Update

I'm sure you've already noticed by now that the only recent post I've made was a revised version of a past story, which I only did because it was a school assignment. Well, the truth is, I've been having problems writing lately. It's not that I have writers block or that I can't come up with any ideas. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I've come up with many ideas lately but have been forced to simply summarize them and put them into my notes for later. The reason why is that the main problem I'm experiencing right now is that I just can't find the.... well... I guess you could call it, for lack of a better term, a "Fuck-to-give". It's not that I don't care about The Holders anymore. In fact it's quite the opposite, and I think of it every single day. It's just that whenever I start writing a story I'll get distracted and go do something else, and when I try to come back to the story, I can't seem to continue writing it because I forgot where I was going with it. But, worry not, for I am trying to fix this problem of mine.

Also, I will be removing all The Holders Notes/Info that could contain spoilers or are works in progress, and will be simply keeping it all to myself. I will also be deleting posts that say things about The Holders storyline that are either no longer ture, or have been revised.

Kate's Revenge [REVISED]

Kate’s Revenge

When I first became a Holder, it was to escape someone. Someone who raped me, abused me, tormented me, used me, and tortured me. She treated me as though I was her toy, as though I was her pet, as though I were nothing more than her slave, and did whatever she wanted to me. But one day, about a week after my sixteenth birthday, a Holder Item called to me.

               After the Onagan Invasion, most of the Holders lived on an estate called “The Mansion”. It looked like a high-class university, but was the size of a small city. Only Holders and staff were allowed access to the estate, mainly because the government used it as a rehabilitation facility for those who fought during the war. I began working there as a common maid when I was twelve, after my parents died. When I turned fourteen, I was chosen to be a personal servant to Cameron Balfeur, the Holder of the Mind, meaning she could basically use telekinesis. She was a powerful Holder who was ranked second in the 13 Gods of Holding, the basic ranking of the most powerful Holders.

               One day, when I was hanging her clothes out to dry, I heard a voice call out to me.

 “Come to me my child”, the voice said in a hushed whisper. The voice sounded as though it was from a woman in her early twenties.

               “Who’s there?” I asked, while looking at my surroundings.

               “Over here,” the voice said.

               I looked in the direction it was coming from, and saw a large, dense forest shrouded in darkness which I had never seen before. I began to walk towards it, but stopped at the edge of the brush.

               “Come, come”, the voice said to me,” do not be afraid. I will not harm you.”

               Compelled by my extreme curiosity, I willed myself to enter the forest. I continued walking amongst the trees for quite some time, until I came across a large clearing. In the center of the clearing was a tall Totem pole that had all the animals of the zodiac on it. In front of the totem pole was a wooden carving of a hand reaching from out of the ground. On one of the fingers was a beautiful and ornately designed ring.

               I absent mindedly reached out to grab the ring, but was ‘snapped back to reality’ by the voice I heard earlier saying,” You must first pay the toll, else my power cannot be used.”

               I jumped back in surprise. “Hello? Who’s there?” I said, scanning my surroundings.

               But I was all alone.

               “If you pay the toll to release me, then I might be inclined to assist with your ‘problem’”, the voice said.

               It was at that moment when I finally realized that this was no ordinary ring, but a Holder’s Item. I’ve been around Holders since I first started working at The Mansion when I was eleven years old, and they all said that in order to become a Holder, you must first sacrifice something very important to you, something that is with you no matter what, and that the more precious the thing sacrificed, the more powerful you become. But even then, the Item might not accept your sacrifice. It really just depends what the original Holder of that item was like, because that’s why they’re all rings – A long time ago, they all died in something called the Rochester Massacre -- except for Alex, his brother Aidan, Aidan’s friend Eddy, and Cameron -- so Alex turned all the dead bodies’ spirits into rings and let the originals of those items choose their own successor. I thought for awhile on what my sacrifice might be.

               “Um, excuse, Mr. Holder Item-thingy,” I said warily,” I’ve made up my mind. I would like to give up my sub consciousness to become the Holder of… whatever you are.”

               The voice chuckled. “You know so little of what I am, yet you are willing to forfeit so much?” The voice said.

               “Honestly,” I said,” I’m willing to do just about anything at this point.”

               Then, the animal at the top of the totem pole, the tiger, began moving, and looked down upon me. The voice chuckled again. “Very well,” the voice said while the tiger’s mouth moved in sync,” if you really want it, then it’s yours. Congratulations, you are now the Holder of Animals.”

               Suddenly, the hand that was in the ground grabbed my waist, and the whole Totem pole leaned over me. The Tiger snarled an evil grin as I struggled to break free of the hands grasp, before opening its mouth wide, and swallowing me whole. Then, everything went black.

 

 

               I awoke with a start, only to find myself exactly where I was before, back by the clothes line where I had been hanging the laundry to dry, as if nothing had ever happened.

               ‘Was I daydreaming all of that?’, I thought to myself. I looked down to see that the ring I had seen earlier on the wooden hand in the forest was now on my right ring finger.

               ‘So it wasn’t a dream. It really happened!....But then that means-‘

               “Kate?” a voice said from behind me.

               I jumped up, composed myself, and spun around in surprise to face the source of the voice, only to find it was the love of my life, Alex Maynord. Or at least, I think he is the love of my life. I’ve never really been able to gather up the courage to confess my true feelings to him. And it doesn’t help that Cameron won’t let me go anywhere near him.

               Alex originally didn’t have a last name, but for the sake of the governments’ archives, he took up the last name of Maynord. He is the Holder of two things, both Imagination and Creation, a feat limited only to him. It only makes sense that it’s because of this he is ranked number one among the 13 Gods of Holding.

               “Oh, Alex! Uh, Hi!” I stammered.

“Kate, are you okay?” he said with the most caring voice I’ve ever heard.

               “Uh, yeah, I’m perfectly fine, why do you ask?” I said as casually as I could.

               “Um, well, it’s just I was looking out the window in my room,” he said pointing to a window on a nearby building,” when I saw you collapse, so I came out here to make sure you were alright.”

               “Oh, uh, yeah! I’m fine, I just….got dizzy that’s all!” I said, completely failing to act nonchalant.

               He sighed and gripped his forehead in a frustrated manner. “Listen, Kate, you don’t have to lie to me.“

               “B-but I’m not lying”, I mumbled quietly.

               “I’m not done.” He said, giving me a stern look, but using a kind and caring voice. “Now Kate, I see the ring on your finger. I know you just became a Holder, alright? So just cut the bullshit, and tell me what Holder you are, and what you gave up to get it.”

               As I stood there holding my right arm with my left and looking down at my feet, I could feel my face starting to boil as it turned bright red from embarrassment. As we stood there in a long awkward silence, I began rocking slightly from side to side.

               “Please Kate,” he said with a worried look on his face. “ This is for your own protection, so just let me help you.”

               Finally, I gave up. “I gave up my sub conscious to be the Holder of Animals.”

               “God dammit,” he sighed as he put his hands over his face in frustration. “Kate”, he said after removing his hands from his face, “What the Hell were you thinking?! The original Holder of Animals was a total psycho, and you just let her have partial control of your actions?!”

               “I’m sorry”, I said trying to hold back my tears, “I- I didn’t know.”

