Leo slid under the bed as a light flipped on in the hallway.
He nearly yelped when he felt his foot kick something. In the smallest amount of light he thought cursed him, a gun laid by his feet. Leo's luck was beginning to change.
Still, he waited patiently. He counted the footsteps.
They came closer finally, falling into rhythm with his pounding heart. Holding his breath as the door creaked open, a large shadow engulfed the light momentarily, before it moved into the room farther.
The light switch flicked on, and the door slammed shut. He knew he could make his move then.
As soon as the person was close enough to where he hid under the bed, Leo slipped his pocket knife from its hiding spot, and stabbed it into the exposed skin of an ankle.
"AH! What the fuck?!"
Rolling out before he could hesitate, Leo raised the gun to Cartman's ugly face. "Eric." He couldn't fight the smirk as his nemesis, and cousin, started to sweat under the pressure of the weapon. Except, he still wanted to do things his way, so he clicked on the safety. "Where's your lockbox?"
Although Cartman was shaking nervously, he tried to chuckle to cover it up. "What fucking lockbox? Why don't you-"
"Why don't you shut the hell up?" Leo hissed. He managed to keep his voice low, in case Liane was around. "I know you have it. I've known about it for years!"
His small eyes squinted in confusion. "Are you serious right now? How long have you been working against the damn family, Leopold?!"
"My whole life." Giving up on questioning his stubborn cousin, Leo started rummaging through his things. He knew that Kenny would've done the same thing when he snuck in before, but they hadn't gotten to discuss whether, or not he found the box. It wasn't the right time to kick himself for it now.
Cartman didn't want to stay defeated, of course, diving for his cellphone as Leo went to look through the closet. He raised the gun towards him again, making a point to unclick the safety when Cartman assumed he was bluffing. Butters didn't understand why no one wanted to take him seriously.
They grew up together, Cartman knew how to press his buttons - he fucking loved it, too. He could see Leo's uncertainty, and hesitations. "You can't do this without Kenny McCormick, can you?!" He guffawed in the face of the barrel. "I've known that poor, dirty, loser our entire lives! I can't believe you ended up with a McCormick! You're a goddamn disgrace!"
One, two, three, four - he can't hurt me anymore.
Leo had to repeat it to himself to keep from unloading the gun into his face; it was something he'd done since he could remember, to conquer Cartman's abuse. He knew it wasn't worth it, either. Kenny wouldn't want him to throw his life away.
Besides, Cartman had no control of him now.
Snatching the cellphone from his hand, Leo started rummaging through the closet again. It wasn't a coincidence that Cartman panicked when he neared it before, and the sad part was, he hadn't even bothered to hide it anywhere in the closet.
"Dude, you're such an idiot!" Butters chuckled with astonishment. He grabbed the lockbox down from the top shelf, turning to the pouting blob on the floor. Even now, he kept the gun on him though, knowing that if he gave him even an inch, Cartman would take it. "You should've destroyed this stuff.. What's your stupid plan?"
Expecting Cartman to start spouting off about some ridiculous ploy, he held his mouth closed, and looked at the floor. Leo waited, he'd wait as long as it took. After only about thirty seconds though, Cartman was already about to crack: "Goddamnit, fine! I don't have another plan! Your stupid dad was supposed to kill Kenny. Again."
"Wha.. You literally know that Ken won't stay dead!" He called him out, not buying into his shit. What was the point in continuing a lie? "Aren't you sick of this?! Eric, you hate this almost as much as I do!"
Dragging out a long sigh, Cartman looked defeatedly at the lockbox in Leo's hands. "You know there's no getting out."
Leo scoffed with a shake of his head; everyone always said the same thing, but he didn't believe it. He wouldn't. "No. None of you have the balls to destroy this family. Or even make your own choices!" When Cartman went to argue, he shut him down with a raise of the gun again. "I'll stop this family from continuing. You gonna stand in my way?"
"Kenny is never going to let me walk away." Cartman mumbled seriously, his eyes ghosting with fear. But then, he shrugged with a sly grin: "That's fine, I'd rather rot in prison, than spend another second with that fucking asshole!"
This was getting old.
He knew Cartman's games all too well. His cousin would never admit that he was right.
"Whatever," Leo scoffed, shoving the lockbox under his arm. He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking about some of the implications he had been avoiding - if anyone could answer them, it was Cartman. "Uh, the Mayor and my dad.. Are they..?"
The laugh he received answered his question enough, but of course, Cartman had to continue: "She fucks everyone! It's the only thing she has to offer!"
