Chapter 10: New Blood and Old Wounds Part 4

(Here we are folks, the final part of this little saga (but not the arc) and the 10th chapter overall! I want to think everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed this story so far as well as kittiesofcupcakes for the exceptional AV. You all rock! That being said, I feel like I must warn you that we are starting to head into darker territory. This is a horror story after all and some of the best horrors burn slowly...)

"Hey! Are you alright?"

"Wha? Huh?" Lisa was so caught up in her thoughts as well as her conversation with the Beast that she needed a few moments to process that there was a human person standing right in front of her. Followed by another few moments to process the fact that it was a cute boy around her age. He had tan skin, black hair and sharp eyes with just the slightest hint of green to them. He was wearing a red sleeveless shirt that left his muscular shoulders out in the open and dark blue shorts that did the same for his legs. In almost any other circumstance, he was a boy Lisa could have fallen head over heels for in an instant.

However, Lisa was also quick to notice the barbed wire in his hand.

"I...I'm fine." She replied, making a point to stare him in the eyes and divert her attention from the barbed wire.

"Are you sure?" The boy asked. "I noticed you from the other side of the hill. You seemed to be really upset about something."

Lisa felt her face heat up for a second as she entertained the possibility that she had been caught talking to her new "partner" again. When the boy didn't mention this, she mentally sighed in relief and spat out an alibi.

"Well you see, me and my friends were out here the other day and I lost one of my earrings. I was just looking for it but it doesn't seem like I'll ever be able to find it." Lisa strained her lips into a fake smile to further sell her point and broke into a nervous sweat when the boy raised an eyebrow in response.

"Smooth." was all the Beast replied with.

"Shut up!" Lisa mentally barked.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that." The boy said. "I'm Tobias."

"Lisa."

"Listen, Lisa, my Dad and I sometimes come here to collect cans for recycling," Tobias said. "Although sometimes we pick up other things by mistake. Maybe we accidentally picked up your earring."

"Really?" Lisa asked with forceful hope in her voice.

"If you want, we can take a look back at my place." Tobias pointed behind himself and offered a cocky grin.

Now Lisa was a smart girl, even before dedicating herself to combating animal cruelty and only became smarter as she grew accustomed to her cause. She had learned long ago how to scan the human face for signs of lying and right now, from the way Tobias was looking to the right and showing the upper whites of his teeth that he was lying. Of course, so was she, but she had practiced hiding her own tells in a mirror for years. It was clear that to Tobias, Lisa was nothing more than a ditzy schoolgirl whose pants he wished to get into to.

This, of course, presented an opportunity that Lisa knew she had to take.

"Of course!" She shouted happily. "Thank you so much!"

Tobias nodded and turned his back to Lisa. "Just follow me. My place isn't far from here." He started walking and Lisa followed, the Beast already speaking its unwelcome piece about the situation.

"What are you doing? You saw that barbed wire, didn't you? You know damn well he's the fake rescue bastard! Why aren't you strangling him with that wire yet?"

"That wire is circumstantial evidence at best," Lisa thought. "I need to be 100 percent sure that he's the culprit before I make my move."

"Save your breath!" The Beast snarled. "You just wanna stare at his ass, don't you?"

"No I don't!"

"You're doing it right now!"

Lisa realized her gaze had indeed lowered toward Tobias's posterior and looked up with an embarrassed gulp, her cheeks burning. "Look, being the Animal Avenger is much more than just brutal violence! There's a lot of precise planning involved in order to make sure things go right! Or do you want to fry in an electric chair?"

"All I'm hearing is blah, blah blah, and wah, wah, wah!"

Lisa groaned. "Besides, in case your almighty all-seeing eyes have overlooked this, the fact is I don't have my weapons or even my mask! Do you really expect me to kill him without the proper protection of my identity?"

"..."

"On second thought, don't answer that!"

"But Lisa," The Beast spoke in a gentler tone. "Let's say that this bastard does turn out to be the target. You'd just be giving him time to escape!"

"How? He doesn't have any idea that I'm the Animal Avenger!"

"No, but he's sure to know that the Animal Avenger is stalking around Springfield and I'm sure that fact has put him on edge. You might have read all those fancy-smancy psychology books but no one is completely able to hide their true selves 24/7. You make even the slightest mistake, the smallest reason to make him think you might pose a threat to his life and he'll run for it!"

Lisa tried to reply with a rebuttal, only to realize she couldn't think of one. As much as she hated to admit it, the Beast had a point. This could be her one and only chance to destroy this monster. But how was she supposed to do that without her weapons? Without her mask?

Lisa studied Tobias closely, looking for any sign that he might have become suspicious of her in the time that she was "conversing" with the Beast. He seemed none the wiser, only glancing back at her every now and then to see if she was still there. Lisa mentally sighed as a small dark house became visible on the horizon.

"Whatever I figure out, it's gotta be fast!"


