A Good Edd Is Hard To Find
Summary:
The Ed's encounter with Bro takes a dark turn as the savage sibling concocts a dangerous game for Eddy and Double D. The race is on for Ed, Eddy and the kids of the cul-de-sac to save Edd from Eddy's brother. Friendships will be questioned. Sanity will be strained. Will the Eds be separated for good?
Triggers include Pedophilia, Child Grooming, Child Abuse, Sexual Assualt, Possible Dub-Con, Drunken Behavior, Alcohol Abuse, and Physical and Verbal Abuse. Other warnings include Violence and Language.
Pairings include BroEdd and EddyEdd. Subtle Hints at other pairings, but BroEdd and EddyEdd are the main two that will be focused on it.
This is being co-written by DuoXKouga and Battygirl.
Author's Notes:
DuoXKouga: I had small amounts of input in this chapter. I was too busy doing other stuff (*cough* Fan girling over Raphael...*Cough*) and Battygirl was super content with writing, so I let her do this entire chapter alone! I kinda feel a little sad though cuz I didn't do anything...Oh, well, Chapter 5 is mostly written by me so far...
Battygirl: Hey guys! I realize it's been a little while since chapter 3. Uh…this one's kind've on me, actually. I pretty much wrote this chapter beginning to end. DuoXKouga still had input — I still collaborated with her to get an understanding of the chapter because this is our story, not mine — but I pretty much wrote this chapter myself, if only to get something out sooner, since my cowriter is very busy lately. I'm pretty happy with it personally, but, if ya don't like it as much, then, just know it's my bad and I take full responsibility. Also, while I was writing this one, DuoXKouga started on chapter 5, so that one might come out relatively soon…at least compared to the others. Don't quote me on that, though. Life hates us right now and likes to fuck with our writing.
My gosh, I sincerely apologize for what happened with chapter 3. There was a large chunk that had been removed somehow in the transfer from my computer to DuoXKouga's and a good thousand words were removed. That error has been fixed. I'm not sure what happened, but I suppose this is just one of those things that comes with long-distance collaborations. I apologize for the inconvenience and for the confusion any of you faced reading that chapter. I will do my best in the future to make sure it doesn't happen again.
That all being said, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. We really appreciate everything you guys write to us. Please, don't even hesitate to leave a review. We both love hearing what you think. Your kind words really keep us going and the critiques always help us improve. As long as there are readers out there who want to see this through, then it will be completed; I assure you. Alright, I'm done with my rambling. DuoXKouga, proceed with the chapter!
Chapter 4: On The Edd Path
The first thing Eddy chooses to do after Rolf finally manages to wrangle Wilfred is look for anything they can use to track his brother. He and Ed, unfortunately, have little to nothing of Edd's on them. They'd abandoned the cul-de-sac without any of their personal belongings. Therefore, they'd need something of his brother's. After a quick survey of the trailer, they choose one of the man's spare jerseys.
Eddy hasn't spoken much since finding the photo of the trailer, which he pocketed soon after showing it to the others. He had asked the Kankers to take a few bags he'd found in his brother's trailer and find and pack plenty of food and water for the trip, but that was the last incident of him speaking. Kevin finds himself unnerved by it. Any other time, it was hard to get the kid to stop talking. Now he's standing silently, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes cast to the ground. As much of a relief it is to not hear Eddy's grating voice, Kevin starts to miss it. It would at least allow them a moment of normalcy.
Rolf approaches the short boy with Wilfred under his arm. He and Ed have fashioned a makeshift leash out of objects from the trailer. Nothing sordid; mostly socks and shoelaces and the like, though Eddy is sure there are much more disturbing things to be found amongst the mess in the dwelling. Setting Wilfred down on the ground, Rolf permits Ed to man the leash as he turns to Eddy.
"Do you have the object of tracking for Wilfred to detect a scent from?" he asks eagerly.
"English, Stretch," Eddy grumbles, rolling his eyes.
"Right here, dude," Kevin walks up to Rolf and holds up the jersey.
Rolf takes the piece of clothing, muttering a quick 'thank you', before grabbing Wilfred's snout. He holds the shirt to the pig's nose and lets the animal sniff at the material.
"Rolf, c'mon," Eddy groans, "You really think that thing can track my brother down?"
