Zardy's Maze: Help a Scarecrow

by FoolhardyZardy

Wowie, my first story! I apologize for any grammar issues. When a highschool student wanders too close to a burning corn maze, she has two choices - run home, or help. Here, you'll meet Zardy, Cablecrow, Brute, Pumpkin Jack and Rattler. It's up to them to befriend humanity again. Character personality's aren't cannon, so sorry if you find it cringey, hurt/sad is my specialty.

It was a Saturday night. The maze was empty. It was peaceful. A young woman named Lila decided to take a walk around the outskirts of the maze.
"Wow, it almost seems peaceful here...why is everyone talking about scarecrows haunting this place?" Lila said to herself.
But then...she heard it. A sizzle from a flame. She began hearing someone screaming for help inside the maze, though she couldn't do anything about it. The gates were locked.
"Oh no...oh no! Someone's trapped in there!" Lila said as she panicked, trying to unlock the gates.
Nothing worked. Within minutes, the entire maze burst into flames. She could hear pained screaming, coming from five different locations within the corn.
No one came. Most of the people in her small town would've wanted to be the one to set the maze aflame. She waited for hours, until the fire stopped. The maze was burnt to a crisp.
"Oh my gosh..." Said Lila. "I...what? How did it even start? And...who was in there?"
She heard coughing. She ran to the sound, but stopped at the gate. In the distance, she could see a pair of eyes.
"Wait...someone lived! There's a survivor!" Lila said happily.
She looked around, making sure no one was watching. She climbed over the locked gate, and carefully made her way to the figure she had seen.
"Are...are you alright?" Lila asked, kneeling down infront of the eyes.
The figure coughed, but they were too weak to hardly move. Lila sat in silence, unsure of how to help. She was only a highschool student.
The figure then reached for something through the smoke...and they had grabbed hold of a garden hoe.
"Ummm...I'm gonna let you breathe for a minute, okay?" Lila said nervously, as she stood up and backed away.
The figure slowly stood up in silence, using the hoe to keep themselves stable. Lila stared at them for awhile, until they finaly spoke...
"...You're pretty brave to wander in the dark...alone." Said the figure, though it was clear to Lila he was trying to use fear to defend himself.
"W-Wait...y-you're one of the living scarecrows!" Lila said, ready to make a run for the gate.
"..." The figure then fell to his knees. "I'm sorry..." He said, knowing he frightened her.
"I-It's okay, I guess...are you alright?" Lila asked, concerned.
The figure didn't say a word.
"...Stupid question, Lila, he was just in a fire! Sorry..." She said, quite nervous to be around him.
"...It's fine, kid...I get it...no one wants to hang around with a scarecrow...I'd unlock the gate for ya, but I can't hardly breathe..." He said, slowly lowering his head.
Lila looked back at the gate, then back at him. She took a deep breathe, knowing her next move could end her.
She grabbed the scarecrow by his shoulder, and helped him to stand up again.
"...P-Please don't kill me, I'm trying to help you..." Lila said, nervous as he looked down at her.
"...I ain't gonna kill you...I don't have the strength to, anyway..." He said, as Lila helped him to walk over to the gate.
"...Why were you in here?" Lila said, unlocking the gate. "Can't you leave the field?"
"I could've...but I wasn't gonna let my buddies burn without me..." The scarecrow said, almost chuckling to himself.
He and Lila left the field, and they could now see each other clearly.
"What's your name?" Lila asked.
"...Zardy." The scarecrow replied.
She stared at him in shock. She had always heard of the scarecrow Zardy, and how he was responsible for the death of many townsfolk. She wanted to run...but something in her spirit stopped her.
"...Z-Zardy? THE Zardy?" Lila said, backing away from him.
Zardy stared at her in silence. He knew most of the townsfolk would know of his deeds, but there was a reason, a reason of which no one has ever known.
Lila began getting more and more nervous as the scarecrow stood in silence, staring at her. Until, Zardy threw his hoe off to the side. It wasn't the wisest move, as his legs immediately give out, and he falls.
"Oh, geez..." Said Lila, helping Zardy to his knees again. "Y-You didn't have to do that!"
"How else was I supposed to prove my innocence?" Zardy said, not much hope in his voice.
Lila could now see that Zardy meant no harm, and she returned his hoe to him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Lila asked as the scarecrow stood up again.
"I'll be fine...I'm more concerned about my friends." Zardy said, pointing into the maze. "I'm the only one who can leave the farmland..."
Lila looked back at the maze. She remembered how she heard five voices calling for help, and she realizes those were his friends, one of the voices being Zardy himself.
"Oh...c-can I help you find them?" Lila asked, feeling the need to help him. His home just burnt down, after all.
Zardy didn't say anything for a minute or two. Until, a tear came to his eye, even though he was a scarecrow. "You want to...help me?" He said, seemingly not believeing her.
"Of course!" Lila replied. "You might've killed a lot of people in this town, but...every villain is just a victim whose story hasn't been told."
"...Wow..." Zardy said, as he had given up hope a long time ago. "...I accept your help, kid. What's your name?"
"I'm Lila!" She replied, happy to help him.
"Lila. Alright. Sunlight doesn't affect me, so meet me here by tomorrow. I need to rest after that..." Said Zardy, and Lila turned around to walk home.
Though he was hurt and tired, Zardy limped his way to the back of the maze, where a small wooden house was. He unlocked the door, and stayed inside for the night, having nothing else to pass the time with.
After the long night, Zardy was up as soon as the sunlight shone through the window. He could walk better than last night, as his much needed rest payed off.
He left the small house, and though it was bright outside, nothing happened to him. In fact, Zardy actually felt better as the sun's light hit him while he watched the sunrise.
The scarecrow made his way to the maze's main gate, though Lila wasn't there. "Where is that girl?" Zardy said to himself, expecting to see her.
As a scarecrow, and living his entire life in a corn maze, he didn't realize Lila was in school. He waited and waited, but she never showed up.
"Hmmm...I'm counting on her, she better show up soon." Said Zardy, grumbling to himself. Though the maze was burned up, the corn itself never fully burned, leaving piles of it, stalks and all.
Zardy knew it could be dangerous to enter the maze, especially for him. If there were still hot ashes under the destruction, his movements could spark up another inferno.
He knew the risks, but he still pushed open the gate and entered. He had his hoe at the ready, in case a fire sparked up again. He explored the ruins of what he used to call home.
"Where are you guys..." Zardy said, searching for his friends. "Jack? Where are you, buddy?"
No one answered. His fear grew stronger and stronger, knowing there was a high chance that his friends didn't make it.
He went deeper into the wasteland of a maze. The corn was so burnt, it didn't even look like a maze anymore. He could see from the back gate to the front gate.
As time went on, he finally heard something. To his right, he could hear rustling in what little was left of the corn. Zardy wasn't the fastest of the group, but he made his way to the source as fast as he could.
"If this noise is just a stupid field mouse, I swear..." Zardy said, approaching the noise. Before he could get there, though, sparks ignited below him.
"Gah!" Zardy shouted, nearly falling backwards as flames erupted from beneath him. Though it startled him, he wasn't hurt.
He now noticed something...a long, wooden pole was laying ontop of the corn pile.
"...Crow!" Zardy yelled, hoping for a response.
He heard nothing. But after a minute, he did. "...Zar...dy..." Said a figure beneath the pole and burned corn. Zardy panicked, knowing his friend was at the brink of death.
"I-I'll save ya, bud!" Zardy shouted, frantically trying to find his way around the flames.
He hit the ground with his hoe, hoping to extinguish the fire, but it didn't work. The fire spread more and more, until his friend was surrounded by a circle of flame.
Zardy couldn't do anything more. He was just a scarecrow, if he got too close to the flames, he'd burn up himself. Until he heard someone behind him.
"D-Dude, Lila WAS hiding something!" Said a young boy, about Lila's age. Zardy turned to him and his friend, and he growled at them, holding out his hoe.
"G-Gavin, leave him alone!" Said the younger boy. "Hah! And miss my chance to become the most popular kid in school?" Gavin replied.
Zardy took a step back, though careful to avoid the flames. The younger boy seemed nice, like Lila. The scarecrows focus was on Gavin.
Gavin took a step towards Zardy, though the younger boy pleaded for him to stay away.
"If I can either kill or capture a living scarecrow, Aaron, I'll be the most popular kid in school! Lila will see, and then she'll just HAVE to accept my love!" Said Gavin, further approaching the scarecrow.
Zardy growled. "RRRAH!" Zardy yelled, swinging his hoe at the boy's head. Gavin narrowley dodged him, but he didn't back up.
"Gavin, stop!" Said Aaron. He was just as curious about Zardy, but more so as in the likes of Lila.
The scarecrow stared at Aaron. "Run home, boy..." Said Zardy, and Aaron ran out of the maze.
"Hey! Don't leave me here!" Shouted Gavin, but vines grew from beneath him and wrapped around his legs, trapping him.
Everything grew darker as storm clouds hovered above. Zardy chuckled, knowing rain could help him to save his friend.
"Don't think you've won, scarecrow!" Said Gavin, shouting in Zardy's face.
"I wouldn't count on escapin' the maze, boy..." Zardy said, lifting his hoe to the boy's head. "It's time I teach troublemaker's like you how we do it in the bush..."
Zardy prepared to swing, his anger fuming. Though Gavin now realized he was about to meet his end, his screams for help made Zardy's anger grow.
The rain began, though it wasn't enough to put out the flames. Zardy knew his friend needed him, so without hesitation, he swung at the boys head.
"Zardy!" Shouted Lila, suddenly running into the maze. "Stop! Don't kill him!"
As she startled him, the scarecrow dropped his hoe, and nearly backed into the fire. The vines retreated from the boys legs, and Gavin grabbed onto Zardy's neck, trying to push him into the flames.
"Help me, Lila! Don't just stand there!" Said Gavin as he choked the scarecrow.
Lila rushed over to them, but she pushed Gavin to the ground and pulled Zardy away from the flames. "You can't kill him, Gavin!" Lila shouted, quite angry with him.
