Reality hits us hard. It's time for the two storms to collide.
Chapter 24: Death
The water tower was pulsating. It was glowing red and oozing out violet and crimson mist. The sky was a mixture of these two colors; swirling in a mass of hatred and an insane amount of regret. They couldn't find peace. Stuck in-between the two worlds, it was impossible to accept that this was the way the world of the living was doomed to move on without them. It would only get bigger the more the system dug its claws into their hearts and spat in the face of their passion for entertainment.
It ended here. No matter what happened, the world was going to change; forever.
All he had to do was get to the water tower. Both of them were only a few blocks away from it.
Yakko, the Warner that the souls of the tower had chosen against his initial will...
...And the man in the cloak who desired what Yakko originally did not want.
The man in question stood where he was staring ahead at the obstacle in his way.
"Hmm… honestly, after walking through tanks, downed soldiers, crazed citizens, and falling debris, I expected the final boss of this long walk to be a bit more of a challenge." The hooded man stood his ground with his arms lazily slapped at his sides.
"Eey! Who do you think you're talkin' too? Eh?!" Pesto flapped angrily in front of the dark figure. Flapping angrily just made him float faster but boy did he love pretending that it made him more intimidating.
"That step you took before you stopped to stand where your standing was the last step you'll ever take." Bobby allegedly warned.
The cloaked figure took a step forward and then immediately put his foot back.
"Oh. Dis cat's got jokes. Is that it? You think you're funny?" Pesto growled. "Look, we got ourselves a comedian over here!"
Squit was just staring at the guy. He was mulling something over in his head obviously but for some reason he didn't feel the incentive to speak out until his other two partners did their usual routine. Hearing them talk usually softened his nerves up so that he could open his beak.
When he did, all eyes were on him though.
"What's under that mask?" Squit asked.
The burning mass of the well destructed city behind them might as well have gone completely quiet.
"Oh yes. The mask…" He grabbed the mask with his hand and began to squeeze a little bit. Tiny particles shed from the sides of it when it was gripped. "The mask hides my shame. As pathetic as it sounds, I don't feel comfortable parting with it until I reach that tower."
"You don't strike me as the kind of guy who cares what he looks like." Squit said back. Unlike Pesto, he wasn't flapping as though he had been pumped full of adrenalin.
"You'd think so right? It's kind of funny. Or I suppose it would be if the city weren't destroyed correct?" The man let the mask go, but didn't drop his hand completely. He didn't seem sure of what he wanted to do with his body at the moment. "Someone like me who creates a cult, challenges the army with my giant war ship, and dreams of a world where we're all insane and killing each other probably shouldn't be too concerned with masking himself."
"So you're just a shy little bumblebee?" Bobby turned his head, inquisitively. "Or… does that mask just make you feel better about the way you look? Can't look yourself in the mirror? Do you know you're made of trash and you can't face yourself because of it? Am I in da ballpark here or what?"
"… The mask serves two functions." He uncurled his hand and poised two fingers at them. "One, its motivation for my followers. In order to be a part of my cause you needed to not care about your own life. Whether you live or you die, whether you ever get to see your loved ones again, whether you had a past life that you admired or enjoyed… you had to be willing enough to sense the futility in basing your decisions on all of that and go with the passion you had to change the world for the better."
"Better?! Y-" Bobby began before Squit put his wing out to him. Bobby turned, a bit stunned, but stopped to analyze Squit's face. Something about this guy was getting to him on a personal level it looked like.
"Two-"The cloaked figure continued. "It served as motivation for me to keep my past locked away inside. I can never let my face be exposed and I can never see it again. What I did to it…" He paused before starting again "...What I did to it, I did for the sake of foolish, ill-fit redemption for my new place in the world. It was the most desperate thing I had ever done in my life and it's the catalyst that served to reveal onto me that I had truly hit rock bottom."
"You did something to your face…? So whatever's underneath there… wasn't the face you had before?" Squit asked.
The man stood there and stared at the three birds for a bit.
"You seem really interested in me. Does my tale remind you of something?" The man's voice grew a bit deeper.
Squit's look softened a bit. "Something shameful happened… to make you want to change yourself. So you made a group to go and pursue the means to an end you felt you deserved. I feel like I've been there before."
Pesto and Bobby looked at Squit with stilted and downtrodden expressions on their face. They couldn't exactly fault the guy for making a connection based off of something like that.
"Have you now…" The man straightened himself out. "Care to join me then?"
"No thank you." Squit grinned. "I used the past tense after all. I know my place and what I'm supposed to do with myself now. Sorry pal, but the world you're dreaming of gets in the way of that so I'm afraid we have to stop you."
Bobby and Pesto smirked and shifted their gaze back at the leader.
"Bada-bing bada boom." Bobby mused.
"I love those rare moments where you say something I'm on board with." Pesto's grin was wide.
The birds were flapping as hard as they could, in sync, and together now. The cult leader didn't budge. He might as well have been a stone wall with really stern legs.
"Alright. I suppose my little story didn't change the sentiment there. When I'm done with you it's off to the tower." He said, taking steps forward.
"If you think you'll be getting past the Goodfeathers so easily… then you've been downing too much of the sauce!" The three of them shouted at him together.
"Hmph. Companionship… it makes you feel like you can do anything…"
"ARGH!" Plotz screamed as he kicked away another crazed citizen. They were all coming out of the woodwork and it was really bothersome trying to accomplish the mere task of staying alive with this much carnage floating about.
Scratchnsniff knocked two people away at once with a rusted shovel he had found blown from someone's house. What had blown it here, he was sure he'd have the displeasure of facing sooner or later but baby steps were needed in order to deal with this face on. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he had much time to adjust. He was starting to sweat and feel a bit light-headed. The power from that tower was radiated over the city and getting stronger. Their wills were strong but it was only a matter of time before they broke.
Ralph was managing the best, being the biggest and having access to his club. He was really good at whacking things and surprisingly enough was a decent enough dodger too.
Hello Nurse swatted at anyone trying to grab at her with a broken piece of wood. She had climbed on top of a toppled over van to remain off the street and out of as much danger as was possible but as we all know, the insane are often more determined to get a task done then one would be glad to see.
She hated having to hurt anyone that got too close to her but what choice did she have? As a nurse, she needed to live to ensure that other people could live as well. These people were going to have to take a few licks if she was to make sure everything turned out the way it needed to for her and everyone else's sake.
The four of them didn't even know how to fix this. They didn't know what they were fighting back for aside from a chance to live a bit longer than usual. However, they were all rather fond of living. It seemed like something that was worth fighting for no matter how futile.
