The Louds and the other girls continued to follow the footprints across the forest until they reach the end, the dead end, that is. The footprints ended, upon reaching a sidewalk, heading back into town and leading the group in circles.
"You have got to be kidding me.", said Lori.
"After all that walking, getting sore feet, we end up on nothing but a wild goose chase?!", yelled Lola, heading over to a tree and punching it. "This. is. RIDICULOUS! I've walked all night! And for what?! To be. Lead Around. In Circles. Having my feet start to bleed. And I. CAN'T. TAKE IT!"
As she repeatedly punched the tree with surprisingly extreme force, nuts began to fall on her head, and then she looked up to see a pile of nuts come crashing down on her. Getting out of the pile, Lola was looking unamused as some of her siblings, and Ronnie Anne tried to hold in their laughter.
"Not. A. Word."
"Okay, no words.", said Lana. "...Just laughter."
And with that, Lana, Luna, Luan and Ronnie Anne begin to laugh at Lola, who's blood began to boil at the humiliation she's enduring.
Rita then interrupted saying, "Alright, that's enough! Maybe it's time we should head home and gets some rest."
"Does this mean we'll continue searching tomorrow?", asked Ronnie Anne.
"I don't know if we should.", said Renee. "What if Lincoln's long gone by now?"
"Come on, Renee. Don't think like that.", said Girl Jordan. "He couldn't have gotten too far."
"I mean...what if he's dead?", Renee asked, right before Lori, Leni, Luna, Ronnie Anne, Lynn and Lana got in her face, looking angry at her for joking like that. "I'm just saying. It could happen."
"Well, let's not jump to conclusions.", said Rita. "Let's go."
Meanwhile, walking down the street were Cherry's goons, Margaret, Joshua and Frank, who were now in search of Lincoln...
"So, uh, how are we gonna find this kid?", asked Frank.
"Cherry said he was with a girl named Shannon, and that she lives somewhere down this street.", Joshua answered to him. "Now keep going."
Frank replied, "Alright, jeeze."
"Why are we even doing this for some psycho chick?", Margaret then asked.
"Well, we kinda do need the money.", Joshua began to state.
"Yeah, and what if she doesn't pay us?", Margaret questioned. "What if she kills us off that bat?"
"She just wants us to find a little white-haired kid.", Joshua told her. "How hard can that be?"
But as they continued down the sidewalk, they three of them accidentally bumped a rather huge group. The Louds to be exact, as they gave some short glaces and kept on moving...
"Those guys need to watch where they're going.", remarked Lynn."
"Yeah.", agreed Ronnie Anne. "They even looked pretty shady."
Lily saw Margaret glancing over to her and blew a raspberry at her. But then, Margaret hissed at her, like a snake, frightening the baby girl and making her hold tightly onto her mother. Rita saw how something startled her little girl and glared over to Margaret, who already had back turned towards the family...
Lynn Sr. asked his wife, "Is something wrong, honey?"
"N-No.", lied Rita. "Nothing at all. Something (or someone) just spooked Lily. That's all."
"Would it be those three weirdos we just passed?", asked Lori.
"They did look pretty scary.", commented Lola.
"The nerve of some people.", Luna remarked.
"I hate it when people mess with us.", Lynn said.
"Agreed.", added Lucy, as well as Ronnie Anne, saying, "They were lucky that we're in a hurry."
Back to the three knuckleheads, Margaret kept a smirk on her face, which Joshua recognized as her proud look.
"Proud of yourself?", he asks her.
"Very.", she answers, looking so smug. "The little runt had it coming."
"So...", started Frank. "Why do you think Little Miss Crazypants wants the kid anyway?"
"I don't know, as long as we get payed.", remarked Joshua.
"Well, what if Margaret's right? What if we don't get paid and Cherry ends up trying to kill us?", Frank said back.
"Then we'll kill her first.", answered Joshua.
"You make that sound so easy.", said Margaret.
"Whatever. We're almost there. Let's just finish the job. Come on.", commanded Joshua, growing impatient with the rest of them.
"How are we even gonna get the kid?", questioned Frank.
"Very carefully.", stated Joshua. "Remember that she said she wanted to kid brought back to her in one piece."
"You know, you kinda make it sound like you're afraid of her.", joked Margaret.
"N-No, I'm not.", Joshua said firmly. "I can easily take her."
"I'm sure you would.", said Margaret.
"Okay, look. C-Can we just- Can we just go?!", yelled Joshua, not wanting to take it anymore.
