Titles: watch?v=CXS-iUElLNk
School, late at night. Gumball sat on his desk, knees up against his chest with his arms wrapped around them. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed into his lap. Deep, pained sobbing between the odd sharp breath.
"I'm sorry...I'm s-so sorry...it was all my fault. It was all my fa-a-ault!" The feline cried, though his voice sounded distant and slightly echoey, almost as if coming from within him.
His thoughts.
"I...I made you go in there...I didn't...d-didn't listen to you...even though you were both scared and practically b-begged me to just go the normal way I was...I was so stubborn and stupid and...I forced you to go in anyway a-a-and...and then that t-t-thing..." He paused, continuing to sob, struggling to continue.
He looked up, his eyes red and wet, the fur around them soaking wet. "I froze up...I just stood there and watched and did nothing! I failed to protect you! I broke my promise to you! And now..."
He turned, looking out of the window with a sniffle. As he did pale, bloody, lifeless visions of Darwin and Anais appeared in the reflection. They stared at him, emotionless.
"...n-n-now you're dead. And it's all my fault!"
"Come on guys, we're gonna be late!" Gumball called to his siblings as they hurried through the cold, snowy road ahead of them. Despite heavy snow falling the night before school had remained open, much to the disappointment of Gumball. Now the cat and his two siblings were dressed up in their winter clothing as they trudged through the snow on their way to school.
"Hey, how about you try trudging through snow in only a pair of socks!" Anais glared at her brother. "My feet are freezing!"
"Yeah dude, it's not exactly easy to navigate through this!" Darwin moaned.
"Yeah, I understand that, but if we don't make a move on we'll be late! And I don't know about you, but I really don't fancy sitting in a freezing cold classroom for an hour after school. Especially not today. You know what's happening later. We can't afford to get home late."
"Relax dude!" Darwin responded as he and Anais finally caught up, their arms crossed against their chests as they shivered. "Most people are gonna be late cause of the snow today. I'm sure they'll make an exception considering the circumstances."
"This is Miss Simian we're talking about Darwin. We could walk into school with our arms lobbed off and she'd still punish us for being late! Anais may get away with it, but we sure as heck won't!"
"Okay, so what do you suggest we do then?" Anais raised an eyebrow at him. "Short of somehow teleporting there I don't see how we can possibly get there any faster."
The feline hesitated, looking around. After a couple of seconds, he smiled as he spotted they were right near Elmore Forest. Not be to confused with the Forest of Doom, this was a separate smaller forest near the park, and luckily for them the opposite side came out not too far from the school.
"We cut through Elmore Forest." He turned to his siblings with a smile. "It'll cut out a good chunk of our normal route and get us to school a heck of a lot quicker."
"What!? Are you crazy!? We've never been in there before! We have no idea what could be in there or where we're going! Going in there is a terrible idea!" The young rabbit complained.
"She has a point Gumball." Darwin agreed. "Do we really want to risk getting lost and being even later than we would have if we had just gone the normal way?"
"Pfft, it'll be fine!" The feline waved his paw dismissively as he rolled his eyes. "Stop being scaredy cats! It's just a forest, and all three of us will be there to look after each other. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
The fish and bunny remained quiet, simply turning and looking at each other with a mix of fear and concern.
Seeing their reaction Gumball sighed, giving them a reassuring smile. "Come on guys, It's okay! I promise, I'll be right beside you the entire time! I swear, I'll look after you. You have nothing to worry about!"
They hesitated, looking back at each other again in consideration before Anais looked back with a sigh. "...fine..."
"Thank you! Come on, let's go." The young kitten sighed frustratedly. God, why were they so worked up over a gosh darn forest anyway? They'd been in the Forest of Doom plenty of times and had been fine! Why would this way smaller forest be any different?
Nervous and afraid Darwin and Anais reluctantly followed Gumball into the depths of the snow-covered forest. As they walked the young rabbit trembled, jumping every time one of them so much as snapped a twig.
