The Gaiden Chapters

Alternate Ending: Home Again, Home Again

Idly Simon checked his phone. It was almost eight minutes to midnight and their target should be arriving sometime now. They had been following this one for a couple of weeks, a lot longer than usual which was on account of their nerves. That fiasco with their latest victim had put them on edge and they had decided against stuffing someone else into the game for a while. Initially they had planned it to be a few months or so but boredom got the better of them and the thirst for another playthrough proved to be too much of a temptation.

Their target worked the afternoon shift at a local grocery store. He would be tired and focused on getting to bed instead of his surroundings, easy pickings for Garfunkel. A quick check of the streets he was parked on confirmed that all was quiet. Most of the houses lining the streets were dark and no cars had passed by for the last hour. Their target would be getting off the bus a few blocks away from here and walk down this street towards his apartment complex. A nearby hedge was the perfect cover for the Garfunkel to hide behind. Simon had parked the van right next to it to block any line of sight coming from across the street. Nervously he checked his phone, only a minute had passed but it felt like an hour. His insides were churning with excitement, this was one of his favorite parts of this operation. Putting his phone down in one of the cup-holders he blindly reached back to grab another donut off the back seat.

Something grabbed his arm.

Yelping in surprise he turned around and came eye to eye with Judy! "Night-night!" she whispered as she pressed a cloth up against his face. The sweet smell of chloroform filled his nostrils and he struggled to push her away. She was standing up and he was sitting down so her leverage was a lot better and he quickly fell unconscious.

As he slumped forward in the driver's seat she checked to make sure she hadn't been seen. There was no movement outside so hopefully Garfunkel hadn't seen what had happened. After debating whether or not to try and track him down she decided against it. It would be a lot easier to have him come to her. Grabbing the DS that had been lying on the backseat next to the donuts, Judy put in his his hands and turned his head down so it looked like he was playing it in order to keep Garfunkel unaware. Kneeling down near the door to the van she applied more chloroform to the rag and waited for him to show up. If an hour passed then she'd assume he had noticed that something was up and ran for it.

She didn't have to wait for very long. The steady tread of footsteps could be heard outside getting progressively louder and louder as they approached the van. Then, all of a sudden, there was a scuffle followed by a very muffled yell. Even though it felt like it had been a lifetime ago Judy could suddenly remember in great clarity how her own kidnapping went down. Shaking off the traumatic memory she leaned forward, ready to spring into action.

The door of the van rolled to the side. Garfunkel wasn't looking at her, his gaze was down at his latest victim whom he was struggling to lift. "Help me out here," he mumbled, before looking up at Judy. His eyes widened in surprise but before he could say anything she lunged at him. Tackling him to the concrete she smashed the rag up against his face. He had been stunned by her appearance and the impact of hitting the ground. By the time he reached up and grabbed her wrist it was too late. Quickly picking herself up off the ground she lifted his body into the van and pushed Simon into the front seat. It had been a long time since she had driven, this modern technology now felt distinctly alien to her, but it was like riding a bike. After a few stops and starts she found that groove she needed and slowly drove forward leaving Simon and Garfunkel's next victim on the sidewalk. He's wake up tomorrow, thoroughly confused and entirely unaware of the terrible fate he had just avoided.

It was hard to figure out where to go next since she had no idea where she was but with a little luck and some patience she found the freeway. As she drove along she kept her eyes peeled for exits that led toward empty country roads and soon found exactly what she needed. It was a small road leading off into the woods which maybe saw a small handful of drivers head down it every year. After about an hour, give or take, she felt secluded enough to park as deep into the woods as she could. Pushing the door open she headed around to the back and popped open the trunk. There were some bungie cords that she used to strap the into the backseat chairs. After stuffing some rags in their mouths she shook the awake.

Simon was the first to come around. The confusion was very palpable on his face as he limply tried to move his arms and legs. The malaise from the chloroform was strong but his brain was alert enough to clue him in that he was in danger. With a groan he tried to speak and it was at this point that Garfunkel opened his eyes. He went through the same motions as Simon did and before two long it finally clicked. Reaching up Judy turned on the light so she could get a better look at these two men who had changed her life forever.

They were pretty close in age, mid twenty somethings, but that was where the similarities stopped. Simon was a modern nerd; a short, obese neckbeard. He was freaking out, tears were streaming down his eyes and he was trying to scream through the gag in his mouth. Garfunkel had the classic nerd look. Tall and rail thin with thick frames and decked out with a sweater vest. He would have looked at home either in the library or around the water cooler in accounting. He was just staring straight at her, no emotion whatsoever on his face. He was probably still pretty drowsy from the chloroform.

Judy crossed her arms. "I've just got one question. How did you do it?" She moved to yank down Simon's gag and paused "If you scream I will kill you, okay? This is your only warning." Simon nodded his head vigorously in agreement and Judy pulled the gag out.

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed "I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry! I said we shouldn't so this but he made me do this!" He jabbed his head at Garfunkel "He said if I didn't help him he would put me in next!"

"So Garfunkel can put people into Fire Emblem: Awakening?" Judy asked, looking for clarification.

"Yes!" Simon replied, his overgrown beard dripping with tears. "I was just his flunky! I didn't want to do this to you!" Nodding her head she stuffed the gag back into his mouth and pulled out Garfunkel. "Talk."

