A/N: Remember when I said I felt like I was writing this out of bitterness and spite?

Well...

Sometimes, we just need to get that out. If this story is to be written out of my bitterness and spite for a character I utterly despise, then so be it.

I am going to make Lynn Loud suffer. She will not die in this story; au contraire, the things that'll happen to her will be a lot worse...

Track 3 – Mad World

"Lynn."

"..."

"Lynn, get up."

"Go away Lori."

Lori smacked her head, "Get up, this is serious!"

Lynn rubbed her head, "What the fuck, Lori? What do you want?"

"I want you to come with me, and bring your bat."

"...what for?"

"Just grab it and follow me..."

XxXxX

It hurt.

Lynn was now on her back. Her wounds on a very cold metal.

It hurt.

She could barely register her surroundings. It was dark, and soon a bright light turned on. She barely saw the cup being held up to her mouth.

"Drink." said a deep voice.

Using what little energy she had, Lynn tried to back away.

It hurt.

"Drink, or you'll die."

Lynn still refused.

"Oh for fuck's sake..."

Lynn felt a hand pull down on her jaw, forcing her mouth to open up. A very strong liquid went over her tongue and down her throat, but she couldn't tell if it was some sort of medicine or alcohol.

"Ungrateful little bitch...you better be worth it."

Lynn could feel her head get dizzy. The bright light soon turned off. She felt as though her head were spinning.

It hurt.

XxXxX

"Okay, we're outside, now what?"

"Over here." Lori walked around the side of the house and headed for the garage.

"...what's in the garage?"

Lori didn't say anything, she went around and opened up the side door, then motioned for Lynn to come to the door.

Inside the garage was a man tied up on the floor, a large, bloody bruise on his face, a gag over his mouth, and eyes shut out of exhaustion.

"...who is that?"

Lori walked up to the man and put a foot on his head, "The other day, when I was looking for food, this asshole ran at me with a knife. I got lucky and smashed his face in with my club."

Lynn approached, "...is he dead?"

"No. But he's going to be."

"What?"

"Lynn...after what happened to Luna...it's going to get worse out there, you know? And I don't think I'll be able to handle it on my own. I need your help to keep us all safe."

"...why me?"

"Because Luna is now dead, Luan has locked herself in their room, and you're the next oldest after that."

"What about Leni?"

"You know damn well she has no idea just how bad it is out here...or how dangerous people can get right now."

Lynn looked at the wounded man, then down at her bat, "...I still don't want to do this."

"Fine, want me to get Lincoln to do it instead?"

Lynn paused.

"I didn't want to, he's barely old enough to drive...then again, he is more dependable and-"

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Thought so...swing for the fences."

Lynn glared at her, "Don't you fucking joke about this."

Lori smiled, "I never did, you were the one thinking it when you murdered this man."

"..."

"All I told you was to get used to it like I had to...you're the one who started to make a game out of it."

"..."

"So, what are you waiting for? Swing batter batter...swi-"

Lynn brought down her bat onto the man's head.

Lynn brought it up and swung it down again.

His eyes opened.

Lynn gritted her teeth and swung harder.

Again.

Again.

Again.

A-

"Stop it Lynn, he's not moving anymore."

Again.

Again.

"LYNN, STOP!"

The bat broke over the dead man's head. Lynn stood still for a moment, then fell back onto her bottom. She curled up into a ball and put her head down. She tried to hide her crying face. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"...I'm sorry Lynn, but I'll do anything to keep this family – what's left of it – safe. Let it all out, then go back inside for bed. I'm gonna keep watch outside."

The garage door shut, and Lynn was alone.

XxXxX

It hurt.

It was cold.

It was dark.

Lynn could barely make out two voices.

"-thought that botched blood transfusion was the dumbest thing you did, now you're wasting our medicine on some stupid fucking kid that's going to die anyway?"