               “No, don’t apologize to me, Kate. Apologize to yourself.”

               “Why?” I said still holding back my tears, “ It’s not that bad….is it?”

               “You have no idea,” Alex said, “The original Holder of Animals always acted very rashly and selfishly. She only cared about herself, and was also the biggest pervert there has ever been.”

               My tears began slipping out of my shut eyelids.

               “Kate,” Alex said,” Why did you do this anyways?”

               “I-I just wanted to be able to defend myself.”

               “Wha- defend yourself from what!?”

               “Cameron!” I answered.

               “Cameron?! Why the fuck would you need to defend yourself from her!?” he asked, completely confused.

               “BECAUSE SHE’S BEEN RAPING ME!” I cried, my tears completely escaping me. “She’s been abusing me, using me, torturing me, and tormenting me, and I just want it to stop! The reason I never said anything to anyone before was because she said she would kill anyone who found out! She said I couldn’t even go anywhere near you because you would be able to figure it out without me even saying anything. Do you have any idea what that’s like?! To be forced to stay away from the person you love?! It’s agonizing! It’s insanity! I felt like I was going insane!”

               He looked at me with a blank stare.

               “I know this is a lot to take in at once, but please, I need you! Help me! Please!” I said, breaking down in tears, and falling to my knees. I buried my face in my hands as I wept.

               After a few moments passed by, he knelt down to embrace me, which made me shutter with both joy and fear.

               “Kate”, he whispered softly with into my ear, “I am so sorry. I could’ve done something sooner – I should’ve done something sooner. I first thought something was wrong when you first started avoiding because it was just so sudden. But I just shrugged it off and ignored it. This is all my fault. I just hope you can forgive me.”

               “Yes!” I exclaimed,” Of course I forgive you! It’s not even your fault. It’s mine! I should’ve told you sooner.”

               “The truth is,” he said, “We’ve technically gotten married already, over a thousand years ago, back in 1520, two years after I first met you. Well, the other you that is.”

               “Huh?” I said, confused, “What are you talking about?” I asked, swallowing my tears and tilting my head up to see his face.

               “I guess now’s as good a time as ever to explain. In 1518, my brothers and sisters and I, the first Holders who were left by my father, decided to try picking a side in the world. So, we chose England, and served under King Henry VIII. And there, we were all dukes and duchesses, and I made the decision to create more Holders. People were brought before me, and I gave them power. But as a duke, I was given a personal maid. That maid’s name,” he said, pushing me back from the hug and holding me by my shoulders, and looking into my eyes, “Was Kate Rosaleen.”

               “I was your servant?” I said in awe.

               “Yeah,” he said with a bittersweet smile, “And we fell in love with each other. Eventually, we got married. But twelve years later,” he said, his smile quickly fading, “In 1532, Cameron made a deal with King Henry VIII, and led his five most elite knights on a hunt for all of the other Holders. She managed to kill all of them except for Aidan, Eddy, and I. We were camped near Rochester when she eventually found us. I was already aware of her plans which was why I brought you with me so we could make an escape. But she, along with the five knights, surrounded us and challenged us to a fight to the death. I managed to defeat my opponent, but I had left Eddy in charge of protecting you, and he was badly beaten when Cameron assisted the knight fighting him. Then, Cameron murdered you before my very eyes. I lost all control, and fought all the remaining four knights and Cameron at once. I defeated them, but it didn’t bring you back. And when I turned the dead Holders into Items, your body disappeared along with the others. It was then that I knew I would see you again. So I waited. I waited for a thousand years, and finally I saw you again. But it was obvious you didn’t remember me, so I kept my distance, thinking you probably also didn’t have the same feelings as before.

               In fact, I guess that’s why I ignored the obvious truth staring me right in the face. I just thought you started avoiding me because you could knew my feelings, and thought it was kind of creepy for an eighteen year old guy to be hitting on a twelve year old girl.”

               I giggled at the irony. “It’s funny how I kept my distance because I thought it was weird for a twelve year old girl to have a crush on a guy who’s six years older than her. But I guess I was wrong there, seeing as how you’re over a thousand years old.”

               “Actually Kate, Holders are made immortal when they become a Holder,” he explained,” I’m still eighteen. Holders can’t physically grow anymore after they become a Holder.”

               “Wait, so I’m-“ I began to say.

               “Yep, you’re going to be sixteen forever. Now, I want you to go back to your room and pack up all of your stuff.”

               “But why?” I asked.

               “Because I’m going to take you far, far away from here. Somewhere Cameron will never find you. And I will protect you,” he explained,” We’ll leave at six o’clock on my ship. It’s called, ‘The Valkyrie’, and with it, we’ll be impossible to catch. Okay?”

               “Okay,” I said, mustering up the strength to stand up.

               “Alright, I’ll see you then,” he said.

 

 

               After that, I went back to my room, or rather, Cameron’s room, and began to pack what little things I had into a bag Alex had given to me.

               “What the fuck are you doing?” Cameron asked while chewing on an apple and standing in the doorway.

               I turned to look at her, threw the bag over my shoulders, then walked towards her but stopped before I got close enough for her to touch me. “I’m leaving,” I stated as plainly as I could, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

               She cackled and then spit the apple chewings in her mouth at my face. “Leaving?” she said, tossing the unfinished apple on the floor. She then started slowly walking towards me, and I backed up one step for every step she took towards me, until she had my back against the wall, my fear beginning to show on my face. “And where exactly do you plan on going, hmm?” she said as she pressed herself against me, her face mere millimeters from mine,” You are an outcast, an orphan with no family and no one to call ‘friend’ or a place to call ‘home’. And besides, even if you were to find someplace to stay, I would just come and get you, and then bring you back here. And yet despite all of this, you say that you’re ‘leaving’.”

               “I’m going with Alex,” I said as I pushed her away from me.

               The fury immediately showed on her face before she slapped me so hard, that I fell to the floor on my hands and knees.

               “GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!” she yelled while pulling me up by my collar,” YOU LITTLE FUCKING SHIT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?! WELL?! DO YOU BITCH?!” she then threw me back on the ground and paced around while running her fingers through her hair,” GOD DAMMIT! I TOLD YOU NOT TO EVEN GO NEAR HIM, AND NOW LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!”

               Finally, Kat took over.

               I rose to my feet and stood before her as Kat laughed in her face. “Well, well, well. We finally meet at last. I am Kat, The Holder Item of Animals.  Because Kate gave up her sub consciousness to get this,” Kat said as I rose my hand to show Cameron the ring on my finger,” I am able to take control of her body whenever I want, making it now belong to me. And I don’t appreciate you harming my new body,” she said as the finger nails on my hands turned into claws,” So now, I’m going to fuck you up,” she said.

               Then, she made me lunge at Cameron, and she scratched Cameron across her face with my claws. The strike was so powerful, it sent her to floor. “Oh,” she said,” and if you ever try to harm my new body ever again, I will not hesitate to kill you, because you were right about one thing: I am a total bitch. Toodaloo!” she said as I got up and walked over to the door.

               I picked up my bag off the floor on the way to the door and walked out into the hallway, after which, I was given back control of body, and my finger nails returned to normal, and I walked towards the exit.

               Not a minute after I started walking towards the exit, Cameron had crawled out into the hallway, and with her hand covering her scarred face, she began screaming my name at the top of her lungs.

