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A boy stared out the window of his confinement, looking down at the vast grey beyond. The sky was murky and a light fog fell from it.
Vultures circled above, crying pitifully from starvation.
The sun never showed its face, and the warmth never dared to kiss his skin. There was no light left in this world, not anymore.
Not since Damien renamed the town, to Dema.
What a disgusting word, South Park became the trench of the world for its people were ignored and denied help. The people outside the walls didn’t want to face the wrath of the 10th bishop.
Damien had appointed Nine bishops to watch over the residents of the town: Nico, Andre, Lisden, Keons, Reisdro, Sacarver, Nills, Vetomo and Listo. Each is assigned to a specific insecurity.
Their goal was to kill us, without even laying a hand.
Their authority comes from two things, a miraculous power and a hijacked religion.
They taught us something called Vialism, and all you need to know is that it teaches the belief that self destruction is the only way to paradise.
They wanted us to take our own life, with our own sick hands. They glorified the act of taking your own life.
Consequently, one by one the population decreased, every day more people succumbed to suicide.
We lost a lot of good people and some of my closest friends. It was unforgivable.
And it seemed like the bishops were winning, hell even his mother took her life.
Everything was planned out, no one was leaving Dema alive, at least not without the help of them. The banditos legends, only stories of a group who lived outside of the walls. He opened his drawer and pulled out a yellow flower, eyeing the dissolving plant. Six flowers, six people gone.
“You need to stop looking at those, Stan.” A voice whispered from behind.
The boy jumped, dropping the flower and shoving the dresser shut.
“Tweek-“
“I don’t want you to think about it and- you know. They have a way of seeping into your brain.”
Stan sighed, adjusting himself, “I know- I just.”
“Don’t think.”
“Tweek-“
“Don’t think about them.”
“I’ll try not to.”
Tweek glared at the black-haired teen in front of him. His eyes softened and he nodded.
“How have you been since Kyle left?”
Stan looked away, positioning himself on the bed.
The blonde boy walked into the bland room, joining his friend.
The teen rubbed his eyes, recalling the memory.
——
Two boys lay together, whispering things they could never repeat for it was dangerous to do so.
As cruel as the bishops were they weren’t against the residents interacting with each other.
Kyle had his head rested on Stan’s chest and he carried a rather inquisitive expression on his face.
“I’m getting out of here.” The red-haired boy stated.
“What?”
“I’m leaving Stan, I’m going to join the Banditos. I’m going to help people. Head true East that’s what they say, and you’ll be free.”
He’d heard it all before, the only true way to escape Dema was to head east, it was no easy task since everyone got caught and was brought back, he looked at his partner with disbelieving eyes.
“How could you leave? It’s impossible.”
Kyle shifted til he faced the boy beneath him.
“I’m going to trick my bishop into letting me outside the walls.. they say the banditos will find you, I’m willing to take that risk.”
Stan couldn’t bring himself to say anything, he didn’t have much in this world. If he lost Kyle he didn’t know what he’d do.
“I’m just.. what if you don’t come back?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll come back for you, and everyone.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
The taller boy cupped the side of Stanley’s face, resting his forehead against him.
He moved away only to reconnect in a more intimate gesture. Kyle leaned in placing a chaste kiss on his lover's lips.
“I don’t want to be next, I don’t want to give in. My thoughts, everything feels so heavy.”
“I know, but we’ll get through it. We have to for their sake.”
——
It had been a week since he’d last seen Kyle and he wondered if his boyfriend was still alive, or if he found the people he was searching for.
Stan had told his friends that Kyle would be coming back for them, he just needed to hang onto his hope. No matter how little.
“Not good.. worried he might not come back for us, what if he just ran. I’m surprised he was even able to escape his bishop, what if he never found the Banditos?”
“Nonsense, the Banditos will find him. I bet he’s with them right now.” What a pathetic lie, Tweek was certain by now that Kyle was no longer with them. But Stan didn’t need to hear that, any negativity could hit the wrong nerve, and the teen before him would lose his life to a razor blade. The frail blonde smiled reassuringly, a poor attempt at soothing the other. It did not work.
Stan’s thoughts seemed to overlap one another, and his fears screamed.
“Stan. He’s going to be okay, he’s coming for us. And we need to be prepared. Remember how we always saw yellow at night? They’ll come. I promise, and your sister and our friends will be free. We denounce them.”
“We denounce them.” He repeated shakily, the boy took a deep breath.
“I told everyone else who oughta know, including Kenny, Clyde, and Wendyl. They can be ready by nightfall. We won’t move until we see the torches.”
“What about my sister-“
“I thought I’d let you handle that one, your sister has been falling lately.”
“How far?”
Tweek bit his lip anxiously, hesitating his response for a moment. “Neon.”
At that moment Stanley felt his heartache, Neon was a code term they used for those who were close to succumbing to the teachings.
Once they were asleep, they never woke up. And they became another gravestone outside the walls. Shining ever so brightly.
“I’ll- I’ll talk to her.”
“I’m going to see Kenny now, stay alive, Stan.” And with that the blonde took his leave, Stan hastily made his way down the hall toward his sibling's room.
He knocked twice on the cement wall, a small girl had her knees curled in and her head buried.
“Go away.” She hissed, releasing another sob.
“Shelly, hey.” Stan rushed to her side, taking his place next to her back and rubbing it gently.
“Are you doing alright?”
“What does it look like!” She yelled, removing her face from its confinement.
The girl’s face was puffy and pink from crying, “Everything feels so hopeless, Stan. Nothing feels right anymore. Mom is dead, dad is a fucking bishop. I.. I want to be gone.”
“Stop, don’t say that. Remember this is what they want! They want you to give in. To die! We can’t let them win, Shelly. I have a plan, well.. it’s rather a guess or a gamble but.. Kyle is supposedly probably going to come for us tonight. At least that’s what we’re hoping for so we have to be prepared at any given moment. I’m certain he’ll be here tonight.”
“You don’t know that.” The brown-haired girl whispered weakly, Stan smiled taking her hand in his own. “But I can hope and that’s enough. I’ll be coming for you when it gets dark later, we denounce them. Say it with me.”
“We denounce vialism.”
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