Chapter 4

Another Way

The rain had finally stopped after a night long storm that blanketed the town. The absence of rain drops hitting the top of the dumpster had waken the Stranger from his slumber, still shaken by last night's tragic events. He still felt sick of the horrendous action he almost committed. Cannibalism; could the Stranger really have lived with the thought that he almost ate another person? The Stranger knew he never belonged in this world, and last night was the undeniable proof that he had to leave, even if it meant taking his own life.

The Stranger stayed inside his dumpster, longer than usual, as he sat and thought about the action he was about to perform today. He just can't take the pressure, the horror, the death that occurs every day in this world. He has seen so many innocent people die, some even by his hands, and the world itself had changed him into a person he never wanted to be. He could no longer live in this world. He was too scared to continue living the way he lives now.

But what scared and sadden him more was that the only way to leave was through his own hands. The mad man who speaks in his head would never create a situation to kill his new pet, so he had to do it on his own. If the Stranger killed himself, he will never have to live in this world anymore. But, at the same time, he will never be able to live in his own world, as death will be completely permanent on both sides of reality. The Stranger was not going to win this battle, and he had to accept defeat.

After a brief moment of thinking and a failed attempt to fight his way out of his actions, the Stranger slowly opened the lid of the dumpster, exposing himself to the outside world once more. He was still wearing the brown leather coat from yesterday, with the addition of his blue tattered backpack and the hat he stole from the green raccoon's dead body. After adjusting his clothes, he jumped out of the dumpster and landed on the concrete floor. He did not bother closing the lid of the dumpster since he knew he would never come back to it ever again. Then again, it was not such a bad thing to return back to it anyway. No longer must he deal with the terrible stench every night. That was a positive the Stranger was willing to enjoy.

The Stranger walked to the sidewalk, still covering his eyes from the sunlight before adjusting his vision to get a clear view of his environment. He watched as Tree Friends, both unique and generic, walking across the sidewalk and driving on the road. He watched how they were going through there day as if there was no trouble in the world to worry about. This only sadden the Stranger even more. They will, for the rest of their lives, be forced to die every day. They will never understand the truth of this world. And there was nothing the Stranger could have done to help.

After having his vision adjusted to the sunlight, the Stranger looked up to notice the large tower from yesterday, still standing stable and strong. It was not the most elegant building, and had the appearance of a rectangular business tower, but it would serve its purpose. While it was only a short distance away across the sidewalk and a few blocks to the left, the Stranger decided to take a stroll across the beautiful town of Happy Tree Town. He wanted to see the people and environment one last time before his departure.

Going right down the sidewalk instead of left, the Stranger mostly looked down at his two grey paws instead of seeing the sights. From time to time, though, he would look up to see the Tree Friends enjoying their day, either by conversing with each other, shopping at stores, eating at a café, or even playing in the park. He even got to see the two bears from yesterday, the father playing ball with his son. They were so happy together, and he felt sick remembering what he had almost done to them. But it was already done, and there was nothing he could do to take it back.

After multiple hours of walking, the sun now on its way to the western horizon, the Stranger believed that it was time to leave. He made his short journey through town, still watching the other Tree Friends go about their day, and finally made it to the revolving glass doors of the large tower. He looked up to admire its size and how well constructed it really was. It would take a massive explosion at its foundation to even knock it over. But what the Stranger cared more for was the height. Having a total of twelve floors plus access to the roof made it a guarantee success for his terrible action he was going to perform. It was perfect and sad at the same time.

The Stranger walked through the revolving doors, and entered a small hallway. There was a receptionist desk to his left, being managed by the purple lamb from the grocery store. She was kind enough to wave and give a friendly "Hello," practically the only word the Stranger could ever make out. The Stranger did not return the friendly greeting, and instead continue walking a short distance until hitting a large rotunda. It was beautifully constructed and well-organized. In the center was a nice marble fountain with a few cushioned benches, and four large stone pillars that held the tower upright. To the north end were the bathrooms. The east and west sides had elevators that carried people to each of the twelve floors. What pleased the Stranger the most was the inclusion of stairs, with two sections available: one in the northeast side and one in the southwest side. With the added bit of a nice tile flooring, large glass windows, and beautiful décor, it was an amazing tower, at least in the inside.