They had been inspired by that Warner child. The one in the red cap who fell into the deepest pits of sadness and fear and let it consume him. It changed him and made him a jerk and a rough individual who didn't believe in his brother's efforts to fix their problem. Now that the older brother in question had lost his mind too, he realized how wrong he was.
The Earth might as well have been shaking with each step Wakko took. It was certainly loud enough for Hello Nurse to hear as he was on his way down the fire ridden, destroyed road.
Wakko was here.
"Plotz! Scratchy! Ralphy! Ms. Nurse!" Wakko shouted at the three of them as he panted and raced down the road. With his eyes focused and moving between the three of them, he barely missed a crazed man in a tattered business suit try and take him out with a metal bat from the side.
Wakko caught him at the corner of his eye just a bit too late. However, Plotz didn't.
The stout older man managed to slam the attacker in the gut with a long plank of wood he had found lying about along the street. It made the air wheeze from the man's stomach and managed to knock him back and onto the ground showing in a very effective manner how hard boards really were to normal people.
"Plotz?" Wakko blinked in surprise as he ran along.
"Keep going Wakko!" Plotz turned his head and shouted at the Warner as he ran. "Your brother is down the road! Up ahead!"
"Gotcha! Thanks!" Wakko called back before rushing up and past a waving Ralph and a surprisingly composed Scratchnsniff. When he passed the doctor he saw the content smile on his face. His smile was contagious. Or it usually was. It made his heart melt realizing just how much that man cared for him and his brothers. "Scratchy-!"
Scratchnsniff looked down the street at Wakko as he disappeared in the distance, waiting for Wakko to continue to speak.
"I'm sorry to give you more work after all this but… I think I may really want to see you if I manage to make it out of this alive…" Wakko trailed off but Scratchnsniff still heard him.
The doctor waved back and went to grip something he could defend himself with. "Not to worry Wakko. My door is always open."
"You can't shut it down! I won't tell you how! Wheeehahahahaha-ARGH!" The Mad Doctor was laughing like a maniac despite how hard Slappy had tossed him into the steaming hot boiler in the ship's center. She had slammed him against it several times in fact. He wasn't talking. He was just too goddamn crazy. There was no way he was going to voluntarily say what they wanted him to say.
Even if he wanted to he probably wouldn't because of how deep the fumes were bored into his brain at this point. Madness truly did make people careless to the point of laughing over nothing. Was that true happiness?
Brain was scrambling through the wires and cogs of the control panel. It was way too hot in here. He needed Pinky's help to try and work through all of it to find the right way to outline what this machine was about and what to do to get the ship to stop.
Brain heard a loud slam. It sounded like a bomb went off outside of this muddled, heat ridden device. That must have been Ms. Crazy Squirrel going to town on the doctor.
"I said, turn the ship off. NOW!" Slappy growled.
"Heheh… heheehehee… I said… I want to die with my work. If the army is gone and there's no more need for this ship then I go down basking in my genius." He chuckled, raising his pointed arm and lowering it just as fast while having himself a wonderful laugh as he was held up by Slappy. "This ship will destroy everything. I'll make it do a belly-flop on the city IMMEDIATELY if I have to. Do you WAAAAANT to see that? Ma'am?! I have already inputted the commands for every action it makes! Eventually when the army is dealt with it will use the radar to seek out your friends and blast them away one by one if I want. The army was easy pickings for a while but you really, REEEEEEALLY seem eager to cross me. I can speed this process up if you want to see it all end in a flash! "
Slappy stared at him for a few seconds before uncurling her hand and letting the maniac fall and hit the floor. She stared at the floor and tapped her foot for a split second. What in the world happened? She didn't really foresee this. If the universe wanted so badly for her to be wrong about how she died, this was one hell of an elaborate prank to prove it so.
Slappy sighed and looked out ahead. She wondered what Skippy's plans for the future were. He had never gotten too specific about what it was he truly wanted to do. Maybe that was for the best. She'd get overemotional and then things would just get too mushy for her tastes.
Whatever he did after this, she was sure she'd be proud of him for it. Now it was time to keep up appearances and do what she knew she had to.
With a swift turn she faced the control panel. "Brain…"
The white mouse, crawling through the wires grumbled in slight pain but stopped to overhear Slappy. When she spoke he knew it was in his best interest to listen. Pinky stopped moving as well, sweating up a storm in his exhausted state, wondering what was going on.
"Dig through those wires… and pull them all out as randomly and as fast as you can…" Slappy said.
The Mad Doctor inhaled really hard and then belted out a shaky, wheezy laugh. This was just too much. She wasn't serious was she?
"You… you're already insane huh? Th-That's a GOOOOOOD one. Real funny. Doing that, might just make the ship explode on the spot…! You know-?"
Slappy stood her ground. The two mice swallowed hard but didn't move. They wanted to hear what Slappy's response to that was going to be.
"… Yeah… I'm sorry Brain but we're running out of time. He has complete control over this ship and probably isn't kidding when he says it's working its commands on autopilot now. My guess is that the people inside this ship were either working maintenance or back-up for the people below who got taken out. He's the real reason this thing does what it does." Slappy explained as the mad doctor cackled in the background.
"… So… you're saying that you want me to just rip through the wires of this thing and leave what happens to chance?" Brain asked.
"There aren't many army guys and tanks left. When they run out they'll go for our friends. The people we want to keep safe. My nephew..." She stood still and closed her eyes. "I know this sounds like I'm asking for a bit much but… if your tiny body can't find your way through that mass of boiling hot circuits and figure out how to shut this thing off in... let's say five minutes, I want you to say "Screw it" and rip through it." Slappy spoke.
Brain looked downtrodden a bit.
"… And if you do that, the ship might explode. We'll still be able to save everyone but as for us…" Slappy smirked a bit.
Brain was looking down and shifted his head so that he could catch Pinky's expression. Pinky looked a bit neutral before he smiled softly. Brain returned the smile and shut his eyes, feeling appeased and satisfied with himself.
So it was all or nothing huh? He should have foreseen it coming down to something like this. Maybe, at the back of his mind, he did though. For some reason, he felt a lot more relaxed then he expected himself to feel hearing this news.
A truly do or die situation; a challenge befitting the perfect candidate for ruler of the world.
"Understood." Brain finally answered Slappy, getting back to it with a newly invigorated amount of fervor.
"WAKKO!" Dot screamed as she stumbled forward, spotting her older brother rushing down the street like a bullet. His body was mangled and broken. He looked like he was spewing faucets of blood and his legs didn't even look like they should be able to bend at the knee let alone run so fast.