"First off, it's MY medicine. I'M the one who found the ingredients, I'M the only one around here who knows how to MIX them, and I DICTATE how MY medicine will be used."

"Fine 'doctor', but why the hell are you giving it to that kid you found half-dead while we could be saving it for one our own?"

"...it's a girl."

"...no shit? For real? That's a girl?"

"I know she don't look it, I was surprised myself."

"She doesn't have tits!"

"I know she doesn't have tits! She's mostly muscle and little to no fat."

"Holy shit...does Bernie know about this?"

"Already sent a message to him. He'll be here soon enough..."

That's the last Lynn heard before she slipped back out of consciousness.

XxXxX

Lynn wiped her eyes as she climbed up the stairs. She was trying her best to not just break down right then and there. Too many thoughts were going through her head, she just wanted it all to shut out. The second worse thought was her knowing that she had just killed a man.

The worst was that she had enjoyed using her equipment again, in spite of what it was being used for.

There was never time for her to enjoy any and all sports at her leisure. In fact, she couldn't remember when she last used that baseball bat...though now she was lamenting that she'll never be able to use it again.

Lynn reached the top of the stairs. Her bedroom was now straight ahead. She took a right turn and headed for the end of the hall. Lynn opened the door to what used to be a linen closet and entered the small room belonging to her only brother.

"...Lincoln?"

Lynn heard a grunt in response.

She went over and tapped his bare chest,"Lincoln, you up?"

He shook his head, "...five more minutes Lori."

"Lincoln, it's me again."

He cracked his eyes open, "...Lynn? What're you doing here?"

Lynn looked away from his face, "I just...I had a nightmare."

"Lynn...are you crying?"

She started to shake a little, "I just...I'm really scared Lincoln..."

"...do you want me to do anything?"

She slowly nodded, "I want you to hold me. Just like last time..."

Lincoln paused for a bit, then nodded himself, "...okay."

Lynn pulled her tank top over her head and let it fall to the floor. She climbed into Lincoln's bed while he made room for her. She wrapped one leg around his, and pushed her small yet fit body against his to feel his warmth. His bed always seemed to get smaller and smaller, but Lynn didn't care.

It just gave her another reason to get closer.

XxXxX

It hurt.

It was cold.

The bright light came on again, and Lynn could barely see two figures above her. One very tall wearing a doctor's smock, the other very large with a black motocross helmet and visor on.

"This is the girl?" asked the one with the helmet.

"Yup, just like I said." answered the doctor.

"...fifty."

"What happened to one-hundred?"

"That was before I found out she had no tits. The offer is now fifty."

"Bullshit! She's in almost-new condition! Hell, she's only been used once or twice!"

"Really? Is she clean?"

"No diseases and tight as fuck. I checked. The only issue is that her cherry's been popped already."

"Hmm...I dunno. Mack only wants the best. You know, big tits, big hips, long hair..."

"Then fatten her up! Let her hair grow! She's mostly muscle anyhow! That should go away after a few months at the most! Seriously Bernie, how many girls like this can you find nowadays?"

"...tell you what Doc, seventy gallons. That's the best I can do. Either that or you can keep her. How 'bout it?" he offered his hand.

The doctor paused, then shook it, "...deal, that should get us through another month or two if we ration it with what we already got."

"A pleasure as always, I'll have my boys load her up...oh, and Doc?"

"What?"

"She better not have anything wrong with her, or I'm gonna have to shut down your practice...and revoke your license."

"I swear on my life, she'll cause no problems..."

XxXxX

"Down here, Lincoln..." Lynn guided her brother's hand down her abdomen.

Lincoln grabbed her with his other hand, "Lynn, we shouldn't be doing this. What if Lori finds out?"

"Who cares if she does? What's she gonna do? Kill us?"

"I dunno...I just don't want her to be upset with us if she finds out that we're-"

"Linc, she's already upset with us. She's nearly gone full psycho at this point."

"I know, but..."

