Like Kibbles 'N' Bits

[Killer]

Summary: My theory on Killer's past, told in a kinda weird way, LOL! Gonna hafta post it in multiple posts. There's a character limit on this board.
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LIKE KIBBLES ‘N’ BITS

by “KrazyLeggs” (2003)

CAST:

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Annabelle

Carface

Charlie

Itchy

Killer

Sasha

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“But, Boss, I don’t think--”<br>
“Shut up,” Carface barked in his gravelly voice, shoving Killer, his partner in crime, toward the open cellar window of a meat shop, “Just remember the plan and get the loot.”<br>
“But what if we get picked up by the...the you-know-what?” Killer fretted, resisting.

“‘We’ won’t,” Carface assured him, shoving him yet again.

“We won’t?” Killer asked, trusting his boss whole-heartedly and feeling more reassured.

“No, ‘we’ won’t,” Carface repeated, still trying to force Killer to go through the window, “You might.”<br>
“What?!” Killer yelped, bracing all four paws against the frame of the window and bringing Carface’s shoving to a grinding halt, “What do you mean by ‘you might’?”<br>
“Okay, you probably will, actually,” Carface reasons, “But don’t sweat it. You’ll get busted, I’ll bust you out when the coast is clear.”<br>
“You promise?”<br>
“Sure,” Carface shrugged, just before giving Killer a swift kick that sends him through the window with a yelp, “Just get the job done, you moron!”<br>
Killer picked himself up inside the cellar and dusted himself off, giving Carface a dirty look behind his back for a brief moment before proceeding to commit the crime his boss had sent him to do.

“Don’t forget this!” Carface hissed, tossing a duffel bag full of tools down and narrowly missing his companion.

Muttering under his breath, Killer picked up the bag and lugged it over to the freezer in the corner. He found it to be something of a freezer/safe combination, but that didn’t phase him much. He’d done plenty of jobs on things like that in the past working for Carface.

Pulling a stethoscope out of the bag, he plugged in the ear pieces and pressed the medical tool against the door of the freezer/safe, near the combination lock. He began carefully turning the dial and, after a few moments holding his breath, he heard a satisfying click.

Next he pulled a burlap sack from the duffel bag and opened the freezer. In no time, he had the “loot” bagged and he was headed for the window to make his escape and present the “dough” to Carface. As he hauled himself and the sack of meat out through the window, Carface greedily snatched the bag from him--never mind the fact that poor Killer was having a bit of trouble getting himself out.

“Boss,” Killer hinted, “I could use a hand here.”<br>
“Good job, Killer,” Carface answered, barely listening to the old dog as he applauded him half-heartedly.

Suddenly, sirens could be heard coming closer to the area. Both dogs’ eyes went wide as they stared at each other in fear.

“Well, you know what to do,” Carface said hastily, sidling away with the meat and leaving Killer stuck in the window, “I’ll bust you out when the coast is clear.”<br>
“Boss! Wait! Don’t leave me here!” Killer pleaded desperately, but it was too late. Carface had already disappeared around the corner and the dog catcher was approaching.

From behind some crates and trash cans in the alleyway nearby, Carface could here Killer and the dog catcher struggle briefly before Killer’s frantic pleas for mercy and the dog catcher’s muttering faded away.

[Killer]

“Whew! Boy, I’m glad that’s over,” Carface sighed, picking up his loot and heading back out to pass the place where he’d left Killer. It was the only way he could go to head home. On the way, he happened to notice Killer’s glasses lying on the concrete near the cellar window. Concluding that they must have fallen off him during the struggle, Carface continues to amble carelessly by, when a sudden voice makes him stop.

“Carface!” the female voice snaps accusingly, “How could you?”<br>
“Huh? W-who said that?” Carface asked, looking around.

“Over here,” the voice called out. It was coming from where Killer’s glasses lay.

Carface slinked over and crouched down to look at the glasses and in the thick lenses, the Heavenly form of the Whippet Angel, Annabelle, appeared.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!” she told him sternly.

“For what?” Carface asked nonchalantly.

“For letting your best friend take the heat for your crime, that’s what,” Annabelle replied, not appearing or sounding to be the least bit pleased by the greedy pit bull’s actions.