Wakko panted as he ran and looked to the side to see who had called his name. Of course, he already knew by the sound of her voice. "Dot…"
He saw his little sister there, with her arm hastily being bandaged by Skippy Squirrel and a bag of ice that they had gathered from an ice machine beside the Grocery store that was collapsing beside them. Mindy and Buttons were curled up together side by side, sitting still and watching the city. Wakko stood out like a sore thumb against the blazing background of unwelcome destruction. He was a figure of comfort being pushed against a scene of that radiated the exact opposite.
Dot hung her head a bit. She gulped but didn't hold herself back.
"I-It's alright. I'll be fine. Keep going!" Dot shouted at the top of her lungs, almost coughing in pain in order to do so. She wanted him here. She wanted him to hug him close and comfort her so much but that's not what she needed. What they needed was for Wakko to go and make his fateful confrontation with their brother. This wasn't about her. It was about all of them and the world they lived it.
Wakko took one last glance at her.
"Yakko has to be up ahead." Skippy spoke up, using a less raspy but still audible disturbed tone of voice. "Please be careful!"
Wakko's face was unreadable. He managed to give them all a slight nod before turning to rush off even harder down the road.
Almost there.
"I can't get a reading on anything. I think I'm the only one left." A man in his army garb sat outside of the city in the vast emptiness. It was the lay of the land and spoke for what was; what had to be the state of the world all over.
Each visual he managed to snag on his hand-held showed areas all across the world. Each person he tried to get in touch with had either gotten their devices destroyed or had fallen on the ground, still on, and staring face up.
Each screen he could get patched through to either gave him a view of that same, disgustingly poignant red sky, or muddled dirt.
Eventually, he gave up and slumped against the back of the van. He could feel his brain succumbing to whatever this was as well. No help was coming either. Activity had probably gone awry the world over by now.
He couldn't get in touch with anybody. Not a single person.
It really helped sink in that feeling of truth. That very unbelievable and hard to grasp concept of the world truly ending was at the forefront here and now that it had hit him, he didn't know what to feel.
He was just a lone insignificant soldier, lost in the fray. The bodies of his fellow comrades and the bodies of the toons that had tried to rebel and stop them lay all about. The ones who ran this world and the ones who decided what went down and what didn't must have had a part in all this somehow. It must have been something that was only a matter of time.
The world didn't just end on a whim like that. It couldn't have. What was the point of all our progress then? He kept hearing from some science nerds about how small and insignificant we all were and how the universe didn't care about a singular rock floating in the middle of a massive correlation of stars and galaxies. He heard about how easy and quick it would be for one meteor or one supernova to just take us out at the snap of a finger.
All the science, all the history, all the advancements, and all the entertainment would all be gone and there'd be no proof left within the universe that it ever even existed. It would continue on without caring too.
That's what this felt like only a little bit worse. He knew it had to be the fault of the people who ran this floating rock. Going out on the terms of the universe had more dignity then foolishly taking yourselves out. So who did it? Who was responsible for this?
Whoever did this needed to answer for it. Hopefully, there was someone out there who was willing to fix this and change the world for the better. He'd be willing to listen to whoever had ideas for what needed to be done and how. He had a feeling that whoever survived this would too.
Please, if there's anyone who can save us, do so, and when you do, even if we don't deserve it, help us to move forward in the right direction and down the right path.
The man panted and sat back, feeling himself slip away as a funny thought crossed his mind.
"… Wouldn't it be the ultimate slap in the face to the higher up jerks if that person were a toon…?"
"I'm almost done here."
Yakko looked all around him and saw the army men scattered about and clearly on edge with what was going down.
They had all tried and failed to get a leg up on this kid. He was too fast, too unpredictable, and too crazy to take out successfully. They knew they could do it but he kept going in areas that almost relied on them having to shoot their own damn selves. They just couldn't do that though. One off-handed kill and they might become a slave to the madness. They were walking on egg shells here and they didn't have the ability to manage something like that.
Yakko, however, was managing himself just fine. He stared up ahead at them all and began to laugh to himself. Rita and Runt were standing across from him a bit of a ways back. They had tried their hardest to make it through this without too much trouble. There was a fat chance of that happening now though.
"Yakko. Come… ON!" Rita almost dug her paw into the cracked gravel road. "I know you're good side is still in there. It absolutely has to be."
Yakko's grin widened a bit. "More of your after-school special crap? I'm tired of hearing it Rita. Can you feed me a line from something cool?" Yakko mocked her by putting a hand to his ear, his red eyes flashing a bit as if they shined that way just to relish in the fact that she was getting nowhere with him.
"You's was like da nicest kid ever! Maybe not on da show but off of it you were really really nice." Runt chimed in too.
"Uh-huh. I sure was. Look where that got me. Hehehe." Yakko could make fun of his past exploits now. It didn't bother him. None of that was going to matter very soon.
The soldiers raised their guns again. Yakko turned to look at them all and sighed. "Still not giving up? Okay."
All of a sudden, he raised his axe and spun it several times in place.
"Watch it! He's about to do someth-" One of the soldiers spoke up but never got to finish his warning as the axe slammed into the ground and made the street burst open! Rocks, debris, and chunks of the sidewalk at the side flew up and fast. The army men were all blown back by his amazing strength and speed with their rifles sliding across the crumbling landscape.
Rita and Runt had been flown back just as well and landed on the street rather hard. They skidded a bit before grumbling in pain and forcing themselves back up. Rita did it first. When Runt saw her do it, he did it too, no questions asked.
"You guys are just a stubborn as my former sibs." Yakko's face fell. Rita noticed his smile disappear.
"They're still your brother and sister Yakko. They're not going to give up on you. We all share their conviction now and as such we're not giving up either." Rita spoke proudly as she put her paw to her chest. Runt gave a swift, vigorous nod of approval.
Yakko's face was downtrodden and disturbed. He seemed rather annoyed yet again.
He thought he had everything figured out in the state he was in. He was sure of everything now. Ending the world and making everyone go crazy would cause all the fear, the strife, the anger, the hardships, the injustice, the sadness, and the care to disappear. That's what the world needed.
Love, family, life, togetherness, happiness, and hope were all concepts that existed only to be taken away from you. It was just all one big tease the universe wanted you to taste before it stripped it all away from you.
Every person you love and spend your time with is and will eventually be taken away from you when they die. You love your grandparents as a child and you grow up knowing at the back of your mind that each day that passes, they're one step closer to the grave. You grow up working so hard and striving to be the best and yet you know at the back of your mind that you'll never be as good or as wealthy or as happy as those sleazy jerks in their business suits who sit at the top of the corporate ladder because everything was handed to them through inheritance. You give a beloved brother a hug one day and the very next one, through a cruel twist of fate, you're handed information that some asshole ran him over by accident and you'll never get to see him again. Your left standing there with your happy memories suddenly turning on you and making you feel deep passionate sorrow instead.
