Mr. K

1 - Every Fire Begins With A Spark

On a dark, stormy night like this one, the Krusty Krab's neon sign shines bright. Squidward, in a seat near the window, stares outside at the dark, endless ocean, drained. His eyes, tired and weary, look down at his watch.

'11:43,' almost an hour past closing, and still no Mr. Krabs. He stands up, pacing around for yet another time, trying to make sense of everything. His mind stirs as he thinks back to two weeks ago, the start of it all. The silence, the cold stare, the lack of emotion... Mr. Krabs wasn't the same, and even Squidward knew that. If it weren't for his continued support, who knows what he'd do, how he'd cope. The clock strikes '12,' and with it relief in the form of a boat. The boat pulls up to the front of the Krusty Krab, and Squidward sighs a breath of relief. Blinded by the headlights of the boatmobile, he opens the door, calling out into the void.

"There you are, Krabs, it's getting late," he says. "I've already cleaned everything, let's get out of he-" Suddenly, a brick firmly collides with Squidward's face. As he crumples to the ground, another follows after, careening into and through the nearby window. Two men get out of the boat, revealing nothing but darkened silhouettes to Squidward as his vision blurs. One of the figures, leaner in stature, saunters over towards him, pulling him up by his shirt collar.

"You tell your boss to watch his back, or we'll be coming for him next." The figure looms as Squidward slowly opens his eyes. The neon sign flickers with its customary drone as the silhouette's eyes shine back into his.

"...Why are you doing this?" Squidward croaks out. The figure smiles, throwing Squidward back to the cold, wet ground. In the dull strobe of the neon light, a golden tooth gleams back at him. As the rain fills in the air of silence between them, the headlights of a distant boat grow larger.

"Let's go," he says, getting back into the car. The other, larger silhouette however, takes his time. He pulls out a small object, lighting it, and in one swift motion throws it through the shattered hole in the window, setting the Krusty Krab aflame. The boat door slams, and the pair drive off as the building is engulfed from the inside out. As he crawls towards the unexpected safety of the street, Squidward turns back, eyeing the destruction of his place of business; the place he'd grown to call 'home'. A boat door slams, and Squidward looks up to a familiar face, Mr. Krabs. Squidward collapses completely, sobbing uncontrollably as Mr. Krabs looks onward, silent, and emotionless; his life's work up in flames before him.