Chapter 11
Tame the Beast
The sun was a quarter of the way down its way towards the western horizon, just a couple hours in the afternoon. The outside was practically absent of sound, with only the wind rustling leaves being audible. No traffic, no patrolling Tree Friends, nothing but the wind.
It was this silence that made the situation more horrifying than ever. Outside, walking amongst the innocent, was a horrific monster capable of mass destruction and murder. He hides in the crowds and devours life as its source of food. He could be out right now, being the one to create the empty silence covering the town.
Shortly after discovering Flippy's past life and retrieving a small sample of evidence, Flaky left Flippy at his home on the outskirts of town and regrouped with the Stranger, where a silent plan was made. The two returned back to Flaky's home, both expressionless but fear shrouding their minds.
The Stranger went upstairs to his room, leaving Flaky alone on the bottom floor to stay in her train of thought. The Stranger did not hesitate on what to do once inside his room, and instantly went for the supplies he kept in the corner next to his bed.
He knelt down on his left knee, dropping his backpack by his side and examined the variety to gear he could possibly use for his mission. He thought carefully, thinking of only the essentials he will be using. The Stranger needed to travel light, but also have enough supplies to get the job done.
The job was a task that looked simple on the outside, but was an impossible task went thought through in detail. The mad man had just unleashed his most powerful weapon, which, sadly, also happened to be another Tree Friend. Flippy was just an innocent person like everyone else, one who is in the control like the other unique Tree Friends. However, his past has caused him to obtain a deadly second person that goes on a rampage whenever the sounds of war are made.
One would think it would be best just to kill him, but that was the problem. Not only would Flippy would return back the next day, ready to kill once more, but he was also an innocent being like everyone else. Flippy was not the problem but his doppelganger was. For the Stranger to succeed, he had to save everyone. And Flippy had to be saved… from himself.
And that was a task the Stranger himself questioned the possibility of fulfilling. Seeing his strength firsthand, the destructive power he has, and the emotions he feels, it all made the Stranger feel as if it was impossible to tame, just as the mad man described. How does one take down such a beast with only words, to not lay a single finger on him?
But it was the only plan the Stranger could work with. To save Flippy, he had to stop his Evil self, and since his Evil self was attached to him, physical contact is out of the equation. This left him one weapon of choice: words. Trying to make a reasonable conversation with him was the only way he could stop him, and it only scared him greatly.
The Stranger observed the new set of gear he had packed, disguising it perfectly for his plan along with the tools necessary needed. He took a deep breath, made a silent prayer, and stood up tall, lifting the backpack by the top handle. With a quick nod, he proceeded out the open door of his room.
Are you fucking serious, Stranger? Talking?! That's your plan of action? You really think that my greatest weapon is just going to sit and listen to you? Oh dear God, Stranger, I knew you have done some stupid shit in the past, but this here is just sad.
The Stranger stopped midway between his room and the hallway outside. He didn't move an inch for a brief time, then looked up without placing a single expression. "Well what choice do I have? My options are very limited, you bastard."
And that's the best one you could possibly come up with? Using words as a way to stop him?
"Physical contact is not a possible form of stopping him, so words are really all I got. What else could I do?"
Simple: you quit this hero-bullshit nonsense and never bother attempting it again. You stop what you are doing, never think of doing this again, and go back to your original life.
The Stranger could sense a hint of anger and agitation building up in the mad man, which he somewhat enjoyed hearing. "You know, asshole, I keep wondering: why is my actions always pissing you off? Why is every time I do something, you go into a hissy-fit? And what about this? If this monster is unbeatable, why are you working so hard to stop me from fighting him?" The Stranger received no response. "Is it because it truly is possible to stop him? Is it because that if I die, you'll be back to your boring routine once more…? You're scared, aren't you, that I could still beat you. That's it, isn't it?"
As before, no response was given to the Stranger. He shook his head and looked up determined. "Hey, I don't know if I will succeed in this or not. I will admit, your weapon is powerful, but I still know it is not invulnerable. You know me, I am not the one to call quits. Win or lose, you don't get shit in the end. You can't control me from what I choose to do, and neither should they. I'm going out there, you son of a bitch, and I will continue fighting."
Silence was heard once more, before an angered mad man returned. Fine then, Stranger, go and carry out your suicide wish. I hope you still remember that you only get to live once, and if you fail, I still get to keep my little toys for whatever purpose I choose. Maybe I will kill them along with you, making your death and your fight unjustifiable, being the reason they died. Go, Stranger. Go off and fight some more. I'll be watching with envy.
With his final words, the mad man left the Stranger standing between the hallway and his room. The Stranger waited silently for a moment, waiting to see if he would return, but he did not. The Stranger let out a heavy sigh, and proceeded to go downstairs to meet a distraught Flaky.
He stood by the bottom steps of the stairs leading to the second floor, staring with sadness as Flaky sat by the table, looking down with worry and fear. The Stranger always hated the sight of her this way. She's been this way for far too long, and he could not bear to see her like this. But, for this moment, he could feel the same way.
The mad man is correct. This practically was a suicide wish. The Stranger has one shot at this, and failure would mean the death of himself and possibly everyone else. Defeat was not an acceptable outcome, and yet it was highly possible. The Stranger was scared to death at the thought, and was just as worried as Flaky was for this situation.
But there was no choice. It was a now or never situation. And they both knew now was the time to act. The Stranger cleared his throat loudly, getting Flaky's attention by snapping her out of her worrying thoughts. The Stranger walked over with a fake grin, hopefully trying to cheer her up with some positive expression. It did not work.
The Stranger dropped his bag by the table and stood over Flaky, looking down at her as she looked up, shedding a single tear from her right eye. The Stranger breathed silently and went to his left knee to reach her level of eye-contact.
He looked down to notice her trembling hands, and reached his out to hold onto her right one. The Stranger grasped tightly while patting the top of her hand gently. He looked back up to her and gave a smile, this time truly meaning it, and nodded his head. "It's time now, Flaky."
Flaky wiped the tear running down her face with her free hand and stared back at the Stranger briefly. She did not want it to be now, nor did she want it to ever happen. It felt too soon for a situation like this to occur involving them, but she had to force herself to agree; this was happening, and there was nothing to stop it. With that mentality now in her mind, she nodded her head slowly, not making a single sound.
The Stranger let go of her hand, trembling less violently than before, which made him feel somewhat better to know she calmed down. He stood back up on his feet, and reached out his hand to lift her up. "You know the number to his house?" Flaky nodded silently as she grabbed his hand softly to be lifted up to her feet.
The two walked over to the telephone on the counter, located at the other end of the kitchen. They stood over the black phone, both staring with horror as if the phone would kill them at the touch. They breathed sequentially, and Flaky reached out and grabbed the handle of the phone. Her fear made her grab the handle with a tight grip, and trembled lightly as she held it in her hand.
She looked over to the Stranger, who gave a nod to acknowledge her it was time to make the call. Flaky swallowed her throat and went to dial the number's that would connect to Flippy's house. After a quick press of a few buttons, she held the phone up to her right ear, waiting silently for the sound of the phone making a connection.
Suddenly, she heard the first ring, making her jump from the sound. She quickly handed the phone over to the Stranger, who grabbed it and placed it by his own right ear. He heard the second ring, with no response from the receiver. He then heard the third ring, still no response from the receiver.
Finally, after the fourth and final ring, he heard the voice of a terrible creature that hid on the other side of the phone. "Hello?"
The Stranger and Flaky's eyes widen greatly, both scared at the sound of Flippy's voice. The Stranger's heartbeat started to increase in pace, and swallowed his throat before he spoke. "H-Hey, Flippy. It's me!" The Stranger took a very brief pause, trying to remember the plan he made that suddenly disappeared from his memory due to the shock his mind was sent into.