It was like some kind of fucking joke.
The fact that he wanted a life resembling anything like that before made him feel sick. The fact that they were asking him to come back to that was disgusting. Who did they think they were?!
"What do you know huh?!" Yakko shouted at the cat and dog. "You think you've got it all figured out with your lovey-dovey nonsense huh? Well my brother was right all along. Back when I was trying to stop him from acting out and being a jerk, I should have known that his intentions held promise. I shouldn't have scolded or tried to stop him. The problem was with me! Trying to encourage him to live and brave himself in a world like this was damn near criminal of me. But now, I understand! I feel so invigorated! SO HAPPY!" Yakko shouted, pumping his fists at the sky.
Rita and Runt winced as the crazed smirk returned to Yakko's face.
"We can be free now. We can go around and do whatever we want. When we sink into madness, no one will care. We won't have to be sad when someone we loved dies. There will be no more love and there will be no sadness. Only madness! I can't believe you selfish tools! Wake up already! Let me get to that tower so me and the rest of those grieving souls can overrun the world and make it happen! We're just a few steps away from a flash of true happiness before everything is snuffed out all at once. We'll be able to ensure that we go out with a bang! All of us will go out on our own terms!"
Rita and Runt stared ahead at him, hearing footsteps coming up from behind them.
"Just let this happen. I don't care about my sibs anymore."
The footsteps were getting louder. Yakko couldn't hear them. He was lost in his own world now, staring at the ground with clenched teeth and a sweaty face.
"In fact, the instant I see them, I'm going to kill them. It makes me happy. The thought of them dead at my feet is what I want to see now."
Rita's ears perked up. She heard someone jump right over her head and saw two feet land in front of her before shooting like a bullet right toward Yakko. The figure's fist was raised up.
"What good can come from continuing on in this world the way it is now? We all deserve to die happy! So I'm going to end this godforsaken planet and make sure we all do!" Yakko shouted, finally looking up.
A fist flew right into his face.
He grunted in pain as his body flew back and slammed onto the ground. He dropped his axe and didn't make out where it landed due to his eyes being shut in pain from the burst of the impact.
He winced as he sat up, the fogginess of his head making it hard to contemplate what had just happened. He opened his eyes and watched as his senses tried to register who was in front of him. When they had made out enough of his features, his eyes shot open wide.
His brother was here.
Wakko stood over Yakko with his fists clenched and his body drenched in enough blood, cuts, and bruises to fuel the spirit tank of a horror show.
His eyes were shaky and focused. Wakko looked like he was really determined. Yakko saw his face and couldn't look away.
After all he did and after all Wakko must have seen and been through, he was still here in front of him with that same determined look on his face.
Why?
"…W-Wakko… so you made it. Nice job little brother." Yakko said Wakko's designated title as if it were poison rolling off the tongue. It sounded like he was referring to him as a little brother in name only.
Wakko took in a deep breath and let it go. He looked down at his older brother and a glimpse of the happier times crossed his mind.
"… You were right Yakko. I see that now. I want you to be able to see it again." Wakko spoke up with his voice barely above an audible whisper. Yakko could still hear him though.
"I was right…?" Yakko crawled up to his knees, staring Wakko down.
Wakko's eyes were serious and focused on his brother's face. "I was really stupid and dumb and a whole bunch of other bad junk. I'm sorry for acting out. I get it now though. You were right."
Yakko was dumbfounded.
"I see now more than ever that in order to change the world for the better, we need to work hard and do what we can to persevere. We have to live and be strong. Acting out, destroying everything, throwing up our hands and saying let's just do whatever and kill whoever just makes things worse for everyone. It's a sign that we let the hard-times beat us. What you're doing now, Yakko, is the biggest example of straight giving up I've ever seen."
Yakko began to twitch and shake.
"I can't get my way so I'm going to make sure nothing matters anymore. Everyone won't care about anything anymore and that'll make everyone happy in their final moments when they all kill each other. Then the world ends. That's it isn't it? That's our legacy? Betraying who we really are so that we can all die being equally insane?"
Yakko was rather unkempt but managed to speak. "Th-The point of happiness is to be content with yourselves until you die. So what if you'll die a little early? Everyone will die happy."
"Its fake happiness forced upon us by a bunch of toon spirits. We have the ability to live on and make the world a better place." Wakko said.
Yakko stood up and wobbled about a bit. "That's nonsense. You're dreaming of sunshine and lollipops but the truth is we're all living in a bubble and the ones living outside of it end up succumbing to the whims of those who live at the top, deciding who gets to be happy and who doesn't! I'm making an effort to put an end to all of that!" Yakko swatted his chest, eyes bugged out, flaring in anger. "IT's NOT FAKE HAPPINESS!"
"It is fake." Wakko didn't miss a beat. "Happiness comes around when there's no more sadness. What elevated people to being happy were the things in the world that got them out of their funk. We used to do that Yakko. We made people laugh. That's the entire point to comedy. We elevate the feelings and hearts of people back from the brink so that they can feel that sense of humor about life and the world and keep on trucking."
"So you're saying we have to rely on people being sad in order to make them happy?" Yakko asked, really angry.
"I'm saying that there has to be a balance. Your solution may work but it'll only work for a short period of time. Afterward, everyone will be dead. They'll all die happy but for what? For the sake of being happy? What's the point if there's nothing to look forward to or enjoy?" Wakko asked.
"Who cares? If they're happy when they die, they'll feel fulfilled." Yakko declared.
"Fulfilled in what? We're not talking about a single emotion here Yakko. We're talking about life! I want to live! You want to live! Everyone wants to live! And living to strive for the sake of the happiness that lies ahead is why everyone continues to live. We were born with an attachment to life! Taking that attachment to life away, making us not care anymore, and calling that happiness is fake! It's so stupid and fake it hurts!" Wakko shouted in Yakko's face.
"We… our lives… why…? Why do people just accept all this-?" Yakko grumbled.
"We have to brave what's up ahead and face it head on together Yakko. That way we can find true happiness." Wakko said, feeling strong with his convictions.
"B-But… everyone…" Yakko felt himself sweating rather hard, fighting to keep his eyes fixated on his target.
"Not everyone is going to be happy Yakko. I know it's hard to accept but it's true. That doesn't mean we give up and let the unhappy people be unhappy. And it doesn't mean we resort to false happiness followed by sudden extinction of our planet and all its people either. We grit our teeth and work our way around it for a future we can be proud of."
"You think those jerks on the high end of the food chain are gonna let you-"
"I'll make them if I have to! If that's what it takes! I'm not giving up and I'm not going to let you give up either and let everything and everyone die for the sick thrill of basking in a quick, fake burst of so-called happiness." Wakko stamped his foot on the ground.