"Fuck you," he replied, his voice as cold as ice.

"I'll kill you!" she threatened him.

"Go ahead, you're going to do it anyway whether we cooperate or not." Simon spat back. "I only have one thing to say to you." He leaned in close, his eyes boring holes into hers. "I regret nothing."

The urge to punch him was strong but Judy held back. She didn't want to give him any sense of satisfaction from riling her up. Coolly, Judy put his gag back in his mouth and moved around to the back of the van. In the trunk there was a small tool box and she found a hammer, a nail, and an empty oil can. Kneeling next to the trunk she punctured a hole in the gas tank by hammering the nail into it and filled up the oil can. With it in hand she headed back to the front of the van and found a cigarette lighter as well as Simon's wallet which had about fifty bucks in cash in it. There was a spare sweater lying on the floor which she took as well. She was still clad in her Dark Knight robes which would attract a lot of attention. Slipping in on over her head she gagged at the nerd stink that assaulted her nostrils. Since it was Simon's it was huge on her which worked out well.

"You really should have taken up vaping instead," she chided them as she flicked it on and off. "That would have made this a lot more difficult for me." Putting the lighter in her pocket she picked up the oil can and doused the both of them in gasoline. Simon was hysterical at this point, thrashing about every which way as he tried to wriggle his way out of his seat. Simon was still, he kept staring at her.

He would be defiant to the end.

Once the can was empty she tossed it into the van with them and slowly began to walk backwards. The magic within her was gone, she could feel its absence like missing limb or a dead loved one. Taking the lighter out of her pocket she flicked it on. It's small flame was nothing like the infernos she had once conjured with a mere stanza but it would do. The song oozed out her lips, low and deadly. Every note was filled with pure malice.

O sorceress

clad in the flames of Hell...

let thy fiery incantation

bear its fangs

Words of Masende, the High Sorceress

With one final crescendo she tossed the lighter forward and took off running. She didn't bother looking back, she could feel the heat of the flames against her back. Traveling through the woods she found her way back to the freeway and managed to flag a car down. The driver, a middle aged woman, asked "What's wrong?"

"My car broke down," she explained "Could you give me a lift to the nearest gas station?"

"Of course, hop in." Judy got in, put her seat belt on and the pair took off down the road.

"Where's your car?" the lady asked "After you fill up I can drive you back."

"Oh no, that's okay." Judy assured her, checking the rear view mirror. If you really strained your eyes you could see a trail of smoke drifting up through the trees but only if you knew where to look. By the time the police got there she would be long gone and any trace of her crime would, hopefully, be up in smoke. "My mom can pick me up. I was driving home to Philadelphia."

"I'm going to be passing through Philadelphia." The woman replied "I can drop you off at a bus station if you'd like. You can pick up your car in the morning. It's too dangerous to be out this late at night, you never know what could happen."

"True," Judy admitted, inwardly chuckling at the irony. A quick check of the dashboard told her that it was August 18, 2014. She had been trapped in Awakening for the past four years but only a few months had passed in the real world. She had just reclaimed four years of her life and it felt really odd. All of this did, her body still wasn't completely used to technology yet. But that would pass in time, a lot of this would. With enough willpower she could force herself to push this as far into the back of her mind as she could. Somehow, someway, she would reclaim the pieces of her life that Simon and Garfunkel had shattered. She would have to do it all alone, however, no one would believe her if she said anything. She said a quick prayer for Hank. The game cartridge would burn with Simon and Garfunkel and hopefully either end his life as well or let him live out the rest of it in Awakening. It was all she could for him now.

Reflecting on the adventure Judy rode the rest of the car ride in complete silence. After a few hours the lights of Philadelphia came into view. It was both comforting and yet alienating. She would be returning home a changed person trying to act like nothing had happened. Crossing over the Ben Franklin Bridge they headed towards downtown. Judy's house was in the suburbs but she could easily find out what route would take her close enough to home. Thanking the woman for her assistance Judy climbed out of the car and headed into the bus station. A quick check of the map told her the exact bus to grab and luckily enough Simon had carried enough change for an exact fare. Pocketing what she needed she tossed the rest into the garbage, she didn't want to carry any potential evidence on her.

After waiting for a bit the bus pulled up. Two people got off and Judy was the only one who got on. The bus driver didn't even look at her, he was working the graveyard shift and couldn't give a damn who got on the bus so long as they didn't have a weapon on them. Sitting all the way in the back of the empty bus Judy leaned up against the window and looked up at the skyscrapers of the city as they drifted by. The sky above was beginning to lighten, soon it would be the dawn of a new day.

After forty five minutes the bus stopped a few blocks away from her house and she got off. Looking around at the street Judy felt a few tears spring to her eyes, it was finally beginning to sink in. The sky above her was filled with streaks of red, orange, and pink. A nice summer breeze wafted past her. Soon it would be fall and she'd be heading back to college to complete her degree. Slowly meandering down the sidewalks she drank it all in. Then she rounded the corner and saw her house and it hit her like a punch to the gut. Choking out a sob she sprinted forward and climbed the steps two at a time. Banging as hard as she could the tears began to stream down her face.

The door opened and there was her mother, jolted out her groggy state by her missing daughter. "Mom!" Judy wailed as she lunged in for a hug. Burying her face into her mom's shoulder she began to cry inconsolably.

She was home.

The End