“Why should I worry about him?” Carface snapped, “He’s a grown dog. He can take care of himself. Besides, if anything happens to him, he’s old anyway. He’s lived a good life.”<br>
“Hmph!” Annabelle harrumphed, “That’s what you think.”<br>
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Carface growled, getting aggravated.

“I’ll show you exactly what it means, Carface,” the whippet growled back, reaching out and grabbing Carface by his suit coat and pulling him into the lenses of Killer’s glasses.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Carface exclaimed, struggling.

“I’m going to show you just what those old eyes have seen over the years,” Annabelle answered, “It’ll make you think twice before you dare say Killer has lived a good life.”<br>
As she spoke, the glassy surroundings morphed until she and Carface were in a city setting--and not a very nice-looking city either. The streets were dark, damp, and depressing and there was something ominous about the whole place.

[Killer]

“Where are we?” Carface grumped.

“Location: Bronx, New York,” Annabelle answered matter-of-factly, “Year: 1931.”<br>
“So what’s so important about this place and time?” Carface asked, his tone and attitude saying he couldn’t care less anyway.

“It’s the time and place of your best friend’s puppyhood,” the whippet said, grabbing Carface’s paw and dragging him along, demanding that he pay attention as they entered an alleyway that looked more dreary and depressing than all the rest of the place.

“Sheesh! What a dump,” Carface commented, crossing his arms over his chest with a scowl, “So what’re we here for?”<br>
Annabelle didn’t have to answer. At that moment, a small, brown pup emerged from a cardboard box and began drinking from a puddle under a dripping gutter. Carface stared in disbelief and rubbed his eyes.

“Is that who I think it is?” he asked, looking to the whippet.

“Mm-hmm,” Annabelle confirmed with a sad nod, “That’s Killer. He was abandoned as a young pup.”<br>
“Aw,” Carface sighed, actually pitying the scrawny little mutt, “Poor little guy.”<br>
“A good life, you said?” Annabelle scoffed, “This poor soul didn’t even have a good start in life. He never knew his parents...never had a human to call his own. His only possessions are in that box.”<br>
Carface peeked in the cardboard box and saw only a tattered yellow blanket and what appeared to be a battered stuffed plush duck. The gruff pit bull recoiled, feeling an incredible sense of guilt wash over him.

“Come,” Annabelle told him, “Let’s move on.”<br>
The surroundings morphed once again and, when the smog-filled air cleared as much as it could, Carface was puzzled to find that they were still in the same alleyway, near the same cardboard box, though it looked more saggy and weather-beaten.

“I think your powers are wearing off or something, Annabelle,” Carface chuckled, “We’re still in the same place.”<br>
“We’re supposed to be in the same place,” Annabelle frowned, silencing him, “Look.”<br>
She pointed to the sagging box and out came an older version of Killer. He was still a young dog, but certainly not a pup anymore. As they watched him, he got a drink from the same puddle under the gutter, then he left the alley. Annabelle and Carface followed him silently and, again, the pit bull grimaced guiltily as he watched Killer rummage through an open trash can to emerge with a mere beef bone, stripped of any meat it may have had before.

“Ugh!” Carface cringed, “No wonder he’s all skinny.”<br>
“Shh!” Annabelle hissed, jerking her head toward Killer and urging Carface to pay close attention.

As Killer turned a corner and went out of sight, Carface started to follow, but Annabelle pulled him back. When he gave her a questioning look, she only nodded toward the corner. Almost immediately, a terrified Killer came bolting back around, bone still in his jaws and three tough-looking mutts in hot pursuit.

“Give us that bone, you little wimp!” the lead dog barked.

Killer continued running, but it seemed that the dogs chasing him had long ago devised a plan for capturing him. They split up and, while one continued to chase him, the other two took shortcuts and got ahead, ready to head him off.

“Turn, Killer! Turn!” Carface shouted, though his voice could not be heard by anyone in this time and place.

Killer continued on his straight path which inevitably led him to ruin. The two other dogs waiting for him leapt out of an alleyway and tackled him. Carface couldn’t watch as they proceeded to pulverize the weaker dog. When the sounds of the scuffle ceased, Carface opened his eyes and cringed as he saw that the dogs had thoroughly beaten his friend and stolen his food.

