Kenny, Kyle and Stan looked menacingly at Cartman. No one moved, not yet—tense, they waited to see what his first move was.

And it turned out to be a cowardly retreat: he turned around panting, disappeared through the door of the basement and locked it behind him.

Running away like a chicken. How typical of him. It was so pathetic they could only roll their eyes. They had no hurry chasing him: locking oneself in the basement wasn't such a smart move after all. The door was locked with a digital password but there was no need to rack their brains: Stan only needed to use his drill to destroy it. While entering, he saw wires in the frame which suggested him that the door was going to electrocute them if they failed to guess the code. Of course, the rat had put traps inside his lair...

"So you escaped Timmy's mindfuck, huh?" He said, descending the stairs slowly. "Or did he never get to be in full control of you?"

"You've been so unfair to me..." They couldn't see Cartman but they could hear him somewhere down in the basement.

"Rats like you don't deserve fairness"

"I was the one who deserved getting superpowers. You guys had no idea of what to do with them. I was the guy with the vision. Don't tell me I forced you to do anything: look at yourselves. You're wearing my uniforms. You're saving the world, which was my idea. And you kicked me out and raped my brains. All I did was make our childhood dreams come true..."

"As if it was our childhood dream to see our family and friends in danger, then be hated by everyone and fight people who are dear to us." Kyle was about to go first, but Kenny grabbed him and took the lead, a suspicious frown on his face.

"You wanted to be famous, you wanted the glory, but glory never comes with no sweat and tears. I didn't do it, but...You needed to be reminded of the first rule of stardom..."

Kenny moved slowly, attentive to all the shadows in the staircase...

"...You gotta be ready for all the people out there who will take any chance they get to crush you just because they can..."

There was a snap. The step Kenny had just laid a foot on suddenly opened and half of his body dipped. Kenny then started to scream, his voice muffled by a loud screeching. Blood splattered all around. Kyle and Stan quickly helped him get out of the trap; when they managed to do it, half of his body was gone.

He couldn't die and all of them were aware that he would have his midsection back in a moment, but that was extremely painful and hard to watch.

The fucker had filled the room with traps indeed. Stan looked around, trying to find more mechanisms.

"You're really sick, Cartman!" Kyle exclaimed. "I already knew, but now I've got no doubt about it!"

He really wanted to go down there and kill him, but Stan stopped him before he moved. He pointed somewhere in the ceiling. A sensor directed at the bottom of the stairs, which triggered a gun resting in a corner. Kyle nodded and shot his lasers at it.

The explosion made Cartman jump. He had quickly changed his clothes, put his Coon uniform on. When his friends ran towards him, he grabbed a rifle and shot with no second thoughts. The shot got Stan in the shoulder.

"Three guys with superpowers against one who doesn't have any. That's so heroic." His voice trembled in spite of the sarcasm, like the coward he was.

"Are you gonna give us lessons on fair play after what you've done?" Kyle grunted, after taking a look at Stan's wound and seeing he would survive, once the blood loss was under control.

"Why should we make things fair for someone who's stabbed us in the back?" Kenny finally joined them, his body recovered—his clothes had not, he was half naked but in that situation that was something all of them overlooked.

Understanding that he was going to be shown no mercy, all pale, Cartman tried to shoot again. Kyle used his lasers to make him yelp and the gun drop from his hands. He shot another one when he was about to pick it up from the floor, making the phalanx of his finger disappear. Cartman held his hand letting out a howl. He raised his head to his three friends.

"...You wouldn't kill me..." He said with trembling voice.

"The old trope?" Kyle frowned, his severe expression not changing.

"You've already killed my mom. You could allege it was an accident, but killing me on purpose...You're getting the chair. Except you, Kenny; you can't die, yeah—but they can throw you in jail and let you rot in there for eternity..."

"You know what? I'm fine with that. I'll die with a smile on my face..." Kyle replied, and his eyes glowed, preparing for the definitive shot.

Cartman breathed deep.

"We used to be friends! More than that! We were bros! Look at this place! All the good times we've had in this basement! All the adventures, enough to have a shit bunch of seasons in our own TV show! And tons of movies for cinema and streaming platforms! Don't tell me you forgot! Spying on the girls in class? Making Butters do embarrassing shit? Remember when we created a band? Fingerbang!"

