Decembersville Ch. 17

Chapter 17 – Traitors
     “Thirteen is hiding her and I know it!” Chimabell jumped up from behind Campara’s tea chair, causing her to choke on her tea and fall out of her seat in extreme surprise. “He’s got her, he’s got her, he’s got her, got her, got her! Am I good or what!”
Campara recovered then threw the tea pot at her little brother’s head. It didn’t miss. He laughed as it shattered against his skull and he fell to the gray carpet floor, giggling like a girl scout. “Internal brain damage can’t change my conclusions, sister dear! Thirteen’s got Sophia and he’s hiding her from us cool guys!”
     “Thir-? His name was ZERO, you little idiot,” Bella said as he loomed over his sibling who was lying down on his back happily. He kicked Chimabell’s head toughly.
     “Aww, go ahead and kick me. As if a tea set wasn’t enough, o’ brother of mine! Jeez, it’s as if you all are jealous of the amount of brain cells I got! I smell jelousyyyyyyyyy…”
     “Shut…up…before…I…maul…you…open.”
Campara smelled another battle approaching, so she had to get them back on track. “Wait one second, Chima. Isn’t Zero that trouble-maker from yesterday’s morning assembly?”
     “The one with the ax hands and gutsy attitude that we couldn’t help but beat the heck out of because he annoyed us on so many levels? Ding! Jackpot!”
Vultures flew into the darkness of the main office, illuminated only by green-lit candles on the walls and chandeliers. The rest was pitch black. It was too light outside for them to open the curtains of the overhead window (although the afternoon was getting darker and darker). They could not risk their sight.
          Chimabell hopped off the floor and skipped over to the center striped sofa, jumping on it then turning upside down, allowing the blood to rush to his head while he lazed around there. His ears gave off a few chimes and thunder began to rumble outside the castle. “I got a few more scents off Sophia’s sweater; some that gave me a hint of déjà vu; some that revolved around Zero the hero. What a pitiful loser.”
     “In other words, you just found another traitor. What are the odds.” Bella said coolly.
Campara scowled as she began to feed a piece of cake to a shadowy vulture that flew down to her. “Speaking of traitors, where’s that failure Tammy? I feel like beating some sense into that loser for screwing around on the job. Fix him, Chima. I’m serious. It’s enough we haven’t heard from Meowsician the last few hours. I find that weird.”
     “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Whateva’, Campy. You are all missing the point here…as usual,” Chimabell said properly. “I think Sophia’s got a few friends helping her out and they are trying to keep her in the dark,” he grinned thinly, “but the dark is where the vulture’s like to play.”
     Bella took in a sigh. “What are you proposing? We can’t immediately point Zero out without proper evidence for the citizens. All you have is a scent but for all they know you are just lying. I believe you because I hate that guy as well as you and Campara do. I didn’t like him the minute he stepped up… and I found it sketchy of how he was the only one to defend this intruder and refer to her as the proper gender; a ‘her’. Look, I don’t know anything about this kid but the fact that he’s the lead boiler man of the city and a rather shy one at that. He fears you, Chima.”
Immediately, Bella regretted saying those last few words. He bit back his voice and Campara flinched a little. Chimabell’s eyes were suddenly wide open and he was extremely silent.
He looked back…
     “Monsters!” Felicity von Pyre screamed horrendously, throwing a glass at the wall. “Monsters! Damned, bloodthirsty demons! That’s all you’ll ever be, you stupid little monsters! Freaks!”
Her children were staring at her in horror; they were frozen where they stood. Campara was huddled in the corner of the room, hand to her cheek after a fierce smack. Bella was on the floor, staring at his mother while trying to ignore the bleeding from his head; he tried to maintain control of himself. Chimabell was the only one standing right across from Felicity, too terrified to move or speak or breathe; he was shivering and his insides were frozen over. “YOU ARE NOT MY CHILDREN!!” Felicity screamed louder and more insane than ever, making their souls shudder and their hearts shove up their throats. She threw another glass, only this time to the floor. She looked messy and crazily enraged; as if she’s had it with whatever situation she was in. “YOU ARE DEMON CHILDREN! YOU ARE NOT MINE BUT THE DEVIL’S!! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!”
