Crossroads

by Timothy D

A shocking tragedy leaves a family shattered and Royal Woods on edge. Having met an untimely end, Luan and Lio must navigate the astral plane and uncover the mystery behind their deaths.

1. Crossroads

"I don't remember them adding this on to the park," Lio remarked as they drank from a water fountain.

"It's nothing too surprising," Luan remarked, joining the lad's side, "seems like every week a new building or hangout spot pops up in Royal Woods."

"You can say that again," Lio nodded before asking Luan, "did you bring the frisbee?"

"I think so, yeah," Luan replied, searching herself over, "it should be here somewhere."

"Don't mind it," Lio told her before they noticed two children playing in the sandbox nearby with a teenage girl watching over them from a nearby bench. "Maybe those kids have a ball or frisbee we can borrow."

"Great idea," Luan stated before asking the trio, "Excuse us, would you guys happen to have a frisbee?"

"What?" Asked the oldest girl, looking up from her seat.

"A frisbee," Luan repeated, chuckling "you know? A throwing disk."

"You can see us?" The girl asked in surprise.

"Umm yeah," Luan replied, "why wouldn't we be able to see you?"

"Really?" Asked the youngest girl, "for real life?"

"Sally, don't get too excited," the girl on the bench advised her.

"Yeah-huh!" Lio chirped happily. "We can see you clear as day. We actually wanted to know if you maybe wanted to play with-,"

Lio was cut off by the toddler girl grabbing at their pants leg.

"Please don't leave us," the youngest child begged.

She appeared to be no older than Lily, something that deeply stung Luan and Lio. She sported short curly brown hair that clung to her forehead as well as a pair of auburn brown eyes to boot.

"Don't worry," Lio whispered to the girl as they knelt down to pick her up, giving her a reassuring pat on the head as they did so. "Oneechan and I aren't going anywhere."

"Are you all okay?" Luan asked, thinking desperately of how she could entertain the children and ease their fears.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Answered the energetic boy in yellow, smiling with an ear to ear grin on his face. The child had a naturally youthful appearance, sporting freckles across his face and expressive green eyes filled with glee, all tied together by his bright blonde hair. If the two siblings had to guess his age, they'd figure he was no older than 8 years old. "It's just that…"

"It's been so long since we've had any new visitors," said a shy girl wearing an oversized hoodie, the hood obscuring her eyes and covering her hands. She was clearly the oldest of the trio although she looked the same age as Lynn.

"Visitors?" Luan and Lio questioned as they looked at each other.

"Mmhmm," Hoodie Girl answered, "we've been fending for ourselves for as long as we can remember that seeing new people makes us excited."

That caused Luan and Lio to raise yet another eyebrow.

"How long have you guys been here?" Lio asked, "and where are your parents?"

"We don't know," The Boy in Yellow shrugged, "All I know is that I got here first," He pointed his thumb at the girl in the hoodie and explained, "then Abigail and finally Sally."

"Wait?" Lio asked. "You guys aren't siblings?"

"Nope!" Sally answered. "We just found each other here."

"Yep!" The Boy in Yellow answered before properly introducing himself, "my name's Joshua by the way!"

"And as for our parents," Abigail said, "we… don't remember them."

"You're orphans?" Luan asked, to which the trio of children shook her head.

"We don't think so," Joshua said, "we just don't remember who they are. We don't know if they know we're here and are looking for us or if they're…"

For the first time since meeting, Joshua's cheerful demeanor faded, being replaced by dejection and trepidation as though he feared finishing the thought.

"That's kind of sad," Luan said, kneeling to Joshua's level, "it's a long shot, but maybe we can help you find your parents."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Abigail said pessimistically, "I'd bet our parents don't even care about us or may have even forgotten us."

"Maybe so," Lio replied, "but that doesn't mean we can't try…" The white haired enby looked around the empty playground and the many trails throughout the park. "But first we have to get out of this place."

"Do you two know your parents?" Sally asked. "Maybe they can help us."

"Yeah!" Luan and Lio said in unison, with Luan mentioning "Why didn't we think of that sooner."

"Where are Mom and Dad anyway?" Lio asked.

"Umm…" Luan answered as she drew a blank. Lio sensed this in her through their mind link as the siblings' brief jubilation turned to dread.

"Lio," Luan asked in a panic, "please tell me what Mom and Dad look like."

"Uh… uh," Lio stammered, starting to panic themselves as they blurted, "I can't remember!"

"Wait a second," Luan pondered, "how did we even up in this park in the first place?"

Once again, the pair couldn't remember the circumstances of how they'd gotten here.

"Oh no…" Abigail muttered, approaching Luan as Sally placed her hand to Lio's chest, her arm phasing through the younger Loud and coming out of their back. Abigail meanwhile did the same to Luan, with her arm similarly protruding through her body.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK?!" Luan and Lio blurted from the sheer shock of the situation.

"I feared this," Abigail said sadly.

"What's going on here?!" Luan asked desperately, failing in her attempts to keep calm for Lio's sake.

"He got to you too," Abigail revealed.

"Who got to us?" Luan asked as Lio broke down into tears, clinging to their sister in fear.

"There's a wicked presence surrounding this place," Abigail revealed, "there's a wicked man out there who draws pleasure from depriving people of life."

"Though the three of us can't remember much of our past and families," Abigail explained, "one thing we know for certain is that we're no longer amongst the living."

"What are you saying?" Luan asked, tears now spilling from her face as well.

"I held out hope that someone had finally found us to bring us back home," Abigail said, "and that a terrible fate hadn't befallen you. Alas…"

Abigail then dropped the bombshell on Luan and Lio, "I'm afraid that the two of you are… dead."

It took Luan a few minutes to regain her composure after the reveal, but once she did, the comedian managed to ask with a shaky voice, "What do you mean we're dead?"

"I know it's a lot to take in," Abigail expressed, with Josh and Sally looking down at their feet, "and I know you have many questions, but please listen to me."

"I don't know if we're ghosts or if this is the afterlife myself," Abigail told the siblings, "but I do know that there is more that lies beyond the borders of this park."

"Just like you," Abigail explained, "our lives were taken far too soon."

"Like Josh said, he was the first to get here," Abigail explained, "the first victim of the Habit."

"The Habit?" Luan asked, having taken a seat on a nearby bench.

"That's what we call him," Joshua said, "we don't know his name, only what he looks like."

"And that he refers to killing as his bad habit," Abigail added. "That's the one thing we have in common."

"It's one of the few things we can remember from our lives," Sally said.

"Forgive us for asking," Abigail spoke up, "but I don't think we ever got your names. Who are you two?"

"My name is Luan," Luan introduced herself, "and this is my younger sibling, Lio."

"I'm sorry," Lio apologized, still clinging to Luan for dear life as they could barely keep from crying.

"Take as much time as you need," Abigail offered understanding, "it took all of us years to adjust to being here."

"Wait," Lio questioned, "years?"

"Mmhmm," Josh nodded, "this is where we all woke up, and even though there's more outside this park… we've all been too afraid to venture past these walls."

"Is there…" Luan asked. "Is there anyway home?"

"If there is," Abigail said, "we haven't found it."

Luan looked to the trees and the orangish tinted sunset on the horizon. It seemed almost poetic in a sense, as though the sunset applied to both her and Lio's lives itself. Luan turned to her younger brother, who was now wiping tears from their eyes and sitting upright to put on their best brave face.

"Then I know what to do," Luan said, wiping the final tears from her eyes as she looked to Lio and said, "let's go."

"I'm right behind you," Lio sniffled, standing to follow their sister.

"Umm…" Joshua asked, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know what lies out there," Luan replied, "but I'll never find out if I stay here. Maybe there's a way home if we go."

"Are you crazy?!" Sally asked with Abigail warning the siblings "You could get killed."

"Well we're already dead," Luan pointed out, "what's the worst that could happen?"

"You coming with?" Luan asked.

The three other children looked at each other indecisively before nodding in agreement.

"We're with you," Abigail agreed, picking up Sally and carrying her as she and Josh followed behind the siblings.

The quintet didn't know what awaited them beyond the borders of the park, but if there was a chance for them to go home, they were willing to take the chance.

---

"So…" Luan asked as the group of five walked through the park, using the skyline in the distance as a guide, "who is the Habit anyway?"

"Ummm…" Joshua admitted, "we don't know."

"We don't know if they're even a normal human," Abigail told the pair, "or if they're a spirit like us."

Abigail elaborated, "From what I can remember, they were a normal person, but there was one feature that spooked me. Their smile."

Joshua and Sally both shivered at the mention of the Habit and his smile.

"His eyes are deceiving," Abigail narrated, "vibrant and energetic, full of life… yet no soul behind them."

"Pearly straight white teeth curved into a grin masking wicked intent," Abigail continued. "And the scariest part is that he looks just like anyone else."

"Do you guys really not remember him?" Sally asked Luan and Lio, "or how you died?"

"Not really," Lio mumbled, looking at the ground, "all we remember is showing up at the park."

"Perhaps the experience was too traumatizing for your spirits to remember," Abigail suggested.

"Or maybe you're like me and just don't like to think about it," Joshua mentioned. "It's easier that way."

"Yeah, Lio murmured.

"Are you okay?" Sally asked, almost immediately regretting her question.

"Well," Lio said, "I miss my family… even if I can't really remember them. I know Oneechan and I had a lot of siblings and I'm going to miss them."

"Oneechan?" Joshua asked, peeking over Lio's shoulder. "What's that?"

"It's Japanese for big sister," Lio explained as Luan wrapped her arm around her. "I call Luan Oneechan because of how close we are."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you two were the death of each other," Abigail said, earning her an instant death glare from Luan that sent shivers down her spine.

The hooded girl didn't think it was possible to fear for one's life when they were already dead, but somehow Luan found a way. She quickly shushed and looked away from the pair as Luan grabbed Lio's hand and gently squeezed it to comfort them, a tactic she'd used many times in the past.

"What's that?" Sally asked, pointing to an opening coming up through the trees.

By now, the sunlight had mostly faded, leaving only a dim orangish hue to illuminate the encroaching night sky. Contrasting that was the presence of bright neon lights that lit up the path the group was walking.

"Do you think this is the end?" Joshua asked as only a single bush separated them from whatever was on the other side, to which Abigail shook her head.

"There's no way it's this easy," she said cynically, looking away in shame.

"Are we sure we wanna do this?" Sally asked, holding on tight to Joshua.

Luan looked unsure herself. Who knew if damnation lied on the other side of the shrub? At the same time, who was to say that salvation wasn't also waiting on the other side? The comedian felt a pang of guilt wash over her.

Abigail's words from earlier had stuck with her. What if she was the reason her sibling was dead? What if by taking that next step, she was putting them in further danger? What did further danger even mean?

Luan looked over at Lio, whose eyes were trained on the ground. The events of the evening had obviously weighed heavily on the youth. Even without reading their mind, Luan could see the broken look in Lio's eyes. If anything, she owed it to them to take a chance.

"There's only way we can find out," Luan said, taking a few steps back and getting a running head start.

Breaking out into a sprint, Luan ran forward, grabbing Lio by their wrist whilst also making sure to stay safely in front of them as she ran through the bush. The remaining children followed behind her, leaping through the shrub.

As their eyes adjusted to the sudden presence of bright blinding lights and skyscrapers, Luan and Lio fell to the ground. Lio felt a sharp pain in their chest as Luan gasped for breath whilst both of their throats seemed to close, a burning sensation spreading through their neck.

The feeling was fleeting, lasting only a second or two, but stunned the pair, leaving them on their knees momentarily.

"Are you two okay?" Joshua asked as she looked down at the two of them as Abigail offered them a hand up.

"Yeah," Luan nodded, she and Lio accepting Abigail's hand and standing up again. "Yeah, we're fine."

As though driven by instinct, the siblings examined their bodies, checking for any sign of injury. The two checked each other as well as their hands met, Luan once again squeezing Lio's hand for comfort.

"Just…" Lio tried to explain, "something weird happened."