As they continued she suddenly stopped, eyes widening, as she heard what she was sure was the sound of another pair of feet crunching through the snow a little off into the distance. She frantically looked around at her surroundings, quietly whimpering in fear, but couldn't see anything.
"Gumball, I'm really scared...c-can't we just turn back and go the normal route?"
The feline stopped, turning to her with a frustrated sigh. "We're already a good way in Anais. Going back would be a waste of time. We might as well just keep going and get to school instead."
"I don't care! I wanna go back!" She pleaded, tearing up as she continued to tremble. "P-Please, I'm scared!"
The feline hesitated before sighing and crouching down. He took her paws, giving them a squeeze. "It's okay, I promise. I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you. Besides, we're about halfway there already!"
"B-But..."
"You're scared, I know. But I need you to be brave for me so we can make it the rest of the way okay?"
She hesitated, considering her options. Finally, she gave a reluctant nod. "O-Okay...b-b-but promise me you won't let go of my paw okay? I don't wanna be left behind..."
"I won't, I promise." He smiled as he stood back up. "Okay, you ready to go?"
She gave a weak nod and all three of them continued forward on their journey, the feline and rabbit now paw in paw...
...all three failing to notice the eyes that had been watching them from the shadows.
Although still pretty scared Anais tried her best to stay calm and quiet, just wanting to get out of the forest as soon as possible. She looked around quietly, still paranoid about the footsteps she had heard.
Meanwhile, Gumball and Darwin talked excitedly about their after-school plans. It was their father's birthday today and their Mom had told them all in secret that after they all gave him their presents they were going to surprise him by taking him out for a surprise meal at his favourite restaurant. To say they were all excited was an understatement.
As the two continued to talk Gumball began to get distracted, absent-mindedly releasing his grip on Anais' paw. No longer being pulled along, the bunny began to trail behind the two of them, too distracted by her fear and paranoia to notice.
Unfortunately for her however, someone else did. Or rather, something, Noticingthe young girl trailing behind and being left almost on her own the creature emerged. It stepped forth from the trees and loomed above her, shaking violently as it glared at her.
Anais finally looked up, realizing how far behind she was. She glared. "Hey, don't leave me behind! Wait up you jerks!" She called out annoyed.
She went to run ahead and catch up, but only managed to take a single step forward before the creature suddenly jolted forward, its cold, disgusting red hand grabbing her and yanking her up into the air in one swift motion.
Terrified, the rabbit let out a blood-curdling scream of terror.
Richard sat on the sofa like he did on most days. Though today was far from most days. For once the rabbit wasn't stuffing himself with food or watching television...
...he was sat in silence, sobbing. Deep, pained, heartbroken sobs.
Today was supposed to be a day of fun and joy! They were supposed to come together as a family and have fun celebrating his birthday! It...it wasn't supposed to end like this!
Why!? Why did this have to happen!?
Suddenly Nicole walked in, slamming the front door behind her. She too looked incredibly upset. Her eyes were red and tired and the fur around them was damp from the fresh tears that had been pouring down her face the entire drive home.
She stopped, turning to look at a photo on the wall. Their family photo. All five of them, as happy as could be...
...where had it all gone wrong?
Looking at the photo was too much for her, painful memories of her kids flooding her mind. She burst out into another fit of tears and ran over to the sofa where Richard hugged her.
The two cried in each other's embrace for what seemed like hours, too heartbroken and destroyed to even attempt to do anything else.
And to think, all of this had started with a mere call into school.
They hadn't thought anything of it initially. Gumball had probably just gotten into trouble again... and then they arrived.
And that's when he told them...
"Mr and Mrs Watterson, I regret to inform you that Darwin and Anais were not present at school today."
"What!?" Richard spoke up, eyes widening slightly. "But...but I saw them eat breakfast and leave to head to school. They...they should have been there..." The replied replied, scared and confused.
