It's a Kid's World
5.1: Waiting for Death
It had been a week since the meeting between Carl's mafia and the alliance of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. Things were set in motion. The children of Royal Woods had obtained all the help they could, and now they had to make do with the numbers they had as they were preparing to battle it out with the monsters of the forest.
It was night, and Lincoln was fast asleep in bed. However, his sleep was anything but smooth or restful. His mind was still very active, filled with thoughts of despair and destruction.
"Hello?" Is anybody there?!" the frightened and desperate lone boy cried as he was surrounded by nothing but utter blackness in every direction.
Suddenly, the black surroundings faded into a vision of Royal Woods. But there were flames all over the place, creating a red, infernal ambience that terrified the young Loud.
Lincoln looked around and saw deceased children laying everywhere. As if that wasn't a horrifying enough sight, he then noticed many of the bodies were those of his remaining friends and family.
Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lisa and Lily… all of them on the floor, with bloody wounds torn into their flesh, as well as decomposing pale white skin and lifeless eyes. Clyde, Ronnie Anne, the rest of his friends… it was the same thing with them.
"No…" the boy softly yet desperately said to himself in utter devastation.
Just then… the bodies began to rise from the ground. The terrified young man then looked closer and saw the same metallic chips in their heads that he had seen in the other zombies before. He then gulped as he knew he was in serious danger.
"Guys… please! It's me, Lincoln! If there's any humanity left in you guys at all, please don't hurt me!" Lincoln pleaded in fear, terrified as the undead familiar faces began to close in on him.
"It's no use, boy! They're puppets of my will now!" said a sinister, ominous voice.
Lord Viribus then appeared before Lincoln as he walked through the flames into his field of vision.
"Do you see now, child? This is what happens when you mess with the most powerful being in the universe!" he condescendingly told him.
Lincoln emitted an angry, hateful facial expression in response, trying his best to suppress his fear and let his defiance be known…
"I am Lord Viribus! None oppose me and live to tell the tale! Burn this into your mind… the likes of you are only fit to bow before my presence! You little vermin serve only one purpose in this world, and that is to act as instruments of my will!" the crazed dictator told him.
Lincoln was suddenly backed against the wall of his house as the undead minions of Viribus approached him.
"Is this all you ever do?! Just kill everyone?! Like you did with all the adults?!" Lincoln spat back with a tone of disgust.
"All except those I deem worthy! Besides, what did the world really lose when I eliminated all the adults? Were they really worth keeping around? Your grouchy neighbour, your annoying aunt, that deadbeat who works at the food and fuel, the old bat in the mobility scooter… was losing them really such a devastating blow?" Viribus asked in response.
"Just leave me alone! Just go back into the woods and stay there! You're not welcome in our town you vile monster!" Lincoln frantically shouted at the madman, which earned him nothing more than a smirk in response.
Lincoln then jumped through the window into his house, smashing the glass and gaining some cuts on his face and arms as a result. He immediately ran upstairs to try and hide from the advancing abominations.
*SMASH*
One of the robots punched the door down before Viribus entered and ran straight up the stairs.
Lincoln tried to get into his room, but the door was locked. He then tried to enter some of his sister's bedrooms, but it was the same result. However, as he was trying Lisa and Lily's bedroom door, he heard the footsteps of his pursuer…
His heart pounding and sweat dripping down his forehead, the frightened little boy stood in front of his sister Lisa's bedroom door as Viribus finally caught up to him.
"You won't win, Viribus! I still have friends out there who will fight with me until the bitter end!" Lincoln told his nemesis.
"HA! Don't give me some preachy lecture about the value of friendship and teamwork! I know how easily all that stuff is ripped away! You can never count on anyone in this world, kid! All people do is let you down and leave you to fend for yourself! But by the time you learn that, it will be too late for you. The only thing that matters in this world is power, and I now have more power than anyone! Now prepare to be crushed like an insect… BY THE HANDS OF YOUR MASTER!" the evil tyrant angrily and powerfully shouted at the boy, causing him to scream as it looked like his end had come.
"AARRRGHHH!"
Lincoln suddenly woke up from his haunting nightmare, realising the vision he had just seen was not real. However, it certainly felt like it was, and this traumatic experience made him all the more determined to find a way to defeat his greatest enemy.