"23...24...25...26!" Milhouse grunted as he lifted the dumbells. He had now gotten to the point where he could hold them up to his chin repeatedly without fainting and today, he had broken his own record for the number of times he performed this feat consecutively. This should have been cause for celebration for the blue-haired boy and his two friends/spotters but at that very moment, all three boys were too preoccupied with their own thoughts to even realize the milestone.

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing.."

"Unless you count farts."

"Shut it Bart!" Nelson growled. "I'm trying to read!" Nelson cleared his throat and continued. "Yet he is the lord of all animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labor tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it and yet there is not one of us who owns more than his bare skin." Nelson closed the book and sighed. "Man, all these animals do is bitch and whine. When do they get into whacky adventures?"

"I don't think it's that kind of book man," Bart replied. "Why are you reading that garbage anyway?"

"I have to do a book report for Mrs, Cartwright before prom and this was the book she assigned me. Your sister said it was a good choice but now I think she was just using nerd logic."

"Dude, Lisa likes Of Mice and Men. Of course, she was using nerd logic! Just look up the plot on Wikipedia, watch a few videos where nerds do the essay for you, and boom! You're done!"

Nelson considered Bart's suggestion. It would certainly make things easier on his end. But then Lisa's face appeared in his mind. Her soft kind gaze. Her golden star-shaped hair. The understanding and patient tone in her voice. It made Nelson reconsider. "Nah, I can handle three consecutive concussions on the field, I can handle some lame-old book."

"Whatever, man!" It was then and only then that Bart noticed Milhouse straining as he continued lifting the dumbells. "34...35...36...37..."

"Whoa, Milhouse!" Bart placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Chill out!"

"Don't touch me!" Milhouse spat, shocking Bart and forcing him to back away. After glaring at his friend for a few moments, Milhouse continued to aggressively work out his arms. "38...39...40...41...42.." Sweat covered his entire body and it was clear from his ragged breathing between numbers that Milhouse was going well past his limit. Nelson noticed this, dropped the book, and rushed to grab both dumbells before Milhouse could lift them up again.

"Hey! What's the big idea!?" Milhouse hissed. "Let go!"

"You've lifted enough! Take a break!" Nelson demanded.

"I said let go!" Milhouse barked. He was more angier than Bart or Nelson had ever seen him and it unnerved them plenty. But while Bart simply continued to watch his friend in total awe, Nelson stood his ground and repeated himself slowly. "Take. A. Break."

Milhouse and Nelson locked eyes for what felt like hours to Bart before his blue-haired best friend finally sighed in defeat and relinquished the dumbells to Nelson who then placed them on the ground.

"Milhouse, what the fuck, man?" Bart finally choked out.

"I'm sorry guys," Milhouse said. "I'm just a little upset because...well because..."

"Because what?"

Milhouse uttered another dejected sigh and said, "Lisa turned me down. Badly."

"Badly?" Bart asked. "I mean, I can't say I'm surprised she said no, no offense!"

"None taken." Milhouse uttered sadly.

"But what do you mean badly?"

"She snapped at me! I don't know what I said or did but she just straight up snapped at me." Milhouse whined. "You should have seen it Bart, she looked like she wanted to kill me!"

"Oh come on!" Bart waved his hand. "This is Lisa we're talking about! She literally wouldn't harm a fly!"

"Bart's right," Nelson said. "That just doesn't sound like Lisa." In reality, Nelson was trying to convince himself of that more than Milhouse. He had seen Lisa angry, sure, but the way Milhouse was talking about her...it just didn't sound like her at all.

"I guess I'm just doomed to be alone." Milhouse sniffled. "If just talking to a girl is enough to work her into a murderous rage, you know there's gotta be something wrong with you!"

"Hey, chill out man!" Nelson said. "Lisa's probably going through some stuff right now. Besides, there's plenty of fish in the sea."

"Yeah, and I'm the blobfish!" Milhouse cried. As he wept, Bart sat down on the bench beside him and patted his back. "You're lucky Nelson," Milhouse continued. "You get to go to prom with the most popular girl in school!"

Nelson thought back to Jessica. "That's right." He thought. "Jessica's my girlfriend. My all-so-perfect girlfriend. He thought back to the other day in the mall when she was talking shit about him right in his presence and then acted like she was the victim. It annoyed him but not nearly as much as when his mind shifted back to the library earlier today. To Lisa guiding him to the right section, a warm smile on her lips and a cute, hell, an adorable blush on her face. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he was attracted to Lisa and if it weren't for Jessica, he would have definitely asked her to the prom. It would seem despite all the progress he made in these last seven years, the Universe still felt the need to kick Nelson Muntz right in the family jewels. "Yeah, I'm lucky." He sighed. "Real freaking lucky!"