"But of course!" Rolf announces, pounding his chest with his fist proudly, "When Rolf began his journey to hunt down you foolhardy Ed-boys and came across the wreckage of the metal monstrosity in the desert, Rolf used one of Double D Ed-boy's labels for tracking!"
Eddy cocks his brow. He has to admit, it's impressive. The pig had arrived here without Rolf, instead leading Sarah and Jimmy. That must mean that Wilfred is fully capable of tracking when following a scent like that. There had been an instance during their expedition when the three Eds had even traveled over water and had been soaked from a dip in some swamp. The pig had still found them. It relaxes Eddy some.
"We're back!"
They turn their attention to the Kankers, who are approaching them. May and Lee are wearing the backpacks Eddy gave them, and they have some snacks in hand.
"Who's hungry?" Lee asks, holding out a handful of corn dogs.
Ed eagerly grabs a couple of them, bringing one back for Eddy. The shorter boy shrugs and takes a bite. He doesn't taste much, but he attributes that to his own worries.
"Don't eat too much, though," May warns them as Kevin and Rolf gratefully take one each, "We couldn't find a lot."
"Yeah," Marie grumbles, "Lee's mostly got bottles of water and May's got bags of popcorn and pretzels and junk."
Eddy shrugs. As long as they ration what they have, it'd do just fine. After a moment, Wilfred lets out a loud squeal and buries his nose into the ground, following the path that the van had taken out of the park. The kids share a look and follow, Ed clutching the leash in his hands as he gobbles down his corn dog.
"Well it's about time!" Marie groans as she munches on a pretzel, "We wasted, like, a freakin' hour with that bullshit!"
"You're right," Eddy snarls sarcastically, "We should've started chasing after the van right away to get left in the damn dust. I'm sure we woulda found Sockhead in, what, a fuckin' month after that?! Oh, or maybe we would've starved to death first?"
Marie returns his glare; "At least we woulda gotten a better start! Who knows where that jerk took my Double D!"
Eddy grits his teeth. He ain't your Double D! he wants to spit back. He knows that's futile, though. It would only spark an unnecessary argument. As much as Eddy wants to yell and scream and make the Kankers understand just what they do to the boys they constantly push their affections onto, he also knows there's not enough time to do so. In a way, Marie is right. They wasted too much time at the park. They need to get moving.
For roughly half an hour, Eddy guesses, they follow the tracks in the dirt. After the several mile trek, the tire tracks end at a paved road. Eddy grimaces. There are cars traveling along the road, but not many. Most of the windows are dark, but in some, Eddy can see that their group is receiving strange looks. He's not surprised by that. They look pretty odd. Four boys who are covered in cuts, bruises and a thick layer of dirt, three girls who look like they want to murder someone and a pig on a leash.
It also doesn't surprise Eddy in the least that not one person stops to ask if they're okay.
His attention returns to Wilfred as the pig walks along the side of the road, nose pressed into the ground. They follow wordlessly. For a long time, none of them talk. May will sometimes try to start a game to pass the time. No one ever joins in. They appreciate her efforts, but no one is in a gaming mood. They follow the stretch of road for several miles more. Time is dragging on. Eddy considers asking if any of them know the time.
He says nothing. It would only be a grim reminder that they have a time limit.
Suddenly, Wilfred comes to a stop. He sniffs at the ground, but lifts his snout. They quickly see why. On the ground, in shatters, lies the remains of a nearly opaque bottle. There's liquid puddled around it and staining the asphalt. Rolf stoops down to investigate. He dips his fingers into what little liquid is puddled there and brings it up to his nose to sniff it himself. Almost immediately, he jerks back in disgust.
"What is this foul concoction?!" he demands.
Eddy grabs his hand to try to discern the smell. He shares Rolf disgusted reaction.
"Ugh! It's booze," he grumbles, "I smell it on my dad a lot when he's home. And my brother's trailer reeked of it…"
"What's it doing on the ground like that?" Kevin asks, confused.
Eddy shrugs; "Hell if I know…"
Carefully, he picks through the pieces of glass. It's not long before he finds a label. It's easy to recognize.
"This looks like the label that's on all the bottles in my bro's trailer…" he notes, more to himself than to the others.
"Do you think your brother was drinking this?" Lee asks.