Yakko had had it. He shot forward and rammed into Wakko surprisingly hard! The cat and dog pair behind them had to scramble to the side as they watched the middle Warner ram into the pile up of rocks that used to pat down the street. Wakko coughed up a minimal amount of blood but secured himself enough to flip back into an acceptable position. He saw Yakko grab his axe. That wasn't good.
Wakko looked around and watched as the soldiers were all scrambled about, trying to catch their bearings. It was annoying but he had a feeling that they weren't going to be very appreciative or remorseful for Yakko's situation; not just because of what happened to them but because of the state of the city.
Wakko saw Yakko finally rushing over. Wakko felt the trepidation of the scene before him consume his very state of being. He had nothing to prove to anyone. He had no problem admitting to being scared. He needed to stay alive though.
Yakko's scream came at him just then. His older brother was impossibly quick now. Just as the axe was swung down onto Wakko he acted with an impressive amount of resourcefulness and tossed a clump of dirt into Yakko's eyes.
Yakko blinked and fidgeted just enough for Wakko to slam both his feet in his brother's chest and send him skidding back. Wakko then charged right at him as Yakko shook his head.
"I've got enhanced strength and speed little bro! Blinding me will only carry you so far!" Yakko forced his teary eyes open. Wakko was up in his space now. With a quick sweep of his arm he managed to grab the hilt of the axe and followed up by pressing his foot to Yakko's chin.
"Sorry big bro! I can't let you have this thing anymore!" Wakko shouted and squeezed as hard as his cartoony hands would let him. He managed to overexert the powers of slapstick and broke the handle of the axe off. The sharp edge fell and almost sliced Wakko's other foot off. It missed miraculously though. His hands were red due to the burst of hard wood that he had to break through though.
"Oh. Think you're safe now that the axe is broken do you?" Yakko grinned brightly and landed a swift head-butt against Wakko's forehead. Wakko yelped and immediately began to stumble. With his leg off of Yakko's chin he was stuck balancing on one foot, wide open for an attack!
"N-No… actually I don't…" Wakko managed to choke out before his felt his brother's fist ram against his stomach! Wakko's eyes crossed and his limbs seized up as soon as the connection hit. When the full force of that punch went off it sounded like a rocket breaking the sound barrier. Wakko flew back and skidded through the road, sending loads of debris everywhere and kicking back a ton of extra wide open space. The city block was reminiscent of a wasteland already.
Wakko felt his body ache. He was all but submerged in rubble and his skin felt like it was peeling off. He was bleeding through his legs and arms and the heat of the road felt like it was melting off sections of his fur. The top of his head was bleeding a bit and his hat had blown off to the side.
He wasn't done though. He was way too single-minded and tenacious to allow himself to go down like this. His brother, despite what he was saying, didn't believe the crap coming out of his mouth. With one determined stomp on the ground he burst through the rubble and managed to keep himself steady.
"Yakko! I know now how angry and bitter that part of you that hated our situation truly was. The power of that tower took advantage of that and made it grow strong. It overshadowed who you really were. It made you a crazed lunatic who kills indiscriminately and doesn't care for the lives of his brother and sister…" Wakko talked.
He saw Yakko's figure exiting from the cloud of smoke. Yakko's face didn't look amused. Wakko began to shiver. There was no way he was going to be able to win this fight. His body had been on autopilot since the prison. It was all but destroyed.
However, that wasn't grounds for giving up. Appealing to his good side was pointless as far as Yakko was concerned. The curse made it so that it had to have been completely snuffed out. Throughout all of this, no one had managed to call it back because it didn't exist anymore.
"I don't believe that's truly who you are though. Even if your good side is gone, you're still Yakko. That means you can call it back into existence. I don't care what any old curse says. You're my older brother. I know who you really are. Please, come back to me and Dot. We miss you so much." Wakko was tearing up. Despite his best efforts he was crying like a little wimp. Dammit!
Yakko twitched. He took that moment to rush forward and delivered a punch across Wakko's face! Wakko shot out blood from the side of his mouth and stumbled back. He opened his eyes and saw that his vision was rather hazy.
This couldn't be happening. Not like this.
Wakko forced his feet to stay planted firmly on the ground and gritted his teeth. Yakko saw these resolute movements but didn't make any mention of them. He was too busy watching the tears roll down Wakko's steadfast face.
"Look at you. Trying everything you can to call the old me back. You think maybe the old Yakko is in here somewhere?" Yakko asked, not smiling in the least bit. He grabbed the back of Wakko's head and jammed his knee into Wakko's gut. The poor kid grunted in pain and felt his body go limp over Yakko's knee. His teary eyed vision was fading in and out. His body was shutting down.
No. Not yet. He can't let this happen.
"Do you see him yet? Why not get a closer look?" Yakko said, still holding Wakko's head. Wakko's eyes were a bit glazed over. They were riddled with tears and his arms dangled at his sides like they were made of spaghetti.
Still, he managed to plant his feet firmly on the ground. With a wince and a jerk of his arm, he managed to grab Yakko's neck. Yakko just looked down at his hand, not feeling anything. He wasn't in pain. He couldn't have been since Wakko was barely even able to lift his arm. He looked up at his little brother and saw those angry tears. He saw his still gritted teeth. He saw his fidgety eyes and how desperate they were to stay open.
New life was being breathed into Wakko just standing here. His body was all but destroyed but he was pushing forth no matter what. This wasn't over yet!
"I know he's in there. I don't see him yet but I'm not giving in until I do!" Wakko grunted.
Yakko punched him in the chin. Wakko wobbled back and tried to re-steady himself but Yakko didn't allow it. He punched him across the face again. After that he did it again and again and again and didn't let up at all until Wakko was stumbling back and forth like a drunkard.
Yakko stared at him and watched as Wakko planted his feet firmly on the ground yet again and kept himself still. He panted and let out choked gasps of air and looked up at his brother intensely.
"You've got tons of power backing you. That doesn't mean it's going to be enough to take me down." Wakko said. "I… I exist to defy all logic you know. So do you. It's part of what makes us awesome."
Yakko stood still. He was just staring at Wakko now. Here they were. This was the crossroads of everything this was leading up to. Yakko wanted this crazed nightmare to go on and he had been fighting with his dark half to make it so. He knew that his so-called siblings didn't matter in the grand scheme of things anymore. He didn't care about them. He'd kill them with ease.
He should have done that by now. But all he could do was keep punching him. It wasn't working so why not just kill him? He hungered for that bloodbath. He wanted to see the look on their faces when he chopped them in half. He had tried to kill them before without hesitation. Why was now so different?
