Black Lake Falls, Part 1

Hahaha. Fuck. So we called Fracture out. We killed Black Lake's resident Archivist, destroyed all the information in the library that Fracture was likely waiting for the Archivist to finish collecting so Fracture could steal it all for himself, and then we announced what we did and revealed all the likely classified information about Black Lake that Fracture probably didn't want to see get out. And we got what we wanted. And what we wanted swiftly kicked our asses.

We were snooping around the hotel. We needed to find that statue. There would be no greater leverage to use against Fracture than the Statue that was keeping this town safe from all the angry inpatient fears that wanted to storm in and make it their own by ripping it a new one. That's when I got a call from Fracture. I waved Picasso over and pressed the little green receive button and the speaker phone function.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!" yelled Picasso at the phone.

It was quiet for a moment, then Fracture spoke. "What the fuck are you waiting for. Say what I told you to say, Mutt."

I felt my heart sink... as Duckie's voice came clear as day though the phone.

"I-I..."

"Sound it out."

"On... roof... get me..."

"I... yeah sure. Close enough." And then Fracture hung up.

I sensed an obvious trap, not that it mattered. Picasso was already half way up the stairs living me little option but to follow. If it was a trap, she was gonna need help.

I let her run out onto the roof ahead of me and waited for whatever the trick might be from the door infront of the stairs. Fracture and Duckie... god damn... he really is alive... they were standing out in the middle of the roof waiting for us like bait.

"Here it is, Picasso. This is what you wanted right? To have your little fight with Duckie."

Picasso rushed at them both like a moron. Duckie sidestepped her, caught her by her collar, and then used her own momentum to throw her back sending her tumbling to the floor. If there was gonna be an ambush, I figured they would have dove out when Picasso did that so I decided it was probably safe to come out and help.

I ran over to Picasso when Fracture pulled out his gun and fired several shots at my feet. I instinctively dodged... big fucking mistake. Never dodge Fracture. He never shoots to kill. Always to guide you somewhere.  I dove for cover and from around that cover sprang 7 proxies.... cute.

Five hollows, I think. I can never tell with Fracture, he likes to mix masked mutes in with his hollows. And Sloth and my little Maggot. Seven people he knew I wouldn't kill.

Fracture took a step and was suddenly perched behind me on a statue like a cat taking the high ground... or a bird.

"Now now, Moth. Can't have you interrupting Picasso and Duckie's big reunion. You'll have to wait your turn."

I tried to fight my way out of the seven of the seven of them but its hard to fight your way out of circle.  Swing one way and they'll get you in the back. Swing the other and they'll pull a foot out from under you. Toying with me. They probably could have killed me there but that didn't seem to be the plan. He was gonna have Duckie kill us one at a time... give us what we were asking for... asshole.

I caught glimpses of Picasso fighting but I couldn't really focus on it. It didn't look like she was doing very good on her own. Every time I caught a peek she was being thrown back with a punch or just actually being thrown.

She started yelling at him. She threw a fucking fit.

"Is that ALL YOU'VE GOT!? You need MORE people so I can KILL YOU ALL OUTRIGHT! DO YOU HEAR ME, FRACTURE? When I finish with Duckie, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE!"

She was losing. 'Everyone'. Bold statement...

That's when Nat showed up.

"The fuck is going on here?"

"FIGHTING FUCKFACE AND DUCKIE. Whats it look like?"

"You shouldn't be here..." said Fracture dropping unsteadily from his Statue and drawing his gun. His face... he'd had the biggest fucking grin up to now but it was gone now. Nothing but a serious look of concern. A variable had shown up and it was threatening all those precious little plans of his.

He pointed out three of the hollows that had been on me and pointed to Nat. "You three, with me... Kill her."

The three of them stepped back and moved over to her. "Pincer three maneuver." I was familiar with that one... pin down and execute. He was really gonna do it. Not sure... why...

"... Motherfucker, this is what I get for being nosy. You know, I wasn't going to interfere, but if you want me killing your men... fuckwit..."

Didn't matter I guess. She struggled a bit under his gun fire until she realized he wasn't shooting to kill.

"What, you're too much of a chickenshit to shoot at me but you'll send your goons to kill me?"

 "It's not my cup of tea. Guess this isn't fooling anyone anymore." Then the gun fire stopped. I'm assuming he put his gun away.

Not long after that she made short work of them. Sloth is shit in a fight and I actually taught Maggot how to fight so without their copious backup, I was able to get them both on their asses and leave to go help Picasso while Nat finished dealing with her stooges.

...

I got a look at Fracture as she finished cutting one of them down... I sympathize with hollows myself... their deaths are a tragedy. It's like shooting a puppy in the face... it may have been doing wrong but it doesn't know any better. It's just a dog...

