I think it's time for us to take a little break from Mordecai and Rigby's point of view, and see what's up with the other guys from the park. Enjoy!
NOTE: Ugh, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I have no excuses for it this time; I was just super goddamn lazy. For those that are worried about it, though, I would like to remind you that I have no intention of quitting on these stories, so don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm hoping to be able to get up to speed and get back on writing more than once every few weeks.
It's been a few weeks since Mordecai and Rigby left the park, and while things have gotten relatively back to normal, it felt a little too normal, as most of the monsters and other problems that the park faced every day were mostly because of the two slackers. Without them, it almost seems like the remaining employees were working at a normal park.
Speaking of the employees, they did have some difficulty getting over Mordecai and Rigby being gone, but eventually they did manage to return to normal and get back to working like they were before, but there was still a subdued air around the park.
Muscle Man was noticeably more sullen, having no one besides High-Five Ghost who was willing to hang around him for longer than five minutes, and even Fives didn't really talk to him that much. Pops was his usual cheery self, but in the back of his mind he greatly missed getting to hang out with Mordecai and Rigby. Benson meanwhile hasn't really been himself lately. Even though most people who know him would probably think he would be glad to see Mordecai and Rigby go, which really wasn't the case, as he was actually getting to like the two slackers, despite all the stress that they have caused him over the years.
So Benson has been spending most of his time at the park in his office doing paperwork, trying his best not to think of how dull life has gotten around the park, which he admittedly has had a little bit of trouble doing lately, which only managed to make his sullenness worse.
As for Thomas, he has barely spoken at all since the incident, only answering questions when he had to. Even though no one actually died from the monster attack, he still felt incredibly guilty knowing that he couldn't have done anything more to prevent Mordecai and Rigby from experiencing what they saw inside the chest.
Benson was driving around the park during one of his checkups on everyone to see how they were doing with their jobs, when he pulled up to Thomas and noticed his body language clearly showing his state of mind. Stopping the cart, he walked up to the goat and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thomas, what's wrong?"
"I'm okay." mumbled Thomas.
Benson sighed before continuing to speak.
"Listen, I've been keeping an eye on you for the last few weeks, and I've noticed how depressed you've been lately. I'm worried about you. Heck, everyone's been worried about you."
"I said I'm okay!" said Thomas as he turned around to face Benson.
"No, you're not Thomas! You need help, which is why I've decided to set you up for a few sessions with the same psychologist that Mordecai and Rigby were using."
Thomas was looking down at his feet at this point, so Benson grabbed both of the goat's shoulders and gave him a slight shake.
"Look at me, Thomas."
Thomas did as he was instructed, and looked up at Benson to reveal tears flowing from his eyes, before he closed them again and began sobbing. Benson, immediately sensing them coming, pulled him towards his body and began patting Thomas on the back.
"Shh, it's okay. I'm sure they don't blame you for what they went through."
A few minutes passed before Thomas finally stopped crying, and lifted himself back up to a standing position.
"You sure you're going to be alright?"
"I'll be okay. Thanks, Benson." said Thomas, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
A few more weeks have passed, still without any noticeable incidents. Thomas went to his psychiatrist appointments, and has recently been looking much more like his old self, though he was still feeling a little guilt about the incident.
Benson, meanwhile, was actually outside his office for once, taking a break from all the paperwork he was doing. He was enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper, when he suddenly heard a knock on the front door. Curious, he walked over to the front door and opened it to reveal Margaret standing on the front porch.
"Can I help you, miss?"
"Hi, I was actually just wondering if there was any chance you may have seen Mordecai and Rigby around the area recently. They've been visiting Eileen and me at the coffee shop every so often since they got their new jobs, but they haven't shown up for a week, and I'm starting to get a little worried."
Benson paused for a moment, trying to figure out what Margaret's name was, when it suddenly hit him.
"Oh, you must be Margaret. I've heard a lot about you from Mordecai. I haven't seen either of them since they left here, though. I would like to hear how they've been, though."
"Oh, I should really be going. I don't want to intrude." said Margaret.
"Don't worry about it. Come on in and have a seat." said Benson.
Margaret did as was asked and sat down on the couch. Benson went into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water, which he offered to Margaret. She took the glass and sipped some of the water, before Benson started the conversation.
"So, how have Mordecai and Rigby been doing?"
"Last time I saw them, they were doing pretty good. A lot of times when they came to the coffee shop, they would spend most of the time complaining about how their new boss was being a tyrant and preventing them from leaving the area when they wanted to, so they've been forced to sneak off to be able to visit us."
"Really? Where are they working now?" asked Benson.
"East Pines."
Benson had his own glass of water, and almost did a spit take after hearing of where Mordecai and Rigby's new job was. Instead, he resisted and swallowed the water before speaking again.
