"THE MONEY'S ALL GONE?!?" Joseph shushed Amanda and looked around to see if anyone heard. It was just Juan. Good. The man didn't know a lick of english. "Listen, I don't have the money, but YOU still have enough money to last you for another decade." Joseph said, trying to calm her nerves. It seemed to work as she grinned a bit and responded "Oh. Then I don't know what the problem is?" Joseph took a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose "Another decade to lastyou enough if you lived somewhere else. This place.. it's too expensive.." Joseph winced as she saw Amanda's face shift from a grin to one of horror. "O-Oh dear.." She said burying her face in her arms. Hillie walks into the kitchen andsnatches a grape from a charcuterie board laid out in front of Faroe. "Hey whats wrong with her?" Hillie asked. Completely unaware of what happened. Carlos awoke from his slumber to see his Mother upset and Faroe looking at him with a stern stare. "Oh shit.. did she tell you what I did last week?" Faroe seemed confused by Carlos' statement. "No? But now that you mention it, what was it?" "NOTHING!" Carlos screamed out. That awoke Amanda who seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face. Carlos seemed to shrunk back down to his seat and took quick glances at Joseph, who was stuffing himself with crackers and cheese. Faroe noticed and quickly gulped his food down before talking "Alright lets go meet Jerry, eh?" Carlos wanted to be anywhere but here so seemed to almost jump up immediately from his seat. "Oh uh you can come too Hillie." Hillie whipped around with a bundle of grapes in his arms. Unlike Joseph, he spoke with his mouth full "Awlright." The trio make their way from the kitchen into the staircase which lead down to the Man himself. Joseph turned on the lights which flickered one after another. "Morning Sunshine.." Faroe chuckled at his joke and he walks into the room, letting Hillie and Carlos make their way in. Jerry was floating in a liquid known as LIFESAVER. The liquid was a bluish green with dark blue clumps inside of it. The bubble he was in was connected to a few tanks of LIFESAVER whichwould be pumped into the bubble as a gas. His health was long failing for a long time, it first started out almost a month after they moved into the mansion. It turned out that same disease from California had laid dormant in jerry and had just activated now. Instead of being crippled for the remainder of his time on Earth, Jerry quickly sent a recipe to George Quantum for LIFESAVER. Quantum then mass produced it and shipped it to Jerry along with the bubble. So for 6 hours a day Jerry is left to soak up this fluid, alone with his thoughts. His brain would remember all the good times he had with Joseph in Maryland. They lived in a small town along with George and would just hang around a local diner. They would play all the exciting new pinball machines until they were called back for supper. And now? Now he's a bag of bones in a skin suit. Hillie taps on the plastic bubble, shaking the liquid inside of it. Jerry wakes upto see all of them staring at him like he was some fish at an aquarium. His weak voice called out from the bubble "Back.. Up.." Joseph had listened and stepped a good distance away. He pulled Carlos by the collar back but Hillie was still just gawking at him. Jerry opened the bubble and out comes LIFESAVER flooding the room. Hillies clothing got soaked and the liquid eventually moved into the floor drain. Hillie groaned and tried to shake some of the water off ofhimself. Jerry crawled out of the bubble and weakily stood up on two legs. After a few seconds he straightened his posture and dried himself off with a towel. He had always worn black swimming trunks when he was in the bubble. "Why don'tyou get a haircut?" Joseph said. Jerry's hair was long and thick, being trimmed by Juan every 6 months. Before he got the disease he was clean shaven and had a mullet. "Well my old friend, what would I need one for? I'm not making any public appearances any soon." Jerry spoke plainly, drying himself on and placing his towel on the rack. Hillie spoke up "Sir, Tornado Stopper reporting for duty." Jerry looked at him with a bored look. "The Tornado Stoppers have been disbanded a long time ago. No need for role call.." "Sir, you gave me free shelter and food Sir! It's my duty to serve you until I repay you Sir!" Jerry's face grew to a wicked grin. Even after all this time he still has a little power over people. "Well Hillie, I believe you're in need for a break." Hillie nods and goes up stairs to do whatever. He looks at Carlos and his grin is gone. Joseph looks between the two people and decides to speak up. "Listen.. I have something urgent to tell you two." "Was that what made Mom become such a bi-" "Yes." Joseph rubs his eyes and sighs. "I've ran out of money-" "WE'VE RAN OUT?!?" Jerry yells at Joseph, who seemed to be a bit disgusted by the yelling beingfollowed by Jerry's coughs and sneezes. "Yes. We've ran out.. But, YOU people still have enough money to live in a modest home for a decade. Not this one though, and theres no guarantee that the authorities aren't going to find you." While Jerry was panicking, Carlos seemed overjoyed, he spoke up with glee. "THIS is my chance to meet new people! Oh thank you Joseph!" He began to shake Faroes hand aggressively. Joseph pulled his hand away and rubbed it on his blue coat. Joseph hears foot steps and looks at the stairway to see Mike. He still had that friendly demeanor but his black shades were on. "Carlos and Joseph, come with me." Mike closes the door behind him, leaving