"Maybe," Eddy rubs the back of his neck, still muttering as if to himself, "But if I know Terry, he wouldn't just throw one of these out…"
"Terry?" May echoes, confused.
Eddy ignores her as he thinks all of this over; "Looks like this just happened a little while ago. It's definitely my brother's beer — I saw cases of it all over the trailer. And, if I know Double D, he probably threw it out if he saw Bro drinking it…Which probably didn't end well for him…"
Ed gasps; "Is Double D okay?!"
"Take it easy, Lumpy," Eddy sighs and scratches his head some, "I'm sure Double D's okay. My brother's going to all the trouble of taking him from us, I don't think he'd do anything too bad to him…" he turns to Rolf, "Either way, it looks like the pig really can track…Think it can keep going?"
"Of course!" Rolf assures him, "Wilfred! Let us continue!"
The pig lets out a loud squeal before continuing its waddling along the side of the road. Patting Ed's back, Eddy urges him to move on. The shorter boy's mind races as they walk along. He worries what his brother may have done to Edd. It never took much to push Terry until he snapped. He worries what the man may have done to his friend if the boy had indeed angered him as he believes. He glances at Ed. His taller companion is just as worried and is wearing it on his sleeves. The long face is contorted in a pout, monobrow furrowed and eyes big and threatening to produce an endless stream of tears. Even when he and Edd had had their big fight and Ed had tried to intervene, Eddy hadn't seen him so distraught. It was unnerving to see.
He has to remain hopeful, if only for Ed's sake.
—
They walk for ages. Minutes pass slowly into hours as they walk aimlessly. After some time, they slow to a stop. Wilfred slumps to the ground in exhaustion. Ed follows shortly after. Eddy looks over their group. Everyone looks miserable. Stopping to rest shouldn't take too long. They can catch their breath, refuel, and be off again.
"Alright, guys," he pants, "Let's take a break."
Looking around, they spot some trees close to the road. With the help of the Kankers, they're able to carry Ed and Wilfred into the shade. Taking a seat, the girls remove their packs. Lee passes out bottles of water, which the group drinks gratefully. Rolf offers Wilfred some of the snacks that May and Marie retrieve for them and a drink from the bottle of water, which the pig enjoys greedily. Ed takes his food and water and practically inhales them. Eddy watches him as he drinks lazily from his own bottle. He thinks about telling him to slow down, but realizes the futility in such an effort. As for himself, he only accepts a small snack and nibbles at it here and there. His appetite is about gone at the moment. Marie eats angrily, her eyes cast to the ground in a glare. Lee and May seem most content as they eat, glad for the rest and the shade. Kevin looks thoughtful as he enjoys his meager meal. He glances to Rolf.
"Hey, dude, you know a lot about survival stuff, right?" he asks.
The foreigner glances to him curiously; "Rolf is versed well in the ways of nature, Kevin, if that is what you're asking?"
"Yeah, well…" Kevin shrugs uncomfortably, "Can you use the sun or whatever to figure out what time it is?"
Kevin spots Eddy raising his head slightly, eyes on Rolf. Raising his eyes to the sky and squinting in the light, Rolf thinks carefully.
"Judging by the position of the sun," the dark haired boy replies, thinking carefully, "Rolf estimates the time to be around noon."
Kevin looks surprised by that. Is it really noon already? He removes his hat and runs his fingers over his short hair and long bangs. Uneasily, he glances back to Eddy. The boy looks close to panicking. Lee notices it too.
"Hey, Eddy," she begins uncertainly, "Is there anything you can tell us about your brother? Somethin' we can use to track him down?"
Eddy shakes his head; "All I have are stories that I either made up or that he told me…and he probably made those up too…" He rubs his head, licking his lips. "He left when I was still in diapers. What little I do remember is mostly about our scams. And mom and dad never liked talking about him…"
"Then how the heck did you find him at the amusement park?" Kevin asks suspiciously.
Hurt flashes across Eddy's downcast eyes.
"Double D…" he mumbles, "He followed fake clues I gave him…Some of it was dumb luck, but…but it was mostly Double D…"
The group is taken aback by this before sadness returns. If Edd had been their key to finding the man before, what hope did this group have now without his deductive reasoning? Eddy sighs and takes fistfuls of his hair into his shaking hands. Half of the day had already come and gone and he worries that they're no closer than when they had started. Jumping to his feet, he starts to walk around, anxiety gripping him and compelling him to just…move.