"He's right Nigel. I saw them walking down the road on my way to work. They were definitely on their way there..."
"...which makes them not arriving all the more concerning." Nigel gave a weak nod. "And I'm afraid it doesn't end there..."
"What...? W-W-What do you mean!?" Nicole sat up slightly.
"I... received a call from someone who saw them entering Elmore Forest alone around forty-five minutes before school. It was only a small glimpse mind you but he was certain that it was the two of them. He thought they might be attempting to skip the school day so reported it to me."
"What!? You're accusing Darwin and Anais of skipping school and going inside the Forest of Doom!? They would never do that!" The feline exclaimed in outrage. "How dare you accuse my kids of such a thing!"
"Mrs Wattersone, please, calm down. I said they entered Elmore Forest, not the Forest of Doom. And I know they wouldn't skip school. Which is why I'm so concerned about them not showing up."
"So? W-Where are they?" Richard asked quietly, his ears pinned against his head in worry. "Have you found them?"
"I don't want to worry you both but...no, they're still missing. They haven't been seen at all since they entered the forest this morning. Not to worry though, I've called the police and reported them missing, and I can assure you they have their finest men searching through the forest as we speak."
Nicole shot up from her chair and slammed her fists on the Principal's desk., glaring at him furiously. "Why the fuck did you wait until now to tell me about this? My babies are fucking lost in the middle of a bloody forest and you waited until the middle of the fucking day to tell me!? What the actual goddamn fuck is wrong with you, you fucking pricks! I should have known the rest of this horseshit piece of fucking crap staff of yours was no better than that fucking cunt of an ape you for some reason keep employed! You should...you should be fucking ashamed of yourselves...you...you...y-y-you..."
Unable to take it any longer she broke down sobbing into her paws. Richard immediately wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her, thought was beginning to tear up himself. "Hey, it's okay, I'm sure they're fine, they probably just got lost or something. That's all..."
As Richard continued to comfort the sobbing Nicole, Nigel's phone began to ring. He eagerly picked it up, praying for it to be an update on the situation.
"Hello? Ah, Officer Clyde! Yes, I have Mr and Mrs Watterson here with me now. Why, have you found their children? You have!?"
Hearing this his face, as well as Nicole and Richard's all lit up with relief. "Oh. thank heavens! That's splendid...news..." He suddenly went silent, his face slowly falling. "What...?"
Nicole and Richard's faces slowly fell, eyes widening with fear. W-What was wrong? Were they hurt? D-Did something happen to them!?
"What do you mean they're...are you serious?! Oh my...oh my god...oh my dear lord!" The principal's brown turned a shade of white as his eyes widened in horror. "I...I don't know what to say. I can't believe it...uh y-yes, yes, of course I'll uh..." He cleared his throat, looking up at their worried faces. He spoke again, his voice quiet and broken, as if he were struggling to speak. "...I'll inform them straight away...yes t-thank you...g-goodbye officer..."
The feline and rabbit watched as Nigel slowly put the phone down, his face pale as he trembled lightly. He remained frozen for a couple of seconds before he swallowed, looking down, and sighing. "Darwin...D-Darwin and Anais were found..."
By the tone of his voice Richard's stomach fell. Something had happened to them. Something bad. "W-what happened...a-a-are they okay...?"
"Mr and Mrs Watterson..." He hesitated, beginning to tear up. "I'm...I'm so sorry..." He replied, tears trickling down his face.
"S-Sorry?" Nicole's eyes widened, her face horrified. "What do you mean sorry!? What's going on!? WHAT'S HAPPENED TO BY BABIES!?" She began to tear up again, trembling in fear.
Nigel looked down and took off his glasses, struggling to continue. "Darwin and Anais...were..." He hesitated, struggling to keep his composure. "...w-w-were found dead. Murdered, q-quite brutally...I...I'm so sorry..."
