I do not own Adventure Time, whatsoever.

~~o~~

Chapter 3 - Will Be The Mediator

"Put your arms where I can see it!" The girl seemed positively aggressive. He wondered what is the deal with this witch.

"Okay, okay, okay. Just don't use that thing on me." Sawyer sweat profusely. His palms moist because of anxiety. He can't take chance with this girl. Not in point blank range. He slowly raised his arms in surrender. This is bad...

"What is your name?"

He furrowed his brows. He can't possibly give that away. That is certainly the third rule of the land. Never ever give your true name to anyone you just met. "Gary."

"What?"

"I said my name is Gary. There, happy?" He mentally crossed his fingers in sheer hope. This girl looked more intelligent than she should be.

"That is not your name."

"How could you be so su-"

"You had time to think before you answered!" The girl's voice starting to get hysterical again. Sawyer wished she would shut up. He doesn't want to attract whatever wrong that happened in this settlement.

"Ash."

"Remember, mister, I have a spare bullet just for you."

"All right, all right! Damnit, I'm Ben Sawyer MERTENS! Please don'shoot!"

"Much better." Something hard struck the back of his head. Sawyer was immediately knocked down by the blow, but it was not enough to send him to dreamland. Apparently, this girl is not well-versed in doing the act of knocking people out.

He rolled over to his side and faced his captor. Before he could have time to examine her, the girl aimed the gun square at his face. Sawyer evaded the blast and ducked down behind an upturned table. He's sweating profusely now, the salty body fluids obstructing his sight. He's in too much trouble, as much as it is difficult to admit, the girl is better armed. All I have is my machete. How could I approach her without losing some part of my body?

"Stop this miss! I said I won't hurt you!" He tried peeking from his hiding place, and finally got his first proper look at the girl. She's a bit taller than him, with shoulder length ebony hair. She would have been a pretty sight if not for the dried tears and dribbling snot from nose that marred her face. The girl looked too far gone, like those who finally lost grip on reality and let craziness steamroll the heck out of them.

Her eyes said it all, her lost brown eyes. "Get away from my mother!"

Mother? Who? Where? He frantically backed away some more and touched someting cold. Stiff and cold. It's rather round and sticky. Panicking, he hastily looked at what he touched and got the surprise of his lifetime. It should be enough to last him a lifetime.

"What the f-"

A corpse of a middle-aged woman lay prone on the wooden floor. The blood already has caked with dus and dirt around it. The thing he was groping a while ago was none other than the corpse's exposed left breast. The dress ripped apart in the midriff and suspiciously covered by something yellowish and stiff. Sawyer was lost at for words. Even more unnerving was the amount of blood that escaped the body. The fluids seemed to have been drained from the orifices, seeing that there is no visible wound.

Then, there are the green goo that steadily foamed at the corpse's gaping mouth. There were also some dripping from its perpetually staring eyes, like tears pouring out of its sockets.

"Oh so you already met my mother, huh? I think I already like you."

Then everything went black.

~~o~~

"Good morning, Say. I made you breakfast, baby"

Light seeped through the crack in his eyelids. Sawyer hastily opened his eyes and came face to face with Mistress Bonnie lying on top of him, with nothing but her tattered and frayed nighties. So it is another one of those mornings. He tried politely pushing the older woman away, but realized that that will only invoke her anger.

"I'll get it for you. I'll be right back, try not to miss me." She winked at him as she stood up, much to Sawyer's utter disgust. Not that he showed it though. It is too early to ruin their morning.

"Sure, Mistress Bonnie." She slapped her hard across his cheek.

"Thank you, Mistress Bonnie, I am forever in your debt. My body is yours, my soul is yours, and my will is yours. Yours and yours alone. You were there to raise me when my father cannot. You were there to care for me when my mother cannot. You were there to guide me when my brother cannot. I am a part of you, have always been and will always be." He recited the oath monotonously, the very oath that signifies and sealed his fate.

"That's better, Say, my love." She pulled his head and kissed him harshly full in the lips. Her tongue already probing around, seeking passage. He reluctantly gave in to the kiss, cursing his brother as tears threaten to escape his eyes. His mistress does not like it when he cries, especially around her.

Suddenly, Mistress Bonnie broke into a series of coughs, each succeeding one worse than the previous. It seemed like she would be done for now, but the coughing instantly stopped. She held a hand at Sawyer to assure him. "I'm alright, baby. Don't worry, it's just a cough."

~~o~~

Sawyer woke with a start. His head felt like it's full of lead. He was breathing so fast again as his heart beat threaten to rise. He tried his best to calm himself but was only able to shake away the pain he's feeling at the back of his head. So the girl do know how to knock people out. That's insane. Doesn't that require medical precision or whatever?

Sawyer tried moving his arms, to no avail. His hands are bound by a thin rope, by the knots appeared to be not very well done. Just a few tries and already the bind started to become loose. With one final tug, it gave away. He looked down and saw a handkerchief on the wooden floor. So I was blindfolded too? Looks like that psycho chick doesn't know the first thing about knots. Where is she anyway?

"What? You caught a boy?! What would my men would do with that kid? I'm sorry missy looks like you failed big time! Haha."

He immediately scrambled towards the window and slightly parted the curtain, careful not to trip on the corpse. Near the entrance of the house, three men stood like vultures preying upon the girl. What is going on here?

"I'm sorry missy but looks like we have to take you too. I'm terribly sorry. So sorry." He was anything but sorry, that much Sawyer could see.

"...Please give me more chance!"

"Oh you'll get your chance alright. In my quarters." The biggest of the trio acted like a boss, while the other two are obviously just henchmen. One thing's common between the three though, they are all well-built and healthy looking. Even their faces are free from blemishes. What is this freakshow?