               But I ignored her, and just kept walking towards my new life, a better life.

 

 

 

MANY YEARS LATER

               I woke up with a start. I looked at my surroundings and confirmed that I was, in fact, still in my bed, in my room, on the Valkyrie, Aidan’s ship which he got from the war, but eventually gave to Alex.

               It was just a dream, I told myself, trying to calm down.

               But not just any dream, the same dream you’ve been having every night for the past month, Kat’s voice said inside my head, Kate, this has to stop.

               I realized she was right. This has been haunting me ever since it first happened. Ever since I escaped her with Alex, and she started chasing us no matter where we went, or what we did. She also kept her promise of killing anyone who found out the truth, and has been harming anyone who even so much as thinks of helping us. One month ago, she burned down an entire city that we had made a stop in, and nearly captured me and got away. But thanks to everyone’s help, we got away.

               For the past two hundred years, Alex and I have been exploring the universe, along with all of his former comrades from his company during the war, and also a peculiar child named Alice, who appears to have the same powers as Alex, but isn’t a Holder. We adopted her and her “brother”, as she calls it, but really it’s just a stuffed rabbit that she carries with her and thinks is alive. We also adopted the son and daughter of a former comrade of Alex. The only reason we adopted Rikku and Hikaru was because that was their father Dallas’ last wish before he died.

               Wait, Alex! I thought with a sudden realization. But when I looked to the spot on the bed next to me where he usually slept, he wasn’t there.

               “Alex?” I said, beginning to panic.

               Silence.

               “Alex?!” I repeated, panic settling in.

               “Watchuwant?” he said as he poked his head through the cracked door.

               I breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing, I just had a bad dream,” I explained with a relieved smile.

               “Do you… wanna talk about it?” he pondered.

               “No, I’m fine.”

               “Good. Now get up and get dressed already so we can have some breakfast,” he said before going back to the kitchen.

               I hopped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen. “Good morning,” I said to everyone sitting at the table. “Wait, where’s everyone else?” I asked when I noticed that nearly all the seats were empty.

               “They’re out doing a contract,” Rikku said as she got up to hug me.

               “Good morning, Miss Katie!” Sierra and Alice said in perfect unison. Sierra is a ten year old girl who was turned into a cyborg as an experiment by her father. We didn’t adopt her, she just came with Blake, one of Alex’s comrades, who decided to take care of her after he rescued her.

               “How many times do I have to tell you,” I said grabbing Alice’s cheeks,” to call me ‘Mom’?”

               She giggled and said,” Sorry Mom!”

               “And Sierra, call me Auntie,” I said grabbing her cheeks.

               “Well what if I called you grandma instead?” She proclaimed with a blank stare and emotionless tone.

               This was followed by a long, awkward silence.

               “So,” I said walking behind the kitchen counter, trying to change the conversation topic,” what do you all want for breakfast.”

               “CHEESE!” Alex yelled comically,” FOR EVERYONE!!”

               I gave him a look that told him that I was not amused.

               “How about pancakes and bacon?” Rikku suggested.

               “Yeah! Yeah! Pancakes and bacon!” Sierra and Alice said, once again, in perfect unison.

               “Well then it’s settled. Pancakes and bacon it is. But first I need to talk to Alex about something,” I said before I walked into the hallway, out of earshot from the kids.

               “What is it?” he pondered as he stood, smiling, next to me.

                 “It’s about Cameron,” I said.

               At the mention of Cameron, his smile immediately disappeared.

                “She has been hunting us relentlessly ever since I ran away. We’ve caused the deaths of so many people just by accepting their hospitality. We have had to struggle and scrounge up the dirt just for supplies. We’ve had to even accept contracts that we would have never accepted otherwise. And this has been causing stress on all of us, not just me. Now, sure you, Joy, Blake, Jack, Tony, Eddy, and Aidan are all used to this kind of stress because of what you went through during the war, but the rest of us are not.”

               “Well what about Hikaru? He seems to be doing just fine,” Alex interjected,” In fact, if anything, he’s been excelling in these new kinds of jobs we’ve been taking.”

               “Yeah, but the only reason he’s able to handle that is because he’s used to it. When he and Rikku first lost their parents, he had to take care of both himself and Rikku. He accepted jobs from the Mafia, for God’s sake! But Alice, Rikku, and I are just not used to this kind of pressure and are not able to deal with it,” I said.

               “Wait, you just listed everyone except Sierra,” Alex pointed out.

               “Well, I mean, with Sierra, it’s just,” I paused to poke my head around the corner to confirm that the kids were still sitting at the table,” Sierra is just a cyborg! She hasn’t had many emotions since we first rescued her!” I replied.

               “What’s your point?!” Alex demanded.

               “My point is that it’s time we stop running and hiding, and face her. Alex, I want to fight her so that I can kill her,” I said as seriously as I could.

               “Kate-“ Alex began to say.

               “No! Alex, I can do this! You know I can, you said yourself that I’m powerful enough for me to have been a part of the 13 Gods of Holding!” I said.

               “Look,” Alex interjected,” When I said that, I was talking about Kat, not you. Speaking of which, did you even talk to Kat about this? What does she have to say about all this?”

               “Well, who the hell do you think came up with the idea, hmm?” Kat said, my eyes turning a dark purple.

               “Kat, I am trying to talk to Kate, so could you please go?” Alex requested, annoyed.

               “Ha ha ha ha, no. You see, I’ll tell you the REAL reason Kate wants to do this: Revenge. Revenge for all that she has done to us, revenge for all the innocent lives lost, revenge for the suffering of the people Kate loves, revenge for what she did to Kate that has been causing her to have all of these nightmares,” Kat explained.

               “Whoa, whoa, whoa, nightmares? What nightmares?” Alex asked, curious.

               “She didn’t tell you?” Kat said as my cheeks turned red from embarrassment,” She has been having nightmares for months now. Which is exactly why, after some time of me trying and failing to counsel her on it, we have decided that the best course of action is to end this.”

               Alex sighed and thought about it for a minute.

               “Alright, fine,” he finally said,” but under one condition.”

               He leaned in to whisper into my ear.

               “Fair enough,” Kat said after he finished telling us the ‘terms and conditions’.

               “Good,” he replied,” now how’s about we go eat some breakfast?”

               I nodded in agreement before following back into the kitchen, all while my eyes reverted back to their normal color and I was given back control of my body.

 

 

 

               “I’m ready. I can do this. I will defeat her,” I repeated to myself to stay motivated.

               I stood alone in the middle of a barren and rocky wasteland on an uninhabited planet, exactly where I had agreed to meet up with Cameron for our fight. The ground and giant boulders that shot up into the sky like skyscrapers all looked exactly the same, being a very light lavender color.

               “Did you come alone?” Cameron asked, appearing out of nowhere a few yards from me.

               “Yes,” I answered,” did you?”

               Cameron cackled insidiously. “Did you really think I would be so dim-witted as to come without help to carry you back with me?” she said as dozens of figures began to creep out of their hiding places.

               I gave her a sympathetic smile and giggled. “Did you really think that my over-protective husband would let me do something like this alone?” I retorted.