Sure enough, the following morning saw him and his allies do exactly that. Expecting the enemy to arrive at any time, the leaders of the living plotted the details of their war strategy, knowing a logical plan of attack was needed if they were going to stand any chance at all…
Lincoln, his remaining sisters, Ronnie Anne, a few of her elite warriors, the Mortician's Guard and the committee children were all present in the committee meeting room as they discussed their plans for defence, using a blackboard and chalk as a means of visualising their points.
In the midst of the discussion, Lincoln had the floor as the rest of the children paid attention to his every word, given how much he had earned the respect of his peers…
"We've been debating our plan of defence for the last week now, and I don't know how long we've got left until we're invaded, so we need to reach an agreement now. The way I see it is we have an army of people with a great range of different skills and abilities, and we need to find the best way to make the most of that. I propose that when the dead arrive, we position different groups of fighters at strategic points within the town that best utilise their specialities. For instance, Luan and her group of archers work best from a distance. I think having them position themselves on top of the hill in Royal Woods park will enable them to shoot from the farthest distance, and have the easiest time firing at the enemy." Lincoln began to explain.
"I see. That's a pretty good idea. Likewise, we can take the less skilled fighters and put them in the centre of town, where they can use all the street corners and back alleys so they can adopt ambush and blindside tactics to get one over on those zombies." Ronnie Anne pointed out.
"Correct. However, there is one wrench in your otherwise finely tuned strategy. Lord Viribus is someone who likes to make a statement in a very bold and drastic way. I should know, he did it when he revealed his true identity to me and had me captured. In any case, it is most probable he will have a large and imposing unit of gladiator corpses at the front of his army." Lisa pointed out.
"So, what are you saying?" Lynn asked.
"She's saying we're going to need a group of brave fighters to charge in and face that first wave of zombies head on!" Ronnie Anne answered.
"But who would even be willing to do that? Charging at an army of zombies wide open like that is suicide?!" Luan questioned.
"We will go, if you wish." Shi courageously proposed to his master.
"No way, Shi! You monks are too important to me, not only as fighters but as loyal companions! I won't have you waste your lives like that." Ronnie argued.
"Ronnie Anne… if we're not willing to throw everything we have at this threat… we probably aren't going to make it at all." Lincoln ominously warned her.
"We'll go!" one of the Viking boys in the room suddenly spoke.
"What?!" Ronnie turned and asked in response.
"Look, the boys and I don't care much for fancy strategies. We're Viking warriors! When we fight, we face our enemies… as you say, head on!" the boy told her.
"Then it's settled. The Berserker group will fight on the front line. When the army arrives, you will be the first to stand against them. However, even if you insist on charging straight ahead, I recommend you adopt a flanking manoeuvre to make your attack more effective. That way, you can do more damage to the opposing army's offensive force." Lincoln advised.
"*Sigh* Fine." the Berserker accepted.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Lucy asked him.
"Yeah. I mean, it's time we stopped being scared little children and became true Viking warriors. It's what Trygve would've wanted, and it's what our leader needs now!" the boy bravely declared.
However, despite this selfless act, Ronnie Anne felt deflated inside, as she now knew it was practically a certainty that at least half of her army was going to die in this battle. However, she felt she couldn't object as she agreed to help and she knew the scale of the threat they were dealing with, and what it would likely take to overcome it.
"Alright, then! The formation of our forces will be as follows. The Berserker's will be at the front…" Lincoln began to say.
"…the archery team will be on the hilltop peak in the park…" Luan followed.
"…various other collectives, including the hand to hand combatants and lesser skilled children will be based primarily at different points in the partially metropolitan-based centre of town…" Lisa continued.
"…and I bet that gang of mafia cronies will just drive all over the place and shoot whatever zombies are in sight…" Lana then said.
"…while my sports buddies will guard over Franklin Avenue!" Lynn then announced.
"As well as the Mortician's Guard." Lucy added.
"Wait, why do so many kids need to be on Franklin Avenue?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Well, there's two reasons for that. One, my sister Lisa has a bunker outside our house which we will use to hide away all the children too young to fight, like Lily." Lincoln answered.
