Bad End...Friends?¿

The Graveyard

A multi-layered voice echoed off of the trees that grew in this particular part of the forest. Some referred to this place as "The Unknown", which was understandable. It was dark, and grim. Cold and dry. Every twisted tree looked similar, making it easy to get lost.

"Come Wayward Souls..." a boy sang, his cloak sweeping across the forest floor as he walked.

Wood.

Feed the flame. That's the deal. That's all he had to do. Simple, really. Yet, the more he did this, the less Wirt felt...Real. His mind was becoming jumbled with The Beast's, and anything he knew, so did the monster within him.

Wirt looked into the lantern to see his brother happily scampering around in circles. Perfect circles.
It was a truly hypnotic sight to behold.

Wood.

Where could he find children? He needed to keep the fire burning.

Wirt didn't concern himself with 'friends' anymore, all he cared about was the lantern.
If it ever went out Wirt wouldn't be able to live with himself. Then again, he might not have to.

...But he still remembered his friends. He wanted to be with them. Just accepted that wouldn't happen.

The graveyard.

He would find children there. That's where they always were.
One in particular.

He walked for a while through the woods, Until he found himself standing in front of a small lake. He held the lantern tightly closed, and walked in, he let himself fall what seemed like downward until he resurfaced in a different place then he had been in before. He was now in a clearing next to rusting train tracks, it was beginning to rain.

Wirt breathed in the cold air.
In the distance he saw a wall, separating society from the forest.
He approached the wall, and began climbing a tree in order to get over it.

He had to be very quiet and still, lest anyone see him in his monstrous form. He dropped to the ground silently and sat hidden behind a headstone.

Draped over a grave was, as usual. Beatrice.

"...And then...Jason Funderburker just strolls right up!" She laughed through sobs.

"And Sara! Oh! Sara is doing great! Your stupid mixtape was...beautiful! I'm sorry...I listened to it...I just...really missed you...obedient nerd..."

She placed flowers onto the grave, as well as the one next to it, and stood up shakily.
"You're both in a better place now." She whispered. Then she turned her back and walked away.

Once he was sure she had gone, Wirt went to the grave and picked up the flowers. The Headstone Glistened in the rain. It was his, next to it his brother's, everyone thought they were dead, maybe it was for the best.

He suddenly fell to the ground, convulsing in agonizing pain.

You were supposed to kill her. Wood. You need wood.

"Does someone have a crush~?!" Cooed a voice from the tree he had climbed.

"Oh my gosh! Look at you! It looks like you're in some serious pain, huh?" He laughed, jumping out of the tree and scampering up to him.

Wirt pulled his cape out of the boy's hands.

"I'm fine. I just...don't feel so good."

"With a snap of my fingers I could change that. But...that's not fair, is it?" He smiled disturbingly wide.

There's always a catch with this one. And it's never what it seems.

"I just want an axe, Bill." Wirt growled standing up shakily.

"If you don't want my help that's fine! But sooner or later that lantern's going to go out and your brother is going to die!"

This brat would be perfect fire fuel.

"Listen here, Cipher." Wirt growled grabbing Bipper by the collar of his suit.
"I won't let this flame burn out. It's going to stay lit forever."
He dropped the boy.

Bipper hit the ground hard but it didn't seem to have an effect on his endless energy.
"Temper, temper, tsk~" he teased.

Wirt's knees buckled when he was hit with an explosion of internal pain, the lantern dropped to the ground, it's light  fading quickly, stray raindrops streaming inside.

All of this suffering and it wasn't even for wood.

But that was never the plan.

This was for her. Just to see her, to know she still cared.

Wirt's vision was beginning to fade, shapes and colors were distorted and unfamiliar. He saw polished dress shoes, and a hand reach out.

It grasped the lantern, firmly.
"Hope you don't mind me taking this."

Wirt mustered all the strength he had just to weakly breath "...No..!" He grabbed onto Bipper's pant leg but his weak grasp was easily shaken off.

He reached out again but his arm barely left the ground, as though it was tied down.

Wirt heard Bipper's shoes click on the pathway towards town.
"NO!" He screamed, his voice echoing off gravestones. This time it was powerful, and it wasn't his own, or even the multi-layered voice that he usually had. It was only the Beast's, it was like the scream of a banshee, penetrating and strident.

But Cipher was already gone.