               Behind me I heard them slink out of the shadows: Aidan, being the Holder of Fire, lit flames in his hands; Joy moved her hair out of the way of her left eye so that she could use her powers as the Holder of Deception; Blake, the Holder of Devotion, drew out his katana; Jack, the Holder of Strength, grew immensely in size and looked like a body builder made of steroids; Tony, the Holder of Accuracy, cocking his guns; Hikaru, the Holder of Water, covering his hands with water as though he had on gloves with tentacles for fingers made of water; Eddy, the Holder of Speed, getting into a pre-running position; and Alex, the Holder of Imagination and Creation, walked up to stand beside me while materializing his scythe.

               “I told you so,” Alex whispered in my ear.

               “Wait,” I said, confused,” what do you mean? They’re just a bunch of scrubs.”

               “No, they’re not,” Alex rebuttled,” They’re Holders and SCP Users. Outcasts, deserters, and traitors from the war.”

               “Well then,” I said as my eyes turned purple and Kat took over,” Let’s get started.”

               ”Ready whenever you are, sweet cheeks,” Cameron teased.

               The battle started with one of Cameron’s thugs, the Holder of Shadows, sprinting towards us, then turning into a shadow on the ground, but not before Tony was able to shoot him in the shoulder. From there, chaos ensued.

               As Alex and the others kept Cameron’s men distracted, Cameron and I fought away from their skirmish, and I made the first move.

               I morphed into a cheetah, and began charging at Cameron.

               She used her powers of telekinesis to bring a massive boulder toppling to the ground, trying to block my path, but I changed to a kangaroo just as I came to the boulder, leapt over it, then changed back into a cheetah and continued my charge. But just as I was about to reach her, she used another rock to smack me aside, and I fell to the ground, back in my human form.

               “Did you really think that that was going to work?!” Cameron taunted,” I am the Holder of the Mind! I have telekinesis! I can do anything!” She then threw up her arms, as if lifting something, and behind her, rocks rose from the ground and floated in midair.”Now, prepare to take your punishment!” she said before throwing her arms, and the boulders followed.

               I morphed into a mole, and burrowed into the ground for cover. I dug around until I was right underneath her, and I shot out of the ground at her while morphing into a lion, and with my powerful jaw, I grabbed her left arm and tore it off.

               She yelled in pain and agony, then she used her right arm to lift up the piece of rock I was standing on, and threw against a skyscraper boulder.

               I barely managed to avoid being crushed by turning into a rabbit and jumping off the rock as soon as she lifted it up. When I hit the ground, I was a human again, only I now had cat ears, a tail, and cat paws, and I used my claws to stop myself from moving. Then I turned into a rhino and charged at her.

               She tried to counter my charge by throwing more boulders at me, but I smashed every one of them with my horn. Then, I landed a hit on her, my horn now stabbing her in the stomach. She pushed me away by flipping over the rock I was on, but as she did so, I turned into an anaconda and slithered around her, constricting her. I tightened myself around her as hard as I could, trying to make her guts spill out of her stomach wound. When that didn’t work, I let go and turned into a gorilla. I knocked her to the ground, stood on top of her, and raised my fist, poised to strike. The look of absolute fear on her face was tremendously satisfying. Then, I let my fist down upon her, pummeling her face in. After that I just couldn’t stop punching. I lost all control and blacked out.

               Suddenly I felt a hand resting on my shoulder, and I spun around prepared to kill whoever or whatever was trying to stop me.

               But it was Alex.

               The sight of his caring eyes calmed me down, and I reverted back to my human form as my eyes changed back to their normal cerulean blue. I looked at my now bruised fists, stained black red with blood. Then I looked at where Cameron’s head used to be, and almost threw up. The remains of her head were gruesome and horrendous. I felt a sharp pinging sensation in my knuckles and inspected them, only to see that there were pieces of Cameron’s skull lodged in my knuckles. But despite all of this, I knew this did not make me a monster, it made me stronger.

               I fell into Alex’s loving arms from exhaustion.

               “I told you so,” I retorted. I then smiled and began crying tears of joy.

               ‘I finally did it,’ I thought to myself,’ I won.’

               “Let’s go home,” Alex suggested.

               “Okay,” I said.

“What are we gonna do about that, sir?” Blake asked Alex as he approached the two, not the least bit disgusted by the scene.

“Well,” Alex said,” I guess we’ll just live it there for the vultures.”

“But what about the Holder Item?” Tony asked, his Bostonian accent thicker than ever,” I mean, we’re not just gonna leave it here for some poor guy to find it, are we?”

As Hikaru strolled over, he caught a glimpse of Cameron’s remains, the sight of which made him vomit profusely.

 “Alright everybody,” Alex said as he stood up and carried Kate in his arms,” Let’s go home.”

“I’m so tired,” I said faintly as I rested in his arms while carrying me back to the ship.

“I know Kate,” he said with regret in his eyes,” I know.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I haven’t seen anything that gruesome since the war,” he said, looking straight ahead.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Kate. It’s okay.”

And then we went home.

There really is no rest for the wicked.

The following is a note I took describing a conversation between Kevin and Alex. Surprisingly, I wasn't even inspired by anything. The idea just came to me.

Alex and Kevin are trapped in an abandoned mineshaft together.
Kevin: "Hey Alex. Can I ask you something?"
Alex: "Sure. What is it?"
Kevin: "Remember when you guys first found me, and we had to take care of that kid?"
Alex: "Lemme guess, you're wondering why I left him."
Kevin: "No, not really. I was actually thinking about something you said to him just before we left."
Alex: "Remember these two important things: Don’t trust anything you hear, and no matter what you do, no matter who you are, there is never any rest for the wicked. That what you're talking about?"
Kevin: "Yeah."
Alex: "Well, what about it?"
Kevin: "What did you mean by it?"
Alex: "Its something that I realized a very long time ago. You see, we Holders are doomed to a life of loneliness, agony, and regret. Hell, you're one lucky bastard if you're able to get yourself a wife who is immortal, especially when you consider the fact that the only way to do that would be to marry another Holder."
Kevin: "So, are female Holders rare or something?"
Alex: "No, not necassarily. Its just that you only have one true love. So if she ain't a Holder, you're fucked. But anyway, the point is that as a Holder, you pretty much have to accept the fact that your not good in everyone's eyes. In at least one person's eyes, you're the scum of the universe, and you deserve to go to hell. So we have to face that fact which makes us evil, learn to live and deal with it, and then do your best to minimize the number of people who hate you."
Kevin: "Fuck."
Alex: (Chuckles) "Yeah, I knew you might say that. 'Cus now that you're a Holder, you're wicked, just like the rest of us."
Kevin: "But why? Why does that make us wicked?"
Alex: "Kid, anyone who has power knows the truth plain and simple, that those who DON'T have power want it, and will do anything to get it. Basucally what I'm saying is that its our abilities as Holders which truely make us evil. No matter what, we end up killin' someone with 'em. And don't think you can just be a wolf in sheeps clothing either, cus it wont work. Trust me, I know from experience. You'll just end up hurting the one you love." [This is a reference to the fact that while at the Mansion, Alex, despite his suspicions, never did anything to help Kate from Cameron and David until Kate finally asked him to.]
Kevin: "So then, I'm going to live a horrible life from now on?"
Alex: "Not necessarily. I mean, you've got your true love."
Kevin: "You mean-?"
Alex: "Yep. Thats right. Rikku."
Kevin: "Wait, so you're not mad about my feelings toward her?"
Alex: "Hell no. She's not my daughter. Besides, sometimes I wonder if she even knows what the fuck the word 'love' means. I mean, have you seen the way she acts towards machinery?"
Kevin: (Blushes and giggles while thinking of Rikku) "Yeah."
Alex: "But, just because I'm okay with it, doesn't mean Hikaru is."
Kevin: (Still blushing and giggling) "Heh, yea- wait what?"
Alex: "Oh, yeah, you should see the way he protects her. I remember one time when we were at a pitstop, this guy started hitting on her, so Hikaru tried to kill him. [At this, Kevin cringes] And he would've done it, too, if Blake hadn't stopped him."
Kevin: (Gives a sad moan)
Alex: (Stands up) "Welp, I guess we should probably start trying to get out of here."
Kevin: (Sighs) "Yeah."

