a low laugh from behind him as Cartman's grip slipped a little more. Suddenly the reason he was here snapped back into place. "Pull back pull back…before." Kenny yelled out.
He could see his little sister Karen now walking down the street, feeling a pain shoot through that his innocent little sister was about to witness this. "Karen!" Kenny yelled as he felt a shove behind him and the three of them tumbled forward.
The box of seaweed went first, Stan landing next to it headfirst with a sick crack. Kyle screamed as he clung to the side of the house, Kenny was also holding on for dear life, remembering now that he was meant to try and fix it. The memory of Kyle's cries and Stan's lifeless eyes flooding back. But this was a different cry now, tiny and high pitched as his little sister screamed out as well. She ran forward screaming for Kenny, right in the way of an oncoming train.
"No…no!" Kenny screamed as she was caught under the tracks with a sickening scream. He looked around between Kyle screaming and scrambling down to get to Stan, to his mom screaming and crying for Karen to Cartman laughing behind him.
Something in Cartman's cold and amusing laugh triggered a memory in Kenny.
"I can fix this, I need to fix this." Kenny looks for a quick option, seeing as Stan already fell off the roof that seemed the quickest. Kenny shut his eyes, took a running leap off the roof headfirst.
One day earlier…
Kenny's eyes snapped open and he looked around his room, gray light streaming through the drafty window. He got up, careful not to disturb his sleeping brother Kevin. He quietly crossed the hall to go into Karen's room. He saw his little sister curled up in bed, he gave a little cry in relief and hugged her. Causing her to open her sleepy eyes.
"Huh? Kenny, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Karen. Just checking on you. Go back to sleep." He gave her another hug before going back to his room in relief.
Kenny made sure to stay on Stan's tail at lunch the next day. A slightly better memory of what he was supposed to prevent. He followed him into the cafeteria at lunchtime, bumping him to knock the phone out of his hand.
"What the fuck dude. Watch it!" Stan yelled at him as he grabbed a lunch tray.
"Sorry, just don't look at what you're looking at." Kenny said, quickly grabbing his lunch tray to follow him.
Stan gave him a look but went to sit at their usual table, Kenny taking the seat next to him much to his annoyance.
Kyle sat picking at his home packed lunch, looking up at the two. "Why are you so freaked out Kenny?"
"Nothing!" Kenny said a little too excitedly as now Cartman took a seat next to Kenny.
"You're excited cus they let you have lunch today? Poor piece of crap." Cartman laughed.
Stan poked at his meat with a fork. "You know, it's not so good to eat so much meat. It's bad for the environment, I was doing some research."
"No, Stan, no. Please don't go there for your own good, believe me." Kenny says quickly.
"Kenny stop it, let Stan talk." Kyle told him.
"Yeah, go on Stan. We want to hear it. Why is eating meat bad and how are you going to ruin everyone's fun?" Cartman said again.
Stan raised an eyebrow as he shooed Kenny's hand away from him. "Thank you Cartman. So anyway, did you know one of the biggest contributors to pollution is methane from cows, I had a plan-"
"You can't use my house." Kenny said quickly.
Stan looked at him surprised. "You didn't even know what I was going to say."
"We'll whatever it was, I don't want you to use my house. Or my seaweed. Or get my little sister involved." Kenny shut his eyes, her terrified screams would never get out of his head.
"Well what do you suggest, Kenny?" Stan argued.
Kenny just shrugged. "Dropping the subject."
"No Stan's right you guys. Come on, we need to try and prevent hippies from not letting us eat meat." Cartman spoke up.
"I'll help you. Here's what we're going to do." Kyle leaned in as a plan was formed. Kenny knew what would happen but hopefully his family would be okay as he was once again roped into a wacky scheme.
Almost midnight and Kenny was on the opposite side of the train tracks, he and his friends sat behind the fence of the nearby homeless camp. Kyle had convinced his mom to let him get fresh sushi grade seaweed from Whole Foods. He sat with Stan in the dark as they went over the plan, the box between them.
"Okay when the train stops, we're going to climb aboard and drop the seaweed into the cows food and water. Then when it stops again we'll just get off and get home." Kyle whispered.
"Can't believe we're wasting time with making sure the train stops before hopping off." Stan rolled his eyes.
"I just don't want any of us to get hurt, okay?" Kenny said sharply.
"What a wuss." Cartman laughed.
Kenny grumbled but kept quiet, his friends would never know but if they know the real reason, especially Stan, why Kenny was so cautious they would want it this way.
The train crossing lit up as the barrier came down. The train came through the crossing near Kenny's house and slowed down on schedule as Kenny's parents started to feed the cows little packages again. Kenny still wasn't sure what they were trying to do but didn't have time to worry about it tonight as he followed his friends across the barrier and climbed up the ladder into the compartment of the cow's pen.