"Where are we now?" Asked a nervous Sally, on the verge of tears as the group found themselves standing on a busy city sidewalk.

Apparent tourists wandered the sidewalks, stepping around the children and keeping their eyes on their surroundings. A few of them picked up maps from a nearby bodega on their quest.

These pedestrians were quite a few years older than the children, some of them dressed in suits and business casual attire while others wore hoodies and T-shirts, earphones covering their ears.

Some looked away from the others on the street, others kept their eyes on the ground as they walked. Others still tried making small talk with the people around them, as though to pass the time while waiting for the bus.

The setting itself was a unique amalgamation. Bright neon billboards seemed to adorn every street, accompanied by mile high office buildings and shopping stores. Apartment buildings were prevalent as well, with people going in and out of all these facilities. Further decorating the landscape were small newsstands and snack bars.

The roads themselves seemed bustling, with cars driving back and forth on the lanes, a few even honking their horns in frustration. Aside from this noise and the chatter of hushed whispers and small talk, the city was oddly quiet. It allowed the children to assess their situation further.

Luan and Lio in particular took note of the fact that they couldn't make out any distinguishing landmarks of other symbols of familiarity that would help them figure out their location. It all created an eerie sense of being utterly lost.

Normally in a time like this, Luan would crack a joke, but ever since arriving at the park, the girl had lost her sense of humor, something once thought impossible. Luan supposed that death would do that to a person.

The clown was roused from her thoughts when she heard Lio ask in astonishment "So… where do you think we are?"

"I don't know," Luan answered truthfully, "but one thing's for sure, we're certainly not in Royal Woods anymore."

Suddenly, the children were roused by a low growling sound. Lio in particular, jerked their head quickly in the direction of the noise, their eyes widening in fear.

"Umm guys," they said nervously, spotting four or five creatures darting through the crowd, a few civilians tripping and falling over as they dodged the creatures, "I think we've got company."

"Like I said," Abigail said, "never that easy."

The creatures became more visible as a barking sound echoed through the streets. The barking became louder as the creatures drew closer.

Finally, the five could make out their figures. Black dogs bounding towards them and only them, their eyes glowing gold.

"Run!" Luan instructed the group as she took charge of the situation.

Picking Sally off the ground, Josh heeded her advice with Abigail following behind the two of them.

"Come on Oneechan!" Lio told Luan, refusing to move before Luan.

"I'm coming!" Luan called out to them, pushing them ahead of her as the two ran, the chase now underway.

The quintet sprinted for their lives, running through the streets of the unknown city. The children weaved and dodged, doing their best not to knock down any pedestrians as they fled.

"Excuse us," Lio apologized to the people they ran past, "so sorry!"

Abigail alternated between looking ahead to keep an eye on the youngest kids and looking behind her to check on Luan and Lio. The last thing she wanted was to lose anyone else after already losing so much. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Joshua was doing a stellar job of staying ahead even while carrying Sally.

Meanwhile, Lio absolutely refused to let go of Luan's hand to the point where it was almost as though they were pulling their older sister along. The dogs seemed relentless in their pursuit as well, running full speed after the kids and their tongues hanging out of their mouth.

"COME ON ONEECHAN!" Lio shouted in desperation, holding onto Luan's hand.

"Don't worry," Luan said softly, "I'm right behind you."

Those words seemed to calm Lio, though they nevertheless held on tight. For the two Loud siblings, the hounds were hot on their heels. Luan and Lio could feel their tongues licking their hands and legs. Lio was quick to take note of that quality of the canines.

"Umm, guys," Sally said nervously, pointing ahead of them.

"What's up?" Joshua asked, temporarily looking behind him to check on Luan and Lio before returning his focus to what lied ahead, "Oh… crap."

It would appear that the group was reaching a dead end as ahead of them was a starlit speedway, with cars and buses zooming down each lane without any signs of stopping. On the other side of the highway was a downward hill. The children didn't know where it led, but they'd have to take the chance.

"What're we going to do?" Sally asked.

Abigail looked back at the dogs still chasing after them before shouting "We've gotta go for it! Keep moving!"

"But…" Sally started to protest before Joshua tucked her head into his shoulder and cradled her tight as he leapt a guardrail and ran across the busy speedway.

Abigail followed right behind them as Luan and Lio watched with baited breaths. The dogs were still excitedly barking as they pursued the children. Luan pushed Lio ahead of her all as the latter maintained their grip on her hand.

Once the three younger children had safely made it across the highway, Luan made her move.

"Hold on baby brother," Luan advised Lio before picking the preteen up and throwing him across the intersection.

"Whoa!" Lio exclaimed as they sailed through the air, managing to safely land on their feet on the other side. They looked to the other side past all of the cars still zipping and speeding up and down the street as they called out to Luan. "ONEECHAN!"

"I'm right behind you!" Luan told them before she leapt over the guard rail and made a mad dash across the speedway, the stars above lighting her way.

Luan could feel a rush of wind breeze past her as she managed to evade each vehicle. Whether she was being driven by adrenaline or a feeling of invincibility, Luan wasn't sure. The result was all the same however as Luan reunited with the rest of the group on the other side.

The five looked down to see where the hill lead. It wasn't too steep of a fall, but at the base of the hill was a river with a conveniently placed raft tied to a post. Luan looked back and saw that the dogs were still pursuing them. Luan's surprise soon turned to horror as she watched the dogs run recklessly through the street, the cars phasing right through them as though they didn't exist.

"We've gotta go!" She and Abigail both shouted in unison.

Abigail scooped both Josh and Sally into her arms before scooting down the hill. Luan, in a panic, pushed Lio forward and down the hill, immediately following after them. Though they tumbled at first, Lio quickly regained their footing and slid down the hill as though they were surfing.

Upon reaching the bottom, the quintet rushed towards the raft, not bothering to take the chance as to whether or not the hounds were still after them.

"Careful, careful," Abigail said, holding Josh's hand as he and the dark skinned toddler stepped onto the raft. "Come on you two!" She yelled at Luan and Lio.

Luan and Lio didn't need much further urging, hopping onto the raft as Abigail began fiddling with the rope tying the raft to the post.

"They're coming!" Sally screamed, pointing at the hounds leaping over the hill.

Thinking quickly, Luan bit hard into the rope, her sharp buck teeth managing to severe it. With one forceful kick off the post, Luan was able to give the group a meaningful head start as the raft began floating down the river.

The children breathed a sigh of relief as the dogs finally ceased their pursuit, stopping at the bank of the river. Lio took one final look at the canines and noticed the gleeful expressions on their face as they panted with their tongues hanging out of their mouths and their tails wagged.

"So where are we going now?" Josh asked as he caught his breath.

"Wherever the river takes us," was the only response Abigail could muster.

By now, the evening had turned to night and though the sky was dark, the children were provided an ample supply of lights by the stars hanging overhead and the moon as well. As they drifted further down the river and away from the bustling metropolis they'd briefly been lost in, they took in the beauty of their surroundings. They were back to the wilderness, this time being within a forest.

The moonlight provided enough illumination that the group didn't have to worry about any danger lurking in the shadows. Additionally, the lack of light pollution from neon signs and billboards allowed the five of them to take in the natural beauty of the world.

With the soft chirping of crickets and croaking of amphibians, the group soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

---

Lio had taken off their jacket, using it to cover both themselves and Luan so that the latter could remain warm. This time around it was Luan who refused to let go of her baby brother, cradling them close and holding them to her body, her arms firmly wrapped around them.

Abigail similarly had given her hoodie to Joshua and Sally, placing it over the sleeping children to shield them from the elements. The teen's eyes were still obscured nonetheless by her raven black hair, which she allowed to droop over her face. Curled up into a ball, Abigail was the last to fall asleep.

…

Luan felt herself lying on a cold and hard surface, though she herself felt as though she could barely move. Opening her eyes, Luan was stunned by the sudden change in her surroundings. Sanded and laminated wooden panels rested beneath her head with dim fluorescent lights shined down on her from above.

Luan strained to further open her eyes as she was completely paralyzed, her body refusing to obey commands. The comedian felt some cold and clammy in her right hand, instantly jolting her to her senses.

Her eyes fully opened, Luan attempted to gasp as she found herself staring face to face with her brother, Lio. The artist's eyes were wide open and devoid of life as their mouth hang agape, a permanent expression of terror painted on their pale face. Drops of blood rested on their cheeks, which were otherwise drained of colour.

Their arm was outstretched towards Luan, prompting her to realize that the object she held in her hand was none other than the hand of her deceased sibling.

When the shock subsided, Luan screamed, sitting upright as she was jolted from her slumber and the horrible nightmare.

"Luan!" Lio shouted as both they and the other children were startled awake.

"Can't even get a good sleep," Abigail muttered under her breath as Sally started to cry from the sudden noise.

"Are you okay?" Lio asked Luan, who stared ahead in a trance. They had seen their sister's dream through their mindlink and immediately understood her reaction. That didn't ease his concern however at Luan failed to respond, her face despondent.

The children look at Luan in concern before she reached out to Lio. She gently placed a hand on their face, feeling it for warmth, only for feel nothing at all. It was a somber reminder that this truly was reality rather than a mere nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

"It's okay," Lio whispered to her, "I'm right here."

Luan pulled Lio close to her and just hugged them for what felt like eternity.

"Are you two okay?" Abigail asked after a few minutes of silence.

"As okay as we can be," Lio replied as Luan let go of them.

The five were still floating down the river and still in a forest of some sort. Luan shook her head, trying to erase the dream from her memory. An awkward silence followed before Lio finally broke it.

"How long have you guys been dead?" They asked.

"Beats me," Joshua shrugged nonchalantly.

"I dunno," Sally murmured.

"Six years," Abigail stated bluntly, "it's hard to keep track of time, but I still remember the exact day I arrived at the park."

"How long ago it was," she said, "how many seasons have passed. Wondering about what-, who my family is and if they miss me."

"Do they know what happened to me?" Abigail snarled angrily as she pondered aloud, "Will I ever know what happened to me beyond that smile?"

"And what the point of all this is," she narrated. "What did I do to deserve ending up on the other side without so much as a hint as to what my past was."

"Six years?" Luan asked, "You were at that park for six years?"

Abigail nodded, brushing her hair aside.

"I wish that I'd had the courage to leave before you two had arrived," she expressed, looking at the two youngest members of the posse. She smiled at Joshua as she said, "but I couldn't dare leave you behind…" Abigail looked at Sally as the girl perked up slightly, giggling as Abby patted her on the head, "And what if neither of us had been here when you arrived."

"Maybe things happen for a reason," Luan suggested, giving a half smile at the trio.

Lio found their sense of humor at that moment as they joked "Yeah, now you can't scold me for not eating."

"Don't get carried away," Luan laughed, her first laugh since this ordeal had began.

"You two are so sappy!" Josh teased them, going on a tangent, "I wish I had a sister or a brother like that… or maybe I did, I dunno. If I didn't it would have been cool."

"Could've been a nightmare too," Abigail pointed out. "Not all siblings are nice."

"When I first met you guys," Lio mentioned, "I thought that you all were siblings."

"But Sally is black," Josh stated, scratching his head in confusion.

"Sometimes," Luan smiled softly, "family doesn't have to begin and end at blood."

"You can say that again," Abigail agreed, smiling softly once again.

"What's that ahead?" Sally asked, squinting as she spotted a light source in the distance.

"I don't know," Lio answered, "but I think we're coming up on land."

As the raft drifted further towards the shorelines, the group could make out a somewhat familiar shape approaching. They spotted a small dock at the edge of the water, with a lone flame lit lamp sitting in a rocking chair at the end of it, almost as if to herald the children's arrival.

Looking closer, the children made out the presence of a cottage. The porch had two lights shining from the wall, but otherwise, offers no signs of any other presence.

"Do you think it's safe to bunk there for a while?" Joshua asked, tugging at Abigail's leg.

"I don't know," Abigail answered truthfully.

"Maybe we should take the chance," Luan suggested.

"Yeah!" Joshua quickly nodded in agreement.

"Calm your jets," Abigail advised him. "We don't even know if anyone lives there."

