Eddsworld Oneshots

I've Got a Secret

It was a peaceful, for the most part. The sky was dark and full of stars, the neighbors were cranky.....

.....the grass was stained red.....

..... and there was a gun in his hand.

I had heard commotion from the kitchen, a struggle. Muffled shouting and things breaking rattled through the thin, plaster walls. It pulled me from my slumber and I shot up in bed, my red comforter falling from my shoulders.

Still blinking away the sleep, I ripped the blankets aside and jumped to my feet.

As I hit the floor, there was a single loud crack exploded through the house and everything went silent. The faint echo of it traveling through the air and around the neighborhood tickled my ears in a horribly familiar fashion.

My stomach dropped. Gunfire.

I sprinted down the hall as fast as my legs could carry me. My feet slipped on the fated polyester carpet as I rounded corners and crossed into the living room.

Shards of broken glass litter the kitchen tile and the soft glow of raw moonlight filtered through the open screen door. The smell of dew came in on the gentle night breeze, which now infiltrated our home.

I skidded to a halt in kitchen doorway and looked out into the backyard. Blood pounded in my ears to a the steady beat of anxiety.

That's when I saw Edd.

The shattered sliding door displayed the scene through a jagged frame. Cold white light washed the landscape, the silhouette of my friend holding a smoking shotgun was the center focus. A body lay unmoving in the grass before the brit, who stared at it through glassy brown eyes.

Bits crunched under my bare feet as I carefully picked my way across the floor and to the yard. The adrenaline-fueled fire in my veins began to freeze over as dread crept into my system. It wasn't the gore or death that scared me, it was the fact my friend was now involved in it.

A pit of guilt rose into my throat. I had vowed to protect him from all the violence that surrounded my shady life and here he was, standing over a corpse in nothing but shorts and a hoodie.

Edd heard my soft steps and his small head whipped around to face me. The rough surface of the cement patio welcomed my soles as I climbed past the threshold. A mix of panic and sadness crossed his face as the weight of his actions came down onto him.

I saw the pain in his eyes and rushed forward to comfort my friend, forgetting the sharp glass that pepper the soil.

The brit practically threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around me and burying his nose in my chest. My shotgun fell to the ground from his trembling fingers.

His knees gave way as he sobbed hysterically and I gently guided us to the grass. "I'm sorry, Tord." He curled up against my red flannel pants, clutching handfuls of my grey shirt while I calmly stroked his head.

The body that lay sprawled in the dirt was the least of my concerns, cleaning it up would not be an issue. Explaining the military equipment and government patches that decorated the body was a completely different story. 

I turned my attention back to the crying brit and cupped his delicate round face in my hands. Edd gazed up at me as I wiped the tears from his flushed cheeks with my thumb.  "It's going to be alright." I reassured, "everything will be okay." He nodded and rubbed his red nose in the sleeve of his green hoodie.

Dark brown curls and grass blades dance in the wind around us. The stars glared down at our quiet figures as if they knew everything. They were witnesses to the world and all that was wrong with it.

We rose to our feet and carefully walked back to the house, eager to get inside and away from the mutilated soldier. Once in the kitchen, I sat him on a chair and kneeled on the linoleum in front of him.

I spoke again in a low, calm voice, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Can you tell me what happened?"

Pleading eyes scanned my face for words before a pink tongue darted out to wet his dry lips. "I was on the couch when I heard someone trying to get in, so ran to get your gun." His attention flicked around the room as the scene played out in his memory. "I threatened him through the window and he broke it to grab at me."

Tears bubbled up behind his eyes and his bottom lip began to quiver. He drew in a sharp breath.

"I pushed him out into the yard and..."drops spilled down over his cheeks and rolled to the floor. "I didn't want to do it but he said he was after you." The brit leaned closer to my face.

A heavy sigh escaped my tired lungs. "I wish I could have done a better job protecting you from all this." I said, taking in the fine details of my friend.

"Who was he?" Flyaways stuck up from his messy hair and softened his outline under the moon.

I sank my teeth into my cheek and peered around the empty kitchen, scanning the shadowy corners for others. I already knew I couldn't walk away from this situation without spilling precious intel but I wasn't ready to involve Tom or Matt.

Once I was satisfied that no one else would hear us, I lowered my voice to a whisper.

"Everything I'm about to tell you is incredibly dangerous, if anyone else finds this out, all four of us could get killed." Shock and fear trickled into his expression as the words flew from my mouth. "I'm Red Leader."

I gently squeezed his plush thigh as a way to reassure him while I explained everything I could. He needed to hear this right.

My gaze refocused in on my scarred fingers, I couldn't bare to see his reaction.  He just killed a man and was now finding out his friend is an international terrorist. I shook my head to straighten my thoughts. "There are a lot of big-names after me and that guy was probably one of them."

The small brit touched his forehead to mine, warmth filled my body despite the blowing wind. "Thank you for telling me. Now how should we clean up this up?"

I reluctantly pulled away, slid a burner cell out of my pocket, and dialed the number given to me. Edd lovingly ran his fingers through my short blonde hair, combing out the tangles.

It only rang twice before the line was picked up.

"Hey Paul?  I've got a situation."