Lynn and George were barreling down the highway at alarming speed, using the siren to bypass traffic. Every second she wasted may be a second too late. However, she was woefully unprepared to handle Lincoln and his army as she was right now.
"Where are we going?" Said George. "I thought we were going to your parent's house?"
"Not yet," said Lynn. "We need to be prepared, so we're going to get some equipment," said Lynn.
"The Chief won't approve any weapons or riot equipment for us," said George, raising an eyebrow. "And all that was destroyed in the explosion."
"We're not going to the police," said Lynn, pulling up to the old shipping container that concealed the bunker. She leapt out of the car and dashed towards the container, with George following behind in confusion. Upon entering, Lynn used the biometric scanner to descend to the bunker below.
"What is this place?" George said as they descended.
"My sister Lisa built this bunker years ago," said Lynn. "In case of emergencies. I stored some weapons and riot gear here for occasions such as this."
"Do you have a contingency for everything?" Asked George, surprised.
"No," said Lynn. "But it's always better to be prepared." Fear was gripping her insides as she drew her sidearm cautiously. Lincoln was able to abduct her family right under her nose, in a place they thought they would be safe in and didn't even think he knew about. He may have left some of his men behind in case she came back here.
She tried to brace herself, but nothing prepared her for what she saw once the door opened.
The receiving room of the bunker was littered with bodies, the acrid stench of blood and gore filling the small room, assaulting their senses. Lynn and George blanched in surprise, with the latter approaching one of the corpses to examine it. "Bullet to the back," he said, covering his face to block the smell. "Severed his spine, presenting his movement. He bled out slowly." Lynn continued into the room. More and more bodies were strewn throughout the room as she proceeded towards the living quarters. She stopped dead as her eye caught a familiar figure, causing her to gasp in horror. Chaz's lifeless form was slumped over the table, a bullet taken to the head.
Lynn turned away, trying to hold back tears for her fallen brother-in-law. Leni would be devastated, if she didn't already know. She would come back for him later to make sure that he was given a proper burial. She continued further into the bunker when she suddenly heard something. She stopped and craned her neck to the source of the sound: labored breathing and gasping. Someone was still alive! She ran towards the sound, following it into the living quarters. More bodies lined the small room as she found the source of the gasping: her sister-in-law, Sam, slumped against the wall.
"Sam!" Shouted Lynn, running to her side. She felt her stomach churn as she looked over her injuries. She had a large belly and chest wound, having taken several rounds to the torso. She had torn her jacket and used her belt to hold the rudimentary bandage onto her stomach to stop the bleeding, while applying pressure herself to her chest wound. Despite these efforts, she was still losing a lot of blood, and was looking very pale and peaked.
"L-Lynn," Said Sam weakly. "Luna. . . . taken . . ."
"Try not to speak," said Lynn. "I'll call you an ambulance. George!" She shouted for her partner, but Sam grabbed her head and turned her back to face her.
"It was. . . W-Wild Card. . ." Said Sam. "Shot . . . Chaz first . . . tried to fight back . . ."
"It's okay," said Lynn. "It's gonna be okay!"
"No!" Said Sam. "Wild Card . . . killed them . . ."
"Killed who?" Asked Lynn, frightened.
"His men. . ." said Sam. "Turned on. . . killed them all . . ."
"He killed all his men?" Asked Lynn, incredulously. "Why would he do that?"
"Don't . . . know. . ." Sam started to drift away
"Stay awake, Sam!" Lynn cried. "Don't fall asleep."
"Don't . . .g-go. . ." said Sam.
"I'm not leaving you," said Lynn.
"N-no. . . t. . t-tra. . .it's a tra. . ." Her hand fell to her side as the light left her eyes. She was gone. Lynn choked and gulped as the grief welled in her heart. She failed not only her family, but Chaz and Sam as well, not only for failing to capture Lincoln, but for starting this whole thing ten years ago. She was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard someone approach her. She didn't turn as she thought it was George.
"This is all my fault, George," she said, unable to hold back her tears. "This is all my fault."
"Yes," said an unfamiliar voice. "It is." There was a click as she felt something cold pressed against the back of her head. Lynn froze, raising her hands in surrender. She moved her head slightly to take a look at her assailant to see a bald man in a black suit with a large scar across his face.
"Who are you?" Said Lynn. "What did you do to George?"
"Early retirement," said the man. Lynn's stomach twisted. She saw that his gun had a silencer on it, which made sense as to why she didn't hear the shot. Anger began to boil in her blood.