"You're not in the zone anymore…" Wakko spoke up. Yakko perked up upon hearing that. "You… you were so quick to swing that axe down on me and Dot when you were all crazed and insane but now look at you…"
"It's just cause my axe is gone…" Yakko spat. "You're just a really annoying figment of the past that just won't go away. I already told you, this is the world we're going to live in from now on. You refused to follow me so I took delight in killing you. I disowned you. You're not my siblings anymore!"
Wakko heard that and let it register and sink in for a bit.
You're not my siblings anymore...
Wakko mulled that sentence over in his head for a bit. He then felt his body actually start to relax.
He couldn't help himself. He had to smile at that.
He had figured it out. He knew it. He knew there had to be a reason Yakko was like this when it came to them.
"Oh? So you convinced yourself that we're not your sibs?" Wakko's voice sounded rather strong all of a sudden. He knew it. He freaking knew it had to have been something! "That's why you were so keen on killing us. That makes sense." Wakko's smile cut into Yakko's sensibilities hard.
"Y-You… you're standing there so calmly… I'm about to kill you… whoever you think you are just stop it! STOP SCREWING WITH ME!" Yakko shouted at him and charged at Wakko.
Wakko lifted his foot and stomped on Yakko's foot the instant it came up to him. Yakko was taken by surprise when that happened. Wakko brought his fist over and punched Yakko in the face, sending him stumbling back. Yakko blinked in surprise and felt his nose start to bleed.
"You can still attack?" Yakko spoke with an obvious strain in his voice.
"Of course I can. I don't take this stuff lightly you know. When I say I'm not going down, I mean it." Wakko felt rather content.
Yakko was confused by the look on his face. Why did he suddenly seem so happy?
"N-Nothing's changed. I'm still able to kill you just as I was trying all those times before!"
"Yeah… yeah I know…" Wakko mused.
"So then what's with that smile?!"
Wakko chuckled a bit. He looked at his older brother's face and felt himself become enlightened with relief.
"I knew sooner or later you'd let something vulnerable slip from your mouth. So you were trying to kill us with the idea that it wasn't me and Dot you were killing on your mind?"
Yakko's eyes broadened in shock.
"Hahaha." Wakko had laughed. He had actually laughed. "Even when you're killing people and all crazy in the head you still found a loophole to get around the fact that you still love and care for us." Wakko's voice was soft now.
"Sh-shut up you… this… this isn't normal. You're not reacting the way I want you to anymore. Cry some more. Scream! Shout in despair. Beg and plead at me for your life or something! What's wrong with you?! How can you feel so comfortable around me?! I'm trying to kill you!" Yakko shouted, his pupils shaking all about.
"I'm your younger brother. It's me Wakko. And your little sister Dot is waiting for you too." Wakko was smiling warmly at his brother. "It really is us. I get it now. You were able to vi-pass the fact that it was us you were trying to kill by pretending it wasn't really us. I'm here telling you that you're wrong. We are your siblings."
Yakko began to sweat really hard. His illusion was cracking. Wakko was right.
This whole time, his mind had convinced himself that if his siblings weren't with him on this new world order then they simply weren't his siblings and thus not worth caring about. They were fair game to kill as far as he was concerned then. This was something his crazed mind had decided way back before he had strangled Dot. The illusion was brought up and it made him able to snap and try to ring her neck.
That was the one thing his dark side had not been in control of. It was the one thing it wasn't able to sway Yakko on. Killing his siblings was something he couldn't do. He couldn't do it. So it tricked him into convincing himself that it wasn't Wakko and Dot he was killing.
Now, Wakko was convincing him otherwise. He couldn't let that happen. He'd lose himself if that happened. Wakko wasn't his little brother anymore. He disowned him. He was just another pawn in the plan for the future! He wasn't Wakko. He wasn't the little brother he loved. His true little brother wouldn't be against him like this. Y-Yeah! That's right. R-Remember that!
"Hahahaha! S-See I-I knew it-!" Yakko spoke outloud. It was a bit disjointed since he was speaking in a way that continued off from what his thoughts were telling him. "Y-You're not my ideal vision of Wakko. The Wakko I know and love would stick by what I was trying to do."
Wakko's face softened even more. He could feel it now. The light within Yakko was still in there. It hadn't been snuffed out. That last piece of Yakko that he saw back at the hospital when he said he would be going away forever had been subdued but it hadn't been killed. It was just tricked and shrouded by an overwhelming amount of impeding darkness. He wasn't going to let that stand anymore.
His dark half had overrun him. It had turned him into a psychotic lunatic. Despite all that it was only able to suppress that last piece of Yakko that couldn't kill his brother and sister. It had to resort to tricking him into believing they weren't really his sibs in order to achieve the desired result. That right there was proof enough for him!
"It really is me Yakko. I'm here for you and I always will be. I'm sorry for what I did and said to you before all this nonsense started…" Wakko was still crying but he kept his smile on as he began to approach Yakko with his hands outstretched.
"You stay back! Stay away from me! I swear to God I'm going to kill you!" Yakko shouted at him, grinding his teeth. His pupils were shaking about and shrunken. The redness in his eyes began to flicker.
"I know what you really want. It isn't this. You let those spirits take over and bloat up all the horrid thoughts and feelings you had about the world. But it's okay now. I'm here. Dot's still alive. We can save you and work through it together like we should have back when our show ended." Wakko kept speaking.
Yakko kept staring at Wakko as if he were some sort of monster advancing upon him. Still though, he couldn't move. He had been feeling like this for quite a while now but now he truly could not control himself.
"Y-You're not Wakko. I would never kill Wakko. You have his name and his memories and junk but you're not him. I'll kill you! I have to!" Yakko's voice cracked. He was breaking down. The thought that this was really Wakko wouldn't leave his head.
'What are you doing?! Kill him!'
'That's Wakko! That's really him! All this time my mind was fogged up and I couldn't see him as my brother or Dot as my sister or my friends as who they were either. My brain was registering them all as strangers. Just people that I needed to end to sate my blood-lust... But that's him…!'
No! No it isn't! He's a prop. He has Wakko's name, mannerisms, and memories but it isn't him! You can kill him! You had no problem with doing it before! Do it now! What happened?!
'It's just… I don't know… what he said about me… how I was being tricked into thinking he was someone else so that I could justify killing him. It feels like the truth.'
So it's come to this has it…
"AaaaagRGH! GO AWAAAY!" Yakko screamed out loud and started swinging his fists at Wakko as he drew closer. Wakko took the punches head on and was sent back a bit but he kept going ahead until finally, he got in close enough to peer into Yakko's eyes. Yakko flinched and stared at Wakko. "G-Get back! Stay away from-Geh! Don't touch me! Just stop! STOP IT! PLEASE-!"