"Alright, hothead.", said Frank as they all continued.
It wasn't long before they arrived at Shannon's house. Now they just had to figure out how they were gonna get Lincoln.
Frank:"I could get a box and say it's a free pizza delivery.", suggested Frank.
"Oh, please. When has that ever worked?", asked Joshua, annoyed with Frank's stupidity.
"How about we head to the backyard and see if there's anything we can do from there?", asked Margaret.
Joshua replied, "...Yeah, sounds good to me."
"Whatever.", said Frank.
They head to the back of the house, jumping over the fence that guarded it and hiding in the shrubbery. Joshua then pulled out a telescope in order to see through the windows, something which Margaret thought was pointless...
She asked him, "Do you ever really need those?"
"Hey, they were on sale at Explorers-R-Us.", he told her.
"You're a child.", Margaret said. "...Hey, where's Frank?"
"I thought he was right next to us.", Joshua said.
They then saw that Frank had tiptoed his way towards the house and was now beginning to climb up to the roof. Margaret and Joshua were shocked by this, not thinking that he could get anymore stupider...
"Frank, what the heck are you doing?!", Joshua quietly shouted at her.
"Relax! I got this!", he said confidently. "I'm just gonna get in, Santa Claus style, then I'll grab the kid and head out the same way."
"You need to get your brain checked man!", Margaret yelled at him. "Get down from there!"
"Oh, come on!", he said. "What's the worse that can h-aAAAAAHHHHH-"
And then he fell. Margaret and Joshua almost freaked out as Frank ended up crashing down from the roof, onto the trash and recycling bin at the side of the house. Coincidentally enough, this was enough to make Lincoln, who was sleeping on the couch, wake up to hear what was going on.
"What the-?", he said, looking out the window. Soon after, Shannon came downstairs, startled awake by the sound as well.
"Did you hear that, Lincoln?", she asked the boy.
"Yeah, I did.", he answered. "Sounded like it came from outside."
"I'll go check it out.", said Shannon, but was then stopped by Lincoln.
"I'm sure it's nothing.", said Lincoln. "Let me go check it out."
Shannon began to say, "Lincoln, you don't have to-"
But Lincoln had cut her off, saying "It's no trouble at all. Don't worry."
"...Okay.", caved Shannon. "Just be careful out there."
"I will.", stated Lincoln as he heads outside.
Outside, he looks around to see nothing out of the ordinary. All except for what happened to be crushed trash bin and some messy footprints. Lincoln was too distracted by his growing concerns, that he failed to notice the giant shadow looming behind him.
"Hey, Shannon!", Trevor called out to his sister.
"What is it, Trevor?", Shannon asked.
Trevor replied, "Do you think my weight is getting a little severe?"
"Kind of.", answered Shannon. "Like, remember the time you got stuck in the bathroom window?"
"That was not my fault.", said Trevor, trying to defend himself. "I don't even know how that happened!"
"Trevor, you threw out your toothbrush, then decided to go after it.", Shannon stated.
"Well, it's not my fault the window closed on me.", Trevor said. "I was barely able to breathe that time."
"Still. That was kind of your fault.", Shannon said, sipping some coffee. "And it was no fun trying to pull you out either. I was this close to pushing you out, if you didn't start help."
"Well there's not many ways I can really help when I'm stuck in a window that refuses to reopen.", Trevor said, "At least my clothes still fit me just fine."
"Barely.", remarked Shannon.
It was then that both of them were startled by the sound of something metal hitting something...or someone.
"Oh, no. Lincoln!", Shannon yelled out, racing for the door.
Heading outside, she finds a her trash can destroyed and some blood that stained the ground. Looking from here to there, she saw the three goons carrying an unconscious Lincoln away from her house. The sigh of Lincoln's hair running red almost made Shannon gag as she ran towards them...
"No, wait!"
Her brother followed her outside to see what was going on, getting scared almost instantly...
"Shannon, what's going on?", he asked. "Who are those people?"
"Trevor, get back inside right now!", Shannon yelled, before getting hit with something hard and fast that her back ache. Frank threw a rock at her...
"Heh. Night-night.", the goon said, before leaving."
"No...no.", Shannon cried, beginning to break down, failing in the one thing she was supposed to do.
"Shannon!", yelled out Trevor, running towards his sister. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh! Forget about me.", growled Shannon, straining to get up. "I gotta call my friends, the police, somebody! I need to get Lincoln back!"
Things seem to have taken a turn for the worse...