Tired of putting up with his snarky statements, Leo was ready to jump out the window. He still kept the gun on Cartman as he started to back away. There was nothing else he needed from his cousin, yet he lingered. Another question plagued him. "My mom.. is she actually a part of all of this?"
"Don't get your hopes up, asshole. She doesn't give a fuck about you, and she never did!"
It was hard to tell if Cartman was just trying to upset him, or if he was being honest for the first time in his pathetic life. Butters wasn't going to stick around to figure it out. He knew it was only a matter of time before his father returned to their old home. Not that it was ever much of a home.
Taking Cartman's phone with him, Leo successfully left the house, leaving the other to continue bleeding on the floor. As he made it outside, he noticed that his previous residence was completely dark. No one was home. He thought about going in, and grabbing some things, but he remembered his last attempt went poorly. He couldn't afford a repeat, he was alone this time.
Soon the Mob would know about his cousin's idiotic keepsakes, and that Leo was in possession of them. They'd be after him. Again.
The lockbox could change everything.
Butters needed to gather the rest of his evidence against the family, and the Mayor, at the abandoned library, though. Cartman's box wouldn't be enough on its own, but with everything else, he could force the Mayor to give up.
The reality he'd been fighting to grasp was so close, and yet, Leo was scared shitless. He knew what he needed to do, but that didn't mean it was guaranteed to be successful.
He didn't want to fail. He'd failed enough.
After making it through the seemingly empty city, he expected to find the hideout to be the same as he approached. Leo's eyes snapped up to a camera mounted on the corner of the building, pointing towards a few of the broken windows. Someone had been there. He froze at the corner he was peeking around, panicking slightly. What was he supposed to do now?
He wished Kenny was there. Leo was starting to think that maybe he did need help.
Shaking off his self-doubt as best as he could manage, Butters looked around for any people, or vehicles, waiting for someone to fall into a trap. Although he didn't see anything, something told him to wait. He knew the Mob's patience all too well. He'd be more patient.
When no one made an appearance after a few minutes, he decided to take a chance, and bust through the only window that wasn't broken. There hadn't been a camera pointing at that window, but he knew better than to assume there weren't any cameras inside. He only had a few minutes.
Luckily, the last time he was there, Butters hid the evidence in a safe place. Grabbing a dusty chair from behind him, he stood on his toes to push open a ceiling tile, searching blindly in the darkness for the box. His fingers caressed the handle before he reached further to snatch it, nearly falling off the chair as he pulled it down.
Leo ran from the building without wasting another moment, the box swaying under his arm as he started towards the final destination. The place where all the chaos began - the Mayor's office.
From Cartman's lockbox, Butters unfolded the password to the City Hall's security system as he stared up at the white stone of the building. He didn't know why his cousin had the password to the system, but without Cartman's overconfidence, Leo would've been screwed.
His instincts told him to keep going, Leo wouldn't give into hesitation. Pulling out the hacking device he had stashed in the box, he connected it to his phone through the SD slot. The one thing the Mob was good for was advanced, illegal technology; they made a point to train every one of their members to use it, too.
Leo smiled as he broke into the system, disabling the alarms and cameras protecting the web of lies that South Park was built on. Without anyone else around, still, he was able to walk in uninterrupted. Butters, although curious about what other secrets the building possessed, headed straight for the stairs towards the Mayor's office.
She'd be back eventually, and he would be waiting for her. If she was aware of what they all knew now, the next logical step for her would be to destroy everything that tied her to the copious amounts of crimes committed. He wouldn't give her the opportunity to walk away without any consequences.
The room was shrouded in darkness as he creaked the door open. Leo let his eyes adjust to the absence of light before continuing into the room - just in case the Mayor had been smart enough to leave someone to protect her office. It was empty and silent though. He relaxed, but only slightly.
Butters pulled her large, leather chair back from the desk, and lowered into it. Putting his feet up on the furniture for dramatic effect, he leaned back to peer out of the blinds behind him. With perfect timing, the Mayor's car parked in the first spot in the front. She quickly got out of the vehicle, and surveyed the area before she ran into the building, unaware that the danger was waiting inside for her.
He pushed the blinds up behind him, unlocking the window before she could arrive for their confrontation. Leo liked to think ahead, and just in case, he needed an exit strategy. He wouldn't let them nab him again.
There was another step he hadn't thought of before; Leo pulled his phone from his pocket, and started an audio recording as he slid the phone to hide behind the box. If things went extremely wrong, he refused to have his efforts wasted. No, he'd make sure to cover all of his bases this time.
