The Book Of Bread

Chapter 5

AMY SWUNG FIRST, RUNNING UP TO KERMIT LIKE SONIC ONCE TAUGHT HER. KERMIT EASILY DODGED WND BLEW HER ASIDE WITH A SINGULAR SWIPE. NEXT CAME SHAGGY, WHOSE EYES GLOWED BRIGHT ORANGE AND HE JUMPED AT KERMIT WITH A KICK THAT KERMIT EASILY SWIPED ASIDE FROM. SHAGGY PUNCHED AT KERMIT AND KERMIT CAUGHT THE PUNCH, SWINGING SHAGGY HIGH INTO THE AIR.

LINK HELD HIS GIRLFRIEND INTO HIS ARMS AND WRAPPED CLOTH AROUND HER WRIST. "ZELDA, IT'LL BE OKAY. JUST CALM DOWN FOR ME, OKAY BABY?" LINK'S WORRIED EXPRESSION GREATENED AS ZELDA MUTTERED.

" LINK...I DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO MAKE IT..."

"NO!!! DON'T SAY THAT SHIT...YOU'LL BE OKAY." LINK BEGAN TO CRY.

"LINK, PLEASE...DON'T LET THEM WIN. I DON'T WANT MY DEATH TO BE IN VAIN"

"ZELDA! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE! YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY..." LINK'S TEARS FELL DOWN HIS FACE AND DOWN ONTO HER DRESS. HE HELD HER HAND TIGHTLY AND WATCHED HER SADLY SMILE AT HIM.

"I LOVE YOU, LINK..." ZELDA WHISPERED, HER EYES GOING COLD. LINK SAT THERE FOR A SECOND, STARING AT ZELDA'S LIMP BODY. TEARS CONTINUED TO FALL FROM HIS FACE, ONTO HER DRESS, HIS EXPRESSION NOW BLANK. WITHIN A COUPLE OF SECONDS, HE SNAPPED BACK TO REALITY. HE GRABBED HIS SWORD AND STOOF UP, GLARING AT KERMIT. HE RAN TO HIM AND SWUNG HIS SWORD, IT COMING LESS THAN 3 CENTIMETERS FROM KERMITS HEAD, BEFORE BEING FLUNG TO THE SIDE. LINK ATTEMPTED TO FIGHT WITH THIS FISTS, JUST BEING HIT WITH A FALLING OBJECT- SHAGGY.

KERMIT CHUCKLED AND LOOKED OVER AT ACE. "TAKE CARE OF HIM" HE SAID, MOTIONING OVER TO JESUS. ACE NODDED AND MADE HIS WAY TO JESUS. KERMIT LOOKED OVER AT HANK AND JAKE AND FLOATED OVER THERE TO THEM.

"HANK, COME ON, YOU HAVE TO HELP THEM! IT'LL BE OKAY, BRO"

"NO, JAKE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, THIS COULD HURT EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOU. I CAN'T HANDLE LOSING SOMEONE ELSE I LOVE..."

"AWE, HOW SWEET," KERMIT BEGAN, "BUT ALL OF YOUR LOVED ONES WILL BE DEAD ONCE I'M DONE PURIFYING THIS WORLD."

HANK STEPPED BACK AS JAKE THE DOG GROWLED AND STRETCHED UP OVER KERMIT.

"JAKE, NO!" HANK SCREAMED, AS KERMIT LET OUT A LOW GROWL AND SENT JAKE THROUGH ONE OF THE NEARBY BUILDINGS. HANK STOOD THERE, CONCERNED AND SCARED.

"AHAHA, WHAT'S WRONG HANK HILL? TOO AFRAID TO USE ANY POWER YOU HAVE AGAINST ME? AFRAID THAT EVERYONE ELSE HERE WILL END UP LIKE PEGGY?" KERMIT TEASED, SMILING AND CONDESCENDINGLY FLOATING OVER HANK.

"H-HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?" HANK STUTTERED, BACKING AWAY.

"YOU FORGET, HANK. I AM A GOD. I KNOW ALL AND I SEE ALL. I'M UNDEFEATABLE."

"NO...YOU'RE NOT! WE'LL FIND A WAY TO DEFEAT YOU!"

"OH REALLY? WITH POWERS YOU WON'T EVEN USE? THERE'S NO SENSE IN WASTING ANY EFFORT ON YOU." KERMIT PUSHED HANK OVER AND FLOATED AWAY, DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN HIS SIGHT AS HANK JUST WATCHED IN FEAR.

JESUS WALKED OVER TO ACE WHO STOOF AND STARED AT HIM WITH A COCKY GRIN.

"ACE, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? THE WORLD IS GOING TO END BECAUSE OF YOU!" JESUS EXCLAIMED.

"OH, JESUS. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS, YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE A FEW THOUSAND. BESIDES, THIS WORLD IS ROTTEN ANYWAYS, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW THAT WHEN THEY PUT YOU UP ON THAT CROSS ALL THAT TIME AGO."

"ACE THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO! KERMIT WON'T JUST STOP HURTING, HE WILL WIPE OUT EVERYTHING UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT, HE'LL KILL YOU TOO!" JESUS STEPPED CLOSER TO ACE AND EXTENDED HIS HAND, "PLEASE, HELP ME FIX THIS, ACE."

ACE SNICKERED AND SLAPPED HIS HAND AWAY, GIVING JESUS A HATEFUL LOOK.

"I DON'T NEED YOU SYMPATHY. THE WORLD IS BECOMING EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED, JUST YOU WATCH."