Kyle tumbled in first, Cartman rolled in next, kicking Kyle in the process and starting a squabble between the two which both Stan and Kenny had to shush.
Kenny looked at Stan, "you first, I want to be on lookout."
Stan tossed down a few packages of seaweed from his backpack. "Go ahead Kenny."
Kenny hesitated but jumped down. Stan came down next, much to Kenny's relief. The boys got to work, staying quiet but sprinkling the seaweed in the cows' food and water as the train stopped. The cows would go into the corner window and lick at whatever Stuart and Carol were feeding them.
There was another scuffle and a few moos from the surrounding cows. "It came from over here." A voice called out.
Kenny froze, as did all his friends. He hoped they wouldn't be discovered. Kenny didn't care what the train workers thought but his parents would be pissed at what they caught them doing.
"Aw, here's the problem. The top door is open again. Grab me that stick, Bill I'll knock it closed."
"Oh goddammit." Kenny mumbled as the trap door in the top of the cow compartment shut on them. It was quiet for a bit other than the sounds of low moos and the cows munching before the train roared to life again and sprang forward.
The boys sat in petrified silence for a bit before a voice rang out. "This is all your fault Kyle. Stupid Jew."
"My fault, fatass? Really, if anything this is Stan's fault." Kyle argued back.
"Guys can you shut up?" Stan said, he was already petting a cow, looking into its big brown eyes. "It's just a slip up. We'll just find a way back to town. We've done this before."
Kenny sat quiet, also petting one of the cows. These things were awfully cute. But he was secretly overjoyed that no one managed to die. Whatever was cursing his friends managed to be okay this time. They'd get home and go to sleep. No problems.
The train came to a stop and Kenny looked around for an exit. There was the sound of scuffling around as the train cars were loaded and seemed to be pushed forward.
"When the door opens, no matter what. Run." Stan was saying.
Kenny peeked through the small slats, they seemed to be inside a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. A wide table stood in front of them with a group of men speaking in hushed tones. Kenny gulped at the assorted knives and tools hanging along the wall.
"Aww shit it's a slaughter house." Kyle whispered.
"Awww yeah, sweet. Are you going to be delicious." Cartman patted a cow on the head now.
"No, no, no. I can't see this." Stan turned around now taking some deep breaths. Kenny was worried for a bit, wanting to check on Stan but before he could the door to the train car was flung open. Kenny froze before Kyle carefully took his sleeve to drag him out of sight into the back of the train car as one of the men carted off one of the cows. The door slammed on them again.
"Dammit what happened to running as soon as we can?" Cartman hissed at Stan.
"I-I don't feel so good." Stan gasped.
"Dude, don't barf in here. Don't." Kyle put an arm around Stan now.
The men dragged the poor cow over to the table. Kenny watched with some curiosity as some other men holding guns came into the room.
"Now." One of the men said and to Kenny's horror he watched as the cow was knocked out and another man took out a huge knife to cut into the cow's stomach. He pulled his hoodie strings tight at the bloody sight.
Kyle kept a steady hand on Stan. "Don't look dude. We'll be out of here soon enough."
Cartman let out a little laugh, making Kenny roll his eyes. But Kenny watched with fascination as some packages were cut out of the cow's stomach and tossed over to the man holding the gun. The two conversed and laughed. More packages were cut from the cow and another man came in. He rinsed off the package and slit it open with a knife. He pulled out what Kenny already knew, it was a shard of meth. He crushed it on a nearby desk and snorted it off the knife blade.
"Fuck this is bad. Let's get out of here." Kyle said. "Stan, don't look. I swear."
"I'll be fine. If I barf what's really going to happen?" Stan argued back, his voice weak.
"We don't want these guys to catch us." Kenny whispered as he watched, fascinated. "Fatass, you speak Spanish. What are they saying."
"Goddammit I gotta do everything. They're taking their cut before they smuggle the cows and the drugs into South America. The fuck? We don't get any of that sweet meat?" Cartman grumbled.
"Oh you big piece of shit. That's what you're worried about? These guys catch us, they're gonna kill us." Kyle hisses at him.
"We just need to sneak out through the window. Then open the top for the others to get out." Kenny said.
"I'll go." Stan gasped, regaining his composure. "You keep saying this is my fault. I'll sneak out when they open the door again and open the hatch to let you guys out."
"No!" Both Kenny and Kyle said.
Cartman just shrugged. "Whatever. It's your fault."
"No, Stan. It's not your fault. I'll go." Kenny said quickly.
"No, don't worry. I do want to get you out of this." Stan told him. "Even if I do feel sick."