Wakko wrapped his arms around Yakko and pulled him into a hug.
"Finally. I got you back."
Yakko stopped. He looked down at his little brother as he hugged him and felt his eyes get foggy. They cleared up a bit when the waterworks hit and his face started to drench with his tears.
"You've got a pretty dastardly bad side Yakko. But it's super weak compared to your good side if it had to trick you into believing we weren't really who we said we were in order for it to get you to do what it wanted you to do…"
Yakko's face fell in disbelief. "But I… my mind… I lost my mind… I couldn't…"
"I know you did. But I'm not mad at you for it. You just need a little help, that's all. I knew we could give that help to you and that's why I didn't stop. I'll never stop. Even if it kills me, which it almost did, I'm going to help you find your way back to us no matter how far you drift off." Wakko looked up at him with a wide grin.
Rita and Runt stared at the scene in shock. Did he manage to do it? Did he finally suppress Yakko? The soldiers who were watching were still on edge and holding their weapons tightly. What was happening? Was it over?
Yakko didn't mind them. He looked down at Wakko's hat-less head and placed his palm on the top of it. It felt warm, if not a little matted and dirty. However, it was still comforting. He could feel his brother's presence radiate off of him again.
"I'm not dreaming am I? This whole time when I looked at you I saw someone else entirely. I convinced myself the real you was dead and that I was threatening some imposter. But is it really you?"
Wakko pushed his cheek into Yakko's chest and nodded.
Yakko felt his body relax and his face soften at that. "Wakko."
He wrapped his arms around his little brother and pulled him close, finally returning the hug. "It's really you."
The air around the scene felt rather serene despite the state of the city. Rita couldn't help but smile and tear up at what was happening. Runt did as well.
"Oh wow. Now that's some brotherly love ain't it Rita…?" Runt asked with an exaggerated sniffle.
"Yeah… it's enough to make a cat cry…" Rita sighed. She practically was already but no use sweating the details.
'It seems we've failed with this one.'
What?
"We tried taking your mind over and ran it to the point of insanity for the sake of this mission. We even gave your bad side a conscience and had it interact with you, confusing and fueling your thoughts. We thought that it'd be easy to get you to submit considering how much hatred was in your heart. However, that care you had for your siblings and your friends was the one thing we couldn't snuff out completely."
Yeah. So you tricked me into believing that it wasn't really them I was trying to kill. Once Wakko realized that and revealed it to me, so did I. This is the clearest my head's been in such a long time. Get out of my head right now! Your plan has failed!
"On the contrary, all this means is that we no longer have a willing host. We chose you because for 60 years you were locked within that tower with that brewing hatred for the people that launched you into this situation and it rekindled again when your show ended."
I admit to all of that. I was horribly angry and bitter. However, I didn't want all this to happen! You exploited my bad side and made me go crazy for the sake of your own revenge! I still have people in this world that I care about though! I'm not letting you ruin our lives because all of your lives were ruined first.
"You don't have a choice. Your bad side hasn't been suppressed. We're still in control of it here. You're going to carry out your duty and reach the water tower so that we can take your body over and overrun the world of the living for the sake of our revenge! We wanted you to do so because we knew you were like us and had the same lust for vengeance upon society that we did but it seems that it's too much to ask for you to remain within our grasp."
If it means hurting or killing anyone else then yeah, you're on your own. I can't stand anymore. I went insane. I killed so many people in cold blood and enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed it… I'll never ever be able to live with myself…
"Do not fret. Your mind will still be lost regardless."
What?
"If we can't use your bad side to our advantage by careful manipulation then we'll simply seize control of it!"
Wait! No! Stop! I don't want to-!
"ARGH!" Yakko screeched and grabbed at his head, ending the hug he had with his brother. Wakko's eyes widened in surprise and he stepped back.
"Wh-What the-?! What's going on! Y-Yakko! Yakko, what's happening?!" Wakko couldn't stand this anymore. He had gotten Yakko back! So what was going on now?
"R-Run… please God, just run away… they're using force now… th-they're gonna-!" Yakko grunted and began to squeeze at his head. "Arrrrghh! RAAAAAAH!"
Wakko was about to try and grab Yakko to steady his seizing body but his older brother didn't let him. He punched Wakko across the face and made his cheek bruise as he slid back. Wakko's cross-eyed, hazy eyes struggled to fix themselves as Yakko felt power surge through him.
"N-No… rrrgghh! HAHAHAHAHA! Y-You can't stop…! Can't stop…this…! Revenge! Let's have fun! We'll kill, maim, and destroy together!" Yakko shouted, his teeth blaring with his nose and mouth bleeding out. That sickness was coming back. He was resisting again and his body was reacting to the fact that he was but would it be enough?
"Keep fighting Yakko! You have to stop yourself!" Wakko shouted. The soldiers saw the dark aura spewing from Yakko's body. He was standing out in the open and Wakko was a decent way back. They knew that he had to go down or else whoever was taking him over would get to that tower and it'd all be over. Some of them were pointing their guns at the ready. The others were hesitating, having actually heard all that Wakko and Yakko had said to each other. The fate of the world rested on whether or not they could kill this kid.
Some of them were very willing to still though. They had almost finished reloading and were getting into position. All Yakko needed to do was get into a position that stood a ways back from Wakko.
Yakko slumped down his head. He reeled it back as if taking a huge deep breath and stomped his foot on the ground, shaking the area and making some of the soldiers go a bit unsteady.
"Stop with this embarrassing display! You cannot push us away! You can't ignore what your dark half truly wants!"
For the sake of my sibs and all my friends, you bet your bottom dollar I can! WATCH ME!
Yakko screeched and clenched his teeth tightly. He was clearly struggling hard considering the lowering of the black and red aura around his body. It was shrinking and condensing into a fixed point before Wakko's very eyes. He was still bleeding and his body looked rather ill but he was braving through it for the sake of what he knew he truly wanted. Wakko mouthed a cheer and stood his ground as he watched his brother shrink the dark powers away.
Suddenly the ground stopped shaking and the air began to chill.
"Gaaaaaah…guhh…" Yakko let out a harsh breath and wobbled in place. The aura finally calmed down. He had suppressed it, finally.
"Y-Yakko!" Wakko's smile gleamed. Yakko smirked back but held up his hand to keep Wakko from approaching when he saw his little brother make a move to do so.
"I'm sorry Wakko. I got them held down a bit but that's not going to last too long. There's too many of them and my dark half is on their side, pushing back against me since it's under their control." Yakko spoke in a raspy voice. He coughed suddenly and spat out blood, wobbling in place. The sickness only returned when Yakko resisted. He knew Yakko's body was currently in terrible shape. Yakko, in turn, knew that it'd just get fixed again when they took him back over. He couldn't let that happen. Now that he was vulnerable, he needed to take advantage of that and end this…
He looked at Wakko and smiled softly.