"What do you want?" Said Lynn.
"Wild Card thought you would show up here," said the man. "I'm here to escort you to him. Don't make me use excessive force. He was quite adamant that you were to come in alive."
"He'll see me soon enough!" Said Lynn. In a flash, she performed a sweeping kick at her assailant's feet, tripping him. She gambled that because he wanted her alive, he wouldn't shoot her unless he absolutely had to. The gamble paid off as the man tumbled to the floor, dropping his gun. Lynn scrambled to retrieve the fallen weapon, only to feel him grab onto her foot to restrict her movement. She kicked him hard in the face and decided to reach for her weapon instead. She fired off several rounds as he rolled behind one of the stone pillars to avoid the bullets.
Lynn seized her opportunity to get the silenced gun, but just as she was about to grab it, her hand stopped short as a bullet pierced the ground just above her hand. She turned around to see the man peering from behind the pillar, having retrieved a secondary sidearm. Lynn rolled and returned fire, as the man hid behind the pillar. Lynn's gun clicked, indicating she had expended her rounds. The man seized his chance and fired his weapon, causing Lynn to dive out of the way. As she fumbled for another magazine for her weapon, she paused as the man appeared beside her, pointing his gun at her head.
"Drop it," he said, cocking the gun. "I won't hesitate this time. He said you have to be alive, but not in one piece."
Lynn dropped her gun and raised her hands in resignation. He drew some handcuffs from his suit coat, and as he began to approach her, another shot rang out, colliding with his head. The man fell to the ground in a heap and lay still, never to move again. Lynn gasped in surprise as she peeked cautiously around the corner.
George was standing in the doorway, his chest and arm drenched in blood, holding his smoking sidearm. He dropped to the floor weakly when his quarry fell, having lost a lot of blood. Lynn ran to his side and began treating his wounds.
"Damn," said George, wincing. "He never would have gotten the drop on me ten years ago. I'm getting too old for this."
"I thought he had killed you!" Said Lynn. She managed to stop the bleeding, but George was looking really pale. He needed a blood transfusion quickly.
"Nah," said George. "Lucky for me he's a lousy shot." The bullet in his chest managed to miss his heart and lungs. The man probably assumed that he was dead when George hit the ground. He was winded and in pain, definitely, but was able to muster up enough strength to help his partner.
"We need to get you to a hospital," Said Lynn, helping him to his feet.
"I'll be fine," said George. "I've got one on the way to our coordinates. They'll be here in a few minutes. Just get me to the surface."
Lynn complied and walked him to the entrance of the bunker, where they began their ascent. Lynn had managed to gather more rounds for her firearm, as well as a bulletproof vest. "Lincoln killed all those men," said Lynn.
"His own men?" Said George, incredulously. "That's insane. Now he has no backup."
"I don't think that matters to him," said Lynn. "He doesn't plan on escaping. He plans on ending this. One way or another."
George nodded. "I know it's pointless to tell you not to go," he said. "But you have to be careful. A man with nothing to lose is like a cornered animal. They're unpredictable."
"I understand," said Lynn. As they came out of the bunker, an ambulance was waiting for them. The paramedics loaded him onto the gurney, but he had them stop before loading him. "Lynn," he said. "Don't take any chances. Don't hesitate. He's not your brother anymore. Bring him down."
Lynn nodded. Placing a hand on her friends' hand. "Thanks for having my back, partner." With that, they loaded him into the ambulance, and Lynn stepped into the squad car. It was time to face the music, and bring this to an end.
Lynn pulled up to the familiar sight of her childhood home. What was once a welcoming and happy sight to her was now one of foreboding and fear. It was ironic. Things were now coming full circle. She is about to face her greatest regret in the place it all began, the day she threatened to beat her brother's head in with a baseball bat for wanting to miss her game. She replayed that day in her head so much, and cringed each time. She was so stupid, so selfish and prideful. A veritable bull in a china shop. But her brother was sweet, calm, and compassionate. A natural-born peacekeeper. But her actions had helped transform him into the murderous creature he is today.
She surveyed her surroundings before exiting her squad car. The house was disturbingly quiet. Only one light was on, coming from the living room. She could see none of Wild Card's men around the house. They could be hiding, but Lynn remembered what Sam told her. Lincoln didn't seem to care if his men lived or died, and often killed them on the spot out of whimsy or spite. Her gut was telling her that he was alone with her family in the house.