"I'M SORRY ACE, I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN..." JESUS RAN AND KICKED ACE, ACE GRABBING HIS LEG AND SWINGINING HIM INTO THE WALL. AS THE SMOKE PILED AROUND HIM FROM THE DEBRI, YOU COULD SEE A BRIGHT GOLDEN LIGHT AND JESUS SHOOT OUT FROM THE WALL, PUNCHING ACE IN THE FACE. SWINGING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, JESUS LAID DELIBERATE AND CAREFUL BLOWS ACROSS TO ACE, WHILE DODGING HITS FROM ACE AS WELL.

AS JESUS DELIVERED THE LAST PUNCH, ACE STAGGERED BACKWARDS. A SCOWL FORMED ON HIS FACE AS HE GLARED AT JESUS. JESUS STOOF WITH HIS HEAD UP HIGH AND LOOKED DOWN ON ACE.

"YOU WON'T WIN THIS, WITH THE OTHERS IN YOUR GANG KILLED BY YOUR 'LEADER', YOU ARE NEARLY POWERLESS. DON'T THINK YOU CAN WIN."

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, JESUS...KERMIT WILL GIVE ME THE POWER I CRAVE AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW GOOD I CAN BE ONCE AND FOR ALL. YOU'LL SEE." ACE RAN OFF INTO THE SMOKE AND FIRE OF THE TOWN, LEAVING JESUS TO SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE WRECKAGE.

THE TOWN WAS ALL IN FLAMES. SIRENS HEARD ALL OVER, WEEPING, AGONY, AND SCREAMS BEING HEARD ACROSS THE CITY. ALL OF THIS IN SO LITTLE TIME...HOW COULD ACE THINK THERE WAS ANY GOOD TO COME OUT OF THIS?

HE LOOKED AND SAW HIS TEAM SO TORN APART BY KERMIT ALONE...WAS HE THAT POWERFUL? AMY HAD JUST GOTTEN UP TO HELP SHAGGY AND LINK WHILE HANK WAS TENDING TO JAKE'S WOUNDS.

"ZELDA...SHE'S...GONE.." LINK MUTTERED UNDER HIS BREATH, HIS EYES WIDE IN DISBELIEF. "SHE'S GONE AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!!" HE FELL TO THE GROUND AND SOBBED, BEATING HIS FIST INTO THE GROUND. THE GROUP LOOKED AROUND AT EACH OTHER AND LOOKED VERY SAD. AMY WAS THE FIRST TO COMFORT HIM.

"LINK...I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE AND HOLD DEAR TO YOU... IT HURTS. HURT ISN'T EVEN A GOOD ENOUGH WORD. YOU FEEL LIKE THE WORLD AROUND YOU IS FALLING APART AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING ELSE EVEN FOR YOU HERE. I GET THAT. SONIC WAS MY EVERYTHING AND NOW THAT HE IS GONE...SOMETIMES I STAY UP AT NIGHT AND CRY AND THINK WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO HIM? WHY COULDN'T THE WORLD HAVE TAKEN ME INSTEAD? AND YOU NEVER REALLY GET THE ANSWER TO THAT. YOU SIT THERE AND HURT AND IT'S OKAY TO HURT. BUT RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT YOU AND PEOPLE THAT WANT TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH THIS. IF YOU DON'T HELP US DESTROY KERMIT, THEN HE IS GOING TO DO THAT TO OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL, HE IS GOING TO TAKE THEIR LOVED ONES JUST LIKE HE DID TO YOU AND ME. WE NEED TO SAVE THEM...WILL YOU DO IT WITH ME?"

LINK LOOKED UP AT AMY AND GAVE HER A SAD LOOK. HE NODDED HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY AND PULLED OUT THE NECKLACE ZELDA GAVE TO HIM ON HIS FIRST MISSION. CLENCHING IT TIGHT IN HIS FIST, HE LOOKED UP AND LET ONE LAST TEAR FALL BEFORE STANDING.

THE TEAM TOOK ZELDA'S BODY TO A PEACEFUL PLACE BY THE RIVER THAT ZELDA AND LINK ONCE WENT ON A DATE AT. THEY DUG A HOLE THERE AND PLACED ZELDA'S BODY IN THE HOLE, PLACING A ROSE ON HER CHEST BEFORE THEY BURIED HER. AS SHAGGY AND JAKE BURIED THE BODY, LINK PLAYED ZELDA'S SONG ON HIS OCARINA, WHILE EVERYONE ELSE BOWED THEIR HEAD IN SILENCE.

"SHE WAS SUCH A KIND GIRL..." JESUS SAID, IN A LOW WHISPER.

"HER AND PEGGY GOT ALONG REALLY WELL...MAYBE THEY'LL SEE EACH OTHER IN HEAVEN..." HANK SIGHED. "THEY'RE BOTH SUCH SWEET WOMEN.."

"I LOVED HER SO MUCH..." LINK DROPPED TO HIS KNEES AND PUT HIS HAND OVER THE GRAVE, "SHE WAS MY EVERYTHING AND YET... THE GANGREEN GANG AND KERMIT TOOK HER FROM ME. SHE DESERVED TO SEE THE WORLD AND BE HAPPY...AND YET HER LIFE WAS CUT SHORT THANKS TO SOME STUPID FROG....I SWEAR I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS. I WILL DESTROY HIM AND I WILL SAVE THE WORLD SO NOTHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPENS AGAIN." LINK STARTED TO SHAKE WITH ANGER.

"I LOVE YOU, ZELDA. DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT. I WON'T REST UNTIL THE GANGREEN GANG PAYS FOR THEIR SINS."