Warning: There would be some gore in this chapter. Read at risk.
Drip, drip, drip.
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of dripping blood leaking from the neck is defeaning yet quiet.
She looks at him with two different eyes.
One is regretful, and full of life.
The other dead.
Just like-
Zander woke up as he and Jaxson came out of the other side, landing hard on the ground.
"OW! God damnit! You didn't tell me it was going to hurt!" Jaxson said as he got up and dust his pants.
"Hey! It's not my fault! I didn't know we were going to land that hard!"
Jaxson rolled his eyes, only to see something in the distance.
Zander turned to see what he was looking.
It was a city in the distance, but it seems similar to the ones Zander read in a history book.
Somewhere in the 1920s he remembered.
But the big difference is that everything is black and white, from the trees to the road that were near them.
"Woah. Just... woah."
"...same."
The two then looked at each other, only to realized that they had changed.
Their clothes completely changed, and they were now black and white.
Jaxson was now wearing overalls, with his green necklace being replaced by a shirt.
Zander was wearing some sort of suit, with a bowtie around his neck.
All of them were black and white, including the two.
"What the hell?! Why I'm not purple anymore, and what the hell am I wearing?!" Jaxson yelled.
"Woah. I didn't expect this? But what if..." Zander began to think for a moment.
"What if what?" Jaxson asked.
"Well it is just an idea, but our clothes must have changed just to fit where we are."
"So in order words, we are wearing the clothes the people in here are wearing."
"Ok, but why?" Jaxson asked.
"I don't know, but let's not think about it." Zander said as he look towards the city.
"We got a long way from here."
"Damn it."
The two begins their walk towards the city, but despite walking for a short while, they somehow made it to the city.
The first thing they noticed is that it was completely empty.
"Where the hell is everyone?" Jaxson asked.
"Don't know." Zander said.
Slam!
It came so suddenly, but a tall cartoony bulldog came crashing into Zander, causing the two to fall on the ground.
The bulldog got up, and began to speak, but no sound was coming from him.
"Hey, what the hell are you two doing out here?!"
Zander and Jaxson were confused, as they couldn't hear what the bulldog was saying.
"Ok, I can't hear you, but that you can't just slam into me like that." Zander said.
"Well you were in my way! But never mind that! Hide!"
The bulldog then ran away in fear, leaving the two confused.
"What the hell do you think he was saying?" Jaxson asked, feeling confused.
"I honestly have no idea. Maybe he was running late."
The two continued to walk down the street, where it is starting to become more decay by each step.
It wasn't long until Jaxson's stomach was growling.
"Great. Now where are we going to find food?" Jaxson asked.
Zander looked around, until he saw a hotdog stand.
It was being run by a tall and lanky bear, with white eyes, and large smile.
"What about that?" Zander asked, pointing to where the stand is.
Jaxson look at the stand, then at Zander with a dead panned expression.
"Dude. That guy is one of those infected." Jaxson said.
"Well, not really. If he was, he would have had those dark tentacles coming from him."
Jaxson just shrugs, and the two walked up to him.
"Two hotdogs please." Zander said.
The bear just stares at the two, before turning to the stove behind him.
He then turned back around, holding in his hand, two hotdogs, but they have black ooze dripping from them.
The two looked at the hotdogs in disgust.
"Hey! We wanted good hotdogs! Not this crap!" Jaxson complained.
The bear just stares at them, but with a frown.
He then twitches, with his eyes becoming red.
"Fresh dogs on the way."
The bear said something but like before, the two couldn't hear what he was saying.
They didn't noticed the bear grabbing a knife.
Then suddenly, the bear grabbed Jaxson, and was ready to plunge the knife into him.
Zander reacted by firing a finger beam into the bear's eye, causing him fall and drop Jaxson.
Jaxson got up panting while Zander just stares at the body.
"What the fuck is wrong with him?!" Jaxson yelled.
"Don't know, but maybe we should-"
The bear suddenly got up, still smiling.
The two just stares at him in shock, as he reaches for his wound.
The bear touches the hole where his eye used to be, feeling the inside of it.
It frowns, then begins to speak, but with no words.
"You are really brave for doing that."
The bear then noticed that the two couldn't hear what he was saying.
