Madness (Suicidal Book 3)

Chapter Three: You're a Clown

Kion yawned and woke up. The room was pitch black. No moonlight was streaming in through the cracked and broken windows. He cracked his neck and slowly pulled himself groggily out of bed. He walked through the ruined living room into the kitchen with its busted cabinets, leaky sink, and shattered window panes. No one else appeared to be awake. 

He walked to the one-now busted cabinet and slowly opened the door. He winced as it creaked on its hinges. Inside were a couple pieces of chipped china and other ceramic pieces, a silver platter, and a slightly chipped clear glass. He reached in and grabbed the clear glass and shut the door back, thought it creaked itself back open. 

He sighed and walked over to the leaky sink and twisted the silver faucet slightly and watched as water started to slowly dribble out. He lifted the cup and placed it beneath the faucet and waited impatiently for the cup to fill. While he waited, he heard footsteps from behind him and turned. Tails was awake. 

The little fox still looked tired, though. He rubbed his bleary eyes, and looked sleepy as he bade Kion a weak, groggy hello. Kion nodded back and continued to watch as his cup filled slowly and gradually up. "Fuck it," he muttered. "Only half way up!" He heard a dry chuckle from behind him, and Sonic walked into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Tails before leaning against the counter next to him.  

"Kion," smirked Sonic. "Having a bit of trouble with the faucet."

Kion grinned at him. "Oh, shut up." 

Sonic and Kion laughed, but Tails didn't join in. He just stood there, holding himself tightly as he rocked back and forth slightly and whimpering and muttering strange nonsense about clowns and jokers. 

Kion and Sonic shared a worried look, then Knuckles entered the room and then greeted him warmly, although he just grunted in return. 

Kion tilted his head. "Anybody seen Kovu?" The others all looked at each and, one by one, slowly shook their heads. 

Kion started towards the barn in the back, knowing that was where Kovu was last seen. As he got closer, a horrible smell filled his lungs. He wrinkled up his nose in disgust and sniffed the air. It smelled like...death. Kion rushed quickly to the barn's doors and flung them open with such force that one of the rusty doors fall to the floor with a crash. 

The scene inside was horrifying. The lion from last night lay there, tied up with a blood knife next to him. He had been skinned alive. Kion screamed and fell to his knees, puking his guys out. Knuckles looked inside, screamed as well and promptly threw up on the ground before shakily getting to his feet and standing in the way of Sonic and Tails. "You are not going in there," he growled. "No." 

Knuckles didn't talk that much, but when he did, Sonic and Tails, even in their confused and determined states, backed down and listened to him. 

"Oh, god," Kion sobbed. "What the fuck happened here." 

A small piece of white paper lay next to the terrifying bloody body. Kion gaged and dry heaved as the horrendous smell hit him again, the smell of death and rotting flesh. He reached over and grabbed the paper. It was a note from Kovu. 

"One day, you're on top. The next you're a clown. Come find me where the murders abound," Kion read shakily from the slip of paper, still shaken by the body next to me. He whimpered and slowly got to his feet, staggering a bit like a drunk as he walked over to Knuckles and helped him to shut the door. 

He turned to Sonic and Tails, who had gotten a small view of the body and were puking and shaking in the bushes nearby. He put his hand on Sonic's back as the hedgehog shakily came back up. Knuckles did the same with Tails, who staggered back upright a couple seconds later than his boyfriend. 

"Alright, guys. Time for a road trip," Kion said with a grimace, no hint of laughter in his voice. "We need to bring down Kovu. Now." 

(AN: Portions of this scene were taken from the Joker comic book, where the Joker skins one of his henchmen alive. Thank you for reading and understand I do not condone any type of murder in these books. Thank you.)