"Additionally, our house is likely going to be the main target for Viribus's military of monstrosities. He is likely to know what it is we're concocting." Lisa stated.
"Lisa had a group of kids accompany her back to Groove Hill a few days ago to take the petroleum that was left up there so she could use it to resume work in her old bedroom lab. She was able to use the fuel to power up all her old inventions." Lincoln explained.
"Since then, I have been working tirelessly to reverse engineer the machine David created that was responsible for the vanish. I was able to see various blueprints and even the machine itself when I was captured, and I have an eidetic memory, so I have been making leaps of progress these past few days." Lisa then confirmed.
"Yeah, this meeting is the first time Lisa's taken a break in days!" Luan stressed.
"Anyway, to ensure my efforts are not in vain, I will now return to my laboratory where I hope to complete the machine and restore the world's adult populace." Lisa said before leaving the room.
"Well, there you have it. Our house is where we have to keep Viribus and his army from reaching! I'd bet our lives on it that he knows what Lisa is planning to do, and he will target her specifically when he arrives. We have to make sure he doesn't reach her!" Lincoln declared.
"Agreed. I also propose that someone stands guard inside the house beside her lab, as a last resort in case the worst occurs." Lucy said.
"Maybe you're right. Lincoln, you should do it!" Luan proposed.
"Me? But wouldn't I be more help out in the middle of the battle?" Lincoln challenged.
"If we need someone to stand guard beside Lisa, you're one of the best guys for the job." Lana said.
"They're right, bro. Not only that, I've decided I'm standing guard with ya!" Lynn told him.
"Really?" he questioned.
"Yeah. It's about time I made an effort to be the protective big sister I should be! I'm standing with you, and that's that!" she insisted.
"Well, alright then." he acceptingly replied.
Later that morning after the meeting was over, things became more physical. With the children of Royal Woods sharing the mindset that they needed to prepare for the imminent threat that was ahead of them, many of the kids were committing themselves to various forms of training and sparring.
One example being how Shi and some of the monks were practising against Jane and her Karate fighters in light intensity striking bouts. Shi was showing Jane some new techniques to help her expand her move set.
Most of the other kids chose to enhance their capacities with using weaponry in battle, given that's how most of them were going to take on the zombie threat. Lincoln's friends were putting their developed sword fighting skills to the test as they battled some of Ronnie Anne's Viking warriors.
"Wow, I can't believe how far we've come!" Rusty said in awe of his own skills as he fended off an attack from his opponent.
"I know. Who would've thought we'd be great warriors a few months ago!" Clyde replied while simultaneously battling a Berserker boy.
Meanwhile, Luan and a group of other children who were part of the archery team were further developing their range and accuracy skills. Luan looked over her shoulder and saw Lindsay Sweetwater shooting an arrow at a tree that was hundreds of yards away.
"Bullseye!" the ex-pageant girl said to herself after getting a perfect shot.
Luan looked on at her great shooting ability, but while she was certainly impressed, she couldn't help but remind herself of her lost sister, Lola.
She wasn't the only one, as Lana felt a huge hole in her life due to the absence of her twin. Despite their many differences and tendency to fight and bicker, Lana and Lola were actually exceptionally close sisters. They were inseparable, so naturally, Lana was finding it very unnatural to not have her girly twin around her.
She tried to take her mind off it by watching her sister Lynn spar with the likes of some of the other kids in wrestling matches. She was wearing her mask and using her 'Lunatic Lynn' persona to add some pizzazz to the experience.
At that moment, she was sparring with Margo inside the ring as the two girls pushed against each other with all their might, with Lynn gradually pushing her into the corner.
"Come on, Margo! Make me work for it!" Lynn encouraged her friend as the two sports prodigies grappled it out in the ring, with many boys and girls watching them.
Margo then used all her strength and energy to execute a powerful double leg takedown on Lynn, who was very impressed with her opponent's determination. However, she just amped up the pressure in response.
After quickly wriggling her way out of the pinning position, she swiftly got behind her opponent. From there, she brought Margo back to her feet for a split second before delivering a belly to back suplex.
An audible thud was heard, followed by a collective 'Oooohhhh' from the onlookers.
"Wow! She sure is strong, isn't she?" one of the kids watching outside the ring commented.