"Why not?! Who's side are you on?!" Gavin said, but he rushed out of the maze before anyone could answer.
"He's such an idiot..." Lila sighed. "Are you okay?"
Zardy coughed, but he picked up his hoe and took a step away from the flames. "F-Forget about me, kid! We gotta get this fire out, or...my friend ain't gonna make it." He said, and Lila could hear the distress in his voice.
"I wish I could help you, Zardy, but...I've gotta get back to school, otherwise I'll be in trouble with the teacher AND my parents!" Lila said, wishing she could help.
Zardy seemed...confused. "School? What's school?" He said, though he kept watch on the flames.
"It's a place kids have to go to in order to learn. I-I can be here by 4 tonight, though!" Lila replied, knowing he was very anxious to be alone.
"...Okay." Zardy said. "Who were those darn brats?"
"Oh, that was Gavin and Aaron. Gavin's been trying to become my boyfriend, but I keep saying I don't like him. He's the school bully. Aaron is nice, though, he's my friend." Lila answered.
Zardy was puzzled. How could a nice kid be friends with the bully? But as the rain picked up, and the flames tried to stay lit, Zardy knew he was nearly out of time.
"...Go on, kid. Get back to school. But meet me here by 4 tonight." Zardy said, and though Lila could hear the distress in his voice, and the fear in his eyes, she left the maze.
The scarecrow began pulling away the ashes with his hoe, and with the rain helping, he was able to make a clear path to his friend. "Crow!" Zardy shouted, lifting the pole off of his friend.
Zardy was clearly very strong, as he was able to remove the pole by himself. He moved away the burnt corn and ashes, and revealed his friend. "Zar...dy..." The other scarecrow said, and Zardy picked them up.
"I...I'm so sorry I couldn't save ya in time, Crow..." Zardy said, tears coming to his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"...I th-think so..." The scarecrow replied. Unlike Zardy, his lower torso was a pole, like a more traditional scarecrow. His name was Cablecrow.
Zardy walked away from the flames, and made his way to one of the standing poles. "Can you get up there?" He asked, and Cablecrow grappled his way up to the pole.
"H-How did that fire even start?" Cablecrow asked, but Zardy simply hung his head in shame.
Cablecrow suspected Zardy did it himself, but as Zardy rose his head, the tears of fear in his eyes regained his innocence.
"I don't know..." Zardy answered. "I-I'm so sorry I couldn't save you in time...or anyone else..."
"We're scarecrows, Zardy...we burn easily. None of us could've stopped it." Said Cablecrow, looking around at the ruins of the maze.
They both began suspecting a human did it, but without proof, they couldn't do anything. But then, the faint sound of rattling caught Cablecrow's attention.
Zardy stared up at Cablecrow, though the air was still hazy with smoke. Cablecrow then pointed to the far end of the maze.
"What?" Said Zardy, confused, especially since he couldn't see exactly where he was pointing.
"I hear rattling over there. I know you won't waste any time standing here, so stand up some of my poles, okay? That's my only way of travel." Replied Cablecrow, seeing some poles knocked down.
Zardy smiled at him, and stood up each pole he came across while making his way to the corner.
Once he reached the corner of the maze, he saw vines covering a figure he recognized. Zardy chuckled, and whacked away the vines with his hoe. A samurai-like scarecrow was revealed.
"Zzzzaaaaarrrdddyyyyy..." The scarecrow said, his voice echoey and ghost-like. "Yyyyooouuu ssssaaaavvveeeddd mmmmeeee."
Zardy gave him a smile. "Anytime, Rattler. Y-You're okay, right? I'm sorry I didn't get you out of here when the fire started..." Zardy replied. He was clearly nervous about how his friends would react.
Rattler stood up, and grabbed Zardy by the shoulders. Though he was confused, and slightly terrified, he could oddly see concern in Rattler's face.
"Aaaarrrreee yyyooouuu ssssseeerrriiiooouuusss?! Iiiiiii ccccaannn'ttttt bbbbuuuurrrrnnnn, yyyyyyyoooouuuu cccccoooouuullllddd'vvvveeeee!" Rattler said, more concerned about Zardy than himself.
Zardy chuckled. "I'm fine, bud. Believe it or not, a human saved me." Zardy said, and it shocked Rattler.
"Aaaaaa hhhuuuummmaaannn?! Cccccaaaaannnn wwwwweeee tttttrrrruuuusssstttt hhhhuuuummmmaaannnnssss?" Rattler replied, releasing Zardy.
"This one...we can trust. No attackin' her, got it? If the rain stops anytime soon, she'll be here by 4 to help find the others." Zardy said, the sadness increasing in his voice.
"...Ssssttttooopppp tttthhhhiiinnnkkkkiiiiiinnnngggg aaaaabbbboooouuuuutttt hhhhhhoooowwww ttttthhhheeeeyyyy wwwwwiiiilllllllll rrrreeaaaaccccttttt, Zzzzzaaaaarrrrrddddyyyyy." Rattler said, though his knowledge frightened Zardy.
Zardy now remembered how Rattler can both read minds and see the future. He slowly hung his head, and he cried. Rattler knew why, but still took the time to speak with him.
"Dddddooooonnnnn'ttttt bbbbbeeeee sssssaaaaaddddd, Zzzzzaaaaarrrrddddyyyyy." Said Rattler, as he could see the future, and know the others lived.
Cablecrow zipped over to them, as Zardy stood up most of his poles in the area. He stared down at Rattler and Zardy, and he immediately knew something was wrong.
"You good, Zardy?" Said Cablecrow, but Zardy didn't answer. He kept his head low, and didn't make a sound.
The rain picked up. It washed away a decent amount of the ashes on the ground, but made the scarecrows all look more haunting than normal, especially Zardy.
Cablecrow looked around, and though the rain was heavy, and the sky was dark, he could see a flash of blue light coming from the center of the maze.
"Wwwwhhhaaaatttt aaaarrrrreeee yyyyoooouuuuu lllllooooookkkkkkiiinnnngggg aaaatttt?" Said Rattler, confused.
"...Blue light!" Cablecrow replied, seemingly excited. "You know who that is! Both of you do!"
Zardy lifted his head, and looked up at Cablecrow, though his glowing orange eyes stood out the most in the darkness. "You serious?" He said, and Cablecrow nodded.
Rattler grabbed Zardy's arm, trying to pull him towards the center of the maze. Zardy chuckled at his struggle to move him, but the three made their way to the center.
Once at the center, they could all see a hammer laying next to a pile of vines, but blue light was flashing beneath.
Zardy lifted his hoe to the vines. "Stand back..." He said, and when Rattler backed up, he swung and destroyed the vines, revealing a Grim Reaper-like scarecrow.
"...Zardy? How did you possibly find me?" He said, floating up in the air and picking up his hammer.
"That blue light isn't hard to miss, Brute..." Zardy replied, and Rattler set his hand on Zardy's shoulder, knowing he was most nervous to hear Brute's reaction.
Brute stared down at him. "That fire..." He said, seeing the fear in Zardy's eyes. "Was not something even I could have quelled. You did good, Zahrada."
Zardy sighed in relief, but also in annoyance. "I said don't call me by my full name, Brute..." He said, and everyone slightly laughed at him.
"Wwwwweeeeee jjjjjuuuuussssstttttt hhhhhhaaaaavvvveeeee ttttttttooooooooo fffffffiiiiiiiinnnnnnnddddd Jjjjjjaaaaaaccccckkkkkk." Said Rattler, but Brute had an idea.
They all looked up to the sky beginning to clear. "I have a much faster way of finding Jack." Said Brute, and he held his hammer out to the ashes of the maze.
His eyes began glowing blue, and he brought the maze back to life. Three giant weeds sprouted in the more open areas, while the ashes disappeared and the corn regrew.
Once it was done, they remembered how Brute could restore any plant, including the entire maze.
"If the ashes are gone..." Said Zardy, looking around at the renewed maze. "Then the glow of Jack's eyes will give him away."
They all began searching the maze for their friend. The longer they searched, though, the more hope was lost. It was now a few minutes after 4, and the only lead they had was Rattler's future sight.
"Are you sure he's alive?" Zardy said, beginning to lose hope.
"Hhhhhheeeee hhhhaaassss ttttooooo bbbbbeeeee. Mmmmyyyy ffffuuuuttttuuurrreeee sssssiiiigggghhhhhtttt nnnneevvvveeerrrr ffffaaaaiiiilllllssss." Rattler replied, looking around to see if he could spot any glowing.
Just then, they all heard the gate open behind them. Lila had entered the maze, just as it began getting dark.
Zardy was honestly happy to see her, but the others were confused. Should they attack, or listen to Zardy? But then, another kid entered. It was Aaron, but luckily, Gavin wasn't with them.
"Hey, Zardy!" Lila said happily, and with some amusement in her voice as Aaron was confused. "I told you I'd be here on time."
Zardy chuckled, though he held onto his hoe, not having complete trust in the boy. "At least you humans can live up to your word. And you, boy...I recognize you." He said, frightening Aaron.
"Zardy..." Said Brute, gripping his hammer tightly. "Why are HUMANS in our maze!?"
Lila and Aaron backed up as Brute floated closer. "Z-Zardy, do something!" Lila said, holding her hand out to the gate.
Zardy grabbed the handle of Brute's hammer and stopped him. Brute looked down at him, then back at Lila and Aaron.
"What are you doing? We must terminate them before they terminate us!" Brute shouted, quite angry.
Lila was confused, and Aaron was scared. "Before we terminate you...?" Lila said, not understanding.
Zardy seemed sad. "Humans are the reason these guys can't leave the maze..." Zardy replied, having expected Brute to react this way.
"...Dddddoooonnnn'ttttt hhhhuuuurrrrrtttt tttthhhheeemmmm, Bbbbbrrrrruuuuuttttteeee." Said Rattler, as he could see a good future with the help of Lila.
Brute slowly lowered his hammer, and let them speak. "We just want to help, I told Zardy I'd be here at this time to find his friend." Lila said to Brute, though Aaron was speechless.