He was my master. Now he is my true love.

The following is one of the most intimate conversations Alex and Kate have ever had, as well as the first.

While Kate was still just Alex's servant at the Mansion, this happened:
Kate: "Good morning master."
Alex: (Groans) "Ugh, good morning Ka-"
Kate: "Is something wrong master?"
Alex: "Kate."
Kate: "Yes master?"
Alex: "Why the fuck am I naked?"
Kate: "I'm sorry?"
Alex: "I said, why the fuck am I naked. Y'know, no clothes on."
Kate: 'Shit. I guess I forgot to put his pants back on last night.'
Alex: (Gives Kate a frightening look) "Kate, why do you look so tired?"
Kate: (Nervously) "Oh, what, me? Tired? No. I'm not tired at all. In fact I'm wide awa-"
Alex: (Stands up in front of Kate intimidatingly)[Authors note: Yes he is still naked, and yes he is aware of that, he just doesn't give a fuck] "Kate. Tell me the truth. What have you been doing in the middle of the night."
Kate: (Shyly tries to turn away but is still blushing)
Alex: (Grabs Kate by her chin and forces her to look him in the eye) "Tell me."
Kate: (Gulps) "Well, I just thought that all servants duties are to please their masters, and I realized that you're always, um, well, y'know, .....evil, I guess is the right word. Anyways, I thought 'What could I do to fix this?' And my first thought was sex because thats what all the other servants do to please their masters, but since you wont have sex with me, I.... kind of.... started fucking you in your sleep."
[Long pause]
Alex: (Embraces her carringly) "You dumb bitch. I dont need sex to be happy. I just need your smile."
Kate: (Gets a SUPER BLUSH and becomes really embarrased)
Alex: "But I guess I just can't that through to you." (Turns away) "Starting tomorrow you'll be serving Joy Nightingale."
Kate: "Wait!"
Alex: (Stops)
Kate: "I'm pregnant!"
[Awkward silence]
Kate: "So, if you dont want to admit youre the father, even though youre the only one Ive ever had sex with, then thats fine by me."
Alex: "Kate, I'm not an idiot. I already know female servants like you cant get pregnant."
Kate: (Astonished)
Alex: (Turns and sees Kates expression) "Oh. I see... they never told you, did they?"
Kate: (Now crying tears of anger runs up to Alex and grabs him by his collar) [Authors note: First of all, yes, while they were talking he put some clothes on. Second of all, when I say 'grabs him by the collar', I dont mean she tried to lift him up. That would be crazy. He's about 6 inches taller than her.] "Tell me what?! What are you saying?!"
Alex: (Hugs her, and sits her down on the couch) "The government is afraid that if a Holder has children, even if with a non-Holder, then that child might be immortal and very powerful. So, they have all servants, male and female, spayed and neutered."
Kate: (Crying in his arms) "No. No. This cant be happening."
Alex: "Kate, listen. If you really want to.... you can continue being my servant."
Kate: (Crying settles down to sobbing) "R-Really?"
Alex: "Yes."
Kate: (Hugs him with all her strength) "Oh, thank you, Alex, I swear you wont regret it."
Alex: "You, I'd better not. Oh, and no more fucking me in my sleep."
Kate: (Freezes, then blushes from embarrassment and excitement) "So.... youre saying..... you want to have sex while still awake?"
Alex: "N-No! Kate! Just stop!"
Kate: (Depressed) "Oh.... okay...." (Gives him puppy dog eyes)
Alex: "Kate, I'm not gonna put you through the torture of being in a relationship with someone like me."
Kate: (Blushes, then playfully says) "I wouldnt call it torture per se. I mean, sometimes when I was having sex with you in your sleep, it would be like you were sleep walking..... only in this case it was sleep fucking."
Alex: "Wait, what?!"
Kate: "Yeah. It was so amazing whenever you would take over, while still completely asleep." (Giggles) "Its funny though. Because of it, I found out just how much of a heavy sleeper you are."
Alex: "Wha- IM NOT A HEAVY SLEEPER AT ALL!"
Kate: "Oh really? Then why is it, no matter how much I moaned, you never once woke up? Hmmm? I mean, really, there were so many occasions when I thought you had woken up. Usually it was because you had taken over, and whenever you do, you sometimes get rough, and I cant stop myself from moaning."
Alex: "Yeah, well, its gonna even be happening again, cus remember, no more sex."
Kate: (Embraces him erotically) "Please? I have needs too. After all, I'm a growing girl with raging hormones. Who knows what I could do?"
Alex: (Looks away, then thinks about it for a VERY long time) "Alright fine."
Kate: "YIPEE!"
Alex: "But just know, I'm warning you right now. Whatever happens from here on, could've easily been avoided."
Kate: (Confused)
Alex: (Gets up) "Now come on, lets go get some breakfast."
And so, Alex and Kate set off down the corridor to the dining hall, and although Alex didn't like it, Kate was embracing his arm all the way there, just like a clingy, but loving girlfriend.

Disclaimers

The following is information that is required.

1. The Holder them selves are based on the stories from http://theholders.org/

2. The SCP Foundation is based off of the series of stories from http://www.scp-wiki.net/

3. The character Sierra Celestia Pelletier is based off of SCP-191 originally posted here: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-191

4. The character Alice Carling is based off of SCP-239 originally posted here: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-239

5. The character Kenward Carling is NOT based on any SCP story, Holders story, or otherwise. Kenward Carling is a completely fictional and original character.

6. The character Jack Plaise is loosely based off of the real life Jack Patillo, however the only true shared traits are the magnificent beard and first name.

