Chapter Twenty-Seven: …To Worse

Charlie sat in the tree, looking up through the
dying branches at the sky. He was probably too old to be climbing
trees. He WAS nearly nineteen after all. Yet the tree had always
been a comfort to him, especially when he'd sat here with Belle so
many times, talking.

But now she wasn't here. She was hunched over her
desk studying her heart out. Another thing he'd lost. First his
grand-father, then his best friend, and now the Lions Claw Blade.

Sunny had been nothing but sympathetic. She'd
held him for a long time that night at the tip, as he complained
about his loss. Belle hadn't said a word, choosing to stare at the
sky. It was okay for HER. She still had the Lucky Seven Gun. She
still had everything.

That's where he was wrong. Belle missed Charlie
badly, but her wounded pride and broken heart kept him at arms
length. Her only solace was her studying – at least she was good
at that.

She sat back from her assignment. It was some of
her best work, and she was proud of what she was able to do. She
just wished she hadn't had to have lost so much to get it.

A tapping at the window brought her back to
reality. Charlie was outside, looking like a little lost puppy.
Belle smiled in spite of herself, that face always got to her.

“Hey goof-ball, what's up?” She opened the
window.

“Nothing much. How's the assignment nerd-face?”
Charlie replied, happy that they could at least still banter like
they used to.

“Almost done. If I get it handed in on Friday
then I can go for an extra-credit assignment, which will all but get
me to Brisvegas.” Belle bragged.

“Aren't you overworking yourself?” Charlie
asked.

“Nope.” Belle replied.

“You look pale.” Charlie pointed out.

Belle sighed.

“I really want to get to the University Dad went
to. Then I can come back and help him make a difference here.
People here simply don't care enough to try and change things.”

“We do!” Charlie said indignantly.

“Yeah, eight kids with a bit of optimism.”
Belle said bitterly. “I reckon that's how Tate convinced the DVM
to help her – keep the people under-educated so they won't fight
back. I don't see Revolver or Marion thinking of something like that
do you?”

“Not really.” Charlie sighed.

A loud creaking interrupted their chat.

“What's that noise?” Belle asked. Suddenly
the tree lurched forward. Charlie got away just in time, the old
tree finally snapping and falling.

“What happened?!” Thomas ran into Charlies
room. He looked out of the window and saw his son hanging out of the
opposite window, Belle holding him tightly. The tree lay between the
two houses, having taken down the power lines as well.

“Well, that could have ended badly.” Peter
walked over from the car, having just gotten home from another
meeting. “Being old to begin with, the flood probably rotted the
wood away.”

“It HAS ended badly!” Bill cried from inside.
“The cricket was on TV and now we have no power!”

Peters wail of pain could be heard throughout the
city.

–

Even though she had finally gotten her assignment
done, Belle was having trouble sleeping (it probably didn't help that
it was a pretty warm night and the power hadn't been restored to the
air conditioning). Eventually she got tired of not sleeping and
pulled on her Giggles attire.

Flying was a relief. Feeling the wind surrounding
her, the Backpack lifting her up, the clouds around her, it made her
forget for a while how her life was slowly going downhill.

She looked down. Master Revolver was standing
atop a tall building. Giggles hovered in the air for a second,
wondering what it was with people and tall buildings in
Pleasantville. He wasn't really hurting anyone at that time, so she
decided she'd leave him alone and head home.

The sound of a gunshot in her direction changed
her mind however.

“Can't a girl go for a midnight flight without
some moron firing his gun at her?!” Giggles fumed, hitting the face
of her watch. After the scolding she'd received from her father over
the whole Tate incident, she wasn't going to risk fighting anyone
alone ever again!

“And waste the opportunity to finally get my gun
back? Are you kidding me?” Master Revolver grinned. The bullet
had just grazed Giggles helmet, leaving it with a “scar” very
similar to the one that her father had earned across his cheek from
the fight with Johannas so many years ago.

“Fine, you're on!” Giggles flew at him,
dodging a few more shots that came her way. She shot at his feet
with the Lucky Seven Gun, which forced him to retreat.

“Shooting my feet won't do much little girl, I'm
on to your trick! You're too scared to kill me!” Master Revolver
fired again, this time nicking her hand. “Marion has been
impossible the last few days after getting back the Lions Claw Blade,
it's about time I shut her up by getting the Lucky Seven Gun back!”

“Like hell you will.” Giggles glared at him.
She swooped down at him, with a nasty punch into his guts. He tried
to regain composure but she swooped again, kicking him over.

“That'll learn you to – OH NO!” Giggles
cried as the Backpack gave out again and she fell down next to him,
knocking all of the wind out of her lungs. “I am going to KILL
Dad.” She muttered.

“That'll learn me what hmmm?” Master Revolver
stood up and pointed his pistol at Giggles. “Give me the Lucky
Seven Gun and I'll consider letting you live.”

Giggles froze. Where was everyone?!

“I'm not going to ask again, you either hand
over the Lucky Seven Gun or you die.” Master Revolver growled.
“You're defenceless and alone.”

Giggles gulped, and slowly extended the hand
holding the Lucky Seven Gun out towards him. He grabbed it as fast
as he could, before she could pull any of her tricks.

“It's mine again! It's mine! My family gun!”
He cried in glee. He turned to Giggles and smiled.

“I don't know how you got a hold of this.” He
said softly. “But now I'm going to make sure it never happens
again. Good bye Giggles.”

Giggles heart stopped. She was going to die at
the hands of this mad man. Her life was over.

“Hold it Revolver.” Said a
voice that Giggles thought she'd never hear again.

Master Revolver slowly looked around.
The tip of one of the Arm Scythes was pointed directly at him. A
small buzzing alerted Giggles that the Backpack had enough charge to
fly a small distance. She used the distraction to get herself back
up in the air and get the Desert Eagle in her hands.

“We gotta get out of here
Chuckles!” She called down to her best friend.

“Right. See you at home
Giggles.” Chuckles quickly backed off and ran from Master Revolver.
Giggles flew backwards, keeping the Desert Eagle trained on Master
Revolver until she was sure she was safe. Then she quickly landed
and ran away to the tip.

Now she'd lost the Lucky Seven Gun,
and she now knew exactly how poor Charlie felt.