*I'm back! I haven't put out a new story in three years, guys! Now, I know I've done this before, but I went a whole new, somewhat dark, yet suspenseful direction, and I must say, I'm pretty proud of it. Some of it will be told through POV, but the three main ones will be Jessie, Buzz, and of course, my favorite cowboy. So, please, enjoy, outlaws and allies! *
Chapter One: No Mercy-Wednesday
"Get in there, ragdoll!" Woody was thrown into the cage once again, hitting the metal hard. Before he even had time to react, his hands were yanked above his head and tied to the cage with zip ties. His ankles were also tied with zip-tie cuffs.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" The ragdoll, Woody Pride, looked up at the voice who said that. Stinky Pete the Prospector looked down at him.
"You should know by now that I don't give in so easily, Prospector. Why are you even doing this?"
"Shut up, cowboy."
"You've been dodging my questions all week, Pete. Is he forcing you to…Oh!" Woody groaned as Pete raised his fist and punched him in the stomach.
"No one is forcing me to do anything. I am finally getting back at you for what you did to me, you pathetic waste!" He punched Woody over and over again. "You thought you could help by sending me off with a kid? Thinking I could change my mind about them by learning the true meaning of playtime?! You ruined my life!" He smacked the cowboy across the face and kicked him in the groin.
"Ow! Stop. Please stop!"
"Not until you learn to stop meddling in other people's lives, and maybe, for once, stop! Trying! To be! The goddamn! Hero!" With every word, Pete either punched him or kicked him hard, but with the last word, he punched him hard in the face, slamming his head against the metal cage. Woody groaned out in pain, rolling his head to the side. Pete went to punch him again but was pulled back.
"Peter! That's enough. The old boy's starting to understand. Aren't you, cowboy?" Woody's eyes snapped open as he clenched his teeth and looked past Pete at a toy who left hatred in his cotton soul and a bad taste in Woody's mouth whenever he spoke his name: Lotso Hugging Bear. The bear stepped into the cage and lifted Woody by the scruff of his neck. "Answer me when I'm talking to you, ragdoll!" Woody struggled to get out of his hold but glared at him.
"Answer me first. Have you finally realized that I will never stop fighting, not just you and Pete, but for all the toys you are torturing yet again, Lotso?"
"Peter's right, son. You don't know when to quit."
"Because I fight for justice. I always fight for the sake of others and try to help a fellow toy however I can. I will never stop trying to help those that need it or those that deserve it! And I will never stop fighting back, no matter how much you beat or torture me!"
"Then I guess I'll just have to keep teaching you a lesson then, won't I?" He wrapped his paw around Woody's neck and began to squeeze. Woody took in a sharp breath. "You know, I have been waiting to torture you for quite some time now, but I'll admit, it still doesn't feel right. If only your friends were here to witness your torture." He tightened his grip on the cowboy's neck, making him gag. "Oh wait, they will be, very soon." Lotso growled when he said that. Woody's body froze. If he had a heart, it would've stopped and dropped into his stomach.
"Wha, what?"
"Those pirates that ambushed you and killed your girl? I sent them to your former owner's house to deliver a little gift to your friends. Once they get it, hopefully, they will come here to rescue their precious leader, and then I'll have them. They can watch as I torture you to death." Woody thought about the gift and gasped—his hat. Pete had taken it one night after he and Lotso beat him for two hours straight.
"No! You, you leave my friends alone! They, they will come for me, I know they will, but please, you can't hurt them! You already killed the love of my life, please don't kill them too!" The grip on Woody's neck tightened again and Woody sucked in a gasp of air, trying with all his might not to pass out. Lotso got close to his face.
"I won't be the one hurting them, Woody. Your screams of agony will do that for me." With that last bit, Lotso let go of him, slamming him against the cage. Breathing heavily, Woody glared at Lotso and struggled against his bonds.
"Please. Please don't hurt them. They didn't do anything to you! Please, do…AH!" He felt another punch, this one from Lotso, land across his face.
