"I don't know how you kids did it, but those serpents are certainly slowed down," Mayor Lewis announced happily as the three teens were doubled over in his living room, panting hard and in stitches.

"We were able to gun down the monsters around Alex's house," Maru added before her bubbly face fell, "Then we saw Evelyn and George pushing it towards Pam's and Penny's trailer." This caught Faye's attention.

"And then what happened?"

"No one's come out since then."

Faye strode over to the window facing Pam's trailer and took a pair of binoculars nearby. One look, and she released an exasperated sigh.

"No wonder," she muttered as she handed them off to Sam and Elliott behind her. Their faces paled after a few minutes of glancing. Penny and Alex were fighting to force their way inside the trailer. They jumped in surprise when the trailer rocked on its back wheels.

"Any chance you've got our backs again just in case?" Sam asked Maru on the side as he peered again through the binoculars.

"Of course," she beamed as she loaded a revolver, "We've got our eyes on you."


"You sure you're up for this, Elliott?"

"Why not? I've always wanted to try my hand at combat if not self-defense," he replied with the revolver in tow, "You do these things all the time, Faye. For a mere farmer, I've always wondered how." They could already hear otherworldly sounds coming from Alex's and Penny's direction.

"...good for nothing mother!" Penny was screeching as she shot a pistol into the door, "Come out here, you cow!"

"You're not my daughter!" they heard Pam yell back from inside, "Even a drunken broad can figure that out!"

"Never thought I'd see the day Penny would bad-mouth anyone," Sam snickered until Faye hit him in the arm.

"Can we just try to take them out with the element of surprise this time?" she asked, "I'd like to not fight them one-on-one this time if we can help it-"

To their horror, a shot rang out from Elliott's revolver as he shot up from behind the bush and aimed for Alex. The bullet got him in the arm. He stopped mid-tackle in the direction of the trailer and faced their way. He was bruised and beaten from the numerous tackling attempts, but his demeanor had grown to accompany them.

"WHO JUST THOUGHT THEY COULD KILL ME?" he bellowed as he looked around wildly. Faye and Sam paled further.

"Elliott, combat doesn't always mean initiating haphazardly," Faye grunted in annoyance as Elliott just looked back at her sheepishly, "Dammit, alright. I'll try to get through to Penny. You two try to take on Alex." The two boys chuckled nervously.

"How's your wrestling game, Elliott?" Sam smirked eagerly. Elliott relieved himself of his outer jacket, leaving him in his long-sleeve white shirt faintly accentuating lean muscle.

"Never tried it, but I'm up for it," he replied. When Alex's back turned to them, both Elliott and Sam sprinted. Faye shook her head in disbelief as Elliott jumped onto Alex's back, effectively distracting him as Sam kicked him behind the legs. Alex, as a result, stumbled onto the ground.

"I'M ENDING MY GRANDPARENTS' MISERY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed, swinging a gigantic fist at Sam's face. It connected, and he was sent flying until he crashed into a tree.

Meanwhile, Faye was sneaking around behind the whole scene where Penny was still tackling against the obviously-barricaded door, gun still in hand.

"If you can't do it Alex, I'll do it all!" Penny yelled, "I need to end my dumb bitch of a mother anyhow."

"You don't mean that, Penny!" Pam hollered. Faye could see the double barrel-end of a shotgun close against the trailer window, "Don't make me shoot you!" These two are willing to go down in a gun fight?

"I'M ALWAYS LEFT CLEANING UP AFTER YOU! EVER SINCE DAD LEFT, YOU'VE BEEN A LAZY PIECE OF SHIT!" Penny shrieked hysterically as she let loose a few rounds into the trailer side. Faye saw Pam recoil as the metallic clangs reverberated. Their eyes met, and Faye held a finger to her lips to signal for Pam's silence as she snuck up behind Penny. She nodded determinedly.

"THE APPLE NEVER FALLS FAR FROM THE TREE, KID!" she smirked as she fired a loud warning shot from her shotgun. It broke through the window, and Faye leapt into action. She grabbed at Penny's gun arm and in a twist, slapped it far out of her grip.

"Oh come off it, Farmer!" Penny's raspy voice snarled in her ear, "You're a woman of hard work. Wouldn't YOU want to get rid of lazy freeloaders?"

"Not like this, Penny," Faye retorted, "You too worked hard to provide for both you AND your mother in the hopes of a better life. Don't give THAT up." She received a roundhouse kick to the face, causing her vision to momentarily go black.

"No one understands, so I'll take care of this myself. Besides, I'm sure Sam would miss you if I killed you now."

Oh no she didn't…

Faye struggled to her feet and surveyed Penny up and down. She was still her same petite frame. She charged, and promptly punched her in the face, causing her to fall back onto the ground. Faye looked down on her, putting her dukes up expectantly.

"He'd miss you too," she breathed as Penny growled at her, "You're his closest friend."

Meanwhile, Elliott successfully had Alex on the ground after a few hearty kicks to the stomach. Sam, having slightly recovered from his tree crash, stomped repeatedly on Alex's legs.

"I think you're going to break all his bones that way," Elliott grunted as he suffered a blow to his cheek. In retaliation, he socked him in the temple.

"That's fine. He won't feel it later on," Sam assured him.

"My grandparents are dying any day now," Alex hissed poisonously, "Might as well just take care of them now and start going at this on my own." The black in him began flickering threateningly.