"Dude, where are you going?!" Kevin demands.
"I'm not leaving," Eddy assures him his chest heaving, "I just…I-I need to…"
Lee watches him carefully before scoffing.
"Go take a walk, shorty," she commands almost gently, "If you ain't gonna eat, you may as well try to cool off or somethin'." She raises her head. Though he can't see them, Eddy assumes she's brought her eyes up to meet his. "We'll try to be quick. Then we'll get back to walkin'."
Nodding, Eddy turns away from them and starts wandering. Ed watches him with a pout. Eddy isn't acting like himself.
As the shorter boy walks, he tries to assess his situation. His feet are aching, but all he wants to do is walk. It's an aimless feeling. They've no heading to go by and, without Edd's intelligence backing them up, they can't decipher the half-truths Eddy knows about his brother. He considers allowing the Kankers to make the attempt. When the girls would put their heads together, they would prove themselves very resourceful. He strikes that from his thoughts. The girls are also reckless. He doubts they will think carefully before acting. That's not what they need now.
He sighs and comes to a stop just before their shady spot ends. Numbly, he stares over the virtually barren wasteland around him. If he squints, he can spot two or three billboards dotting the landscape in the distance. Cars continue to roll past them. A few slow some, but never stop. Eddy wants to flag them down, to beg and plead for a ride; for help. His brother's words keep him frozen in place.
No cops, no folks, no one but you and those anklebiters behind you…
He wonders for a moment if that meant he could ask some random stranger for help, but realizes that, even if it did, the person he chose to ask may try to get the police involved. Eddy wants so bad to just do that, but he fears Edd's safety if he did. He's floored by the unfairness of their situation. His brother had his van — a vehicle that will get him far from the park and fast — and he knows where he's going. Ed, Eddy and the others had their feet and only an ancient photo to go by. Looking back at the cars, Eddy again considers the option to ask for a ride. His brother never truly forbade that. They wouldn't even have to reveal why they are traveling alone like this either, right? He shakes his head. No. That'd never work. The people would wonder where their parents are. Seven kids wandering around unsupervised? It would certainly be enough to alert the authorities.
Acknowledging that he's thinking in circles, Eddy turns back to the group. He's glad they're here. The task ahead of them is so large and nearly impossible. But, as he looks at them, he feels a small swell of optimism. Even the Kankers, who had been the bane of the Eds' existence, are a welcome presence in this dark hour. He sees them gathering up the leftover food and returning it to the packs. The water is packed up as well. Ed is waving him over.
Time to go.
—
"And then we came shooting out of the pipe and into this nasty swamp!" Kevin laughs.
Eddy rolls his eyes, trying to fight the grin that's creeping up on his face as Ed bursts into a fit of laughter. Rolf and the girls are laughing as well as Kevin recounts the events he and Nazz underwent to hunt down the Eds. Despite the subject matter, Eddy finds it humorous. After their lunch, the group decided telling stories would be a good way to keep up their morale, or, at the very least, pass the time.
"Oh ho!" Rolf claps his friend on the back, boasting a hearty laugh, "Casanova Kevin-boy's troubles with Go-Go Nazz-girl are nothing compared to the trials overcome by the son of a shepherd!"
"Oh yeah?" Kevin grins, realizing the gruffer boy had taken his story as a challenge, "And what was so bad about your trip?"
"Rolf endured many tribulations in his efforts to hunt down the Good-for-Nothing Ed-Boys," comes the enthusiastic reply, "Wilfred attacked Rolf in a blind fury before running away."
"Oh, so that's why the pig showed up with the twerps?" May notes with a giggle, "He musta found 'em before we could."
"Rolf is telling the story!" Rolf glares in her direction. It silences further speech, but she continues to giggle over the stories. "Now, where was I…? Ah yes! Wilfred abandoned Rolf and left Rolf's head stuck in a meat grinder."
"A what?!" Kevin gawks, "Dude, how are you…alive?"
Rolf chortles; "It will take more than a weak grinder to put an end to the son of a shepherd!"