He ended up deciding to roll with the conversation, making it up as he went along. "Say, um, Flippy, I was thinking that maybe we could do something together." The Stranger could hear Flippy making a questioning grunt, getting his attention. The Stranger had to think up of a plan to help Flippy and stop his Evil self. To do this, he needed to seclude him far away from town and somewhere quiet and peaceful. Somewhere where it would be just him and Flippy, and placed in a situation he would agree to.
The Stranger came up with one shortly after Flippy's questioning sound. He rubbed the back of his neck as he hoped silently it would be convincing enough. "Well, I have been in this town for many months, and I happened to meet every Tree Friend in this town and got to know them personally. However, I somehow never managed to know you. So, I was thinking, perhaps we could go out somewhere to know each other, say, at the campgrounds over at Happy Tree Forest. Just you, me, and plenty of time to know each other as friends. What do you say?"
There was a long pause, with no answer coming from either lines of the phone. Flippy was dead silent, and the Stranger began to sweat in anticipation as he waited for a response.
Then one word was said on Flippy's line that both made the Stranger happy and into total horror. "Okay!"
The Stranger chuckled with joy and fear simultaneously, and nodded his head. "Cool, sounds like it will be fun then! Let's meet up there at, say, six o'clock. Make sure to bring a good amount of camp gear, I got my minor kit with my right now, all set to go." Flippy responded with an 'Okay,' and the two both hanged up at the same time.
The Stranger stood motionlessly before leaning both his hands and arms on the counter. He closed his eyes as he lowered his head, letting out a depressing sigh. This was it. The mission had just begun. There was no turning back, and only once chance to get this right.
The Stranger stood like a statue, not making a single movement or sound. Flaky walked over to the Stranger and placed her hand on his back, instantly making him bring his head to meet hers. She dawned a tiny smile, which the sight of it made him feel a little better.
He stood up straight once more and walked over to his backpack by the table. The Stranger placed the straps over his shoulders and made sure it was placed tightly on his body. He turned around to look at Flaky, who still stood with signs of worry as she watched the Stranger prepare to leave.
The Stranger shook his head, and decided to do something that made him regret saying. "Hey, um… why don't we go for one more walk, just the two of us? The campgrounds aren't too far away and you should be able to walk back home safely before nightfall comes. Just… thinking of something friendly to do together."
It didn't take long for the Stranger to receive his answer as Flaky ran to receive a coat for the cold weather, placing it onto her body in an instant. The Stranger smiled as she look back with her own joyful smile… then blushed slightly after realizing how eager she was just to go on a walk. The Stranger chuckled silently, just happy to see her make another smile before a terrible moment happens.
The two nodded their heads at each other, and both exited the house to go on one more walk.
The walk was a beautiful and possibly romantic one. The Stranger and Flaky walked by each other's sides, the Stranger wrapping his right arm around her to keep her warm from the cool weather, which she happily accepted. The air was soothing, the sound was far from loud, and the atmosphere was crafted wondrously with the afternoon sun and partly cloudy sky.
It was also, sadly, shorter than anticipated, as the two found themselves at the entrance to Happy Tree Forest, the turnoff transforming into a dirt road instead of one made of asphalt. Just standing by the entrance showed how big it was. It was indescribable of how large the dimensions were, the amount of trees that scattered through the area.
It was also a beautiful sight of nature. Along with the large quantity of red and brown trees were plenty of rivers, ponds, and a large waterfall that ran down through the entire forest. It was obviously a popular area as multiple campsites were posted through the area, some empty and others with cabins. This place was perfect to enjoy a peaceful evening… or a horrific and deadly intervention.
They stood outside the entrance, both not saying a single word as they stared straight down the dirt path. The Stranger could feel Flaky moving closer next to him, hugging him tighter as she started to tremble in fear. The Stranger shook his head and sighed, depressed to see her in such a way.
He turned his body around and moved hers so they could both look at each other directly into each other's eyes. The Stranger nodded his head as he smiled. "Flaky… it'll be okay. I can do this, Flaky, you can trust me on that. I promise I will make it out of this, and will stop his Evil self from ever hurting the people and you ever again. I'll be fine, you'll see, and I will be home real soon."
As the Stranger stopped his short speech, Flaky moved in quickly to give him a tight hug, making his eyes widen from the sudden move. He then smiled and gave a tight hug of his own. He was enjoying this close feeling of her being with him, and only wanted it to become closer. But it wasn't the time, and he had to keep moving.
He pushed her back gently until Flaky could make eye contact with him again. "You just go back home and stay there. I'll call you when I am ready to come home." The Stranger then did something neither one of them suspected would ever be done.
The Stranger leaned forward to her and pressed his lips against her left cheek, giving her a quick and soft kiss. Flaky's face turned bright red the moment his lips touched her, and stood with her eyes wide open. The Stranger gave a warm smile, and with a brief moment looking at each other, began a brisk walk down the dirt path, never stopping to look back.
Flaky brought her hand to the spot the Stranger kissed her, and laid it there as she watched him walk down the dirt path. She tried to make his kiss be a reason to feel happy, that everything will be okay in the end. But all it did was made her worry about the situation more, and wished the kiss was saved for later. She shed a tear, and walked in the other direction to return home.
It didn't take long to find the campground he and Flippy would be setting up shop. After the short trek on the hard dirt road, he took the time to examine the environment. The campground they would stay at was an open clearing, featuring enough room to set up a couple a tents and park vehicles nearby. There was a spot for a fireplace and logs used as benches to sit comfortably. It was your usual area for setting up a campsite.
The Stranger checked his watch to see it was 5:45 P.M., just shy of a few minutes before the arrival of Flippy. Seeing there was plenty of time to prepare for his appearance, the Stranger walked over to the fireplace and sat on one of the solid but smooth logs. Relaxing his body onto the hard seat, he removed his heavy backpack from his shoulders, releasing a large sum of tension due to the weight pressing against his body.
The Stranger sat while leaning forward, his hands dangling as he laid his arms on his legs. He stared at the ground, his eyes wondering around as he observed tiny insects crawling across the leaves. As he stared at the little bugs on the ground, the Stranger took the time to review his plan of attack, going over every detail to himself to clarify the situation.
He took one deep breath, and went into a deep thought.
Alright, man, you know the drill. We have only but one shot at this. If we succeed, we will have taken one huge step in the fight for freedom. If, however, we fail, then months of work, plus the hope for yours and everyone else's freedom, will be wasted. This job right here, right now, can only be carried out once, so we have to do this right.
This plan can't get any simpler than it can now. All we have to do is talk to Flippy in his Evil form, whom I will just refer to as Evil, and try to make a reasonable conversation that shows what he does is wrong and see if we can stop him from ever killing again. The first part was simple: take him as far away from the town as possible. We can't do it in the town as innocent people will be slaughtered, and the loud sounds could trigger Evil before even starting. With just me and him, it will create an easy face-to-face intervention.
The rest won't be as easy. Evil won't just stand and listen, so I will have to get Flippy distracted, and knock him out so I could tie him up to something heavy, limiting his mobility. Once he's immobile, I will trigger Evil and will have to move on from there, saying whatever I can that could help him.
But… I can't guarantee if that will hold him for long. Looking at his past performance, he may very well try to break free. If, for whatever reason, he does manage to escape, I have but only one option to carry out: run.
There is no doubt about it; Evil is stronger, faster, and, dare I say it, smarter than me. He is invincible and my skills are no match to him. A full frontal assault is not even worth considering, as he will only be able to counteract my move with one of his own. I can't beat him in a physical fight, which leaves me no choice but to run.
It's also the only way I could hope it would stop him from fighting. As Evil, he sees me as the enemy. If I fight back, it will only fuel his rage to fight, getting stronger the longer we stay in combat. I have to stay passive and on the defensive as I try to talk to him. That said, I have to use my wits and whatever strength I have that remains from my wounds to fight through words.