"What's with you and Penny and going solo?" Sam muttered as he proceeded to get Alex's arms in a lock.

"Oh please. You should at least understand your would-be girlfriend," Alex sniggered darkly, "She's had that deadbeat on her ass since forever. You'd think she deserves some freedom already." Sam flinched, and Elliott blocked an incoming kick aimed for his back.

"Focus Sam!" he reminded him, "Just need to get him in a lock so he's immobile."

"Not on my watch, you pathetic daydreamer," Alex grinned as he swatted Elliott out of the way. He yanked at Elliott's hair, dragging him across the ground. Elliott yelped in pain as Alex proceeded to get into a hammer throw position. But right before the spinning, Sam had drawn his cutlass and hacked Elliott's hair clean in half.

"AUGH! My hair!" Elliott wailed as his hair fell shoulder-length, "I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO THANK YOU OR GET MAD AT YOU."

"Thank me! At least it's not your scalp ripped out!" Sam retorted as he shook his hands of Elliott's tresses and locked his legs around Alex's waist. As Sam grabbed at Alex's hair to force his head back, Elliott seized his opportunity for payback and chopped him in the neck. Alex reflexively choked, and the black erupted from his lips. "Good god, finally!" and Sam hacked it gone with the cutlass.

"Huh. For an athlete-in-training, he wasn't as bad as I thought he would be," Elliott said with eyes widened in surprise. Sam rolled his head, cracking his neck.

"Yeah. Okay." You only got punched a few times and got an epic haircut. I crashed into a tree.

When they checked on Faye and Penny, they were circling around each other, already sporting dirt marks and bruises from numerous blows. However, Penny seemed to be on the losing end as she was already limping.

"So, he's watching," Penny taunting evilly. Faye only scowled.

"Never stopped me. How about you?" And each bitch slap was followed by roundhouse kicks to the face and chest.

"I imagine this is what would happen if Abigail and Penny had an actual fight?" Elliott muttered to Sam, who crossed his arms amusedly.

"More like a mixed martial arts fight, but yeah sure," he agreed. In no time at all, Faye had Penny on the ground and in a lock. "Oh Yoba, she could actually KILL Penny with that!"

Faye had gotten her legs entangled and her neck in a dangerous choke. Penny's arms were flat uselessly against the ground, and the more she gasped for limited air, the more black was exhaled from her lips. And when the expelled black began forming a Brute's shape, Faye lunged and hacked it dead with her sword.

"If the actual Penny ever thought about being a mixed martial artist, she should give it a try," she grunted as she got to her feet. She found the tainted Stardrop underneath Pam's lawn chair, and she hesitatingly picked it up. She threw it to Sam, who quickly dropped it in the pack. At that, the trailer door opened behind her.

"Hey kid, you done good, but is my baby alright?" Pam asked worriedly as she threw her shotgun to the side and kneeled beside the unconscious Penny. Behind her, Evelyn and George looked fearfully in Alex's direction. When both Alex and Penny came to, their demeanors had returned to normal, and both sets of parents relaxed.

"Eurgh, I ache worse than arm days," Alex muttered as he flexed and stretched out his body. Evelyn and George approached him cautiously. "Gran, Grandpop, is something wrong?" Tearing up in relief, they embraced their grandson.

"We're just glad you're okay after all," Evelyn said happily as George just agreed in silence.

"I feel like my shins are gonna split in half," Penny added as she sat up, "Mom, what happened?"

"Let's just say you have a bright future as an MMA fighter if teaching doesn't work out," Faye said quickly as Pam was still too shocked in relief for words. Penny just chuckled weakly as she gave Pam a hug. Faye got up and headed towards Sam and Elliott. "You guys alright?"

"Indeed, though I think I've had enough for a while," Elliott replied in a daze as he turned in the direction of Mayor Lewis's house. He ran his hands through his shortened hair and scowled. Sam slapped him heartily on the back before he walked off.

"He did great. We both got Alex in the end. As for you and Penny though…" Faye held up a hand as she felt her face begin to flush. She then proceeded to futilely pull down her midriff top.

"Don't ask."

"Farmer girl!"

Faye whipped around at Alex's call. "Any idea what's going on here?" he asked confusedly as he looked around the desolate and misty town.

"Long story short, shit's been going down here and the rest of the town is either at my place, Pierre's, or Mayor Lewis's," Faye explained quickly, "Dr. Harvey is at Pierre's if your grandparents need him."

"Good idea. They're shook up," Alex nodded as he ran back towards Evelyn and George. A small conversation, some nodding of heads, and the three of them headed towards their town's little store, coughing heavily amidst the mist and the angry weather beating upon them.

"Did you guys check up there at Seb's place yet?" Penny asked worriedly.

"Not yet. We're gonna head up there in a bit," Sam replied as Faye tended to a very shaken Pam, "Gonna come?"

"Of course. It's horrible out here," Penny sighed, "What more up there?"

"The more the merrier!" Faye grinned as Pam ran to catch up with Alex and the others, "Just like band practice right?"

"Right! Just need the drummer and keyboardist back," Sam grinned. Faye hid a mischievous smile to mask her dread.

"I hope Abi's not in those caves. I'd rather her be with Seb right now."


A/N: So much happened over the last few weeks that it took me forever to write out this chapter. Hope you still like :)