"But Miss Luan was right about leaving the park," Sally pointed out.

"She and Lio also got us chased by wild dogs," Abigail retorted. "It's too risky."

"We can at least knock on the door," Lio argued, "and if nobody answers, we can stay here for the night."

"It beats being exposed," Luan pointed out.

Abigail sighed before relenting and saying "Fine."

Abigail then warned the siblings, "But if anything happens to those two…"

Upon reaching the dock, Luan used some nearby rope to resecure it until the morning. Luan approached the cottage first, shielding the others with her body in case something went on.

The first knock on the door yielded no results and as Luan went to tap on the door a second time, the door instead swung inward, opening itself for the group. The spirit posse were stunned by what they saw on the other side.

Four rooms seemingly combined into one. In one corner was a small and tiny bed with crayon drawings and finger paintings being both taped to the wall and pinned by thumbtacks. A bed stand sat next to the bed, holding up a glass of water.

In the corner below it was a blue race car inspired bed, with toy cars and rocket ships littering the floor around it. A pair of shoes and a jacket sat at the foot of the bed with the jacket being draped over the edge.

In the opposite corner sat a twin sized bed with a neatly organized bookshelf right beside it. An mp3 player sat on the topmost shelf as band posters were taped to the wall right beside it.

And finally at the top most corner of the room was pink covered bed with whoopee cushions, a spring loaded boxing glove, fake dog poop and a clown nose sitting conveniently next to a beanbag chair. And beside it was a notebook, coloured pencils and markers as well as a red octopus plushie.

"It looks just like home," Sally, Joshua, Abigail, Lio and Luan all exclaimed in stereo as some more of their memory returned.

"This is totally weird," Joshua observed as he picked up his old toys.

"It feels like we were meant to find this place," Abigail pondered out loud, "but why?"

"Does that mean we can stay here for the night?" Sally asked.

"I guess so," Abigail accepted as Lio made sure to close and lock the door behind them.

---

"Michigan Police are still looking for this man on your screen right now. They say that he is a person of interest in a break-in at a local restaurant and the subsequent murder of a sister and brother. Authorities say that the man is armed and dangerous so if you see him, please alert police immediately."

"Is it so wrong to have a hobby?"

Running his hand along his blade, he chuckled, "After all, we're all victims to Habit."

---

"You feel the burn when you cry.

It starts to come when someone dies.

The pain you feel as your eyes swell

and the tears will up in the wells.

The burn starts to choke you up.

The words come out slow and shaken.

You close your eyes and wonder why

there is a burn when you cry.

When my siblings left, it felt like hands across my throat.

I couldn't talk, I couldn't see.

The burn overwhelmed me.

My heart is heavy, this is why

you get the burn when you cry.

It digs down deep, you cannot sleep.

You toss and turn in your sheets.

Awaken with sobs and wet pillow cases.

You wander aimlessly looking to the sky.

You feel the burn when you cry."

---

"You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I shouldn't have left them alone. It is my fault."

"You had no way of knowing what would happen."

"Yeah, because it was such a brilliant idea to leave my 15 year old daughter and 12 year son alone in the restaurant at closing time. What could possibly go wrong?"

"This is hard on all of us dear, please don't blame yourself for this. We're all still reeling."

Lucy sighed as she listened to her parents argue once again, listened to her mother try and console her father, who seemed as though he'd all but given up on life. Lucy understood that she wasn't the only one grieving, but she wished that her dad had been more present to console her rather than isolate himself from the rest of the family. Perhaps the desire was selfish, but she felt she shouldn't lose one of her parents after already losing two siblings.

Lucy oftentimes had to catch herself whenever she walked past Luan's or Lio's Room. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Lincoln himself had taken refuge in Lori's room. Lucy imagined that his grieving was much more severe than hers.

There had been many times where Lucy had sought after Luan for her advice, feedback or even just general comfort. Lucy could never forget the pivotal role Luan had played in her biggest success to date. If there was any sister that Lucy was closest to, it was by far and away Luan.

That wasn't of course to say Lucy wasn't also reeling from Lio's death as well. The two were both creative types with a passion for the arts with Lio expressing themselves through their drawings and stories while Lucy focused her effort on poetry and tales of horror. Even as Lio became more infatuated with marine biology and their studies, the youngest Loud son would still lend an ear to Lucy whenever she needed.

The sounds of her father sobbing once again broke Lucy out of her thoughts. The sound of crying had been a constant in the house for the past two weeks with Lucy naturally shedding her fair share of tears. Although the Family remained rallied behind each other and supportive in this desperate time of grief, Lucy couldn't shake the feeling of the residence being a broken home.

The young goth decided to take a walk to maybe try and clear her head. Before leaving, Lucy walked down the hall to her eldest sister's room. She gently rapped on the door twice before awaiting response.

One came quicker than she expected as a few short seconds later, Lori was standing before her. The latter had bags under her eyes, which were running red. The residuals of makeup smudges had been crudely wiped away, painting the clear picture that Lori too had been crying. Nevertheless, the oldest Loud daughter presented a strong and composed demeanor as she addressed her younger sister.

"Is everything okay, Lucy?" She asked. "Is there something I can help you with? Do you need anything?"

"Could you…" Lucy started to ask, briefly hesitating. "Could you come on a walk with me?"

A second or two passed as Lori considered before she replied, "It's too dangerous to walk by ourselves."

Lori grabbed her keys as well as her jean jacket off of her dresser before telling Lucy, "Let's ride instead. I'll take you wherever you wanna go."

Lucy nodded her head as she led the way downstairs. Lucy grabbed her coat and a scarf before heading out, Lori making sure to stay right behind her all the way.

"So where do you wanna go?" Lori asked as the siblings buckled up.

"I just wanna ride around," Lucy confessed.

Lori understood immediately and nodded her head as she started her car. She backed carefully out of the driveway before gently cruising down the street.

"Music?" She asked, to which Lucy again nodded.

You're tuned into Shining Star FM, playing the hits of the past, the present and the future!

The streets of Royal Woods, which had previously been littered with children playing in their yawns or on the sidewalks were eerily barren and empty.

The Louds were far from the only people affected by the murder of Luan and Lio. The idea of a serial killer lurking and on the loose in a small town naturally shook parents to their core and they took the best actions they could in an attempt to protect their loved ones.

Many children were kept inside during work hours and only allowed out on weekends under their parents' or older siblings' watchful eyes. Not even teenagers were spared as some parents implemented strict curfews to abide by.

Luba and Luna had recently gotten in a great deal of trouble when Rita caught them sneaking in after one of their routine excursions. The normally reserved mother could be heard screaming and crying at the twins for two hours that night, something that only served to highlight the heightened nerves of the community.

Lucy stared absentmindedly out Lori's car window as even the place she'd called her hometown seemed unrecognizable in spite of being the exact same for all intents and purposes.

I stay out too late, got nothing in my brain…

Lucy gasped and choked up upon hearing the opening lyrics of the song currently playing. The pop hit had been one of Luan and Lio's favorites, with the two having danced to it together on more than one occasion in their free time. It was too much of a bitter reminder for Lucy as she fought to hold back tears.

Lori caught on immediately and turned the radio off, pulling into a nearby parking lot to check on her sister.

"Lucy," she whispered in concern, "it's… it's going to…"

Lori looked up from Lucy for a brief moment to see where she'd parked and in doing so, she herself started to cry. Whether it be by coincidence or fate, Lori had turned in to the parking lot of Lynn's Table.

Though no longer a crime scene, the Loud family restaurant had seen a sharp downtick in business following the murders. Not that that mattered all too much in the grand scheme of things as Lynn Sr. had stepped aside and allowed Grant and Kotaro to manage the business in the interim.

Flowers and extinguished candles sat on the ground close to the entrance with a picture of Luan and Lio in the center of it as well. The two of them had truly been inseparable and did everything together, even dying. Were she still around, Lucy was sure Luan would somehow find dark and ironic humor in that fact.

Lucy broke into sobs at the sight with Lori crying alongside her. Though they weren't alone in the parking lot with several patrons around them, the two felt dirty and unsafe at the scene. Composing herself the best she could, Lori turned around and sped onto the street, heading in the direction of Royal Woods' more commercial district.

Once she and Lucy were far enough away from Lynn's Table, Lori pulled into parking lot of a clothing store, pulled Lucy into her arms and sobbed for several minutes. Lucy for her part, allowed her tears to flow, making no attempt at masking her emotions of putting on a brave face.

Shortly after Lori and Lucy had left Lynn's Table, another figure approached from the opposite street and looked at the eatery. Slim build with their clean shaven face obscured by a purple hoodie and similarly shaded purple winter cap, the man took in the scenery.

---

Not many killers would come back to the same town as their most recent kill, let alone the exact same crime scene, but for him… he couldn't let it go. There was a deep, dark and dangerous grudge the man held towards this establishment.

Although he hadn't racked up a too significant body count, the man had quite a few bodies behind him. He'd been like this since he was a preteen, starting his life of crime by shooting at small birds and animals with a BB gun bought by his parents, evolving to knocking down mailboxes with a ball bat and going from their to setting a few small fires.

The man considered himself to be blessed by fate itself for him to have never been caught or even suspected in these incidents and that only emboldened him to go further. For the longest time, the man had nursed a deep desire to take the life of another. To play God and sacrifice an inferior to satisfy his bloodlust.

He still remembered his first victim. How she'd tried to fight back, clawing at his eyes and biting at him. Pulling his hair and kicking him where she could. What he remembered most of all however… was her fear. The desperation on her face as she futilely fought to preserve her life. The terror in her eyes as she realized that these were indeed her final moments.

That moment scratched a serious itch that the man didn't know he had and before long, he was seeking out more victims to give himself satisfaction. The fear had been a constant source of pleasure for the man. Taking in the screams and shrieks, the pleading for their lives. Seeing the realization in his victims' eyes that they were powerless in his presence and that there was nothing they could do to save themselves.

Could one call him a coward for going after only the most vulnerable and weak that society had to offer, but their opinions meant less to him than the cow manure used by the backwoods hicks of this community to fertilize their crops. The thrill he attained from snuffing out young life was incomparable to any sensation he'd ever felt.

However, in the time that he'd been doing this, there had been two victims who stood out to him. Two victims that he could never forget… two victims he could never forgive.

A brother and sister pair; the usual types of half pints he targeted. He'd done the same thing he'd always done before: he'd approached them while they were alone. He cornered them and left them with no way out. He threatened and toyed with them when he had them at his mercy… and yet, rather than show fear, the siblings responded with anger.

The sister of the pair threw herself in front of her brother to shield him, even going so far as to offer herself up to him order to protect her brother. Pure vitriol and contempt could be seen in her eyes as she shot hundreds of a venomous death glare.

Even more insulting to him, when he pretended to play along with her offer and gave the boy a chance to save his own ass, the child refused. He stayed by his sister's side, holding onto her hand and remaining bold even in the face of death. It was a response the man had never seen before.

Where was the fear? Where were the tears? Where was the begging and pleading for their lives? The desperate prayers to a nonexistent god to save them. None of that was present.

It infuriated the man to no ends. What sickened him even more was that even when he was attacking them, the siblings held strong and refused to leave each other side. Their final moments weren't spent crying. The life in their eyes didn't extinguish with a whimper. No, rather the last act of his most recent victims had been to console and reassure each other before they died.

The man couldn't let such an affront go unpunished. Somebody in this town had to pay. Somebody had to make amends… and the Habit wasn't going to go away until he was paid what he was owed.

---

For someone as energetic as Joshua, boredom was always only a few steps away. The young boy was always looking for his next adventure, be it spending the night in his treehouse whilst pretending to be a bandit or playing King of the Jungle with his pet cat, Gumbo. One of the rambunctious lad's other favorite pastimes was walking to the creek near his house to play with the frogs and minnows swimming through it.

While it could sometimes be difficult for Joshua to maintain focus, once something caught his attention, it was hard for him to let go of it. More often than not, whatever caught his attention became all that he focused on for several minutes or even hours at a time. On this day, that would prove to be fatally detrimental.