Jerry by himself. "Joseph, you go on out through the Gondola, we'll go on later." Joseph seemed confused, why so suddenly? "You're leaving the house now? You're serious?" "Well, you saidyou had more money. We wait one more day and people will just start leaving." Joseph nods and pats Mike on the shoulder "It's been a good few years with you and your family." Joseph eyes watered a bit as he knows this might be the last time he meets the appalachians. He goes into Hannahs room and kneels down to her. She was brushing the hair on her doll and she turned around to face Joseph. "Oh hi there Uncle Faroe." Hannah says while continuing to brush the doll. "Hey there Sweet Pea.. Uh.. this is hard to say but.." Faroe leans into hug her. He was at her birth, Hannah Appalachian was like the daughter that he never had. To just lose her would be to lose apart of his soul. "This is goodbye for now Hannah Banana.." "But.. why?" "Its.. complicated adult stuff." Hannah's emotion changed and now she seemed sad. "Hey uh.. don't feel so down.. Here." Joseph looked for something in his coat pocket, he scrounged for a bit, even grabbing his Epi Pen before dropping it. He handed a gold necklace to Hannah, "It was supposed to be for your birthday.. but I don't know if I'll see you after today." Hannah eyed the gift and put it on. Her eyes watered and she jumpedup to hug Joseph. After a few seconds, Joseph put her back down on the bed and left. It was hard for him to not break down in front of her. A single tear dripped down his face when he left the room. He left the Appalachian Mansion and entered a Gondola. Which had Hillie and Juan in it. "Muevete Aqui, Senor." Joseph didn't know what the hell that meant but he continued forth into the Gondola. The 8 Minute journey from the mountain to the ground seemed to last 8 Hours. Josephs thoughts were filled with memories of him playing football with Carlos and reading bedtime stories to Hannah. He seemed to be a better parent then Amanda and Mike. Finally, he arrived at the ground and opened the door to his black Ford Crown Victoria. Joseph waved one final goodbye to the Appalachian Manor as he drove away. Crying an ocean in his car. In Mikes mind, everything was going swell. All of the servants and adopted kids were on the ground level and his family had packed everything and sent it down. All they had to do was just go down themselves. "Mike? Wheres Jerry?"Amanda said, walking over to him "He's on the ground level, why?" This was a big fat lie. And Mike wants it to stay that way. He was sick of the human being that Jerry was, but that wasn't the only reason he's killing Jerry. You see Jerry knows Mikes origin. He knows that he's apart of a Neo-Nazi group. Mike doesn't want this info to slip any time soon. Jerry's LIFESAVER had unfortunately worked a bit too well. He was rejuvenated, as if the stuff was starting to deage him. Mike didn't need Jerry to be able to walk and talk to anyone in the house, especially didn't need him snitching. So he locked him into the basement, leaving him to die here. Not by natural causes however, Mike isn't stupid enough to leave plain evidence just waiting for the Government to put their noses in. He's going to blow up not just the Manor, but the entire Mountain. He was going to level it. As the Appalachians scrambled onto the Gondola, Jerry wasleft clawing at the door. Yelling for anyone to help him in his most important time of need. "SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP! JOSEPH?! JOSEPH ARE YOU THERE?!?" He yelled on and on until his voice was Horse. When Mike arrived on the ground he took a few steps away from the group to talk on his phone. "Is it ready?" Mike spoke "Fire at Will.." The man on the other side of the phone spoke. Mike took a deep breath in and- "Fire." The ground shakes as everyone turns around to seethe base of the Mountain absolutely ignite in flames and explodes. A loud BOOM follows shortly after along with a small shockwave. More explosions followed suit, the Gondolas wired snapped and fell to their doom. Jerry heard the explosions and was knocked down the stairs to a painful fall. It seemed like he broke some part of his body, he didn't care which part, it was just broken. He crawls into his bubble and closes it shut as the mountain begins to fall. Thehouses foundation crumbles under itself as it slides off the mountain. Everyone on the ground watches as the house slides off. Amanda gasped as the Appalachians huddled together in fear. Mike put on the face of a man in shock, but in the inside he was grinning. Jerry had been lucky as his basement was the last one to fall. His luck ran out as it came crashing down onto the rest of his house. When it was all done and finished, the only thing keeping Jerry alive wasthe LIFESAVER. His jaw had been dislocated, bones pertruding out of his arm and his legs were completely snapped in half. The LIFESAVER was now a bit more purple as Jerry's blood infused with it. All Jerry wished was for God to take himout of his misery. Then a portal opens in front of him. Jerry's eyes widen to the best of his capabilities and he doesn't even know if hes hallucinating this or not. Four beings step out of the portal. The most noticeable one being a lizard man? They stood tall and had a weird physiology. They had backwards knees and red scales, with green markings and symbols on its face. Its uniform made him look a tad like a priest, with its dark grey trousers and black shouldercloak. Their torso had some weird armored plating with Green and Orange. They spoke up in a booming voice, "We are your saviors. Do not be Afraid."