"D...D-D-Dead?" Nicole responded in almost a whisper. Her eyes widened as far as they could go as her paw shot up to her mouth. She trembled violently, taking deep heavy breaths as the realization of what he'd said, what had happened to Darwin and Anais, set in.
"N-no...no...NO, NOOOOO, PLEASE GOD NO! NOT MY BABIES! OH...OH GOD! OH GOD NO! N-NO, NO, NO, PLEASE GOD NO-O-O-OOOOO!" The feline broke down painfully sobbing into Richard's chest, pounding it with her fist in anger. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Meanwhile, the bunny just sat silently in shock, comprehending what he'd just learned. His kids...Darwin and Anais...w-were dead? Someone murdered them!? Why!? Who could do something so evil? Who could take a child from their parents like that!?
He looked down at Nicole, his wife, the once strong, confident woman now a weak inconsolable mess against his chest. He hugged her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder as he too began to break down crying.
Principal Brown, unable to watch the scene in front of him, simply looked down as he struggled not to cry himself.
Richard looked up, tears now streaming down his face as he heaved. "W-what...what happened to them? Who...w-why!?"
"I...don't know." Nigel responded quietly. "I wish I could tell you something, anything, but..."
"...I just know don't know."
The creature suddenly jolted forward, its cold, disgusting red hand grabbing Anais and yanking her up into the air in one swift motion.
Terrified, the rabbit let out a blood-curdling scream of terror, her brothers immediately stopping in their tracks and jolting around to see what had caused their sister to have such a visceral reaction.
There they saw the Wendigo, holding their sister by her neck in his right hand. It dangled her in the air, the rabbit looking at them wide-eyed, an expression of pure fear and terror on her face.
Before they had a chance to react however the creative moved its left hand to grasp her head, and in one swift movement ripped it clean off, spine still attached, as the young rabbit let one final guttural scream of pain and terror.
The wendigo held her decapitated head up, her expression permanently frozen in a terrified wide-eyed scream of agony. It paused, before simply releasing its grip and letting it fall beside him. Blood pooled beneath, staining the snow and ground beneath it a deep red.
Meanwhile, her decapitated body fell limp in the Wendigo's hand, blood heavily squirting from her neck. It poured down the young rabbit's coat, legs, and socks, before raining down onto the snow beneath.
Both Darwin and Gumball watched horrified, anticipating its next move. Suddenly, to their absolute horror and disgust, it dug its teeth deep into the young bunny's body and yanked its head back, ripping out a large chunk of cloth and flesh and exposing her intestines and stomach, the latter of which fell to the floor with a splatter of blood and various other guts.
Blood splattered around the creature's mouth as it consumed the flesh in a few bites, the crunch of her bones being heard with every chew, before spitting the blue and orange cloth of her coat and dress to the ground in a splat of saliva and blood.
Unable to bear the sight or sound Darwin leaned over and vomited in the snow beside him, whilst his brother did the same. Still heaving the fish looked back up to see the creature throw her body away. It landed against another tree and fell to the floor, her intestines spilling out in a large pile of blood and snow beside it.
Gumball and Darwin stood, staring horrified at their sister's corpse, as tears streamed down their faces. Their sister was dead. Murdered. They just saw their little sister die, watched as her head was ripped off right in front of them, and...
...and the murderer was still in front of them...
Finally snapping out of their trance they began to back away, turning and speeding up into a run. They made it a small distance, but not far enough. The wendigo jolted forward and grabbed Darwin's leg in a right grip. it began to drag him toward itself, but the fish managed to wrap his fins around a tree, which he was now holding onto for dear life.
"GUMBALL HELP ME! PLEASE!" Darwin screamed, genuine fear and terror in his voice as he desperately clung to the tree with every fiber of his being. "HELP ME!"
Despite hearing his brother's pleas Gumball made no attempt to move. He simply couldn't. He was frozen, completely paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything but helplessly watch on in horror with wide, terrified eyes.