The Stranger, however, was not here to admire the beauty of tower. As far as he knows, it will only fall over and everyone would die inside. There was no need to have false hope in a place that is doomed from the start. The Stranger decided to take the northeast stairs to reach the roof, and slowly walked to the door. As he walked to the entrance of the door, he noticed the nice gold-plated doors of the elevators. Definitely a nice touch.

What he also noticed was a red porcupine dressed in a black suit waiting outside the elevator doors, along with the orange beaver with a hard hat and the purple mole. But something made that red porcupine stand out in front of the small crowd. This person was shaking nervously, and making silent yet nervous laughs. What was this person scared of?

As the Stranger watched the red porcupine shake in fear, he could not help but feel sorry for the person. No one should have to live in fear, never. Before opening the door that led to the stairs, the Stranger walked over to the red porcupine. Standing behind the person, the Stranger could notice a large quantity of white flakes that were practically covering all of the porcupine's quills from top to bottom. Seeing the red porcupine still shaking, the Stranger reached out his left hand to touch the porcupine's right shoulder.

The porcupine instantly jumped, some of its flakes falling off, and was startled from the surprise touch. The porcupine turned around sharply, breathing fast and having a scared look on its face. The porcupine looked at the Stranger, scared and confused. The Stranger looked at the fear in the porcupine's face, and felt sadden by its appearance. He then looked at the porcupine's suit to notice a nametag, which read "Flaky." The Stranger looked back up and placed a fake smile on his face.

"It's okay Flaky. Everything will be fine. It's just another day at work. It will go by fast, and you'll be back home safe and sound. Trust me."

The Stranger at first thought saying such lies was futile. There was no point in trying to calm down a person when they were going to die anyway. But the Stranger was surprised when he noticed that Flaky suddenly stopped making fast and scared breaths. Flaky even made a calm, shy and friendly smile to the Stranger. The Stanger's short sentence somehow made Flaky feel a little safer than before, despite not even knowing this person. Seeing the smile on Flaky's face made the Stranger a little happy to know that this person did not have to live in fear, at least for the time being, and gave a friendly smile back.

The two were startled when the 'ding' of the elevator went off, signaling its arrival to the first floor. Flaky turned around to see the doors open and the other Tree Friends enter. Flaky walked to the elevator and entered with the rest, and press the button that would take them to the top floor. But before the doors closed, Flaky looked back at the Stranger and gave a small wave and said what the Stranger believed was "Goodbye." The Stranger waved back as the doors closed and the elevator went up. The Stranger then let out a big sigh.

"That man really needs to use some dandruff shampoo or something. Damn."

The Stranger continued his journey once more to the door, and looked inside to see a narrow but tall set of stairs, leading to each and every floor, including the roof. The Stranger looked down and shook his head, knowing that he had a long climb ahead of him.

The Stranger began to make his ascent to the top of the tower, passing each floor one by one. But by the tenth floor, he stopped, and looked down at his feet, questioning what he was about to do.

"I really wish there was another way to live in this world. I really wish that I could find a purpose to live here or make myself the person that is good and not a monster. I wish there was some way that I could actually help these people without the fear of hurting them. But there just isn't. I can't live this life no more. If I must live in a world where I'm a murderer and everyone must die in which I can't do anything to stop it, than I want out, even if it means my own life."

Oh Stranger, don't think like that. You do have reasons to live here, and we can certainly find a way to help you live in this world with a purpose. You just need to stay a little longer.

The voice returned to haunt him one more time. "What reasons are there? Me staying as your fucking sick toy to be used whenever you want? Yeah, fuck that, asshole, I want no part of it!"

Do you really think that killing yourself is the answer? That ending your life in such a selfish and childish manner will solve all your problems?

"If it means I no longer have to deal with your shit no more, than by God, it is worth it."

Oh Stranger, that is such a sad and ignorant answer. Well, I guess you've already made up your mind, so carry on than. It was fun while it lasted.