If all else fails… then I must fight back. I kept one of his knifes from his house. If I must, I can use it for defensive purposes, pushing him back as I try to escape. And… if it can't be helped… kill him, if it is even possible If that moment comes, then it is declared a failure, as it shows there is indeed no way to stop him.
I have one shot at this. There is no room for margin of error. One shot… or it's all over.
The Stranger repeated his plan to himself multiple times, preparing himself for the unavoidable battle. After waiting only a few more minutes on the sturdy log, he noticed a sudden flash of light coming from the distance. He looked up and noticed two bright headlights attached to a green pickup truck heading towards his direction. After a short drive, it parked in the far edge of the campsite.
The Stranger took a deep breath, his heart beating faster as he awaited for the appearance of the green bear. With a few impatient seconds, Flippy exited his vehicle, and stood tall with a friendly smile, looking as if he could not even think of killing anyone.
The Stranger dawned a fake smile and reached out his arms, speaking with joy and a sense of worry in his voice. "Hey, Flippy! You finally decided to show up" He walked towards Flippy and reached out his right hand, silently asking for a firm handshake. Flippy kept his smile and returned the handshake. "You doing well, Flippy? Got your camp gear and everything?"
Flippy nodded his head as he gestured his left hand to the back of his truck, showing a variety of camp gear, including a tent, to be set up. The Stranger clapped his hands together and rubbed them firmly. "Alright then, Flips, let's set up shop!"
With that said, the Stranger and Flippy began to remove the camping supplies from Flippy's truck, placing them neatly near the center of the campsite to begin setting up the decent size camping spot. Once the supplies were placed out, the Stranger and Flippy took different roles of placing supplies neatly and orderly, making a clean and well organized campsite.
As the two prepared the area, cleaning out the brush to begin setting up the tent, preparing the fireplace for later, and storing supplies safely, the Stranger looked over multiple times to observe Flippy for two objectives. The first was to make sure nothing was going to cause him to flip out early; he needed him to stay sane until the time was right. The second was to see an opportunity to knock him out, giving the Stranger time to prepare the intervention.
The time will come soon as everything was now in place except for the tent. Seeing everything was set, Flippy beckoned the Stranger to help him setting up the med-sized green tent, which the Stranger happily obliged without question
Flippy began to unpack the tent from its secured bag, placing out the tools and other supplies to set it up properly. As he was distracted doing that, the Stranger saw the opportunity. Now was the time to act. The Stranger looked around the ground, searching for something solid. With close observation, the Stranger found a nice size rock, solid as… a rock.
Making sure Flippy was unaware of him move, the Stranger walked slowly over to the rock on the leaved-covered ground, and picked it up. Gripping it tightly in his right hand, the Stranger snuck right up behind Flippy, standing tall over his body as Flippy was distracted setting up the supplies.
"Hey, Flippy, do you think this rock could knock someone out?"
Flippy was confused by the question, and turned around to face the Stranger. His face would display shock and horror as the Stranger lunged forward with the rock and knocked him across the forehead, instantly sending Flippy to an unconscious state.
The Stranger watched Flippy fall to the floor as he dropped the blood-covered rock on the ground. He observed carefully for some time, making sure he hit him just right. For some time, the Stranger noticed no observable movement; just a limp body of Flippy
"… I didn't kill the poor bastard, did I?" The Stranger dropped on his left knee and listened carefully to Flippy. After a few seconds of sitting, the Stranger could make out the sounds of breathing, signaling Flippy was indeed still alive. "Ah, good. So, let's set you up then."
The Stranger reached out his hands and slowly lifted Flippy off the ground. With the strength he had in his arms, he hoisted him up and relaxed him over his right shoulder. The Stranger gritted his teeth and breathed heavily as Flippy laid on his shoulder. "Damn, man, you're much heavier than you look. How the hell do you go around killing people so easily?"
He shook his head at the unanswerable question and carried Flippy to a large tree, stuck deep into the earth. Placing him gently on the ground, his legs out straight, his arms on his lap, and his head cocked to the side, the Stranger returned back to his backpack to pull out a long strand of sturdy rope, and unsheathed 'his' knife from his right pocket.
With careful use of tracking the length of rope needed, the Stranger was able to tie up Flippy's legs, wrap his arms and hands around the tree to be tied together, and used the remaining rope to wrap his chest towards the tree. He was practically immobile.
The Stranger dropped down on his rear, looking at an unconscious Flippy anxiously, and waiting for the moment he will awake once more. For now, Flippy appeared to be knocked out cold, showing no signs of waking up soon.
The Stranger sighed and shook his head. "I guess were going to be here awhile. Good thing I brought myself a deck of cards." The Stranger stood once more, and decided to make himself at home at the campsite.
The Stranger was sitting down at one of the logs, playing a game of Blackjack with himself. Nighttime had finally appeared, shrouding the entire area in darkness. With the addition of the large trees covering the sky above them, the only source of light was the fire the Stranger lit and the little amount of the light from the full moon above them. Without light, the Stranger wouldn't see pass his own nose.
The Stranger did a victory pump with his hands as he noticed his cards tallied up to 21 once again. "Fuck yeah, I'd be right at home in Vegas right now. I am on a roll, baby!" As he cheered quietly, his ears perked up as he heard the sound of a cough. He looked over and noticed Flippy was starting to move slowly. It was time.
The Stranger bent down beneath him to pick up the deck of cards, stacking them gently as he observed his watch, stating it was 8:37 P.M. Nodding his head that it was now time to carry out the plan, the Stranger placed the cards away and picked up his backpack, along with a few other supplies needed for the job.
Checking to see he had everything in order, he checked his most important tool for this current time, which was an old brass oil lantern. Why he choose a lantern fueled by oil instead of electricity is uncertain, but it emitted light nonetheless.
As he walked over to Flippy while carrying the lantern, he reached for his back pocket which held a lighter, still enough fuel to light the lantern. But before he used the lighter, his face turned into confusion. "Wait, do I still have enough oil here?" The Stranger took the time to check the lantern, and noticed he did indeed have plenty of oil. "Oh good. Last thing I need is to be chased by a screeching monster while I run out of oil in the middle of the dark with no tinderboxes. Now that would be some scary shit."
Now lighting the lantern to give luminosity to the area, the Stranger walked over to a chair placed just in front of Flippy. He sat down gently on the chair, placing the lantern on the left side of him and his backpack with the supplies for the job on his right side. He sat patiently as he watched Flippy move back and forth, coming back into reality as his mind came to a conscious state.
After a few brief seconds of waiting, Flippy finally opened his eyes, getting a blurred vision of the Stranger. The Stranger gave a small smile as he spoke calmly. "Hey, Flippy, how you doing. You feeling okay?" Flippy started to shake his head as his vision came back to full clarity. Once he got a full view of the Stranger, his face turned into anger. He wasn't Evil yet, but he was indeed angry.
The Stranger raised his hands up, trying to speak through Flippy's harsh speech in his language. "Flippy, listen to me! Look, I'm sorry what I did, I'm sure there were plenty of other options I could have chosen, but it was the only way I was going to be able to talk to your other self."
Flippy's angered face disappeared as the Stranger mentioned his second self. The Stranger leaned forward with worry on his face. "Flippy… I know. I know about 'him.' I know what happen and how you got him inside of you." Flippy stared helplessly as the Stranger spoke those words. He knew about Evil, his dark and murderous side that lives in him. Flippy began to look worried, wondering if something bad was going to happen to him. Was this a trap to kill me?