"Stan, if you're sick don't go. I'll…I'll go." Kyle said.
The door slid open again. Stan gave them a look and took a run for it behind some cows. Kenny chased him, "No, man please don't go." He grabbed his arm and pulled Stan back, hand over his mouth as the guys grabbed another cow.
Kenny could feel Stan's breath on his hand, he was scared but not trying to show it. A heartbeat going too quickly. Then a cough and gag as Stan started to throw up. "Ugh gross." Kenny whispered, moving his hand.
The next poor cow was pulled out of the train car and the cows in the back readjusted. The cow hiding them moved so now Stan and Kenny were in view. "Aw shit." Kenny said before he and Stan were grabbed by the bad guys.
One bad guy grabbed Kenny around the neck, he felt the barrel of a gun at his temple. He looked up to see the other guy holding Stan, the knife to his throat.
"No, no, no." Kenny kicked and scrambled out of his reach. "Kill me, leave them alone."
"Them?" The guy holding Kenny hostage pushed further into the train car, kicking and pushing cows aside until he found Kyle in the back. "You, you saw everything didn't you kids?"
Kyle stood up, determined. "Let them fucking go, I have evidence uploaded to my brother as he speak."
The man sneered and kicked Kyle. He put the gun barrel to the back of his head and before Kenny and Stan could scream out the man shot Kyle twice in the back of the head.
The guy holding Stan suddenly was pushed forward as the door slammed shut on them and the sounds of little footsteps ran away. "Cartman. Goddamnit." Kenny grumbled as he heard Stan's pained wails and cries over Kyle's death. It was soon cut short to a gurgling of blood as the other guy slowly cut Stan across the throat.
The guy looked down at Kenny. "Your fat little friend just earned himself some enemies. You want to go quick like him?" He kicks Kyle's still body. "Or slow like him?" He points to Stan who's laying on his back as he slowly chokes on his blood.
"Please…I know I fucked up, again. Put Stan out of his misery and just kill him. Please." Kenny begged.
"You want us to put him out of his misery? What about what you've cost me?" The man says.
"Hey this kid looks familiar. You think…he hangs around our cooks." The other guy says.
"What a hefty ransom this kid will give us. That right kid, your parents cook for us? Will they work for free for us if we hold you hostage." The man laughs.
Kenny looks down at Stan as he continues to struggle. "No, my parents don't really care. Just let us die then, please."
The guy looks at his associate. "Cut the wrong kid's throat. This one looks like his parents would miss him and pay up." The guy drops Kenny now hard on the floor.
Kenny can hear a gun go off and a surge of pain through his back. He crawls over to Stan and hugs him close. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Stan." The gun goes off again and things go black.
Kenny's eyes snap open and he rubs his eyes. He gets up unsteadily and goes to his brother's side of the room, sleeping peacefully, he crosses the hall to check on Karen, sleeping with her doll, he checks his parents, angry now but both are passed out. He takes his mom's phone and sees it's the day before. He sends out a text to Stan to just text him back that he needs to talk. Shrugging off the pain in his back Kenny goes back to his room and flops down on his bed, the sounds of gunshots ringing in his ears.
Stan stood a few minutes early at the bus stop waiting for Kenny. He said he had something important to tell him. Stan yawned and rocked back on his heels with his hands in his pockets. Leave it to Kenny to scare him and then be late.
Kenny came rushing up to Stan. He looked frazzled and his eyes bloodshot. "Dude, what the hell? You okay?" Stan asked.
Kenny had a big smile on his face. "You're okay. You're…hey. You need to listen to me, this is very important. Don't read stuff on your phone and don't go to my house tonight."
Stan raises an eyebrow. "You can't stop me from looking at my phone."
"Like hell I can't." Kenny grabbed Stan by the shoulders and slammed him against the pole of the bus stop sign. "Don't fucking look at your phone. For your own good."
"Fine dude Jesus Christ. Here, take it." Stan handed his phone over to Kenny. "Will you let me go?"
"Yeah I'll give it back to you tomorrow. Just, stick with me, things will be fine. Can I stay the night…at your house." Kenny said.
Stan shrugs. "I guess." He waves as Kyle and Cartman both walk up now. "Hey dudes, sleepover at my house tonight?"
"Hell yeah. Snacks and videogames all night." Cartman says.
"Of course, dude. What's the occasion?" Kyle smiles.
"Kenny needs some time away from home." Stan winks at him.
Kenny nods but remains silent as he slips Stan's phone in his backpack.
The rest of the day went normally enough, even with Kenny on edge and terrified. He managed to get through classes, lunch, and the end of the day. He wanted to follow Stan home right away and not bother to get a change of clothes.
