TAWOG: Instinct

The Pain

The Pain 

(Trigger warning. Scenes depicting torture and violence in this chapter. Viewers discretion is advised.)

Molly Collins had to admit, even she couldn't make the happenings of the last few days sound boring and drab. It was in the dead of night that she'd received a call from Penny, who requested she come over to Carrie's place as soon as possible. She found the request a bit odd, given the time, but had agreed to come. Once she arrived she'd been informed by Penny and Carrie that they had a plan to get Gumball back and could use her assistance. Molly had readily agreed, anything to bring her friend home. Her role was identical to what she had done earlier, namely drawing another circle with her pristine drawing skills with that luminous ink. Though this one was fairly different from the last one, the symbols were vastly different, because, according to Carrie, she had designed it herself, to reopen the portal they had closed prior.

As Molly worked, the others that had heeded the call sent out by Penny and Carrie observed wearily. 

The Wattersons and the Fitzgeralds stood in Carrie's basement next to each other. The Wattersons hadn't needed much convincing to participate in what was about to go down tonight, especially since it was practically their only chance to get Gumball back, but the Fitzgeralds, however, had required extreme urging to take part. And who could blame them? It was bad enough that, from what they'd been told, in order to get Gumball back, they needed to open a portal to the dimension where that wretched demon dwells. And that wasn't even the worst part. Only one of them would be able to pass through, for the method they were about to perform was but a crude imitation of what Green could do when opening portals to the Dark Place, and the portal this method would result in would be very fragile; only able to sustain one person for the beginning excursion and two people for the return trip. Maybe. According to Carrie, anyway.

And still, that wasn't even the worst part.

The piece de resistance was the fact that, even if they were successful in rescuing Gumball, Green could use the precarious passage they needed to open to gain entry to their world again, meaning he'd be free to torment all of them, once more and again make Gumball a catalyst for his calamity. And, according to Carrie, there was only one way to ensure that didn't happen. Green must be destroyed, once and for all. How? Apparently, in the Dark Place, he is as susceptible to physical harm as any of them in this world. Basically, unlike in their world, where he can shrug off getting the back of his head blown off, if he's mortally wounded in the Dark Place, he dies.

But there was only one amongst them that had the ability to even remotely have a chance of slaying Green. Penny. It would have to be her that ventures through the portal and confronts Green.

Which is why, at first, the Fitzgeralds had been totally opposed to the idea. What family would willingly agree to let their daughter travel to a dark realm where a murderous creature like Green dwells? They were all too aware that Green possessed abilities that were positively lethal. They'd watched the News that night Gumball had been set loose as well. However, just like during the circumstances of the incident that revealed Gumball's “condition” to her family, Penny put her foot down, declaring that she was doing this whether they approved or not, and the plan was happening with or without their input.

The only reason that Penny and Carrie had involved Penny's family and the Wattersons was because a spell needed to be chanted in order to activate the portal; same as when they collapsed it, and the more people that chanted the stronger the portal would be. If they were truly adamant about not supporting this one chance there was of saving Gumball the Fitzgeralds were welcome to decline and walk away, however, they had no influence to stop the Wattersons from participating, which was apparently still enough participants to open the portal, and Penny was going to be there to take the plunge once it was open.