"Please...don't do this! Take me but set my sister free! I'll take her place..."

"Right on girly, you'll take her place." The girl's face lightened up slightly. "After my three other boys had their go at her, she's one feisty little bi-"

Whatever the boss was about to say, Sawyer never heard the end of it as the girl drowned every sound with her anguished cry. He was at lost for words, these are surely nasty people. Well-fed, well-clothed and whatever but they still do wicked deeds. He watched in silence as one of the goons hoisted the screaming girl on his back while whistling a discordant tune, seemingly happy like a shopper satisfied with his purchase.

He knows, everyone knows, that this new world is crappy at best and horrifying at worst, but this is just too much. Brother, what else have you done?

"Boss, what do we do with the boy she captured? Do we recruit him in our group?" The smallest of the three spoke with some apprehension.

"Idiot! We don't pick streetrats to join the Bath House Gang! Slit his throat, now!"

"All right, boss." Sawyer's heart skipped a beat. This have surely gone from worse to worst. He frantically searched around the room that may even the odds of him dying helpless, and dying with a nice little struggle.

His eyes fell upon his knapsack. My machete!

Sawyer strode to it as quietly as he could and took out his trusty weapon. He felt bad that the girl took the gun with her. Well, anyway, he doubt if he could use that effectively though. Outside, he heard the gang exchange their goodbyes as the other two left. The girl was silent now, probably finally accepting her fate.

"Shmuck my dirk, while I frock that brass! Shmuck my dirk, while I frock that brass!"

They were so casual about their crimes that they can sing without care. Where are the people of this town? Why does nobody come and help them? Surely that girl's voice must have been heard throught this place. Sawyer looked down at the soiled corpse, the green goo now almost covered its face. Then something occured to him. An idea he wished that wasn't true.

They are all dead. All the people of this town is dead.

But before he could ponder the idea, loud and hurried footsteps coming from the stairs echoed around the house. Sawyer almost dropped his weapon out of fear but he remained hidden behind the upturned table. Behind him, he heard a low groan, an all familiar groan.

"C'mon now kid. I know you're hiding behind that table." This dude actually sound bored. "Don't waste my time, lie down, and let me slit your throat."

He remained silent. The goon is very near to the table now. His palms started to sweat, almost making him lose his grip on the machete. Suddenly, he felt something move behind him.

"Shit! Not again?!"

Sawyer wasted no time in slashing the goon's left leg and scrambled behind his adversary. He was taken by surprise from the searing pain in his left leg and by the freshly-turned mutant crawling towards them. So, my hunch is right then?

"Die, you freak! The goon plunged his own knife into the skull of the creature, which turned out to be a bad move. Unlike the other mutants, this one haven't completed its transformation and such, still retained human features. Like a hard skull. His actions didn't killed it yet, but now the knife is stuck and Sawyer used the moment to try and strike the goon down with his blade.

"As if, kid!"

He was met by a punch to his right cheek, landing hard near the spot where he was bound in ropes earlier. Spatting out a tooth, he hurriedly searched for his weapon and to his horror, it lay closer to his enemy. He tried reaching it first but failed and backed away.

"Get off me you smelly woman!" The goon repeatedly slashed the mutant in different places before finally delivering a vicious strike. He nearly decapitated the creature, with a few sinews helding its head in place. It dropped to the ground and layed still, he weapon stucked again much to his relief. Using the split second moment, he picked the a length of the rope and frantically tied it around the neck of the goon.

The bastard has back turned to him and was still stunned from his victory to be able to throw him off. "Hey what- ?"

"Shut up!" Sawyer coiled the rope some more and and pulled both ends, viciously strangling his enemy. The goon is now trying to loosen up the rope, but Sawyer won't have any of that. He turned away and hoisted the man on his back, using all the strength to lift him off his feet. He didn't quite achieved the effect but the goon wasn't able to free himself now, and that was what mattered.

"Think you're so cool now huh?"

The man was finally on his last throes now, waving his arms trying to reach him with no luck. Sawyer used last of his strength to keep up the pressure. He's losing it fast. He didn't want to think could happen if he lose his grip. Until suddenly, for what seemed to be an eternity of struggling, the man stayed still.

But to make sure, he kept the stance. Pulling ever harder on the ropes, just to make sure he is dead, and partly because Sawyer was really pissed of at this people. He was snapped out of his revelrie by a sickening crack that came from the neck of his enemy.

"I did it. I frigging did it again." His breathing became fast and shallow as he let go of the ropes and glimpsed at the lifeless body of the goon, its eyes still open with sheer terror. This was not the first time he killed another human, and he is certain that this will not be the last if he kept living in this environment.

"I did not killed him. The world did. My brother did."

But everytime he did it, Sawyer will clear it out of his system. After all, this is the fourth rule of the land. Kill or be killed, and he sure doesn't want unnecessary guilt.

He dropped down to his knees out of exhaustion, kneeling like a penitent person. I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm sick, my foot hurts, my eyes hurt, and oh yeah, I just killed a guy.

He stared into the window, the ever bleak sky loomed upon him. Sawyer let out a sigh, thinking of the crazed girl the gang took away. Now he is torn between two hard decisions now. "Why can't I just stay away from trouble?"

~~o~~

This will be probably the last fast update for a while, dudes. That wouldn't be too bad I guess. Oh yeah, I'm starting to worry, should I change the rating from T to M? The story gets darker from here and I fear I start getting overboard with some things. What are your thoughts? This four chapters will set the mood for the rest.

Ooobserver : Thanks for the reviews, man. Looks like I've been worrying too much, huh?

R&R dudes! I need some critics. Heck even harsh ones. Lol.