To say the four of us where shocked beyond belief would be the understatement of the millennium. Our home was destroyed, our country in ruins, not to mention that we don't know what happened to our families, all the more reason to leave but. I couldn't finish my thought before Tweek spoke again.
"Here's the deal boys and girl, you four will represent hope and Kenny and I will represent despair the vote will work like this, if despair gets voted down, then you guys get the key to the speedboat and are free to leave, however if hope loses then the four of you will die here."
"Like there's even anything to consider" I began, "none of us will vote to be killed, we've wanted to leave this place from the moment this game began why would we give in and die now!"
"Well then let me give you some more information about the outside world for you to consider" Tweek began, "All of your families are dead!" The four of us gasped in shock, we couldn't believe such a cruel lie. "You heard me right, your parents, Tricia Tucker, Black enterprises, and Bradley Biggle have all gone missing and are considered dead, the authorities have given up looking for them, same with Kenny's sister, and Kyle's younger brother."
We couldn't believe it, we didn't want to believe it, but, as I looked at the others their faces showed the one thing I didn't want to see. The look of despair.
"Wow, how about that" Tweek said, "you guys were so confident a minute ago and look at you now, the despair has infected each and every one of you."
Unfortunately, Tweek was right but it wasn't just us, Kenny seemed off, sure he had embraced despair, but something about mentioning his sister and Butters's execution earlier seems to have weakened his resolve.
"There's more you should know everyone" Tweek said, "if Hope gets voted down you guys will die; however, it will be a natural death from old age. You'll spend the rest of your lives here with Kenny and I biding your time here.
"It's not a bad deal you know" Kenny said tagging in, we've got everything we need here, food, entertainment, and it's not like anyone else is going to kill to escape now that you all know the truth so why not just stay here."
I looked at the others, every one of them was looking at the floor, Craig was down on his knees again after hearing of his sister's fate and the others were shaking. Not that I was any better my parents weren't anything special but at the very least I would've liked to see them again.
"What happens if despair gets voted down" Craig asked, "will Tweek be executed before we leave?" The rest of us looked at him, eyes widened at his question. "Kenny's immortality will save him from any execution but Tweek's blood isn't immortal, will he die if despair loses."
Tweek started laughing again, "oh man Craig I don't know if you figured it out or are still worried about me because of your hopeless infatuation, but either way the answer is no. I won't die, not because the rules are unfair, but because of the other reason why I faked my execution. Well tell me the reason."
I thought for a minute and then a theory popped into my head that chilled me to the bone.
"You, you transfused Kenny's blood into your own" I said.
"Bingo baby" Tweek said, "the political hack got it right again, Kenny isn't the only immortal anymore, you know what that means no one will die here, everyone will leave this trial chamber alive, where we leave to is a whole different matter."
We were torn on what to do, despair or hope, at this point both options were pretty poor. It was the lesser of two evils. Maybe, maybe Hope isn't the way to go, maybe we should vote it down, I, I don't know anymore. Then I remembered something that Butters said before he died.
"Will be watching over you with the others" Butters said, "send the mastermind to the gallows and avenge all who have fallen. All of us along with those who have already passed on, in our next lives we will find each other, no matter what it takes, that's a promise ok."
It wasn't just Butters, the others that have fallen, they all wanted to leave this place no matter what. I remember some of the things that they said before they left. Clyde, Nichole, Heidi, Stan and Kyle, all of them wanted to be free for one reason or another, I remember.
I remember Clyde's parting words. "Goodbye everyone, you guys are the best friends I've ever had." Clyde said.
I remember Nichole's reason for doing what she did "That's why I did what I did, I hope you can forgive me, no matter what you think of me now, know that I did this for you, for us, so that we could be free." That's what her note said.
I remember, Heidi went out of her way to try and stop us from killing, "Everyone please," Heidi said raising her voice, we all looked at her. "This isn't the time to be turning on each other, the simple fact of the matter is this is just a way for Monokuma to get another murder for his crazy game."
I remember how happy Stan and Kyle were together, "But the two of us are officially an item now, I told Kyle how I felt yesterday and he told me he felt the same way so, here we are."
All of our memories, all of our good times, all of our bad, if I gave up now, I wouldn't be able to face the others, I hardened my resolve and glared at Tweek, the memories of my friends giving me strength.
"Oh ho, it looks like Mike wants to keep on fighting for hope, well that's all well and good sweetie but do your friends feel the same way?"
I didn't answer I looked at my friends, they were still despair ridden. I knew what I had to do, I had to save them from themselves, I had to save them from despair, because living in despair, is no way to live!
"We won't give in" I said, "As long as we have hope, we can keep moving forward."
"If despair falls, that would be the end of this ship."
Token didn't say anything, but I knew I had to help him.
"Don't fall to despair now" I said.
"Mike, I don't know man, I think it might be better to just stay here" Token said.
"No, it's not" I shouted, "what would your family think if they knew you gave up, don't you want to restore your family's name, you can't do that from staying here and wasting away. The only way you're gonna do that is by taking a chance and going back to the states!"