Margo fought through the pain and got back up into a defensive position, preventing Lynn from capitalising. She then tackled Lynn to the ground again and tried to keep her pinned down. However, Lynn saw an opening…
"Gotcha!" she said cockily before sitting up and grabbing Margo's arm.
From there, Lynn masterfully applied an armbar. Knowing she couldn't escape, Margo submitted.
"WOO! That was awesome! Good game, Margo!" Lynn congratulated her bestie.
Being graceful in defeat, Margo embraced her friend's praise as the two jumped up and bumped chests as a sign of friendship.
"Okay, who wants to go next?" Lynn asked.
Many of the onlookers then sported nervous facial expressions as it became clear many of them did not wish to get in the ring.
"Come on! When those zombies get here, some of you might not have friends or weapons with you! So you need to make sure you're ready to defend yourselves with nothing but your bare hands! Now I'll ask again; who's next?" Lynn pressured them.
"ME!" roared a feisty little blonde girl.
Becky then made her way into the ring, sporting a mask of her own. She was energetic, fiery and eager for a fight.
"Okay, I need five after my round with Margo. So, who's gonna take Becky on?" Lynn asked.
Unfortunately, Becky was a very fearsome combatant. Perhaps too fearsome for her own good, as nobody wanted to step into the ring with her. All the onlooking kids were now sporting even more anxious and reluctant facial expressions and were slowly stepping away from ringside.
"I'll do it!" said the girl with the red cap and blue overalls.
Lana then stepped into the ring, ready to challenge Becky when nobody else would.
"Hey, kid… I appreciate the enthusiasm and all that, but I was hoping for a challenge." Becky tried to say.
"And I'll give you one!" Lana bit back.
"How old are you, anyway?" Becky asked her.
"Six." she answered.
"Look, I'm always willing to have a fight, but even I don't feel too good about beating up a girl half my age." Becky objected.
"Sounds to me like you're scared!" Lana daringly fired at her.
"Okay, you asked for it, punk!" Becky said fiercely as she got into her stance.
Lynn then blew her whistle and the two fiery little blondes were off. Due to Becky's small stature, the size difference wasn't actually that significant, but of course five years difference in age was bound to be a fundamental factor to the equation, it seemed.
Becky was a very aggressive fighter, and she was quick to put the pressure on Lana. She executed numerous takedowns to the little tomboy, with each impact being more booming and thunderous than the last.
"Wow, I'll hand it to the pipsqueak. She's got spirit." one boy said.
"Yeah, most of us would have been broken in half by now!" his friend joked.
"Come on, Lans! I know what you're capable of! Don't let her beat you so easily!" Lynn encouragingly told her sister.
"Give up?" Becky cockily asked as she had Lana in a camel clutch hold.
Just as it appeared the little tomboy was going to lose, Lana temporarily entered a mental trance for just the briefest of moments. She remembered her twin sister, and how she was killed by a tree collapsing on her the week before.
She was angry. The memory of losing her beloved sister and the thought of her being gone forever was enough to make her blood boil. This motivated her to continue fighting. This newfound anger and aggression was something she could use in the spur of the moment against such a tough and formidable opponent.
"*RAARRGHH*!" Lana roared as she powered her way out of Becky's hold and made it back to her feet.
"Woah, you're stronger than I expected." Becky said in surprise and shock.
Lana then came at Becky with an offence of her own. Seizing the opportunity to unleash all her fury and pent up rage over the pain of her losses, Lana was able to return the favour against her feisty opponent. She slammed Becky down on the mat with power and venom.
"Okay, I take it back. You're the toughest opponent I've had in months!" Becky complimented before retaliating with a full force assault.
Both girls were fighting with fury and fire as they each struggled to gain the dominant position. Eventually, Lana used an impressive level of strength to take Becky to the ground, where she was able to pin her shoulders to the floor…
"1… 2… 3! AND LANA IS THE WINNER!" Lynn counted and declared, acting as an unofficial referee of sorts.
Both girls then got up and shared a brief vocal exchange…
"Wow, you surprised me. But seriously, how did you get so strong?" Becky curiously asked.
"Hey, you may train at a fancy wrestling school or wherever, but I wrestle with alligators! Trust me, that stuff requires some pretty intense strength." Lana explained.