The Stranger could see how he was worried, and tried to speak calmly once. "Flippy, I'm not going to hurt you. Far from it. Instead… I want to help you." Flippy tilted his head as the Stranger mentioned the world 'help.' "Flippy, when people tried to help you, they weren't talking to the one person they should be talking to, and that is Evil, your other half. He is an entirely different person with a different mindset, so talking to you is of no use. So, I have to do something different, something no one else had bothered to do, and that is to trigger your other half and talk to him."
Flippy could not believe the Stranger's words nor did he agree with them. Bringing out Evil?! Is this guy insane?! "Flippy, there is no other choice here. To stop Evil from controlling you and making you kill others, I have to communicate with him directly and make him see the error of his ways, find some way to make him see what he does is wrong and prevent him from ever coming out again. If I can do that without hurting you, you will be a clean and sane person once more, free from that murdering curse."
Flippy was still shocked by what he was hearing, both happily and scared. This person wants to help me, actually wanting to help me. But how is he going to help me through speaking towards him? Does he even have a chance to stop him? Is there actually any hope to save me? Wouldn't it be better to just leave me be, stuff me somewhere, instead of bothering with me?
Flippy then noticed the Stranger reach into his backpack, grabbing the supplies he will need to start the intervention. He took a deep breath and spoke without looking at Flippy. "Flippy, I'm going to be doing something very dangerous, something that could get me killed, but I have to do it if I want to save you. As I do this, Flippy, I want all the help you can give me. Try to stay with me as I talk to Evil, try to fight with me to push him out. If he fights, pull him back. Every bit of your cooperation can mean the sanity of your life being normal to pure madness, so you must work with me here."
The Stranger stayed in his backpack for a short time, and finally pulled out the supplies needed to carry out the intervention. He laid out a couple of items before him: a spray bottle filled with water, a balloon without air, and a red porcupine's quill. The last two objects caught the most attention to Flippy, who started to hyperventilate of the incoming operation.
To aid Flippy, the Stranger went over the procedure. He held up the balloon without air to be clearly seen. "This is a balloon. It currently has no air, but I will add that later." He then brought up the red quill, wiggling it slowly to show it. "And this is a red porcupine's quill. Very sharp. Can pierce through skin and bone; I would know." The Stranger then brought the two items together in front of Flippy. "When this quill touches the balloon filled with air, the balloon will pop, sounding like a gunshot when it explodes."
Flippy nodded his head frantically as he knew how the operation will be carried out. The Stranger pointed to the spray bottle next to him, using the quill as a pointer. "If something goes wrong, I will use the spray bottle to knock you back into reality, and start from scratch once more. We will keep doing this until Evil finally succumbs to reason and we cure you of this beast."
The Stranger blew air into the balloon just enough to where it can pop loudly. With the balloon filled with air and the quill at the ready, the Stranger looked forward to Flippy, whose eyes were widen and showing signs of fear, and his breaths going at a fast pace. "You ready, Flippy?" He nodded, which the Stranger responded with a nod of his own.
With one deep breath, the Stranger closed his eyes and poked the balloon with the quill.
POW!
The balloon popped loudly, sounding exactly like a gunshot. The Stranger opened his eyes to see Flippy shaking violently. His breaths deepened, his retinas turned into an emerald green, and his teeth turned into razor sharp blades. It was only a few seconds that Flippy turned into Evil, now out and ready to play.
The Stranger sat perfectly still, doing his best to hide the fear inside of him. He gave a fake smile at Evil as he nodded his head. "Hey, Evil, glad you could show up. Can I call you Evil? I know you're not Flippy, and you are a little evil, so I think Evil fits you quite well. What you say?" Evil responded with a vicious stare, silently saying 'I will fucking kill you!'
The Stranger swallowed his throat and started to sweat. He took a deep breath and continued. "Okay, Evil that sounds like a perfect name. Now, Evil, there is something-"
Before the Stranger could finish, Evil attempted to lunge forward to attack him, sending the Stranger to fall back on his chair at the sudden jump. Evil was confused how he did not move and realized he was completely tied to the tree behind him. Seeing his was tied up, he made his attempt to break free by wiggling back and forth violently.
Seeing he was making an attempt at escaping, the Stranger ran back and picked up the spray bottle, and dispensed a large sum of water on Evil. The sudden splash of water brought Flippy back instantly, which stopped him from continuing his escape attempt.
The Stranger took fast breaths, nearly scared to death from the sudden move. He shook his head and sighed. "Okay… first time did not go so well. Let's try again."
The Stranger would indeed try again, about 27 more times after the first. After so many failed attempts, the time had reached 10:00 P.M., the night sky getting darker by the second. The many failed attempts were making the Stranger feel exhausted, almost thinking of calling for a break from the entire mission. But he was this far into the plan now, so there was no time to stop.
The Stranger took a few deep agitated breaths as he reached for another balloon, realizing he was starting to run out from the small pack he brought. "God damn it, Flippy. You just had to make this shit difficult, huh? You got to fight harder, man. I can't keep doing this on my own." He pulled out a balloon and quickly gave it some air, tying it up and ready to be popped.
He sat down on the ground before Flippy, throwing the chair away since he always kept falling back from every jump Evil made. Flippy was exhausted as well, the constant shifting tiring his body. The two stared at each other blankly, showing no signs of emotion. Neither one of them seemed to be scared since the moment became more of just work then just saving someone.
The Stranger held the quill up to the balloon and nodded his head. "Let's do this… one more time." He popped the balloon instantly and placed the quill in his left pocket. He watched without fear how Evil came out from Flippy instantly, ready to kill the Stranger on the spot.
The Stranger spoke both calmly and with anger. "Okay, Evil, please, for the love of God just listen me here for a second?! All I want to do is help you out, buddy, but I can't do it if you're going to-"
Evil lunged forward again, this time almost close enough to where he could bite the face off the Stranger. The Stranger could not take Evil's action lightly and angrily reached for the spray bottle. "For God's sake, Evil! How many times do I have to… have to…?"
The Stranger noticed something was off. He pressed the trigger on the spray bottle, but no water was coming out. He looked down to the bottle, only to notice the nozzle was detached from the container beneath it. He looked around curiously, wondering where the remaining piece of the bottle could be at.
The Stranger then heard a whistle, and turned around to face Evil, who was giving a tiny smirk. The Stranger was confused until Evil brought out his two freed hands, with one hand holding onto the remaining piece of the bottle. He dumped out the water, and tossed it aside with a sarcastic chuckle
The Stranger dropped the nozzle for the bottle, and shook his head with a scared smile. "Oh you cheeky little cunt."
Evil shrugged his shoulders with a tiny devilish smile. He nodded his head politely and gave a short stare down between him and the Stranger.
And, without prior indication, Evil reached out and grabbed the throat of the Stranger, gripping tightly to choke and crush his bones. The Stranger started to gasp for air as he attempted to pry off Evil's hands with no success. After struggling for so long, the Stranger brought his hands to Evil's face and pushed with all his strength to bash the back of his head against the tree, doing it repeatedly until Evil weakened his grip.
Evil pushed the Stranger off him, sending him off to the ground. The Stranger looked to both sides, and picked up his backpack to lay over his shoulders, and grabbed the oil lantern by the handle with his left hand. He stood up straight as he lifted the lantern, shining the light to see a dazed Evil from the constant head blows.
The Stranger slowly walked backwards, staring in horror how Evil was recovering quickly and began to untie the sturdy rope attached to his body. The rope was an obstruction proved too easy for Evil to remove, and the Stranger knew he would break out in a matter of seconds.
The Stranger's mind frantically ran a multitude of scenarios and plans for his next move. Evil was going to be free any second. What was the emergency backup plan for this situation?
There was only one plan he had for this matter:
Run…
The Stranger twisted his feet around and made a dash into the woods, carrying the oil lantern to light his path. He was quickly out of the campsite area and was heading into the deep section of the woods, not taking any chances looking behind him to see if Evil finally broke loose.
