Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gorillaz characters nor the concept; that belongs to the creators Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn. I do however own my OC Alyss.


Chapter Six: Falling Down

In the end though, it doesn't seem to matter where the secrets end up as time progresses but where it began; where do these secrets origin from? Why do these horrid secrets lie with something so fragile that one mention of it will cause that person to break down? Maybe they're not the right questions to ask but instead this question will do: Why does this person cling onto the secrets as though it's her life line?

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The rusted door of the Winnebago closed with a sudden slam, it was as though the cool chill that filled the tense air had made all those questions disappear and rather replaced it with a numb sensation. Even though Alyss was lying down on the world's most uncomfortable leather couch, the young teen couldn't feel the discomfort that ran through her body. Her body longed for warmth; it yearned for something to cling onto as she trembled. She could only remember trembling for a while until she finally opened one of her eyes and saw the ghost rapper sitting at the end of the couch as though it was his judgment day.

Alyss kept trembling just to remind herself that she wasn't dead even though she felt like she was one of the zombies that lingered outside of Kong Studios. Her skin was paler than usual and her forehead was drenched with sweat; the numbness spread from her head that was limply propped up against the arm of the leather couch to her legs that were as straight as a line. Her blood red eye could only see a few blurs here and there; at one time she could hear Del speaking as though he was talking to an old friend, she could hear the voice of the azure haired singer, 2D, lingering by her side, saying something about a fever…

Somewhere… somewhere in the distant part of her mind… she could hear Murdoc's voice rising in anger over a phone. Fear gripped her and she felt a dull pain through the sea of numbness; she was falling back into unconsciousness as her red eye simply closed off everything.

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It was something she couldn't have remembered at a better time; she was in a small bed, one that was made for a young child of about two or three. The air that lingered in that apartment complex was dense with smoke and the scent of whiskey made the little girl cough into her blankets. Alyss was hiding in the sea of blankets to protect herself from the abuse that would eventually find the child and grasp her by the back of the neck and drag her to her torture. She knew what that meant when her bedroom door opened.

She was told a thousand times to never go out of her room unless told to; Alyss didn't listen this time. She was a child whose curiosity would've been the death of her if she wasn't careful. Of course Alyss was always careful, so careful that she was never caught when she snuck out of her room to get some snacks. It was another one of those nights where her mother refused to make dinner and the child was now starving to the point where her ribs could be seen through her nightgown, her stomach growling with an appetite that no one at that age would be gifted to have.

Alyss coughed once more into her baby blue blankets and tossed them aside; her bare feet touching the hardwood floor of her new home, the one that her mother had gotten in America only a few months ago. She felt the shiver travel from her feet up her back to that terrible burning that gripped the back of her neck. Alyss rubbed the spot that hurt so much gently and silently made her way to the door.

The small hands grasped the door knob but instead of opening the door, she stopped. She froze in her place as she heard her mother talking to someone. Alyss closed her eyes and felt a whimper forming in her throat.

"Mommy's talking to the voices again," she thought to herself. Even though she was a very young child, she knew that her mother heard voices; these voices would be the cause of all her suffering and torture in the years to come.

"Don't you dare tell me I'm stuck with this ignorant child, you are her father, now be a good one and come here!"

Alyss heard the low growl of a voice over a phone and she sighed quietly; for once it was a voice that would save her from losing all hope. It was the voice of someone that could save her. But as the words from the phone escaped from the electrical device into her ear that was now pressed against the door, Alyss felt that little hope being torn to shreds.

"'m not her father 'n I ain't goin' over 'here to give me life up!"

Tears started to form in her mismatched eyes as they seemed to widen as the words hit her mother hard. She could hear the pain in her mother's voice as she tried to be as reasonable as a crazy person could be; the tears that were falling from her mother's eyes could even be heard. Alyss wasn't sure how long the conversation lasted because the next thing she knew the door was ripped wide open and Alyss was met with more blows to her fragile self.

Alyss remembered one thing from that night… when she woke up the next day, her mother was clinging onto her still crying like she had when Alyss' father had declined to fulfill his role in that broken family.

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Reactions varied from person to person over the reappearance of Del the rapper ghost; Russel's was probably the most drastic. The poor fellow almost passed out at the sight of his best friend sitting on the couch with a guilty look on his face. Noodle looked shocked but she smiled and greeted him with care as though he had only been gone for a short period of time rather than the long length that he really had been gone. Murdoc and 2D's response to the whole scenario seemed to mimic each other; they just stood there watching Del. They were surprised there was no denying that, but Murdoc, unlike 2D, knew that the ghost had to be sitting there on that leather couch with his supposedly unconscious "daughter" for a reason.

"Del… I thought… I thought Death came after you," Russel said in pure shock. The large man looked like he would cry if Del suddenly vanished again.

"He did man," Del began, "But this girl came out of nowhere and saved me… or doomed me… I haven't figured which it is."

"Yew sure haven' changed much Del."

The ghost rapper looked at 2D as though he was nuts and it wasn't until Murdoc whacked the azure singer in the back of the head that the point was made clear.

"Faceache! He won't ever change. He's dead… or do yew not remember?"

2D blankly glanced at Del and realized his error and quickly tried to apologize. Del held up a cigarette and handed it to the lanky man.

"Don't worry 'bout it D. Honest mistake."

"What brings you here?" Noodle asked as she sat on the arm of the leather couch. The young Japanese girl had been quick to form a friendship with Del, well besides Russel, but then again Russel wasn't always conscious to talk to the ghost so it was up to Noodle to do that.

The spirit looked at everyone in the room, but more importantly his scan around the Winnebago ended with him staring at Murdoc. The bass slayer felt himself shrink despite having the biggest ego out of the four conscious people there. Somehow the ringleader of Gorillaz knew that this was going to revolve around him and Alyss.