"Nostalgia will get you nowhere." Stan couldn't move his left arm, but he still had the other to hold his weapons with.

"Why are we even wasting our time listening to him? Why don't we kill him now? Our friends need us." Kenny said.

"Kenny, listen to me." Cartman turned to him.

"I don't want to."

"We laughed together a lot, didn't we? Remember the time when we took Butter's dad's drone and found Craig's mom naked, the bush she had between her legs? The prank with ketchup on Mrs. Nelson? That time you spent inside my body—it was cozy, wasn't it?"

"All of that was a long time ago, when you were almost bearable." Not showing doubt, Kenny approached, his fist prepared to hit him to a pulp.

"Did you ever have that kind of fun with these two?"

Kenny stopped.

"What are you doing? Why are you sacrificing yourself for them? They never cared about you. It was always Stan and Kyle, the super best friends, just the two of them, always together, like a couple of fags. You think something's changed? Their moms always looked at you, working our ass off to earn a buck, and said: 'that's what comes from not picking up a book', and they never defended you. They brag a lot on social media about their holidays together, have they ever considered asking you to join them? They always threw into your face that you spend your money, the money you earn with an effort they never saw, on liquor and girls, things that make your life bearable. Did I ever do that to you?"

"...You were not precisely a good friend, Cartman...You laughed at me too..."

"They're using you as a shield, dude. They make you go first and take all the blows. As if it didn't matter that you feel pain...Who cares about Kenny McCormick?"

Kenny glanced at Kyle and Stan. He had gone very quiet. The expression on his face made them fear Cartman's words penetrated deep into his core.

"Dude!" Stan frowned.

"It's not true, Kenny, you know you've always been our friend!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Don't listen to him! He's just talking shit to save his ass!"

"Don't fall for that, Kenny!"

Kenny knew Cartman had said no lie at all. He knew things about him Stan and Kyle didn't, because they always paid much more attention to one another. He knew that he would never be as close to them as they were between each other. He was not irreplaceable for them. He was not special...

However, Kenny turned toward Cartman again, getting his somber expression back.

"You messed with my sister's future. That's something I'll never forgive you for."

Cartman flashed his teeth in an insolent smile. "...I told you, I didn't do anything. I don't need to, anyway. You know deep down that no one in your family will ever get out of the landfill."

That was more than what Kenny could take. He jumped on him, letting out a roar, not noticing it was Cartman's intention all along. Probably all that cowardly attitude was just a facade to make them get close enough. Kenny realized too late, when he couldn't control his own impulses. Cartman quickly grabbed his arm and handcuffed him to the table with a bracelet he had attached to it.

Kyle darted towards them. Cartman turned around—that was all Kyle knew before he was suddenly blinded, letting out a scream. What Cartman had done was grab his clawed glove from the same table and take a swipe at his face. Stan held Kyle when he stumbled, then him and Cartman rolled on the floor. During their fight they knocked down two chairs and tripped with a basketball on the way. Cartman got to make the drill fall from his hands. Stan had been working out ever since he became Toolshed, but moving someone as corpulent as Cartman was not easy. It was almost impossible. Also, Cartman was not playing fair, sinking one claw in the shot in his shoulder. Cartman pushed him with his big belly and grabbed the hammer in his belt. Pinning him down with his foot on his neck, he tried to smash his head. Stan got to avoid one of the hits, the next was sure to impact against his skull, if it wasn't for Kyle pouncing on him.

"The stupid Human Kike always ruining everything!" Cartman complained grabbing him by the hair and hitting his face against the table.

Kenny used all of his strength to drag the table and come near. He got to move close enough to kick Cartman in the coccyx, making him release Kyle. Cartman ran after him, his claws ready. Kyle sent him a gust of air that pushed him to one side.

Cartman fell the leg of one fallen chairs, impaling himself through the abdomen.

Stan used his powerful cutter to free Kenny from the chain. After a brief, friendly pat on the back, both of them walked to Cartman.

He tried to get up. It was very hard to him, but somehow he managed. There was blood everywhere, and taking the chair leg out didn't help. He placed his hand on his stomach as if that would be enough to make the bleeding and the pain stop. He breathed with a bit of difficulty.

"...I will not die like a dirty villain...I'm not the villain of this story...you are..."

He was so deranged...All the things he had done to make a fantasy come true, to make what he understood was justice, and become the hero he thought he was...