“Aw, no more, Annabelle, please!” Carface whimpered, “This is too pathetic! Too gruesome! Too--”<br>
“Oh, we’re far from finished yet, Carface,” Annabelle interrupted as the scenery morphed once again, “Those three dogs did this to him on a daily basis. He was lucky to eat even a few scraps once a week. One day, a few years later, things got worse...”

[Killer]

Carface groaned in dread as they were once again on the streets of the Bronx, witnessing yet another brutal attack from the three cruel dogs. They battered Killer and left him, just as they had before, but, before he could regain his strength and pick himself up, a van pulled up on the curb and two men seized him and threw him in the vehicle and sped off.

“Oh no!” Carface whined, “What’s happening now? He’s not going to the pound, is he?”<br>
“No,” Annabelle assured him, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, she continued, “Unfortunately, he’s going someplace much worse.”<br>
Carface gasped, unable to imagine any place worse than the pound, but before he could ask for an explanation, the surroundings morphed again and, when everything settled, Carface couldn’t even begin to figure out where they were. He started to ask Annabelle, when voices drew his attention. It was the men who’d picked Killer up.

“We got another one, Boss. A stray mutt laying on the side of the road.”<br>
“He looks pretty beat-up though.”<br>
“Bring him in.”<br>
Carface and Annabelle watched as the men brought Killer in. The poor dog was barely aware of where he was or what was happening as the “Boss” who, to Carface, resembled a veterinarian, began examining Killer, checking his eyes, teeth, ears, and skin condition.

“A fine specimen, gentlemen,” he confirmed, “Appears to have some greyhound lineage in his build...facial structure. Put him in the dog room. We’ll begin tests tomorrow.”<br>
“So those two guys brought him to a vet?” Carface asked hopefully, “They’re gonna help him out, right?”<br>
Annabelle only shook her head as the scenery morphed into the following day. A woman in a white coat opened Killer’s kennel and gently carried him out into another room. Annabelle and Carface followed.

“Here’s the dog you wanted, sir.”<br>
“Ah, fabulous. He’s a sight hound, you know? He’ll be a perfect candidate for the eye irritancy tests. We can find out just how much he can take before it ails his vision.”<br>
“A dog, sir? But we’ve never--”<br>
“Put him in the stocks while I get the chemicals ready.”<br>
“But...oh...yes, sir.”<br>
“Chemicals?” Carface asked, looking to Annabelle, “What are they talking about?”<br>
“You’ll see,” Annabelle replied sadly, nodding to the woman as she carried out her boss’s orders.

“I’m sorry to do this to you, fella. If it were up to me...well...these awful places wouldn’t even exist.”<br>
Killer appeared to trust the woman, but he looked uncertain and fearful. As the man entered with an eye dropper, the woman turned away and left the room.

“What’s he gonna do to him?” Carface asked, worried.

“Unspeakable evil,” Annabelle whispered.

[Killer]

As they looked on, the man applied the eye dropper to Killer’s eyes and the helpless dog cried out in pain and agony, struggling in vain against the restraining devices. Carface’s jaw dropped in disbelief as he looked to Annabelle.

“So...so that’s why he couldn’t see when I found him?” he asked softly, “His eyes were burned with chemicals?”<br>
“Yes,” Annabelle nodded as the scenery morphed again into the days that followed, “The man performed these same awful tests on him everyday...as well as other things you will see. The only human kindness your friend ever knew in these days was that of the young lady.”<br>
Carface watched in horror as Killer was daily blinded with chemicals, shocked, poisoned, and deprived of sleep. The whole thing actually brought tears to the grizzly old pit bull’s eyes.

“Why didn’t he ever tell me about this stuff?” he begged Annabelle, “Why? Why?!”<br>
“I believe it’s a painful, frightening thing for him to discuss with anyone,” Annabelle answered solemnly, “He would probably relive the agony if he spoke about it.”<br>
They fell silent as the scenes continued to play out. One day, the woman, enraged, approached her boss.

“Sir, I cannot take this anymore. The cruelty has always been unbearable, but it’s gotten even worse ever since that poor dog was brought in. I won’t be a witness to it anymore. I quit!”<br>
“No,” Carface cried as the woman threw her lab coat at the man and stormed out, “No, she can’t quit! If she quits, there’ll be no one to be kind to Killer and stuff! Annabelle--”<br>
“Shush,” Annabelle hushed him, “Just watch.”<br>
In the scenes that followed, it became apparent that another man had taken the woman’s place and he was anything but gentle. Each time he returned Killer to the kennel for the night, he slammed the poor dog’s long, feathered tail in the cage door, causing him to cry and Carface to wince. One day, while the boss was examining Killer, he noticed the state of his tail, broken in several places.