7. The character Jeff Bledsoe, or "Jagged Jeff", is based off of the character Jeff the Killer, a creepy pasta story originally posted here: http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Jeff_The_Killer

8. The character Markel Brewster is an interpretation of the unnamed agent which was tested on by SCP-212 also known as "The Improver", story originally posted here: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-212

The Holders Aftermath Ep 1 "And So It Begins" + "The Badlands Ballad"

And So It Begins

Inspirations:
“You Make Me Sick” –Egypt Central
She Thinks I Don’t Know

I hug my knees to my chest and press my back against the cold metal of my bed. I hear him opening the fridge door in the kitchen. ‘That bastard’ I think to myself ‘He’s doing it again. He’s drinking.’
My name is Kevin Conary. I am 14 years old, and I live in a run-down old house with my father, George Conary, my mother, my younger sister, and youngest brother. My father is an alcoholic, and sometimes beats us. He doesn’t beat me anymore, but he said that it’s because when I got in a fight in school when I was 12, I proved myself ‘worthy’, whatever that means. But he still beats my younger brother and sister, and even beats my mom. The only reason my mom doesn’t do anything about it is because she’s too afraid. We’re all too afraid to do anything. I still don’t understand why my mom married him. She makes up excuses for him, saying things like ‘It’s because of what happened to him during the war’ and ‘It’s just a one-time thing. He’s not going to do this again, I promise.’
I hear him pop the cap off a beer bottle, drink it, and then sigh. He slams the door closed and goes back to the couch to watch TV. The TV blares all throughout the ‘house’, if you could even call it that. I clench my fists tightly out of anger and frustration, but my fingernails are sharp and uncut, and I end up cutting my palm. As the blood seeps through my finger tips, I contemplate and plan what I would do if I could make him stop.
Creeeek. “Kevin?” my little sister pokes her head through my door after carefully creaking it open.
“What’s wrong Melona?” I respond.
“Can I sit with you?” She answers, “I was gonna sit in the family room, but dad’s in there.”
“Come on,” I said, patting the bed.
She walked over and reached her little arms out in a ‘help me up’ gesture. I pulled her up onto my bed and sat her next to me. She had her favorite pink blanket and stuffed bear with her, and she hugged them tight as she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Why does he do this?” she asked, “Why does he drink the way he does?”
“I don’t know Melona,” I responded, “I just don’t know.”
I looked down at her and saw she was asleep. I decided to follow her lead and also try and get some rest.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” my mom screamed.
I jolted awake. “Mom?!” I yelled.
I looked next to me and saw Melona was no longer by my side. I ran out into the hallway to see what was going on. When I got out there and looked down the hall towards the family room, I saw my father standing there, a blood covered knife in his hand, and the dead body of Melona lying on the floor in front of him. I got in the hallway just in time to see him stab my mother.
I backwards onto the floor, and backed against the wall. Then, the rage hit me. I stood up, prepare to strike him, when I heard a voice calling to me.
‘You’re not going to be able to do it’ the voice said, ‘At least, not without me’
I turned to look into my parents’ bedroom, where the voice was coming from. Ignoring my mother’s cries for help, I ventured into the room, and saw on the dresser a ring the color of ice. It was surrounded by a dry ice-like fog.
‘That’s right’ the voice said, ‘Come on now. I won’t bite. Just pick me up, put me on, and I’ll help you’
And then, I blacked out.
When I regained consciousness, my father was standing in front of me, mouth gaping open, and blood flowing out of it. I looked down at his chest and saw that there was a giant ice spike stabbing him. I followed the spike to its source, and saw it was coming from the ring, which was now on my hand. I quickly pulled the spike away and out of my father’s chest, and the ice immediately disappeared. My father went tumbling onto the now blood stained floor, next to my mother and sister.
‘I’ve killed him’ I thought to myself, ‘what have I done? They’re dead.’
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” I heard from the room down the hall.
“Josh,” I said to myself. I started to walk towards him, but stopped dead in my tracks.
‘No,’ I thought, ‘I can’t. I have to run away.’
I ran out the door without a second thought. I didn’t know where exactly I was going, I just knew I was going.

Inspiration: “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” –Cage the Elephant

MANY MONTHS LATER
If there's one thing I should have known, it’s that there are no second chances in life. Once you’ve done something, it’s done, and it cannot be erased or forgotten. Instead you just have to try to get over it, move on with your life, and hope things get better.
But I didn’t know that, and I had to figure it out the hard way. By losing my family and all I held dear to me. By becoming a beast of a man. By running from my former life and living out on the streets alone. I had just about given up on life until one day, a man walked up to me and said, “Are you Kevin Conary?”
I was sitting on the sidewalk, laying against the brick wall of some building, too starved to stay alive. “Y-yes”, I managed to say.
He then kneeled in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders and said, “My name is Alex. I served with your father during the war.”
At the mention of my father, I immediately clenched my fists in rage and fury. “Shut up,” I said.
“I’m sorry?”
“I SAID SHUT UP!” I yelled louder now, “I don’t want to hear a god damn thing about that man.”
“Look,” he said, grabbing the sides of my head with both hands, “I know what you did. I know you killed him. But I don’t give a shit. He may have been my comrade during the war, but that didn’t mean I liked him. I just want to help you.
“What you have here,” he said pulling up my hand to display the ring I had on it that was once my father’s, “Is a very dangerous power, and those who don’t know how to use it, but use it anyways, will nine times out of ten end up killing everyone around them. I just want to help.” With this, his grip on me loosened, and he sat next to me against the wall.
“Y’know kid, I used to be just like you. Confused, angry, hurt, angsty, etc. But then I met this girl. She later turned out to be the love of my life, and later we got married. Now, we have two adopted children, and have been living happily for hundreds of years,” he said.
“Hundreds of years?!?!” I yelled in astonishment.
“That’s right, kid. I’m immortal. And so is the rest of my crew. And just about every other Holder there’s ever been. But,” he continued, “Most Holders don’t survive on their own. In fact, chances are, you’ll die in a few days.
“Unless,” he said, standing up now and reaching out his hand, “You join my crew.”
I hesitated and stared at his hand. Then, I grabbed it, he pulled me up, and we shook hands.
“So,” he said, “We got a deal?”
“Yeah,” I said, “We got a deal.”