"Lincoln. The world ended. Our family is more or less gone. And I NEED YOU. Do you want to do this for me, or not?"

"...I do."

"Good...now let go. I need something from you..."

Lincoln let go, and Lynn pulled his captured hand down into her shorts. Lincoln blankly stared at her for a moment.

"...I love you."

He never said that, "What?"

Lincoln grabbed Lynn and forced her down onto the bed, "Is that what you want me to say?"

Lynn looked down to see that her shorts had vanished, Lincoln separated her legs and aggressively forced his member inside of her non-moistened labia.

It hurt.

"I didn't want this. You knew that. You just guilt me into it, saying that you needed relief or you'd kill yourself like Luna did."

It hurt.

"How does it feel, you little bitch? Best you've ever had?"

It hurt.

XxXxX

Lynn awoke to witness a large, middle-aged man with long wild hair and bloodshot eyes on top of her. She felt his heavy, tobacco-scented breath blowing in her face as he grinned a wild grin, showing sickly yellow teeth with at lest one or two of his canines missing. His chubby hands held her by the wrists as he forced himself on her.

"Shit, you are tight! You're worth every gallon!"

It hurts.

It hurts.

IT HURTS.

Lynn let out an almost animalistic wail and forced her head into the man's face, hitting his jaw and causing him to recoil.

"You stupid bitch!" The obese man let go of one of her wrists and brought a fist down onto her head. Dazed but not out, Lynn used her now free hand to claw at the man's face in retaliation, slashing across his eyes. Both of his hands went to his face.

"JESUS, FUCK!"

Using the opportunity, Lynn kicked him off with both legs and jumped onto him. She dug her nails as deep as she could into his fat bearded neck, closed her hands around it and applied pressure. His eyes started to bulge as he gasped for breath, he brought his fists down on her back and head again and again to get her to stop.

Lynn couldn't feel the pain anymore, the blows to her head and back only gave her more rage.

Rage she put into her hands.

Rage she used to strangle this fat fucker.

Rage...

After a few minutes, the man let out a deep ragged breath, almost like a cough, the saliva and blood collected in his mouth spit out onto Lynn's face. There was a glazed look in his eyes, and then his arms fell down. His breathing came to a stop.

It was over.

Lynn took a few deep breaths. The adrenaline was wearing off and the pain was starting to sink in. She tried to get a sense of where she was at. It looked to be a bedroom of sorts. Small, cramped, only a bed and a door. Lynn could see a few hangers above. The walls seemed to be covered by sheets of metal. She could hear something...an engine? The room was moving a little. There was something else though.

Gunfire.

Lynn slowly got off the bed and headed for the door. Her whole body ached and she nearly fell over. She clung to the wall, feeling her legs lock up a bit. How long had she been out? When did she get here? How many times did that-

No.

Now wasn't the time to think of that.

Lynn pulled herself to the door, grabbing onto the handle. She pushed on it. Locked. Lynn took a deep breath and used any energy she had left to force herself onto the door.

BANG!

The door didn't budge.

Then Lynn realized, the lock was on her side of the door. She let out a groan and unlatched the lock, then pushed the door open. She fell forward as the room started moving again, hitting the floor. Lynn pushed herself up a bit, and finally it all made sense.

She was in an RV. An RV that was moving. An RV that was being shot at.

There was a driver and a passenger up front, both wearing what looked like black motocross helmets. The passenger was holding an automatic rifle on the dashboard and firing out where the windshield should've been. The only window that wasn't already covered by reinforced metal.

"Bernie! The convoy's under attack and-" the passenger turned around and saw Lynn laying there, with nothing on but the blood from his boss. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Lynn barely saw the bullet that grazed the side of her head.

XXXXX

"And I find it kind of funny,

I find it kind of sad,

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had.

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take,

When people run in circles it's a very, very...

Mad world...mad world..."

-Tears for Fears

"Mad World"