"GUMBALL, PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU! PLEEE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The fish let out a blood-curdling scream of agony as the creature suddenly sliced its hand through his leg, cutting it clean off. He dropped to the floor, screaming and writhing in agony as he turned and held the remains of his severed limb, blood squirting over his hands and face.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHAAAAAHAAAAAAA! GUMBALL PLE-E-E-EEEEAASE, HELP MEEEE! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU! DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING, PLEASE!" He sobbed, tears streaming down his face, genuinely fearing for his life as the creature slowly approached.
Still, the feline remained frozen in place, watching in horror but unable to act in any way. it was as if his brain had completely shut down, refusing to listen to any command he gave.
Slowly the creature advanced on Darwin. Panicking, the fish began to slowly drag himself backward as he hyperventilated. Sharp painful rapid breaths both out of fear and in an attempt to block out the absolute agony of his profusely bleeding leg which dragged across the ground, leaving a trail of blood to soak into the snow around it.
"GUMBALL PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO SOMETHING! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" He screamed as he pulled himself up against a tree in a desperate state of panic. He frantically looked around and, upon seeing Gumball standing across from him, turned and tried to jump over to him. Before he had a chance to make his move however the Wendigo picked up a log and hurled it at the fish in one swift movement.
Like a dart on a dart board, the log smashed into the fish so hard it nailed him to the tree, killing him instantly. Blood oozed down his body and the tree whilst his arms and leg hung limp beside him, blood continuing to dribble from what remained of his other leg.
Gumball, beyond horrified, looked between his dead brother and sister's corpse, tears streaming down his face. His siblings were dead...both of his siblings...were gone...and he just stood there and watched them die...
He silently looked back toward the Wendigo. It slowly turned to him, violently trembling as it glared straight into his eyes. Finally snapping free of whatever fear-induced trance he had been in, the feline found the courage to move again and bolted, running as fast in the opposite direction as he could, going down on all fours to get as much speed and distance as he possibly could.
Not looking back, not risking stopping for a second he kept running faster and faster. swerving through the trees with his increased adrenaline. All the way thinking of only one thing. His brother and sister were dead...
...and he did nothing to stop it.
Nicole continued to sob into Richard's chest, still completely and utterly inconsolable. Darwin and Anais were dead! Her babies, her poor innocent babies murdered by some...by some evil bastard! Who could do such a thing!?
The feline sniffled, looking up at her husband. He too had broken down sobbing, though unlike her had nothing to sob into it, causing his tears to freely stream down his face.
She gave the rabbit a tight squeeze in a weak effort to try and comfort him. Despite being heartbroken herself she knew she had to try and stay strong. Richard and Gumball were going to need her more than ever now and-
Suddenly her grip loosened as her eyes widened, a horrifying realization hitting her. Gumball...oh my god, where was Gumball!? Principal Brown hadn't mentioned him when he'd said Darwin and Anais went missing, but he was with them! He was supposed to be with them! And if they were dead...
Her head shot up, looking at Principal Brown with a mix of terror and concern. "Oh my god, Gumball! Is Gumball okay!? Where is he!?"
"W-What!?" Nigel looked up in surprise, not accepting the sudden outburst. "I, um...what did you say Mrs Watterson?"
"Gumball! Where is he!? You said Darwin and Anais were found dead, but Gumball was with them! Is he okay!? Has anyone seen him!?"
"Gumball?" Nigel raised an eyebrow in confusion." I...thought he was at home sick?"
"What?" Richard wiped his tears, looking up in confusion, having overheard the conversation. "Why would you think that?"
"I received a phone call this morning letting me know he had a stomach bug and wouldn't be in. The call was cutting out a lot and was a little hard to make out but...I thought it was one of you..."
"OH GOD, NO! NOT HIM TOO! NOO, PLEASE, NOOO!" Nicole burst out into another flood of tears, now fearing the worst for the younger feline. She sobbed into Richard's chest, heaving with deep pained cries of sorrow.