"They were part of your plan when you destroyed my empire and Pete's plan for a better life. They are going to suffer the loss of their beloved leader, and then I will take pleasure in killing them as well." Woody shrank back in horror as Lotso and Pete left. His knees gave out and he ended up falling onto them. Lowering his head, he let out a painful sob as new tears fell from his eyes. A memory flooded his mind, the last happy memory he could remember.
*Flashback-One week earlier*
He sat with Bo in a train car, laughing with her, watching the sights roll by. It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. The sun was starting to set as she tapped his shoulder.
"Hey, we just passed a sign that said Welcome to Sacramento. She said. Looks like we made it back to California, cowboy."
"Seems we have. Woody said. But Bo, are you sure this is what you want? There are still a lot more places we have yet to see in the world."
"I've been roaming around for years, Woody, the last couple of them with you, and it's been wonderful. But all of the lost gang have gone on with new owners." That was true. Ducky and Bunny found a pair of twin boys who picked them up and took them home a few years back. Last year, Duke was found and taken with a new kid. Giggle went with him to be with a little girl. For the last couple of months, it was just Bo and him, traveling to new places. But now, Bo suggested they return to the tri-state, find their friends, and be with a kid again. Bo touched his hand. "It's been an amazing adventure, seeing different places with you, but I know you miss the gang, sweetie. I miss them too. I want to go home with you, back to your kid, back with our family."
"My kid is probably all grown up now, I reckon, Bo."
"Then we'll go to a new kid. Whatever happens, I'm not leaving you." Woody looked at her with love in his eyes.
"I love you, Bo. Let's go home." They got off at the next stop and started searching for another way to get back to the tri-county area when they were ambushed.
"There they are. Grab them!" Someone yelled.
"Bo, get behind me." Bo moved just as a pirate lunged at her. Woody punched the pirate in the face, knocking him back. He grabbed Bo's hand, and they ran down a dark path. Woody saw a ladder up ahead. "Climb, baby. Get onto that ledge. I'll come back for…ah!" Two pirates grabbed him, pulling him away from her.
"Woody! Let him go, you mangy scallywags!" Bo jumped down and went to attack one of the pirates, but two grabbed her.
"Bo!" Woody yelled, trying to break free to get to her.
"Let me go!" Bo cried, struggling to get loose. Suddenly, another pirate came and placed a sword against her neck.
"No! Don't hurt her please!" A pirate came over and pulled a rope around his neck, tightening it.
"Pipe down, you scrawny bilge rat!" One pirate yelled, pulling the cowboy's arms behind his back.
"Ow!" Woody looked up to see the pirates force Bo to her knees. Woody was seething.
"Hey! You don't have to be so rough, you ruthless pieces of..." His voice was cut off as he was forced to his knees and the blade of an ax was jabbed under his chin. The cowboy's chin was lifted, and Woody came face to face with someone he'd never thought he'd see again. "Prospector Pete?"
"I'd watch what you say, Woody. There is a lady present."
"No! Get away from him, you chubby little midget!" Woody was stunned by his girlfriend's remark but also impressed. He gulped as the blade was removed. Pete went over to Bo and stroked her cheek.
"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? My oh my."
"Hey! Get your hands off her, Stinky Pete!" Pete ignored him and turned to the pirates.
"Boss only wants the cowboy. Get rid of her." Woody's eyes went wide as one of the pirates raised his sword.
"No. No! Don't hurt her. Please don't hurt her." The sword cut across the air and Woody heard the shatter of porcelain. Woody watched in horror as Bo's head was cut from her body, as well as her arms. A thick nail was jammed into her chest, breaking her in half. Woody's heart shattered at the scene of his girlfriend in pieces. He didn't know whether to scream, cry, or fight. He chose to do all three. "NOO! NO! You dirty rotten pieces of filth! How could you? How could you just kill her like that?!" He cried, trying to struggle out of the pirate's hold to get to her.
"Shut him up. Now!" Pete screamed.
"No! No! Don't touch me! Get away from me, you murderous bastards! Bo! Bo, I'm so sorry!"
"She can't hear you, cowboy. No one can. Nighty night." One pirate sneered as Woody felt something hard slam against his head, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious.
