New chapter?
New chapter.
Right, let's get into it.
I DO NOT OWN GORILLAZ, OR ANY OF THE BAND MEMBERS FEATURED IN THIS STORY!
With their walk underway, Murdoc prayed that he'd make it there without bashing his face into the nearest brick wall. Following a GPS route seemed simple enough, but with four young children Murdoc found himself unable to do even that. If having pint-sized bandmates wasn't already driving him mad, it was their juvenile yet characteristic behaviors.
For instance, before they left the house, Noodle insisted that Cyborg was wearing her shoes, even though they both owned the exact same pair. Both pairs were exactly the same. How she could tell them apart was beyond him. Now the two decided to sing what Murdoc guessed was the only song they knew on loop, start to finish with no breaks the entire way there. And, no amount of complaints got them to stop. Instead, they would get louder if Murdoc made any attempt to talk to or over them.
Then there was 2D. Unfortunately for Murdoc, 2D had to point out every little thing he found interesting. And, Murdoc was expected to look at each thing, or he wouldn't hear the end of it until 2D found something else to torture him with. At the moment, he held a crooked stick with fuzzy fungus up towards the disgruntled bassist, who waved it away without looking from his phone screen.
Finally there was Russel, who actually remained relatively quiet, aside from an occasional mutter or exclamation, while playing a portable, handheld game. The boy kept close to Murdoc, which wouldn't have bothered him so much if Russel just watched where he had been going. The kid bumped into his legs at every stop, and it proved to be far more than irritating after the fourth time.
Honestly, he thought. How hard is it to look up?
Over time, the blending voices of 2D's constant talking, the twins singing, and Russel's muttering had become overwhelming. And, he put up with it for about five more minutes before finally reaching his breaking point.
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" He yelled, coming to a halt and shaking with anger. Whipping around the stroller and pointing at the girls, he growled "You two, quit singing! I can't stand another word of it!"
He then turned to 2D just as quickly and snatched the crooked stick. "You! Stop showing me every stupid thing you find interesting! This stick is by far the least most interesting thing imaginable!"
The bassit broke it over his knee then threw it away before finally facing Russel. "And, you!" His expression visibly darkened as his eye burned bright red. "If you run into me one more time, I'll crush that game and make you eat it!"
A moment of stunned silence hung between the group before the girls began to cry. And, a teary-eyed 2D went to hide behind Russel, who shrunk back and swallowed hard, not wanting to eat his favorite game.
"W-Why are you being so mean?" 2D asked in a trembling voice.
"Y-Yeah," Russel said. "Did we do something wrong?"
"YES, very wrong! You've all been bothering me!" Murdoc huffed, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "Look, I need to get to this place and I can't do that when you're being this annoying, so just stay quiet and follow me. Understand?"
The boys nodded wordlessly while Noodle and Cyborg still cried from being yelled at, just more quietly, but they all complied. And, Murdoc ignored them all for a block or so until an ice cream vendor came into view. Making eye contact with the salesman, he flagged him down and bought four vanilla cones to shut the children up; mostly the twins.
"Um, does this have milk in it...?" Russel asked timidly, hesitant to dig in. "I don't think I can eat it."
"Yes, it's ice cream." He replied with a dramatic eye roll. "You had milk in your cereal this morning, didn't you? How's this any different?"
"...that milk doesn't have the bad stuff in it-You know, the lack-toast...? This might."
Lack...toast...? Murdoc blinked, utterly confused. What is lack-to-? Oh. "Fine, give it to me."
"But,... I want ice cream, too."
"I know, just give it here."
Russel gave up the cone, pouting as Murdoc turned back to the salesman. "You have any lactose-free options?"
After a few moments, to his delight, Russel was given a lactose-free, vanilla cone to enjoy.
"Thanks, Murdoc!" The boy exclaimed, diving right into his frozen treat.
"Yeah, alright... Let's just get going."
Murdoc paid the salesman then pushed the stroller forward, continuing their trek to the pet shop. He wasn't sure if it was open or not, but figured it was since the truck had gone in that direction. However, most of the privately owned shops closed earlier in the afternoon, so they needed to hurry if they had any hopes of getting inside. Right now, they were about two blocks away from the storefront. All they had to do was take a right from here, cross over two intersections, then take a left and they'd be there.
Around the halfway point, 2D began to lag behind. "Are we there yet?" He whined. "I'm tired of walking...!"
"Almost," Murdoc replied without slowing down. "Keep up."
"But, I'm tired!"
"Too bad! We aren't stopping until we get there! I've got to reach this shop before-...!" Murdoc froze, startled to find that the shop would close at 12 o'clock. And, he began to run once he realized it was 11:56pm. "Hurry up, they'll close any minute now!"
Russel and 2D did their best to run after him, but the youngest struggled to keep up. 2D was already exhausted, so running felt nearly impossible for him at the moment. And, the ice cream they ate earlier only helped further in weighing them down.