To say she was surprised would've been an understatement when she pushed open the door, and immediately raised a gun to the teenager sitting casually at her desk. He waved awkwardly, his anticipation beginning to make him nervous. Butters moved his other hand over the gun he stole from Cartman though, waiting for her to make a move.
"Mayor Mary McDaniels," Leo started cautiously, nodding towards the box in front of him. "We need to talk."
She kept the gun trained on him, but started towards the box with intrigue. "I should call your father, and end these shenanigans.." Mary opened the lid, her free hand beginning to rifle through the several folders of transactional evidence between her and the Mob - along with the Cartel, and many, many other gangs. Her hands began to shake as the pictures of the violence she encouraged began to fall on the desk in front of them, forcefully presenting their reality to her. "You-You stupid kid! You think this is enough?! I'll just have you kids killed, and all of this will easily go away!'
Picking the lockbox up from where he'd kept it next to him on the floor, Butters slammed it down on the desk. Mary's jaw dropped as he pulled out a list Cartman had kept of the local law enforcement, and the federal agents involved with their operations. He made sure to lean a bit closer to his hidden phone. "Your deals with law enforcement, the Mob, the Cartel, the Bloods, the Crips - it all ends now. Either turn yourself in, or I'll hand everything over to the Feds." Before she could even think about shooting him, Leo was prepared to unclick the safety on his gun. "All you've done is destroy South Park, and countless lives! Was it worth it?!"
He had her, he had her right freakin' there, and yet, Mary decided that she wasn't going to give up that easily. She pulled her own cell phone out - it was the one thing Leo hadn't prepared for. In reality, he had hoped that she would stand down once he showed the evidence that was guaranteed to end her reign of terror.
Now, Butters knew he had to get the hell out of there.
Managing to grab the boxes and his still recording phone, Leo had to jump from the window sloppily. He landed on the arm that held the box, hearing a snap before his vision went fuzzy, a hot shock rippling through his body. The jump had been higher than he thought.
Even with a broken arm, Leo managed to get up, and continue running through the darkening city. Adrenaline kept his legs pumping as he escaped from the mess he created.
Butters had to get to Kenny before they found them. It was time for them to call the FBI, or the CIA, or whoever the hell could put an end to all of this. He just had to make it somewhere safe. Anywhere safe - he was starting to get desperate.
Although he'd only seen it once, Butters knew that Stan's house was the closest to where he ended up. Despite assuming that everyone was still at the hospital with Tolkien, he needed somewhere to rest, the pain was beginning to catch up to him. His lungs burned as he stumbled up the sidewalk on Stan's street.
When he collapsed his body against the front door, hoping the noise would be enough for someone to hear, Leo didn't expect to look up through the encroaching darkness to find the person he needed the most.
"Ken.."
**
"So, you wanna talk about the fight?" Stan couldn't swallow the question any longer after minutes of walking in awkward silence.
Kyle elbowed him, glaring at him from his peripheral. "Dude, shut up!" He hissed softly from where they trailed behind Kenny, who'd been smoking cigarette after cigarette. "Don't think he wants to talk about it."
For once, Kenny really didn't want to talk about it. He knew what he needed to do to make up with Leo, but he was just pissed at himself now. If he continued to dwell on his mistakes though, he was bound to make more. "Nope. So, why are we goin' to question your mom, Ky?"
"Oh," Shaking his head at the avoidance, Kyle sighed as he decided to go with it. "She's gotta know something if she buys that shit from a dealer. Besides, I need to tell her about my dad.."
Kenny hummed, understanding as best as he could. At least they weren't sitting around aimlessly, but he was still too distracted to engage fully. He was teetering on the edge of his breaking point, unable to keep himself grounded in reality after the fucked up day he had. Kenny knew he should've been focusing on helping Kyle, his anxiety was just so damn loud.
Stan wanted to keep filling the tension, clearing his throat to add his own input: "Uh, my dad probably knows some shit. Hopefully, he's fucking sober enough to remember."
"Leo better be careful.." Kenny mumbled under his breath as he picked up the pace towards Kyle's. They didn't ask any more questions, despite hearing his statement. They knew he wasn't okay.
Even though Kyle was ecstatic to finally have some closure to offer his mom, his stomach remained in knots. He held onto the hope that once he told her the truth, she would snap back to reality, and become his mom again; he knew it was stupid to hope for such an easy fix, but Kyle didn't want to give up on her. He owed it to his dad to take care of her.