This made him smile again, and begins to write something, using the black ooze, on the stand.
Zander looks at the stand, since Jaxson could see over the stand.
He then reads the message.
You are brave for hurting me.
No one has managed to wound me.
So I have a deal.
Run, you live.
I catch you, you die.
5 minutes head start.
Now.
Zander stares at the message, then at the bear, who was waving his knife.
Without hesitation, Zander grabbed Jaxson and began to run away.
"Hey! Why are we running?!" Jaxson yelled.
"Because that crazy bastard is going to kill us, and I ain't taking no chances!"
As Zander ran, Jaxson began to noticed that the buildings were starting to decay as he pass by them.
Not only that, but it seems like he was running in a loop, as he kept seeing the same buildings as he pass by them.
"Hey! Are you dumb or something?! You are running in a circle!"
Zander got a look at his surrondings, and noticed thst Jaxson was right.
He then turned around to see that the bear was still at the stand.
They only even move feet away from him.
It was like this world was that bear's domain.
The bear was still standing there, grinning.
"Ok, look. I'm sorry about your eye, but you tried to stab him! Can't we talk this out?" Zander said, trying to reason with him.
The bear just stood there, then suddenly the world begins to glitch, then it became worse.
The buildings were completely destroyed, the black ooze was leaking everywhere, and multiple bodies were everywhere.
They were either disemboweled, hacked to pieces, or reduced to mush.
All while the bear just stares the two horrified two, who were stepping back from him.
Before they knew it, the bear was in front of him with his knife.
Jaxson was scared, holding onto Zander's leg for dear life, while Zander was petrified, unable to do anything.
The bear's eyes became red, and he then raised his knife.
But then they all heard a crack, and looked down to see that a large hole appeared below them.
The bear then took out a sign out of nowhere and it says; "Uh oh!".
Then the three fell into the hole, as it closed up after consuming them.
Zander and Jaxson came crashing down on the floor, groaning in pain, but they were back to their original clothes and have their color back.
Zander got up first to look around to see if the bear was nearby
Instead what he saw was completely different.
There were multiple animals staring at the two.
Three lions in suits, following a red deer in a red suit, an old goat in a wheelchair, some small rodents, and a caiman who is chained up.
"Uh, hi there." Zander said as he waved to the animals.
"Who the hell are you?! No, scratch that! What the hell are you?!" One of the lions said.
"Look. My friend and I had a really rough day. And i would appreciate if-"
"-if what?! You just interrupted our business!" One of the small rodent said.
"And what would that be?"
"They want to chop my dick off!"
"..."
"What the fuck?! Why?!"
"Because of our hyper drug. It is guaranteed to work!"
"I highly doubt that."
"Never mind that." The deer then said, as he walked up to Zander.
The two stared at each other for a while.
"You sound young. How old are you?"
"Hey! Don't mess with the-"
Zander then shot out a small beam from his finger at the lion, missing him by an inch, singes his mane.
This cause the other two lion to aim their guns at Zander, who was in deep fear.
"Trying to intimidate me?" The deer said.
"No. Trying to take that thing down."
The deer was confused, and turned and saw him.
The bear was towering over eveyone and still had that creepy grin, and now has a new wound in his shoulder.
"What's going on?" The old goat said as he turned around.
The bear turned and chareges at the goat, and begins to tear him apart with his knife.
The goat screamed as the knife was plunged in and out of him, as two of the lions begin to shoot the bear, while one of them took the deer and ran out.
The rodents ran in fear, while the caiman tried to free himself.
"Hey, whatever you are! Help me!"
Jaxson finally recovered from the fall and saw the chaos unfolding.
He then heard chains being broken, and turned to see Zander shooting finger beams at the chains, freeing him.
The caiman then began to raid the drawers next to him, and took out some clothes.
"Oh thank Rex! Come!" The caiman said, as he ran out, holding the clothes.
Without thinking, Zander and Jaxson ran with the caiman, while leaving the bear who began to tear apart the two other lions.
The three ran out of the building, and continued to follow the caiman who was naked.
They then came upon a car, where the caiman began to put on the clothes, and took out the keys.
He unlocked the car with them, and the three ran inside the car.
The caiman turned on the headlights, only to reveal the bear a few feet away from them, completely wounded from his fight.
