As far as larks went, 'borrowing' Skull's mother's car was nothing new. The pair sat parked in the dim living room, watching an old 'Three Stooges' episode when the woman drunkenly ascended the stairs towards her bedroom. If history was anything to go by, she'd spent most of the afternoon downing her favorite adult beverages and taking her 'medication'.
Not at all concerned that she might awaken and wonder where her son had gone, Skull grinned, snapping his gum, and twirling the keys on her leopard print keychain.
"Hey, Bulky, wanna check out the carnival?"
"You know it, buddy!"
Snatching the keys from Eugene's fingers, Bulk ambled to his feet, grabbed his leather jacket off the back of the couch, and motioned for the other boy to hurry. According to the weatherman, it was supposed to storm that night and the sky was filled with heavy, dark grey clouds.
"Put a move on it or we won't have time to hit all the games!" the heavier teen sighed in exasperation.
Skull leapt from his place on the couch, adjusting his spiked collar.
"Why do you always get to drive?" he whined, lips pouted.
Bulk rolled his eyes and put his hands on his ample hips.
"I get to drive because the last time you got behind the wheel you sideswiped a mailbox, bounced off the curb, and overcorrected into a ditch."
Without waiting for a rebuttal, his boots clomped over the threadbare carpet towards the front door. Skull bounded after him like a chihuahua, giggling.
"That could have happened to anyone, Bulky!"
"No, it couldn't have, dork!"
They'd made it to the carnival in plenty of time, Bulk's driving more seasoned than his best friend's. The air was filled with the assorted smells of fried food, cotton candy, and cigarette smoke. Heavy clouds had grown larger with rain and electricity; the atmosphere had an odd, hair raising charge.
Farkas and Eugene barely noticed, so caught up in the flashing lights, ringing bells, and loud laughter of the jovial event. They practically skipped up and down the fairway, taking in all the games and rides.
And, of course, the food.
Deep fried twinkles, pickles, ice cream.
Hot dogs, elephant ears, snow cones.
Bulk didn't mind footing the bill as his dad kept a large coffee can of spare change and assorted bills from his pants pockets at the end of a long workday. He never noticed when any of it went missing and Bulk easily helped himself whenever he felt like it. Skull's family wasn't as fortunate in the financial department nor would they have considered that their son might enjoy going to a carnival with a few dollars in his wallet.
When Bulk managed to win an overly large Sonic the Hedgehog plushie, he'd bowed grandly before presenting it to Skull. The toy came up to his hip and its bright blue color was vivid against his white cotton shirt.
"What do ya say you give this guy a good home, Skullivitch?" the other teen laughed. "My dog would eat this dude for a snack!"
Grinning happily, Skull nodded in excitement.
"Gee, thanks, Bulk!"
He hugged the gift tightly to his chest as a loud peal of the thunder split the air.
"Looks like we just made it!" he added, looking up into the eerie black sky.
"Come on, lets get out of here," Bulk muttered. "We can go back to your house and play video games. My folks have been up my ass lately."
Unfortunately, when the teen attempted to start the borrowed vehicle nothing happened beyond a few sputtering grunts from the engine.
"Shit, Bulky! I'm sorry. It's been acting up. I should have told you!"
Bulk hissed in annoyance.
"Numb nuts! Well, we better start hoofing it or we're gonna get soaked. Just tell your ma you don't know anything about where the car went. Got it?"
Eugene nodded and his lips suddenly curled into a grin, eyes lighting up with a remembered fact.
"Hey at least this way we get our steps in! Aren't you supposed to get like 10,000 steps a day?" he laughed, bounding up out of the passenger seat and slamming the door.
Bulk scrunched his face, slamming the driver side door.
"Shut up, Skull. Just shut up."
The pair made their way on foot, trying to walk as briskly as they could manage given the distance and their love of sedentary activities. Huffing and puffing, the teens still managed to goof, good naturedly ribbing the other. Skull had hauled Sonic around to sit perched on his shoulders, his spikey head bobbing to and fro as the boy moved.
It had gotten darker and soon the sky would open up above them.
"I'm serious, Skull. If we don't make it back before the rain, I'm kicking your ass!" Bulk grumbled before hocking a large gob of spit onto the sidewalk.
The teens had made it all the way to where the Youth Center Gym and Juice bar was located. A favorite hangout amongst local kids, the building stood mostly dark besides a lone light from the gym area. Off in the parking lot beside the alley, they noted that Jason's small red car sat in a space near the side door.