"I came here to ask a favor."

"A… favor? What kind of favor Del-san?"

Del took out another cigarette and lit it, taking in a deep breath of the smoke that only he could inhale. He sighed and replied, "A favor to save someone's life."

Noodle tilted her head and she looked at Russel who seemed really shocked.

"You mean… save Alyss?"

Del shrugged, "You can look at it that way… but that's not the only way to look at the situation. Listen, you guys need to get this girl evidence that she didn't commit those murders."

"Why would we do that?" Murdoc questioned with a microscopic sized hint of cruelty, "What has this girl done fer us?"

"Would you just listen before I hit you upside the head?"

Murdoc grumbled and fell into the silence that entrapped all the members. Del floated up from the leather couch only to remember that his connection was through the unconscious Alyss; a frown crossed his face as he looked at Murdoc, "Do you know what death row is? Because if you don't then you better learn it fast. Alyss escaped from the Belphagor Sanatorium, which means she could be sent to death row for the murders of all those people instead of staying in the asylum for the rest of her life."

"Yew mean she just walked ou' of 'he door? She can get in trouble fer that?"

Del nodded to Murdoc, "Yes… only… she didn't really walk out. She ran out after a nurse overreacted and sliced her hand open with a knife that Alyss was carrying with her. Alyss was so scared she ran out and eventually made it here… although even I'm unsure if it was a coincidence or a pure accident."

Noodle glanced at Alyss then at Del, "So… she's at risk of being killed?"

"That's right. That's why you need to find evidence that she didn't commit these crimes!"

Murdoc crossed his arms and gave Del a long look that was filled with questions but he only asked the one that was bugging him, "And wot if we don't?"

The ghost rapper returned Murdoc's mismatched eyes with a stare that even Death wouldn't use to terrorize his victims; it was cold… it was the look of someone who was about to be abandoned.

"If you don't then an innocent victim dies. Do you really want that to happen?"

"She ain't my problem. Who cares?"

Murdoc snatched the fag 2D was smoking and took a drag out of it before letting it fall onto the carpet and stepped on it with his Cuban heels. The Satanist glared about the room then at Alyss before heading toward the rusted door. It wasn't until his hand was on the door knob that a loud thud was heard right next to Murdoc's head. It was Del that was floating next to him, and unfortunately he did not look impressed.

"Mudz, you're horrid," 2D said out of the silence that consumed the other three band members. The azure haired singer looked at Murdoc with his black void eyes and whispered again, "You're horrid."

"Why's that faceache?"

"She… She c-can be you d-daughter 'n yew would let 'er die?"

Murdoc turned around and gave a vicious glare, "Don't yew dare tell me who she is! She's not mine!"

It was strange how tense the atmosphere got when he shouted that into the silence; 2D felt scared because he knew eventually this remark of his would lead to him getting hit. Noodle and Russel remained quiet as they watched the scene unfold. Del slammed Murdoc against the wall and 2D jumped half a mile into the air before hiding behind Russel. Any normal person could've missed what had almost occurred if they were not paying attention.

2D had mumbled something which caused Murdoc to lunge at the singer, thus leading Del to push the bass slayer into the thin wall of the Winnebago.

"Not your child? Is that what you told her mother over the phone all those years ago?"

The question was cruel enough on its own, but it was how it was said, what it sounded like when it came from the ghost rapper. Russel's eyes widened as he looked from his best friend to the ringleader of the Gorillaz; Noodle's green eyes were filled with horror and disgust at hearing that, it was as if she wasn't willing to believe that hideous question. 2D's reaction was to drum his fingers together and take a seat on the leather couch that Alyss was currently on.

Murdoc remembered the voice that his ex-girlfriend had used on the phone, it was of desperation, and it was almost as if she had no other option. He could recall the anger that rose in her voice and not once did he want a part in the bastard child they had created together on that one night stand. The relationship never meant a thing to him never had and most likely never would… but when he heard he had a child that night over the phone he almost felt his life disappear. He had told her "no" for a reason and now he wasn't allowed to answer the situation at hand.

"… T-That's none of your business!"

"Stop denying it Mudz, you ain't foolin' anyone! Look at her and give me one good reason why you shouldn't help her."

His mismatched eyes refused to look at the teen who laid limply on the couch, there was something in his heart that didn't want to see her at that moment but soon Del forced him to look. What he saw wasn't good; Alyss was taking in short breaths, her forehead drenched with sweat as though she was caught in a cruel and twisted nightmare. He hated to admit he was wrong about the way he had avoided responsibility for Alyss but at the same time he was glad he did. There was no denying it though; Alyss was there for a reason.

Murdoc felt Del release his grip on the bass slayer's shoulder and saw that Del was floating back over to Alyss. He glanced at Murdoc for one last time and muttered these words:

"You don't know it, maybe you never will… but you caused this girl so much and the least you could do is save her life. Save her from falling for once rather than being one of the causes behind it."

"Del-"

Russel, along with the others saw Del disappear back into Alyss' limp body. For a while no one spoke, only glared at Murdoc; after all they were given the news that this was his child and not only that but he refused to take care of her maybe when Alyss really needed him. Cruelty was going to hit Murdoc hard and the Satanist knew that; though that fact seemed to dissipate when Alyss whispered something faint.

2D listened closely and Murdoc tapped his foot.

"Wot did she say?"

"She… S-She whispered "why"…"

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Alright so there's chapter six of Unexpected. So I got around to updating it finally and let me tell you, it is not easy to smash your way through writer's block with school going on. Though as usual I'd be happy to hear from you guys, after all with your comments you've helped me come quite a ways and I would love to see if you guys like it or if there's something I need to improve on. So please, leave your comments and please give me advice if needed; I would appreciate it greatly if you would.