The story of Nick’s death and that makes me question myself- @kings-out-of-pocket-hell
November 24th 2027, Popcorn was on the run again from… Someone or perhaps an old friend, it’s better he won’t say. Popcorn didn’t show it but he was downright terrified of that man, or maybe it was because he ran out of arrows and lost his crowbar.
While running he bumped into someone making him stumble over and land on his hands and knees in an alley, he turned around and saw [REDACTED]. He tried to calm down, because he didn’t show much fear around him, but he was terrified and shaking. [RED] noticed how Popcorn looked. It honestly scared him a bit, he knelt down to try and check on him but Popcorn put his hands up.
Popcorn-“don’t touch me! Please!”
[RED]-“Pops, Nick calm down, it's me!”
[RED] slowly took Popcorn’s face in his hands and noticed he was crying, it was the first time he had ever seen him cry, he took a deep breath and wiped the tears from Popcorn’s only good eye, the other one being damaged from an explosion making it not work. He slowly rubbed Popcorn’s back which always calmed him down a bit, he slowly pulled Popcorn into a hug.
[RED]-“calm down and tell me what happened, it’s been a while since I saw you, and then you started sending me those weird audios again like when you disappeared last time”
Popcorn-“he found me again..”
Popcorn sighed, knowing it’s been too long and [RED] still hasn’t found out, and he knew it was time to come clean.
Popcorn-“you won’t do anything if I pull up my shirt..”
[RED]-“I won’t, I’m not like other fuckers..”
Popcorn nodded before pulling up his shirt showing a Pantheon tattoo on his side, [RED] looked at it for a bit, before slowly looking back at Popcorn after he pulled his shirt back down.
[RED]-“are you with them.?”
Popcorn-“I was. But somethings happened and I left”
They heard something from down the road and Popcorn immediately got up and helped [RED] up. He pulled [RED] into an old building and covered his mouth putting a finger to his own mouth. They heard people getting closer, one was talking which made Popcorn start shaking and made him shake even more when he heard the voice say “you know what you did, Reaper.”.
[RED] pulled him closer into a hug and Popcorn buried his head into his shoulder, he was never going to say he was overreacting because Popcorn never opened up about his pass except a bit of his childhood, and he could tell Popcorn was haunted by his past, knowing the countless nights he didn’t sleep and drug use for reasons.
Popcorn-“I don’t want to die now…”
Popcorn whispered as if he was going to cry or was crying, [RED] whispered back trying to calm him down
[RED]-“you won’t. I won’t let you especially on your birthday..”
After a while they didn’t hear anyone outside and they slowly exited the building. They stuck to the shadows
[RED]-“my car should have some guns in the back. Don’t ask, Beny put them in there a few months before he died”
They walked quietly through the mostly empty streets, finding a few bodies of homeless people, but it was a small town that wasn’t really popular in November. Popcorn slowly scanned the area, paying attention to everything as they walked to [RED]’s car and he popped the trunk open showing a few weapons, Popcorn noticed a couple of arrows and put them in his quiver
Popcorn-“how have you not gotten pulled over?”
[RED]-“my question is how did UNIT 15 get ahold of all of these”
Popcorn-“don’t be mad. But we sometimes stole from Shadow Company’s armory, but I always asked for Graves to order arrows”
[RED]-“you should be worried about Fangs finding out, he hasn’t been the best after Beny died”
Popcorn looked down a bit like he knew something, but he didn’t say as he grabbed a pistol and ammunition as [RED] grabbed what he would use. Popcorn, being a skilled hitman, scanned the area as he saw something or someone in the bushes a few feet away from the car, being on edge but calm enough he slowly loaded his gun quickly but swiftly shot who was there, a body fell limp and he heard a gun drop to the ground.
[RED]-“I didn’t even seen them, how did you”
Popcorn-“I had my fair share and… punishable rookie mistakes. The scars on my arms aren’t from self harm, that was one of my many lies, I went to a very strict but good training camp. I learned a lot and grew in ranks quickly.”
Popcorn-“we aren’t here for trauma venting, or whatever. Now let's go find Holly.”
Popcorn-“an old friend, now an enemy I had a liking to, but of course I can’t find love or stay in a relationship, you, LoveHurt, Delta… Asher… but we’re not talking about my disappointing actions. It’s best I stay away from having loving emotions.”