The voice left, and the Stranger continued his journey up the tower and to the rooftop. The Stranger waited outside the door that led to the roof, and took a few moments of breathing, preparing himself for his own demise. He then opened the door slowly, releasing in a cool breeze that made his body shiver, even with his large brown coat. He placed his left hand on his head to keep his hat from flying away. The Stranger walked out onto the rooftop and continued to feel the incoming breeze, making his coat flutter in the wind. He made a slow and steady pace to the edge of the tower, where railings were guarding the top and to help people from falling over.

The Stranger finally made it to the edge and looked forward to see the city. As the sun was setting, he could see many bright lights that emitted from the variety of houses and stores. It lit up the city, making it look calm and beautiful. The Stranger then looked below him, and felt dizzy by observing the height between the ground and the roof he stood on. He knew that the drop would be high, but he did not imagine it to be this high. But it only made it feel better knowing that his death would be certainly achieved. It would be a miracle to survive it, and knowing this world, miracles are only a fantasy.

The Stranger stood still, placing his arms and hands straight down his sides. He looked forward and took a few breaths. He then shed a tear as he could only think of one sentence as his final words.

"I'm sorry… I wish there was another way…"

He prepared himself to lean over the rail and let gravity do the rest of the work. But as he slowly leaned over the rails, he noticed something happening down the streets. Down below, he could see a massive fuel tanker driving outrageously fast, swerving back and forth. The Stranger straightened himself, watching the truck drive down the road.

"Damn, whoever is driving that needs his license revoked. He is going to hit…"

The Stranger then noticed that the tanker had taken a left, and was now on its way to the tower. The Stranger slowly walked back a short distance, watching as the truck got closer and closer. He then made a sudden realization.

"Oh shit, that truck is going to hit-"

A sudden crash was heard, and screams and destroyed building parts falling over could be heard. The Stranger ran back to the railings and looked below, noticing the large hole that was now apparent in front of the building. It was completely destroyed.

"Shit! I hope everyone on the first floor is-"

A large explosion was made during the middle of the Stranger's sentence. The fuel tanker had made a violent detonation, sending out a large blast of fire and vibration across the entire building. The vibration made the Stranger fall down, landing on his back as he hit the ground. It dazed him and he held his head.

"Okay, no one could have survived that shit. Damn, how or why was a fuel tanker out here? Really, where is the…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he felt a sudden vibration on his body. He was confused and wonder where the vibration was emitting from. He then looked at the ground beneath him and notice tiny pieces of stones were bouncing up and down as the building made another tiny vibration. It was here that the Stranger got the idea.

"Fuck! The tower is going to fall!"

The Stranger quickly jumped up back to his feet and started panting, wondering what to do. He was going to kill himself, right? So why bother running? The Stranger did not think of these reasons, and instead made a dash for the door, entering the staircase once more. As he began his descent to retreat to the bottom floor, he stopped and stood in front of the door that had the number twelve on it. As the Stranger stood still, he listened carefully and could hear people on the floor screaming. The sudden explosion and shaking was scaring the Tree Friends and sending them into a panic that took away their common sense to run. They needed help.

Ignore them Stranger. They'll die and come back tomorrow. Go and save yourself.

"But there is the chance that I could help these guys."

Remember the last time you tried to help? They ignored you and threw stones at you. Besides, you'll probably get them killed in the end anyway.

"But that is because I tried talking to them in a calm situation in which there was no present danger. Now they are in a dangerous situation that they could die in. This is different!"

I see no difference. All I see is a person making a questionable action that is not worth doing and should be running instead.

The Stranger took a quick thought of what the voice was saying. It is true, he failed last time in helping them, and he could just get them killed in the end anyway. He then came up with the perfect excuse.

"Well fuck it. I was going to off myself anyway."

The Stranger ran to the door and kicked it down, giving him a clear view of the room. It was filled with cubicles and business rooms, just like any office. It was also filled with Tree Friends frantically running around and screaming. Looking through the crowd, he could pinpoint the orange beaver with a hard hat, a purple mole, a yellow rabbit, a purple beaver, a pink chipmunk with a red bow, and a dark blue skunk with a flower on her head. And in that same room was the red porcupine, Flaky, from downstairs, who looked the most scared.

Seven people on the top floor were in a state of panic. And they had no one to lead or help them escape. They had no awareness or the common sense to help them escape this situation. But the Stranger did. He could save them. And that was his plan.

