Punchline!

Harry's POV

Deep in Harry's mind palace

A campfire burned, its orange flames bright but unstable. They flickered and sputtered, spitting sparks every now and then into the air. A stick poked and prodded the charcoal ensuring they kept the flame on, the hand holding it belonged to Harry. This Harry however had a serious and mature look on his face, with even a beard gracing his chin giving him a slightly heroic look.

After dropping that stick to the side, he grabbed two other thinner ones. Each stick had a huge marshmallow stuck on its end.

He patiently exposed the squishy treats to the fire, turning them through to ensure they were properly done. After a few minutes they had a yummy golden brown skin. He handed one to the child next to him and started gobbling on his.

Noticing that the child wasn't eating he turned towards him. It was also Harry but this one with childlike features and even a blanket covering his shoulders, he was holding the marshmallow stick but his eyes were glued to the campfire they both shared. There was a heavy silence between them, it was obvious that there was a lot they had to talk about.

The younger Harry started and the older one mostly listened, occasionally asking and just adding his thoughts now and then.

“Did I forget to put the dirty laundry in my basket?” The childlike Harry was excited as he said this, his eyes shining as words tumbled from his mouth.

“Mom doesn't like it when I leave it on the floor.”

“I also wonder if she's okay, she's probably scared and alone in her room right now.”

“I know she pretends to be a big strong woman protecting me, like she's a Mommy!”

“But she's a big baby at heart.”

“Just like Ortho”

“Just like Ortho?” The older Harry exclaimed.

“Yeah, that's the vibe I get from him, he just wants a Mommy, just like me,” Young Harry said.

“Toucan too”

“That sick freak?” Older Harry asked

“He's not sick, he just misses someone.”

“Aren't you being too nice?”

“Hehe, no”

“I'm pathetic, so I'm especially good at seeing the patheticness in others.”

“What a talent,” Adult Harry said.

“I know, right?”

“What about right now? Aren't you being especially cowardly?”

“What do you mean?”

“You're running away”

“From what?” The child asked, avoiding eye contact with his companion.

“You know what”

“The outside.”

“It's scary there.”

“Yeah but it's also where everyone is.”

“I know.”

“So?”

“I would rather stay here,” The boy used his blanket to wrap around himself and cover himself tighter

Adult Harry said nothing, he reached into the bag of marshmallows and grabbed another one. He stabbed the stick through and started roasting his second one.

The girl's POV

Is this what happiness was?

Is this what purpose feels like?

Is this the ecstasy of submission?

I don't remember my name.

I am known simply as the girl, that was enough for a while, I was simply happy to be alive instead of dead. I mean what other life did I know? I was already living in the halfway point between life and death.

Existing so weakly that anybody could forget me, the only ones who could remember me being angels and demons. Until he came. He was not some Prince charming who turned from a frog into a human. No he was someone, a person.

At first he was really a nightmare but what was one more to the list?

Then he came again, a bumbling mess of awkwardness and light. He wasn't trying to be someone else, he was just tumbling forward in the darkness of this life. Was he like me? Those tender arms, at once both hesitant to touch me yet filled with lust. Scaring and comforting me, I was filled with fear but also with something different…

It was hard to explain, I wasn't a poet, but what I did know was that he was my light. He was the key. I know it, even if he doesn't know, I do. I've never been more sure of anything in my brief life but I the girl know this.

This was why I running, bolting through the short shrubbery of the college, the leaves, twigs and thorns pulled at me almost as if trying to pull me back. But nothing could stop me. I quickly scanned for the hole in the fence and I jumped through it. I knew this entrance like the back of my hand. This was where I took showers after all.

The school at night was breathtaking as usual but I paid it no heed. The guards were even less of an obstacle; they never paid attention, almost as if they were zombies. I looked through the buildings quickly. What was the building Toucan liked again? I had tried so hard to forget but now I wracked my brain for it. Ugh!!! I forgot!!

I would have to look through each building, I don't know what caused me to allow him to come here alone. He was such an innocent thing and to meet with that creature alone!

I wanted to scream but I focused that frustration onto my legs, urging them to go faster.

Building by building I searched, checking which ones had signs of life in them. Each one I checked my heart got heavier. Which one was it?!?

I had one left to check, that old dirty one. I had never bothered with it in all my time here, It felt like it could collapse at any time. Now I stood before it, was that a broom stick by the door?

My heart skipped a beat, I could also hear sounds inside and they were not good. My stomach twisted, I knew the strength Toucan had sometimes. Why didn't I remind him?

Everytime He held me down, unable to move. I thought it was just normal guy strength but now with all this weird stuff happening, maybe it was…

Fuck, no time to think about anything else. Sneak attack it is!