Popcorn walked off patting his thigh, something he learned from Delta as a way of telling people to follow. [RED] follows, still telling Popcorn was still shaken up, he could have told him to take a breather but he’d known he’d get the same response that hurt him a little “Work comes first, regardless what your mental state is”.
They search the streets for this Holly guy. They walked for a while until they walked on a street with trucks and vehicles they most likely didn’t belong to anyone there, until they heard a beeping sound
Before Popcorn could finish an explosion was heard and everything went black for [RED], when he came to, he saw Popcorn dragging him somewhere and dragged him to an alley. [RED] was half conscious, Popcorn sat him down checking him for any serious injuries and didn’t find anything. Popcorn looked at [RED] saying
Popcorn-“Ich muss für meine Taten bezahlen..”
Popcorn said quietly, before dropping his weapons and , laying his bow beside [RED]
Popcorn-“do me a favor if you can understand me, look after that and my guitar and you can have my motorcycle.”
Popcorn went to get up but [RED] grabbed his arm. Popcorn looked at him with a sad look, before jerking his arm away and got up and went back in the street with his hands raised. [RED] saw a few men walk over to him, one being albino, Popcorn started shaking a bit looking at him, [RED] could tell that was most likely Holly.
Holly-“ah, Nick it’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Popcorn-“don’t say my real name, you have no right to.”
Holly-“please. I have no right? What about you?”
Popcorn looked down knowing what Holly was going to say, he had a look of pure sorry and guilt.
Holly-“you shot James and blamed Konni unit, by doing that you broke Beny and then you also shot him at the dam right in the neck making him fall over the rail, and you hit Kipu repeatedly with your crowbar after knocking out Conner with it, and what do you do after that? You started a fire, and should I get started on Danny?”
Popcorn-“don’t please.. I get it… I hurt and killed a lot of people.”
Holly gave him a smirk finding joy in this, he walked closer to Nick
Holly-“and with Danny, you told everyone Danny died of weakness and from the cold. But no, you beat them and you strangled them to death, and Felix was unconscious nearby, your so lucky he didn’t come to”
Popcorn looked down, all the memories of him putting his friends in pain, and killing some. All of them hitting him like a truck, the reason why he got back on drugs is because they helped him forget, Holly walked closer and tilted his head up to make him look at him.
Holly-“need I remind you that you separate people from their families. And look at the scars on my face, do those remind you when you took my brother’s life by pushing him off that bridge. You hurt everyone remember that when you go to hell”
Popcorn-“just kill me already, you know you want to, Holly. Don’t be a pussy.”
Holly hit Popcorn in the head with the back of his gun, making Popcorn fall to the ground. Holly knelt down as Popcorn propped himself up on his elbows, and put a gun to the side of his head, and Popcorn grabbed his wrist, but didn’t try to pull his hand away and actually held it in place, and gave him a look and Holly pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang out, making [RED] fully come to his senses as his whole world shattered, he turned his head and tears immediately pricked up in his eyes. Nick fell back as Holly and the other men walked away. Although Emile heard most of it, even hearing what Nick did to Beny, he still cared for Nick in a way. He slowly got up, and quickly walked over to Nick, and knelt down and took Nick in his arms, holding him gently.
Nick-“sorry sir… I had plans to tell you… just not like this”
Nick took a card out of his pocket, and handed it to Emile
Nick-“it’s the only one… it has all the information to get to my real file… it’s not a fake, it’s the real one… it has everything on me. Keep it safe.”
Nick-“I’ll see you in hell?”
Nick said letting out a raspy chuckle, he gave a small smile, something he never did, and he looked up at the sky.
Nick-“I never hated anyone, it was a way to keep my emotions from getting out of control”
Nick said as his body went limp, his legs shifting slightly and his hands unraveling a bit. His head tilted to the side a bit and his eye lost life as his eyes became half litted.
Emile held Nick tighter and started to cry, he sat there for a while holding Nick and crying. A few weeks later Emile finally had it in him to get out of bed and walked over to his computer and got the card out and somehow got into Nick’s file, Nick was right it had everything. His backstory, medical records, his life with the Pantheon, everything was on there, and some photos.
The photos were many normal ones, some of Nick in training but some almost made Emile throw up. Everything that Nick was hiding made Emile feel like he was looking at and reading about a completely different person. He felt bad for Nick and couldn’t even imagine how hard it was for Nick to carry on without telling anyone.