"HEY, EVERYONE! OVER HERE!" The Stranger yelled, waving his hands and grabbing the Tree Friends attention. His yells made every Tree Friend stop and look over at the Stranger, panting and having fear in their eyes.

"I need all of you to listen carefully! If you want to get down this tower alive, I need each and every one of you to get in a neat and orderly line and follow me. I will lead you down the building and we will all get home safely. You can trust me!"

The Tree Friends looked at each other, wondering if it was safe to follow some random stranger. One of them, however, did not have to think twice, and it was Flaky. The red porcupine stood in front of the Stranger, completely scared but still trusted the Stranger to save their lives. Seeing that one Tree Friend was already there, the rest ran up and got in an orderly fashion, and placed all their eyes on the Stranger.

"Okay, follow me and stay close. We're going to make it, I promise."

The Stranger now began to go down the stairs, forced to go slowly as the purple mole appeared to be blind and had the assistance of the orange beaver to lead him down the stairs. As they made their descent, the vibrations of the tower continued to become more violent, creating tiny cracks on the stone walls and sending down pieces of stone material and dust from the stairs and ceilings. They would make it down to the third floor before another violent outburst, this time causing severe damage to the building.

As the shaking got violent, the Stranger looked up and noticed that the stairs were almost about to break, and pieces began to fall.

"Shit! Every one, get back!" The Stranger yelled, pushing everyone back up to the third floor. As he pushed, a large pile of broken stairs felled down, destroying the bottom stairs and creating a blockade, preventing their descent down the northeast stairs.

The Stranger went through a quick thought process and remembered that another flight of stairs was available down the southwest side. That was their next move.

"Okay. New plan: we are going to exit this side and run to the southwest area of the building and go down that flight of the stairs. Let's move!"

The Tree Friends let the Stranger walk through and enter the third floor. Observing the room, it was the same as the top, but most of the furniture was broken, and the walls and ceilings were beginning to crack. They had to move fast.

The Stranger made a mad dash across the room, walking between the cubicles as if it were some kind of maze. After navigating through the room, he made it to the southwest door. He looked behind and waited for the arrival of the other Tree Friends, going more slowly than the Stranger, which sent him into a state of panic as he waited.

The Tree Friends would finally make it to the Stranger's position, already holding his hand on the door knob.

"Okay, we are almost to the bottom. Just a few more floors and we are-"

A sudden vibration shook the building. This vibration, however, became violent enough to send everyone to their backs and sides. As they laid on the ground, the Stranger looked up to notice that a section of their floor was starting to make a large crack across the room. It was separating itself from the building. When the cracks meet, their side will lean over and fall.

"Everyone, get up now!" The Stranger picked himself up and attempted to pick up one of the Tree Friends. But the cracks finally met, and one more final vibration dropped them back to their sides, and the building began to lean over, causing them to slide towards the glass windows. The Stranger watched in fear as his body was flipping over and heading to the window, which would send him straight down to the concrete sidewalk. He braced his body as he hit the wall, causing a large crack onto the safety glass. The Stranger laid there sore from the fall, and looked down the window to see the building was leaning over but not falling, its bottom section still attached.

He looked over to notice that some of the office tables were now falling and sliding towards the windows as well. With the additional force of the furniture, the windows would surely break. The Stranger prepared himself as the tables and chairs hit the windows, breaking it and causing him to fall out. As he exited the window, he made a quick grab to the on the edge of the floor, and was now hanging for his life, losing his hat along the way in the wind.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh this is fucking it!"

The Stranger was panting quickly, and looked over as other materials were falling out the window. But then he remembered the other Tree Friends, and he began to see each and every one of them fall out the building, screaming as they fell and landed on the concrete sidewalk, smashing their entire bodies like pancakes and sending their organs across the pavement. The Stranger hanged on the edge and watched, seeing that he had failed once again at trying to save them. And he led them to their deaths.

"No! God damn it, no!"

The Stranger continued to hang, desperately holding on to the ledge, and believed he should just let go as he had failed once more in trying to save someone. But then he heard a scream coming from inside the building, and looked over to see that Flaky was still inside, looking at the Stranger with fear as the porcupine steadied his feet on the floor. He slowly tried to walk towards the Stranger, carefully moving to not slip on the angled floor. But another vibration occurred, shaking Flaky just enough to fall down, and begin sliding across the floor. He was going to fall out the window and die with the rest of the Tree Friends.