Meanwhile, Bart was also lost in his own thoughts concerning Jessica, although to him, they were a little more pleasing. "Sure, Milhouse. Jessica might be Nelson's for now but just you wait! By the time prom rolls around, she'll be draped over me like stink on Dad!" He thought back to his earlier encounter with the high school goddess, her perfect black hair flowing behind her, the seductive look in her eyes as she watched Bart carry her books, and the pleasing sound of her chuckling at his lame jokes and puns. Part of Bart was concerned that he was just being led on by her. It wouldn't have been the first time Jessica did so. But the rest of Bart was simply too in love with her to care. And yeah, there was also a part of him that wondered if it was right to try and steal his friend's girl right from under him but Bart justified this by thinking back to Nelson's aloof, disinterested attitude a few days back. "He doesn't even like her." He rationalized. "I'm probably doing him a favor!"

As Nelson and Bart pondered over their own romantic dilemmas, Milhouse laid down on the workbench, his feet curled under him due to Bart's presence. "I just don't understand." He thought. "All these years, I've been nothing but kind to Lisa. I've carried her books. I brought her flowers. And she's never even given me a chance! What is wrong with me?" Milhouse's mind raced through all the times he and Lisa had shared since the day they met. Usually, when Milhouse reminisced like this, his memory would be clouded by his infatuation for Lisa and he would only recall how he felt, only consider how Lisa made him feel. This time, however, most likely because of the guttural way Lisa had yelled at him today, he was able to see the memories for what they really were. He recalled exposing Lisa's ancestor, Eliza Simpson, for no apparent reason other than that the opportunity made itself available. He recalled how he mocked Lisa for the stench of her and her brother's clothes back when the Simpson's washing machine had become infested with mold, (although he would only learn of this much later) He even recalled how he and some of his fellow geeks followed Lisa to collage and...

"Oh my god!" Milhouse thought. "I'm a giant jerk!"

Milhouse wept bitterly which Bart noticed. Hesitantly, he went to rub his friend's back some more.

Nelson simply sighed heavily and leaned against a pole.


"Well, here we are!" Tobias declared as he stood in front of the old black house. "It's not much but it's home."

"I can see that," Lisa commented. That was about as much as she could think to say about the little house. It was clearly built with shoddy craftsmanship and looked out of place on the hill away from the Springfield Sign. There was a small garage to the house's left and Lisa thought she could detect the distinct odor of rotting garbage which of course she refrained from bringing up. She watched as Tobias fumbled with his keys and heard the Beast speak up again.

"So, what's the plan, bookworm? You have come up with one, haven't you?"

"Once we're inside, I'm going to search through the house for any sign of the puppy or kitten. Then we'll know for sure if we have our guy."

"That's it? That's your ultimate plan!? Maybe you're not as smart as I gave you credit for!"

"And I suppose you can think of a better plan?" Lisa challenged.

The Beast fell silent.

"That's what I thought. Now shut up!"

Tobias finally got the door opened and gestured for Lisa to enter his home. "Ladies, first!"

"Oh what a gentleman," Lisa cooed as she stepped inside. The smell of garbage attacked her nostrils as she fought the urge to gag. The living room wasn't exactly messy but it wasn't clean either, the coffee table alone was totally covered in old magazines (some of them dirty) and ceramic bowls.

"Sorry about the mess," Tobias apologized while scratching the back of his head. "Didn't know I'd have a cute girl over today."

Lisa giggled, her blush genuine given how attractive Tobias was. She realized this and hated herself for it but nevertheless smiled at her potential victim. "Oh it's alright! Happens to the best of us. Say, can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure! It's just down the hall to your left," Tobias pointed toward said hallway. "It's the last door to your left too."

"Thanks!" Lisa went down the hallway, entered the bathroom, and waited. After a few minutes, she stepped out and, after making sure Tobias was gone, made a turn into the next hallway.

"Lots of hallway for such a small house." The Beast commented. "I bet they're plenty of rooms at his disposal."

"That's what I'm counting on!" Lisa thought. "If he's really the guy we're looking for, he's got to have that puppy and kitten stashed somewhere."

One by one, Lisa creaked open the doors in the hallway and peered inside. Most of the rooms were empty, save for some clothes thrown on the floor and a spilled-over waste basket. In that same room were a few pairs of shoes, one of them being a pair of boots with sharp-looking cleats. Lisa noted how the cleats looked somewhat rusted and went over to the next room. Once again, nothing save for a metal fan.

"Argh!" Lisa thought. "This is hopeless!" She briefly pondered if perhaps the poor animals had already met their fate at the hands of that degenerate and her heart sank. Two more lives she failed to save...

...and then she heard a weak mewing sound to her right.

Tensing up, Lisa remained perfectly still and waited for the sound to return, to ensure that it wasn't just her guilt-ridden imagination. After a few seconds, she heard it again. A soft, weakened mew of a kitten. It was coming from behind the black door marking the end of the hallway Lisa stood in. There was no knob on the door, only a gaping hole where the knob should be. Lisa looked around to make sure Tobias wasn't watching and peered inside the hole.

Nothing but inky blackness. Another mew broke the silence.

"Here goes nothing!" Lisa gripped the bottom of the knob opening and gave it a few good yanks. After the fifth pull, Lisa was able to get the door open and reached her hand inside the room to feel for the light switch. As with the doorknob, however, the light switch was nowhere to be found, only a square-shaped opening where it should be. Lisa groaned and grabbed her phone, turning on the flashlight and shining it into the cold dark room.