Joshua was so preoccupied with catching minnows in his net that the boy failed to hear the crunch of branches beneath combat boots. Josh failed to hear the hushed breathing as someone approached him from behind.

It was only when one of the frogs hopped away in fright did Josh become aware of his surroundings. The boy attempted to turn around, but only managed to catch a brief glimpse of his assailant before he was struck in the back of the head by something hard and heavy.

A young teen with short hazel brown hair that just reached his ears and matched his eyes. Josh still couldn't get a clear view of his face but he got enough.

Josh felt blood trickling from the back of his head and down his neck as he fell forward. Though he was incredibly dazed, the second thing Joshua felt was somebody sitting on his back. Joshua could only guess that it was the teenager he saw briefly. Joshua was too weak to fight back as his face was shoved into the water and held down by his attacker.

"Sorry kid," Josh heard his attacker say, "just a force of habit."

Even before having his face submerged, Josh was fading in and out of consciousness from the previous blow he took. As water filled his lungs, Joshua relaxed as darkness crept into his vision before nothing else remained.

---

"Are you lost, little girl?"

Sally looked up from the sandbox to see a strange man standing in front of her. The man's eyes were dark hazel brown with his hair being a matching shade to boot, although with the sun shining across his face, Sally couldn't quite tell. The man seemed quite shifty, repeatedly looking to the left and right as though he feared getting caught.

"No," Sally replied, "I'm not lost, I'm just playing."

"How cute," the man said before asking, "but where are your parents by chance? It looks like you're by yourself."

"I'm not by myself," Sally chirped before pointing in another direction, "my Mommy and Daddy are right over…"

Sally was shocked when she saw her parents had disappeared from the bench they'd been sitting at. Sally frantically looked around the park and became panicked as she noticed the lack of any other presence.

"Mommy?" She called out, sniffling as tears welled up in her eyes. "MOMMY!"

The tears started to flow as the stranger knelt down to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Sshh sshh," he whispered, "it's okay, it's okay. I'll help you find them."

"You will?" Sally asked, her blurry eyes preventing her from noticing the toothy grin of the stranger.

"Sure I will," the stranger told her, extending his hand to help her up, "just trust me and I promise we'll find them."

"Thank you Mister," Sally exclaimed, leaving her toys behind and following behind the man as he held her hand.

"Don't mention it," he said, smiling at her, revealing excited and inviting eyes, "it's the least I can do."

Sally woke up screaming, bursting into tears, causing everyone in the cottage to awaken as well. Although he didn't scream, Josh began to sob as well, much to the concern of the others.

"Sally, Josh!" Abigail called out to them, "are you okay? Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

The two of them were borderline inconsolable for several minutes, something that ripped at the hearts of the three older kids.

Sally's sobs reminded Luan and Lio of their first encounter with her, when she was frightened by their presence. In contrast, this was the first time the siblings had seen Josh display any sort of fear or sorrow. Even when they were being chased by the hounds, Joshua had treated the events more lightheartedly than the others.

"I remember!" Sally blurted out.

"What do you mean you remember?" Lio asked, picking the child up and gently rocking her in their arms as they cradled her.

"I had a bad dream with the Habit," Sally explained, "and… and…"

Sally became inconsolable once again and cried into Lio's shoulder.

"I had a dream too," Joshua spoke up with a sniffle as he wiped his eyes, Luan sitting next to him at his bed. "I felt everything, getting hit in the head, falling in the water, getting killed, everything."

"I remember the Habit," Josh said as Abigail wrapped her arms around him.

Luan and Lio were heartbroken watching the two be so emotional. Sure, they'd been killed by the Habit too, but seeing how cruel he'd been to two sweethearts made the pair angrier at him for that than their own deaths.

"It's okay," Luan whispered to them, "he can't hurt you… he can't hurt you any-,"

She and Lio suddenly froze as a wave of memories washed over them.

"Okay kids," Lynn Sr walking out the door, "I just have to deliver this last catering order and we can head home. I'll be back in just a few!"

"Well hurry up!" Luan said lightheartedly as she joked, "It's already pasta'r bedtime."

"Yeah, think about what Mom'll do when she hears about dish," Lio joined in.

"You two are a riot!" Lynn Sr laughed, grabbing the keys to the company truck as he closed the door behind them, "Alright, I'll be right back, just sit tight."

Soon after the duo heard the wheels of the truck pull out of the parking lot, Lio yawned and stretched their arms as Luan teased them, "Sleepy?"

"A little, yeah," Lio replied.

"Wow," Luan said, "it really is past your bedtime."

The siblings' conversation was interrupted when they heard the ding of a small bell, signaling that someone had entered the restaurant. The two looked up to see a slim and pale man wearing an unzipped purple hoodie, white T-shirt, black jeans and black sneakers with short brown hair and brown eyes entering the establishment. The man gave off creepy vibes that instantly made the pair feel uneasy.

"Excuse me sir," Luan spoke up, "I'm sorry, but we're closed for the night. If you want to order something, you're gonna have to come back in the morning."

"I'm not here for food," the man said calmly.

"Then what are you here fo-?" Luan asked before falling silent when she and Lio noticed the man was brandishing a serrated hunting knife.

Luan's sisterly instincts kicked in as she pushed Lio behind her and stood in front of them. Lio peaked over her shoulder as their heart sank into their gut.

"The safe is in the back office," Luan informed the man, "the combination to get into the office is 5-1-4 and the passcode to the safe is 3-2-8-7. Just take it."

"I'm not after money either," the man replied coldly, casually waving the knife around.

"Then what the fuck are you here for?!" Luan asked aggressively.

"Oh, that's cute," the man laughed, almost sounding distorted as he did so, "you actually think you can scare me."

"Do whatever you want with me," Luan told him, refusing to step aside from in front of Lio, "just let my baby brother go."

"Hmm…" the man said, putting his hand to his chin as he thought it over.

"Not a chance," Lio refused, grabbing onto Luan's hand as they stood behind her, "I'm not leaving you behind, Oneechan."

"I'll be fine, Lio," Luan told him, "just trust me on this."

"Oh, I assure you," the man said, "you most certainly will not be fine…" the man glared at Lio and proclaimed "and neither will you."

"Let them go," Luan demanded as she looked around for any kind of weapon she could use, much to no avail.

"Sorry," the man sarcastically apologized with a shrug, "but I can't leave any witnesses behind."

Luan was desperate for a way out. Right now, she couldn't care less about what happened to her, but she needed to make sure Lio got away. As the man edged closer to the two, Luan grabbed a nearby salt shaker off of a table and flung salt into the man's eyes.

"Lio, run!" Luan ordered her baby brother as the man hissed in pain.

The man backhanded Luan across the face, knocking her to the ground and incensing Lio, who grabbed a fork from a nearby booth and stabbed the man in the cheek with it.

"Goddamnit!" The man exclaimed as blood trailed down his face.

Lio grabbed Luan by the hand and made a break for it.

"Come on Oneechan!" They shouted, pulling Luan along.

"Ah ah ah," the killer mocked them as he grabbed Luan by her ponytail and flung her backwards, knocking her over a table and to the ground as well as knocking the wind out of her.

"Oneechan!" Lio cried, steadfast in their refusal to leave Luan alone with the unhinged maniac as they turned back around and ran towards them.

The killer acted immediately, stabbing Lio in the stomach, causing them to collapse and fall next to Luan. Lio gasped, too stunned to speak as Luan shouted in a mix of anger and shock.

"LIO!" She yelled as Lio looked at her and offered a smile. Whether it was to reassure Luan or themselves, Luan didn't know.

"Leave them alone!" She demanded, "Get away from the-!"

"Quiet down!" The man snarled, slamming Luan's head into the hardwood floor, dazing her.

With all the strength they could muster, Lio grabbed the pant leg of the killer, tugging at it to divert their attention from Luan.

"Still got some life in ya, eh?" The man asked with a chuckle as he turned his attention back to the enby Loud.

Luan could only watch in horror as the man stabbed Lio in the chest over and over again as the boy was helpless to defend himself. A series of sharp gasps and grunts escaped the child's mouth as they kept their eyes trained on Luan. A single tear escaped their eye from the pain coursing through their body.

"STOP!" Luan screamed. "YOU'RE KILLING THEM! STOP!"

The man finished his assault by placing the blade of his knife to Lio's neck and slashing their throat in one swift motion. Already lying in a pool of their own blood, Lio began to choke as they reached out to Luan.

A dazed Luan could only grab their hand and give it a gentle squeeze as she felt the warmth slowly drain from it.

"How sweet," the killer mocked the sibling pair as they straddled Luan, "I wish my sister and I could've been that close."

The man placed his hands around Luan's neck and began to squeeze, constricting the comedian's airway. Luan coughed and wretched as she weakly threw punches with her left hand at the murderer.

The killer looked Luan in the eyes and saw nothing but sheer hatred within them. These punches weren't an attempt to save herself, but rather an attempt to avenge her brother.

"Why you little!" The killer snarled, absolutely livid as he tightened his grasp on Luan's neck.

Luan could feel herself growing lightheaded. She could see darkness creeping in the corner of her vision. As she was being strangled, Luan turned her head towards Lio. Their hands were still intertwined, although by this point, Lio's were stone cold.

Looking Lio in the eye, Luan could similarly see that they were blank and lifeless, their once bubbly bright blue eyes now being pale and drained of vibrancy. Luan gave Lio's hand one last gentle squeeze as her life became dim before going black.

Luan and Lio broke down into uncontrollable sobs as they dropped to their knees. A wave of emotions washed over them. Fear, terror, remorse and guilt.

"Are they okay?" Joshua asked.

"I think they remember now too," Abigail explained.

In a twisted way, they had been the death of each other. Their loyalty to one another had led to the demise of the other and with this revelation, neither Luan or Lio knew if they could forgive each other.

"I'm so sorry," Luan apologized to Lio, pulling the latter into her shoulder. "This is all my fault."

Lio shook their head, being otherwise incapable of speech. As they held onto each other, Luan and Lio began to remember more about their lives. They remembered the laughs they shared, the memories they created with each other, their friends and above all else, their family. The loved ones they might not even see again and all they could do was cry, holding onto each other for comfort.

---

"I don't want to stay here anymore," Joshua spoke up.

"Yeah," Abigail nervously nodded her head in agreement, "yeah, I think we might've overstayed our welcome here."

"Wh-where do we go from here?" Sally asked.

"I don't know," Abigail answered truthfully, "but I don't think staying here is our best bet."

"Abby?" Sally asked.

"Yes Sally?"

"Do you remember?"

"Come again?" Abigail did a double take as the five of them

"How you died?" Sally asked. "Do you remember how you died? Do you remember your encounter with Habit?"

Abigail stumbled before looking away, "I'm afraid not."

"Are you two ready?" Abigail asked Luan and Lio.

Lio was the first to respond as they nodded their head before looking to Luan, who seemed despondent, if not completely broken.

"You know that you don't have to rely on your sister for everything, right?" Abigail snarked.

"Well we aren't leaving her behind," Lio stated, "and I want to make sure she's alright."

"Just go Lio," Luan instructed them, "Listen to me this time."

"Oneechan," Lio said, "we're in this together. I'm not going to leave you be-,"

"And that's why you're here in the first place!" Luan suddenly snapped.

"I told you to run," Luan muttered, "but you came back and tried to save me. You got yourself killed because of me."

"Do you hear yourself?" Lio asked her. "We both know that Habit wouldn't have let me leave Dad's restaurant alive."

Lio placed a hand on Luan's shoulder as they told her, "and I wasn't going to leave you behind to die either."

"No matter what I did, Habit would've killed me," Lio pointed out plainly to Luan.

"I was joking when I said the two of you were probably the death of each other," Abigail muttered, "I didn't think that that actually was the case."

"Luan," Lio whispered, sitting next to Luan at the foot of the dock.

"Lio, you don't get it," Luan said, "You're my baby brother. I'm supposed to look out for you. I'm supposed to protect you."

Luan looked away sadly as she explained "And I couldn't even do that."