“What happened here?”<br>
“Tail keeps getting caught in the door, sir.”<br>
“We’ll have to remove it. It’ll make things easier on you. Besides, it’s broken in too many places on the lower part. Anesthetize him. We’ll get that done now.”<br>
“Hold still, you stupid mutt!”<br>
“They’re gonna cut his tail off?!” Carface asked in disbelief.

Again, Annabelle silently responded with a solemn nod. They watched helplessly as the two men put Killer to sleep and amputated his broken tail until not much of it remained.

“Put him back until he wakes up, then we’ll start with the poison dosage.”<br>
“When is this gonna end, Annabelle?” Carface pleaded, “I’ve seen enough already!”<br>
Annabelle gave no reply as the scenery morphed into the weeks that followed. The man who’d replaced the woman came in for work in a frantic state.

“Boss! They’re on to us!”<br>
“Who’s on to us?”<br>
“Them crazy animal rights activists. They’re planning to close us down in the near future. Land us in jail.”<br>
“I’ll bet that woman you replaced is behind it. Load up the animals and the supplies. We’re relocating ASAP.”

[Killer]

Again, the surroundings morphed. When the scenery settled, Carface could see that they were still in a laboratory setting, but it wasn’t the same as before.

“Location: New Orleans, Louisiana,” Annabelle reported, “Post-Depression, 1938.”<br>
Enlightened on the time period, Carface felt a sense of relief, knowing these lab scenes can’t last much longer as this was the year he had found Killer.

“Chow time, pesticide breath!”<br>
As another human shoved a bowl of lab chow in Killer’s cage, Carface had a feeling something was about to happen--and something was. Apparently unable to bear anymore torment, Killer blindly threw himself at the man while the door was still open and knocked him over. Though having extreme difficulty seeing, Killer was able to unlatch the other cage doors, freeing other dogs, cats, monkeys, rodents, and rabbits. Another dog who seemed to be ready for this forced a window open and led the other animals out, but as Killer bolted to make his escape, the window came down on his back, trapping him. The human caught him and pulled him back in, but Killer bit him. It was then that the man reached for a metal pipe and bashed the dog in the head with it. Knocked unconscious, Killer was helpless as the man muzzled him, tied him up, and threw him in a sack.

“It’s the end of the line for you, mutt.”<br>
Carface and Annabelle followed as the man threw Killer in the van and drove out to the bayou, where he threw the helpless dog into the water, destined to drown. Carface growled angrily at the man as the surroundings morphed again. He recognized the next place. It was his old casino.

“Boss! Hey Boss!”<br>
“What is it?”<br>
Carface blinked as he heard his own voice.

“We got something from the bayou, Boss.”<br>
“Too bad there’s no cure.”<br>
“No, seriously, Boss. It’s a sack we pulled up from the bayou. We was hoping you’d come take a look.”<br>
“All right. All right. Where is it?”<br>
Carface had almost forgotten all of this as the past played out before him. He was opening the sack that contained the near-dead dog that had quickly become his loyal sidekick and scapegoat.

“It’s a dog.”<br>
“Is it alive, Boss?”<br>
“Yeah, he’s still breathing...barely. Get him loose and pump the water out of him. He’s in pretty bad shape. Can’t say for sure if he’ll make it.”<br>
A few minutes later...

“He’s waking up, Boss. You wanna check it out.”<br>
“Of course. Hey, stranger. You gonna live.”<br>
Killer coughed, squinted, and...screamed bloody murder.

“Monsters! Horrible white-coated monsters! Stay away from me! Stay away or I’ll--mmph!”<br>
Carface chuckled as he remembered grabbing Killer’s muzzle and silencing him.

“Shut up! Shut up and calm down, you moron! We ain’t monsters. Just calm down. Nobody’s gonna hurt you. What’s your name?”<br>
“Holdstillyoustupidmutt.”<br>
“What?”<br>
“Holdstillyoustupidmutt.”<br>
“It all makes sense now,” Carface said to Annabelle, “He thought that was his name because that’s all they ever said to him at that awful place.”