"Wow! You actually fight alligators?" Becky asked in awe.
"Yep. And bears, and chimps." Lana confirmed.
"Really? No wonder you're good!" Becky said in praise.
"Thanks." Lana graciously replied before the two parted ways.
"Really cool showing, Lans! Okay, I got my breath back. Who wants a turn with me next?" Lynn asked as she was ready to go again, much to the terror of her audience.
Lana walked away after having let out the anger she needed to… for the time being. However, she could tell that she wasn't taking the loss of her twin all that well.
"Ugh! Something's seriously not right about all this! Honestly, I don't care what anyone else says! I know you're still with us, Lola! I know you're still alive…" Lana said to herself, determined and hopeful that her twin was not dead, talking to herself almost as if she believed Lola was there beside her listening to her words.
After the morning sparring was over, the Mortician's Guard went on a mission; to search around the more depleted, degenerate and abandoned parts of town for any extra recruits. However, what they saw when they got there was truly shocking. Even for the morbid, dark souls that some of its members had, what they were seeing was truly disheartening even for them as they observed their surroundings in this grotesque backwater area of Royal Woods.
The streets were filled with scattered waste and garbage, and there was a foul odour that polluted the air around them. The grey, cloudy weather helped provide a depressing yet fitting ambience to the place as small, starving, unkempt children in wet rags were roaming the streets with what little energy and spirit they had left.
One girl among them was Meli Ramos, an old friend of Lola's. She was wearing the same grey, ragged clothes she had on when she first met the now deceased pageant princess. Of course, this time the look blended in far better with her surroundings.
"This is morbid." Haiku commented as her mind absorbed the horrific imagery around her.
"Even for us, this is just sick." Persephone stated.
"I don't know about this." Rusty then said sceptically.
"Yeah, I mean… I know we're desperate for more numbers, but this seems like a lost cause." Liam said.
And their observations were not invalid. Many of the children they were seeing were visibly skinny and tired, clearly not having eaten enough food in the months recently passed. Some of them even looked physically sick, thanks to their poor health maintenance.
"If they were this bad, why didn't they come to us? We're literally in the same town?!" Stella asked.
"Because of all that time that Chester guy spent pulling strings in Chandler's committee, most likely. By the looks of it, a lot of people were rejected because of him and his cronies. These were the unfortunate victims of his ambitions." Dante said.
"Cast aside to fend for themselves when they had nothing left… how sad." Haiku reflectively stated.
"I bet there's kids like this all over the world. Not everyone had enough friends, resources or cunning to properly take care of themselves. Without adults around to look after them, they became starving, homeless wrecks." Morpheus stated.
"Hey, wait! I recognise those kids over there!" Clyde said as he pointed to a vaguely familiar group of children sitting on the sidewalk against the wall.
It was what remained of the once proud and prosperous Yates family. Belle, Bumper and Beau, who were originally considered the ideal child role models with heaps of potential, were now a trio of devolved, scrounging and wasting children who were barely managing to survive.
"Hey, aren't you my friend Lincoln Louds neighbours?" Clyde asked as he walked up to them.
"Yeah, we were. Hopefully, he's doing better than us." little Beau replied.
"What happened to you? I would have thought with all your potential and talents, you would have done better at taking care of yourselves than any of us." Clyde then said.
"Well, you'd think so, but… that's just it. Our parents spent so much time moulding us into their perfect children, that without their guidance and support, we couldn't cope." Bumper said.
"Yeah, without them, we didn't know what to do. We've lost all sense of independence and initiative." Belle stated.
And that was the harsh reality of this new world the vanish had created. Anyone could end up in the gutter like that. Even those with as many prospects as the Yates family. In fact, the nurtured kids sometimes were at a disadvantage given their dependence on their elders and their inability to think outside the box in abnormal situations. This fact was painfully clear to Clyde and the rest of the guard as they looked around and saw all the worst-off kids in Royal Woods and how desperately they were clinging to life…
…one thing was certain, however; this new world was cruel, harsh and merciless, and those who could take a stand needed to do so in order to elevate society back to its former heights. Clyde thought so as he began to speak up towards the forsaken children.