She screamed at Campara, “STUPID LITTLE SLUT!”
She leered at her oldest son, bleeding on the floor “STUPID BASTARD CHILD! YOU ARE NOT MINE!”
Then she made a snake-like glare of hatred towards her youngest son who could only stare in pure fear as if he was made of ice. “And YOU…you are THE WORST, YOU IDIOTIC DEVIL!!”
Chimabell felt like throwing up his guts. The scars on his wrists burned as well as his lungs did. “You are NOTHING!! You are nothing but an UGLY, STUPID, EVIL LITTLE BASTARD!! FREAK!!” she grabbed some glass shards off the floor  and threw them at him. “All I wanted was some normal children, but God had to give me idiot monsters like you! I DO NOT DESERVE THIS!!” she reached into her dress…and then pulled out a weapon. Campara, Bella, and Chimabell’s hearts all exploded at once. Felicity aimed the gun at her son right before her, bellowing “MONSTERS LIKE YOU SHOULD NOT EXIST IN THIS WORLD!! GO BACK TO HELL UNLOVED, WRETCH!!”
It happened too fast.
     Bella sprang up, out of the blue, then his talons reached out. They slammed against Felicity’s shoulders and then she was given a violent push backwards. She lost her footing and then…there was a window. A large, thin window hovering four stories above the ground level.
Felicity fell against it. It broke. She went down…down…down…
Then the thunder roared. Vultures made a circle…then they descended.
      He was back in the main office, upside down. A second has passed. Chimabell then stretched a smile, wide as he was able to. “Bella,” he said nicely.
     “Yes…?”
     “I hate you.”


The sky was a deep blue for the night was not far. The full moon was out and the cobblestone streets were populated as Pendulum Tin and Zero squeezed out the same alleyway they entered, leaving the Underesidence. They were frittering with worry for their little friend. “Oh man! I hope Sophia made it out alright!” Zero said, frantically looking side to side down the lane. Pedestrians passing by gave him a little attention but just went about their own business in the end. Tin slipped on the icy sidewalk like a moron but still twitched and shook his head side to side. “Zohmygod! Zohmygod! D-d-d-d-d-don’t panic, Zero! I know she’s alright out there…all alone… and helpless… and lost… and no idea where to go or find us…”
     Mellon was not there with them. He completely walked out on Zero down in the Underesidence, disappearing into the crowd of ingrates. Sure, Zero and Tin managed to get in contact with Sarah, but she simply said “She’s a strong one. You’ll find her.” Then she slinked away.
     “…or starving… or freezing… or kidnapped… or eaten… or--” Tin babbled on, still sitting on the sidewalk he slipped on with a deadpan expression. Zero was frantic now. He knew her for just about two days but he felt her close in his heart. She became his friend… his responsibility. She believed in him. He HAD to find her. He HAD to take her home. Then came a familiar face; four familiar faces, actually. Kevi, Drea, Tover, and Larz; Mellon’s little preteen fans popped up right before Zero on their skateboards, startling him a little. He recognized them and smiled a little worryingly. “H-Hello, kids,” he said. Kevi and his friends smiled back then immediately came into question. “You look spooked, buddy. Where’s Mel? Where’s your girlfriend?”
     “Well, I really don’t know where Mellon went b-but we’re looking for our friend, the little girl.”
     “What happened?” Drea asked while the boys looked a little worried as well. “Is she okay? Did she get lost?”
     “Well…y-yeah. Have you seen her anywhere at all?”
The Howlers exchanged a few looks and their shoulders went up then down. In unison, they answered “No. Sorry, man.”
Zero sighed embarrassingly while Tin was still babbling on and on to himself as if he was brainwashed with pessimism. “Only guys we saw on our way here was Pink Bunny. THAT was pretty weird, you gotta admit,” Larz said to his friends, who instantly agreed. Zero perked then instantly began to ask, “Pink Bunny? As in Sarah and Nutty Jimmy?”
     “Dude, don’t say their names in public, man. That’s taboo. But totally! We actually saw those guys take an unpaid ride down Kerry Avenue; the abandoned area we like to hang out in. They had some kid with them. Certainly nobody we’ve ever seen.” Tover said.