"Why won't he speak?" Brute said, staring down at Aaron.
Aaron fixed his glasses, staring up at Brute. "U-Uhhh...I've j-just never met a living scarecrow before, that's all.." He said, genuinely terrified.
Zardy chuckled. "For the most part, we're friendly, boy." He said, and he could see the relief in the boy's eyes.
"We need to find Jack. Something's wrong if we haven't even heard his laughter, not even after tripping up a Pumpkin Crawler..." Said Cablecrow, and they all knew he was right. Time was almost up.
Aaron took out a small notepad from his pocket, along with a pen. "What is that?" Brute asked, being overprotective of his friends.
"I-It's just my notepad." Aaron replied, flipping through his notes. "If it's alright with you, I'd just like to write down some information I get from being here. I won't tell anyone else."
They all seemed to understand, except for Brute, who was suspicious of him. "There are many things in this maze no human should set their eyes upon. Which includes US." Said Brute, being overly harsh.
Lila sighed. She felt welcomed when it was just Zardy, but now that his friends were back, she wanted to leave. "We can go, if you want..." She said sadly, taking a step back, refusing to make eye contact with Brute.
Zardy looked up at Brute. "Way to go." He said, and he held his hand out to Lila and Aaron. "Come with us. Don't listen to Brute until he's done being overprotective. Remember, he's not in charge here."
Brute was unimpressed as Lila shook Zardy's hand, and they all ventured deeper into the maze. "This will come back to haunt you, my friend. One day..." Brute said, slowly following.
They all split up into teams. Brute went with Rattler, Cablecrow followed them all from the poles, and Aaron and Lila followed Zardy.
"What are we looking for, Mr.?" Said Aaron, facinated by the maze.
"We're lookin' for my buddy Pumpkin Jack." Zardy replied, dragging his hoe on the ground, though it made an irritating noise. "And you don't have to call me Mr. Call me Zardy."
Aaron took note of Zardy and Pumpkin Jack's names, as he couldn't remember very easily.
Even though Lila trusted Zardy, and Aaron was learning to trust him, Cablecrow, who was following them via poles, could sense the lack of trust.
"Hey, Zardy." He said, whispering, knowing Zardy could hear him over his hoe. "Tell 'em a joke or something, make sure they're not scared."
Zardy sighed, having to think of a joke. He wasn't exactly funny. That was Pumpkin Jack's job.
"...You two wanna hear somethin' funny?" Zardy said, getting a slight idea.
They were confused, but Aaron and Lila agreed to hear what he had to say.
"Did you know that corn is also called maize?" He said, as they ventured deeper into the dark. Lila and Aaron had to follow him by the glow of his eyes.
"I did!" Lila said, but Aaron shook his head no.
"And that a maze of maize is a maize maze? AMAZEing, huh?" Zardy said, and they began laughing at him.
Cablecrow laughed at him from the pole. "When you tell jokes, it's funnier than I expect." He said, before zipping off to tell it to the others.
Aaron chuckled, before beginning to write down the pun for later use. "That was so bad." He said, though it was funny.
"Well, you're gonna get some pretty corny jokes outta this scarecrow." Zardy replied, before breaking out in laughter, loud enough to hear around the entire maze.
Lila and Aaron began laughing as well, but more at Zardy's own amusement in himself. They kept exploring the maze, though Zardy nearly got them lost a few times, before Zardy stopped in his tracks.
Lila and Aaron were confused, not able to hear or see anything. "What are you-" Said Lila, but she was cut off. "Shhhh..." Zardy whispered, staring into the corn.
Cablecrow reached down and tapped Aaron on the shoulder. "You two should probably backtrack to the center, Zardy's gonna need time for this." He said, and Lila and Aaron followed the path from Zardy's hoe all the way back.
"Z-Zardy...!" Said a figure, somewhere in the corn. His voice was quite, as if he had been shouting all day. Zardy whacked away at the corn with his hoe, following the sound of the wailing deeper into the corn.
Zardy cut through the corn as fast as he could, without accidentally hitting someone. "I'm comin', buddy!" He said, as the crying got louder.
It took him a minute, but he eventually cut into a small open area. No paths were connected. There, laying on the ground and bleeding out, with multiple burn marks, was Pumpkin Jack.
Zardy immediately broke out into tears upon seeing his friends condition. "J-Jack..." He said, dropping his hoe. He kneeled down next to his friend, inspecting the severity of his wounds.
"Z-Z-Zardy..." Said Pumpkin Jack, having almost no tears left to cry. "I-I've been c-calling for yo-you s-since the f-fire st-st-started!"
Zardy set his hand on Pumpkin Jack's shoulder, crying nearly as hard as he was. "I'm so, so sorry, Jack...I didn't hear you..." Zardy said, feeling more guilty than ever.
"Brute's gonna kill me..." Zardy said, seeing all the wounds. "W-Why are you leaking red stuff?"
"I-I-I don't k-know!" Pumpkin Jack replied. They were scarecrows, they didn't know what blood was, or that they had it. Zardy picked him up, and carried him to the center. He knew Lila would know more.
Pumpkin Jack grew weaker by the minute as Zardy made his way to the center. "Zardy..." He said, still crying.
Zardy looked down at him. "Yeah, bud?" He replied, wanting to keep him safe.
"I d-don't wanna die..." Said Pumpkin Jack, which just made Zardy cry more. "You w-won't die, Jack..." Zardy replied, trying to be hopeful. "Not on my watch...it's all my fault this even happened..."
Zardy knew Pumpkin Jack would suspect he lit the maze on fire, but his response is more shocking than first thought.
"...I know w-who did it, Zardy..." Said Pumpkin Jack, but Zardy wasn't concerned about that. "We'll deal with whoever did this later, Jack. You need help, and I'm never gonna leave you or anyone else behind ever again." Zardy replied.
Zardy finally found his way to the center, though Rattler and Cablecrow were desparately trying to protect Lila and Aaron from Brute.
Brute was swinging his hammer at them, nearly hitting his own friends in the process. "BRUTE!" Zardy shouted, making him stop right before Aaron took a blow.
Brute froze and slowly turned his head to Zardy. "...You found him. Now we can deal with these humans." Brute said, but Zardy has had enough.
"...You ignorant son of a gun." Zardy said, staring Brute in the eyes. "If it weren't for that girl, Crow and I would be dead, and so would the rest of us. Think about that."
Brute didn't seem to understand. "It is because of humans that we cannot leave this farmland, Zardy." Brute said, but Zardy didn't care.
Lila noticed how Pumpkin Jack was bleeding. "Oh my...how'd he get that hurt?" She asked, and Zardy didn't bother holding in his tears.
"I don't know. I know it was the fire, but I dunno what to do about this red stuff..." Zardy answered, still unaware of what blood was.
Rattler seemed disgusted by it. "Eeeeeewwwwwwww..." He said, backing up as the blood dripped onto the ground.
Pumpkin Jack coughed, and a bit of blood came from his mouth. "I-I'm not f-feelin' my best..." He said, and then the claw marks on his chest were noticable.
"That looks very bad..." Aaron said, having some knowledge on injuries. "Those cuts must go very deep if he's bleeding so much like that..."
Brute managed to switch his attention to Pumpkin Jack. "What have you done to yourself, Jack?" He asked, as the claw marks were the same as Jack's own hands.
Pumpkin Jack looked up at him, though he was struggling to keep his eyes open. "I-I tried t-to cut th-through the c-corn..." He replied, and his answer gave Aaron an idea of what happened.
"He must've cut himself when he was hitting the corn..." Aaron said, but Brute wasn't happy to hear that. "Who are you to speak for him?" Brute said angerly.
Cablecrow was confused. "Brute, Jack just said the same thing..." He said, but Brute was clearly just trying to get Lila and Aaron in trouble.
"...Wait, Pumpkin Jack's a pumpkin, right?" Said Lila, and Zardy nodded. "If any of you have plant powers, that could maybe heal him!"
Rattler knew Brute could do it, but he also knew Brute would rather die than listen to any human.
Zardy was also aware of this. "Do it, Brute..." He said, but Brute refused to listen.
"I will not listen to anything these mere mortals have to say." Brute replied, but he slowly began seeing the error in his ways as Rattler and Cablecrow both began crying.
Lila sighed. It was almost time for her and Aaron to head back home, but they hadn't gotten a chance to help.
Finally, after a few minutes...Brute snapped. He dropped his hammer on the ground as his arms went limp, and he stared down at Pumpkin Jack.
Lila and Aaron backed up, unsure of what he was doing. "W-What's going on?" Aaron said, but Zardy stayed silent, as he didn't know himself.
Brute held his hand out to Pumpkin Jack. Blue light began glowing from the claw marks on his chest, and after a minute, they were sealed. The bleeding stopped, and he regained enough strength to stand on his own.
"...You did it." Zardy said, both letting Jack stand by himself, and chuckling as he wiped his tears away. "There really was some good in you, ya ol' coot."
Everyone cheered for Brute, including Lila and Aaron. But the cheering of them confused Brute.
He reached down to pick up his hammer, but he didn't seem aggressive anymore. "Why are you humans cheering for me? I almost put an end to you, though you are innocent..." He said, knowing he was wrong.
As Lila and Aaron gave their answer, no one noticed how Zardy had somehow faded out of existance. Not even Rattler.
"Well, I knew you weren't a bad guy, sir!" Aaron replied, understanding what had happened. "People before us must've came here and did something to you all, so I understand that you wanted us to leave."
Brute was silent for a moment. No one had ever treated him with kindness. At least, not like this. "...You are too precious for this world, child." Brute said, feeling as though he shouldn't be forgiven.
Cablecrow laughed. "I always knew you were just a big softie." He said, and though everyone agreed, Brute thought otherwise.
"Aaarrrreeee yyyooouuuu oookkkkaaaayyyy, Jjjjaaaccckkkk?" Rattler said, still having some concern.
Pumpkin Jack laughed. "It still hurts a little, but I'll live. Thanks again, Brute." He said, and Brute nodded to him.