But that look Fracture gets whenever something dies in front of him would almost make it worth cutting one down. It's as if someone had actually shot a puppy in front of him. He stiffens... goes wide eyed... seems to be in complete disbelief that that was possible before he snaps back from his shock, shaken... if only for a moment.

I have no doubt that if Nat hadn't arrive, he would have left when it came time for Duckie to finish it... he doesn't have the stomach for this shit.

...

Right... the fight. So while Nat was still dealing with her hollows, I went to help Picasso. The fight had taken a turn from bad to worse. Where previously she was being thrown around, he'd pulled his knife now. Picasso kept swinging with her hatchets but he always dodged and moved around her. And every time he did that he cut her open somewhere. Nothing vital... he was gonna bleed her out.

By the time I had gotten over to her, she was bleeding bad and down to a knee.

"Not... good enough... again..." spat out Duckie in crude broken sentences... I was kind of surprised he could talk on his own, I have to assume Fracture taught him a few lines to fuck with us.

I moved between him and Picasso. I... he grinned.... what passes for a grin on that big ugly sandpapered face.

I came at him. This was the moment I'd been training for. Everything I had been waiting for... it was finally time to prove I was better than Duckie... but... I wasn't. EVERY attack I made got countered with a hard punch in the kidney. I kept trying. I kept swinging until I could hardly stand and what I was doing turned into a desperate flailing.

I made a huge fucking mistake.

In the middle of the fight I heard Fracture giving new orders to Sloth and Maggot.

"Maggot, plan C."

"Plan C?" asked Sloth. Then he cried out in pain.

"Plan C. Excecute the traitor."

"MOTHERFUCKER."

I tried to turn to look and make sure he was okay. That got me firm first in the gut... I crumpled to the floor gasping for air.

I stared for a moment, wheezing for air and desperately trying to get off the ground.

I could see Nat... trying to help Sloth. Then extreme discomfort as Duckie lifted me to my feet to face him by my head.

"Don't... deserve... mask...WEAK!" declared Duckie. I tried to get free but he didn't give me much time before he pulled his head back and fucking headbutted me in the face. Then things went black for little while.

I didn't stay down long. I about drowned in the blood that had started pooling in my mask. I popped up for air, apparently still at Duckies feet. Apparently Picasso was beside me now. I could hear her.

 "OH NO! You're not getting me with that-" she yelled and then suddenly got quiet. "...again...?"

I looked up... apparently Picasso had tried to use her brother's sword... and I guess that didn't work. Because Duckie had it... and he had run her through with it.

I pulled my mask to my face... its cracked to shit now... barely holds together... It looked like that was gonna be it... we were gonna die.

That's when I heard Sloth come charging across the roof.
"N-No! Patrica!" he yelled. He jumped on Duckie's back and threw his weight back, pulling the both of them over to the ledge and away from us. Nat ran over.

"Moth, now's the time if you're gonna do this..."

I... fucked up. She was talking about finishing Duckie... but we were so fucked up... I thought she was telling us to get out of there. I grabbed Picasso and ran... I should have finished Duckie...

I lifted Picasso up and opened a path portal.

Stopped... Turned back for a moment..

"This is how it started, huh, Donald...? Let's end it like this too!" declared Sloth... both of them went off the side of the building... I couldn't watch beyond that... I left through the portal and started bandaging Picasso up in our room. I... assumed they had both died. Apparently not...

...

I wasn't even finished bandaging up Picasso before she started struggling and trying to get to her feet. She pushed me aside. "H-Have... to get back there... KILL... Duckie..."

I grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her to sit back down. "Th-They're still there! W-We have to finish this! Th-They're still there! They have to be!"

I stared her down... shook my head. I think that was when she actually realized how fucked up we both where and stopped trying to stand back up.

She glared angrily at the wall as I finished sewing and bandaging her up... snapped my nose back into place.

We were packing up to leave... we had to get the hell out of there and regroup somewhere where Fracture couldn't wait us out with another ambush... that's when there was a knock at the door.

I cautiously looked through the peep hole... I... couldn't believe my eyes. It was Red... she was standing at our door waiting for us... I... I assumed it was a trap. She had a knife in one hand and a mask around her neck. We were heading for the window when she called out. "Hello?! I-I found it for you! I've been good! I-I swear."

...What?

I wasn't about to take anymore chances. I kept moving to climb out the window. I was on the other side of it too... when I realized Picasso had abandoned my plan and opened the door to let Red in.

I climbed back in... as it turned out, Red had come to help us... for some reason. And she came baring Black Lake's doom.

... Stopping point... make this part 1. Need to start moving again.