"Hey, looks like Scott's working out again," Bulk mocked, rolling his eyes. "Our own personal Bruce Lee."
Skull giggled wildly.
"Bruce Lee," he parroted, pulling Sonic from his shoulders to move his limp arms in a faux karate move.
"What a dork," the other teen muttered, nodding towards the gym.
Pushing ahead, he hadn't realized that Skull had stopped stomping up the pavement and was staring at something that had caught his attention. Noticing that he was trucking ahead by himself, he turned in annoyance.
Giving a sharp whistle, he hissed.
"Earth to Skull, earth to Skull! I wasn't kidding about kicking your ass. What are you doing? Picking boogers?"
Skull's face was pale as he stared down the alley.
"Bulky?" he whispered harshly. "Bulky! Come here. Quietly!"
Exasperated, Bulk ambled back towards his best friend.
"What?"
"Shhh! He'll hear you!" Eugene whined.
"Who?" Bulk grunted, looking at the trash bins that seemed to have entranced Skull.
Pointing a shaking finger, the skinny teen whimpered.
"I just saw Tommy walk behind those dumpsters," he answered.
Bulk held his breath, staring at the green receptacles.
"That's ridiculous, butthole. Why would Oliver be hanging around out here in this weather?"
Skull looked at his friend like he was daft.
"Jason!"
New understanding dawned on Bulk's face.
"Are you sure you saw him?" he insisted, hoping that it was just a figment of the excitable boy's imagination.
"Yes, I'm sure! Look over there. By those mailboxes. That's the car his dad just gave him!" Skull nearly yelled in frustration. "Bulky, he's going to do something really bad to Jase!"
Running a hand over his face in bewilderment, Bulk was also beginning to feel frantic.
"What do we do? We're not black belts! He'd go right through us. We can't stop him if he does something, Bulk!"
Steeling himself, the larger teen made up his mind. He determinedly took off in a sprint towards the Youth Center.
"Bulk! Bulk, what are you doing?" Skull squeaked fearfully, racing after him.
Looking over his shoulder, he answered.
"Jason's leaving. Right now. Just play along!"
Running up to the large glass windows looking into the gym, Bulk rapidly and firmly knocked on the pane. Skull followed right behind and added his own sharp, birdlike raps, Sonic dangling from under his other arm.
Gracefully moving through a kata, Jason nearly jumped out of his skin when the sudden noise pierced the stillness of the facility. Heart racing, he whirled towards the front window to see the two flamboyant bullies pecking to get his attention.
Irritably, he groaned. Running a series of katas was a form of meditation for him and God knew he needed it right now. Tommy had been particularly vicious of late and had spitefully administered a dirty punch to his kidney during gym. Playing it off as an accident while they engaged in a class basketball game, Jason knew he was full of shit.
His entire lower back was still tense and sore even with Ranger healing. Jason hadn't been all that surprised when he pissed a small of amount of blood later that day.
'Fucking dick.'
Gingerly walking toward the window, Jason lifted his shoulders in a confused shrug. What could they possibly want?
Bulk gestured towards a side door, motioning to open up.
'Why?' the Red Ranger mouthed, tilting his head curiously.
The other boy continued to jab at the door impatiently. Beside him, Skull lifted his hands in a praying motion, the bright blue legs of a plushie jiggling beneath his armpit.
'Please,' his lips moved back.
Rolling his dark eyes, Jason held up a finger and turned to cross to the smaller door at the side of the Youth Center. Ernie had given him a key to this door, allowing him to work out in privacy off hours.
Shoving it open, the heavy teen nearly toppled him backwards as he physically forced his larger frame across the threshold.
"Hey, Jason, Shmason," Bulk teased, his loud voice ringing out jovially as Skull's eyes scanned the alley behind them.
Jason frowned, wiping his sweat damp face with a red towel hanging around his neck.
"What are you guys doing? It's getting ready to storm out there," he commented, pointing to the heavy black clouds.
The light was so dim that the streetlights had flickered on, creating dark pockets of shadow where the two obnoxious teens lounged. Skull flashed a nervous smile as he anxiously tapped a rhythm on his hip with a rather large plush Sonic the Hedgehog.
"We were just checking out the carnival before it starts raining," he squeaked, almost bouncing from foot to foot.
Jason turned his attention to Bulk, who had a large, stiff smile plastered across his countenance.
"Is he alright?" he asked, nodding at the skinny teen.
"Actually," Bulk stammered, his voice still at high volume. "Skull here is going to be late getting home and miss curfew. His mom's going to tear his ass up if he's not on time. And you know, it's getting ready to cut loose and everything. We were so relieved to see your car out there."