It was her. It HAD to be her. Zero felt overjoyed inside and a wave of relief washed away his worries. Tin just kept babbling for he obviously had a loss of contact with reality at the moment. “Unless she’s gotten a supreme makeover, I don’t really think that was your friend, man. Dark hair, spikes, she was… awesome.” Larz blushed.
     Then a stronger roll of thunder came in… along with the small chiming of bells. Zero and the Howler’s all turned their heads to the left and their eyes widened at misfortune. Kevi instantly barked to his friends “Oh crap! It’s the psycho squad!” then they scrambled back on their skateboards and sped down the lane.
Psycho squad? What could they… ohhhhh no. Just Zero’s luck. His heart began to pound as a black carriage belonging to the von Pyre Brothers slid down the lane. Some pedestrians feared their presence so then they hid; others just tried to ignore them. Zero could not help but stare as the carriage came in closer and closer. A Doll was their coachman. Tin’s attention was caught in an instant and then his metal hearts began to drum. His breath was limited and he avoided eye contact. Well…it was going to be hard because Chimabell was the first to step out when the carriage stopped right across from them.
     “Aloha, baby! Remember me?” the mayor said happily. Zero made a forced smile and he said weakly “Y-yeah. Good afternoon, sir.” He felt totally uncomfortable. Tin avoided all contact by just staring down at the ground as he sat on the sidewalk. Bella and Campara were waiting inside the carriage patiently. Residents passing by tried to ignore their presence. The mayor made a sweet smile then asked Zero nicely,
      “Wanna talk in private? I sure do. C’mon, buddy.” He signaled the ax-handed freak to walk with him into a nearby alleyway. Nobody was ever in there during the afternoon Downtown. “I won’t bite.”
Something forced Zero to follow. He walked past Pendulum Tin who was trying to keep himself unnoticed and followed Chimabell into an alleyway farther down the lane. A wide one.
     “So. Big news: another one of us turned up dead just this morning,” the mayor said grimly. Zero already knew where this was going and he wanted to throw up for it. “Got any pointers?” he kept talking, now circling his victim who remained silent. “Any friends? Any relatives or neighbors got an idea? Maybe there are some secrets you’d like to share? Like…let’s say… about…”
Zero’s soul left his body as suddenly a sharp talon made it’s way across his throat from behind along with a rasping voice saying “…SOPHIA, perhaps?” Zero’s heart whimpered. He knew. He found him out. His hands weighed heavier than ever now. “I have little evidence but I’m quick, Zero. I admit I’m very stupid and cynical, but I’m quicker than my nails are,” his claws pierced through his victim’s neck a little. “Actually, I got such little proof that I doubt anyone would believe a nice cutie like you would do such a thing as to betray your city. One Darkslaw was more than enough for me to handle.”
     “I don’t know what you are talking about, sir.” Zero tried to lie for the first time. It hurt him. But then there was a horrendous feeling deep inside. Chimabell’s skin… was freezing. Not the average temperature all civilians maintained. His skin was dead cold; as if no warmness ever touched him. As if he lived his life with an unthawed heart. It gave him a feeling of sorrow. Why?
He did not have time to think of such a thing for Chimabell game in closer.
     “Say whatever the heck you want, Zero, but I’m just saying that you DO NOT have my trust whatsoever,” he was still grinning. “I’ll expose you and your dear little Sophia too. I’ll find her and I’ll blame you, ya’ hear? You can’t hide her forever and ever in this city especially when you have no supporters.”
He was wrong. He DID have supporters; Pendulum Tin, Melloni Collie, maybe even Pink Bunny. He did not dare say such a thing but instead said “She’s just a little girl. She just wants to go home and she means us no harm at all. She’s scared, sir. She has a family looking for her.”
     “Aww, how cute!” Chimabell said gleefully before spinning around and slamming Zero against the dusty brick wall, grasping his bladed hands with such great force. Zero was shocked at how strong the mayor actually was. The vulture-like freak came in close to Zero’s face with his bell ears swinging and chiming, making some lightning appear high above. Now he was grimacing violently “You can’t protect her, Zero. That’s just how we are. We can’t protect anyone no matter how much we try. Let’s say I allow her to go home: she will tell others and she will only betray you like the two-faced human she is; child or not. They HATE us.”
