"Okay, okay, the best thing we can do right now is stay calm!"
The Chief's voice echoed over the area, and, apart from the crashes of the small waves that formed in the liquid in the distance, it was the only sound that could be heard.
Randel stared at the goo that now covered the majority of Pepperland, thinking of how quickly it all had happened.
"Stay calm? STAY CALM!? That stuff already covers over half of Pepperland, and you're expecting us to stay calm!?" Max shouted, face pale and wet with tears.
The Chief stepped forward, looking down at him.
"It's spreading to everything! Sooner or later, it'll... i-it'll... Oh dear heavens, we're doomed!"
Slowly, Ringo put Jeremy on the ground, trying not to listen to Max's outcry.
Jeremy stood still, staring at the small black puddle nearest to him, seeing that it wasn't growing or even moving.
"Max! Calm down!" The Chief stated, picking up the blue meanie.
"We're dead! It's going to consume us! We're all going to-"
"MAX!"
Max flinched and stared at the Chief, closing his mouth instantly.
Sighing heavily, the Chief placed him on the ground.
"Just calm down Max, please."
"Y-yes... y-yer blueness..."
The small group of what remained of the rest of the blue meanies all turned towards each other, scared and quiet.
"Wait... Jeremy?" said one of the blue meanies as it turned to Jeremy, who stared right back, "you're smart, right? Don't you know something we can do?"
Gulping, Jeremy shook his head.
"N-no... t-this is... b-beyond anything I know..."
"W-what?" Ringo stuttered, helping Randel off of the ground.
"It... this shouldn't be possible... it d-doesn't fit..."
The moment Randel's unfocused gaze landed on the pyramid structure, he took in a loud gasp which caught everyone's attention.
The screams of the small group of people that stood next to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band shredded the air.
On top of the structure, where the yellow submarine once sat, rested a giant mass of black goop. As if on cue, it imploded on itself, running down the structure and washing away the people who had made it their place of refuge.
Their short-lived screams echoed through Randel's mind as he began to shake.
"C-can someone please explain what's going on!?" A woman shouted, turning to stare at Ringo.
"It... It c-came to me i-in my dream last night... and... It w-warned me..."
Randel's voice was quiet, but it could be heard by everyone.
Randel continued to stare at the black goo as he spoke again.
"It t-told me that... that since its soul w-wasn't destroyed... it... it w-was able to return and... and... a-and..."
"S-so you're saying that that thing's soul has to be destroyed for it to be gone forever?" Ringo's alter ego asked, stepping forward from his friends.
Turning around to make sure that it wasn't Ringo who was talking, Randel wrapped his arms around himself.
"I... I'm s-scared..."
George, walking down the hill, sighed.
"I know. I'm s-scared too..."
John and Paul looked at each other and nodded.
"So are we..." Paul said.
"We all are," John stated.
The Chief watched as Randel and The Beatles all joined together in a hug.
"S-so... Now that we've... all gotten the panic out of our s-systems..."
He took in a breath.
"I think we should g-gather as many apples as we can..."
Shaking, Randel pulled away from the hug and turned around, wrapping his arms around himself again.
"I t-think I need to b-be alone right now..."
Ringo stepped forward as Randel began to walk up the hill, but a hand placed itself on his shoulder, stopping in in his tracks.
Turning around, he saw George staring at him.
"It's for the best, Ringo."
Randel stopped atop the hill, staring at the entrance to the bandstand for a moment as he listened to the talking behind him.
The sound of the liquid sloshing throughout Pepperland drowned that out however, and it frightened him at his very core.
He turned his head to look at his friends for a moment and sighed.
"Why d-did this have to h-happen?" Randel asked himself quietly, closing his eyes.
Taking in a deep breath, Randel walked into the bandstand, not even thinking about when he would come out.
YOU ARE READING
A Tragic Creation 3: At Pepperland's End
FanfictionJust a month after Pepperland was saved from the creature that had attached itself to him, Randel feels like nothing could go wrong now. With Ringo by his side, he feels like his life is finally back to normal. However, the very creature that had al...