Cautiously, Lynn approached the door and opened it, gun drawn. She saw the source of the light: a single lamp on the end-table next to the couch. The room was completely empty, which surprised her. She began walking cautiously through the house, careful not to make any noise. She went from room to room, peering into each of them with her gun drawn, but every one of them was empty. She felt her heart beat faster with anxiety. Her family wasn't here. Lincoln wasn't here. Where was everybody?
As she made her way up the stairs, she saw a small light on at the end of the Hallway. The door to Lincoln's old room was ajar. Lynn quietly and cautiously approached it, slowly opening the door. Inside was the familiar figure of Wild Card, his back turned to her. He seemed to be looking over the pictures hanging on the wall. Pictures of their family. She approached him carefully, her gun in one hand and handcuffs in the other.
"Don't move, Lincoln," she said, inching closer. "I don't want to hurt you."
Lynn felt her heart jump out of her throat as something came from behind her, pinning her arms to her side and placing a damp cloth over her face. Her head began to swoon, and whoever grabbed her let go of her as she fell to the floor. She looked up to see that Lincoln was standing behind her, and the figure she was approaching was simply a mannequin.
"Surprise," he said as she blacked out.
Lynn's head pounded as she finally came to consciousness. She felt as if someone was carrying her. She could hear a mix of voices around her, but she was having trouble discerning what they were saying. Whoever was carrying her had set her down, and dark figures began to gather around her.
"What did you do to her?" Said one of the figures angrily.
"Lynn, can you hear me?" Another figure called to her.
Lynn let out a groan as her vision began to clear, rising to a sitting position. As she looked around, she saw that she was surrounded by the concerned faces of her parents and sisters.
"Guys!" She said, embracing her father, who was closest to her. "You're safe!"
"We were so worried about you," said Lynn, Sr, crying.
"Are you hurt?" Asked Rita.
"Get back, give her some air," said a familiar lispy voice. She was shocked to see Lisa approach her, followed by Lucy behind her.
"Lisa, Lucy!" She said, amazed. "You're here!"
Lucy approached Lynn and embraced her. This was shocking to Lynn as she had never known her sister to show attachment towards her, especially how things had ended between them. Yet here she was, embracing her as if she was afraid she would disappear into thin air if she let go. "I'm so sorry, Lynn," said Lucy. "I'm so sorry for everything."
"What a touching reunion," Lynn turned her head to see Lincoln speaking. He had removed his mask and discarded it. He was holding her firearm aloft in his hand. "Looks like the family is finally back together." Lynn continued to survey her surroundings, finally realizing where she was. He had taken them to the Royal Woods baseball diamond, where her softball team, the squirrels, used to play.
"A lot of memories here," said Lincoln, sighing with nostalgia. "Probably many good ones for you, but not many for me."
"Lincoln," said Lynn, slowly getting to her feet. "This has to stop. You need to end this."
"You're right," said Lincoln. "That's exactly what we're here for." His bravado quickly turned to that of pure malice. "Oh, how I have longed for this day."
"Lincoln. . ." said Rita, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth. She tried to keep her voice steady, but was unsuccessful. "My boy. . . my baby. . . please. . . "
"Your boy is dead, Rita," Said Lincoln. "You saw what happened to him. His fate was sealed the day you cast him out."
"No," said Rita. "Please Lincoln, we didn't..."
"Lies!" Shouted Lincoln, frightening his family. Lynn Sr looked as if he was about to throw up, frightened to his core. Leni was sobbing uncontrollably, holding Lola and Lana, both who had grasped her around the waist in fear. Luna was hugging a sobbing Lily while trying to hold back her own tears with little success. Luan simply stood there, trembling with a shocked and appalled look on her face. Lucy looked as if the soul was sucked from her body, her knees shaking and buckling as they threatened to give way. Lori was beside herself, still reeling from the video that Lincoln had shown them before bringing them here. Lisa stood and faced Lincoln, keeping her stoic expression despite the fear she felt.
"Dr. Schroder may have taught me to hate you," Lincoln continued, glaring daggers at them, causing a chill to run down their spines. "But you. . . you're the ones who let him do it. . . you made it possible for him to take me, to hurt me!"
"Little bro. . ." Luna whispered.
"Linky, please. . ." Leni begged, crying. "We're sorry."
"Sorry?" Lincoln asked sarcastically. "Sorry?! No, I'm the one who's sorry. . ." His demeanor turned somber again as he began to tremble, but didn't lower his weapon. "I'm sorry that I was born into this family. . . a family who cared more about bad luck than their own son." He looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "You were my family. I thought you cared about me. . . that you loved me. I thought you wouldn't let anything bad happen to me."