Stan really wanted to smash his brains in, but he glanced at Kyle. It seemed he had recovered his sight completely. He then looked at Kenny. He nodded.

Perhaps, after everything Cartman had done to him all of his life, it was a matter of justice that he was the one to do it.

Kyle stood in front of Cartman. His eyes glowed, charging up.

"NOT YOU! STAN! KENNY! YOU DO IT! NOT KYLE! NOT A FUCKING J-!"

And he did it. His brains were blown out by what he hated the most in the world beside hippies.

The others needed them, but they needed a second to rest. They found a first-aid kit inside the house and used it to clean their wounds. Stan managed to take the bullet out. Kenny found clothes to cover his nudity with—they had to be Liane's, since Cartman's were too big for him.

Sat on the sofa, they didn't talk or move for a short while.

Sometimes they glanced at Liane's corpse, lying right where they left it, and felt a twinge of guilt. As for Cartman's...it was strange how they didn't feel anything. It was almost like killing a cockroach. Memories of the four of them playing board games on that carpet, watching television together, the costumes, all that came back to them but made them feel nothing.

It would, probably, in some minutes, hours, days, even. When they realized that Cartman was gone for good and they'd never see him again; he would never, ever come back to them.

Stan was the first to get up, with a sudden hurry. He didn't need to say it, but he was thinking of Wendy. Kenny and Kyle got up too, not opening their mouths either. The three of them left the house still in silence.

When they were close to Main Street, they exchanged a look, realizing something: none of them was wearing their mask. Oh, well, they didn't need it: by that time, everyone surely knew who they were. So they didn't think about it and ran to help their friends.

But they found that they were not being harassed and slaughtered by all of South Park, but hugged, praised, carried on their shoulders. The Mayor was delivering a speech in front of television cameras impossible to hear with all that noise.

"And here they are, Toolshed, Human Kite and Mysterion! Seeing their frankly deplorable state, it is obvious that they were fighting a monster of some sort!" A reporter announced to the spectators. "As you know, their real identities have been revealed to be Stanley Marsh, Kyle Broflovski and Kenneth McCormick, respectively; residents in South Park as well! For what we've discovered, Toolshed is the son of the owner of Tegridy Farms, Randy Marsh, a singer, guitarist and songwriter, romantic partner of Call Girl, alias of Wendy Testaburger, and father of her child. We know little about Mysterion, but as for Human Kite, we know he works for the local..."

"Guys!" Scott approached, carrying Timmy on his back like he was his backpack.

"It was about time, dude! Things got complicated in here and we could have used your help!" Craig said to them.

"Stan! What...?" Wendy started to say, and was silenced when Stan, not saying anything, embraced her and held her tight.

"Wow, you're a mess. Did Cartman do something stupid?" Tweek asked.

The three friends did not reply. They avoided their insistent stares.

"...Stan?" Wendy muttered.

It was Timmy who helped them break the news which struggled to get out, after scanning the response on his partners' minds. Actually, they were glad he helped, because they didn't think they could have found the words. Silence fell upon the Freedom Pals when they became aware that Cartman was gone, how and why.

"...Oh, Eric..." Jimmy muttered, shaking his head with pity.

"...That piece of shit deserved it..." Craig was less compassionate.

Wendy rubbed Stan's back, attempting to comfort him.

"...You did what you had to do..." Token muttered to him, Kenny and Kyle.

Stan nodded a little. Kenny didn't move and kept staring at the pavement at his feet. Kyle glanced at Timmy and had something close to a conversation with him without opening their lips—Kyle silently apologizing to him for having questioned his decision to end with Ackroyd, now understanding, just a little, his motives to do it...

They decided not to speak more about this. At least, not at that moment.

Tweek approached to heal the three of them with his powers. "What a hell of a night...I'm dying to go home..."

"Oh, ri-right, you guys don't know. Flash News: Butters ca-ca-came back and he's evil. He's tried to k-k-k-kill us." Jimmy said to the three newcomers.

"Butters?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, he showed up attacking everyone for no reason, like a prick. We managed to make him leave." Craig said.

Kenny looked away again and didn't open his mouth any more, just thinking, just remembering...

"But you're okay, aren't you?" Stan insisted to Wendy, worried.

"Yes, everything's fine. We're made of steel." Wendy wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "This baby's gonna be born an amazon."