"I can see you've all had it exceptionally tough these last few months. It looks like my friends and me have actually been the lucky ones in all this!" he began to say out loud.
"Well, 'lucky' may not be the best word to use in this situation." Stella quietly remarked to Rusty.
"Eh, it's all relative." Rusty replied.
"I know it probably seems like a bit much for me to ask you to stand and fight with us… but the truth is we're desperate for numbers! We need everyone we can get on our side!" Clyde told them.
"Huh?" a slightly surprised Beau responded.
"What's he talking about?!" another of the kids then asked.
"You may be wondering why you should stand up and fight for us when the world has left you with nothing…" Clyde then continued.
"But we offer to give those of you who volunteer to help us food, shelter and clothing so you can improve your health and well-being!" Stella informed them.
"You mean fighting fit?!" one sceptical boy suddenly shouted in retaliation.
"Well, that's just it! Like I said, we need numbers. There's an army on its way to kill us all and we need the help of those of you willing to join us in the fight for survival!" Clyde replied.
"Oh, and just what army would it be that you're referring to, anyway?!" the same boy then asked.
"*Sigh* No matter how many times people say it, it never seems any easier to believe, but… it's an army of zombies." Clyde reluctantly answered.
"HA HA HA HA HA! Zombies?! Come on, guys! Don't listen to those nut-bags! They're just taking advantage of you! I bet they won't even give you the food or shelter they've promised once you go back with them!" the boy argued.
"Sorry, can I just ask… who exactly are you?" Zach questioned.
"The name's Dennis, and my boys and me ended up in this dump some time after we got rid of our toughest friend, Maxie! After we drove him away and he walked out on us, we sought revenge, got him killed, and then left ourselves vulnerable to bigger, stronger gangs of teenagers. Eventually, we ended up here with all this gutter trash!" the boy answered, audibly bitter as he reflected on the misfortune he had endured.
"Well, judging by your attitude, you love a good fight, so why don't you just come and join us?" Clyde proposed.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like staying here is any better." Liam pointed out.
"Ha, I think I'll pass! I may enjoy taking names, but I don't fight for others! I kick ass on my terms!" Dennis said.
"Fine, suit yourselves! Let's go, guys." Stella said disappointingly as she and the guard turned around and began to leave, their last attempt at gaining additional numbers having seemingly failed.
However, Clyde decided to give it one last shot…
"WAIT! Just one more thing! I just want you all to know that I had a friend like you. He stared into the face of death and thought things couldn't get any worse. He was tortured, and he even gave every last drop of blood he had in his heart to fight for what he believed in. He's had it hard through all this, just like you… but he didn't choose to just sit around and wait for even worse things to happen! He took a stand, he said no! He had the guts to rise to the occasion as a hero and a saviour to the people! I just want you all to think about that." Clyde told them before joining his friends in walking away.
"HOLD ON!" one girl then yelled to the retreating guard, attracting their attention and causing them to turn back around.
"Look, we don't know how much help we'll be." Belle said.
"But we'll do whatever we can!" Bumper enthusiastically stated.
"Thank you." Clyde said graciously.
After the Yates siblings displayed considerable generosity and courage in their acceptance of Clyde's proposal to join the fight, a significant amount of the other children felt encouraged to join the fight against the undead, too. Meli was one of the kids among them. About half of them ended up walking over to the guard and agreeing to fight with them, while the other half declined and stood by the cynical and selfish Dennis.
"Look at all you suckers, falling for their bull! They're probably just taking you back to make you their slaves or something! I can't believe anyone would fall for such a stupid story about zombies!" Dennis hurled towards the kids that stood with the guard.
"We accept that it's a huge ask, and we understand that not everyone will be willing to join us. For those of you who choose to remain here, we leave you with a final warning…" Haiku told the children who chose to stay behind.
"Based on what little we know about our enemies and their intentions, the army of the dead won't be heading to this backwater part of town. They'll be heading straight for Franklin Avenue, located right on the other side of Royal Woods." Dante explained.
"But that's not a promise, so here are a couple words of advice!" Morpheus then followed.