AND NOW, FOR THE CONTINUATION

Inspiration: Trigun Badlands
THE BADLANDS BALLAD
“Hey, kid,” A voice called to him.
Isaac looked up to see a tall man in a dark navy blue coat and black hat towering above him.
“Ugh, what is it? Whaddyou want?” Isaac mumbled, drowsy and still half asleep from his nap.
“Well, nothin’, really, just wanted to know if you knew where I could find Isaac Bledsoe.”
“Why?”
“Well, see, I served with his father, Jeff, during the war, and recently Jeff died. But before he died he asked me to look after his son until he was old enough to live on his own.”
Isaac jumped up with surprise. “Really?! You served with my father?!”
The man responded with a surprised and worried look.
“Oh, uh,” Isaac said, trying to compose himself, “I mean, what makes you think he’s here?”
The man gave an agitated look. “Look kid,” he said, “Are you Isaac Bledsoe, or not?”
“YES! NOW PUT ME DOWN ALREADY!”
The man let go and Isaac fell with thud.
“So, uh, you said you served with my father during the war, is that true?” Isaac asked, wiping the dirt of his clothes.
“Yeah,” the man said, his face suddenly depressed.
“Oh wow!” Isaac said excitedly, “That’s amazing!”
A sudden realization came to Isaac.
“But wait, was what you said about him dying also true?” Isaac said with a worried look on his face.
The man knelt down to meet eyes with Isaac. “I’m afraid so. Your father, Jeff Bledsoe, is dead.”
Isaac slowly began to cry at the death of his beloved father.
“OW!” The man suddenly yelled, “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!”
Isaac peered over his shoulder to see a beautiful young woman standing behind the man. She was wearing a pair of black shorts and a green t-shirt. Her hair was as black as, well, nothing is that black. It was as though she somehow had hair that was darker than black. But her eyes were an emerald green. She also had in her hand an umbrella. But she also looked mad. Very mad.
“God dammit Alex!” she yelled, the fury in her eyes giving her the appearance of a vengeful demon, “Don’t you think you could’ve broken the news to him a little more gently?!”
“What were you expecting, Joy?!” The man, Alex, yelled as he stood up to face her.
As their eyes met, they locked foreheads together and stared intently, as if they were waging a war with their eyes.
Out of nowhere another woman, more beautiful than the first, stepped out from behind the two. She was wearing a yellow sun dress, had red-orange hair with bright blue eyes, and a warm smile on her face.
“Hi sweetie,” she said to Isaac, gently grabbing his hands, “My name is Kate. This man right here in the coat is my husband, Alex. The woman he’s having an intense yet silent argument that seems like could decide the fate of the world with is Joy.”
As soon as Kate spoke, it seemed as though the entire area was in a state of tranquil peace that would last forever.
“H- Hi Kate,” Isaac sobbed.
“Oh, please don’t cry,” Kate said, hugging him, “Just know that everything is going to be alright from here on out now that we’re here, okay?”
“O- Okay,” Isaac whimpered as he hugged her back.
Alex looked onto the scene with a sense of… something… it was a feeling he didn’t recognize by name, but knew he had felt before.
“C’mon, kid” Alex said, kneeling down to pat Isaac on the back, “Let’s go pack up your stuff.”
Isaac let out a sob. “But I don’t have any stuff.”
All at the same time and in perfect sync, Kate, Alex, and Joy each became confused beyond reasoning.
“Uh-“Joy stuttered, “But then what is this place?” She said, gesturing to the door of the building they were standing outside of.
The building itself was definitely nothing to be marveled at. It looked as though it were straight out of a documentary about the Wild West. This seemed hurtfully stereotypical, as they were in the middle of a great big dessert, with no sign of civilization anywhere, except for the city silhouetted against the sunset on the horizon.
“This is just some old hunting cabin that I always use to hide.”
This seemed to puzzle the trio even more.
“Hey, boss,” Blake called out as he and Kevin walked up towards the cabin, “we checked the surrounding area like you said, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone else here.”
“Ugh,” Alex sighed in frustration, “What do you mean ‘hunting cabin’? There’s no way there’s anything on this desert planet that could be hunted.”
“Um actually,” Kevin interjected, “This planet wasn’t always like this.”
“Who the hell are you?” Joy said, her hand over her eye patch, ready to fight.
“That’s Kevin Conary,” Alex answered.
“What?! You mean, that’s George’s son?!” Joy exclaimed.
“Yep,” Blake said.
“Ugh, taking in two kids in one day, are you serious?” Joy complained.
“Well, look on the bright side,” Kate said.
“Well?” Joy responded.
“Oh, y’know, I honestly can’t think of one right now,” Kate giggled.
“ERRRR!” Joy moaned, then walked away saying, “Fucking bullshit brats.”
“Oh!” Alex said, “I just realized! Kevin! You live on this planet.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s kind of obvious,” Kevin mumbled under his breath.
“So, do you know this kid?” Alex asked.
Kevin stared intently at Isaac before moving up for a closer look.
“Uh, no, can’t say I’ve seen him before.”
“Damn. So then you don’t know where he actually lives, then, huh,” Alex said.
“Oh, well don’t have a home,” Isaac explained.
“What?!” They all exclaimed in surprise except for Blake.
“Well, see, when my Mom died, my Dad started acting different. Then, one night, he said he was going to go to the bar to ask if anyone could provide him with a job to help pay the bills, but he never came home. Eventually some men in suits came to my house and told me that I had to leave. So, I came here, where I usually played with my friends. I’ve been all alone out here ever since.”
“I see,” Alex said, “Well, you’re not anymore. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Uh, sir,” Blake interjected.
“Dammit Blake, can’tcha see I’m tryin’ to have a moment here?!” Alex said.
“But sir, those men in suits were probably the IRS coming to reclaim everything that Jeff owned, meaning-“
“Meaning Jeff’s debts probably haven’t been repayed,” Alex said, finishing Blake’s sentence.
“Well what makes you think that?” Kevin asked.
“Well,” Blake said, “If Jeff had had any relatives, they probably would’ve heard about Jeff’s disappearance, and would’ve come to take care of Isaac already. You see, the Jeff started years ago. So, since no family has been contacted yet, he must have none. Meaning there was no one to repay his debts.”
“Started? Started what?” Kevin asked.
“Never mind that. What’s important right now is that we repay those debts for him. Or else they’ll be given to Isaac as soon as he turns 18, only it’ll cost more due to interest,” Alex said.
“But wait,” Kevin said, “Who the hell is this Jeff you keep talking about?”
“Jeff Bledsoe,” Alex said.
Kevin immediately knew who they were speaking of.

Years ago, a man named Geoff Bledsoe was walking home from the bar drunk off his ass. He was seething with rage at the fact that none of the people whom he thought were his friends had agreed to lone him some money so that he could take care of his son. But while he was walking home, he came across those same people who dared to call themselves his ‘friends’.
“Ehehe,” he laughed maniacally, “Hey guys.”
They all turned around to see him holding a piece of glass tightly in his hand.
“CHECK IT OUT, I FOUND A SHIV, BITCH!” he yelled before lunging at the closest man and tackling him to the ground. He then began stabbing the man, over and over again.
In total, he stabbed each of the three men 37 times in the chest.
After that night, he had a very high bounty of 45 million bitcoins on his head. A bounty given to him by the government for killing 3 senators.