As they kept talking, no one had yet noticed how Zardy was gone. Until they heard a door shut outside of the field.
"What was that?" Aaron asked, as both he and Lila weren't aware of the small house behind the maze.
Everyone turned to the noise, and they now realized Zardy was gone. "...Where's Zardy?" Pumpkin Jack said, confused.
Brute sighed, knowing where he went. "He is outside of the maze. That small wooden house behind this field is his...quiet space." Brute answered, but they were still confused.
Lila looked around, and no one else was in sight. It wasn't very loud, so why would Zardy leave them? But Rattler knew, as he could read their minds.
"Hhhheeee iiiissss ssssaaaadddd." Rattler said, and they began to understand why.
Pumpkin Jack sadly stared in the direction of the house. "But...he said he'd never leave us..." He said, his voice cracking, as if he was going to cry.
Lila felt bad that Zardy had broken his promise. "If it makes you feel better, Aaron and I can stay for a little longer?" She said, but Brute refused.
"You two must return to your homes. It is dangerous to wander in the dark." Brute said, somewhat quoting Zardy. Lila and Aaron wanted to help, but they still listened, and went home without another word.
With Lila and Aaron gone, they began discussing on how to deal with Zardy. "What do we do?" Cablecrow asked, as he's never had to deal with negative emotion in Zardy.
Rattler had an idea, which may or may not change their lives. "...Lllleeeetttssss ttttrrrryyyy lllleeaaavvvviiinnnngggg tthhheeee mmmaaaazzzeeee." He said, but the others didn't want to try.
"The curse the humans put on us all those years ago stops us from going anywhere outside of this farmland." Brute said, but Rattler still wanted to try.
He didn't say anything else, but he began walking towards the back gate. He was going to try, whether his attempt would humiliate him or not.
The further he went, the more incouraged the others became. Cablecrow began to follow him via poles, Pumpkin Jack ran after him, but it took a minute for Brute to give in.
He sighed, but began flying towards the gate. "Why have you forsaken us, Zardy..." He said to himself, unaware of why Zardy left.
At the gate, Rattler opened it. "You sure this is gonna work?" Cablecrow asked, but Rattler didn't say anything.
"Please work..." Pumpkin Jack said, both excited and nervous.
Rattler took a step outside of the maze. But nothing happened. He took another step, and nothing happened. He was outside of the maze, and nothing happened.
The others were overwhelmed with joy. They were free. The curse has been lifted, and even Brute was happier than ever.
Pumpkin Jack jumped for joy, but almost to his own surprise, he jumped 12 feet in the air. "Woah!" He said upon landing. "Heheaheaheaheahhaeheaheahaehae! I almost forgot I could do that!"
"Guys, don't leave me in here if we're able to leave now!" Cablecrow said, as the others stepped out of the maze.
Brute reached up and took him off of the pole, holding him as they approached the small house.
From inside, they could hear sobbing. Then, they realized why Zardy had left.
Pumpkin Jack sighed, tears coming to his eyes as he saw Zardy's hoe laying on the ground. "I don't like sad Zardy..." He said, and the others agreed.
"I agree with you, Jack." Brute replied, feeling somewhat sad himself. "I believe he is upset because of the fire, and the fact it took him so long to rescue us."
Rattler nodded, knowing that was why. He walked up to the door, and knocked on it, but no one answered.
Cablecrow looked through the window, but he couldn't see anyone. "What's he doing, blocking the door?" He said, and Rattler nodded.
"Hhhheeee iiiissss sssscccaarrreeeddd." Rattler said, and they could tell why. If Zardy was without his hoe, he didn't have any means of protection.
Brute floated up to the door, though he was still holding Cablecrow. He set his hand on the door, as it wasn't alarming. "Zardy." He said firmly, but only so he was heard.
In almost an instant, the crying stopped. Everything was completely silent, except the ambient sounds of the crickets.
Brute waited a few minutes before grabbing the doorknob. "I am going to open the door..." He said, seemingly talking to Zardy.
The house wasn't very big, so Zardy didn't have anywhere to hide if he wanted to. Brute slowly opened the door, and as the moon light shined in, they could see Zardy's tears pouring.
"...You are a mess." Brute said, as they all entered, knowing Zardy wouldn't want to be alone forever. Zardy hung his head, refusing to make eye contact with any of them.
Rattler knew he was very upset about the fire, and the fact he never once heard Pumpkin Jack's cry for help. Brute set down Cablecrow, as he could somewhat stand with a pole for his lower body. Then, Brute began crying himself.
Sure, Zardy was overjoyed knowing his friends could join him outside of the maze, but he still had deep sadness over what had happened, and Brute now feels the sadness he does, but he feels more anger towards himself.
Everyone turned to Brute, as he's never let himself cry. Even Zardy lifted his head to him, finding it strange.
"W-What is this..." Brute said, as he didn't understand how to deal with sadness. Especially in himself. "You're crying, man..." Cablecrow replied, and Brute lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.
Zardy sighed, and after a few minutes, finally spoke. "...I'm s-so sorry, guys...I never meant to cry like this infront of anyone..." He said, wiping his tears away, though he kept crying.
Pumpkin Jack stood infront of Zardy in silence, tears in his eyes. "I know I promised you I'd never leave ya again, Jack-" Zardy said, but he was cut off as Pumpkin Jack hugged him, careful not to jab him with his claws.
He cried into Zardy's shoulder, refusing to let him go. "S-Stop h-hiding the w-way you f-feel, Z-Z-Zardy!" He said, and all Zardy did was hug him back.
The others began to understand how comfort worked. Cablecrow reached around and hugged Brute, as he was still crying. It took him a minute to understand, but Brute managed to hug him back.
"...Y-You sure you guys forgive me?" Zardy said, though Pumpkin Jack was still clinging to him.
Rattler looked at him, a tear coming to his eye, as the other was crossed out. "Ooooffff cccooouuurrrssseeee." He replied, and Cablecrow and Brute nodded.
Zardy sighed, and waited a few minutes for everyone to calm down. "...So the curse has been lifted, huh?" He said, hoping to help them focus on happiness.
"Y-Yes..." Brute said, though he was still crying. "I-It is almost as if those children had something to do with it..."
Zardy was silent for a moment. He knew that kindness was the only way to remove the curse, but he still wasn't sure. "Maybe they did, Brute..." He replied, beginning to calm down. "Maybe they did..."
It took a minute for Zardy to realize that Pumpkin Jack had fallen asleep on him. Though it wasn't the first time he's fell asleep on people. Or while standing up.
Zardy chuckled. "I know we're meant to be awake at night, but...I think we all need some sleep after this fiasco." Zardy whispered. The others agreed.
"Iiii dddooonnn'ttt wwwwaaaaannntttt tttooo ssslleeeepppp iiiinnn hhheeerreeee..." Rattler said, preferring the maze rather than the small house.
Zardy much rather prefered the maze, as well. Besides, there was only one bed in the house, and there was five of them. Brute picked up Pumpkin Jack, careful not to wake him up, and they all returned to the maze.
They all slept up against a weed for the night, and through most of the next day. They awoke to the sound of screaming around 3 PM.
They all listened to the screaming, which began to approach the maze. Zardy then recognized the voice. "...Lila!" He said, and the others got up with him, all of them running to the gate.
Cablecrow zipped to the gate first, and he could see a group of three kids chasing Lila towards the maze. Brute floated to the gate quicker than Pumpkin Jack could run, ready to attack.
"ZARDY!" Lila screamed, running towards the maze as fast as she could. Gavin and two of his friends were chasing her, all three of them holding rocks.
Brute growled, but he was suddenly overcome with the surging instinct to protect. The others felt this as well, and Zardy kicked the gate open. "Get over here, kid!" Zardy shouted, but the sight of him angered Gavin even more.
Lila got to the gate, running inside. Cablecrow pulled the gate shut, but only after Zardy and the others stepped out of the field.
"See, guys? I told you Lila would go running to the scarecrows!" Gavin said, laughing. "They're not even scary. They should be called stupidcrows." Said another boy, and he wasn't nice like Aaron. His name was Josh.
Pumpkin Jack swatted the rocks out of Gavin's hands. "You can't go around throwing rocks at people!" He said, but Gavin didn't care.
Gavin's friends continued to mock them, but they held off their attack until the right time. "We could squash you guys like bugs! What gives you the right to talk back? WE'RE the humans here!" Josh replied.
Pumpkin Jack stared at him, before snapping and grabbing the boy by his neck. "You wanna know how we're alive?!" He said, shouting at him.
The boy tried to answer, but Pumpkin Jack cut him off. "YA LEFT THE SPRINKLER ON, BOZO!" Pumpkin Jack yelled, before kicking the boy, knocking him on the ground. Zardy smiled sinisterly, and lifted up his hoe.
"I'll give you kids to the count of three to get outta here with your lives." Zardy said, chuckling.
They tried to run away, but Brute blocked their escape. "H-Hey! Move, idiot!" Gavin said, but Brute grabbed Josh by the throat.
Gavin and his other friend backed up, though Josh was calling for their help. "Ffffrrriiieennnddsss dddooonnn'tttt mmmmaaaaatttttttteerrrrr iiinnnnn ttthhheeee eeeennnndddd." Rattler said to Josh, and Zardy and Pumpkin Jack laughed.
Josh stared up angerly at Brute. "I'm not afraid of you and your toy carnival hammer!" Josh said, and Brute laughed at him.
"This does more than protecting weeds..." Brute replied. Without hesitation, Brute hit the boy on the head with his hammer, snapping his neck and killing him in an instant.
Gavin and his friend made a run for it, getting past them. "Just you wait until his parents find out you killed him! Then you'll pay! You all will!" Gavin shouted, as he ran home.
Zardy lowered his hoe, honestly disappointed he didn't get to kill. Rattler dragged away Josh's body, knowing it would keep them hidden from other people.
They re-entered the maze, and Lila was both crying and bleeding. "Z-Zardy..." She said, but Zardy didn't know what to do. "Now you're leakin' red stuff? What happened?" Zardy replied.