"Oh shit!" The caiman yelled as he floors it, driving pass the bear.
The three managed to get their breaths as Zander looks out to see they the bear just staring at them.
"Oh god." Zander said as he felt tired.
Then there was darkness.
Zander woke up to the smell of something he hadn't smelled in a long time.
Cooked breakfasts.
Zander got up from what appears to be a small couch.
He lookes around to see that he is in some sort of small and sad apartment, where he then saw Jaxson and the caiman eating what appears to be scrambles eggs and milk.
"Oh hey. You're awake! Glad to see that you're alive." Jaxson said as he ate his eggs.
"Yeah. I guess so." Zander said as he got off the couch.
"Come eat. It's the least I can do, since you saved me." The caiman said as he put down a plate.
Zander nodded and sat down, and began to eat his own breakfast.
"I just want to say thanks again. You really saved my ass back there." The caiman said.
"It's the least I could do. You didn't have a chance with those chains in you." Zander said as he ate.
"I know. And to think that before that, they were going to chop off my (the caiman looks at Jaxson for a moment) you know..."
"Dick? I may be young, but I know a lot more than you think."
"Heh. I can see." The caiman said as he rubs his head.
"Anyway, where are we?" Zander asked, drinking his milk.
"Oh, well you are in my apartment. It's not that far from the Black Market."
"Black Market?" The two then asked.
"You don't know about it?" The caiman asked back.
"... you are asking a human and a purple rabbit, who fell from the sky." Zander said in a deadpanned tone.
"Oh. Fair. Well, you see-"
Bzzt.
The three then looked at the tv nearby, where they saw it turned on and saw a cloaked man standing.
"My fellow individuals."
The voice was broken, like static.
"For too long you have suffered by the misfortune of your world. But have no fear."
"Your Salvation Has Finally Arrived."
Then suddenly, the ground shook, then there were loud crashes.
The three ran out the door to look, only to see a large wave of The Darkness flooding through the city.
"Holy crap! What is that?!" The caiman yelled.
"That's the Darkness! We got to get out of here!" Zander said.
"But where?!" Jaxson yelled.
The caiman then remembered something.
"Cherryton!"
The two were confused, but saw the caiman running towards his car, which made the two tonfollow him.
They all got in, and they drove off in the other direction.
"What's Cherryton?" Jaxson asked.
"It's this academy I've know about. It's on top of a hill, larger than any of the building here." The caiman said as he drove fast, swerving pass the panicking cars and pedestrians.
"Whats that got to do with this?!" Zander said as a tenctacle broke through the ground and grabbed an elephant pedestrian and took him back in the hole.
"Well, if we go high enough, we might be able to avoid that fucking flood."
"That's a stupid idea. But since we are here, we got no other option."
"Then its settled. I'm Kouta by the way." Kouta said as he turned to them.
"Zander."
"Jaxson."
"Lookout!" Zander yelled as he pointed.
Kouta turned to see a large tentacle raising from the ground, causing him to turn and managed to avoid it.
"Focus on the road stupid!" Zander said.
Those words caused Kouta to focused on the ride again.
After driving through hell and back, the three drove up the hill, trying to make it to Cherryton.
It wasn't until they made it to the gates of Cherryton, where they saw two lions guarding it.
They were dressed the same as the ones at that store.
The two went up to the car, and aimed their guns at the three.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the bastards." One of the two said.
"Hey, look! We just came to get away from that thing." Kouta said as the three raised their arms.
"Yeah, well get in line. Because many others got the same idea. Now we are-"
Buzz. Buzz.
The lion groaned as he picked up his phone, walked a few feet away, and answered it.
He seems calm at first, then agitated, and finally annoyed.
He walked back annoyed.
"You are lucky. The boss wants the rabbit and the weird ape. Get out of the car and get in."
With that, the two lions opened the gate, allowing the three to enter.
They exit the car and went into Cherryton.
As they walked, they saw many of the animals tending to those who were injured trying to get in.
Then suddenly, a grey wolf came up to them, being nervous.
"Uh hi. Lou- uhh. The boss wants me to take you to him."
"Ok then. Lead the way."
The three then followed the grey wolf into one of the buildings in Cherryton.