As soon as Kevin came to this realization, ha was about to argue against paying the man’s debts, when he saw that Alex’s eyes were glued to him.
Alex was giving Kevin a look that said “I swear to god, you’d better shut your fucking mouth now before I rip it off, boil it, mash it, stick it in a stew, and serve it at a fancy restaurant to some rich assholes, saying some bullshit like ‘it’s a French delicacy’.”
Scared for his life, Kevin kept his mouth shut.
“Alright, now let’s go into that city, find the bank Geoff used, and repay his debts,” Alex said heroically.
“Sir, we don’t even have enough money,” Blake pointed out.
“What do you mean?”
“Well sir,” Blake continued, “By my estimates, Geoff was probably at least 34 million bitcoins in debt.”
“WHAT?!” Alex yelled, “WE DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY! Oh! Yes we do! We just got 45 million bitcoins for, uh, that last job we did. Yeah, y’know, that one, haha,” Alex laughed nervously.
“But Alex,” Kate whispered in his ear, “That was 45 million bitcoins if we caught Geoff alive, and 30 if dead.”
“Hey,” Joy interjected, shouting from a few dozen yards away over at the ship, “Maybe those guys could spare some cash!”
Everyone turned to look where Joy was pointing, only to see a plume of dust coming their way. But it was what was causing the plume of dust that really worried the group.
It was a large group of people, most likely thieves, that seemed to be very hungry.
As the thieves drew closer, Alex noticed that they had a tank.
“OH SHIT!” Kevin yelled, before cowering behind Blake.
Blake grabbed the handle of one of the swords on his belt and popped it out a few inches, ready to fight.
“Stand down, Blake,” Alex said as he walked away from the cabin and towards the oncoming gang, “I’ve got this.”
The moment the thieves arrived, the tank parked horizontally from Alex, as if providing cover to the thieves on foot. But suddenly, two more tanks appeared from out of the dust plume, and took positions on either side of the first tank.
Alex grinned with excitement.
Suddenly, the first tank’s hood popped open, and out stepped a man clad in a brown cloak. He had brown hair and brown eyes, as well as a brown mustache.
The man hopped off the tank, and swaggered up to face Alex.
“So,” the man said, “You’re Alex Maynord. Hmph. I imagined you to be… more muscular.”
“And who might you be?” Alex demanded.
“Hahaha! I’m glad you asked! I am the great and powerful Keith!” The man boasted.
Joy covered her mouth to hide her smile, but still giggled at the man. She then broke into full laughter.
“WHAT’S SO FUNNY?!” Keith shouted.
“It’s just, your name is Keith! I mean, can you honestly imagine someone saying ‘Oh, watch out for that Keith! He’ll getcha!’ And actually being serious?” Joy said.
“So then, Keith,” Alex interjected, “What is it exactly that you want?”
“RESPECT GOD DAMMIT!” Keith yelled, his face now less than an inch away from Alex’s, “It’s people like that bitch over there that really piss me off! I’ve never been able to get respect from anyone thanks to this god awful name my mother gave me.”
“Well then why don’t you just go by a nickname or something?” Kevin suggested.
“DAMMIT! THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I WANT PEOPLE TO RESPECT AND FEAR ME BY MY REAL NAME, KEITH HUMPERDINK!”
With this revelation, Joy, Kevin, Isaac, and Kate all burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Hahaha! His last name is Humperdink!” Joy burst out while laughing.
“Well then tell me, Mr. Humperdink, if no one respects you, then who the hell are all of these guys?” Alex asked, gesturing to all the men around the tanks.
“Why these are my men of course! They also bear the same burden that I do!” Keith answered.
“You mean they’re all named Keith, too?” Alex asked.
“Er, well, sort of. Some of them are named Keith, but others just had parents who were complete assholes and decided to name their children ridiculous things. Like Hugh over here,” Keith said while pointing to the front of the tank.
“Uh, who?” Alex pondered.
“Wha? Oh, right sorry, Hugh’s one of our tank drivers. HEY HUGH! WHY DON’T YA COME OUT HERE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF!”
Suddenly, a man’s head popped out of the entrance. He had a very burly and almost comical black mustache, along with several black streaks of grease across his face.
“Hi! I’m Hugh Janus! Nice ta meet ya!” The man said.
Joy and Kevin now burst out in laughter, complaining that their sides were hurting.
“Oh, please, no more, you’re killing me,” Kevin said.
Hugh then started crying and yelled, “I HATE YOU GUYS!” before crawling back inside of the tank.
“NO! HUGH, WAIT!” Keith yelled, “GAH! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!”
Keith pulled out from his belt his revolver and pointed it straight at Alex’s face.
With this, everyone got quiet.
“WAIT! BOSS!” A voice called from inside one of the tanks, “Are you sure you wanna do that?! That’s the guy who was able to defeat ‘Jagged’ Jeff Bledsoe! He killed the guy without even breaking a sweat!”
“AH! WHAT?!” Keith yelled, “THAT CAN’T BE!”
“NO, BOSS, IT’S TRUE!” Another voice called out.
Keith’s legs began to shake in fear.
“Still wanna shoot me?” Alex said, “Go ahead, try it. I fucking dare you.”
“Eh, ah, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! FUCK YOU!!!” Keith then pulled the trigger, put the gun was for some reason pointing upwards now.
“AH! WHAT THE-“ Keith managed to say before Alex sent him flying.
What Alex had done was, just before he pulled the trigger, Alex ducked down, hi kicked Keith’s hand so the gun was pointing upwards, punched Keith in the leg, then headbutted Keith in the chest as he fell, sending Keith flying backwards towards the tank, and the revolver spinning away in the opposite direction.
“SIR!” Hugh yelled as he jumped out, grabbed Keith, and pulled him back into the tank.
“EVERYBODY FALL BACK!!” Keith ordered.
Suddenly, the tanks had driven away leaving nothing but a cloud of dust.
Kate was distracted by the fighting, and wasn’t paying attention to the fact that Isaac had run out to grab the revolver.
As soon as Alex turned around, he saw Isaac standing there, 10 feet in front of him, pointing the gun at him.
“You,” Isaac said, “It was you, wasn’t it. IT WAS YOU WHO KILLED MY FATHER!” Isaac fired the gun at Alex, but missed completely.
“Heh,” Alex said, dipping his head, “You’re right. And you should’ve seen it too, the way he was begging for mercy like a coward,” Alex said as he slowly began to walk towards Isaac.
“STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU JACKASS!” Isaac yelled as he fired another bullet, this time shooting off Alex’s hat.
“What is he doing?” Kevin said.
“Leave him be. He knows exactly how to handle these kinds of situations,” Blake said.
“MY FATHER WAS NOT A COWARD!” Isaac yelled as he fired off another bullet, this time grazing Alex’s cheek, and making him bleed.
Alex looked up at Isaac, and what Isaac saw still haunts him to this day. He saw Alex in his most feared look, the look of a demon.
“OH, BUT HE WAS!” Alex screamed, as though he were a psychopath, “That man loved to shank people from behind before stealing their money and defiling their corpses!”
“YOU SHUT UP! MY FATHER WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!” Isaac yelled as he fired yet another bullet, this time grazing Alex’s ear.
“Oh, but alas he did,” Alex cheered in an Irish accent, “I’m terribly sorry, young lad, but I’m afraid that after the war, yer precious papa still had a taste far blood, one that made him fall into a deep depression over.”
“SHUT UP!!” Isaac yelled before firing the gun, this time nailing Alex in the chest.
Alex now grabbed Isaac by his collar, pulled him up to his face, and said in his original voice, “Oh, NOW I get it. Little boy wanna play creepy pasta roleplay, is it? JUST YOUR FATHER! But what’re you going to do next, hmm?!”
Isaac took that bottom of the handle, and swung it at the side of Alex’s head, but Alex stopped him by grabbing his hand. He then let go of Isaac and let him drop to the ground.
Alex took the revolver, pointed it at Isaac’s head, and pulled the trigger.
CLICK.
Alex threw the gun away.
“And that’s exactly what got that dumb bastard killed. He became so immersed in his own little fantasy world that he just started killing, raping, and maiming whenever he pleased.”
Alex then went to go pick up his hat. But as soon as he did so, he said, “But you listen, and you listen good, kid. If you wanna be like your dear old dad and become a psychopath, fine by me. It’ll just give me another bounty to round up, thus putting more money in my pocket. Just make sure that you don’t also kill your wife, like he did.”
“No,” Isaac said, crying, “No, that can’t be true. He told me she died because a poisonous snake bit her.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Isaac, when you grow up, just make sure you remember these two important things: Don’t trust anything you hear, and no matter what anybody does, there is never any rest for the wicked.”
And with that, the crew flew off the planet, with their new crew member, Kevin, on board.