Richard meanwhile looked at Nigel with a mix of fear and confusion. His ears lowered as he spoke quietly. "...Neither of us called you. He was supposed to be in with Darwin and Anais. I saw him leave with them..."
"...and if he didn't arrive at school either..." Nigel's heart dropped, realizing the implications of what Richard was telling him. As his eyes widened he hurriedly picked up the phone and called the police again.
Meanwhile, Richard quietly hugged Nicole as tightly as possible as he struggled to hold back more tears. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, beginning to stroke her back.
"It's okay...we just need to have faith." He quietly reassured her. "Maybe he got away...m-maybe he's hiding somewhere..."
"...maybe he's still alive..."
Many hours later the sun had set and the night sky had fallen. Just across from the school, at the edge of the Elmore Forest, a blue feline finally emerged.
After escaping the creature and getting far enough away from him he had hidden and waited until nightfall before attempting to make his way out.
His reasoning? He had figured that he, being a cat with pretty decent night vision and catlike speed and agility, would hopefully have an advantage over the creature and be able to elude him and get out of the forest unscathed if he made his way out at night.
So waited he had. It wasn't enjoyable. especially as the only thing he had been able to think about was his siblings and their deaths, but if it meant he'd have an advantage over the creature it would be worth it.
Whilst hiding he had also taken the advantage to call the school and tell them. in a pretty poor impression of his father. that he wouldn't be in. Luckily for him, the low signal in the forest had made it sound much more believable, and the Principal had fallen for the fake call.
If he had been thinking straight he might have also thought to say that Darwin and Anais would be off too so the Principal wouldn't have gotten suspicious when they didn't turn up, but alas in such a state of fear and paranoia, he hadn't thought to do so.
Hours later, the sun had fallen and he'd finally made his way through the forest, finally emerging at the other side.
He hadn't seen the creature the entire way out. In fact, even after he'd initially run away It hadn't felt like it had come after him. He'd listen for any signs of the creature following but there was nothing. No sounds of footsteps chasing him and, upon looking back on his way out, no footprints other than his own. It was as if the creature had spared him on purpose. Forcing him to live with what he saw. What he did...
or rather didn't do.
His siblings were dead. They were gone. Brutally mutilated. And he had just stood and watched it happen. Did nothing whatsoever to stop it.
It should have been him who died. It should have been them who escaped. Why?! Why did that thing have to take them from him? It wasn't fair! He didn't want to be the one who survived! He didn't deserve it!
He sobbed, thinking back to the whole horrible incident. Tears streaming down his face he looked up at the school in the distance. He should have stayed and let that creature finish him off...
He took a step forward but stopped in confusion as he felt his paw step on something. Lifting his paw and looking down, he looked emotionlessly at the object beneath him.
A rope.
He paused, the entire events of the forest replaying in his mind. They repeated, the screams of his siblings, the vivid images of their mutilated corpses. Faster and faster, louder and louder as tears of pain streamed down his face.
He glanced up at the school, then back down at the rope...
...before picking it up.
School, late at night. Gumball sat on his desk, knees up against his chest with his arms wrapped around them. Tears streamed down his face as he sobbed into his lap. Deep, pained sobbing between the odd sharp breath.
"My siblings are dead. Gone." The feline cried, though his voice sounded distant and slightly echoey, almost as if coming from within him.
His thoughts.
"It's all my fault. I got them killed. I made them go into that forest to try and find a stupid shortcut just cause I didn't want to risk a detention!"
"If I had just listened to them... if I had just continued to school normally like they begged and pleaded for me to do...they would still be alive. But they aren't. They're dead. They're gone. All because I didn't want to waste my time in a stupid goddamn detention! All because I was such a selfish FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" He slammed his fist on the desk in anger before continuing to sob into his arms.
A minute went by before he slowly looked back up and turned to look out of the window. At the edge of the forest. He sighed and let out a sniffle.