*End flashback*
That last bit brought him back to the present as Woody lifted his head. Pete ordered those rats to kill Bo in cold blood. They just shattered her with absolutely no mercy. It had been a week since her death and Woody was still lost for words over her brutal death. Knowing now that Pete's boss was Lotso, Woody was raging mad once again at the strawberry-scented psycho. He remembered when he regained consciousness and came face to face with that monster that was Lotso Huggin Bear…
*Flashback to that same night*
"Hello, Woody. Nice to see you again." Woody opened his eyes, not sure of where he was at first. Looking up, he growled at the sight of the pink demon that almost sealed his fate all those years ago.
"You! Woody snapped. Where am I? What do you want with me?"
"We'll come back to that. I just wanted to offer my condolences. I'm very sorry about your girl. I didn't want to kill her, but she wasn't going to be of use to me, so I had to get rid of her. Sorry about that, old boy." Woody sat up, glaring at him.
"It was you? You ordered Pete to have her killed?" Lotso grinned wickedly. Woody's fingers curled into fists as he got to his feet and charged at the bear, only to be yanked backward. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his wrists were clasped in metal cuffs attached to metal chains connected to a hook on the floor. Turning back, he glared at Lotso and began to pull with all his might. He managed to break the hook, jumped over the chain, and charged at Lotso. He tackled him to the ground and threw the chain over his head, using it to choke him. "How could you!? You had the love of my life killed for no reason! She did nothing to you, you deceitful, torturous, wicked, sick son of a…AH!" The cowboy fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He felt like he had just been struck by lightning.
"God I should've done that a long time ago. Could've gone to Japan if I had one of these." Woody slowly opened his eyes, looking up to see Pete holding a small stun gun. Pete cut the chains in half, grabbed him, and slammed him against something metal. As he wrapped the chains around metal bars, Woody took in the fact that he was in a cage, one big enough to hold a small dog. Looking back up, he saw Pete secure the ends of the chains with zip ties and a small padlock. Woody tried to break free but couldn't.
"Let me go! Why are you doing this?" Another zap hit him on the side.
"It's called revenge, Woody. Lotso said. You took something from Peter and I, and we're going to make you pay for it." Lotso punched him in the gut, making him wince in pain.
"Ugh. I didn't take anything from either of you! Lotso, I uncovered the truth about you, but it was to stop you from the cruel torture that you inflicted on those innocent toys! I also prevented you from hurting my family! I took nothing from you! Pete, all I did to you was try to stop you from dragging me to Japan. You manipulated me, and almost made me give up everything important to me!"
"Being played with and being surrounded by friends is important to you? How pathetic! You could've been adored and loved by all kinds of kids day in and day out!"
"I didn't want that lifestyle, and you shouldn't have either! Being loved and played with by a child is worth more than being stared at through glass! When I told you to learn the true meaning of playtime, I was trying to help you see what else life as a toy could offer you. We are not collector's items, we're children's playthings! That's our...oh!" Pete slammed his fist against Woody's face and jammed his knee between his legs. He repeated the actions a few more times, making Woody cry out in agony. After the fifth or sixth punch to the face, Lotso pulled Pete away.
"You see, Woody? You destroyed everything for us. You destroyed the empire I created at Sunnyside, and you took away Peter's destiny. You thought you were helping or doing the right thing, but instead, you didn't. You're in a world of hurt, boy." Lotso advanced towards him.
*End Flashback*
Woody shut his eyes, but the impact never came. Opening them, he remembered that Lotso and Pete had already left. Moving slightly, he was able to move onto his bottom without pulling too much on his restrained hands. He tried to pull his knees to his chest, but he couldn't do it due to them being tied. So, he rested his head against the bars and tried to ignore the pain he felt all over his body. Lotso and Pete had beaten and tortured him every day since, sometimes two and three times a night, but it felt like an eternity. Lord knows how much longer this was going to last. They would show him no mercy, then he would show them his unwavering will to survive. He'll show them why he had once worn the badge of a sheriff on his chest for so long. He may not be a sheriff anymore, but he still had the mindset of one. That means never giving up, never giving in, and never backing down. He was going to fight like his life depended on it, if not for himself, but for Bo. He would fight for her and avenge her in some way. Thinking of her, he lowered his head, praying that the gift Lotso sent never arrived to his friends.