The house looked menacing as he stared up at it, stuck to the sidewalk as if the concrete was fresh. Kyle searched for the answers for so long, and now, he didn't know where to start. His hands were shaking as he removed his keys from his belt loop, which caused him to drop them before he could unlock the door. Stan bent to pick them up, holding onto Kyle's hand for a moment when he passed them off.
If Stan was here, he could do this.
Glancing behind him to Kenny, Kyle decided he couldn't stall anymore. He laced his fingers through Stan's, and pushed the key into the lock.
He ignored the stench of the dirty house as the door creaked open. Kyle didn't hesitate like the last time he was there, he beelined right for the living room where the TV could be heard, finding his mom sunken into the couch. She barely noticed his entrance.
"Mom?" He began sternly, pushing off some trash from the footstool in front of her. Her eyes were glossed over as she looked around him at the TV, her pupils constricted to a pinpoint of emptiness. Kyle would get through to her, whether she wanted him to, or not. "I have some news about dad."
It worked, Sheila moved her eyes onto her son's face. "Kyle? What.. What do you mean, Bubbe?"
Swallowing the forming lump in his throat, Kyle looked to Stan for stability. Of course, he was quick to sit next to him, and give an encouraging smile. He took a deep breath in: "The Mayor, um, was the one who had dad killed."
The shock silence was short lived as she erupted into tears, the first emotion he had seen from her in months. Her pale, thin hand attempted to cover the choking sobs: "I-I knew it!"
Even Kenny, hovering in the back of the living room, snapped his head up at this. He exchanged a look with Stan while Kyle only stared at her, his mouth agape. Kenny had to be the one to ask the next question, her hysterical crying was overwhelming his friend. "Mrs. Broflovski, did Gerald tell you what he was working on?"
She nodded repeatedly as she took a few deep breaths, rubbing her face as she tried to calm herself down. Sheila had been hiding for too long. "Y-Yes, but the police wouldn't listen to me! They told me I was crazy!"
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Kyle shouted in frustration, his cheeks beginning to turn red. He couldn't hold it in anymore. "You just started abusing drugs because it was easier for you to deal with losing dad! What about me and Ike?! We could've fucking helped you! We needed you!"
Sheila was uncontrollably sobbing again, rocking back and forth as her reality finally began to set in. She had been selfish, she let her grief control her. "Bubbe, I'm so sorry!" He scoffed as she continued begging for his forgiveness.
"I'm not here for an apology, anymore. Were you buying drugs from the same people who murdered dad?!"
Stan attempted to keep Kyle as calm as possible as he rubbed his back, glancing back at Kenny every once and awhile in desperation. He didn't know how to help someone through something like this, and the guilt over his own addiction was beginning to infect his stability; Stan felt antsy to get away from a possible future reflection. It made him sick that Kyle had to deal with this.
She declined to answer for so long, Kenny thought that she nodded off. After another minute, Sheila shakily lifted a cigarette to her lips. Her own guilt was beginning to devour her. "Yes.. I-I buy from Liane Cartman.."
Kyle had to bite his tongue to keep from screeching. Of course, it was a fucking Cartman that was responsible for continuing to ruin his family. He had enough of her today, he couldn't even look at her now. "You disgust me." She flinched at his cruelty. "You won't see me, or Ike, again while you're strung out. I'm done. The only thing I need from someone like you is a confession to the police."
Since she seemed to be in a moment of clarity, Sheila nodded slowly, more tears spilling down her cheeks. It was too late though, Kyle had made up his mind. Before he could get up and leave fuming like he wanted to, she grabbed his wrist to keep him there: "Honey, your dad's files are upstairs. I'm sure.. I'm sure there must be something.."
Ripping away from the contact, he declined to say more as he bounded towards the stairs, taking every step as heavy as humanly possible. Kyle's pain needed to be heard - he hoped that maybe someday, this moment would motivate his mother to get help. Although, with the way the second floor was layered in grim, and trash, Kyle knew she was a long way from seeking sobriety.
His father's office had remained locked ever since he died. At least it was guaranteed to not be covered in trash, but Kyle couldn't help wondering why the Mob had neglected to collect the evidence that got his dad killed. Did they push drugs on his mother to keep her from speaking up? Kyle hadn't thought about it before. Maybe he wasn't ready to, yet.
Luckily, since the office was damn near spotless, it was easier to find the box of evidence his mother had referred to. He didn't want to spend another moment in the house he used to love so much, it stung to see it reduced to shambles - Kyle marched back down the stairs with the box held firmly in his hands, meeting Stan at the bottom.