[Killer]

Annabelle nodded and suddenly, Carface found himself back in the present, standing in the alley, staring at Annabelle’s image in Killer’s glasses.

“But why does he do everything I say?” Carface asked, “He doesn’t have to. He could leave if he wanted.”<br>
“He won’t do that because he sees you as a hero,” Annabelle explained, “You saved his life and you were the one who found these glasses for him. You helped him see again and because of that, he’ll do anything for you.”<br>
“And I let him down,” Carface said sadly, “He really is a good friend. He’s the only one I’ve got.”<br>
“A dreadful fate awaits him if you don’t get busy now, Carface,” Annabelle said urgently, “He’s been picked up by the pound with no id tags or anything and...you know what that means.”<br>
“They’re gonna put him to sleep!” Carface realized in horror, “No! I-I-I...I’ve gotta stop them! Thanks Annabelle!”<br>
With that, he snatched up Killer’s glasses--causing Annabelle’s image to scream, startled--and ran down the street as fast as he could to get help. He ran straight to the Fleabite Café to find Charlie, Itchy, and Sasha. If anyone could help him, they could. Of course, there was no guarantee that they would help him.

“Uh-oh,” Itchy groaned.

“What is it?” Charlie asked, following Itchy’s gaze.

“Here comes trouble with a capital ‘C’,” the dachshund continued.

“Trouble doesn’t start with a ‘C’,” Charlie frowned.

“No, but ’Carface’ does,” his pal pointed out.

“Oh no,” Sasha groaned from behind the bar, “Not him again. Boot him out!”<br>
“Charlie! Charlie, you’ve gotta help me!” Carface gasped frantically, “It’s Killer!”<br>
“What’re you up to, Carface?” Sasha demanded, “I don’t need anymore trouble around here and you always bring trouble with you. I don’t know who is worse--you or Charlie.”<br>
“Hey!” Charlie frowned, insulted.

“I ain’t here to start trouble, Sasha,” Carface snapped, “I need your help immediately! Killer’s been taken to the pound!”<br>
“So?” the three asked in unison, not the least bit concerned.

“Without any id tags!” Carface finished, grabbing Charlie’s shoulders and shaking him.

“Aw, I’ve gotta admit, Charlie,” Itchy said with concern, “Carface and Killer are the meanest, no-good, low-down, dirty, rotten, thieving, conniving mutts I know, but no stray dog deserves what they get at the pound.”<br>
“All right. Calm down, Carface,” Sasha replied, feeling compassion for him and his endangered friend, “We’ll help you. Don’t worry.”<br>
“We will?” Charlie snorted.

“Charles!” Annabelle’s voice snapped in warning as her image appeared in the mirror behind the bar.

“Oh...uh...h-hi Annabelle,” Charlie chuckled nervously, “I’m on it. Right away.”<br>
“Aw, thanks guys,” Carface sighed gratefully, “C-come on. We’ve gotta get busy before it’s too late!”<br>
By nightfall, the four dogs had devised a plan to free Killer and any other dogs stuck in the pound awaiting an unjust fate. As the last employee working at the pound locked up and left, Carface, Charlie, Itchy, and Sasha sneaked onto the scene to find a way into the building.

“I hope they haven’t put him down already,” Carface worried.

“I doubt it,” Charlie assured him, “They usually wait 24 hours to see if anybody claims a dog--even if they don’t have an id.”<br>
“Well, we’ll never get him out if we don’t shake a leg, boys,” Sasha urged, “Let’s get busy before we’re caught.”<br>
“Right!” Itchy hurried over to a cellar window and peered in. Below, he could see the many concrete and wire kennels, some vacant, some not. He stepped out of the way as Charlie proceeded to pick the latch on the window.

“Got it,” he whispered after a moment, “Itch, you stay here and keep the window propped open. The rest of us will go in.”<br>
“Fine by me, Charlie,” Itchy whispered back.

After struggling to get the less-than-lean Carface through the window, the three began their mission. Charlie and Sasha began releasing the many other dogs that were locked up without id tags while Carface’s main objective was to find Killer. He searched up and down the aisle three times, but there was no sign of his friend.