As they do, they begin to get weird glances aiming at them.
Mostly towards Jaxson and Zander.
"I feel weird." Jaxson said, feeling uncomfortable by stares.
"They'll either get used to us or we get used to them." Zander said.
They kept walking, until they made it to the principal's office.
"You two can enter, but he has to stay. Sorry." The wolf said as he points to Kouta.
"That's fair. Besides, I'm pretty sure I know who is behind that door." Kouta said rubbing his head.
The othe two nodded as they entered through the door, revealing it to be the deer from before, staring out of the window.
"Shut the door."
The door was shut by the wolf, causing the two to flinch.
"Do you two know what is a Beastar?" The deer said as he turns and glare at the two.
Zander and Jaxson turn to each other then at the deer and shook their heads.
"Of course you don't know. It is a title awarded to those who stand out in our society and unite every species despite their differences!"
"You see, I have rejected the offer many times for personal reasons. But now because of this-" Louis then turned and gestured to the ruined city being flooded by The Darkness.
"I had no choice but to return here, and "claim" the title."
He then turns to glare at them again.
"Because I know that many species came from the city to come here for safety! They believe that if they come here, they would avoid this "flood"!"
The deer then took a deep breath.
"But I know what is really going to happen. It is only a matter of time. The only thing I can do is to give them hope."
The deer then sat down on a chair.
"So tell me. Have you seen this before?"
The two were quiet for a while, then Zander spoke up.
"We did, but the kid here experienced it longer than me. But don't ask. We've been through alot."
The deer just looks at the two.
"Do you two know how you got here?"
"No." The two said in unison.
"We just got fucking lucky." Jaxson said.
The deer sigh and reached down from behind the desk.
"Fine. But know this."
He then took out the head of the bear that was hunting them, where it looks like he was riddled with bullet holes.
"You two were being chased by this thing. I killed it. Now you two owe me big time. Understand?"
The two just stared at the head and nodded.
"Good. Legoshi will guide you to your room. So rest now, you will have a busy day tomorrow."
"And here is your room. I hope that you enjoy it." Legoshi said as he left the three alone in their room at night.
"Well, this sucks." Jaxson said as he jumped on a bed.
"Yeah I know. Right Kouta?" Zander asked, only to be met with silence.
"Kouta?"
Zander looked at the caiman who seems oddly silence for a while.
"Hey Kouta!"
Kouta snapped out of his trance.
"Oh sorry. It was just the conversation I had with that wolf."
"Why? What happened?" Jaxson asked.
"Well you see, I have a keen eye on certain animals being hybrids. So you see, I was trying to make a small talk with the wolf, where I noticed some traits of him to make me realize he is a hybrid. Of course, I brought it up and he was a bit scared but I reassured him that there is nothing wrong. But to be honest, it wasn't smart of me to talk with personal stuff now that I think anout it."
The two nodded in agreement.
"But he was still scared, so I mentioned that I have a hybrid son. And before I knew it, I was talking about my family. Then... I don't remember but he was said that he was sorry for me."
"Ok?" Zander said as he felt weird about the situation.
They then heard snoring and saw that Jaxson was asleep.
"Sorry about that. He's just a kid."
"That's fair. I'm going out for a walk. To clear my head." Kouta said as he stand up.
"Do it outside then. The cool air would help."
"I'm a reptile. I don't do cold. But I appreciate it." Kouta said as he left the room.
Zander just stares out the window, observing the stars.
He then thought back to the cloaked man.
Is he connected to this?
And why?
Zander then turned to Jaxson, who appears to be crying in his sleep.
So Zander lied down next to him on the bed, and Jaxson hugged him.
Zander sighs, wondering what tomorrow would be like.
There were multiple hard knocks at the door.
Zander got up and saw that Jaxson was still hugging him.
He gently removed Jaxson from him and walked towards the door.
He opened it and saw that it was the deer with the same lion that took him away from that murderous bear.
"We need you two to come it was. It involves the caiman that came with you."
"Fine. But give the kid a few more minutes. He's been through a lot." Zander said.
"Fine. Five minutes." The deer said as he shut the door.
Zander groaned and went to Jaxson and shook him a bit.
"Jaxson. Wake up."