The Stranger ran, and ran, and ran, and ran for an uncountable amount of time. There was no time to track time, only escape for his life. The darkness of the forest and his tiny lantern being the only source of light did not assist the Stranger. Multiple times he ran through low hanging branches, tripping over tree roots sticking out, and times he almost slipped in tiny rivers.
He moved in a zig-zag pattern through the trees, not going directly into one path. After curving around multiple trees, he found himself at the base of an incline, a small hill rising up in front of him. The Stranger looked around him, seeing if Evil is nearby. No sign of him was observable.
Nodding his head as his breaths ran at a frantic pace due to the rush of fear and adrenaline fueling his mind, the Stranger proceeded to run up the short hill, hoping to make it towards the top.
That was before he appeared. Stopping the Stranger in his tracks, Evil walked out from one of the trees in front of him, carrying the piece of untied rope in one hand and his Bowie knife on the other. The Stranger walked back in horror as Evil stared at him with fury, wanting to feed his desire for murder.
Not wanting to fill that desire, the Stranger did an about face and ran in a completely different direction, unknown to him but didn't question it. It failed to assist him as Evil appeared in front of him once more, still dawning the devilish smile as he laughed deeply.
Before the Stranger could run, Evil slung the rope he carried and used it as a lasso, capturing a retreating Stranger and dropping him to his feet. The Stranger felled down onto the ground hard, and noticed he was quickly being dragged towards Evil. He looked up and noticed he was almost directly underneath Evil, his knife at the ready.
The Stranger looked back and forth as he was being dragged, trying to pull himself away which was proving futile. His only object he could find on his way being dragged was a heavy and thick stick on his right side. Not bothering coming up with a plan, the Stranger grabbed onto the sturdy stick with his right hand tightly.
Turning around just in time to see Evil beginning to lunge forward onto his fallen body, the Stranger timely waited for Evil to get close before swinging the stick as if it were a bat, knocking Evil to the side as the heavy stick broke in two.
The Stranger jumped to his feet instantly, removing the lasso as Evil got to his feet who held his knife firmly. Dropping the lasso and holding his lantern on his left hand, the Stranger braced himself for Evil's incoming attack. He dodged to the side before ducking and jumping back, doing his best to avoid each of Evil's swings. The Stranger found himself pinned against the bark of a tree, with no way to retreat.
Seeing his prey cornered, Evil lunged his knife straight forward to stab the neck of his foe. The Stranger moved inside just in time to feel the wind being broken from Evil's knife sliding by the edge of his neck. The knife struck the tree deeply, getting stuck into the bark of the tree. Seeing how he was stuck, the Stranger grabbed the back of Evil's head and smashed his face against the tree, sending him back down briefly
The Stranger seized this moment to escape Evil and proceeded to retreat up the hill. Sprinting as fast as he could up the incline, he prayed to himself silently, hoping to escape this event with his life. This battle he was facing right now was making him feel something he rarely showed to the public: fear. His heart was pounding and his breaths at a fast pace to where he could pass out. He was scared for his life, something he never wanted to show.
With determination and want to keep his life, the Stranger made it to the top of the small hill. Still on the run, the Stranger noticed a large river down below, rushing water down a long stream at a fast rate. It was in the middle of the forest, trees still covering up most of the light. There was also a huge log acting as a crude bridge, which he could use to escape the other side.
The Stranger thought he was in the clear, that his own escape was in reach. But tragedy and horror was sadly placed upon him as, before being able to walk down the hill, the light in his lantern suddenly blew out, leaving him completely in the dark with no ability to see the ground beneath.
"SHIT! Not now, not now, not fucking now!" The Stranger reached for his back pocket as his hands trembled violently, pulling out his lighter instantly. He flicked the switch once, which proved to be unsuccessful as it only created a spark. The Stranger shook violently as he flicked the switch a second time, once again creating another spark. A third time also gave only a spark.
It took up to his fourth try to finally get an actually flame. The Stranger brought it up to the lantern and quickly lit up oil, shedding out light once more. He turned the lighter off and placed it back in his pocket, now having light to see the ground beneath him.
But before he moved forward one step, something sent a shiver down his spine. His mind was going insane, fear striking every nerve in his body. There was an unknown voice inside him telling him to do an act he did not want to do. Look behind you.
The Stranger closed his eyes tightly, then swiftly turned around to see if Evil was there. Thankfully, there was no presence of Evil nearby. The Stranger was still safe from harm and his escape was still in reach.
He turned around with his state of mind calm, feeling confident he was about to live another day. This mindset would be replaced with only the thoughts of death as Evil stared straight into the eyes of the Stranger, not even a foot away from his face.
Before the Stranger could even think of backtracking his position, Evil punched him straight into the abdomen, sending him slightly downward before being caught by his throat. The Stranger was held high as Evil used his emerald retinas to instill fear into the Stranger.
As the Stranger kicked around and struggled to be freed, Evil, lowered him down, and finally flung his entire body behind him, sending him flying mid-air above the steep hill. The Stranger hit the ground hard, bouncing across the ground as he rolled down the hill, hitting branches and roots that pounded against his bones. With the sudden heavy forces hitting his body, he weakened his grip on the lantern, letting it fly out of his hand.
After the longtime of rolling down hill, the Stranger was planted face first on the bottom of the hill, his entire body sore from the sudden bumpy ride down the hill. As his body hit the ground hard, the lantern that was flown in the air with him struck the ground in front of him, shattering apart which sent the oil and open flame across the ground.
The Stranger, currently too weak to push himself back up, watched with horror how the flame from the lantern picked up in collecting the old brush on the ground, sending a wall of fire that climbed up the trees and spread out through the forest. He laid without feeling hope as he found himself stuck within the walls of fire.
His vision was blurred and his hearing making a loud ringing noise. The force that hit against his body was causing massive trauma to his brain, almost knocking him out. He blinked slowly, breathing heavily as he brought his hands forward, trying his best to push himself up, but feeling no reason to do so.
A good reason would show up as his eyes started to show a more clear but blurred outline of Evil walking through the flames, his knife at the ready. He stood still far away as he watched his prey lie on the ground practically dead. There was a good meal waiting just for him.
The Stranger was not prepared to lose yet. He was not going to let himself lie down and die. He still had some strength and determination to fight. Motivating himself to stand back up, he got up to his hands and knees and brought himself to his feet, wobbling back and forth briefly until he had a stable footing.
He noticed the direction towards the crude bridge was still free of flames, but Evil was catching up fast, walking at a brisk pace to kill his running prey. There was no way the Stranger could just attempt a run now. His new plan of action was brought forward. His final move had to be played.
Fight…
Reaching down to his right pocket, he brought out the sharp Bowie knife, and stared at it with curiosity. His vision focused on the knife, examining the sharpness of the blade and the strong grip that kept the blade tight. His vision then focused back out in front to see Evil coming up close. He noticed him entering an attack position, seeing how his foe is now armed.
The Stranger took a deep breath as he stared at Evil. He knew well killing him was not an option, nor even a possibility. Fighting directly was something Evil wanted but the Stranger could not give. A defensive approach was his only way to win this.
The Stranger nodded his head with a jitter, fear still running through his mind, but determination to fight counteracting the thought. He gripped the knife tightly in his right hand, placed his feet firmly on the ground, and stared straight into the emerald retinas of Evil.
"Let's go!"
With the acknowledgement of the fight ready to proceed, Evil lunged forward, his knife held straight out firmly. The Stranger parried the knife with his own, and moved slowly in a defensive stance, preparing for Evil's next move. Evil retaliated quickly with a side-swing, which the Stranger ducked in time while parrying the returning swing. Evil slung downward onto the Stranger in a backhand method, the Stranger sliding left to avoid the blade before parrying its returning attack.