If the living room was messy, then this room was an absolute pigsty. Trash littered the floor and in the far right corner sat a couple of jars filled with liquid Lisa decided she didn't want to identify. What really caught her attention, however, was the tiny cage sitting in the middle of the room. Resting on the thread-bare towel lining the floor of the cage was the puppy and kitten from the videos. The young lab was sound asleep, his sides rising and falling in inconsistent patterns, suggesting breathing problems. The kitten, on the other hand, was wide awake and begging for food or perhaps even warmth. She spotted Lisa almost immediately and increased her crying. They were both skinny and sickly looking.

"Shh!" Lisa responded in a hushed voice. "I'm going to help you but you have to wait a little longer!" Lisa forced the door back to closed, surprised at the resistance it put up and walked away from the room as fast as she could.

"Well, I think we can eliminate any doubts about Mr. Slick being our man, right?" The Beast asked in a hopeful, hungry tone.

"Yeah," Lisa agreed. "He's our man alright. This piece of shit's been profiting off of these animals' suffering and playing it out to the world as if he's been helping them!" Lisa gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

"So how about it partner, Now can we-"

"Is everything alright?" Tobias asked as he suddenly popped out from the first hallway. He had a slightly panicked look on his face which Lisa knew was related to the dark room. Nevertheless, she decided to continue playing dumb.

"Yeah! I'm sorry!" She replied in the painfully sweetest voice she could muster. "It's just you weren't around when I got out so I was looking for you."

"Oh really?" Tobias scratched the back of his head again. "I was taking care of something real quick! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine!" Lisa laughed nervously and an awkward moment of silence fell between the two.

"Well let me just fetch something in my room and we'll search for your earing in the garage, alright?"

"Alright!" Lisa nodded. She watched as Tobias vanished into one of the empty rooms she had scoped out. This gave her a chance to study the black door one more time. A trained eye could tell that it had not closed all the way. The kitten's faint mewing could still be heard from behind the door, making Lisa nervous.

"Stay quiet, little one!" Lisa mentally begged. "For your sake, please stay quiet!"

Of course, the tiny creature continued to cry out for help even as Tobias came out. "Come on, let's go!" He gestured for Lisa to follow him back to the main hallway and she complied, frantic to leave the kitten's cries out of earshot.

"Willingly ignoring the cries of an animal in distress?" The Beast mocked. "Who are you and what have you done with Lisa?"

"I don't have a choice!" Lisa defended. "I can't let this son of a bitch know I'm on to him!"

"I know. That was just meant to be a little playful teasing. What I'm more concerned about is what are you going to do now that he's right within our grasp. Surely, you don't plan on letting him go, are you?"

"Not if I can help it," Lisa said. "Those poor babies don't look like they can last much longer like this! I have to take them out of here now!"

"And you won't be able to do that unless you murder the scum walking in front of you,"

"Exactly," Lisa sighed. "But I don't have any of my weapons on me! Fuck, I don't even have my mask!"

"You'll think of something. I believe in you."

"I can't tell if you're being genuine or sarcastic."

"Whichever starts the fun faster,"

As Lisa and the Beast "talked," Tobias led the middle Simpson child through the living room, his kitchen, his laundry room and finally the creaky brown door leading to his garage. It was small and messy, with car parts and trash bags filled with miscellaneous items thrown everywhere. "Sorry about the mess." He said. "My Dad spends most of his time here and he's not exactly the neat freak type."

"I can see that," Lisa muttered, fighting the urge to pinch her nose against the smell leaking from one of the trash bags.

"Now let's see, he keeps the cans over here I think," Tobias said as he approached a trash bag hanging from the wall by its handle. It wasn't very full, Lisa could only make out the shape of a few cans at the bottom as Tobias grabbed it and began rummaging. She could tell from the wet smacks and the stench coming from the bag that it wasn't just the cans but other kinds of garbage, none of it as recyclable as the cans. There was no recycling around here. Just gathering garbage that other humans were done using.

"Don't tell me you're broken up by him not recycling some stupid cans,"

"Of course not! I just don't like being lied to." Lisa looked around the room as the Beast continued to speak.

"All the more reason to end his miserable life!"

"Which I would have done already if I had my shit with me!" Lisa thought angrily. She cursed herself for not considering the possibility that she would bump into her target while investigating the scene of the crime. She should have come prepared. But now, without her weapons or mask, she couldn't strike, even as her prey stood right in front of her, digging through some dirty old cans.

"This feeling...this frustration...is this what you've been feeling?" Lisa thought. For once, the Beast didn't answer nor did it need to. Lisa already knew she was right and for the first time since her inner psychopath had begun speaking, she actually felt sorry for it. What it wanted was wrong of course. Killing without reason was not how she did things. But this unbearable drive to destroy the person in front of her, a man she knew was profiting from the suffering of innocent life, felt like a large lump in her throat. She was put in the Beast's shoes and did not like it one bit.