"Luan, you've been looking out for me since I was born," Lio reminded her. "We've been partners in crime since Day One."

"We're a package deal," Lio told her, "no matter what happens, I'll always-"

Lio and the other children jumped when they heard the sound of barking.

"We've got company," Luan observed.

"Let's save the sappy shit for later and get back on the raft," Abigail shouted, picking up Sally and rushing to the boat, Joshua hot on her heels.

As soon as everyone was onboard Luan began untying the rope securing the raft.

"They're coming!" Lio shouted, pointing to the hills where the hounds had indeed returned.

Slobber dropped from their tongues as they ran towards the kids with their mouths agape as they barked.

"Hurry up Luan!" Abigail shouted at Luan.

"I've almost got it," Luan swore, struggling slightly with untying the rope.

The dogs drew closer as Luan fiddled with the last knot. At the last possible second, the comedian managed to undo the rope, setting the group a sail and down the river.

It was still pitch black outside with the only light being provided by the full moon overhead and the stars twinkling above. Even with these conditions, the children could still make out the glowing gold eyes of the hounds as they barked at them.

Lio and Abigail used their hands to paddle the raft a little faster just in case the dogs decided to continue the chase through the water. Fortunately for all those involved, the quintet managed to make a safe getaway.

"That was a close one," Abigail breathed a sigh of relief as the raft fell quiet.

The only sounds to be heard were the ambient trickling and flow of water as well as the croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets. None of the five could bring themselves to speak in light of recent events, save Abigail at least.

"So where do we go from here?" She asked, failing to get a response.

"I mean, we do have a plan, right?" Abigail asked.

"I dunno Abby," Sally said, "maybe we should just give up already."

"Give up?" Abigail asked. "After everything we've been through, you think we should just give up?"

"We're not giving up," Lio chimed in, "we've come too far to turn back now. There has to be something waiting for us at the end of all this."

"There has to be some safe haven," they muttered.

"Oh really?" Abigail scoffed, "and what would you know about that? You killed your own sister!"

"What?!" Luan and Lio exclaimed in stereo, the former tempering herself to stop from slapping Abigail across the face.

"You got your sister killed," Abigail repeated to Lio, "if you had just taken her advice and run, you could've gotten help. You could've saved both your asses!"

"Uhhh… Abby," Josh meekly murmured, trying to get the attention of his surrogate sister.

"You two are weird," Abigail accused Luan and Lio, "I've never seen a brother and sister as close as the two of you are. It almost makes me think it's an act."

"What the hell is your problem?" Luan snapped at Abigail, having had enough of the latter's accusations.

"My problem is that before you two came along, we were doing just fine!" Abigail snapped. "Sure, it wasn't perfect, but the three of us had each other. We had a safe place to stay."

"Then you two showed up and look what's happened to us!"

"We end up lost in a strange city, chased by rabid dogs, get sent down the river and end up in some hell house that replays our worst memories!"

"So what are you two?" Abigail asked the siblings. "Are you demons? Are you here to drag us to Hell or some shit? What are you?"

"We're just family," Lio replied plainly, "that's all we are. Just a brother and sister who love each other. A brother and sister who right now, only have each other."

"Wait a second," Luan picked up on Abigail's speech, "you said you didn't remember anything about your past."

"You said you still didn't know how you died or how you ended up at the park," she noted, "but out of all of us from the jump, you seemed to know the most about Habit…"

"That doesn't mean anything!" Abigail pointed out to Luan.

"Fair enough," Luan shrugged, "but I really don't get why you have such a hard time believing Lio and I genuinely care so much about each other."

"Because I've seen this shit before!" Abigail blurted, instantly recognizing and regretting her gaffe.

"Habit's your brother, isn't he?" Luan figured it out.

Abigail reared her hand back to slap Luan, the latter not even so much as flinching. Instead, the silence and ambience of the forest was broken when Abigail lowered her head and began to wail, pulling both her bangs and her hood further over her head.

The other children placed a hand on Abigail's shoulder and hugged her in an attempt to comfort her as she cried.

"How could you accuse Abby of being related to that monster?!" Joshua asked defensively.

"No," Abigail choked out after several struggles, "she's right… it's true."

"The Habit is my older brother," Abigail revealed, prompting a collective gasp from Joshua, Sally and Lio before Abigail further explained.

"I've known since I arrived at the park who I was and how I died," she revealed, "but the reason I never told you or Sally is because I thought you would hate me."

"And why wouldn't you when I share blood with that psychopath?" Abigail exclaimed, tears still trickling down her face.

"Because you never worked with him," Luan figured out immediately. "If you're here with all of us, that means you were a victim of his too."

"You were killed by your own brother…" Lio stated in disgust, now having even further reason to hate Habit. "None of us will ever hold that against you."

"Th-Thank you," Abigail stammered as she regained some of her composure. "Evan was always a little strange. He always saw things differently than our family, but I never imagined the things that he was capable of."

Cry, little sister! (Thou shalt not fall)

Come, come to your brother! (Thou shalt not die)

"What the hell even is this thing anyway?" The 18 year old asked as he examined the fishing hook in his hand while the movie in the background blared on his TV, "what kind of parents let their kid play with something so sharp and dangerous?"

"Evan!" Abigail called out to him, "Mom and Dad say you're in charge tonight while they're-"

The 13 year old had grown quite a bit over the summer. Though she was still a dwarf in comparison to her brother and certainly her father, Abigail was starting to resemble her mother more and more with each passing day.

Her black hair reached all the way down to her shoulders and her brown eyes resembled freshly melted chocolate. Not that that stopped the shy girl from hiding them behind her hair any chance she got.

"Yeah, I know already," Evan said, hiding the fish hook behind his back, "I'll put in an order for some Chinese takeout and call it a night."

"Thanks br-" Abigail started to say before taking note of her brother's hands being behind his back as well as something else in the background of his room. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Evan played dumb.

"That thing in your hand," Abigail replied. "The thing you're holding behind your back."

"Oh this?" Evan gave up the jig as he revealed the fish hook. "I was going to ask Dad if he could take me fishing this weekend. I even bought myself a fish hook for the occasion."

"But you hate fishing," Abigail pointed out as she scratched her head in confusion.

"Yes, but I do like spending time with Dad," Evan replied, moving to shush Abigail, "which is why it's important that you don't spoil the surprise."

"O…kay?" Abigail shrugged it over before pointing at the small yellow Tonka boat sitting on the floor near his computer. "Is that an old toy of yours?"

"What?" Evan asked.

"That boat?" Abigail continued to pry, "is that one of your old toys?"

"Oh no," Evan answered, "I just found that on the sidewalk on the way home and thought I'd take it for myself. Not like anyone's going to miss that thing."

"Not the strangest thing you've…" Abigail started to say, trailing off when she noticed the dried reddish brown stains on the toy boat. Abigail remembered hearing on the news about how a young boy had recently hit his head and drowned in the nearby creek.

"Don't be ridiculous, Abigail," Abigail tried to talk herself down, "that boy died in an accident. Even if that boat does belong to him, it could be just a coincidence that Evan has it.

"Is everything okay Abby?" Evan asked, noticing his sister's expression change. Evan took a glance at the boat and quickly tried to diffuse the situation.

"It's coloured corn syrup," he lied, "you know I'm starting school in a few months to study forensics."

"Heh heh," Abigail chuckled, breathing a sigh of relief, "yeah, that's right. How could I forget that?"

"Come on," Evan said, wrapping an arm around Abigail's shoulder as he led her to the stairs, "let's go order that takeout. Do you want Chinese or Italian?"

"I'm in the mood for-" Abigail started to say before she felt a sudden shove that sent her tumbling down the stairs.

Abigail was knocked for a loop the first time she hit her head on a step and subsequent bumps on the hard stairs didn't help matters as she sustained injuries to her ribs and felt one of her legs snap from the fall.

Abigail landed facedown at the bottom of the stairs in a heap, just barely clinging to consciousness. Blood was pouring from her head and onto the floor beneath her. Abigail could hear heavy footsteps approaching from upstairs.

"Sorry sis," Evan apologized as he grabbed her by the back of her head, "accidents just happen."

With one final slam, Evan smashed Abigail face first into the floor, snuffing out the life of his own flesh and blood and ensuring his secret would never be uncovered.

"OH MY GOD, ABBY!" He then shrieked. "NOOOO!"

Pulling out his cell phone, Evan dialed 9-1-1.

"Hello 9-1-1!" He exclaimed frantically as he put on his best performance and pretended to be hysterical. "Come quick, my sister fell down the stairs and she's not moving! Please hurry! I'm at the Cardona Residence on 1324 Helmsley Rd!"

"I didn't want to believe it at first," Abigail explained. "I wanted to believe that it was all just an accident. You live with someone your entire life and you never think that they could be a murderer. A killer. A monster."

"And it's not okay!" Abigail stated preemptively. "Because if I had kept my mouth shut, if I had listened to my gut, I could've told somebody. I could've stopped all of this!"

"I could've saved your lives," Abigail lamented to Sally as she held the toddler close. She then addressed Luan and Lio, "and maybe the two of you wouldn't have died either."

"And you Josh," she said, "maybe with justice and my brother going to jail, you could've found peace. You wouldn't have been stuck at that park for so long."

"Hey," Lio whispered compassionately. "Don't blame yourself. This isn't in any way your fault."

"There is no one to blame other than your brother," Lio told her. "He's the one who killed all of us, not you."

"Lio's right!" Sally agreed, giving Abigail a smooch on the cheek. "We love you Abby!"

"You do?" Abigail questioned. "Even after what I told you, you guys still want to stick with me."

"Sure do!" Josh affirmed. "We're all in this together."

"We're all in the same boat," Luan reminded Abigail, taking a second to joke and laugh, "literally."

"No matter what happens," The comedian said, "we'll support each other until we get where we need to be."

"Thanks guys," Abigail thanked them as the boat continued to sail.

---

"What are you doing at our news station, kid?"

"Listen, I'm not in the mood for any bullshit, I've got something I need you to air."

"And why should we listen to y-"

"Because this is a matter that could literally save lives," the police chief spoke up. "We're putting out an APB tonight and it's imperative that you air this tape."

"What's on it?"

"That's not important, you overpaid vanity model! All you need to know is that this will lead you right to the man who killed those poor Loud kids."

"How did you even get ahold of something like this?"

"Let's just say… it's amazing what a truckload of old Raptis money can buy."

---

"Breaking news," Katherine reported from her news desk. "This just coming in that there has been a major break in the case involving the murders of two innocent children."

As Evan's face was plastered on the screen behind her, Katherine continued.

"This man, 24 year old Evan Cardona of Minnesota is the prime suspect in the brutal killings of Luan and Lio Loud of Royal Woods, Michigan," Katherine reported. "Cardona can be seen clearly on camera inside Lynn's Table at the time of the crime. We've blurred the footage as it is quite disturbing to watch."

"Accompanying surveillance footage from the area shows Cardona at various locales around Royal Woods and police believe that he is still in the area. Police have put out a be on the lookout advisory for Cardona as well as an order to stay inside," Katherine continued, "Cardona is believed to be armed and dangerous."

"They found him," Lincoln excitedly exclaimed, holding onto Rita as the family watched the news.

"Not quite yet," Luba pointed out pessimistically, "They just know who he is and have a face to match. There's still the matter of catching him."

"I hope they bring him in dead," Lynn mumbled in a growl under her breath, "anything else would be too good for that fucking lowlife."

"Umm guys…" Lana spoke up, "where's Lucy?"

Dawn was starting to break as the raft washed ashore, stopping before a luscious field of sunflowers. Though there was only a dim light provided by the encroaching sun, it was enough to allow the children to take in the full beauty before them.

"Is this the end?" Lio asked, prompting Luan to shrug her shoulders.

"Only one way to find out," Abigail said, taking a look around before being the first to step off of the raft.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Abigail felt an odd sense of relief wash over her as though all of her troubles had disappeared.

"Come on in," she excitedly invited the others over in a giggly and bubbly voice, "the water's fine!"