The two stared at each other with rage. Every blow Evil tried to attempt, the Stranger dodged. Worse, he never returned the attack. This passive-aggressive act from the Stranger only enraged Evil to fight his prey, hoping he would actually start a fight.
The Stranger could see the want in Evil's eyes, the anger he felt his prey would not fall for his scheme to fight back. He had to keep this up while on the move if he wanted to escape. That said, the Stranger walked backwards, swerving his knife around to prepare for any incoming blows.
Evil lunged forward once more, again his hit being parried by the Stranger. Their blades sliding across each other as if they were swords, creating sparks as they collided constantly. Evil continued to swing back and forth frantically, the Stranger either parrying the attack or dodging just in time.
Their struggle within the fire-walled arena was getting to them. The fire began to spread at an intense pace, moving across the forest swiftly. The sky was being covered by ash and smoke, almost eliminating the oxygen in the air. The Stranger could see the flames about to engulf the two, and continued to move backwards to reach the bridge.
Evil performed another side-swing, the Stranger jumping backwards just in time, though his coat received a small shred. Seeing that he was getting closer to hit his foe, Evil picked up his pace of swinging upwards and sideways, not bothering to stop with the constant parries.
His fast blows would soon be too much for the Stranger as Evil's blade would soon meet the left shoulder of the Stranger. Unable to dodge in time since he prepared for a side-swing instead of a downward backhand, the knife struck deep into his shoulder, almost destroying the bone that laid underneath.
The Stranger cried out in sheer pain, feeling the blade entering his body and sending a shock of pain through his nerves. He cringed and gritted his teeth as he stared in the victorious smile of Evil, chuckling at his massive blow to his target. Hating the sight of his face, the Stranger kicked Evil in the shin due to his close distance to his own legs, sending him back as he pulled the knife with him.
The Stranger quickly looked over to see the gushing wound coming from his shoulder, his arm beginning to weaken due to the sudden blow to the nerves and bone. Looking back to see Evil hopping backwards from his kick, the Stranger decided he had enough staying in the arena; he had to move now.
Making a swift about face, the Stranger kicked off running as he held his right hand on the shoulder wound, still gripping tightly onto the knife. He looked behind him to see Evil standing up straight once more and started to follow in pursuit, moving much faster than the Stranger could ever do.
The Stranger picked up his pace, going faster as he kept his mind focused on the crude bridge up ahead. With enough determination and remaining strength, the Stranger made it to the single log acting as a bridge, currently stuck in the running river with small barricades on each end holding it tight.
But before the Stranger could run completely across the log, he looked behind him to see Evil straight in front of him, barely ten feet away from his position. The Stranger swallowed his throat as he breathed heavily, seeing Evil walk slowly and with heavy steps up to him. The Stranger stood on the other end of the log, almost across the river and onto the other side.
He knew, however, running would not work here. With such a close gap between the two, there was no possible way he could retreat now. There was only one move he could make here. He had to escape Evil somehow, and there was a perfect opportunity next to his feet right now.
Waiting patiently to have Evil make his stand on the other side of the log, the Stranger prepared a large sum of strength in his legs and moved to one of the small obstructions preventing the log to roll down river. With a heavy kicked, the obstruction was removed, causing the log to twist and move away from its spot and move down the river.
Evil was caught by surprise by the move, almost tripping off the log as the sudden movement of the ground beneath him started to roll across the river. He dropped down, holding tightly onto the log to stay attached to it safely.
The Stranger did the same briefly, holding the log with a firm grip as it picked up in speed while going down the river. Water was splashing on the two, and the log hit multiple rocky bumps, causing the two to jump on multiple occasions.
Evil wasn't going to let this little trick stop him from getting to his kill. With strong footing, Evil brought himself up, balancing himself on the moving log. The Stranger watched in shock as Evil was able to balance himself straight, and was now sliding towards his position.
Knowing that lying down was only going to get him killed, the Stranger got onto his feet and balanced himself as well, almost falling off as the log hit another rocky bump, going down the rapids quickly.
The Stranger held his knife out, gripping it tightly as he slid towards Evil's direction, who stared back with his glowing emerald eyes with a devilish smile. Once they were in arm's reach, Evil slung his knife straight, aiming for the Stranger's stomach. The Stranger bent his body backward to prevent the knife to hit his stomach, just tapping the edge of his wet coat.
The Stranger looked up to see Evil sling his knife downward, holding the blade out instead through the backhand method. The Stranger parried the blow, and brought the knife up to Evil. The two kept the pose, their knives locked on their flat sides against each other. Evil glared at the Stranger with anger, growling loudly with rage. The Stranger looked back with his eyes squinted, keeping a determined look to keep up the fight.
Their little struggle would be cut short as the sudden sound of falling water caught both their ears. Their determined faces both dropped to shock and confusion. Evil turned his head to the right while the Stranger turned his head to the left. The sight in front of them made their squinted eyes widen to great lengths.
Straight in front of them was the top of the waterfall, and they were just a matter of seconds away of falling off to their watery graves.
The two held their pose tightly while they both screamed at the top of their lungs in horror.
"HOLY SHIT!"
With their final expletive word said, the two felled off the log and into the air as they found themselves heading off the side of the waterfall, falling straight down to the lake below them. They closed their eyes and made their final prayers, and hit the water with a heavy splash.
Flaky was sitting home anxiously and with fear. She sat on the white sofa in the living room, just quietly waiting on the warm seat looking forward at the TV, which was turned off. She looked at her expression in the reflection of the TV, noticing the worry and sadness on her face.
Sitting down on the sofa was all she did the moment she got home. Unless it was dire such as hunger or the need to go to the bathroom, Flaky sat silently on the sofa, still wearing the thick coat she dawned the afternoon of today.
She was scared for the Stranger. He said it would be simple, that he would be able to do it. And yet it is almost midnight and not a single call was made to her. She was left home alone in her house, worried if the Stranger was okay… or even alive.
Flaky could still feel the soft kiss the Stranger laid on her cheek this day, which she could not help but feel bad about it. She would rather have this same kiss later, in a situation that the Stranger would be guaranteed safety and still be alive. She didn't want this kiss be the last thing to remember him of… or even be the last kiss she will ever have.
Flaky shed a tear in her left eye, unable to hold back the worrying emotions flooding her mind. This world was unfair and cruel and the Stranger was the one to help her realize the truth of it all. It was up to him to stop and end this threat forever, and yet right now he could be dead, forever making the mission impossible to complete. She wanted to live in a peaceful life, and the Stranger was the only one to deliver that to everyone.
Flaky then rubbed the tear from her eye and kept the previous thought. If there was one thing she knew, it was the Stranger was capable of performing such tasks. He has fought many other challenges and survived many other dangers at the risk of his life. He was capable of finishing this goal; he can survive this and win the fight. She had to keep that mentality if she wanted to hold her sanity in good condition, and to believe success if possible with his aid.
But she would soon drop that belief as something caught the corner of her eye. She noticed a bright light coming outside her living room window. Curious as to what was causing the light, Flaky stood up and walked over to the window, looking out in the direction where the light was coming from.
She covered her mouth with both her hands and gasped as she noticed that Happy Tree Forest was caught ablaze in a wall of fire. Possibly a quarter of the entire forest was in flames, and was spreading rapidly. The Stranger was still up there, and could be in mortal danger this very second.
Flaky knew her instructions were to stay, but something inside her told her to go and help him. She could not sit and watch that fire continue and know the Stranger is up there still. She had to go there and save him. This mission was suicide from the start and had to be stopped this instant.
Without further questioning, Flaky ran out her door, slamming it behind her without looking back. She went to her parked car and jumped in quickly, starting the ignition and placing on her seatbelt in a matter of seconds.
With her body strapped in and the car ready to move, Flaky drove onto the road behind her house and floored it with her car, making it go as fast it could to reach the Stranger in time.