     “Sophia doesn’t. She’s kind; hot-headed but kind. She is my friend, sir.” He feared him more than ever, but he could not stop himself from defending Sophia. Chimabell’s grip tightened and his yellow eyes began to burn red.
     “She is nothing but a little LIAR; a spineless brat who doesn’t deserve a place in this world much like the rest of her kind. I want her.”
     “What are you going to do to her?”
     “That’s for me to know and for you to quit being such a baby about. WHERE IS SHE!” he screamed angrily. It was a familiar reaction from the day before, but this one was plagued with hate. Zero was frightened. He wanted to leave immediately. Then there was a flash of silver and Chimabell’s eyes shot open. The mayor pushed himself off Zero and made a high jump, flipping backwards and landing on the other side of the alley with style. There was a knife buried right before Zero, who was staring in extreme shock at the weapon. A voice came from above, “Ey, aren’t you supposed to be the law of this city or something?”
     Mellon let himself fall from the top of the building and land on his feet slyly. He was wearing his black hood along with some shades this time. “I don’t care if you are some big shot, but picking on guys like this is just plain cruel, even for you. No wonder Decembersville is so caged in today; its government relies only on blackmail and power.”
      “I’m hearing this from some street mugger? Wow. I feel degraded now,” Chimabell sarcastically said, getting back his smile. “Save your lectures for the rest of your diseased mongrels, Collie. The adults are talking.”
     “The human is not the cause of these murders,” Mellon said, ignoring his superior. Chimabell began to hum and stroll over to Zero again. Mellon made a serious glare as the mayor was coming in closer. “Actually…I think YOU are the murderer considering how pissed you are with having Sophia around.”
Instantly, Chimabell made a cold leer at Mellon and made a forceful gesture with his arm as if he smacked something away. Then the gangster was pushed backwards with tremendous force, hitting the brick wall. He lost that round right there. Zero shivered as the mayor strolled in closer to him until they were face-to-face again. He was smiling his usual happy smile and then he whispered, “I’m not a good person, Zero. It’s too late for me to turn away from the coal in my crooked heart and I just so happen to be fine with murder. But… Decembersville is my home, kid. If there is only one thing I dare love in this world, it’s this city. I would NEVER harm these people except for traitors such as that idiot Darkslaw. Please don’t be like him.”
     Chimabell’s hand extended forward and then it hovered over bladed hands. But suddenly… liquid began to form and drip from his talons. Zero could not even stare for he was in too much horror of what was happening. Blood. There was blood dripping from the mayor’s hand and falling down on Zero’s, covering them in red. Even Mellon, who was trying to get up off the ground after the blow he took, could just glare in disgust at such an act.
     “Sophia doesn’t have to be the murderer, my friend,” the vulture freak said, grinning evilly. “We just need someone to blame… and I really don’t like the way your mouth works.”
Zero was shaking horrendously. He was in a dark place now. He was scared; terrified.
     The mayor then began to stroll away from the duo, walking unevenly to the exit of the alleyway. He made one final comment, “You are safe for now… but it’s only a matter of time until all fingers will be on you. See where your ‘friendship’ takes you in the near future, pal.”
Then he left.
     Mellon hopped over to Zero, trying to snap him out of his bloody trance. “Hey! Yo, Z! Way to blow cover, man!” he throttled his terrified ally, who began to warm up again. Mellon was wiping the blood off the blades with his long jacket; no care whatsoever. “Hey, Z. Get a move on. I know where the kid is. Let’s get Mr. Can’t-shut-up and head over to Winterglass Cemetary.”
     The gangster pushed his traumatized friend (?) to the exit of the alley. Zero whispered “Thank you, Mellon.”
     “Shut up and move it. Jeez, that guy really hates you. What the HELL did you DO to him?”
Zero couldn’t answer. “God, you guys are trouble.”
Trouble. That’s what they were in now. Trouble.
     The mayor knew. Though he was not allowed to prove it to the city yet without the proper evidence, he knew. He was not going to let this go no matter what.
He’ll find Sophia no matter what the cost for whatever reason and Zero was officially going to the Chopping Place.
He was a traitor now.
His days were officially numbered.