"Wait for us!" Russel said.
"Then hurry up!" Murdoc called over his shoulder.
"I can't... too... tired..." 2D said, nearly collapsing.
Murdoc watched as the two boys got further away from him, soon realizing that no amount of ignoring them would increase their pace. Releasing a groan of irritation, Murdoc left the stroller to turn back and pick them up. He then threw 2D in the compartment seat behind the stroller and heaved Russel onto his back, racing onward to close in on their destination.
For a man over fifty, Murdoc could run pretty well pushing three kids in a stroller and carrying one on his back, occasionally swerving to avoid other people walking in the opposite direction. The children cheered and squealed for him to go faster, having far too much fun for his liking. He just rolled his eyes, breaking into a full sprint. But, despite his efforts, he arrived just in time to see the sign flip from 'open' to 'sorry we're closed'.
They were too late. And, the bassist, too defeated to throw his usual fits, merely banged his head against the glass door. It was twelve in the afternoon. Who in their right mind closes at twelve PM!? Bubbles came from his mouth in place of the foul words he spoke when he stepped back, amusing Noodle and Cyborg.
"Whoa," 2D exclaimed, "how'd you do that?"
"Practice." Murdoc stated through gritted teeth, refusing to elaborate.
"Sorry, sir! We've just closed!" A young lady called from the other side of the glass, walking up. "If you've come for a fish, there are a few free ones out front!"
"Fish? Ooh-ooh! I want a fish!" 2D waved his hands and practically jumped out of his seat. "Can we pick one, Murdoc? Pleeeeease?"
Murdoc grumbled to himself, but ultimately pushed the stroller towards a large set of tanks that sat outside of the shop. They held lots of sea creatures from shrimp to lionfish, which wasn't very safe. However, one creature in particular stood out to the children, a small, orange octopus with one large eye.
"Oh, look!" Russel scrambled to jump down from Murdoc, then crouched to point at its tank, which was placed on the ground. "It's an octopus! I didn't know you could have those as pets."
"Me neither. Hey, Murdoc, can we have this one?" 2D asked.
Murdoc, who was still upset, waved him off. "No, we don't n-" However, he soon fell silent when he turned to look at it, feeling an odd energy as he stared into its eye. And, the longer he looked, the stranger it felt as his vision began to warp and tunnel. Snippets of voices and memories flashed before his eyes, causing a sharp pain in his skull.
"Murdoc!"
He shook his head, breaking contact to face 2D, who was still pleading. "What?"
"I said, 'Can we take it home?'"
"Y-Yeah, fine..." Murdoc replied, breathing unevenly. "We can take it."
"YAY!" The children cheered.
Murdoc wasn't excited, but felt satisfied knowing that their trip wasn't in vain. That octopus was connected to Eva in some way, and that strange feeling moments ago confirmed it. Now he just had to figure out how to use that connection to his advantage. He leaned down and grabbed a net laying nearby in addition to a clear bag for transport. Filling the bag with water from the tank, he quickly scooped up the octopus and placed it inside.
"Here," Murdoc gave the bag to 2D. "Hold this, and don't drop it."
The boy nodded, taking it gently before walking away to show Noodle and Cyborg. "Look, isn't he great? He's called an octopus"
"Occo-puss?" Cyborg repeated.
"Almost."
"Odoh-boos!" Noodle said.
"Haha, that was close, too!"
While the children entertained themselves, Murdoc grabbed the tank, too. He poured out the water, of course, knowing that it would be a nightmare to lug around a full tank, then placed it in the compartment seat of the stroller. It left just enough room for 2D.
"Alright, you guys. Let's get back home." He said, brushing himself off as 2D took his seat. Murdoc then turned the stroller around to begin their trek back. "I've had more than enough of pushing you lot around."
"Um, Murdoc?"
"What is it, Russ?" Murdoc asked tiredly, keeping his eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead.
Russel frowned a little. "I think that ice cream had lack-toast in it..."
"Oh, it did, did it?" Murdoc held an odd expression on his face. He was concerned, but also kind of... angry? A little too angry. It felt almost displaced, in a way. Maybe the day was catching up to him? Or, maybe it was because he had most likely been tricked by that salesman. If that man's stupidity had led to Russel's sudden discomfort, Murdoc felt that he should pay. I'll make sure he's well acquainted with the pavement once we walk back.
For now, Murdoc paused to hoist Russel onto his back again, then continued on. "Sorry about that, Russ. I'll find him so he can apologize. Just hold tight for now, okay?"
Oh my gosh, this chapter was killing me to write. Sorry it took so long. I know it's not very exciting, but it was a necessary evil, so thanks to making it to the end.
But, now that this one is done, I can start writing filler chapters! Yay! Don't worry, though, I'll add in occasional story progression here and there.
Stay tuned!