And that's when she noticed the hammer.

She could have easily missed it too. Among all the other clutter surrounding the walls of this pitiful excuse of a garage, it blended right in, like a tiny toy animal in one of those I Spy books Lisa used to enjoy as a child. Maybe, it was because Lisa challenged herself with such books in her youth that she was able to notice it. A ball-peen hammer whose black rubber handle had a red stripe over it. It was laying over a pair of dirty old work boots that briefly reminded Lisa of the outdated cleats she had seen back in the other room. The ones that looked like they could do some serious damage to a human face under a determined foot.

And idea was beginning to form in Lisa's mind and she quickly took out her phone to cinch it. She opened it up to the Youtube app, set the phone to silent, and played the last video uploaded to the channel. Her blood boiled as she watched the kitten squirm among the barbed wire, its eyes tired and pleading.

"I take it you've come up with an idea?" The Beast asked hopefully.

"Not just an idea. A punishment!" Lisa didn't realize it but the corners of her lips curved ever so slightly upward.

"Well dang," Tobias said in mock hurt. "I can't find anything in here." Of course, he never did intend to find anything. While it was true he and his Dad collected trash around the Springfield Sign for money every other weekend, they made it a point to pocket any and all valuables for themselves. It, much like his Youtube channel was little more than a side hustle to make quick easy cash. Even so, all the money in the world can't hold a candle to having a cute girl by your side. He'd ask her out, he thought. He'd get to know her better and in time, probably replace the earrings she lost with better ones. "I'm sorry about that. But maybe we can chec-

She was gone. She had just up and slipped out while he was searching through the bag. Tobias looked around for her "Lisa? Where'd you go?" Figuring that she just needed to use the bathroom again, Tobias set the bag done and walked back into the house. Were he not in such a rush to find Lisa, he might have noticed his father's hammer missing from its box.

"Lisa! Hey Lisa!" Tobias called out. He retraced his steps all the way to the bathroom which was closed with the light on. That alone told Tobias that Lisa was indeed using it and would probably appreciate a little privacy. Tobias waited beside the door, feeling tempted to whistle as he waited for Lisa, only to hear the sound of a kitten mewling. His elation of having a pretty girl over was replaced with annoyance over the tiny creature he had taken off the streets a few months ago along with the black lab. The damn things just couldn't be satisfied with one meal a day, could they? Not the mention the waste managed to make despite such meager meals. If it weren't for the fact that he was making money off of them with his fake rescue channel, he would have tossed them out ages ago.

It suddenly occurred to Tobias that if he could hear the kitten's wretched mewling, so could Lisa, and with panicked haste, he went to check the back room. He had made it about halfway through the hallway before realizing that the door, about as black as the shadows within the room, was actually wide open. From the darkness, the kitten's cries were joined by the puppies' mournful wailing.

"What the fuck?" Tobias whispered to himself. Had Lisa opened the door? Had she seen the room? He racked his brain trying to come up with a good excuse that would still keep him on Lisa's good side. Just when he had thought of an alibi he was sure would work, his father's ball-peen hammer slammed right into his skull and the idea was forgotten.


"We'll be right back to The New Adventures of Itchy and Scratchy after these messages!" Krusty's somewhat tired voice promised. Without realizing it, Maggie nodded as a commercial for Boobrella's reboot show coming out in October played and took a sip of her Buzz Cola. She had arrived home about an hour ago and with both of her siblings out of the house for the time being, she figured she make like a good Simpson and get in some extra TV watching. She could hear the sound of meat sizzling in the kitchen and licked her lips as the aroma tickled her nostrils. All in all, it appeared to be a good day for the youngest Simpson child.

That was when her father slammed the front door open and staggered into the living room. He had a tired look in his eyes and his back was slouched. This wasn't really worrisome for Maggie as she's seen her father like this many times before. What unnerved her was that not only was he home early but his breath didn't even reek of booze. Whatever fatigue Homer was suffering was not caused by anything alcohol-related.

"Dad?" Maggie asked as her father took a seat on the couch, lowering his briefcase to the floor with a sigh. He glanced at her as he set it down and glared which served to unnerve Maggie even more. Rarely, did her father ever get angry with her, even when she went along with Bart's schemes.

"Maggie sweetheart," He droned. "How was your day?"

"Um...it was fine? We did fingerprinting,"

"I see. Good. Good." Homer turned his attention to the TV which was now broadcasting a commercial for the Frying Dutchman. Apparently, they were having a special on kelp balls.

Lisa would like that," Maggie thought, trying to ignore the enraged vibes she sensed from her father. She wasn't sure if they were directed at her or not and it didn't matter. He was angry and it wouldn't be long before he told her why. Mentally sighing as she decided to pull the band-aid off now, she asked, "Dad, are you feeling ok?"

"Not really," Homer muttered without looking away from the TV. "I had a really tough day at work."

"I'm sorry." Maggie felt cold.

"Homer?" Marge asked as she peeked her head out from the kitchen. "What are you doing home so early? Don't you usually go to Moe's this time of day?"