"...I didn't even try to save them. I just stood there and watched as Darwin and Anais got killed. I let that monster kill them. In fact, I might as well have just offered them to it on a fucking silver platter!"
He turned back and rested his head in his paws as he tried to hold back even more tears. "I should have been better. I should have done better. I should have saved them! But I didn't. And now they're gone. The two people I cared about most are gone. And I'm never going to be able to forgive myself."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He slipped his paw into his paw and took it out to check. Another text from his Mom pleading and begging for him to text or call her back if he was okay.
His grip on the phone tightened as he thought about how worried and upset she must be. He went to his contacts and brought up her number, thumb shaking above the dial button as fresh tears trickled down his face.
After a couple of seconds the emotions became too much for him and he threw his phone across the room as hard as he could. He wanted to call her, speak to her again, more than anything, but he couldn't bear to hear her voice at the moment. Not knowing what he had done...
...and what he was going to do.
"...Mom, Dad...I'm so sorry. You're gonna be inconsolable when you find out. Losing two children in one day...two people you loved just as much as I did...it's gonna destroy you...you're gonna be completely broken...
...so I can't begin to imagine how you'll feel about losing all three..."
He stood up, revealing his head was in a noose that was tied to the ceiling fan. He swallowed, taking deep, shaky breaths.
"I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't live with this guilt...this pain. It's just too much for me. I just...I just can't take it. The guilt, the sorrow, the heartbreak...it's so painful...it's so, so painful. I just want it to stop. Please god, make it stop!"
He held his head in pain as the events of the forest once again replayed in his mind, more painful than ever before. "T-There's...there's no way I can live like this. In...in absolute agony. Darwin and Anais meant the world to me. I would do anything to look after them. Anything. But when it mattered the most I froze. I stood there and watched as they were killed. I saw them get brutally ripped apart, decapitated, and mutilated."
The images flashed through his mind in all their vivid detail. Anais' decapitated head, her mutilated corpse, Darwin screaming in agony as he held his leg, his limp, lifeless corpse dangling from the tree.
"I'm never gonna be able to forget what I saw. Those images, those horrible horrible images, are going to be etched into my brain for the rest of time. Every time I close my eyes, every time I go to sleep, that's all I'm ever going to be able to see...
...and I just can't live like that. I just can't live without them."
The young kitten turned and looked down at the desk next to him. Where his brother used to sit next to him every day was now an empty desk. One that would never again be filled by the young fish that he had held so dearly.
"Without my best buddy, without my little sister, I have nothing to look forward to. Nothing to smile or be excited about. No reason to get out of bed in the morning. Nothing to keep moving forward for.
Nothing to keep on living for."
He looked back up toward the front of the classroom, closing his eyes as he braced himself. "I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad...so, so much, more than I could ever express, and I really, genuinely am so, so incredibly sorry...more than you could ever imagine. I don't want to do this...I don't want to hurt you...cause you even more pain and suffering than you'll already have to go through...
...but I have no choice. Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad..."
"...I love you." He stepped forward off of the desk, the only sound heard being the rope restricting around his neck.
Immediately he began to panic, holding the rope around his neck and frantically pulling and tugging at it as he let out short sharp gasps in a desperate attempt to try and loosen it, to get a single breath of air.
The struggling began to slow and weaken, the life draining from the kitten every passing second, before eventually...
...his body went limp.
He slowly swung back and forth. Dead. The only sounds audible were the wind outside and the rope weakly swinging back and forth.
The camera panned down to the desk underneath him. A note was taped to it, heavily tear-stained, hastily and shakily written. Written on it was everything he had just said. Everything he just told his parents.
His suicide note.
Nicole and Richard stood in a graveyard. The bunny was unshaven, with thick stubble covering his face and neck, and had visibly lost weight. Nicole wasn't fairing any better, with her unkempt fur and tired, baggy eyes. The two were dressed in black, Richard in a black suit, tie, and shoes whilst Nicole wore a black dress, black hat, and black heels.