Jaxson groans for a bit and opened his eyes.
"W-what?"
"Sorry about the rude wake up, but that deer needs us."
"Oh, ok. But I rather sleep late." Jaxson said as he became fully awake.
After stretching for a while, the two exit through thr door, where they saw the deer and lion waiting for them.
"Follow me."
They all then walked through the building, until they made it to what appears to be some sort of drama club.
They entered and saw multiple club members worried about something.
"Oh Louis! Thank goodness you came back. He hadn't done anything but-" A pelican came up to them, but backs off when the lion glares at them.
Louis then looks at the two then pointed towards a peculiar sight.
It was Kouta, but his entire body was covered in dark green mud, except for his head, where his eyes is covered in mud.
"This shit again?" Zander said out loud, causing eveyone except for Kouta to turn towards him.
"So you do have something about this." Louis said.
"What, no?! It's just I've seen it before." Zander said, trying to defend himself.
"Then enlighten us with your encounter." Louis asked, crossing his arms.
"Well, it started where I came from. We had this guy. He just seems out of it, like he was in his own world. Then one day, me and some other guys just found him, buried in that kind of mud. I went to get a shovel to dig him out, but when I came back, he was gone." Zander said.
"The one of the guys claims that they... took care him. Apparently he confessed to doing something really bad, so he had to do something about it."
"After 'taking care of him', his body just sank, until there is nothing but mud."
"I had everything a man need."
Everyone then turned to Kouta, who suddenly spoke.
"I had a wife who was a herbivore, and we managed to have a son by a rare chance."
"But then I tasted meat. It was so sweet."
"I couldn't resist."
"Even if I kept eating regular food, my body was hungry for more."
"So I sold nearly everything we had, lying that it was for rent."
"Yet, despite everything they were still kept a smile."
"I still remember their smile, even just before I butchered them to satiated my hunger."
"Their meat was so sweet."
"Yet, I was still hungry."
"So I kept spending everything I had, to the point where I tried to sell myself to pay back what I owe."
"Do I regret it?"
"Mayb-"
"NO!"
"..."
"...Absolutely not."
"I've enjoyed every single second of it."
"...Yet, I'm still hungry."
The room was silent due to Kouta's or The Starving One's horrifying confession.
"...Well, that is by far the most horrific thing I ever heard."
"Disgusting." Louis said as he stared at The Hungry One, who began to smile.
"Well, would you do something about it?"
"I know you want to."
"The carnivores will always be on top of you herbivores."
"But you can do something about it. Right?"
Louis just glares at The Hungry One with anger.
The room became silent again.
"..." Louis kept silent, being annoyed by his request.
"If I wanted to do something about you I would. But I won't."
"To be honest, I think it's best to kill him since he doesn't regret what he did." Zander said.
Louis turns and glares at Zander, while The Hungry One kept smiling.
"You (points to Zander) stay. Everyone else leave, now. Shelia, take care of the kid."
Everyone begins to leave, while Jaxson looks at Zander.
"It'll be fine." Zander said as a cheetah girl came up to them.
"Don't worry, he is in good hands."
"He better. I made a promise to his mom that I take care of him."
Shelia nodded, and left with Jaxson, leaving Louis, the lion, and Zander alone.
"You do it. Now. Or else."
The lion took out his gun and cocks it, and hands it to him.
"Woah, what now?"
"You brought him here. You take care of him." The lion said.
Zander sighs, knowing he has no choice.
So he pushed the gun back to the lion and walked up to The Hungry One.
He kept smiling as Zander walked up and looked down at him.
"Do it. Give me the death that I hunger for." The Hungry One said.
Zander points at his head, then delivers a finger beam to his head, killing him.
He slouched forward, sinking into the mud, until there is nothing but little bits of mud.
It was as if the body was never here.
"At least there isn't a body to take care of." The lion said, as he followed Louis who left the room.
Zander was now alone in the room.
He then looked up to see the blinding lights above.
He then thinks back to what Louis said last night.
It is only a matter of time.
Before Cherryton sinks into the darkness.
End of Chapter 4.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
The mud scene is referenced to the Mud Men from Lisa the Undone.
I changed the mud scene because I wanted to make it similar to the original from Lisa the Undone.