"I think I might have an idea of where those two are."
"Really? How do you know?" asked Margaret.
"When you've been engaged in prank wars with Gene and his park for a long time, you can really get to know a guy like that."
Margaret looked at him, slightly confused, before Benson continued.
"Gene is someone who really likes to go to extreme measures when it comes to getting things to go his way. My guess is that Mordecai and Rigby may have been caught trying to get back on the grounds after sneaking off. Something bad must have happened to them, but I don't know what."
Margaret suddenly remembered that one day they visited and ended up being late and gasped.
"Oh god, I remember the day that happened. I hope they're alright."
"Yeah, me too." said Benson. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear that they're still in the area."
"What do you mean by that?"
"East Pines isn't too far away, so we can easily go over there and find out for ourselves what Gene's done with those two." said Benson.
"Oh, that's good. I really want to know that they're alright. So when are we going to go?" asked Margaret.
"I'd love to take you with me, but I'm afraid that East Pines is a dangerous place. I'll be getting one of the guys to come with me. Don't worry, though, we'll keep you and Eileen posted on everything."
Margaret was noticeably unhappy about being left out, but she decided not to argue about it. Instead she placed the glass of water on the table and headed out the door, thanking Benson for the water.
Benson then sat back on the couch, staring off into space with a worried look on his face, wondering what kind of depths that Gene would go to.
A few days later, Benson and Skips made their way to East Pines. As they reached the front gate, the two shared a nervous look before getting out of the cart.
"Remember, we're going to have to be careful when we're in there not to get caught." said Skips.
"I know, Skips. You're acting like I've never been here before." said Benson, slightly miffed.
"Well, it's better that you and I are prepared. Who knows what we're going to find in there?"
Benson sighed before turning towards the gate and walking inside, Skips following close behind.
The first few minutes went by without incident as Skips and Benson slowly snuck their way through the park, hoping to find Mordecai and Rigby somewhere in there. Suddenly, the alarm went off, blaring throughout the whole park.
"What happened?" asked Benson.
"I don't know! I think one of us might have tripped an invisible laser or something!" yelled Skips through the noise.
The two attempted to run back towards the entrance, intending to try again another day, when they were stopped by a ring of guards, all brandishing their guns.
Skips and Benson froze at once, before they were greeted by slow clapping as Gene made his way towards them.
"Well, look what we have here. Two trespassers from the other park. I thought we were done with that whole prank war business, but I guess I was wrong."
"Hold on, Gene. We're only here for one thing." said Benson.
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Where's Mordecai and Rigby?" asked Benson.
"Why, they're right here. Look around you, and you'll find them."
Benson gave Gene an unsure look, but he did as was asked and looked around the area. He scanned through each of the guards, when his eyes suddenly landed on…Mordecai and Rigby.
The two slackers were part of the group that was currently pointing their guns straight at Benson and Skips. Benson was slightly hurt for a second, before he noticed that both of them had blank stares on their face, and there was nothing inside their eyes but white. Benson turned towards Gene, angry.
"What the hell did you do to them?"
"Oh, just a little brainwashing. They were causing me a little trouble, so I decided to wipe their minds. Now they're my best workers! And now they, as well as my other guards, are going to make sure that you two never bother us again." said Gene.
Gene then lifted one of his arms and spun it around once, before pointing towards Benson and Skips. All of the guards then for some strange reason dropped their guns, before rushing into the middle of the circle.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Benson.
"We're going to have to fight our way out!" said Skips.
"What about Mordecai and Rigby?"
"We'll figure something out! Let's go!" yelled Skips, before he ran off towards the exit, punching his way through a few guards that attempted to get in his way.
Benson paused, unsure of what to do, when a guard placed his hand on Benson's shoulder and threw his fist toward the gumball machine. The guard badly telegraphed it, though, thanks to the shoulder grabbing, and Benson dodged to the side, before socking the guard in the face and running off after Skips.
It took them a few minutes, but Benson and Skips did eventually reach the exit and sped away in the cart, Gene shaking his fist at them as they disappeared over the horizon.
"So, what now?" asked Benson, after they were certain they escaped.
"Get everyone together once we get back to the park. We're going to need to get a plan together if we're going to save Mordecai and Rigby."
Benson nodded, before turning back towards the road, wondering just how in the world they were going to get those two away from Gene's clutches.
And that's the end of this chapter! So, how are Benson and Skips going to save Mordecai and Rigby? Will Margaret ever get the chance to see if those two are okay? Those are things that you're going to have to wait until next time to find out.
Anyway, once again, I'm really sorry for the long wait. I don't mean to keep you guys waiting, but things happen. As I have said before, though, I'm hoping to get back to writing more, so I can keep on somewhat of a schedule with updating, so keep an eye out for that.
So, I'll be seeing you guys next time. Bye!
RK