Eddy laughs under his breath; "I guess so…"
"You doubt Rolf's strength?!" Rolf asks, turning to Eddy, "Poppycock! Rolf is, after all, the proud owner of the Hairy Chest of Resilience Badge. Or do you forget our contest, No-Neck Ed-boy?"
Eddy rolls his eyes; "Not gonna lie, Rolfy-boy, I can't remember a lot from that day…"
"I can!" Ed raises his hand excitedly, "Rolf and Eddy did lots of cool stunts all day! Then Rolf won and got that cool badge while Double D played nurse with Eddy!"
The group snickers some as Eddy shoots the taller Ed a smug grin. His mood has improved slightly with their talk — even his appetite is starting to come back. He munches absentmindedly from a bag of popcorn as they walk, sharing with the others when asked. Eddy hadn't thought about that day much, but Ed was right. Edd had been by his side that whole day, bandaging his wounds, drying his tears, and nursing him back to health. Kevin wipes away a tear that had escaped his eye from laughter and looks to Eddy.
"So what happened with you guys?" he asks, his laughter slowing, "Any crazy stories on your end?"
"Well…" Eddy grins, shaking off the bad feelings as he thinks of where to start.
A horn, however, silences him. They turn as a car comes to a slow stop beside them on the shoulder. They regard the driver warily as the window rolls down. It's an older woman, probably in her mid-thirties. She's looking at them with worried eyes.
"Are you kids alright?" she asks, brow furrowed as she looks between them.
Eddy hesitates, looking around at his friends. They have to be careful about this. He glances at Ed.
"Ed, if you care about finding Double D, you'll leave this to me," Eddy warns him in a hushed tone.
The taller boy's eyes go wide and he nods, covering his mouth to prevent himself from speaking. Taking a calming breath, Eddy approaches the window with a charismatic grin.
"Uh, yeah," he answers, "We're just, uh…walkin' home from the park. Just left Mondo A-Go-Go."
"That filthy place?" the woman guffaws, "I wasn't aware it was still in business."
"I know, right?" Eddy forces a laugh, "That's why we're on our way home. Place sucked pretty bad."
"Where are your parents?" the woman demands, "Do they know you're out here alone?"
Eddy hesitates only a moment; "Uh…yeah. Sure they do. We don't live too much farther down the road. They figured since we're in a big group, we'd be okay."
"What?!" the woman is shocked, "That's awful! You're just children!"
"Listen, lady," Marie steps forward, pointing an accusing finger at the woman, "We ain't babies! We can handle things just fine on our own!"
The woman bristles, taking offense to Marie's words. Eddy looks between them anxiously before gently nudging Marie out of the way.
"Uh, d-don't mind her," he stutters, "She's just a little cranky. That park was a pretty big downer, ya know? Say, ma'am, you uh…You wouldn't happen to have the time, would ya?"
The woman looks taken aback, but checks the clock on her radio display.
"Er…Yes," she squints a bit, as though lost in thought, "it's about 2:36…"
Eddy's eyes widen only a little before he calms himself again. He forces a smile.
"Aw man, that late already?" he chuckles, brushing his hair back, "We better get goin' if we wanna make it home before dark."
"Do you kids need a ride?" the woman offers, rooting through her purse, "I have a cell phone — I could call your parents to come pick you up."
"No!" Eddy corrects himself and tries to wave it off. He does his best to keep his cool, "Don't worry about it. We'll make it home soon enough. Thanks though."
He flashes her a sweet, reassuring smile. She returns it, though with a bit of reservation.
"Okay, then…" she gives them all another once-over before returning her gaze to Eddy, "You kids be safe, okay?"
Eddy gives her his most charming smile before backing away from the door again. She waves at them sweetly before pulling away again. When she's out of their sights, Eddy heaves a sigh and wipes his forehead.
"Dude, you're pretty good at that…" Kevin notes.
"Eddy's the man!" Ed cheers.
The shorter boy shrugs; "If there's one thing I'm glad to have learned from my brother, it's how to sweet talk…"
"But what if she calls the cops or something?" May asks, concerned.
"I don't think we need to worry about that," Lee scoffs.
Kevin cocks his brow, "What do you mean?"
"Nobody else on this road's even bothered to stop to check on us," Lee notes, "That lady was one in a million. And not in the good way."