I've seen many win fights in the ghetto by playing dirty, I thought it was below me to do that. I even thought it was below me to fight back, preferring to just ignore them.

What's the point of rolling around in the mud with them let alone using dirty scummy tactics?

Right now I didn't care, I would stoop to any level for him!

As a matter of fact, I remember seeing a shed when I passed by here. I creeped over there staying lower than the windows and opened it. Inside was exactly the advantage I was looking for.

I grabbed the shovel, feeling the weight of the metal end. Entering was easy, these locks were a joke. It also helped that these buildings had many entrances for convenience. Closing it slowly behind me, I started doing the thing I knew best, sneaking.

The sounds I heard inside sounded even worse. The hallways carried those echoes straight to me, each muffled cry and groan piercing my heart. I gripped the handle harder feeling the cool metal comfort me, I was already imagining the things I was going to do with it. I almost salivated at the thought of it.

I could let him get away with the things he did to me, but this was unforgivable. As I got closer what he was doing became crystal clear.

Master was held down, while Toucan was above with his smaller body easily overpowering him. A small river of tears flowed from Master's eyes and I could barely see any semblance of consciousness in them. He mumbled away, his words unclear, the only time he would pause would be to release a moan or pain.

It was clear he wasn't completely here but maybe it was just the body responding to injury, the fingers of his hand all twisted in different directions like in those cartoons. It was dreadfully funny.

I almost laughed, but I didn't want to give myself away. I would only laugh after the punchline of the joke. It was close too, each almost-silent step bringing me closer.

I was always at the edge of people's perception. Even people like Toucan and Master who could see me would struggle to notice my presence when not focused. Toucan certainly wasn't, laughing like a maniacal villain and would occasionally lean his dirty lips down to whisper in my master's ear.

I took full advantage of this distraction, as I reached all the way behind him, biting my lip in both anxiety and excitement. Here comes the punchline!

I raised my arms, both hands gripping the shovel tightly and brought it down Hard!

It fell with a fury, I saw the blunt bladed point land on his skull and stick there. It hit his head with a dull thump and a little wet squish at the end, the force vibrating up my arms.

There wasn't as much blood as I expected, the movies lied to me. But the little that was there was beautiful like a crimson geyser of water it sprayed out of his head. It reminded me of that story of when Moses struck the stone for water in anger.

It landed on my face with a sprinkle that surprised me, was this the best shower I ever had?

I fumbled, spitting out the blood from my mouth and laughing out loud. Jesus what a fun time!

I pulled on the shovel a bit towards me , I can't have him fall on master. Toucan's corpse immediately fell back and to the side the shovel getting dislodged from his head and clanging on the floor. If only I was strong enough to dig it deeper, oh well.

I looked at the reason I was here, the reason for it all. Master!

He still looked out of it, his eyes slightly glossy, some blood had covered his face. It didn't even look bad, he looked cute with that confused expression, like a little kitty.

Though his mind was broken, it obviously was. I knew that expression from the homeless people who would just lie there listlessly mumbling away as the days went past.

That was also fine, though I felt bad. I also imagined myself taking care of him, feeding him, bathing him, everything!

Hopefully his body still worked a little, hehehe. Lemme look away before I do something crazy right now.

I turned around, though now I had to figure out a way to clean Toucan's body. I had to clean the scene, hide the body and figure out how to get Master out of here. I glanced at my watch, 02:20. I only had at most 2-3 hours too. What a lot of work.

Wait?

Did I even have to do that?

When-

I felt something grip the back of my neck, the muscles around there immediately constricted. I tried to take a few breaths but nothing came in. I kicked back on the person holding me but the person didn't even budge. I gripped on those hands trying to scratch them but it still didn't loosen the grip.

I heard a terrified scream and someone hurriedly bursting out from the doors. Was that master leaving?

I tried to turn my head around, and I was horrified to see who it was.

Toucan.

Still with the gaping open wound on his head that dribbled down blood down his face. A pained expression on his face, as his eyeballs swiveled everywhere like they were trying to see something that wasn't there. Two streaks of red flowed down his cheeks, it looked like he was crying tears of blood.

I sighed and turned back around not looking at him. If he was going to kill me, I would not prefer to see his face. I would close my eyes imagining the one I loved.

He mumbled out something, some gibberish. I could feel his body twitching and almost losing balance but he held on stabilising himself. He screamed out and…

I felt my body being thrown into the air, a feeling of lightness. I enjoyed a brief moment in the air

Before being pulled down by gravity. The last thing I thought of was that at least master was safe.

As my body fell down to smash into the floor.