"I-It's called blood...i-it's what ke-keeps people alive..." Lila answered, and for being responsible for dozens of deaths, Zardy felt embarrassed for not knowing.
Brute dropped his hammer, and grabbed Lila's arm, inspecting the wounds. "How did they do this to you, child?" He said, seeming overprotective.
Lila wiped her tears away, scared to tell him. But she did anyway. "G-Gavin and his friends tried beating me up because I'm friends with you guys..." She said, and they all immediately wanted revenge for her.
Pumpkin Jack closed the gate, locking it. "Well, we're not letting you go anywhere's near those dumb-dumb's by yourself! You're safe in the maze!...Never thought I'd say that." He said, and they laughed a bit.
"M-My parents will come look for me..." Lila replied, and Rattler knew it would be bad for them. "I-If I stay here too long, I could accidentally expose you guys..."
Zardy chuckled, as he knew that humans couldn't win against them all, especially weaponized. "No one's gonna find out we're here unless I want 'em to. You're safe now, kiddo." He said, and it was a relief for Lila.
They all walked to the center of the maze, but Zardy stayed behind at the gate. He climbed up and sat on the gate, facing outside of the maze. The truth is, he's deathly afraid of what would happen if they were found.
Pumpkin Jack noticed that Zardy had stayed behind, so he ran back over to him. "Zardy?" He said, confused. "Aren't you coming?"
Zardy sighed, unsure of what to tell him. "I'm not in the mood for talkin' right now, Jack..." He replied, trying to be as nice as possible.
"I know you're upset, Zardy." Pumpkin Jack said, leaning against the gate with his arms crossed. "Why won't you just talk about it?"
Zardy thought about what he said for a minute. "Jack...scarecrows aren't meant to cry. Or live." He replied, slowly opening up to him. "So...why do I feel like I need to cry so often?"
Pumpkin Jack sighed, unsure of what the right answer would be. "I think I know..." He said, and Zardy turned his head to him. "You've held in your emotions for so long, you can't anymore."
"...I hate this." Zardy said, and Pumpkin Jack was concerned.
He looked up at Zardy, and he could see the tears in his eyes. Cold wind blew, which made them both shiver. "Right, winter's almost here..." Pumpkin Jack said, despising the cold.
Zardy looked up to the dark sky. The sun had just set, making it even colder. "...What do you hate, Zardy?" Pumpkin Jack asked, and Zardy sighed heavily.
"...This. This feeling. If I let myself do it...I feel like I could cry for hours." Zardy replied. Pumpkin Jack had nothing more to say.
He grabbed onto Zardy and lifted him off of the fence, inside the maze. It confused him, mostly due to the fact Pumpkin Jack was strong enough to move him against his own will.
Pumpkin Jack grabbed him by the shoulders. "Listen to me. We're all gonna go inside, and we're gonna have fun. You're gonna have fun, got it? No sadness allowed when I'm around!" He said, and Zardy chuckled.
"This is why you're my best bud." Zardy replied, and they both went to join the others at the house behind the field.
Everyone was waiting for them at the house. "What took you so long?" Brute asked, and though Zardy didn't want to answer, Pumpkin Jack did for him.
"Zardy was sad again." Pumpkin Jack replied, and though it gave them all some concern, it also gave them closure, knowing Zardy's beginning to open up.
They all went inside, as the cold wind was getting to be too much. But, as Lila was still bleeding, they realized they didn't know how to take care of a human.
Lila knew this. "I'll be fine, guys. It's not the first time Gavin's tried hurting me..." She said, which just made Zardy angry.
Brute now remembered how some plants can be used for healing. He used his magic to sprout a certain type of weed, of which he'd craft into bandages.
He tied them around the wounds Gavin had made, and they worked more efficiently than regular bandages. "Thank you." Lila said, and Brute nodded to her.
"I'm gonna kill that boy if he ever comes wanderin' where he shouldn't..." Zardy said, and the others agreed. Even Lila. "I don't think he's dumb enough to come here again." She replied, and Zardy chuckled.
Pumpkin Jack stared around, bored. "Soooo...what now?" He said, knowing it was too cold out to be in the maze.
Lila looked outside, and as she saw the wind blowing through the tree's, she realized they hated the cold. "Oh...you guys don't like the cold, do you?" She asked, and they all nodded.
Cablecrow looked outside, worried about the cold. Now that they could all leave the maze, the house could keep them warm, but none of them wanted to stay there all winter.
"Don't you guys have anything warm you can wear?" Lila asked, but they oddly seemed confused. "There is such thing as warm clothing?" Brute said, and Lila laughed a bit.
Though she was laughing, she was confused. Brute was wearing a long, leather robe. They all seemed like they had warm clothes, except for Cablecrow and Rattler.
Then she realized how weird it was that they could physically feel anything, even though they were alive, they were still scarecrows.
"Wwwweeee mmiiiggghhhttt bbbeee ssscccaaaarrreeecccrrrooowwwsss, bbbuuttt wwweeee sssttiiillll fffeeeeelllllll." Rattler said, having read her mind. They all laughed at her as she seemed startled.
Lila chuckled. "Oh, right, you read minds. I forgot." She said, but then she reached for something in her backpack.
She pulled a scarf from her backpack, showing them. "What's that?" Cablecrow asked, intrigued. "It's a scarf!" Lila answered. "It's something people use to keep their necks warm."
Brute was puzzled. "So that is one of the warm clothings you've told me of?" He said, and they all laughed at him. "A scarf isn't exactly clothing, it's just an accesory." Lila answered.
Zardy noticed a flashlight in one of her backpack's pockets. "...What's that?" He asked, though he had an idea.
"Oh, this?" Lila replied, picking up the flashlight. "It's just a flashlight. My mom wanted me to bring it with me since it gets dark out so early now."
Zardy seemed scared of it. "...Put it back." He said, and the others knew why.
Though she was confused, Lila could see how quickly fear was taking over, so she put it back in her backpack.
Brute knew she was confused. Only a few people have ever known why Zardy fears artificial light. "You have not seen what that kind of light does to him." Brute whispered.
Cablecrow looked outside. It was completely dark, but it was only 5 PM. "You should probably head home now, kiddo." He said, and Lila agreed.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't want my parents to find out about this place..." She said, opening the door. "Bye, guys!"
Zardy grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her. "You ain't goin' home in the dark alone." He said, and she knew he was right.
Brute picked up his hammer, and floated outside with her. "I will guide you home." He said, knowing he'd be able to escape the quickest if he was seen.
The two of them left, and made their way to Lila's house. It wasn't very far, maybe a 15 minute walk from the maze.
"...Zardy?" Pumpkin Jack said, knowing he was still upset. "...She's not gonna betray us, right? She...has a flashlight. And with that, she could..."
He stopped mid-sentance, as tears came to his eyes, and his voice cracked.
Zardy set his hand on his shoulder. "She could melt me. I know. It hurts so incredibly bad when artifical light is on me...but I'll always come back." Zardy replied, which gave them all a bit of relief.
They patrolled the maze like normal, as they knew what needed to be done, whether it was cold or not. When Brute returned, he began floating around the weed at the center of the maze, guarding it.
They patrolled for the rest of the night, messing around and having fun, like Pumpkin Jack had promised. By the next day, they weren't tired, as they had slept through an entire night and day.
But, oddly enough, at noon, Lila walked up to the gate, and Aaron was with her. "Hey, Zardy? Are you guys there?" Lila asked, but they all had an idea.
Pumpkin Jack slowly crept through the corn, while the others hid. "Maybe they aren't here right now." Aaron said, and Lila figured he was right. "You're probably right, they must sleep in the day." Lila replied.
But, they heard rustling in the corn. They couldn't see anything, until Pumpkin Jack jumped out from the corn, right infront of the gate. "Boo!" Pumpkin Jack shouted, and the two of them screamed.
"Pumpkin Jack!" Lila shouted, both frustrated and amused. Aaron and Jack both laughed at her, and the others began laughing as they walked up to the gate.
Zardy opened the gate, letting everyone out, though Cablecrow was watching from the nearest pole. "Now what do ya need, kid?" Zardy asked, knowing they were there for a reason.
Lila sighed, almost feeling embarrased to tell him. "Well...there's a sports tournament going on at school, and there's two teams. But each team needs 7 members..." Lila said.
Aaron knew that Lila was his only friend, and Lila knew the same. "We were hoping you guys could join us?" Aaron asked, and for once, Zardy seemed genuinely happy.
"Us? We're, uhh...not exactly athletic, kid." Zardy answered, but Lila had an idea. "There's 7 events, one for each team member. There's gotta be something you each have a specialty in!" Lila said, and Zardy agreed to listen.
Aaron pulled out his notepad, as he had written down each event. "The first event is gonna be the high jump." He said, and Pumpkin Jack was excited. "Using a long pole, one member of each team has to clear the top pole."
Pumpkin Jack laughed. "Watch this!" He said, and he jumped, launching 12 feet in the air. "World's greatest jumper! Ehahahaha!"
Lila laughed, though she was amazed by his jumping capability. "Well, I think it's clear who can do the high jump." She said, and Pumpkin Jack was happy to hear that.
"After that, there's gonna be a 1v1 volley ball match." Aaron said, and Brute wanted to participate. "Even without my hammer, I can hit with the force of an army." Brute said, and they took it as a volunteer.
Aaron wrote down which sport they'd all be doing. "Next, there's gonna be a tennis match." Aaron said, and Cablecrow seemed interested. "What's that?" He asked, and Lila and Aaron explained.
"It's a sport where you hold a racket, and you have to hit a ball over a net, and past your opponent." Lila said. "But how would you do it if you don't have legs?"
Cablecrow then got an idea. "If they let me have two rackets, then I could just stand in the middle of the court and win easy." He said, and they remembered how his arms can shoot out, hence the name Cablecrow.
Zardy laughed, and he realized that by making his friends happy, he was happy, too. "There's gonna be some other kids who didn't make the teams in the next event." Aaron said, and they all listened.