Marie nods in agreement; "She'll probably wonder if we made it home okay, but she stopped to check on us so she'll probably think that's enough effort."
"She's right," Eddy confirms, "My brother told me that's how people work. They'll do as little as they can most of the time — just enough to feel like they've done something to help — but, really, they don't do shit."
"Well, now that that little problem has passed," Kevin shoves his hands in his pockets, "We better get a move on…"
With that, they allow Wilfred to continue waddling along and follow.
—
Hours pass. They stop frequently for breaks at least once an hour. They'll stop, rest their feet, then it's back to walking. The group is much more talkative than before, reminiscing and trying to keep their spirits up. It doesn't last too long, though. As the hours pass, so too does their morale. Their talking ceases as they feel themselves becoming more and more irritated. Finally, they near a long stretch of clustered trees. The pig slows. Wilfred circles the ground a few times. He looks around, makes a few grunting noises and goes back to circling. He seems confused. Eddy feels his eye twitching.
"What the hell is it doing now, Rolf?!" he demands.
"Rolf is just as confused as you, ill-tempered Ed-boy," the foreign boy replies, scratching the back of his head.
"It's supposed to be finding Terry!" Eddy shouts impatiently, "Why isn't it doing that?!"
"Terry?" Rolf echoes, "Is it not Eddy's Brother we are searching for?"
Eddy groans in frustration and smacks his own forehead; "Terry is my brother, you idiot!"
"Chill man!" Kevin steps forward to defend his friend, "It ain't like you ever actually told us that's his name before now!"
Eddy whips around to face Kevin; "Who the fuck else could I have meant?!"
"Enough of your squabbling!" Rolf cries, stepping between them, "We are wasting time! We must find our heading!"
"And what're you doing to help?!" Eddy rages, "What are any of you doing to help?!"
"Stop it, guys!" Ed cries, "No more fighting!"
"I don't see you doing any more!" Marie shrieks, pointing an accusing finger at Eddy, "You're the one who let him get away with my sweetheart in the first place!"
Ed feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The fury radiating off of his shorter companion is deeply unsettling. He turns to Eddy, eyes wide, as the boy shakes in pure rage. Lee and May see it too. They grab Marie and pull her back from the confrontation. Cautiously, Ed approaches Eddy. The boy looks like he's about to explode. Lee tries to diffuse the situation.
"Look," she begins carefully, "It's been a long day of nothin' but walking. We're all just tired…We need to take a breather here."
Eddy doesn't seem to be listening to her. His face is red, his teeth: grinding. His hands are clenched into tight fists and he's shaking. Carefully Ed tries to pull Eddy into a hug. Eddy smacks him away.
"Don't touch me, Ed!" he snaps. There are tears in his voice.
"But Eddy!" Ed whines, "The Evil Darkside will swallow you up!"
"I'm fine, Ed!" Eddy cries back, storming away, "Leave me alone!"
"Where do you think you're going, Dorky?!" Kevin yells, "We're trying to find Double D, remember?!"
Eddy ignores him, stomping off past a number of trees. There's a lump in his throat. Even if he could have answered Kevin, he doesn't want to. Tears are stinging the corners of his eyes. He rubs his knuckles into his eyes so hard it hurts to make the tears stop. The great mood he'd finally found himself in is now gone completely. He's beginning to feel helpless. They'd been at this all day and hadn't found hide nor hair of his brother or Edd. He's beginning to fear the worst and is realizing that this may be hopeless. But did that bitch really have to bring that up?! Of course he knows this mess is his fault. She doesn't have to keep opening the wound.
He grunts as he runs face-first into one of the thicker trees. Glaring through his teary eyes, he starts hitting and kicking the tree with his fists and feet. He wants to tear it out of the ground and alleviate his pain and anger. The tree doesn't budge. His strikes leave no damage to the bark.
Eddy deflates, his anger ebbing some in defeat. He bows his head and leans his forehead against the tree. His nails dig into the bark of the tree as he keeps fighting the tears. There's been enough crying from him today. He sees Edd's face in his mind. His smile, broken by the gap in his teeth. His bright, green eyes that would shine with excitement at the prospect of a new invention or scam. He hears his voice echoing in his thoughts. His giggly laugh, his scientific ramblings, his nagging over hygiene. Even the things about Edd that had often annoyed him are suddenly so endearing in his memory.