In front of them were three graves. Gumball, Darwin, and Anais. Nicole walked forward, and in front of each tombstone crouched down and placed a few roses and a letter from her and their father. She paused each time to kiss her paw and place it on each tombstone, gently rubbing the top of each as she thought about each of her children.
Once she had performed her sentiments at all three graves she walked back to Richard, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. He stroked the back of her head gently, in an attempt to comfort her.
The two stood there in silence, looking at their children's graves, sniffles and quiet sobs audible between the two. Suddenly Richard whimpered, trembling lightly. Nicole noticed and shifted over so she was hugging him instead, but this wasn't enough. The bunny broke down sobbing, tears streaming down his face.
"This is all our fault! It's all our fa-a-a-aaaault! We should have done better Nicole! We should have done better!"
The feline took his paw, looking up at him with an attempt at a reassuring smile as she sniffled. "No, it's not. We couldn't have done anything to prevent what happened. No one could have. No one is at fault for this. No one except that disgusting creature..."
"Yeah, but..." He paused, wiping his eyes. "...but you hunted it down and killed it already. You got revenge for us, so...why don't I feel any better?"
"Because Richard...it takes time to heal. Things will get better eventually, I promise you. But it'll take time. Weeks, months, years even. But as long as we have each other we'll heal. We'll grow stronger. We'll continue our lives, make more memories together...maybe we'll even have another kid." She gave a little shrug to the rabbit.
"What...? Already?" He asked, a little surprised.
"No, not now silly!" She managed a genuine chuckle. the first time she had in weeks. Richard noticed and couldn't help but smile weakly. "When we're ready."
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready Nicole...I mean...it hurts so much! I just want them back! I'd give anything just to see their faces and hear them laugh again!"
"I know Richard, I feel the same way." She assured him, holding his paw and giving it a squeeze. "And this pain...this sorrow...it won't just go away. Not completely. We just...have to stay strong. Try to move on with our lives, make new memories, and be happy. For them. it's what they would want."
"But...how? What do we do? How do we just...move on?"
She looks up at him, her gaze comforting and reassuring. "We focus on the good. The happy memories. We can't keep thinking about what ifs or what we could have done. We need to stay positive and start thinking about what we did do. What we did for Gumball, Darwin, and Anais. We need to stop being sad they're gone...and be happy they were there in the first place."
The rabbit silently nodded, letting out nothing but a sniffle. He looked at each of the kids' graves. But instead of crying, he smiled. He thought of all the happy memories he'd made with them all, all the good times and laughs he'd shared with the three of them.
Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Nicole?"
"Yes, sweetheart?" She turned him.
"Do...do you think we did good? Were...were we good parents?"
She smiled. "Of course we were Richard. We had our ups and downs, sure, but I'm certain we made every day they spent in this small little world with us amazing..."
She looked down at the three graves, tearing up. "...absolutely amazing..."
She paused, staring at the graves for a moment, and after a moment of reflection sighed and turned back to Richard, leaning forward and kissing him. After a moment of surprise, he leaned into it, wrapping his arms around her as the two passionately locked lips.
After a couple of seconds, the two released, still holding each other's paws. "Thanks, Nicole. I really needed this." The rabbit gave her a grateful smile.
"And I really needed that hug earlier." She smiled, giving a small shrug to the rabbit. "I guess that makes us even?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Richard smiled back. "So, uh...what do you wanna do now? We have the whole afternoon to ourselves." The bunny asked.
"Hmm.." The feline paused for a moment to think, before glancing over at the kid's graves again. She smiled. "How about we go home, order a takeaway, and watch Alligators on a Train and Daisy the Donkey together? For Gumball, Darwin and Anais."
"Yeah..." He smiled, the three graves visible in the forefront as the two turned and began to walk away out of the graveyard.
"...I'd like that."
The End
Credits: watch?v=iEVk_hlUvf8