"It's gonna be soccer. And one member from each team is gonna be the goalie." Aaron said, and Rattler had an idea. "Iiii cccaaannn dddooo iiitttt." He said, though he didn't sound confident.
Zardy thought for a minute on how to give him confidence, before he got an idea. "Hey, maybe you can use fear to your advantage." Zardy said, and Rattler was interested. "You're probably the scariest one out of us all."
Rattler agreed to the event, realizing his rattling sounds and ghoulish stare could distract the opponents. "Lila already said she's gonna do the art contest." Aaron said, and Lila nodded.
"Art, huh?" Cablecrow said. "I didn't know you liked art."
Lila chuckled. "Well, it's just what I do with my free time." She replied, though Rattler could tell she had a passion for it. "I'm gonna do the spelling bee." Aaron said.
It confused them. "You've gotta spell the word bee?" Pumpkin Jack asked, and Aaron laughed at him. "No, a spelling bee is what they call a contest between students who race to spell the longest word correctly." Aaron answered.
Lila then noticed Aaron forgot an event. "Wait, Aaron! What about the race?" She said, and Aaron face-palmed. "I totally forgot about that! Who's gonna do it?" He said, and Zardy chuckled.
"I may slow down when it gets cold out, but that don't mean I can't run." Zardy said, and the others agreed. Though he didn't look like he could, Zardy could run faster than any human. And he'd use that to his advantage.
Aaron was confused. "You? Run?" He said, and Zardy laughed at him. "You'll just have to see, boy." Zardy replied, and Lila remembered the event was happening soon.
Lila looked around, and she knew it would be hard to explain. She'd be seen with 5 murderous scarecrows in broad daylight. "How will you guys get there undetected?" Lila asked, but they had an idea.
Brute chuckled. "If you lead us there, humans cannot harm us without the chance of harming you, which will protect us all." He said, and Aaron agreed to his plan.
Lila and Aaron led them into town. But, as soon as someone spotted the group of scarecrows, the police were called. Zardy's encountered some people who managed to escape the maze alive.
"Just lay low, guys...we're almost there." Lila said, seeing people crossing the street just to get away from them. But, ahead of them, Zardy spotted Gavin and his team.
Gavin saw them, but he just laughed and continued his way to school. But once Lila and Aaron arrived in the small field behind the school, police surrounded the area, and pointed guns at the scarecrows.
An officer forcefully pulled Lila and Aaron away from them, and other officers moved closer to the scarecrows, which was frightening for them. "No sudden movements, guys..." Zardy said, gripping his hoe tightly.
Gavin laughed, and so did his team. "Hahahaha! She really thought she could get away with bringing the killer scarecrows to school like pets!" He said, which just made Zardy angry.
Lila and Aaron broke free from the officers grasp, running up to Zardy and the others. "Stop! They don't wanna hurt anyone!" Aaron yelled, but the officers didn't listen.
"Alright, state your cause of being here, murderer." An officer said to Zardy, and he sighed, nervous to be around so many humans with weapons. "Let me explain..." Zardy said, and they all listened for a moment.
"Lila and Aaron needed our help for whatever this school tournament thing is...or whatever its called." Zardy said. "We don't want any trouble. Those kids saved us, and we're gonna return the favor."
The officers slowly lowered their guns, beginning to understand. "So, you aren't here to wipe out the rest of our town?" One of them said.
Zardy nodded, and so did the others. "We do not want bloodshed." Brute said, and as they all thought he was in charge, they listened. "But if anything goes wrong, we will not hold back our bloodlust if the children are injured."
They all took note of Brute's warning, and simply due to fear, let them participate. Zardy smiled sinisterly at Gavin, as he had thought the scarecrows would've been killed on sight.
Both teams followed the teacher to the first event - the high jump. "You're turn, Adam." Gavin said to his friend, and he took one of the two jumping poles. But, Gavin had previously cut a notch into the other pole.
If it were to be used, it would snap immediately. "Get 'em, Jack." Zardy said, and Pumpkin Jack happily took the sabotaged pole.
"Alright, whoever jumps the highest over this pole wins the first round." The teacher said, and Pumpkin Jack laughed happily. "Ehahahaha! I'm so gonna win!"
"We'll see about that, scarecrow." Adam said, and he took his turn. He barely cleared the top pole, landing on the mattress beneath the setup.
Brute laughed, knowing how much higher Pumpkin Jack could go. But, as he tried jumping, the pole snapped, and he fell, though he wasn't hurt. "Hey! Why'd my big white stick break?" He said, and Gavin laughed.
The teacher pretended to be sad, but she was actually happy. "Oh dear, looks like you can't participate in this event-" She said, but she was cut off.
Pumpkin Jack tossed the broken pole aside. "Nonsense! Watch this!" He said, and he jumped 12 feet in the air, 6 feet over the pole. He landed a few feet behind the setup, easily clearing the mattress.
"World's greatest jumper!" He said, and Lila and Aaron cheered for him, along with Zardy and the others.
The teacher was genuinely amazed by his jump, and began thinking of accepting him. "Well, it looks like...uhm...I'm sorry, what is your name?" She asked, and Pumpkin Jack sighed, having forgotten to say his name.
"Pumpkin Jack!" He shouted, and some of the other kids, who had been watching, laughed at his enthusiasm.
Both teams then followed the teacher inside the school, and to the volley ball court. "Okay, one member from each team will be having a one-on-one match in volley ball." The teacher said.
Gavin chose his friend Luke, and Luke stood at one end of the court. "Bring your worst, scarecrows! For being filled with hay, you couldn't squash a fly!" Luke said, mocking them.
"Allow me..." Brute said, handing Zardy his hammer, though the weight of it nearly pulled him down. Brute floated low to the ground on his end of the court, and as he cracked his knuckles, the boy knew he was in for it.
The teacher blew her whistle, and Luke served the first hit. Brute went easy on him, and hit it back with average strength.
Zardy set down Brute's hammer, as it was too heavy for him. Though, Gavin and the rest of his team laughed at him for it. "Hah! Most of these events require actual strength, we're so gonna win." Gavin said, and Zardy laughed.
Zardy watched Brute hit the ball back and forth, knowing they'd win. "Don't underestimate us, boy. You saw what he did to that last troublemaker." Zardy replied, not even looking at Gavin.
They watched as Luke nearly got the ball past Brute, but he saved it at the last moment. "Almost got you, loser!" Luke shouted, and Brute snapped.
"That is it!" He said, and as Luke served the ball over the net, Brute hit it with as much force as possible.
The ball soared right past Luke, going through the net, and busting a hole in the wall. "...I was not meant to break it, was I?" Brute said, turning his head to Lila, and she face-palmed.
The teacher gave him the win, as she knew he didn't entirely understand how human activities work. "That was...interesting, but you have gained another point, umm..." She said, having not caught his name either.
"Brute." Brute said, and the teacher nodded. They all followed the teacher back outside, to the tennis court. "Please choose a member from your team to participate in tennis." She said, and Gavin chose his friend Mike.
Zardy took Cablecrow to the center of the court, letting him stand in the center, before backing up again so he wasn't hit with the ball.
The teacher was confused, as he didn't have any legs, but didn't say anything. She gave him a tennis racket, but she realized one racket wouldn't be fair for Cablecrow to only have one.
"What is your name again?" She asked, and Cablecrow sighed. "Cablecrow. But please, just call me Crow." He replied, and the teacher nodded, handing him a second racket. "This will make up for your lack of legs." She said.
Mike hit the first serve, and Cablecrow simply shot out his entire arm, hitting the ball back without moving. "Hey! No fair!" Mike shouted, struggling to keep up, but Cablecrow laughed, and hit harder.
Within a few minutes, Cablecrow had hit the ball past Mike, and won. The teacher blew her whistle, ending the match. "Cablecrow wins this match! It's 3 to 0." The teacher said, and Cablecrow laughed.
Gavin growled, embarrassed to be losing to Zardy's team. "Next, we have the soccer match. Choose one member from your teams to be the goalie." The teacher said, and Gavin chose his friend Zach.
Zardy chuckled, turning his head to Rattler. "Go get 'em. Just don't let that ball, or whatever they're gonna use, get past you. 'Kay?" Zardy said, and Rattler nodded.
They followed the teacher to the biggest part of the field, the soccer field. The other kids who had agreed to do soccer were waiting for them. Zach went to his net, and Rattler went to his.
"Wow, uh, you don't look like much. Good luck in this." Zach said, oddly acting nice. Rattler was confused, as his future sight and mind reading showed him the boy was kind.
Gavin sighed embarrassingly. "Zach! He's your opponent! Don't be nice to him!" Gavin shouted, and Zach seemed afraid of him, lowering his head, focusing on his part.
Rattler gave Gavin a stern look, sending shivers down his spine and fear clouding his brain. The teacher blew her whistle, and the game started.
Rattler only needed the ball to get past Zach, and he'd win. He remembered what Zardy had said, and he purposely rattled louder than normal.
A student kicked the ball, and Zach barely blocked it. The ball was kicked towards Rattler, and he blocked it with ease. After a few rounds, the ball finally went past Zach, and Rattler had won through fear.
The teacher blew her whistle again, ending the match. "Umm...oh, goodness, I never got your name, either." The teacher said, and Rattler sighed.
"Rrrraaatttttllleeeerrrrr." He replied, and though his haunting voice frightened her, she looked past it. "Rattler has won the soccer match! It's 4 to 0. There are 3 events left." She said, but Gavin was furious.
"Wait and see, scarecrows..." Gavin muttered under his breath. "Wait and see...you won't get another point if it's on my life."
They all followed the teacher back inside for two of the final three events. They were all now in the art class room, and Lila was going up against Gavin's friend Chris.
Chris laughed at her, thinking he'd win for sure. "Don't even try, Lila. For working with scarecrows, I bet you haven't learned a thing!" Chris said, but Lila didn't respond.
She turned her head to Zardy and the others. "What do I draw...?" She whispered, and Zardy had an idea. "...Us." He whispered, and she nodded.
"Alright, students! You have 25 minutes to finish your drawing, starting now!" The teacher said, and Chris and Lila began drawing.