"Thanks for not giving up on me. What you did was so crazy. Even after all I've done; even after everything my jealously, scorn, anger, and melodrama put you through you still believed in who I truly was. I think because of that I may believe a bit more in who I am as well." Yakko spoke in a shaky, clearly struggling voice.
He heard the guns cocking behind him. It wasn't all of them but it was enough. He had made his decision.
Yakko turned around and began walking out into the more open space, away from Wakko. He knew that's what the soldiers wanted. When he began walking, Wakko started to fidget as he noticed Yakko was walking into a ring of lethal weapons pointed at him. Some of them had their eyes closed as their pointed guns at Yakko. Some looked on with determination. Some refused to point their gun at him at all. All of them felt sick.
"Wh-What are you doing? Wait…" Wakko muttered as he watched the scene play out in front of him. He took notice of what kind of position Yakko was in and what he had just said. He made a move to take a step forward but tripped over his own leg and hit the ground. Still, it didn't stop him from forcing himself to wobble back up in a feeble attempt to hobble after him. He understood what Yakko was doing.
"I can't hold them Wakko. Stay back. This is the only chance we've got. While my body is all sickly and weak…" Yakko choked out.
"NO! Quit it! C-Come back here! YAKKO!" Wakko shouted and stumbled after Yakko as best he could.
Yakko kept walking ahead and stood out in the spacious center. He smiled and let his hands drop to his sides before looking back at his struggling little brother.
"Take care of Dot alright. I'm officially leaving you in charge so remember to be as awesome as you can be the sake of everyone else." Yakko forced a bright smile, despite the tears forming under his eyelids.
"Stop it! Please don't-!" Wakko screamed out loud in desperation. His body wouldn't carry him any quicker! He wasn't moving fast enough!
"I love you little bro. And be sure to tell Dot the same goes for her…" Yakko said, finally letting his tears fall. "See ya. Okay?"
The soldiers were finally ready.
"STOP!" Wakko belted out one last desperate cry.
The guns all went off at once.
Some of the open eyed soldiers couldn't hack it and closed their eyes as they fired.
The bullets that did ring out managed to hit their target though. Each one that went off and struck Yakko's body sounded like a thunderbolt tearing through Wakko's heart. He saw them go through his stomach, his arms, his legs, and a few even hit his head. It was the most nightmarish, gruesome scene he had ever witnessed in his life.
He almost passed out from just watching it.
One that last shot rang out, so did the last beat to Yakko's heart.
Blood spewed from Yakko's weak and riddled body as he toppled over onto the broken gravel road.
He didn't move. He didn't even twitch.
It was done.
Rita and Runt looked on with their eyes bugged out, hearing all at once the sound of the soldiers dropping their weapons in unison.
"I… I don't…" Rita mouthed these words out. Runt didn't even speak.
Wakko had frozen in time. He stared ahead at the body that lay plastered against the ground blatantly exposed for the world to see in plain view.
Wakko's pupils were tiny and shaking like unsteady pins. He yelped out an inaudible cry that had no wording or annunciation behind it. He clawed at the ground and pulled his body forward, staggering up and then falling back down, over and over until he finally reached Yakko's body.
When he got there, he put his hand under his brother's head and felt the rush of blood as it bled out. He looked his body over and saw him riddled through. He couldn't even entertain the thought of calling for help since the only ones around to help were the ones who did this to him. He wasn't even mad at them though. He was just overrun with one straight-forward emotion; extreme sadness.
His vision was clouded with the heaviest and hardest tears he had ever cried throughout this whole ordeal. He wanted to choke something out to say in regards to what happened but everything he said just came out as a watery garble. He cried over his brother's body, watching his tears land on his brother's face and mix in with the blood pooling around his body. Yakko's returned to normal and half-open eyes were glazed over and he wore a content smile that seemed to remain frozen on his loveable mug and would probably remain that way from now on. He was a corpse now.
Yakko was dead. He couldn't save him.
Wakko hugged his brother close to him. The dirt and blood on Yakko's body got all over him as the tears from Wakko's face kept landing on him. He was crying and hiccupping and wailing out into the sky.
All of the men surrounding them couldn't handle listening to it but they sat down and forced themselves to anyway. It was the wailing of a child who had taken on what the world had given him to deal with and fought against it with all his might only to find it all in vain.
Wakko's crying echoed throughout the city. It strung along the air and stood above the depressing and devastating atmosphere as the sound of what this situation had wrought. The cries and wails of defeated kids and the destruction and loss of countless lives, probably the world over by now was what this was.
That man… This is exactly what that man wanted. Yakko's dead. Now he could take over the tower and everything would be his for the taking.
Why not just let him…?
…
It was a thought that crossed his mind once.
It only did so once though.
Immediately after he asked himself that question, a flash of Yakko's last smile and Dot's grinning face from the good times before entered his head.
He knew about the tower and its way with the souls. He knew the spirits were cobbled together in there. He knew that those who had died with regret etched on their mind were lost within its essence. He knew that when the masked man made it to that tower, he'd take them all in for himself.
He knew that this meant that there was a way of finding a way through those lost souls too. Could a strong enough spirit attract another? Isn't that what this was all about? He had lived in that water tower for just as long as Yakko did. He knew… he knew that there might be a chance…
Don't give up.
Yakko would tell him that. Yakko would proudly convict him to hold that ideal.
He felt himself lower Yakko's body onto the ground. He shut his big brother's eyes and let him lie there, barely taking notice of Rita and Runt approaching him from the side.
He then let out a huge huff of air from his gut with his sniffles still very loud and pressing. It seemed as though he had just forced himself to stop crying. It was almost an impossible task and he was still shaking rather hard but he managed it quickly. Rita looked at Wakko, ready to try and comfort him but one look at his face made her stop.
Wakko wore that familiar look of valor and determination.
"It's not over. It's not over until I say it is!" Wakko growled and turned to face Runt specifically. The dog looked at Wakko in a bit of shock. "I'm sorry but could you carry me on your back and take me to that tower! It's just up ahead! I need to get there before that man does!"
"A-And what are you going to do when you get there…?" Rita asked, puzzled by his weird and rather quick rebound.
"I'm going to kick his ass. And then, I'm going to save everyone; including Yakko." Wakko's eyes were forward and focused. He could see the pulsating tower in the distance, spewing hatred, vengeance, greed, lust, and anger. Wakko had no sympathy for the souls who partook in this lousy experiment. Not any longer. They took his brother away from him.
He was going to take him back.