Skull vigorously nodded, a forced toothy smile curling his lips.
"What do you say you do Eugene a solid and give us a lift back to his house?" Bulk continued. "Pretty please?"
Jason sighed in frustration and glanced back over his shoulder where all his martial arts gear was situated on the floor. He hadn't finished his workout and desperately wanted the stress relief of intense training.
"Please?" Skull nearly shrieked, batting his eyelashes.
Something was definitely up with these two. But when were they ever behaving normally?
Pinching the bridge of his nose, the red clad teen gave in. Skull's mom didn't have a good reputation and it was possible the boy could be in serious trouble for missing curfew.
"Fine. Just let me pack up my.." he started as Bulk practically shoved him into the wall as he briskly moved into the gym area and began grabbing Jason's equipment.
Jason stared after him, brows knit in confusion. Skull remained in the doorway, dancing from foot to foot and chattering a mile a minute about the pair's antics at the carnival. He kept glancing off towards the large green trash bins situated at the end of the alley.
Peeking around the doorway, the Red Ranger tried to discern what had Eugene all worked up over there. He didn't see anything, just pitch-black shadows. A warm breeze picked up, scattering a few discarded scraps of paper on the pavement. Cool raindrops suddenly began to spot the dark grey ground.
"All set!"
Bulk appeared directly behind Jason, his hands clutching the red and black backpack containing the teen's property.
"Any particular reason you're yelling?" he muttered, flinching.
The larger teen chuckled wildly.
"All those loud fair games and music must have damaged my hearing!"
Skull merely shrugged.
"Come on, come on! The clock's ticking, Scott. Lock up and let's go!" Bulk ordered impatiently.
Pulling out the keys entrusted to him by Ernie, Jason ensured the building was securely locked before moving towards the parking lot off to the side by the alley. A large warm hand gripped his upper arm and propelled him forward forcefully.
"Dammit, Bulk," the teen griped, stumbling and nearly tripping over his own feet. "I'm going, I'm going!"
Piling into the car, Jason couldn't help but notice that both boys were frantically glancing back at the empty alley. They had twisted around to keep careful watch as the car backed out of the parking spot and moved toward the exit.
From his vantage point behind the dumpsters, the Green Ranger snarled in rage and gave a violent kick to the trash bin, denting its metal side.
"Goddammit!" he bellowed, staring at Jason's car turning out into the street.
Angrily, he shoved the stun gun back into the pocket of his green hoodie alongside the thick black zip ties he'd also stashed there.
What was it with those fucking clowns getting in his way?
The scarecrow looking motherfucker was the same one who'd shoved him over the railing at the mall and into the fountain, causing him to fumble his killing blow to the Blue Ranger.
The bigger one was also getting to be a pain in his ass, inserting himself between Tommy and Kimberly when the Green Ranger had been snidely telling her what a fucking cum guzzling whore she was.
Furiously, he snatched his green tattered backpack off the ground and fished his car keys out of the front zipper. Inside the main compartment, Tommy had packed a switchblade, more zip ties, a collapsible baton, and a large bottle of left-over psychiatric pills he'd refused to take. For good measure, he'd also thrown in a heavy swatch of material to use as a blindfold or gag if needed.
It had been so simple.
Subdue the Red Ranger in a blitz attack using the stun gun. Zip tie the jackass's wrists and ankles, maybe one around the throat just snug enough to keep him docile and gasping. And of course, shatter that motherfucking communicator with his baton. Breaking the Ranger's hands would probably be a good idea as well.
From there, he planned to toss the bitch into his trunk, take him to his uncle's lake cabin, and stash him, keeping Jason in a drugged, hazy twilight until Rita defeated the other Rangers. Tommy was still working on a story to explain the Red Ranger's sudden absence to his Empress. He had no plans to share his captive with anyone else and that included Rita.
Once the rest of his plan came to fruition, he wouldn't have to worry about who knew what regarding Jason's location.
Then those sons of bitches had to stumble upon Jason and insert themselves, crying about a goddamn curfew.
Honestly, what babies!
Always the hero, Jason agreed to drive the duo back to Skull's house. Tommy had considered attacking anyways, witnesses be damned! However, those bozos seemed to have such dumb fucking luck! His knee still ached from the trip into the fountain.
The Red Ranger would have been challenging enough to handle, let alone two wild cards that could end up fleeing or alerting someone before he managed to escape with his prize. Or somehow getting another lucky strike against him.