"I can't" Homer answered in a somewhat saddened voice. "Me and Moe had an argument." He glanced at Maggie and she felt herself gulp. A theory concerning the source of her father's moody demeanor came to her and she desperately prayed to God that it wasn't true.

"Really, what happened?" Marge asked.

"Why don't you ask Maggie?" Homer grunted.

Maggie shouted D'oh in her mind. Of all the times for her to be right.

"What are you talking about?" Marge stepped into the room, her hands full with a bowl of potatoes she was currently mashing for dinner.

"Go on, Maggie." Homer dared. "Why don't you tell your Mom what you told Moe."

"Wha? But I-"

"What's wrong Maggie? Can you only spill your guts about our private lives to almost complete strangers?" Homer taunted meanly. By now, the show had come back on but no one in the room paid it any mind. Maggie whimpered with shame as she curled up on the couch, her mouth open and lips quivering but no words escaping.

Seeing how upset her daughter was, Marge angrily confronted Homer. "Leave her alone! What's this all about anyway?"

"I'll tell you what it's all about!" Homer got up and pointed at Maggie. "Our daughter has been talking about us to Moe behind our backs!"

"That's not true! Maggie defended. "I didn't say anything! Only that you guys were fighting!"

"Maggie, why would you tell Moe something like that?" Marge asked, although deep in her heart, she already knew the answer. Maggie had been close to Moe ever since she was a little baby and as much as Marge frankly didn't care for him, she couldn't deny how happy his existence made her youngest daughter. That's why she turned a blind eye to Maggie going to visit Moe every now and then. It never occurred to her that she would be spilling family secrets like this but she also knew it was only because she and Homer had been fighting a lot. Even more so than usual.

And right now, as much as she didn't want to, she and her husband were about to argue again. The fact that Homer was taking his rage and shame out on Maggie left no room for any other choice.

"Well let me tell you something missy!" Homer shouted, "It ain't nobody and I mean nobody's business what goes on in this house except for us!" He continued to point his finger at Maggie who at this point was fighting back tears of fear and regret. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for Marge.

"Homer Jay Simpson, stop taking your problems out on Maggie!" She pointed to the kitchen. "We'll discuss this like adults!"

"Oh taking her side I see!" Homer glared at his wife as he stormed into the kitchen. "Typical Marge! Always the better parent! No wonder why Moe was already on your side!"

As the raving buffoon took his ranting into the kitchen, Marge turned to Maggie and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Maggie froze as she knew her mother was just as upset if not more so by her actions. The only real difference between her and her husband was self-control.

"M-Mom, I-

Marge held her hand up to silence Maggie. "We can talk about it later. Just go play in your room or something ok?' There was no rage in her voice. No sadness or distaste. Just disappointment that stung Maggie worse than anything else. Losing the battle against her tears, Maggie rushed upstairs to her room as her mother vanished into the kitchen. She slammed the door shut and curled up on her bed, waiting for the inevitable rise of her parent's voices from downstairs.

"Why do you always do this? Why do you always act without thinking about the consequences?"

"Well maybe if I didn't have a family who's always pointing out my flaws..."

Maggie dug her face into her pillow and sobbed quietly, her tears staining the blue cotton and creating two darkened stains as she lifted her face to breathe.

"This is my fault. I just wanted them to stop." She lowered her head again and cried as the argument beneath her raged on.


It took Tobias two minutes to open his eyes after he came too. His head was pounding and he felt a cold streak of wetness on the back of his neck that he first assumed was sweat. Through his cranial agony, he slowly recalled inviting a cute girl named Lisa to his house. And then he remembered the door to that room being opened and became dumbfounded as he tried to remember what it was that he wanted to do about that. It hurt his brain worse to ponder it. Then he detected the scent of blood in the air, a smell he had gotten used to since working with his little cash cows. He opened his eyes and shut them again as the light of the room blinded him. After a few seconds, he gave it another go and went about it slowly.

Once his vision cleared, he quickly realized he was staring at his own phone. It was several feet away from him, barely close enough for him to see the screen and realize it was set to record a video, only waiting for someone to press the start button. Becoming worried, Tobias tried to get up from the floor, only to feel tremendous agony shoot through his arms and legs. He lifted his head to look down at himself and discovered to his shock and horror that his hands and feet had been nailed to the soft wood of his back room floor. The only light aside from his phone was the dim bulb swinging lazily over his body. It was an old light that no longer worked via switch. Within this weak light, Tobias could also make out a face staring down at him.

A rather familiar face.

"Lisa!?" He tried to say, only to discover that his mouth was taped up. Panic set in as he placed the pieces together and realized what was happening. "Y-You're-

"I guess you've figured it out by now," Lisa spoke softly. "I'm the Animal Avenger." She turned to the phone which sat lonely on the floor, propped up against an old toolbox. "I've seen your videos." She continued while keeping her gaze locked on the toolbox. "They're quite popular really. I guess it just goes to show you that people really love animals. Really love to see them warm and safe and happy." She finally turned back to Tobias. "Of course, that just makes what you've been doing all the more deplorable."