Everyone had begun getting used to Zardy and his friends, except, of course, Gavin and his team. Though Zach was kind, he was being forced to be friends with Gavin, like Aaron was.
After 25 minutes, the drawings were complete. "Check out my skills!" Chris said, showing his canvas. His drawing wasn't the best, in fact, it was quite poorly done, and no love was put into it.
Lila slowly turned her canvas around, but when everyone saw it, even Zardy was shocked. "It's not the best, but...it's all I could do in time." Lila said, though her drawing was easily the best.
She had drawn the maze, exactly the way she had first seen it a few nights ago, except the corn wasn't burned. It was drawn as if the perspective was from someone walking through a path.
Zardy, Pumpkin Jack, Rattler, Cablecrow and Brute were drawn with perfect accuracy, and even the giant weed in the background was realisticly detailed.
"When I suggested you draw us, I, uhh...didn't expect that much work." Zardy said, unsure of how to compliment it.
Lila laughed, knowing he wasn't used to compliments, whether he was giving them or receiving them.
"I think it's clear who our winner is. It's 5 to 0. Onto the spelling bee!" The teacher said, and they all followed her to the presentation room of the school.
Aaron got on stage, his opponent being Gavin's friend Devin. The teacher began giving them words to spell, and only after 15 minutes, Aaron had won in a landslide.
Gavin was fuming with anger. "One more point, and they win! I've gotta stop them..." He said, and as he stared at Zardy, knowing he was the final opponent, he had an idea. "Let's see how you like dirty play, scarecrow..."
The teacher blew her whistle, getting everyone's attention. "There's one final event. The sprint. Seeing as how there's only one member left from each team, Gavin will be going up against...ummm..." The teacher said.
"Zardy." Zardy said, and the teacher nodded. They all followed her outside, to the racetrack. Gavin and Zardy stood at the starting line.
They let him keep his hoe, as he had gained enough trust to keep it during events. "Just because it's 6 to 0 doesn't mean you'll win, scarecrow." Gavin said, but Zardy simply shrugged and didn't pay attention to him.
The teacher was slightly confused. "Wait...if you're a scarecrow, how will you run?" She said, and Zardy chuckled. "I slow down when it gets colder, but from what I've been through, runnin' is vital for me." He replied.
Gavin looked at his team, cheering for him. But, everyone else, including the other kids, were cheering for Zardy.
"I will NOT lose a race to you." Gavin said, and Zardy didn't respond.
The teacher blew her whistle, and the race started. Gavin took off, running fairly quickly. Zardy waited a few seconds, but when he started running, he passed Gavin in seconds.
"WHAT?!" Gavin yelled as Zardy ran past him, but Zardy looked back at him and laughed. Within 1 minute, Zardy won.
The teacher blew her whistle one last time, ending the race, though Gavin still had to run to the finish line. "Zardy wins!" She said, and everyone cheered for him. Including Zach, though he was on Gavin's team.
Pumpkin Jack laughed, having never thought he'd get to have fun outside of the maze. "Best day ever!" He said, and even Zardy agreed.
Brute chuckled, impressed by Zardy's speed. "For once, you didn't trip and fall over." He said, and Zardy stared at him in annoyance.
The teacher walked up onto the stage that was nearby, right at the side of the building. "Mr. Zardy, please come on up and tell everyone why you did this!" She said, but Zardy hesitated.
"C'mon, go for it, Zardy!" Lila said, and Zardy sighed. But as he walked onto the stage, Rattler suddenly got a sinking feeling that there would be a horrible, agony-inducing turn of events.
The teacher handed him a microphone that she had grabbed. "Please, give us a victory speech!" She said, and Zardy took the microphone, but he didn't know what to do.
He sighed, turning on the mircophone. Everyone at the school had crowded together infront of the stage, though he was uncomfortable not seeing Gavin.
"Alright...I've got somethin' to explain." He said, and everyone fell silent, listening. "I gotta explain the murders...an' why I didn't do any of it by personal choice."
He began to explain why he killed so many people in the maze. But, Brute spotted Gavin at the front of the crowd, and he was holding a heavy-duty flashlight.
He could see Gavin slowly pointing it up at Zardy, trying not to be suspected. "ZARDY!" Brute shouted, and Zardy's attention snapped up to him. "Wha-" He said, but he was cut off.
Gavin turned on the flashlight for a few seconds, flashing Zardy with it. He immediately dropped his hoe and the microphone. "RRRAH!" Zardy roared, falling to his knees, covering his eyes quickly.
Blood poured from the scarecrows eyes, and his body slowly started fading out of existance. Everyone flew into a panic, and Brute, who's face has been completely black, suddenly gained two, bright red, glowing eyes.
"KKKKLHHHHAAAA!" Screeched Pumpkin Jack, beginning to wildly slash at anyone who got near him.
Gavin began laughing, watching Zardy suffer on stage. "How pathetic! The big strong scarecrow can't take a little flashlight!" He said, but out of nowhere, Pumpkin Jack's claws sunk into his shoulders.
Everyone froze. They stared at Pumpkin Jack and Gavin, though Lila was sneaking her way up to the stage.
"YOU..." Pumpkin Jack said, though Gavin was screaming in pain. "Let me go!" He cried, but Pumpkin Jack didn't move.
Out of nowhere, a bystanding officer tackled Pumpkin Jack to the ground, forcing him to let go of Gavin. "I knew you scarecrows were nothing but trouble!" He said, but Pumpkin Jack got up quickly.
Pumpkin Jack slashed down the officer in seconds, leaving hardly anything in tact. "None of us WANTED to do this! That PUNK just killed my best friend!" Pumpkin Jack shouted.
Though Gavin's friends tried distracting the scarecrows, Gavin made his way to Zardy. He stood opposite of Lila, Zardy dying between them.
"Time to end this!" Gavin said, turning on the flashlight. He charged both of them, but Lila picked up Zardy's hoe. "...It's dangerous to wander in the dark." Lila said, and she swung at Gavin's head.
The hoe hit Gavin in the side of the head. He couldn't dodge it this time. With a burst of blood, Gavin fell face down. It was over. They won.
"Murderer!" Yelled one of the other students, but Lila dropped the hoe and bent down next to Zardy. "Zardy?!" She said, as he was fading away.
Even though he was in absolute agony, Zardy managed to chuckle. "...T-Thank you, kid. F-For everythin'..." Zardy said, though he still had his eyes covered. "Hopefully we'll meet again..."
Lila turned her head to the other scarecrows. They were fighting off all of the officers at the scene, and the kids from Gavin's team who attacked.
Rattler could shoot out his own fist, the way Cablecrow can, but he ripped through people instead. He stopped, inches away from Zach's face.
"N-N-No!" Zach cried, terrified. But Rattler patted him on the head, seemingly friendly. "Yyyooouuu dddiiiidddnnnn'ttttt hhhhaaavvveee aaaaa ppppaaaarrrtttt iiiinnnn ttttthhhiiiisssss." Rattler said, moving on to his next targets.
Once the scarecrows had killed everyone who fought against them, they slowly made their way onto the stage. The teacher backed against the wall, terrified.
Brute held his hammer tightly, holding it out towards her. "Did you have a part in this?" He sternly asked, and she shook her head no.
They all approached Zardy, careful not to step in the blood from both his eyes and Gavin. Zardy was nearly invisible, he was fading away so quickly.
"Don't leave us, Zardy..." Pumpkin Jack said, tears coming to his eyes. But before Zardy faded away, he spoke his final words. "...I'll always be back for more..." Zardy whispered, and seconds later, he vanished.
They were all devastated. Aaron ran up onto the stage, taking the flashlight Gavin had dropped. "How did he get this?! Why would he do that?!" He said, beginning to cry himself.
Brute held back his tears, though he was upset like them. "...Zardy will return...in time." Brute said, and gave them all a bit of hope.
Then, they heard it. "RRRAH!" Zardy roared, being heard in the distance. They all turned towards the direction of the maze.
"Zardy!" Lila said, but sirens from police cars were heard fast approaching.
Aaron knew they'd be coming for both Lila and the scarecrows. "You guys need to get out of here!" Aaron said, but Lila didn't realize he was talking to her as well.
Brute grabbed Lila's wrist, as the others figured out their escape route. "Come with us, child. They're after you." He said, and Lila was confused. "Me? Why me?" She said.
Aaron pointed at Gavin's body. "Oh...I get it." Lila said, seeming sad to have to leave her town.
"Cops coming in hot! We've gotta go!" Pumpkin Jack said, and Lila knew he was right. "Go with them, Lila! Maybe tomorrow you guys can figure something out!" Aaron said, and Lila nodded.
It was nearly night, anyway. The peak of the scarecrows active hours. Though they were tired from being up all day.
They all waved goodbye to Aaron, and Pumpkin Jack picked up Lila, jumping away and towards the maze. Rattler was fast, and he slipped away undetected, and Brute flew Cablecrow back home.
Once in the maze, the sirens faded out of earshot. They had lost the police, but now they needed to care for Zardy.
"We will need something to cover his eyes..." Brute said, helping Cablecrow onto a pole.
Lila had an idea. "Good thing I forgot to leave this at home..." She said, and she took the scarf from her backpack that she had shown them.
Brute took the scarf. "Perfect. Now, he is going to be very sensitive to light. Even day light." Brute said, but Lila was still confused.
"Why does light hurt him? He was perfectly fine in the sun..." She asked, but Brute didn't know how to explain.
Rattler sighed deeply, knowing she'd have to know sooner or later. "Bbbbeeeccccaaauuussseeeee...hhhheeeee wwwaaassss ccccrrrreeeaaatttteeeddd bbbbyyy bbbaaadddd ppppeeeeoooppplllleeee." Rattler said, but there was much more to be told.
Lila was confused. "What? Created?" She said, and Brute sighed, having to further explain.
"We were all created in a lab. Tortured day by day...but Zardy had it the worst, as he was the most sentient. Though that's what they thought." Brute said, and everyone fell silent, listening.