Kenny hung back in the hallway between the stairs and the living room, sucking in his bottom lip as he was deep in thought about the Mob, and what they had truly been trying to accomplish in South Park. Destruction? Chaos? Probably both.
He didn't dare to bring up any questions though, Kenny couldn't stand to see his best friend anymore stressed out than he already was. Kyle deserved a fucking break.
He was only a little surprised that Kyle didn't say goodbye to his mom as they left for Stan's, but Kenny couldn't blame him. She might've not remembered anyway - Kenny had seen her take a dose of Percocets as soon as Kyle went upstairs.
Stan elected to carry the heavy box for his boyfriend as they started the short distance to his house. He hadn't said much of anything the entire day, and Kenny couldn't blame him. He was running out of things to say, too. They missed being able to crack a joke.
When Randy opened the door shirtless, and smelling like a liquor store, Kenny heard a low growl erupt from Stan. His fists tightened around the handles of the box. "Dad, move so we can come in."
Waving off his son's attitude, Randy walked away with the door open. "Yeah, yeah.. Grumpy ass teenager."
After hearing how Kyle and Sheila's argument went, Stan squeezed the bridge of his nose, fighting off the urge to choke out his pathetic excuse for a father. Grabbing the TV remote from the back of the couch, Stan muted the reality show Randy was watching, earning his annoyed attention. "Hey, we need to ask you something."
"Ugh, did you really have to mute my show?!" He complained like a child, throwing his head back dramatically. When Stan didn't give him a reaction, Randy sat up detestably: "Fine! What's your stupid question?"
Kenny smirked a little at Stan's tenth eye roll in two minutes - it was almost like Stan was the parent, and Randy was the grumpy teenager. He ignored Kenny's amusement, and his dad's immaturity: "You know anything about Gerald's murder?"
Since they had been friends - even though it was estranged friends the last few years - Randy dropped his act, and straightened to a sitting position. A frown settled into his face as he elected to look down at his hands. "A-Actually, no. The only thing I know is that Sheila thought it was some kind of conspiracy, kept sayin' he was onto somethin' big. Police said there was no proof."
Before Stan could push for something more, there was a loud thud at the front door. Kenny snapped to attention, gliding towards the door in an instant. The rest of the gang had decided to stay with Tolkien, and remove themselves from the fight, so he jumped to the conclusion that the Mob might've found them.
When he opened the door to find Leo clutching his broken arm, and a large box, Kenny forgot how to breathe. His injured boyfriend looked up at him, his eyes beginning to glaze over: "Ken.. Evi-Evidence.. Have Ky call.."
Kenny caught him before he could fall face first onto the floor. He didn't know where the hell he had been, or what he got himself into, but Kenny listened to his pleas. He found Kyle frozen behind him, pale as a ghost at the passed out boy in his arms. "Ky! Now is the time!" Leo's phone slipped from his unconscious hand, the screen still showing the recording he had taken. Kenny only stared at it in confusion for a moment, before he realized what it was, and threw it towards Kyle.
While Kenny carried Butters into the living room, Kyle and Stan listened to the recording. Leo was right, now was the fucking time. With everything they had, the Feds couldn't ignore them - Kyle hoped anyway. It would take a little while for him to get through to a federal agent, but he didn't waste another moment thinking about it. If Leo just barely made it here, they didn't know how much time they had until the Mob appeared.
Randy watched casually as Kenny inspected his boyfriend's broken, limp arm. Luckily, it looked like a clean break, but he didn't know how they'd be able to get him to the hospital. With the Mob most likely hot on his trail, there would be no time. Kenny decided he could only place his arm in a make-shift sling to keep it from moving any further.
Ignoring the eyes of the most useless adult locked on him, he cradled Leo's head as he cared for his wounds. Kenny tried not to get pissed while Randy just continued to stare, not offering any form of help. Actually, he didn't know why he was fighting off the urge to scream at the man, he deserved to be called out for his selfishness. He snapped his head over to him: "Why the fuck are you staring at me?!"
Jumping a little, Randy blinked. "Uh, what else am I supposed to do?"
"Ken?" Leo's hoarse voice pulled his attention from the idiot across from him. "Are.. Are you okay?"
"You're the one with a broken arm!" Kenny caressed his cheek softly, fighting off the overwhelming emotions rippling through his body. He almost lost him. "Please, please, don't fucking do that again!"