Deep breaths. One…two…
His eyes open to the ground below him as he calms. Vaguely, he hears footsteps and grunting approaching him. Voices.
"…somewhere around here, I think," he's able to catch the end of a gruff, but feminine voice noting aloud. Lee.
"What's his deal man?!" comes the angry complaint from Kevin's scratchy voice.
"Like I said," Lee's voice grumbles back, "It's been a long day. My man's just worn out and cranky."
Eddy heaves a sigh and turns his head in their direction, keeping his eyes lowered to the ground. He stops. Set faintly into the dirt, he can just make out the vague silhouette of a footprint. As his eyes raise, he can see more walking away from his oncoming comrades. Apprehension grips him like a vice. He tries to write the tracks off as nothing. Surely they're the remnant of some passerby that happened to walk through this way. Curiosity takes him. He starts following the tracks. The others spot him and attempt to flag him down.
"Ed-boy!" Rolf is yelling after him, "Return to the group so we may continue the hunt!"
Eddy ignores him. His feet are moving on their own and picking up their pace. He feels compelled to follow this trail. In his head, he's skeptical. The footprints look as though they could belong to his brother, but he knows it's just as possible, if not more so, that they don't. So much is telling him no. But something inside him, something instinctual, is screaming yes.
That voice is louder.
The footprints end at a tall tree. Eddy has to crane his neck to even catch a peek of the top. His breath comes out heavily, the running and his own frayed nerves having winded him. His eyes dart around him. As farfetched as the idea is, he feels so confident that his instincts are correct; that he'll find something here. Sure the tracks could have been made by some random person. But who else would be out here in this place? Who would just leave the main road for no foreseeable reason?
He wanders around the tree some. The footsteps do the same. He stops when they do. His eyes follow them as they turn from the tree and move away. Confused, he looks to the tree. What was this person doing and why were they so interested in this spot? His eyes widen and his body freezes. After a moment, his shoulders slump. The others are hot on his trail, willing Wilfred to move faster as they chase after him.
He leans up on the tips of his toes, resting one hand on the tree for balance. With his other hand, he retrieves the object that's sticking to the tree. It's a photo taken with a Polaroid camera. When he has the photo in his grasp, he sinks back down and brings the other hand up to join the one holding the picture. His eyes are glued to the image. His brother had definitely been here.
He stares down at Edd's face. His friend is scared, but seems to be clinging to his anger. Eddy sees instantly why. His brother had been cruel enough to put handcuffs on the boy and hang him by his wrists from a branch. Looking at his friend's wrists, he cringes. They're red from the metal pressing hard against the soft skin. There are bruises all over Edd's arms. He can see hints of bruising on Edd's face and around his neck. The one that his eyes remain on longest is there on Edd's neck as well. It's more red than the other bruises, which are more purple. Bruises like that aren't made by being hit. A bruise like that is made by sucking on the skin. He starts to see red.
There's no way Edd could have done that to himself…
"Eddy?" he blinks a couple of times as Ed's voice distracts him.
He looks up at the group, they're staring at his hands. They can't see what he's looking at, only that he's holding something. Ed approaches him first.
"What'd you find, Eddy?" he asks curiously.
Before Eddy can stop him, Ed sees the photo. It's snatched from his hands. Ed holds it close to his face, on the verge of panicking.
"What's he done to our Double D?!" Ed cries, "He looks so hurt, Eddy!"
Eddy groans and turns to him; "Ed, don't do tha—"
He stops as he spots the back of the photo. There's writing there.
"Gimme that!" he demands, snatching the picture from the taller Ed. His eyes dart over the words.
Caught the scent, have you, Pipsqueak? Here's a lil reward for you, then. Keep it up and they'll get better and better. Good luck.
— Bro
Oh and by the way, you shoulda told me your little girlfriend could give such good head.
Eddy's eyes are locked on the words. He's not sure how to process this. He understands what his brother meant by the added message beneath his signature. A whirlwind of feelings accost him. Anger, horror, worry…hurt. To think that his brother would do…that to his friend. Everything feels muted. Sounds. Sight. Touch. He feels numb.