Whimpering and covered with sweat, Tobias desperately tried to explain himself through the duct tape. How he and his father were strapped for cash and in need of extra income. How he had found the puppy and kitten out in the rain by themselves and came up with the idea for the channel. How he never intended to endanger their lives and that it was all for show. Of course, this would have just been a pack of lies. Tobias was just one of those people who loved money above all else. The animals were nothing but cash cows to him and they both knew it.

"I can only imagine the pain and suffering those poor things went through because of your greed." Lisa continued. "Only to be kept in this dark dingy room when you weren't using them."

Tears flowed from Tobias's eyes as he tried to explain himself. He was aware of the Animal Avenger running loose in Springfield but always figured that he would be safe as long as the true nature of his videos was kept a secret. How Lisa found out, he himself couldn't. And right now, that didn't matter.

"I've already taken the liberty of removing the animals from this room. I think they've been exploited enough, don't you?" She approached the phone, producing a crunching sound as she walked. As Tobias watched, his heart raced and fear increased as he saw Lisa's feet. She had replaced her own sneakers with his grandfather's old cleats. He watched hopelessly as the slightly rusted metal punctured the weak wooden floor, ripping away bits and pieces as they were dislodged. Once she was close enough, Lisa bent over and started the video.

"Noooomph! Heeell mmmmpf!" Tobias screamed through his tape. He trashed about on the floor, drawing blood from his hands and feet as he struggled against the nails. Lisa calmly walked over Tobias, taking great care not to step on him just yet as well as keep her face out of the shot. All the phone saw was Tobias crying out through the tape as someone stood over him.

"I'm sorry Tobias but you brought this on yourself," Lisa mouthed as she raised her foot over the frightened young man's head. Tobias shook his head aggressively as the rusted spikes hovered mere inches away from his face. Tears and sweat alike fell from his face and splashed upon the wooden floor A streak of snot trickled from his nose and across the tape covering his mouth.

"Now!" The Beast roared with pleasure and excitement within Lisa's head.

Lisa obliged and slammed her foot down onto Tobias's face. One of the spikes skewered his left eye while two more ripped through the duct tape. As Lisa slowly lifted her foot, the punctured eyeball was dragged out of the safety of its socket, the optical nerve shaking violently as it was stretched away from Tobias's skull. Through the two holes in the tape, both lined with blood from his lips, Tobias screamed out in pain.

Lisa stomped the bloody cleats back onto the floor, crushing his eye underneath and lifted up her other foot.

"No wait!" Tobias grunted as the second boot slammed onto his face, puncturing his right cheek in several places as it forced him to turn toward the phone. The same phone he had used to film so many fake rescue videos, the same device that had perfectly captured the suffering of his charges now captured his. Lisa lifted her foot again, only to find Tobias's cheek still stuck to her cleats. He groaned in pain as his head was lifted up and cried out when Lisa stomped it against the floor until it dislodged.

Through his throbbing skull and the hot sticky blood covering half of his face, Tobias briefly remembered Lisa's name and tried to speak it, tried to expose the monster destroying him. Before he could utter even one letter, however, Lisa stomped onto his neck, cutting into his voice box. He could let out a choked gasp as blood shot from his mouth.

"Yes!" The Beast cried. "More! More! Let it all out!"

Lisa, of course, ignored this. She simply focused on stomping on Tobias again and again. With each stomp, the cleats reduced more and more of the once handsome young man's face to a bloody mulch. He lost consciousness halfway through the stomping but Lisa didn't stop until his chest grew still. She noticed that her pant legs were covered in blood and shook her head. Despite not having her mask or weapons, Lisa at least had her mother's cleaning solution in her backpack.

"It's finished," She thought. "Satisfied?"

"Oh yes!" The Beast cooed. "For now at least."

"Very well." Lisa stepped away from the now headless corpse, walked around to the phone and, while taking great care not to expose her face, ended the recording.


"You know that video will most likely be taken down within the next 24 hours right?" The Beast asked.

"I'm aware of that," Lisa replied. She was heading to the animal shelter, a carrier containing both the puppy and kitten inside hanging from her hand. After being gifted their fill of food and water back at Tobias's house, the two furry animals were asleep and content.

"Then why bother posting it?"

"There's a couple of reasons really," Lisa thought as she turned the corner. "Number one, I like to add a little irony to my target's demise and as much as drowning him and resuscitating him over and over again would have fit, I had to settle for uploading his death online. He filmed these poor things suffering for money so I filmed his death."

"Makes sense,"

"Number two, I needed to make sure all his followers knew about what had been really going on. That description I left with the video might not have as much weight to it without the footage backing it up."

The animal shelter came into sight.

"And the third most important reason is that I want every trace of that scumbag wiped off the face of the earth. I'm counting on the whole channel getting taken down before long and with him dead and his phone destroyed, it'll almost be like this horrible mess never happened to begin with.