The Stranger laid on his backside beneath the large waterfall. He laid unconscious, the sudden force that he felt hitting the water almost killing him. His body laid limp as rushing water came up and down the sides of his sleeping body, lying gently on the small stones on his back.
The Stranger coughed heavily, spitting at a small amount of water still inside his body. He rolled over to the right to where he could lay on his hands and knees, coughing up more water that was clogging up his organs.
His breaths were heavy and his vision blurred slightly as he slowly began to regain consciousness. With a few more coughs of water coming out, the Stranger rubbed his face of the dirt and water, opening his eyes to see where he was, and realized he survived the fall and was at the riverbed beneath it.
The Stranger saw something reflecting the moonlight in front of him and noticed it was his knife, which he crawled forward and quickly grabbed onto. He shook it gently, throwing off the dirt and water that was stuck to the blade. He then placed it back into his right pocket and carefully brought himself to his feet, wobbling back and forth as his vision returned to full clarity.
He felt a sudden shock of pain on his left shoulder, and brought his right hand to cover it, forgetting he received a massive wound in that area. He cringed with pain as he looked up to see the large fire that was engulfing the entire forest. The Stranger stared at the roaring flames without any question to ask, before his mind came back to what he was actually doing in the first place.
"Evil…"
The Stranger looked down and searched his surrounding area, looking for any signs of Evil's whereabouts, if he still survived the fall along with the Stranger, of course. But knowing Evil, the fall probably only gave a minor scratch than anything else.
After looking at the area in front of him, he turned around to see a shocking sight. Evil was lying face first on the small stone beach, his body limp and was completely silent. No movement was visible, and his body just laid on the stone bed for minutes.
The Stranger shook his head, stuck in disbelief at the sight of Evil's dead body. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "I did all I could do to help the guy… but I guess that's-"
A loud cough was suddenly heard, perking the Stranger's ears up and instantly grabbing his attention. He looked forward at the body of Evil once more, observing it carefully for a short time. Suddenly, he noticed Evil make another loud cough, and his head moved slightly upward to observe the area around him.
The Stranger gritted his teeth as his body filled up with rage. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE?!"
He walked backwards as he noticed Evil slowly beginning to regain strength, and noticed his own prey was still walking about. The fight was not over yet, and Evil was still determined to win.
The Stranger looked behind him and noticed the dirt road he walked on earlier. It was in the open so the moonlight gave enough visibility to see the ground beneath their feet. He had only one choice and it was to run once more. This time, however, he had to do his best to hide, and knew exactly where to hide off to.
Checking back at Evil one more time to notice him slowly crawling forward to him, the Stranger turned around and made a dash for the road, limping as his wounded leg felt intense pain from the fall and holding his left shoulder with his right hand to cover the wound.
Making it towards the road, he ran down the dirt path for a short time, not looking back like before to avoid another surprise jump attack. The Stranger took deep and heavy breaths as the lack of energy in his body was making him exhausted from the constant running and fighting. How Evil earned the strength to fight this long is impossible explain, but the Stranger had to focus on him, not what was trying to kill him.
After the short run, the Stranger saw he was at the entrance to one of the other campgrounds, this one containing small cabins to rent for a certain period of time or for other purposes. He looked at each one, thinking carefully which one to hide in.
His time to think had to be instant as a sound was heard coming down the dirt road. The Stranger had no time to ask questions, and decided to hide in the cabin in the far end of the campground. Running over to the door, he quickly opened it and entered the dark cabin swiftly. He turned around and locked the cabin door, making sure it was stuck tightly to the wall to prevent entry, even though the lock was rusted and cheap.
The Stranger looked around his environment and noticed an old couch in the living room, and ran over to hide directly behind it, hugging his body to the wall of the old couch.
He sat silently, holding in his breaths to hope Evil would not find him. The Stranger held himself tightly, trying to calm himself down in the horrifying moment. He had to stay calm and content, keeping his mind clear of any negative thought to stay alive.
The Stranger's calm thoughts were replaced with terror as he heard the sound of the doorknob being messed with. He leaned his head over the side of the couch, his jaw dropping as he saw the door now being banged at hard. Evil must be on the other side using his body as a ram, and seeing how the lock is cheap and old, he was going to break in without difficulty.
The Stranger closed his eyes tightly as with one more ram against the door, the lock was completely busted, and the door slung open, moonlight filling up the dark room inside. The Stranger took a couple of deep breaths, and leaned his head to the side once more, opening his eyes to see Evil.
But what he saw made him jump from his hiding spot with joy, shock, anger, and fear. "FLAKY!"
On the entrance of the cabin was Flaky, brushing off her shoulder from ramming her surprisingly strong body against the door. She stood with a relieved smile, seeing the Stranger still alive. Flaky then opened her eyes widely at the sight of the Stranger's deep wound, pointing her finger directly at it.
The Stranger shook his head frantically. "Never mind that now, Flaky! Tell me what you are do- FLAKY, LOOK OUT!"
Flaky's eyes opened quickly as she tried to move from her position. But she shortly found herself wrapped in a chokehold, a strong arm wrapping across her neck and being held tightly against a tough body. She did not know what to expect until she could feel the cold feeling of metal of a sharp blade being placed against the side of her neck.
The Stranger stood with his body trembling violently as he stared helplessly watching Evil hold Flaky hostage, keeping his sharp Bowie knife to her neck as he stared at the Stranger with squinted eyes. Evil held Flaky tightly around his arm, practically choking her with the amount of force he was placing on her.
The Stranger raised his hands in the air. "Evil, don't hurt her, please! She's not the one you want, it's me you want, right?!" Evil did not respond as he continued to stare at the Stranger. "Evil… why don't we make a trade, huh?"
Evil looked at the Stranger both intrigued and confused. The Stranger continued his proposal. "I'm the guy you're after, right, the enemy? You let go of Flaky, and I'll trade my body to be killed. I won't fight back or anything. You will be free to kill me as you pleased. Take me in her place." Evil looked down, still holding Flaky tightly as he thought of the deal. "Just, one condition: you let me speak my final words that you must listen to. You don't have to agree or anything with my words, just let me say them. That's all."
Flaky was shaking her head as she whimpered silently, not liking anything she heard from the Stranger's deal. Sacrificing his life for mine? What point was there to that if he will most likely break it? And… why? How can I accept this? I… I don't want to see him die just yet. Not because of me.
Evil took a long break to think of the deal, then looked up to the Stranger as he gave a gesture with his knife to signal the Stranger to speak. He has only once chance to say the right words. If he can convince him now, since he is willing to listen, there was still hope. If he failed, however, then it is all over. One chance… that's all he has got.
The Stranger took in a large sum of air and let out a heavy breath, trembling softly as he tried to come up with some words to speak. He kept his hands raised in the air as he stood himself up straight to look directly into the eyes of Evil. "Evil… I'm sorry."
Evil's face gradually turned into confusion. My own foe is sorry? For what?
"Evil… I know…" Evil continued to stay confused as the Stranger spoke. He knows? Knows what?!
"But, Evil… do you really think this is the right thing to do?" Right thing to do? What is this guy getting at here?!
"Evil, I know what happen, over there during the war, what happened during the mission… and what happened to your friends."
Evil's eyes widen at the Stranger's revelation of the knowledge he had on him. My friends… the mission… how does he know this?! And… and what does that matter now?!"
"I won't lie to you, Evil, that I don't know the kind of pain and loss you went through, and I will never compare myself to that. It was an event that someone should never go through, and I'm sorry that was something you ended up facing." You're damn right you can't compare yourself to me! My friends died in front of me, bleeding out before my eyes. You can't imagine the pain I felt!
"But do you really think all of this, the murdering of innocent people and the destruction of an entire town, is really going to soothe the pain? Going out to kill everyone in front of you, that's the best way to cure it?"