As Flaky fell out the window, screaming in fear as he flew out, he suddenly stopped falling, and looked at his left forearm to notice someone was holding on to him. It was the Stranger, now hanging by one hand and holding Flaky with the other.

"NO! I did not do all of this work just to have all of you die on me again! You're going to get home!" The Stranger yelled, looking at Flaky with a serious face. He looked up at the ledge, and quickly looked back at Flaky. "I'm going to swing you up to the ledge, and I need you to grab on to it. Can you do that?!"

Flaky was reluctant to answer, but made a quick nod. The Stranger began to swing Flaky back and forth a few times to make some momentum, and swung him to the ledge, which he successfully grabbed on to.

The Stranger pulled himself up the ledge and back onto the angled floor, and moved over to pull Flaky up. Both the two survivors were now safely on the leaning floor. The Stranger looked over to see the big crack about to get bigger, and quickly looked back to Flaky. "We got to get on the flat side! Come on!"

The two slowly walked up the angled floor, trying not to lose their footing. As they made it to the small gap, the Stranger made the jump across the gap between the leaning floor and flat side, and was now standing on the stable side. He looked over, though, to see Flaky still standing on the leaning side of the building, scared about jumping over the small gap.

"Don't worry, I will catch you if you fall!" The Stranger said, reassuring the safety for Flaky as he reached out his hands. Flaky then made the jump across the gap and was caught by the Stranger, and looked at him with a tiny smile and made a nervous laugh.

"See, we've made it. I told you we were-"

A crack was heard, and the two look beneath them to notice that the floor was creating a small circle around them, and a loud creaking sound was made.

"Well shit, that's just-"

The floor collapsed, and the two fell through, landing on the second floor hard. The second floor would not last long either, as it too broke, sending both of them to the first floor, along with a large array of building parts and furniture.

The Stranger lied within the rubble, coughing as the smoke in the air was obstructing his vision and lungs. He slowly got up and pushed some debris off his body, feeling immense pain on his right leg and side. He collapse on his left knee, breathing heavily and holding onto his side. He observed the first floor, seeing fire consuming the entire area, and black smoke taking away the oxygen in the air. The Stranger then realized there was something important missing.

"Flaky! Flaky, where are you?!"

The Stranger got up and walked around, limping on his right leg and holding onto his side. He tried to look through the smoke as the large explosion from the fuel tanker caused the fire to go rampant. He then heard a cough and small cry for help coming close by. The Stranger turned around to see Flaky on the ground, still alive. But something was wrong.

Limping on his right leg to Flaky, he noticed a terrible situation. Flaky did fall to the ground along with the Stranger, but a large metal construction rod that held the floors together came with him, and was now pierced into his abdominal area. He was coughing blood and was having a difficult time breathing. Flaky was going to die very soon if medical attention was not applied.

Leave the porcupine Stranger. Don't you see it's going to die? Save yourself now!

"No, I can still save him! I just need to get him home!"

It's not worth the risk, Stranger. Just stop and run now!

"Fuck off, I don't have to listen to you!" The Stranger leaned over to Flaky and looked at him straight into his eyes. "Don't worry Flaky. Just stay calm. I'm going to get this thing out of you and get you home. You're going to make it!"

Flaky slowly nodded as the Stranger took his coat off. He looked around and saw a small piece of wood, which he grabbed and placed between Flaky's teeth. "Bite hard! Bite really hard, okay?!" Flaky nodded again as he began to bite on the piece of wood. The Stranger then place both his hands on the metal rod, getting a firm grip. "On three! One…"

The Stranger made a tighter grip while Flaky closed his eyes.

"Two…" The Stranger made a stance to get the metal rod out, and Flaky began to breathe at a fast pace.

"THREE!" The Stranger used all of his remaining strength to pull out the metal rod, taking it straight out. The rod left behind a huge hole, rushing blood out fast as Flaky screamed in pain. The Stranger dropped the rod and quickly went for his jacket, and began tying it around Flaky to cover the wound. After it was nice and tight, the Stranger grabbed both of Flaky's hands and placed them over the jacket. "Apply as much pressure as you can! I'm taking you home!"