The louds were heartbroken at his words. They never really believed that he was bad luck. They only wanted to teach him a lesson. They didn't want any of this to happen, but their recklessness caused it to happen. And what's worse, Lincoln still thinks that it was because they thought he was cursed. Their selfish and short-sighted actions set their only son and brother down the path of becoming a monstrous, remorseless killer.
"Lincoln," said Lynn. "We didn't really think you were -"
"More lies," said Lincoln. "You abandoned me. . . you threw me into the streets like an animal. . . you left me to die in the cold. . ."
"Sweetie, please!" Rita begged desperately. "We made a mistake! We never wanted this to happen to you?"
"'Please stay farther away from the house,'" Lincoln said, turning to Lynn Sr. "Those were the last words that you said to me, right after I confessed to you. Isn't that right, 'father'?"
Lynn Sr. felt his gut clench at Lincoln's words. He was right, these were the last words he spoke to Lincoln before he disappeared. When he had said them, he had immediately regretted them, and had come to live with this regret for the last ten years. He couldn't even answer his son, looking only at his feet in shame.
"I should have known," Lincoln continued. "I should have known you were planning to get rid of me right from the start." The Louds were aghast by this claim. "I looked out for you, I stood up for you. . . I took the fall for you so many times, taking punishment while you got off scot-free. I thought that was just what a brother did for his sisters. I thought that was the price of your love."
The family shed tears as they looked at Lincoln with shame. It was true. They were supposed to look after their brother, especially the older sisters, but they allowed themselves to become complacent, allowing Lincoln to shoulder most of the burden and punishment of their overworked parents. They outnumbered him ten-to-one, and would tend to stick together, so very rarely did they ever side with Lincoln, even when he wasn't at fault. They found it easier to let him take the fall than to suffer for their own mistakes. They didn't see at the time (or simply just didn't care to see) how much it was hurting him.
"And you!" Lincoln turned to his parents, who shrinked under his murderous gaze. "You were no better. You swore to love and protect your children. But you never tried to understand me. Always the odd man out. Unloved and unwanted.
"That's not true!" Said Rita, sobbing uncontrollably. When Lincoln was born, it was the happiest day of her life. After having four daughters, she was excited to give birth to a son. She vowed that she would always love and treasure him for the rest of her life. But Lincoln was quiet and independent, while his sisters were outgoing and demanding. She loved her son as much as she loved her other children, but came to realize just how much she neglected him over his sisters.
"But it is," said Lincoln, walking towards them. "You said that you would always love me, always look after me, no matter what. But I wasn't the son you wanted. I wasn't the brother you wanted. But I loved you.
"S-son. . . " Said Lynn, Sr., completely at a loss for words. It was true, he had failed Lincoln as a father. He felt like the happiest father in the world when Lincoln was born. He was practically over the moon. He wanted the special father-son bond that he had craved to form with his own father as a child. Instead, he went along with Lynn's "bad luck" plan and kicked him out of his own home, just to teach him a lesson.
And now, he and his family were about to pay dearly for their mistake.
"I thought I was proud to have a family like you," Lincoln continued, stopping before them. His eyes settled on Lynn. "I thought you loved me. . . you said you would never let anything happen to me. I waited for you to find me, to rescue me from that hellhole, for over a year!" In a fit of anger, Lincoln grabbed Lynn by the throat and lifted her clean off her feet. His strength had surprised her as she struggled against him. She kicked him to get him to drop her, but he was largely unaffected by her blows. He raised his gun to the family with his other hand when they tried to stop him.
"He destroyed my body and mind!" Said Lincoln. "Every nerve ending in my body is dead! I feel nothing! No pain, pleasure, happiness or suffering! For ten years I stole, swindled, and killed, just to eat. Just to survive! But I did survive. I got stronger. And I learned. I learned a lot." He threw Lynn to the ground opposite her family. She gagged and coughed as she rubbed her throat, now bruised from Lincoln's immense strength.
"It's all because of you!" Lincoln screamed at Lynn. "You turned my family against me! You convinced them I was cursed! You, who swore to protect me, destroyed my life!"
Lynn stood, tears in her eyes. "Lincoln," she said. "This isn't what I wanted. I was going to let you back in. We were going to set things right."
"We searched for months!" Said Lucy. "We tried to find you!"
"We love you Lincoln!" Shouted Lola. "We know what we did was wrong."
Lincoln paused. "Too little, too late," he said finally. "My life was stolen from me. And now, the scales of justice must be balanced. Choose."