Brute's voice cracked, as if he was going to cry. "...But...um..." He said, stopping to clear his throat, holding back his tears with all his strength. "T-They created us all to have weaknesses to light."
Pumpkin Jack pulled his hat down, trying to hide his face. "Artificial light forces me to freeze in place..." He said, and she felt bad for them.
"Artificial light can stop me for about 15 seconds." Cablecrow said. "Lllliiiigggghhhhtttt sssttttoooppppssss mmmmeeee lllliiikkkkeeee Jjjjaaacccckkkk, bbbuuutttt iiiittttt aaaalllllssssoooo hhhhuuurrrtttsss." Rattler said.
Lila sighed. The reason they went so feral at school was because of the memories Gavin's flashlight had surfaced. "I'm sorry, guys..." She said, wanting to help them feel better.
Brute set down his hammer. "It is not your fault, child. Those events in our past have made us aggressive towards humans...and that is our fault." Brute said, even though it wasn't anyone's fault.
They all suddenly heard a scream. It came from one of the far corners of the maze, where no paths or clearings were. It was obvious it was Zardy.
"We've gotta help him." Pumpkin Jack said, anxious. "Artificial light has way worse effects on Zardy."
They all made their way towards the sound. Lila regretted ever bringing them into town, she wouldn't have done it if she knew about their reaction to light.
Rattler could sense she felt that way, but he didn't say anything.
Cablecrow began to hone in on the screams location. It came from the corner of the maze, where it was nothing but corn. No paths. No clearings.
"RRRAH!" Zardy screamed, sounding as if he was in more pain than ever. Rattler began looking for a path to him, and Brute floated over the corn. Pumpkin Jack, though, jumped straight into the corn, while Lila stood helpless.
Lila sighed, knowing she couldn't help. "I'm so sorry, Zardy..." She said, and she made her way to the center.
Pumpkin Jack pushed through the corn. "Zardy?!" He shouted, but no one responded.
Brute was flying over the corn, searching for him. "Please, Zahrada...all you need to do is alert us of your location, and we will take it from there..." He said, trying to stay hopeful.
Rattler tried finding a path to Zardy, but ended up going in multiple circles. Cablecrow ran out of poles by the time he thought he was close.
"Zardy! C'mon, say something!" Pumpkin Jack shouted, hardly able to see where he was going. But then, he tripped over something...or someone.
He slowly stood up, having landed on a few rocks. "O-Ow..." He said, but when he looked down to what he tripped over, it was Zardy. "Zardy?!"
Zardy was laying on his side, having been in too much pain to stand. He was covering his eyes with his forearm, using his other hand to pull his hat over his eyes, while seemingly pressing his arm against his eyes even harder.
Pumpkin Jack kneeled down next to him. "G-Guys! I found him!" He shouted, but he began losing hope in Zardy's recovery. It was clear he was suffering.
"J-J-Jack..." Zardy stuttered, terrified. "I-I'm here, Zardy..." He replied, but neither of them felt any better.
Pumpkin Jack began slashing down the corn that was surrounding them, as Zardy had been completely hidden in it. The others made their way to the two of them, but not even Brute knew how to ease the pain.
Brute set his hammer down, as he still had the scarf. "Zardy..." He said, reaching down to grab his arm. "I know it hurts, but you must let me see what is going on."
Rattler sighed, but he kneeled down infront of Zardy. "Yyyyoouuuu wwwiiilllll nnnnoooottttt fffoooorrrrgggiiiivvveee mmmmeeee ffffoooorrrr ttthhhiiiisssss..." He said, but the others were confused.
Then, he grabbed Zardy's arms, and pulled them away from his eyes. "RRRAH!" Zardy screeched, as the sun hadn't completely set, putting him in even more pain.
Brute acted swiftly. Rattler wouldn't be able to fight against Zardy's strength for long. Brute tied the scarf around Zardy's eyes, as a blindfold. Not even a minute later, Zardy began to calm down.
"Okay...I believe this is working." Brute said, though blood was still leaking through the blindfold. "You sure about that?" Cablecrow replied, seeing the blood.
Brute went silent for a moment, before lowering his head. "No. I am not sure." Brute answered.
With little to no strength left, Pumpkin Jack had to pick up Zardy in order to bring him to the maze center. Once everyone was there, Lila was very upset upon seeing Zardy injured.
"...A flashlight really did that...?" She said, having trouble believing a single light did that much damage.
Brute nodded. "I told you that you have not yet seen what that kind of light does to him." He replied, but they all began to look concerned as Lila had tears in her eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry, guys..." She said, but they were confused. "If I didn't ask for you to come to school, none of this would've happened..."
But then, even though he was barely conscious, Zardy spoke. "...I-It ain't your fault, k-kid..." He said, but with the agony audible in his voice, his words didn't make her feel better.
"Do not strain yourself, Zahrada." Brute said, and Zardy didn't say a word. "Child, what kind of flashlight did that bully have?"
Lila thought for a moment. She had seen Gavin talking with an officer, but he didn't have a light then. Then she realized. "...Oh, no...he had a military grade flashlight..." She replied.
They were all shocked. A military grade flashlight would've melted Zardy in seconds had it been on long enough. "No wonder his eyes are bleeding..." Brute said.
Rattler sighed, before speaking up. "Iiiitttt'ssss mmmmyyyy fffaaauuullllttttt." He said, but they were all confused.
"How is it your fault?" Lila asked, and Rattler lowered his head. "Mmmmyyyy fffuuutttuurrreee sssiiigggghhhtttt nnneeevvvveeerrr ppprreeedddiiiccctttteeeddd iiittt." He answered.
Cablecrow set his hand on Rattler's shoulder, though he had to extend his arm from his pole. "It's not your fault, man. Gavin must've decided to do that before your future sight predicted it." Cablecrow said.
Lila sighed, trying to figure out how she could help. "Hey...maybe treating what the flashlight did as if it was a headache could help him?" She said, but they were confused.
"What's a headache?" Pumpkin Jack asked. "It's when your head hurts, usually because of bright lights." Lila answered.
"With the pain he is in, that may be what is going on. Show us how to fix this, child." Brute said, and Lila agreed to teach them as they walked to the cabin behind the maze.
As they entered the house, Lila began to explain. "Okay, umm...what my mom always says is to make sure it's dark and quiet." She said, and they understood.
Pumpkin Jack chuckled, though he was still deeply upset. "Yeah, we've got the darkness thing taken care of." He said, and they all fell silent.
They listened for any noise, but it was quiet. "There is no noise, either." Brute said, but Lila had no advice left to give. "We're just gonna have to wait and see what happens..." She said.
"It sucks that Zardy had to get flashed out of all of us." Cablecrow said, as Brute had brought him inside. The others nodded in agreement.
As there was one bed within the house, Brute gestured to Pumpkin Jack to let Zardy lay down. He did that, but even laying down, Zardy was still in obvious agony.
"There has to be something more we can do..." Cablecrow said, but Lila didn't have an answer. "The only other thing we could try is pain medicine, but no kid is gonna be walking around with that." She said.
Rattler seemed confused. "Mmmmeeedddiiiccciiinnneeee?" He said, and Brute sighed. "You know how we frequently discard of rust within your joints, Rattler?" He said, and Rattler nodded.
"We do that with oil and vinegar. The way that works is basically what medicine does for humans." Brute replied, and he began to understand. "Ooookkkkaaayyyy." Rattler said.
Lila was now confused. "Rust? I thought he was a scarecrow, how would wood rust?" She asked.
Pumpkin Jack chuckled. "His claws are made of metal, and a lot of his joints are, too. He's more of a robotical scarecrow." Pumpkin Jack said, but by joining robotical and scarecrow together, he confused himself.
"Huh...well, I guess it makes sense. Metal rusts." Lila said. "Maybe I can show you guys more human things, well...someday. I hope they realize I did all of that in self defense..."
Brute snapped his attention to her. "Self defense? That boy tried to hurt you?" Brute said, and Lila nodded.
He was enraged. "Not all human beings are inteligent if it was not immediately seen as self defense. Zardy's hoe is extreme, but that boy's intentions were vile." He said.
"Oh yeah, people aren't smart..." Lila replied. Cablecrow laughed. As the dead of night rose, everyone attempted to sleep for the night, though they had to sleep on the ground, or standing up, as Cablecrow is forced to do.
Zardy awoke as the wind howled outside. He had fallen unconscious since he spoke to Lila, and though he couldn't see, he was up.
He felt the blindfold, and was confused. "...What's this..." He said quietly, figuring the others were asleep if there was no noise.
Pumpkin Jack heard him and woke up. "Z-Zardy...?" He said, turning his head to the bed.
"Jack?" Zardy replied, and Pumpkin Jack was overjoyed. "You're okay! You're actually okay!" He said, beginning to cry tears of joy. "Never ever EVER scare me like that again!"
Zardy chuckled. "I couldn't help it, bud. It still hurts a little, but...better than before." He replied. "What's coverin' my eyes? Not that I'm complainin'."
"It's a blindfold Lila gave us." Pumpkin Jack replied. "She's staying with us until the whole murder situation blows over."
Zardy was confused. With the intense pain he was in, he didn't realize Lila had slain Gavin with his own hoe. But he was proud.
"Wait...what did she do?" Zardy asked, and Pumpkin Jack chuckled. "She picked up your hoe and taught him a lesson." He replied.
Zardy began laughing. He never truly thought Lila would kill, especially for scarecrows.
Pumpkin Jack sighed. "You really scared me, Zardy..." He said, and Zardy fell silent for a moment.
"...I told ya I'd always come back." Zardy replied, but it didn't make him feel any better. "It might hurt like heck, but I'll never be gone for good. We're scarecrows...we can't truly die."
Pumpkin Jack thought about what he had to say. "I guess you're right...I was just scared because you faded away while humans were everywhere..." He said.
Zardy sighed. "I know, bud. But I'm strong, and so are you. Nothin' woulda happened. I mean...you literally have shredders for hands." Zardy replied.
Pumpkin Jack chuckled, and having nothing more to say, he and Zardy both fell asleep for the night.
The End. (Might continue sometime)