His worry melted away at the sight of Stan's hot mom, the cozy Marsh house, a nice dinner the family had and the boys, and settling in for a video game session.
Sharon knocked on the door. "Boys, time to brush your teeth."
Stan looked up from playing games with his friends, surrounded by a bowl of popcorn, candy, chips. "Sure mom, in a minute."
"Now Stanley." Sharon scolded.
"Come on, dude. I'll go with you." Kyle said, getting up from their board game.
The two super best friends left and Kenny sat against the wall, knees to his chest. He looked up at the clock, almost eleven pm. Once it hit midnight he and Stan would be in the clear.
"Worried about him?" Cartman said as he took another handful of chips from the bag.
"Nah man. I'm worried about if they'll have extra toothbrushes." Kenny shrugged off, eyes not leaving the clock.
"Suuure Kenny. I know with your methhead parents dental hygiene is really important." Cartman laughs as he grabs more snacks.
Kenny ignores him and has his eyes on the clock.
"You know, Kenny. You really fucked up the last timeline. It was nearly perfect." Cartamn said again.
Kenny's fingers gripped his pants. "What are you talking about?" He said, trying to keep the shake out of his voice.
"I mean those drug dealers got arrested, I got all their drugs, I sold the drugs and made a million dollars. Also Kyle was dead. It was perfect." Cartman laughed again as he looked at the cards in Kyle's hand for when they got back to their board game.
Kenny stared at him in shock. "You knew, so you know?"
"Yeah you can't die. I've been living this day over and over again. Time isn't going to skip forward without you know..." Cartman points to the bathroom and draws a finger across his throat.
"I can't let that happen to him. I'll get it right. We're going to all survive. Why did you sell my parents drugs?" Kenny glares at him. "You've seen the shit it's caused."
"Kenny, if it wasn't me someone would sell or do those drugs. Drugs make this whole town function. Your parents make drugs, my mom works for crack." Cartman rolled his eyes. "Stan's dad owns a weed farm, Kyle…well Kyle's parents are lame like him. A lawyer, ffff." Cartman took some popcorn now.
"So you knew, this whole time." Kenny felt sick at this.
Cartman shrugged. "Well nothing is going to change, no matter what you do. The town will get its drugs from somewhere so your parents might as well make some money off it. Stan's not meant to live past this day. So make it what you must."
Kenny glared and tried to think up a response as the clock chimed at 11pm and a loud crash and scream was heard from the bathroom.
"Oh shit." Kenny lept up to find his heart in his throat, not sure what happened but knowing it wasn't good.
He entered the bathroom first, the sink had collapsed forward and came out of the wall of the old farm house, taking the wall and plaster with it. Kyle was screaming as he was trying to lift the wall off Stan. It hurt Kenny to know those legs sticking out weren't moving.
"Help me!" Kyle yelled at Kenny. He nodded and reached his fingers underneath the wall to try and pull it up. It was so heavy.
Another scream from behind them as Mrs. Marsh ran in now. "Randy? Randy call 911 and help!" She screamed as she also went to try and lift the wall up. "Shelly!" Sharon screams again.
Shelly came out of her room now. "What's all the racket?" She blinked at her little brother's still legs underneath the wall. She grabbed the wall and easily lifted it up with the rest as Sharon scrambled under to grab her precious son.
Sharon held him close as she ran into the hall. He looked up, eyes blank again as glass from the mirror had fallen and crushed and stabbed him in the chest and neck, a puddle of blood oozing from his wounds and out of his mouth.
Kenny felt sick, he stumbled out of the hallway and down the stairs. Cartman's words echoing in his head. Well nothing is going to change, no matter what you do.
A week later light snow fell on the ground at the South Park graveyard as Kenny stood with his friends as they watched Stan laid to rest. Kyle was shell shocked, Cartman was the same as ever, occasionally laughing at the pain Kyle was going through and remarking maybe this is a good timeline after all, even if he didn't end up rich. Kenny looked around the shocked and tear stained faces of their friends and classmates. It was a shock and huge loss, and try as he might, Kenny couldn't change it. Even if time had indeed moved forward.
Something caught Kenny's eye from the edge of the forest. A faint figure in a poofball hat. Kenny excused himself and went to investigate. "Hey Stan." Kenny said softly.
Stan's ghost looked confused, he stood blinking and watching the scene unfold at the graveyard. His own burial. "Why? It doesn't make sense." Stan looked up at him, tears in his own eyes.
Kenny sighed and moved further away. He climbed to the top of a tree and went headfirst down. Now he was floating next to Stan. "It's a crazy thing that I'm still trying to process." Kenny put his own ghostly arm around his friend in a comforting embrace. "But we have plenty of time, I can tell you about it now."