Sally leapt from Josh's arms and crawled to shore, quickly running towards the older girl, giggling all the while. Due to her short stature, Sally was almost completely submerged by the grass and sunflowers, prompting the toddler to imitate being a shark.

"Grrrr!" She growled, "I'm a shark and I'm coming to get ya!"

"Oh noooo!" Abigail played along, falling into the grass and rolling around as Sally leapt into her arms.

"Hey, that looks like fun!" Joshua exclaimed as he leapt out of the raft and joined the two, shouting "DOGPILE!"

"After you Oneechan," Lio said, allowing Luan to step down first.

Luan stepped ashore and immediately grabbed Lio and lifted them into the air.

"Woooo!" Lio cheered as Luan spun them around.

"I think we're going to have a field day with this place," Luan joked, cracking a smile and a laugh for the first time since their journey had begun.

"I can really feel the flower!" Lio joked alongside her as Luan put them down.

"Abby," Sally shouted as Luan and Lio joined the game, "Get her!"

"Get over here!" Abigail shouted, running at Luan.

"Uh oh!" Luan played along, turning to run, only for Lio to grab her from behind and pin her arms to her side.

"I've got her you guys!" Lio shouted as Luan giggled.

"Lio, you turncoat!" Luan shouted.

"Hey," Lio defended himself, "it's either you or me!"

"Gotcha!" Abigail proclaimed, playfully tackling both Luan and Lio to the ground.

Josh joined in afterwards followed by Sally as the children lied in a heap on top of each other, laughing in the company of one another.

The fun times were cut short when they heard a familiar barking.

"Oh no," Luan muttered.

Before any of them could move, they heard a reassuring voice speak to them.

"Do not be afraid," said a feminine voice. "They don't wish to hurt you."

The children looked around and saw the hounds from earlier, all five of them. This time around, they were more docile, sitting calmly and wagging their tails around a middle aged woman.

The woman looked quite familiar to Luan and Lio or rather, she bore a striking resemblance to a friend of theirs. Her hair and eyes were a dead giveaway as the woman was a spitting image of their friend, Ella. Lio was the first to address her.

"Mrs. Auvinen?" They questioned.

"You… know me?" The woman questioned.

"Ella and Mr. Aleksander told me about you," Lio explained, "and when Mr. Strømmer invited us over for a pool party, I saw your portrait in your family home."

Mrs. Auvinen didn't know how else to respond other than to smile and express "I truly wish that our first meeting could've been under better circumstances."

"I'm curious though," Luan stated, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm dead dear," Sonja joked, giggling at her quick witted remark before growing serious, "but in all seriousness, I'm here to welcome you home."

"Are those your dogs?" Sally asked, now moving to pet the smallest of the canines, who happily accepted her affection.

"Not mine," Sonja told them, "I've been watching them for a good friend, yes, but these good boys had been deployed to assist you."

"Assist us?" Abigail questioned, "by chasing us down?"

"They never wanted to hurt you," Sonja explained to the group, "they only wanted to guide you to where you were meant to be and keep you safe along the way."

Sonja smiled warmly at the children as she informed them, "And I'm happy to say, you're almost there. I will take you the rest of the-"

"Oh dear," she muttered mid sentence, prompting Luan to ask "What's wrong?"

"You and Lio may need to take a slight detour before carrying on," Sonja informed them, "it's an urgent matter."

"Whatever's required, we're up for it," Lio accepted the task without thinking.

"Not without us you're not," Abigail said.

"Abigail?" Luan questioned in confusion.

"You guys can call me Abby," Abigail told the siblings as she explained her actions, "Josh, Sally and I wouldn't have made it this far if you two hadn't helped us. We'd probably still be languishing in that park."

"Not to mention," she said, "you two offered me reassurance when I desperately needed it. Even though I'd been an ass to you guys."

"Josh, Sally," Abigail addressed her surrogate siblings, "you two can stay behind if you want to. You can go home with Mrs. Auvinen if you want to, but I promise you I'll be back to see you again."

"No way dude!" Sally refused, crossing her arms in a childish manner, "you ain't going anywhere without us."

"We stick together," Joshua reminded her, "remember? Friends to the end."

Josh turned to the two Loud siblings and said, "That means you too Lio and you too, Luan."

"Are you sure about this?" Luan asked, her guilty burden returning, "I don't think I could forgive myself if-"

"Luan," Sonja spoke up, "let it go."

"Hmm?"

"You need to stop blaming yourself for the death of your brother," Sonja told her, "you need to stop holding on to that pain."

"There is only one person responsible for the death of you and Lio and that's Evan," she stressed to Luan, "or as you all know him, Habit."

"I know that the burden is heavy," Sonja empathized with her. "I know that you feel like there's something you could've done to better protect them, but at the end of the day, none of the blame rests on your shoulders."

"For the longest time," Sonja confided, "I bore guilt for leaving my husband behind. For leaving my children behind without their mother. For traumatizing my only daughter by essentially dying right in front of her."

"I would ask myself the question day and night of what I could've done differently to spare my family the pain," Sonja revealed, "could I have convinced Erik to stay off the road? Could we have taken a different street? Could we have just stayed at home that day?"

"Those questions kept me up during my first year here," Sonja said, "until finally I realized that there was nothing I could've done. I had no way of knowing what would happen. I didn't mean to cause my family pain."

"At the end of the day," Sonja expressed, "the blame lay solely on the drunk driver who killed me."

"Luan," she repeated, "let go and forgive yourself. You did the best you could to protect your baby brother…"

Sonja turned and pat Lio on the head.

"Just as they fought valiantly and did everything in their power to try and protect you."

"Your sister is in danger," Sonja revealed to Luan and Lio, "this is something that the two of you can prevent. This is a difference that you can make."

"You can save her," Sonja informed them, "but you have to hurry. Time is of the essence."

Luan and Lio looked back at the other three spirits and asked them once again "Are you sure you wanna take this chance?"

"Luan, we're already dead," Josh stated bluntly, shrugging and laughing as he asked "What's the worst that can happen to us?"

"We're family now," Sally said, giving a thumbs up with Abigail nodding her head in agreement.

"Alright," Luan smiled before telling Sonja, "Can you take us to Royal Woods?"

"I'm not in charge of that," Sonja said as the group started to fade away, "but you're already on your way there… best of luck to you all."

"They're good kids, aren't they?" Asked a bubbly voice.

"I never doubted you Miss Sakura," Sonja nodded in agreement, "when they get back though, I hope they can properly heal from everything they've been through."

"They will Mrs. Auvinen," Sakura assured her, "those Louds in particular are survivors. They don't go down without a fight. They're going to be just fine."

---

Lucy knew that what she was doing was stupid, but she couldn't help herself. Lucy needed to talk to her siblings again. Even if they couldn't hear her, Lucy needed to let Luan and Lio know what they meant to her.

The streets were plenty populated with adults going about their day to day business. After the news report regarding the killer's identity being revealed, Lucy felt safer and more confident in going out and about. What kind of killer would take their chance sticking around in a town where everyone would be looking for them?

The sun still hung overhead on this cold Michigan evening. Lucy had plenty of time to stop by the cemetery, pay a visit to the deceased and make it back home before the street lights came on. There was some construction going on on the path that Lucy decided to take to get to the graveyard. A minor inconvenience sure, but nothing was going to stop Lucy from what she set out to do. Holding her notebook in her hand, Lucy was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched and being followed at that.

Evan cursed under his breath as he stuck to the shadows while following the little girl. Evan was going to have to work hard and smart to find a way out of this stupid town without being caught now that his face had been plastered all over the news. Regardless of this fact, Evan was committed to getting his pound of flesh before he skedaddled. This little girl would make a fine addition to his collection.

"Is that?" Joshua asked, watching from afar as he and the others kept an eye on Lucy.

"That's gotta be him," Abigail remarked, "nobody but Evan would wear that damned purple hoodie."

"Lio," Luan growled, clenching her fists tightly and indignant that this scum was now going after her beloved little sister. "Hit those lights over there."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Lio growled, using their abilities to activate the giant construction lights on site.

Almost immediately a bright light shone bright over Evan whilst simultaneously alerting nearby witnesses.

"What the hell?!" Evan exclaimed as a construction foreman looked in his direction.

"Hey you!" The foreman shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Lucy heard the commotion and thinking that she'd been caught out alone, she made a mad dash towards the cemetery. Evan didn't even consider going after her and instead ran in the opposite direction and into the woods to avoid a confrontation with the worker. The chase was on.

Evan ran as fast as his legs could carry him as he heard shouting in the background behind him.

"Quick! Somebody call the police!"

"Stop that fucking creep!"

"Everybody stay back!"

How the hell did Evan end up in this predicament? It was all going so well. He was going to get away with it. He was going to take what he was owed and skip town to some other city or suburb. Windsor was just across the lake so he even had the option of starting anew in another country.

How had they been able to track him? How had they been able to see him for who he was? Could the luck he'd been blessed with slowly be slipping from his hands with each passing second?

No. Evan wasn't going down like this. This was not the end of his story. Come hell or high water, he would persevere and survive to claim another life.

If the police had truly been called, Evan knew he only had a few minutes at most before their dogs picked up his scent. In his hasty getaway, Evan's purple winter cap had been blown off of his head, something that would give police a crucial piece of evidence to track him down.

"Come on, come on, come on," Evan told himself, grunting as he ran through the woods, twigs and freshly fallen snow crunching beneath his boots as he panted for breath whilst pushing through the brush in front of him. "Just gotta keep going."

The downside to being an outsider was that Evan lacked familiarity with Royal Woods. He didn't know the ins and outs of the diverse town. For all Evan knew, these woods could be leading him straight to a police station.

There were so many massive oak trees surrounding him, with thorn laden shrubs and plants on the trail as well. Were it not for the layers he was wearing, Evan would've sustained more than his fair share of cuts and scraps from the foliage. It was still mid afternoon so the chances of waiting for the shroud of nightfall to hide him were all but nonexistent. Evan had to keep going.

"Those damned brats," he snarled, marching with a purpose, "this is all their fault. If I could get my hands on th-"

Evan's rage turned to concern when he noticed a shape not too far ahead. Had he been spotted? Had he been found this quickly? Better that Evan shut his mouth than risk giving himself away.

Evan was about to go in a different direction when he paid closer attention to the shape and noticed the rather diminutive stature of the figure ahead of him. It was something that gave Evan reassurance that he could take them should a stand off ensue. Spurred on by this confidence, Evan trekked on when he could make out a distinctive bright orange hue that belonged to a raincoat.

"Maybe my luck hasn't run out after all," Evan thought to himself as he followed after the figure.

As far as Habit knew, he and his target were the only people in these woods at the moment. If Evan could get his hands on them, it was possible he could finagle a hostage situation should the heat catch up to him. Fate and fortune hadn't abandoned him after all.

Evan resisted the urge to shout out to the figure as he gave chase, once again not wanting to give away his position and risk being prematurely apprehended. Perhaps the figure caught on to the fact that they were being stalked as they quickened their pace, walking if not jogging with a purpose.

"Come on," Evan murmured quietly, giving pursuit, "just come to Daddy."

Evan stayed on the figure's trail, angrily pushing past branches and brush in the past. Nothing was going to stop him now. It was a battle of wills and Evan's determination was greater than any normal man's. The possibility that this figure could be leading him into a trap didn't even cross Evan's mind.

Evan noticed a light approaching him. Not the bright flashing red and blue lights of a squad or the blinding luminance of a flashlight, but rather the natural and organic glow of sunshine. An opening was coming up and there was no turning back now as the figure continued to run. Evan squinted to adjust.

As his vision became clearer, Evan found himself standing before a frozen lake. During any other event, this would be a spectacle to see in person as the freshly fallen snow combined with the surrounding forest and clear see through frozen water looked like a winter wonderland plucked straight from a children's book. Evan had no time for sightseeing however as he watched the figure walk out and onto the ice. Having a better view now, Evan was all but sure his target was a lone child and that they were aware they were being followed.