"You're, you're right Mike" Token said, "my family name won't die now, I'm going restore Black enterprises to its former glory, even if it takes the rest of my life!"
"Like I said, the world outside has totally gone to hell" Tweek said, "the only reason we're safe, is thanks to this ships positioning in the middle of the ocean."
Henrietta stared at the ground, she couldn't speak, I had to help her!
"Don't fall to despair now" I said.
"Our families and friends" Henrietta started, "they're all gone, there's nothing left out there, why, why should we even bother going back there?"
"Henrietta" I started, "don't you think those who didn't make it deserve to be avenged? We promised Butters that we would avenge him and the others who had fallen, if we go back on our promise now, we're no better than those two!"
"Right now, I wonder, what would Jimmy think if he were still here" Henrietta started, "I remember something he said to me, sometimes you the best way to find negativity is to laugh it out with a good joke. I couldn't figure out what he meant at the time, but now, now I know, he meant we should laugh in the face of despair, these two are a joke and so is there pathetic despair, what're we waiting for let's shut these despair fueled conformists up once and for all."
"If despair gets voted down, you'll earn your freedom as per our agreement, but you most likely won't survive the trip back to the mainland" Tweek said.
I looked at Craig still on his knees, he would be the most difficult to convince.
"Don't fall to despair now" I said.
"I, I can't, how, how could everything be a lie, why, why did he do this" Craig said, he was still on his knees crying, he couldn't even form a sentence.
"You can still save him" I said, "you promised him that you would not lose, yes him being the mastermind was unexpected, but that doesn't mean your promise changes, I swore to you that there would be no more secrets, now it's your turn, swear to me Craig, swear that you'll save him, despair can be destroyed as long we show him what true hope is!"
"Mike" Craig started, "your, your right, I'm not giving up, I couldn't save him that night, but I will save him now, even if it kills me! Tweek listen to me, despair might have taken over you but I will save you! I won't let everything we had all those years ago be in vain! You may have been lying through your teeth about everything since you and Kenny put us on this boat, but I know that when we were young, before UA, before we broke up, before all of this madness, what we had was real, and I'm not gonna let you give up on that or yourself now!"
"So, what will you guys do" Tweek asked ignoring Craig's declaration. "Will you stay here in safety or will you risk your lives on a wasted journey back to a home that has been completely destroyed?"
I'm not done yet, there's still someone else that I can save.
"Hope will redeem you!"
"…Kenny, you haven't fallen completely to despair have you, the way you reacted when I challenged you about Butters, the lack of resolve you showed when you used Monokuma to execute him. Tell me the truth, you regret it don't you. Tweek's despair is stronger but if Craig won't give up trying to save Tweek, then to honor Butters's sacrifice I will save you no matter what!"
"Wha, what're you talking about Mike" Kenny said, "my resolve has never been stronger, despair is my weapon, despair is my strength, despair is my life force! I can't be redeemed! I don't want to be redeemed! I don't care about that blonde haired fool!"
"You're lying" I shouted back. "You and I both know that you loved him, you still love him, stop lying to yourself and wake the fuck up! What would Butters say if he was here right now? What would he think if he saw the man he loved, the man who saved his life, helping run the killing game that ended the life of ten of his friends?!
Kenny looked down at the floor it felt like an eternity went by before he spoke again.
"When Butters died, I fell apart, I killed the man I loved all to keep our killing game alive. I was crying for hours, even as I resurrected Tweek." Kenny looked at Tweek who refused to meet his eyes, he wasn't even acknowledging his accomplice's existence. "There were times during this last investigation that I wanted to just wanted to end it, to end it all, but I can't. This goddamn curse of mine will keep me from ever seeing him again, I killed him and now I have to live with that fact for the rest of eternity."
"Ohh boo fucking hoo" Tweek said, "you're pathetic Kenny. You guys should've heard this one the night after Butters died, he cried and apologized to Butters's teal jacket, like Butters could hear him. Whine, whine, whine, that's all he did all night!" "The first thing out his mouth after I woke up was "he's dead" he was crying on my clothes and shoes." Tweek looked at Kenny and Kenny matched his gaze before speaking again. "Yeah, no shit he's dead you idiot, he's fucking dead so stop fucking whining. You're the one who brought me into the remnants, you helped me planned the killing game, how have you become so weak. Where's your fucking despair?!"
Kenny didn't respond, he was crying again, his spirit was clearly broken. If I was going to help him this was my chance to do it.
"Kenny" I started, "you can still do the right thing, you can still do right by him."
"How" Kenny asked, "how can I do that, I killed him, I killed him and nine other people, there is no redeeming this filthy murderer."
"You can start by helping us end this killing game" I answered, "join us Kenny, join us in voting down despair! Butters's wanted this killing game to end, so help us fulfill his dying wish by ending this madness. Then, then join us when we leave this place, come back to the states with us and help us memorialize our fallen comrades and bring back the world from the despair it's already fallen into."
Tweek laughed at my suggestion, "oh please, you really think Kenny would join you guys? He may be weak but his despair is strong, don't even bother trying to save him. He's with me, right Kenny"
Kenny didn't answer, he remained silent much to Tweek's dismay.