Smiling a little, Leo didn't care that he was in pain, he was just glad that he could see Kenny's face again. "Okay.. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm an idiot! I'm so sorry, Leo. I just can't lose you.." Kenny gently kissed his chapped lips, staring in his light eyes as he pulled away with the intention of remembering this moment forever. "I'm sorry I let you think that I don't feel the same about you. I love you, cutiepie. I love you so fucking much, I-"
Leo shut him up by grabbing the back of his neck, and pulling him down into a sloppy kiss. "I know, Ken. I love you with all my guts.."
Drifting back into pained unconsciousness, since Kenny didn't have any medicine to give him, Butters looked surprisingly peaceful. That was enough for him - Leo was safe, and he would be okay. Kenny felt like he could breathe again. Even if the Mob was scouring the city for them, he could deal with them now.
Leaving him to replenish his energy, Kenny needed a second to regather himself. The whole day had been a mess of unpredictability, and mistakes that were harder to shake off than anything he'd dealt with before. His itch for nicotine had become impossible to ignore as everything settled in.
He wasn't alone with his cigarette for long though, as Stan and Kyle came barreling outside, Leo's phone still gripped in the ginger's hand. "Ken, Ken!" He waved it around at what seemed like hyperspeed. "The Feds are coming!"
"Seriously?!" Kenny dropped his cigarette in shock, ignoring it as it burned for another second in the snow. He couldn't believe that they actually listened to what Kyle said.
They didn't get to celebrate long as a car door slammed at the front of the house. The three boys' blood ran cold as they realized that this time it was the Mob. Kenny sprinted back into the house as his heart began to pound in his ears, finding Leo sitting up now, awoken by the arrival of his family.
This was it. Kenny knew this part was up to him.
The immortal kid ripped open the front door, ready to face whatever death loop he'd have to get stuck in to stall for the Feds. Kenny wasn't surprised to find that it was Stephen who had shown up, his face bloody, bruised, swollen, and nearly unrecognizable from their fight earlier. He smiled at the state he was in - it was satisfying seeing someone so obsessed with power beaten down.
Stephen's one good eye sparkled with bloodlust as Kenny smirked: "McCormick! This is where this shit ends, get it?! Enough is enough, just lay down and fucking die!" He could barely hold the gun straight as he swayed back and forth, heavily medicated from being in the hospital. "And where is my son, huh?!"
"I'm right here!" Leo leaned against the doorframe, clutching his broken arm. "It's over, dad!"
As much as Kenny wanted to scold him for being out there, right in the trenches of danger again, he kept watching Stephen instead. He trusted Leo to be smart.
"We're leaving, Butters. Come with us, now!" Stephen demanded, a vein popping out of his neck at the force.
"No." He replied eerily calmly, narrowing his eyes at the man who had controlled him for his entire life. Not anymore. "I hate you! I hate this fucked up family! You can't control me anymore!"
Kicking at the ground for a moment enraged, Stephen pointed the gun at Leo now, his hand trembling slightly: "Don't make me start a new family, Leopold."
Kenny knew this was coming. Stephen had alluded to it earlier that day, and as much as he hadn't wanted to accept that his boyfriend's family would go that far, Kenny didn't think twice when he stepped in front of the bullet meant for Leo. It pierced his heart before he could fall to the ground, his body falling off the side of the porch with a heavy thump.
It felt so final, getting shot in the heart - at least to Kenny, anyway.
It was harder than usual to fight against the pull to the afterlife, his arms flailing to grip some invisible object that would keep him anchored there. Kenny screamed into the suffocating void as Stephen lifted the gun to his own son, a devious smile cutting into his swollen face as Leo sobbed over Kenny's body. Stephen was too busy enjoying the destruction he had caused to notice the SWAT vehicles beginning to surround them.
Kenny started floating upwards as the Feds tackled Stephen before he could squeeze the trigger.
It was finally happening. They could be free.
But as Kenny couldn't return to his body, he wondered if this last stand had truly been his last. It seemed fitting to his luck, to have everything finally in the palm of his hands, only for it to get ripped away.
As he continued to leave his life behind, Kenny was engulfed in darkness. His consciousness started slipping as he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, fighting against the dense eternity threatening to swallow him. The light and dark competed to conquer his soul, ripping him apart every which way to reassemble the energy they were starving for; wrestling against their talons of greed, Kenny ran towards a faint blue glow in the distance.
Leo was waiting for him.
Two more chapters guys!! If you got this far THANK YOU<3