Throwing caution to the wind, Evan followed them onto the frozen lake, their haphazard pursuit, causing them to slip and fall a couple of times on the ice. Each time however, Evan would pick himself up and carry on, wiping away the blood from his busted lip in the process.

"No where for you to run now," Evan said, his voice brimming with malicious intent as he brandished his trusted hunting knife.

The figure stopped in the middle of the lake and Evan's excitement turned to bewilderment as a bright aura shined off of them. The bewilderment only grew when the one figure turned into five before his very eyes.

"What the fuck?" Evan could only ask deadpanned, slipping on the ice once again and falling onto his knees in shock as the figures turned to face him.

One by one, each figure revealed their faces to him, revealing themselves as faces from the serial killer's past. The boy in orange stood out for being one of his very first victims, maybe his second or third even. The ebony baby in blue stood out for being his youngest ever victim, a kill he considered a day off from the office with how easy it had been.

Even still, it was the last three faces who were of most relevance to Evan and the most worthy of remembering. Something that became abundantly clear when a familiar piece of clothing showed itself to Evan.

"Abby?" he questioned upon seeing his sister's trademark oversized red hoodie as well as her signature, long flowing raven black hair.

Abigail pulled down her hood and brushed aside her hair so that Evan could get a clear view of her face. Her brown eyes presented a contemptuous coldness that matched the content of her brother's soul.

"It is you…" Evan muttered in disbelief, still knelt on the ground.

Notably, his voice showed no signs of remorse or guilt during this family reunion. Evan's tone would change however when the final two victims revealed themselves.

"You!" Evan hissed as Luan and Lio unveiled themselves to him. "This is all your fault!"

"I left you two pouring your blood out into the gutter," Evan snarled, "and that still wasn't enough for you?"

"So what is this?" Evan barked at the ensemble of spirits. "What, have you come back for revenge?"

None of the children uttered a word, preferring to instead glare daggers at their murderer, their eyes boring holes into his very soul.

Sally was no longer afraid as her eyes portrayed simultaneous courage and contempt for the man who'd taken her from her parents. Joshua's eyes presented bitter resentment at the person responsible for years of mystery regarding who he was and what happened to his family. Abigail's eyes gave off betrayal at having been harmed by someone who was supposed to protect her. Someone who was supposed to *love* her as any older sibling should.

Lio was perhaps the only one whose eyes showed some signs of sympathy as they pondered what could cause a person to be so broken? They wondered how they could be so cruel to those weaker than them. That wasn't to say there wasn't anger present however as even if they were a gentleman in life, Lio could never bring themselves to forgive someone who'd callously hurt so many people.

Luan's eyes presented the most vitriol out of all to their children. There was no empathy to be found in them. No sense of betrayal, no mere resentment. This was the animal who took away her and her brother's lives for fun. There was only pure hatred and loathing in Luan's eyes.

"Come on then!" Evan challenged the children, wildly swinging and slashing his knife at them. "I'll take all of you on!"

His attacks made no impact on the spirits as his knife phased right through them.

"Is this supposed to scare me?!" He yelled. "Well it doesn't! I'd kill you brats again if I had the chance!"

"This time…" he spat at Luan and Lio, "I'd make you feel proper fear!"

The children remained silent, communicating solely with their eyes as they maintained their death glare. Evan stared back with venom in his stare until he heard an ominous

CRACK

As the sun beamed down onto the lake, Evan noticed that the ice was starting to break. All the way back at the beach, a small crack had formed and it was rapidly starting to spread.

"Shit," Evan muttered, rising to his feet and attempting to make a run to safety.

The ice was still as slippery as ever and with his boots unequipped to handle the slick surface, Evan fell on his face once again, his knife flying from his hands and sliding across the surface of the water.

"No…" Evan whispered as blood trickled from a cut on his forehead as more cracks began to form in the ice. From where he was lying, Evan could see ice cold water seeping through the cracks.

"Come on, get up!" Evan shouted to himself, finally managing to pick himself up.

Alas, it was too late for the murderer as the cracks spread faster with each passing second. The only chance Evan had was attempting to flee to the other side of the lake and given how slippery the ice was and how rapidly it was breaking, his chances of making it across in time were slim to none. With this knowledge, Habit revealed his true colours.

"H-Help me!" He pleaded as fear took over. "Help!"

Habit looked to his victims only to receive unsympathetic glances in response.

"Look!" He desperately shouted. "I'm sorry for killing all of you! I'm sorry for taking you from your families! I'm sorry for making you suffer!"

The children remained silent.

"Come on Abby!" Evan begged as the ice started to break off one by one. "You wouldn't let your own brother die like this, would you?"

Abigail finally spoke as she coldly told Evan, "You're no brother of mine."

"ABBY!" Evan tearfully screamed as his end drew nearer.

There was at last nowhere for him to run. Yet still, the killer refused to accept what was waiting for him.

"ABBY!" He screamed one last time before the ice broke beneath him and he sank into the icy water below.

The sensation was akin to a thousand tiny knives stabbing into him all at once as he was submerged. Shock quickly set in as Evan became nearly paralyzed from the cold. The murderer made one last reach upwards, extending his arm towards the surface, before his body went limp and water began to fill his lungs.

"Is it over?" Joshua asked, staring at the water.

"I think so," Abigail answered confidently.

"What do you think's going to happen to him?" Sally asked.

"I don't know," Luan answered, "but I doubt it's anything good."

---

Habit gasped as he sprang back to life. The first thing the young man did was check himself over for injuries. Evan was surrounded by darkness all around as well as ominous looking trees that almost scowled at him. The last thing he remembered was falling into the lake and after that… everything went black. What had…

"Those bastards…" Evan snarled upon remembering his final moments. How dare those kids come back and ruin his life. "I'll make them pay for them. I'll find them and then I'll…"

"You won't be doing anything," Evan heard someone say.

"What?" Evan asked in fright as he turned in the direction of the voice.

"Your trip here has been long overdue," Mrs. Auvinen snarled, "and it is well past time for you to reap what you sowed."

"My only regret is that Miss Sophie isn't here to personally oversee your damnation," Sonja spat with disgust. "Fortunately, I'm here to make sure that you get your just desserts."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Habit asked, looking for his hunting knife.

Sonja responded by immediately punching him in the face, causing him to crumple to the ground and whimper.

"That was for all the suffering you've caused," She growled, "and I wish I had time to punch you for every one of the people you've killed."

Evan jumped when he heard the sound of growling and barking. Evan looked at Mrs. Auvinen and almost screamed when he noticed five pairs of eyes glowing in the darkness. His fear only grew when the eyes changed from gold to dark red and the moonlight glistened off of the multiple mouthfuls of razor sharp teeth and fangs.

"No," Evan whispered in fright.

"And I can't personally accompany you to your final resting place," Mrs. Auvinen told him as the hounds revealed themselves, "but fortunately, these good boys will take you to where you need to be."

The dogs foamed at the mouth and licked their lips as they stared at Evan like he was a piece of meat.

"No…" Evan muttered once again.

"So I do hope that you're not afraid of dogs!" Sonja said, smiling and sarcastically waving as she turned to walk away. "I would say I'll be seeing you around, but… I won't be."

"No no no no no no no nooooooo!" Evan screamed, breaking out into a spring as the dogs gave chase.

Evan ran as fast as he could, but with darkness encapsulating the forest and him having no idea where to go, it was a futile attempt at escape. Even if Evan had a sense of direction, the hounds were relentless and unwilling to let the monster escape justice.

The largest hound leapt into the air and pounced onto Evan's back, sinking his teeth into the latter's neck. Evan screamed as he fell face first to the ground, the rest of the dogs swarming him.

Strong jaws and sharp teeth ripped into his tendons, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to run. A bite to the abdomen took a huge chunk out of Evan's torso as the latter screamed. One of his arms was severed next, being viciously and crudely torn off by the jaws of a particularly hungry dog.

Though his tendons didn't, Evan could feel his arm regrowing, only for it to be mutilated once again. As they mauled him, the hounds dragged Evan further into the darkness where his ultimate fate awaited. As they did so, Evan's bloodcurdling screams and shrieks of agony rang throughout the forest.

"So now what do we do Oneechan?" Lio asked once it was all said and done. "Do we go back to Sakura?"

"Not just yet, Lio," Luan said, "there's still one more stop I want to make before we head home. Or well, to our new home."

---

Lucy gasped for breath as she finally made it to the cemetery. What had once been a hotspot for her and the Morticians' Club was now a painful reminder of the cruel and unforgiving harshness of life. Lucy didn't know what the commotion back there was about, but she was determined to pay her siblings a visit. It didn't take long for Lucy to find what she was looking for or rather, the proper grave.

Luan Olivia Loud (April 1st, 2003-November 25, 2018) & Lio James Loud (October 10, 2006- November 25, 2018). Beloved sister, brother, friends. Always in our hearts.

"Hey guys," Lucy said nervously, running her hand over the tombstone before she sat in front of their shared grave. "I know it's been awhile since I've seen you, but… I didn't want you to be alone for too long."

Lucy sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes as she said. "I wrote you two a poem and since you always encouraged me, I wanted you to hear it."

Lucy cleared her throat before reading the poem aloud.

"In fields of sorrow, memories bloom,

Where shadows whisper in twilight's gloom.

With tears as petals, I weave my tale,

Of sister's laughter, brother's trail.

Their spirits dance in dreams afar,

Guiding me through this endless scar.

In whispered winds, their voices sing,

Of love eternal, on angel's wing.

Though their laughter fades with the setting sun,

Their light within me will never be undone.

In hearts they touched, forever they'll reside,

My sister, my brother, forever by my side."

"That was a great poem, Lucy!"

Lucy gasped in shock as she looked from her poem to see both Luan and Lio sitting/floating above the tombstone. Luan was giving an energetic thumbs up with her trademark goofy smile while Lio snapped their fingers in support.

"You haven't lost a single step," Lio applauded her.

"Is this real?" Lucy questioned x moving to hug them, only for her arms to go right through them.

"I'm sorry," Luan sincerely apologized. "We wish that we could hug you too, but…"

"Please know though," Luan encouraged her little sister, "that we will always love you and we will always be proud of you."

"And that no matter what happens," Lio added, "we'll always be proud of you."

"We promised to love you forever," Luan reminded her, "and even if we can't protect you or be there with you, we'll always be watching."

"Even if you can't see us," Lio said, "we'll be there for you and nothing's ever going to change that."

"Please," Lucy pleaded, "please don't go!"

"Believe me," Lio said, "we wish we could stay, but…"

Luan and Lio looked behind them to Sally, Josh and Abigail, "we have people who need us."

"But don't be afraid to visit us at any time," Luan encouraged her. "And if no one else is listening to you, we always will be."

Luan and Lio leaned over and attempted to give Lucy a kiss on the cheek, only to phase right through her and bump their heads.

"Why you…" Luan said playfully as she lightly slapped Lio.

"Oh, wise girl, eh?" Lio played along, poking Luan in the eyes.

Their miniature routine got the desired laugh out of Lucy.

"There's the smile we're looking for!" Luan cheered, giving another thumbs up before she and Lio reminded their younger sisters "We love you Lucy."

"And I love you too," Lucy replied as the five ghosts were enveloped by a bright golden light and disappeared.

Lucy didn't know what to make of what just happened, but she felt a hell of a lot better after that talk. She didn't have full closure, but knowing that Luan and Lio were somewhere out there happy reassured her. As the sun moved in the sky, Lucy realized that it was a good time for her to head home before her family worried. Collecting her notebook, Lucy departed the cemetery with a smile on her face.

---

Morning was starting to break as the children returned to the field where they left off. The sun was peaking out over the sky, its rays shining down on the wayward spirits who had finally attained their justice. Upon making it back to the sunflower field, Luan and Lio found another familiar face waiting for them.

"Welcome home kiddies!" Sakura enthusiastically greeted the five, teleporting over to them to give each and every one of them a tight embrace. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sakura?" Luan questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Sakura teased her, "I'm here to welcome you to your new home!"