"And it seems we earned our respect back." Scott said.

"...Wait. Where's Clyde?" Kyle asked, looking around, because he noticed now that there was one missing. "Did he...?"

"Heh, don't worry, he's peachy." Token smirked, and helped him spot him in the crowd.

He was surely fine—he and Bebe were talking very, very close on the opposite side of the street. In a certain moment, Clyde plucked up enough courage to kiss her on the lips, not under the mask of Mosquito, but Clyde, just Clyde Donovan. Bebe seemed to be okay with the idea: she grabbed him and gave him a back-bending smooch.

"Kenny!" That exclamation made Kenny rise his head, just in time for Karen to pounce into his arms.

"Stan! Here you are! Are you okay?" Sharon also ran to them.

"Kyle! Kenny! Stan! You're here! We were starting to think that Professor Chaos killed you, mkay!" Mr. Mackey embraced the three of them.

"Hey, we know we've been hard on you, okay? We didn't know who you were, we thought you were...You know...But it's come clear that we need you. You've been a rascal, nephew, but we forgive you. Hey, now I've got more to brag about at the bar." Jimbo elbowed Stan affectionately.

"Mmmmyeah, you're not so bad." Ned nodded to that, patting Kenny with his only hand.

"I understand nothing..." Kyle confessed in low voice.

"So you're...okay with us...?" Stan muttered.

"Are you kidding me?" An anonymous citizen said. "You destroyed that Chinese missile out of control!"

"And stopped the Venusian invasion!"

"And the soy-men!"

"And frustrated Kanye's plans to become president and steal Christmas!"

"You've got full permission to have your little sins as long as you keep it private." Randy chuckled and grabbed Stan like a brute to ruffle his hair. "Ah, Stanley, you fooled your old man! Say, do you make auditions? I'm thinking you could use one more hero...The Amazingly Randy...Mary Jane Randy...Think about it! We can fight crime together, like father and son!"

How could Stan tell him one of the good things about having a superhero persona was that he could stay away from him?

"Here you are, you little son of a...!" Not everyone was all that accepting. Kenny muttered 'shit!' when his father walked towards him like a furious bull. "So it was you all along!"

"Stuart, the television wants to interview us!" Carol grabbed him by an arm.

"Wait a second, first I'll break his teeth then...!" But when Stuart wanted to realize, Karen was all alone. Kenny had disappeared. "I'LL GET YOU, SOONER OR LATER!" He shouted aloud, so he could hear him wherever he was. Karen couldn't help snickering at this.

Heidi also made her way to Kyle's encounter. He took deep breath when he saw her then walked to her. The first thing she noticed when they were close to one another was the blood staining his uniform, how disastrous it looked after the fight.

"I'm fine." Kyle eased her.

Heidi nodded a bit.

"...Listen...Uh...This...doesn't need to change anything...I told you...It's still me...It was me all along..." Kyle said.

But Heidi sighed. "No, Kyle. You know that isn't true. This changes everything. I fell in love with Kyle Broflovski. Now it turns out there's also Human Kite. I believe you when you say you didn't hurt Ike, but..."

"Well, you tried to kill me. That...kind of proves you really thought I did."

"I didn't know who you were. You never told me."

"How could I? You were obeying my mom without questioning a thing. I just couldn't tell you. I wanted to tell you everything."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I wasn't sure you would accept it."

"You didn't try."

"I saw enough."

Heidi gave him a hurt look. "...You lied to me. You hid something very important about you from me...I can't trust you, Kyle..."

Kyle pressed his lips. "...And I never felt safe to be myself around you...I couldn't trust you, either..."

"...So I guess everything's been said..." A long pause, after which Heidi finally dared to look at his eyes—she couldn't believe those eyes which she had looked at with so much love could shoot lasers. "Thanks for everything, Kyle...I hope you find what you're looking for...That clearly isn't me..."

Her voice trembled. It was probable that she wanted to cry. Kyle couldn't know, because she quickly turned around and disappeared among the crowd.

His parents appeared, hugged him, asked him lots of questions, but Kyle didn't hear any of them. Once again, that feeling. A broken heart. No. This time was different. Now he knew that his story with Heidi was definitely over. There wouldn't be a third chance.

He felt like Cartman had gotten his last victory over him, and he felt like an island of sadness in a street where everyone cheered and laughed and clapped.