"Looks like your number two isn't so despair fueled as you think" Token said.
"You're done Tweek and it's time to lock in our votes" Henrietta said.
"Tweek, will vote down despair and then I'll save you" Craig said.
"Let's end this" I started, "the heart racing excitement as Hope and Despair finally face off!"
Tweek glared at me gritting his teeth, "that's my line asshole!"
The four of us said in unison, "It's voting time!"
Our panels lit up and instead of the sixteen podiums, there were two boxes, one of hope and one of despair. The four of us smiled as we voted for hope, we looked at each other and smiled at the fact that this killing game would finally be over. The voting was complete and the board appeared behind Tweek.
"Well then let's see the results" Tweek said shutting his eyes and smiling, he knew full well he was defeated, "majority rules on this one."
The votes came in and what I hoped would happen came to pass. Despair got voted down. Hope defeated despair in a five to one vote.
"What the, five to one" Tweek said. He looked at Kenny who smiled with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Mike's right I can do right by him, I can honor Butters memory by doing what he would've done. I will have to live with what I've done for the rest of my days, but I can take some solace in the fact that no one else will die here."
Kenny stepped back from his podium and moved to our side, he truly wanted to change I see that now.
"Well Ultimate Despair Tweek Tucker, you've lost, the killing game is over" I said. "What will you do now?"
Tweek didn't respond at first, but after a minute he started laughing, it wasn't your average laugh it was a maniacal one.
"This, this is the greatest despair of all, the plan Kenny and I spent months on end planning fails right at the end, and more than that my partner and the man who I thought was my only real friend turns his back on me and votes down the despair that he embraced before I did. This is great I've got a despair high and I'm never coming down."
Craig ran up to Tweek and hugged him hard, "Tweek stop" he said, "just stop it's over, come back with us, let us help you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I still love you, please leave this place, leave despair behind, let's get married for real, let's have a life together, let's restore the world to what it was and end this despair that the remnants threw it into."
Tweek looked up to him, his eyes twinkled and his smile was big.
"Craig" he said leaning in kissing him, "you're such a fool." Tweek punched him in the gut and Craig dropped to his knees. Tweek jumped up onto Monokuma's platform and turned back to us before speaking once more. "a deal's a deal you guys are free to go and considering the way the vote turned out I'm guessing Kenny is going with you. Catch!" Tweek threw a key at me and I caught it with my right hand. "That's the key to unlock the dock and power up the speed boat, you've got one day to get off this ship, if you're not gone by then, I'll detonate the engine and sink the ship."
"Tweek, please, please don't go" Craig shouted.
"Oh my god will someone shut this love struck spaceman up he's giving me a headache" Tweek said.
Kenny put his shoulder on Craig, "come on Craig, we're done here, there's nothing you can do while he's like this. Trust me he's an immortal now just like me, one of the perks of him transfusing my blood into his. You'll get another chance someday."
Craig made a face of pure frustration, before standing back up. "Tweek let me say this" he said, "I couldn't save you back then, and I might not be able to save you now, but I will never stop trying to save you. We will see each other again I swear on my life!"
Tweek didn't respond his back was turned to us at this point. He gave Craig the finger and lowered Monokuma's podium into the floor, it was the last we saw of him. The rest of the trial chamber transformed back to its normal form and the shutters opened. The elevator opened behind us and we turned to face it. The five of us stared into the empty elevator for a moment, it was hard to believe but relieving that we had made it out alive, and now we were free.
"Let's go guys, were finally done here" I said.
The others nodded and the five of us entered the elevator, as I looked back into the chamber I didn't just see a place that has been nothing but pure misery to my friends and I. I saw them, the ten who didn't make it, the ten who fell victim to the killing game. It was only for a second but it was all I needed. The doors closed and the elevator descended. The class trials were over, the backstabbing and betrayal was over, the heartbreak was over, and most importantly, the killing game was over.
"Hey Mike" Kenny said, "thanks for waking me up, but ya know, it's a little ironic that a game about death ended with all of the survivors making it out alive."
"Theirs was no other way it would turn out" I said, "your immortal and even if Tweek wasn't I doubt all those people watching this game would be happy with the mastermind being killed again. After all that Hope's Peak history book stated that every killing game in the past ended with the mastermind being killed, I'm sure they'd be happy that the ending was different for once."
"Not to mention Craig would probably kill himself, before he'd let Tweek be executed again knowing this time it'd be permanent" Token said.
"You're not wrong" Craig said.
I chuckled, "yeah, maybe it's for the best that no one else had to die, Tweek may be filled with despair but if he died there would be no way to save him, with his life spared we'll get another chance to redeem him, and I promise you we'll all help you save him Craig."
"Thanks Mike" Craig said, "thanks for everything" he said his eyes watering again.
The elevator door opened and the five of us exited to the first floor.
"So now what, should we get on the boat and go" Kenny asked.
"Not yet" I answered, "there's still one thing we have to do, let's go do it."