He'd glared at the teens' backs as they manhandled Jason into the car, rudely shoving him along. Flipping a double handed middle finger, Tommy vowed to get even with those two punks one way or another.
And Jason wasn't out of the woods either. There would be another opportunity, he was sure.
Once Jason had driven out of the Youth Center parking lot and down the road, Bulk whirled around in the passenger seat to face the dark-haired teen.
"Alright, Jason. What's the deal with you and Oliver?" he demanded angrily.
The other boy's mouth gaped open in surprise and he stuttered uselessly, trying to come up with a plausible excuse. He could see Skull in the backseat from the corner of his eye, still twisted around and staring out the back window into the darkness.
"Well, out with it. You two are the talk of the school right now and no one seems to have any clue why he has such a hard-on for you," the bully prodded.
"I don't know," Jason answered lamely, obviously not being truthful.
Bulk sighed heavily.
"Fine. Don't tell us, whatever. But we just risked our skin for you back there. At least I hope you've told your parents so you can get, I don't know, a restraining order or something," he argued.
Jason's brow lifted in confusion.
"What do you mean you just risked your skin for me? I thought you needed a ride home," he queried.
Skull squirmed back towards the front, his silver eyes wide.
"We saw him waiting for you, Jason. In the alley behind the Youth Center," he squeaked, clutching the plush Sonic tightly to his chest.
A muscle in the Red Ranger's cheek twitched and he felt a chill settle over his shoulders.
Bulk shook his head and he glanced backwards down the road, sure that they would see the headlights of Tommy's car catching up to them.
"Your fights in the school when everyone else is around are bad enough. How bad would they get with no one to break you two apart?" he whispered, his eyes settling back on Jason's stunned face. "And why is he lurking in the dark waiting? To get the jump on you before you even know what's going on, that's why!"
The teen swallowed anxiously, his eyes gliding to the rearview mirror now as well.
"He obviously wasn't intending to fight fair," Bulk pointed out.
Skull stared down at the top of Sonic's spikey blue head and stammered around the compulsive snapping of his bubble gum.
"We're worried about you, Jason. I know we aren't exactly best buds or anything, but Bulky and I are afraid Tommy's going to kill you one of these days," the skinny boy admitted.
He fiddled with the stuffed hedgehog's gloved hands absently as he spoke.
"I told Billy before and you need to know this too. I've always been excitable about stupid shit, but I'm positive about what I'm saying. My ma is always watching those true crime channels. Like 24/7. Cold cases, abductions, homicides, serial killers, stalkers, you name it."
He took a deep breath, hoping that Jason understood the gravity of what he felt in his heart to be the stone-cold truth.
"Tommy has something seriously wrong with him, more than just petty fighting or vandalism, or sneaking weed and booze. Its way past rebelling."
Skull's silver eyes sought Jason's dark ones in the rearview mirror.
"Everyone in our merry band of outcasts sees it too. That guy has all the red flags for a homicidal psychopath. He's the type that the police will find people tied up in his basement, just so he can play some fucked up games with them."
Bulk was nodding his head in agreement, his longish blonde hair swaying with the movement.
"Skull's family lives near Oliver's house. His parents make my buddy's folks look like 'Mother and Father of the Year', if that tells you anything," he advised. "You've got to take us seriously, Jason, or something bad is going to happen."
Jason stared straight ahead as he drove down the winding path back towards Eugene's house.
"Thank you for telling me all this, guys, and for looking out for me," he murmured.
Skull sat quietly for a moment, his chin propped on Sonic's head. His gut pricked still about the clear danger the Oliver kid represented.
"I've never seen Tommy go after anyone else at the school the way he does you and the others. Billy, Trini, Zack, and Kim. But you are definitely his favorite."
Pulling into the drive at Skull's small house, Jason parked the car and took a deep breath.
"I know things are bad with Tommy and I. You have to promise me though that you won't cross him, won't even get his attention in any way. I'll keep my guard up at all times from now on," he stated firmly.
Subconsciously, his hand rubbed his chest over the spot where he'd almost been stabbed to death. All the lacerations he'd received in the Dark Dimension had healed, however, the jab over his heart had scarred.
"Hey Jase, why don't you come in for a bit and play a few rounds on Bulk's game system he brought over? Just for a little bit? If Tommy's still hanging around waiting for you, he'll get bored and decide to piss off," Skull's voice cut into his scattered thoughts.
Jason smiled softly.
"Alright. If that will help you guys feel better," he agreed.