“Oh no!” he wailed in despair, “We’re too late! Poor Killer’s already gone to that...big doghouse in the sky...”<br>
“Carface, don’t be stupid!” Charlie hissed, “And pipe down! Do you wanna get us all caught?”<br>
“It doesn’t matter now,” Carface whimpered, “Killer’s gone--cut down in his old age--all because of me. I’m turning myself in. When the dog catchers come back tomorrow morning, I’ll be here. They can do to me what they did to my pal. I deserve it...”<br>
“Boss?” a familiar voice called softly, “Boss, is that you?”<br>
“Aw, man,” Carface sighed, “I miss him so much...I can still hear his wimpy, whiny, weasel voice...calling to me.”<br>
“Boss?” the voice called again, “I’m in here!”<br>
While Carface was too busy blubbering, Sasha decided to investigate. She discovered that Killer’s voice was coming from another room through a vent in the wall near the floor.

“Killer?” she whispered, “Where are you?”<br>
“I don’t know,” Killer whimpered, “But I’m scared out of my wits.”<br>
“Charlie!” Sasha called, “Get Blubber Boy to pull himself together. I found Killer! He‘s in the room behind this wall.”<br>
Charlie nodded and lugged Carface to his feet and shook him a few times with no positive result. Carface just ignored him. Finally, Charlie resorted to slapping him across the face.

“Will you shut up?!” he growled, “Carface, Killer’s alive! He’s locked in the euthanasia room. Now pull yourself together and help us get him out.”<br>
Carface looked up and rushed over to the grate.

“Killer?”<br>
“Hey Boss,” Killer answered, “That you?”<br>
“Yes! Yes, it’s me, you pathetic, stupid, blundering best friend a dog could have,” Carface cried, overjoyed, “We’re busting you outta here. Just like I promised.”<br>
“I knew I could count on you, Boss,” Killer sighed.

“The door’s locked up tight, Charlie,” Sasha reported after pushing, pulling, and twisting the doorknob, “What do we do now?”<br>
“I’ve got a plan,” Charlie grinned, approaching the grate through which Killer’s voice was coming from, “Get outta the way, Carface.”<br>
“Hey!” Carface growled, “What do you mean ‘get outta the way’? Can’t you see I’m reuniting with my sidekick?”<br>
“You won’t have a very long reunion if you don’t get outta my way so we can get him outta here!” Charlie snarled, shoving the pit bull out of the way himself and using a claw to undo the screws holding the grate to the wall.

In no time, the grate was open and Charlie crawled in to coach Killer in opening the grate at his end. It took some time, as Killer was trying to do it without his glasses, but eventually, the grate fell off with a “clank” and Killer was soon on the other side of the wall with the others.

“Let’s hurry and get out of here,” Sasha urged, “Charlie, what are you doing?”<br>
“Putting the grate covers back,” Charlie explained, “If we ever have to bust anyone out again, this is the best way to do it. If the humans figure out our method, they’ll up their security. Okay, done. Let’s blow this joint!”<br>
Outside, Itchy closed the window and locked it while Carface nearly crushed Killer in a strangling embrace.

“I understand now why you are the way you are,” he told his friend, “And I’m never gonna take you for granted again...pal. You and me are nothing without each other. We‘re like...uh...Kibbles ‘N‘ Bits!”<br>
“Okay...uh...whatever you say, Boss,” Killer replied, not quite understanding Carface’s unusual behavior, “C-can you let go now...please? I...can’t...breathe!”<br>
“Sorry,” Carface said suddenly, dropping Killer on his rump.

“Here you go, Killer,” Itchy smiled, handing Killer his glasses.

“Thanks...all of you,” Killer grinned back, “You guys saved my life.”<br>
“Come on, pal,” Carface said to him, “What say we treat ourselves to some prime ribs?”<br>
“Are you gonna make me break into another meat locker?” Killer asked reluctantly.

“Nah,” Carface chuckled, “I think we’ve done enough of that for a while.”<br>
“You know something, Charlie,” Itchy said as they watched the reunited mischief-making duo retreat to...wherever they were going, “I think those two need each other just as much as you and I need each other.”<br>
“More so, Itch,” Charlie smirked.

“Why do you say that?” Itchy asked.

“Because together, they form one entire halfwit. What’s that say about ‘em when they’re divided?”<br>


THE END