The Stranger went to his knees and placed one arm underneath Flaky's legs and another under Flaky's back, and brought him straight off the ground. The Stranger suddenly felt a huge set of pain coming from his left arm, completely forgetting Flaky was a porcupine, with all of his large red quills piercing his left forearm. But he made himself ignore it, and began to limp slowly out the building as building parts and debris began to fall.

The Stranger will successfully carry Flaky out of the building, both now standing in front of the burning tower which will fall down completely in a matter of seconds. The Stranger, who looked pitch black from the smoke and was panting due to the adrenaline and fear fueling his body, quickly looked around while holding Flaky, and noticed an incoming ambulance. It could not have come at a more convenient time.

The Stranger rushed over to the now parked ambulance and opened the back doors, seeing an empty table and some medical supplies inside. He jumped in and placed Flaky on the table, taking some of his quills with him on the Stranger's arm, causing sharp pain and a slow bleeding across the forearm. The Stranger ignored this and dropped his backpack on the ground and searched for some medical supplies. Inside one case was a set of medical bandages, which he quickly pulled out and started applying to Flaky's abdomen and over the jacket , which was already soaking with blood.

After finishing applying the bandages, he looked over Flaky with a worried but still serious look. "You're almost home Flaky. Just hold on for a little bit longer." The Stranger could notice Flaky was low on blood as he nodded very slowly and spoke quietly. The Stranger then quickly jumped out of the ambulance and slammed the door shut. He made a quick dash to the driver's seat, and opened the door to reveal a blue anteater in a surgeon's uniform. The two looked at each other in a confused daze, and the Stranger grabbed the anteater and threw him out of the ambulance. The Stranger jumped in and closed the door while starting the vehicle. As the engine turned on, he look over at the anteater.

"Sorry man, nothing personal. I just can't trust anyone of you to do shit right yet. I'll make it up though! Promise!"

The Stranger floored it and drove off, leaving the blue anteater at the building. As he drove, the Stranger looked into the rear view mirror to watch the anteater. "I'm sure he will be fine." As he said this, the building began to collapse and a large piece of building material fell straight onto the anteater, crushing his body. The Stranger cringed a little at the sight, and looked forward.

What are you trying to do, Stranger? Why are you going through all this work to save one person?

"Because I can! I know I can save him! And I know that I don't have to listen to anything you have to say to me!"

Stranger, this is pointless. You will gain nothing from this endeavor. It is nothing but wasted time.

"Well, it seems to be pissing you off, so that's good enough for me!"

Well, you still have to save the poor guy to even succeed, so we will see.

The Stranger was now scared at the voice's last sentence. He could still fail if he did not make a successful operation in time. He had to find Flaky's home quick.

"Okay, look at the sign's. They have their names on the signs. Okay, okay, we got, um, Cuddles, Giggles, Toothy… damn, all these names are childish! It matches their character and everything else in this world." The Stranger drove a few more seconds to notice one more house, a well decorated red house. "There it is, Flaky's house!" The Stranger made a complete stop straight in front of Flaky's yard.

The Stranger turned off the engine and jumped out of the ambulance to reach the back doors. He opened them widely and jumped in to reach Flaky's body. But he stopped to look. He was too scared to pick him up, as he did not see any signs of breathing. Did the Stranger fail to reach Flaky's house in time? Was Flaky dead?

"No… no, we're so close now... come on don't leave me like this when were so-"

The Stranger suddenly notice one large but slow breath coming from Flaky. He was still alive! There was still a chance! The Stranger quickly turned around and started grabbing a large supply of medical equipment and medicine and placed them in his backpack. He picked up the bag and grabbed Flaky once more, getting more quills piercing his left arm. He jumped out and ran to Flaky's front door, busting it open with his left foot and observed the room. He quickly noticed a white sofa, and a small coffee table beneath it. He walked over and placed Flaky on the sofa, and dropped his bag on the table to empty out its contents.

The Stranger was breathing fast. He had to act now if he was going to save Flaky's life. He grabbed a few pieces of medical equipment and stood over Flaky.

"Oh dear Lord, I sure hope I know how to do this."

The Stranger then leaned over Flaky's body and began the operation.