"Keep quiet, don't draw attention to yourselves, and just pray that those monsters don't stumble into this part of town! Oh, and if in the coming days you hear fighting around you… if you hear our screams and wails in the middle of the night as we're dying, then tell me that the zombies aren't real!" Clyde finished, directing that last bit specifically at the cynical Dennis, who did his best to suppress his fear and maintain a tough, unintimidated expression despite Clyde's words.
The Guard then left with their newest recruits, leaving Dennis and the other sceptical decliners to take care of themselves…
"You know, maybe Lincoln's not the only one who's grown into a bit of a noble hero." Stella admiringly commented after listening to the honourable words of her friend Clyde.
"Eh, I just came up with all that stuff on the fly. Still, maybe you're right, perhaps being around Lincoln has made me more heroic." he replied.
Meanwhile, as the children of Royal Woods prepared for war, Carl was relaxing himself in the jacuzzi back at his HQ in Great Lakes City…
He was warm, comfortable, and safe from harm. He had power and influence and respect all in his grasp… and yet, he felt empty.
Despite being in a relaxing hot pool of water, Carl felt tense and stressed. He just couldn't sit back and enjoy the privileges he had gained throughout his quest for power. All he could do was think about how truly lonely he was, and how many people so close to him had turned their backs on him. He had been feeling this way for the entire previous week…
"Ugh! Why am I feeling so bad?!" he asked himself in frustration as his subconscious began to wrestle with him.
Tired of feeling this way, he decided after he finished bathing to check on the status of his brothers one more time… the same ones he still had imprisoned in his dungeon.
"Sup, homies?" he asked them as he entered, trying to sound cool.
"We still have nothing to say to you!" CJ said as he turned away from his brother and folded his arms in disgust, before his baby brother Carlitos did the same.
"Aw, come on you guys. Surely you've had enough time to reconsider my generous offer." Carl tried to encourage them.
"You keep asking your brothers to join you even though they keep saying no. What's the matter? A little lonely on the top, is it?!" Nikki asked as she sat in the cell next to CJ and Carlitos, sharing hers with Casey and Sameer.
"I still can't believe you've done this!" Adelaide said to the little dictator from the cell across from CJ.
"Listen, all of you! I'm giving you all the chance to live lives of luxury with me!" Carl told them.
"Our answer still remains the same. NO!" CJ harshly told him.
"Don't you get it, Carl? What matters isn't power, or reputation, or a big fancy building with a jacuzzi in it! What matters is people!" Sid said as she sat beside her sister in their cell.
"Sid tells us you left Ronnie Anne and her friends to fight for themselves against an army of zombies and robots?!" Sameer then spoke, audibly disgusted by Carl's selfish actions.
"How low can you get, dude?!" Casey asked.
Carl didn't even have enough bravado or front left to argue with them. All he could do was walk away and accept his loneliness, but not before his brother left him with one final piece of advice…
"Carl! Despite everything you've done, I know there's a good person still in there! Please, prove me right." CJ pleaded with him as he walked off.
Until that point, Carl was so sure with himself that he had done what was best for him. That he was a winner in this new world where everyone battled for power and possessions.
Yet, he felt uneasy, dissatisfied, and on top of that… a little guilty. His interaction with his brothers only served to further strengthen this feeling.
Deep in the woods, as the afternoon began, the army of converted beings, led by its now upgraded master, was ready to depart on its ultimate mission…
A fully mechanised Lord Viribus stood before his fellow robots and undead underlings as they all prepared to wage war against humanity.
"THE TIME HAS COME, MY BRETHEREN! OUR MACHINERY IS REPAIRED, AND OUR FORCES ARE COMPLETE! THE HUMAN HARVEST BEGINS NOW!" the cyberized warlord announced to his army.
The army of monstrosities then left their base and began marching through the forest… on its way to Royal Woods.
Author's Footnote:
Well, here we are. The beginning of the end. Things are about to get intense, but hopefully our main cast will make it out okay. Anyway, since this season will have seven chapters, I probably won't bother with a mid-season break. I think you've all now waited long enough for the ending. It's a good thing I gave myself this extra time, too, since it's been difficult to get this done considering everything that's been happening in my personal life lately, but enough about that.
For those of you interested, after this story is over, I already have plans in mind for my next FanFiction project. But I'll reveal more on that another time. See you shortly for chapter two.