Sakura booped Luan and Lio on the nose as she exclaimed "And to congratulate you two on a job well done."

"Job?" Lio questioned. "What did we even do?"

"You helped these sweethearts finally get the peace they were owed," Sakura revealed to them, "and guided them to the paradise that was waiting for them."

"It just absolutely broke my heart seeing these three languishing in purgatory," Sakura explained, "and while I wanted nothing more than to bring them home myself, Sophie has strict rules when it comes to souls."

Sakura then did an imitation of Sophie as she exclaimed "For the most part, the children are content. Their purgatory was not designed to punish them. If they want a better afterlife, they have to venture beyond the walls themselves."

"Still love her though," Sakura cooed, returning her attention to Luan and Lio, "when you two died, I saw that as an opportunity to help Joshua, Sally and Abigail finally attain their peace and pass on."

"I'm truly sorry about your two's demise," Sakura stated, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck, "that was never part of the plans and I would never subject the two of you to such suffering."

"But you two are known for your kind souls," Sakura reminded them, hugging Luan and Lio close, "and I knew you two could help your new friends get what they deserved."

Luan and Lio couldn't bring themselves to speak, only being able to listen as Sakura explained herself and her plan to them.

"Even a Goddess of the celestial plain can't interfere in all matters of the universe," she explained, her cheerful demeanor disappearing briefly into one of disappointment and sorrow. "Believe me, if I could, none of you ever would have gone through your ordeals."

"What's going to happen to my brother?" Abigail asked Sakura.

As much as she hated to admit it, part of her still had some love for Evan, even if it was minuscule. He had been a part of her life from the very beginning and the two had had some fun times together. It hadn't been a constant hell of bickering and arguing and while she was alive, Abigail could never think of a time where she would've hated her brother and vice versa.

Of course, there had always been signs that Evan wasn't right in the head from his fascination with dark humor and the times he could be callous in the face of others' feelings, but Abigail still loved him and their parents did as well. She just wondered what sent him down this path because from the looks of things, Evan had everything a person could want in a loving family.

Sakura's frown widened as she explained to Abigail, "I wish that I could say there was hope for your brother…"

"But he's committed his deeds and made his own bed," Sakura told her.

"I can promise you though," she continued, "that he won't be able to hurt anyone else. We have a place for him."

"It's fine," Abigail stated, "I just… wish I understood why…"

"That is something only he can understand," Sakura consoled her, "something that only he can explain. At the risk of sounding harsh, it's better to enjoy your afterlife and leave your brother to his demons."

"I guess that's fair," Abigail accepted.

"I have some people who have been waiting to see you," Sakura told the quintet, "including-,"

Sakura was interrupted when a woman cried out, "Sally! Sally sweetheart!"

"Mommy?" Sally asked with tender glee.

Sally saw a familiar slim dark skinned woman with dark brown eyes like her own and brown hair that flowed down her back standing in the field behind Sakura. She wore a biege short sleeved cropped blouse, fitted blue jeans and a pair of sandals. She looked no older than 26 or 27 years old.

Behind her stood a man of somewhat lighter complexion with a much stronger build and wearing a tucked in white T-shirt underneath a navy blue jacket with black blue jeans and orange steel toed boots. He towered over the woman at 6'4 and possessed a goatee beard combination alongside a full head of hair and brown eyes. He seemed even more emotional than his wife as tears were flowing from his eyes.

"Sally!" He called out. "Baby girl!"

"Mommy!" Sally yelled, running towards her parents, "Daddy!"

"Oh we've missed you so much!" Sally's mom exclaimed, shedding tender tears as the family hugged. "We are so so sorry we left you alone that day! We didn't mean to-"

"You meant the absolute world to us!" Her father agreed, "Alyssa and I lost everything the day we lost you!"

"It's okay Daddy!" Sally said innocently, "I'm here now and I missed you too!"

"Oh my god!" Alyssa cried, "Henry and I really thought that we'd never see you again! This is the greatest day of our-!"

Alyssa dissolved into tears, overcome by emotion. Henry soon joined in with the water works.

"You wanna meet my new friends?" Sally asked, pointing to where the other four children stood.

"Absolutely!" Henry exclaimed. "I need to thank each and every one of them for keeping my baby girl safe and sound. I know it had to be scary for you."

"Well yeah, a little," Sally admitted, "but I had friends to help me."

Sally giggled as she was showered in hugs and kisses.

"We love you," Alyssa repeated over and over, "we love you so much"

"I love you too, Momma!" Sally exclaimed.

"That's really touching," Lio smiled at the sight.

"AT-TEN-SHUN!"

Joshua instantly snapped his head in the direction of the voice, bouncing with uncontrollable elation.

"GRANDPA JONESY!" Josh yelled, running in the direction of an elderly man dressed in a tan shirt, khaki pants and black leather shoes.

He looked balding, with some wispy gray hair clinging to life atop his head and he wore a pair of eyeglasses. He was on the shorter side although still taller than Joshua and making up for it with bulk.

"My, you've turned into a big feller, haven't ya?" Jonesy welcomed his grandson with a hug, speaking with what sounded like an older Calgary accent. "Whatcha been up since I saw ya?"

"Nothing really," Joshua shrugged. "Mostly just playing around."

"Playing around unsupervised?" Jonesy questioned. "I done told your parents about letting you go by yourself unwatched. Why when I see dat boy of mine, I'mma give him an extra whoopin'."

Jonesy laughed as he asked "Hey, you still like boats, right?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Josh nodded excitedly.

"Well… ehhh…" Jonesy said, looking through a bag, "I've got something for ya!"

Jonesy pulled out a custom ship in a bottle and presented it to his grandson.

"WHOOOAAA!" Joshua exclaimed. "This is so cool."

"I wanted to give it to ya 'fore I passed," Jonesy explained, "but I uhh, never got the chance to."

Jonesy hugged Joshua as he exclaimed, "but you're here now so let's make up for lost time!"

"I know a nice little lake we can go fishing at," Jonesy said, "just the two of us, if you wanna go."

"Would I!" Josh happily exclaimed.

"Boy, if Edna could see how big you've grown," Jonesy said, playfully ruffling Josh's hair.

"Excuse me, are you two the Louds?"

"Umm yes," Lio answered, with Luan asking "Who wants to know?"

"First Sergeant Bruce Ketchum of the United States Army," the man introduced himself, standing tall over the two young Louds at 6'5 and being a near wall of pure muscle. With dark jet black hair and blue eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to his son Ash and was still wearing his army fatigues. Bruce then explained himself.

"I apologize that I am not the family you may have been expecting," he said, "but I owe the two of you a degree of gratitude."

"Thank you both for befriending my children," Bruce thanked them, kneeling to shake each of their hands, "Thank you Miss Luan for entertaining my son Ash and providing him with company to stay out of trouble."

"And thank you Lio," he said, "for being one of my daughter's best friends and ensuring that she is never alone. I truly wish I could met you both in life and I wish that I could've walked Kat down that aisle to her wedding with you, Lio."

"You have my word," Bruce promised, "that while you are here in the afterlife, you have my utmost protection."

"Thank you First Sergeant!" Lio saluted him, prompting Bruce to chuckle. These two would be in safe hands.

"I have to go check on something," Bruce informed them, "but rest assured I'll be around."

Abigail looked around as Luan and Lio returned to her side. She knew that she was dead, but she was still expecting someone to be waiting for. A grandparent, an aunt or uncle, maybe a cousin or even one of her parents, but there was nobody.

"I'm sorry Abby," Sakura apologized to her yet again, "with the exception of your brother, your family is still alive and well. It's rare but it does happen where a kid will be alone in the afterlife."

"You know," Lio pointed out to Abby, "technically speaking, we don't have any family here with us either." Lio smiled as they and Luan offered Abby their hand, "You can always stick with me and Oneechan."

"You really want to hang out with me?" Abigail questioned.

"Well no one deserves to be alone," Luan agreed with her sibling. "And hey, after the day we've been through together, we don't mind having another sister."

Abigail once again pulled down her hood and brushed her hair aside. The ghost girl took it one step further and removed her hoodie outright, throwing it behind her and into the river. She smiled at Luan and Lio before pulling them together for a group hug.

"Thank you so much," she thanked the two of them as Sakura stepped away.

"I know we got off to a bad start," she expressed, "but I don't know what I would've done had you two not come along."

"Even with Josh and Sally, I felt alone," she elaborated, "I felt afraid and scared at that playground and worried about maybe losing Josh and Sally and truly being by myself."

"But you two taught me," she said, "that family doesn't have to be just blood."

"What I'm trying to ask," she said, "is… could you guys be my family? Could you guys keep me from being alone?"

"That's no problem at all," Lio answered right away with Luan smiling at Abby and saying, "In fact, I don't think you have to worry about being alone ever again."

To emphasize her point, Luan pointed behind the trio, where the families of the other two children were coming to greet them. Introductions were made and pleasantries were exchanged as Alyssa and Henry profusely thanked Abigail, Luan and Lio for protecting their precious Sally while Jones gave them compliments for their bravery and expressed gratitude on behalf of his grandson.

While the interactions were pleasant and heartwarming, it was also something of a tearjerker for the Loud siblings. Seeing the anguish and heartache caused by Evan served to further underline how the children weren't his only victims. Families had been devastated and torn apart by the heinous actions of Habit and these were just the families present.

Who was to say how Joshua's parents actually took their son's death? Abigail's parents now had to deal with the deaths of their son and daughter and would surely be distraught. That didn't even bring into question if the others had siblings like Luan and Lio did.

Luan and Lio were happy to have made it to paradise and to have made new friends and family, but for those on Earth, the healing had only just begun.

---

"The manhunt for a suspected murderer has ended," Katherine reported. "Earlier this morning, police pulled the body of Evan Cardona from a lake in Royal Woods. DNA analysis confirmed the identity of the suspect, who is now also suspected in the murders of several other children across the country. The victims age in range from 2-15 years old. At the moment police are still searching for a motive for these heinous crimes."

The Louds, the Taylors, the Strømmers and their many, many friends gathered around the grave of Luan and Lio. The past month had been a nightmare and though Habit's death didn't bring them back, it did bring some closure to the Loud Family.

There were some questions that would always be on their mind, the most pertinent one being: why?. The Louds knew that they would likely never get an answer to that question, but they took solace in the fact that the siblings' killer could no longer harm anyone else. Wherever Luan and Lio were, the Louds just hoped that they were resting in peace.

Placing flowers at the graves of the comedic pair, the families shed their tears and gave their condolences.

Chris and Thea stepped forward, each of them holding a traditional 天燈 sky lantern. With help from Julie and Fawn, the two of them ignited the lanterns and sent them sailing into the sky.

Lucy looked up as they floated above and for a brief second, she swore she saw Luan and Lio smiling down at her from the heavens.

---

"Excuse me," Luan asked, "do any of you guys have a frisbee?"

"You know?" Lio chuckled, "a throwing disk."

"We've got one right here!" Abby stated, pulling out a red frisbee.

"Lio, go long!" Josh instructed Lio as the latter ran forward.

"Alright girls," Luan laughed, "our mission objective: keep this frisbee away from those dastardly boys."

"Roger that!" Sally saluted Luan.

Sakura smiled as she watched the children play from afar.

FIN

So, it's been a while since I've posted one of my works on this site. There are several reasons for that with the most pertinent reason being a severe case of writer's block and lack of motivation to work on full stories. In the interim, myself and my friends through Discord have been making a lot of upgrades and adjustments to our collaborative Loud House universe (known as the Lubenverse). That admittedly had been another reason I hadn't posted here so as to avoid confusion with the new additions and characters.

This story is a risky endeavor itself because it contains many references to developments and stories developed in private with said friends. As for this tragic tale, it is an Elseworlds story for our Lubenverse and is a two parter. As alluded to earlier, if you've been following my Loud House related work for any amount of time, there is sure to be confusion. And that's okay. I am here to answer any questions you may have.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed what I presented to you. If you thought this chapter was tear jerking, then the chapter that follows… let's just say you've been warned. I promise happier more lighthearted works are coming very soon.