"What?" Said Lynn, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Lincoln raised his gun, pointing it to Lori, who flinched and turned away. "Your favorite," Lincoln said. "Choose your favorite sibling. A life. . ." he pulled back the hammer on his gun, which clicked threateningly. ". . . for a life." He finished.
Lynn's eyes widened in horror. "Lincoln, no," she said. "Please don't do this!"
"Perhaps your dear old roommate, Lucy?" He trained his gun on her.
"Lincoln," Lynn said, trying to calm him.
"Or maybe Lisa," said Lincoln, pointing his gun at his younger sister. "She has been quite an asset to the cause, even unwillingly."
"Lincoln, stop!"
"Choose, Lynn," said Lincolln, firing the gun at the family's feet. They screamed and jumped back in fear. "Choose!"
"Okay!" Shouted Lynn. "Okay. . . I'll tell you. I'll tell you my favorite." Lincoln paused expectantly as she sighed deeply, steeling herself. "It's you, Lincoln," She said finally. "You're my favorite."
Lincoln chuckled darkly. "Do you think I'm a fool?" Lincoln said. "If you won't choose, I will for you–"
"NO, IT'S TRUE!" Lynn shouted desperately. "It's always been you. Ever since we were children, you have been my favorite sibling."
Lincoln paused, but said nothing, waiting for her to explain further.
"The real reason I did this," said Lynn. "Was because I was angry. It wasn't your fault I lost my game. I was angry that you didn't want to come and lost focus. And when you tried to convince everyone else that you were bad luck so you could stay home from our events made me even angrier."
"Why?" Said Lincoln.
"Because I was also afraid," said Lynn. "When we were little, we were inseparable. You always wanted to play with me, no matter what it was. Everywhere I went, you went with me. You were like my shadow, and I loved it. But when we got older, that stopped. You stopped spending time with me. We drifted apart. And I was afraid that it would only get worse. I wanted to punish you because. . . " Lynn's voice cracked, tears streaming down her face. "Because I didn't want you to abandon me. I wanted you to feel what it felt like to be left behind by someone you love, to be forgotten about. But I realized too late my mistake, and you were taken from us. I realized that day that I didn't just lose a brother." She looked Lincoln dead in the eyes. "I lost my best friend."
Lincoln said nothing, continuing to stare at Lynn. She seized this opportunity and began to slowly make her way towards him. "Please, Lincoln," she said. "Put the gun down. We've suffered enough. You've suffered enough. Let us help you. Please."
Lynn stopped as Lincoln began to tremble. He suddenly began to shake violently and gripped his head, screaming loudly, startling the family. Lynn tried to rush to his aid, but he pointed the gun at her, stopping her. He began to back away from the group, alternating between screams and maniacal laughter.
"Lincoln!" Said Lynn, frightened. "What's wrong?!"
Lincoln doubled over, as if punched in the stomach, still trembling and laughing. After a moment, he finally raised his head to his family, his eyes streaming with tears. "Lynn. . ." he said.
"What's wrong?" Said Lynn, confused. She tried to step towards him, but he put his hand up to stop her.
"No, don't!" He said. "I don't know how much longer I can hold him back."
Realization dawned on Lisa's face. "It's Lincoln!" Said Lisa. "He's suppressing the Wild Card persona!"
"Please, stay back!" He shouted as the others tried to rush to his aid. "I. . . I'm sorry."
"What?" Said Lynn, incredulously. What did he have to be sorry for? Everything that happened to him was their doing.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry for everything."
"That doesn't matter, Lincoln!" Said Lynn. "Come back with us, we can help you!"
"No," Lincoln shook his head. "No, it's too late. Too late for that. I've done. . . too much. Too many bad things."
"Lincoln!" Lori cried.
"Linky, please!" Said Leni.
"The Scales of Justice must be balanced," Said Lincoln. "A life. . . for a life." He raised his gun, placing it under his chin. "I love you all."
Lynn screamed as Lincoln fired his gun and dropped to the ground. The Louds all gathered around their fallen son, crying and screaming in despair. Lynn cradled Lincoln in her arms, screaming his name through her tears, begging him to come back, but it was too late.
She failed him again.
Author's Note: I wanted to give a shout out to jungleboy69 from fanfiction.net, who helped me write the speech he gave his family. Some of it was changed for context of the scene, but I wanted to thank him as he is an extremely good writer and gave me some great ideas for this chapter.
This is NOT the end of this story. There are still a few chapters left at least. Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope that you'll enjoy the rest of the story from here.