"But it did," The Beast reminded Lisa. "And his body still remains,"

"Hey, I can only do so much! Give me a break!" Lisa placed the carrier in front of the shelter and knocked on the door. Then she turned and ran off as fast as she could. By the time Clarissa opened the door and noticed the carrier, Lisa was out of sight.

She took the time to catch her breath from behind an old building as the Beast continued to speak. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful but surely you'll have another target picked out before long."

"I always do," Lisa thought. "But let's make one thing clear. I'm the boss around here and we will only go after those who I deem fit for death! I won't try to fight you off anymore but you'll have to be content with my methods. Alright?"

"Very well."

"Wha!" Lisa nearly tripped over nothing, having to prop herself against the wall to keep from falling.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It's just, I didn't expect you to go along with my declaration so easily," Lisa narrowed her eyes. "What's your game?"

"Patience," The Beast said simply. "You may call the shots for now Lisa and you may think you have a firm grip on your bloodlust but I know better. You may not want to admit this, Lisa but you enjoy killing every little bit as I do. We can both be satisfied with this little system of yours for now, sure. But in time, the cravings will get stronger. You won't be able to help yourself! You won't be able to wait until the next abuser comes along! And when that time comes, you'll finally understand what it means to be a true predator!"

Lisa remained silent and still for a few moments, her expression fixed in a state of contemplation...before suddenly giggling to herself.

"What? Y-You're laughing? Are you actually fucking laughing?"

"I-I'm sorry," Lisa wiped a tear from her eye. "I just couldn't help it. What you said was so ludicrous, I had to laugh!"

"L-Ludicrous?"

"It's like I said, I am the boss around here. You may be a part of me, that much is true, but only a small part. I'm not just the Animal Avenger, I'm-

"Lisa!" A voice called out from the street. Lisa turned to see Allison and Clementine standing in front of the lampost marking the turn to the mall parking lot. "There you are!"

"Where have you been, girl?" Clementine asked. "We thought you ghosted us!"

"Sorry about that!" Lisa checked both directions of the street and ran to her friends. "That thing I had took a little longer than expected."

"Really?" Clementine giggled. "Good for him!"

Lisa blushed. "Huh? N-No! It wasn't anything like that! I swear!"

"Whatever!" Allison grabbed onto both Lisa and Clementine's hands. "Let's get those shakes!"

"Yeah! Lisa and Clementine shouted in unison. The three girls rushed toward the mall laughing as they talked about their day.

"As I was saying," Lisa thought, even though she wasn't sure the beast was listening. "I am not just the Animal Avenger, I'm Lisa Simpson! And while the day may come when we'll have to fight over my fate, I'm going to choose to live in the now!" Lisa smiled as she watched the fading sunlight bounce off her friend's eyes. "My now!"


"Hey Mom! I'm home!" Clementine called out as she shut the door behind her.

"Clementine? By the Lord Jesus Christ, you're late! Supper was an hour ago!" Her mother's voice called from the kitchen, annoyed but also clearly relieved.

"Sorry about that! I was just hanging out with some friends!"

"Well I saved you a bowl of chili in the fridge!" Her mother spoke. "Just wash up before you touch it!"

"Will do Mom!" Clementine promised as she marched to her room, "Will do!"

Once she was inside the sanctuary of her room, Clementine closed the door behind her and tossed her backpack to the side. She let out a heavy sigh and sat herself at the small desk next to her bed where her laptop rested. She removed the charger, turned it on and headed straight for her favorite message board. As soon as she logged in, she was greeted by a flood of comments and post concerning recent events.

"Didn't you hear? The Animal Avenger killed the owner of one of those fake animal rescue channels and posted the video on Youtube!"

"You shitting me!? That's amazing!"

"And the best part, it's still up right now! Here's the link! Watch it before it gets taken down!"

"No way..." Clementine wasted no time clicking on the link, fearing for the few seconds that it took to load that it would already be gone. To her pleasant surprise, it was still up and began playing. Her already intense excitement grew as she realized what method the Animal Avenger was using to destroy her latest victim.

"No way! This...This is too perfect to be true!"

She watched wordlessly as the video ran its course and then replayed it again and again, drinking in the young man's despair and agony as his head was reduced to a pulp. To the right of the video rested a never-ending column of comments, ranging from everything to calls of the video being fake, to threats to report it, and even a bot for Duffman's new deodorant brand. Clementine finally noticed them around her sixth viewing and added her own feelings in a single word.

Beautiful

She started the video again, feeling up herself as it played through. "Oh, my beloved!" She cooed. "To think you would ever stoop so low... I love it. I love it!"

Clementine Foster would spend the rest of the evening watching the video and taking in every little second with ecstasy.

(And thus begins the second part of my little story arc. Hint: It will involve the Rich Texan!

So just to make this clear for those in the back, this is meant to be a dark story and that means it will get into some...messed-up themes. I won't spoil anything right now of course but just know that you are in for one hell of a ride!

Once again, thanks to everyone who's supported the story so far, and please stay tuned!)