Ed looks between Eddy and the photo in worry; "What's it say, Eddy?"
Eddy blinks a couple of times to bring himself from his trance. He looks around at the others for a moment. His eyes settle on Ed and he shakes his head to wake himself fully. Licking his thumb, he drags it and his nail over the last line of the message. He knows Ed won't understand its meaning, but he doesn't want to explain it to him when the taller boy asks.
"Are you gonna show us what you found or not?!" Marie demands, snatching the photo from him. Anger flares up inside of her upon seeing the image. "Who the heck does he think he is?!"
"Yeah!" Lee agrees, looking over her shoulder, "We're the only ones who can hang our boyfriends up like that!"
"Lemme see that!" Kevin snatches the picture from him, "Jeez, man! Your brother's fuckin' sick!"
Rolf looks over his shoulder; "Why is Double D Ed-boy strung up like a slab of freshly cut meat?"
"Alright, enough!" Eddy roars, snatching the picture away from them, "Look, according to this, we're going the right way!" He points behind him to where the tracks retreat. "I found his footprints that led to where this was hanging, and if your fuckin' pig follows them or whatever, maybe we can get back on track."
Rolf looks back and forth between Wilfred and Eddy before nodding in affirmation.
"Give Rolf the photo so Wilfred can get a stronger scent," he demands gently, holding his hand out.
Reluctantly, Eddy hands the photo to Rolf. The foreigner holds it to Wilfred's snout and allows the pig to sniff at the Polaroid. When done, he hands the picture back to Eddy, who looks at it with a sad fondness before placing it into his pocket. With a sigh, he turns in the directions the footprints lead.
"Let's get going."
—
It's hours before they find another clue. The sun is hanging pretty low in the sky, limiting their light. Rolf, luckily, is able to create a torch, which he uses to light the way. After finding the first photo and following Terry's footprints, they come across more tire tracks. Unfortunately, the man didn't remain on the dirt path for long, as the tracks soon lead back to the paved road. However, Wilfred still has the scent and the change of terrain the vehicle traveled on doesn't deter him.
As the sun begins to set, they come across a car resting, abandoned, in a ditch. Wilfred approaches it, sniffing around the tires. Curiously, Eddy looks into the car. He scans the interior and gasps softly. On the passenger seat is another Polaroid. Running around the car, he finds that the passenger window has been broken in. He tries the door handle. Unlocked. He sighs in relief; he wasn't looking forward to reaching through the broken window to open this door. Being careful of the broken glass, he retrieves the Polaroid. He backs out of the car, tripping over a rock and landing roughly on his backside.
Rolf rushes to his side; "Are you injured, Head-and-Neck-is-One Ed-boy?"
Eddy glances at him and grabs the hand holding the torch, holding it over the photo. He's glad to see that Edd isn't hanging from anything this time. The photo itself was taken much closer to the boy, showing him only from his chest up. From what Eddy can see, the boy is against a tree, cowering. For a moment, Eddy worries why that is. Edd's cowering may mean that his brother was getting violent with him. Upon closer examination, though, worry fades to anger. In the dim light, he can just make out a blue strip on Edd's hat. It's one of his friend's labels. He curses under his breath. His brother had found Edd's label maker.
"Double D looks so scared!" he hears Ed boom to his right.
The boy is standing behind him, looking over his shoulder at the photo. He reaches to take it. Eddy holds the photo at bay.
"No, Ed," he nearly whimpers.
Despite his efforts, the picture is taken from his hands by Marie. She grimaces.
"The fuck is this shit?!" she cries, "Mine?! Like hell he is! Double D is my boyfriend! That fucker can't just claim him when I already have!"
Eddy shoots her a hateful glare and grabs the Polaroid back from her. Flipping the photo over, he looks for a message. Indeed, Terry had written something there. Squinting he can just make out the words.
Tick Tock, Pipsqueak. Time's running fast. Better pick up the pace if you ever wanna see your lil girlfriend outside of a picture again.
— Bro
Eddy growls a bit. Now the man is mocking him. He looks to the sky which is fading quickly to black. He glances around him. The others have gathered around, waiting for Eddy to suggest their next course of action. The boy sighs and looks down the road.
"Let's try to walk as far as we can…" he suggests, "Maybe look for a safer place to rest for the night…"
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