Evil stared back at the Stranger, his eyes wondering around as he still kept a tight grip around Flaky's throat, holding the knife to her neck. Flaky was reducing the volume of her whimpering fear as she listened alongside Evil.
"Evil, going out to kill innocent people, laying waste to the world around you… it's not going to bring them back. It's not going to fix anything." Evil started to shake his head as he tensed up his body. No… it has to be the right way. They killed them, everyone, by bringing us into there. They… they killed them, and I have to do kill those who got them killed. I… have to.
"And, even if it did, even if killing everyone could possibly bring them back… do you think they would want to see you doing this? That to avenge them was by killing everyone? Is that the Flippy they want to see if they could come back?"
Evil shook a little bit more, gritting his teeth as he shook his head. But… but they would thank me for avenging them… that's what I'm doing. They would… think good of me… of Flippy… right?
The Stranger knelt down onto the floor, slowly attempting to drop his backpack onto the floor. Evil noticed his movement and brought the knife closer to Flaky, making her shriek as the cold blade got tighter against her neck. The Stranger kept his hands raised and breathed heavily at the sudden movement of Evil. "H-Hold on, Evil. I-I'm not trying to do anything. I just want to show you something…"
Evil kept Flaky tight around the throat as he carefully observed the Stranger rummage through his backpack, preparing himself for a surprise attack… if that was his plan.
The Stranger, after a few seconds of searching the bottom of his backpack, slowly pulled out a small picture frame. Evil tilted his head as he watched the Stranger lay it on the floor flat, and, with a gentle push, slid it across the floor to the feet of Flaky. Evil looked underneath him, and tapped Flaky to bend down and pick it up. Doing so without question, Flaky was lowered down to pick up the picture frame and hold it for Evil to see.
Once the picture was in his view, Evil dropped his jaw slightly as his eyes widen. It was the picture of him and his comrades, Sneaky and Mouse Ka-boom, out in the middle of training camp over in the jungles he fought. He saw the two of his friends posing for the picture with their best friend… him.
As Evil kept his eyes on the picture, staring at himself in the frame, the Stranger got back up onto his feet while still keeping his hands in the air. "You three were great friends to each other. You worked side-by-side together, looking after each other as if you were like family. When they were with you, they saw the good Flippy, their best friend. That's what they saw then. So… what about now? If they were here right now… would they see that Flippy before them?"
Evil began to breathe heavily as he kept his eyes on the picture that Flaky held for him to see. He started to shake lightly, his grip around Flaky's throat beginning to weaken. Flaky's trembling slowly died down as she could feel more air entering her body with the loosening grip.
"And… what about your mother?"
Mother… The word rang in Evil's head repeatedly. Mother… He started to tense up more, trying to fight back the thought of her. But yet it was starting to get to him. His trembles worsen, constantly shaking his head as he closed his eyes, trying to fight back by ignoring the situation as a whole.
"Losing her, Evil, is tragic, and something I'm sorry you ended up facing when you returned home. But… when your mother let go of you, she let go of a young boy who was caring, someone who promised to return home safely. Evil… if your mother was still home… would she have seen her child entering that door, the same boy she let go of?"
Evil's grip was finally loose enough for Flaky to quickly slide out, dropping the picture frame and running towards the Stranger in total fear as she grabbed onto him. And yet, despite her retreat from his arm, Evil did not flinch. Instead he stood still, his body shaking as he breathed faster, shaking his head as he mumbled to himself, and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to look up to face his trouble.
"Evil… you have to let go of it all. You don't have to be a killing monster to avenge your friend's deaths, going off and murdering people as a way to make it all up. If you want to honor their lives, both them and your mother… you will let go, and live the life they shared with you. Be the Flippy they saw, the good one who was there for them and cared for everyone. Be the Flippy that they knew, and live that life as if they are still with you. For if they were with you right now, that's the Flippy they would want to see again. Let go, Evil… and go back to being good Flippy."
Evil stood motionlessly by the door, breathing heavily as he stood like a statue. He then did something that no other monster would ever perform. He cried. As he opened his eyes slowly, tears ran down his face, running down his cheeks and to the floor beneath him.
His body trembled to the point it was becoming too difficult to stand. He started to shake his head around, looking everywhere around him as his mind frantically ran through a variety of emotions he never had. Evil's eyes then met his knife, and he stared at the blood-stained steel blade that gave off a clear reflection of the person who was holding it.
He saw a monster. A dark and terrifying monster covered in blood across his face. Looking straight into his own reflection, seeing his sharp-bladed teeth and cold menacing eyes, Evil was actually feeling scared at the sight of himself. The person he saw holding the knife was not the same Flippy he saw in the photo, nor the Flippy his mother would ever recognized.
The person he saw was only a monster.
This… I… I… can't…
Evil's right hand began to shake slightly before shaking violently. The knife slowly slid out of his hand as he let go of his grip, dropping the blood-stained knife to the floor with a thud. His legs and body shook violently, and finally collapsed to his knees. He stared blankly to the wooden floor beneath him, and covered his eyes with his hands as he cried away the mental pain that was trapped inside him.
M-Mommy… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry...
The Stranger stood and watched Evil drop to his knees, tears running down his face in large quantities, showing no signs of stopping. Flaky, who was holding the Stranger tightly, sadly watched Evil cry away his pain. The sight of his sadness, despite his attempt of almost killing her, made her feel sorry for him.
She could not stand and watch him be alone. Flaky let go of the tight grip onto the Stranger and proceeded to walk forward to Evil. The Stranger silently brought his right hand outward, but was unsuccessful at calling Flaky back. He only stood and watch how Flaky calmly walked up to Evil, not noticing her movements as she stood tall above him.
Flaky dropped to his level by sitting on her knees, and, with a short and deep breath, leaned forward to give Evil a tight hug. As she laid her arms around him, Evil instantly brought his arms around her. At first scared that he was about to attack her, Flaky could only feel Evil hugging her tightly as he continued to cry away the pain in his heart.
The Stranger stood still as he watched Flaky rock Evil back and forth, mumbling to him in a soothing voice. The Stranger let out a sigh and nodded his head. "It's over… we broke him… he's safe now."
The Stranger walked forward to Evil, still holding onto Flaky with a tight grip while slowly calming down after a long time of crying away his pain. The Stranger stood over him briefly, using his foot to slide away the knife to the other side of the cabin. As he watched the knife go far away from Evil's reach, he brought his right hand out to a downed Evil.
Evil looked up to the Stranger as he opened his eyes. He noticed his right palm lying flat out, allowing Evil to get a grip onto his hand. Evil was reluctant at first, scared to be lifted up by his used-to-be enemy, but brought out his left hand to grab onto the Stranger's right. He was pulled back up to his feet, and stood eye-to-eye as the Stranger.
As Flaky picked up the picture frame she dropped earlier, the Stranger looked into Evil's eyes, and noticed the emerald retinas slowly disintegrating, returning back into the dark-green color they were before. Evil was gone and Flippy was back.
The Stranger patted Flippy on the back with a smile, and went back to pick up his backpack by the handle. Making a firm grip on the handle, he walked back to Flippy and wrapped his right arm around a calm Flippy. He brought himself by his side and proceeded to leave the cabin.
"Flippy… there is something I have to tell you. It will sound crazy and possibly insane, but when you hear it, it could possibly explain all the events that have ever happened to you. And it will change everything."
Flippy stared in shock but was somewhat intrigued by the Stranger's remark. Flippy nodded his head as he walked by the Stranger's side, ready to hear the truth.
As Flaky followed pursuit behind the two males, she stopped mid-way and looked up to the dark sky, a roll of clouds coming across the sky. And upon closer observation, she saw a little speck falling down to her.
And that little speck that fell from the sky was one droplet of snow.