*Hello, everyone. How are you all doing since being quarantined?! So-so? Well, I published a new episode for this series. This is published on May 7, 2020. The next part will come out later on today while the next episode will come out either next week or the week after it. I hope you guys are staying safe out there and if you like this episode, please comment and/or vote. It would be greatly appreciated. I'll see you all later. Enjoy!*

Louis and Gluntz opened the doors to the prison where Snerz escaped from in the early morning. The yellow-furred security guard with a brown mustache was waltzing around the premise. Both Louis and Gluntz noticed him not paying attention to them.

"Excuse me, sir? We would like to ask you questions about Snerz's escape," Louis spoke up, causing the guard to roll his eyes and shifted his focus on both of them.

"Look, I already told the cops everything," the security guard groaned with a sigh at the end of his sentence.

"Uh, I'm not part of the cops," Gluntz responded with a grin. "I'm part of the B.A.D.G.U.Y.S! It's even on the title card!" She handed the title card to the security guard enthusiastically.

The security guard examined the card, immediately intimated. "Y-You're the badguys?"

"Flip it over, buddy," Louis replied with his arms crossed.

The security guard flipped it over and then sighed in relief. "Oh, you scared me for a second. Look, what does it have to do with the protection of the animals?"

The three of them walk through the hallways of the prison as Gluntz cleared her throat to begin explaining their case.

"Sir--"

"Just call me Bob."

"Okay, Bob, you are well aware of why Snerz was in prison, right?"

"Because he committed a crime. That's why all criminals land in prison."

Gluntz gave the security guard a deadpan stare. "Yes, he committed a crime. A crime involving the abduction of endangered animals, smuggling, and--well, you know the rest. Anyways, if Snerz is released from prison by someone else, that means he's back in corrupt business with that someone else. We had the audiotape to prove that."

Bob, the security guard, shook his head. "I know about the tape."

"Alright, so you know that we have questions to ask you?"

"Yeah, we can talk in there." Bob pointed at the discreet room where Louis and Gluntz could question him.

"Alright."

The three of them entered the room while Louis closed the door behind them.

"What do you want to ask me?" Bob questioned to both Louis and Gluntz.

Louis and Gluntz glanced at each other while determining who should question the security guard first.

"Ladies first," Louis gestured Gluntz to go first with a smile.

Gluntz nodded her head in understanding and shifted her attention to Bob. "Did you see anything strange? Like who the stranger was or some sort? You said that you know about the tape."

"The tape is from our camera recordings. I saved it immediately after the incident. As for the visitor from the other night, he had his name signed but it's unreadable."

"How?"

Bob immediately went to the file cabinets and took out the sign-in sheet from last night. "It's the last signature on the bottom."

Gluntz received the paper from Bob and examined it to notice the scribbles. "Did you have him state his own name?"

"I did...but--" Bob cut himself, scratching the back of his neck.

"But what?" Louis persisted, raising his brow.

"I-I forgot," Bob answered meekly while lowering his head in shame. "I swear, I had him say his name but--I blank out on what it is."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll be able to read the signature," Gluntz assured Bob with a gentle smile.

"Did something else happened last night that you didn't forget? Other than Snerz's escape?" Louis jumped in on asking the questions.

Bob's face became pale suddenly. "I remember the guards I worked with. I found one or two bodies cut in half...with their insides missing...I do recall, however, of something burning in my chest. It was dark...I couldn't see anything...and--and this was imprinted on my chest."

The guard pulled down his neck collar slightly to show his bare chest that had the circular symbol that had two snakes crossed over each other like an X engraved on him. Louis had his eyes bulged out while Gluntz tilted her head in confusion.

"I just found it this morning," Bob continued to explain. "And...I did tell the cops about it and they said that they will investigate further into it...but...I'm not sure when they are going to come up with an answer of where that symbol comes from."

"Do you even see who planted this symbol on you? Do you see a face or something?" Louis asked while examining the symbol on Bob's chest.

"I don't know...but I heard a voice that told me something...just something like 'you'll be next' or something like that. And then--"

"You forgot about who entered the building and helped Snerz escaped," Louis finished Bob's sentence.

"Exactly...All I have to concrete my memories are the signatures, the cameras, and the tape. That's the only thing I have left to remember. The cameras didn't catch who helped free Snerz, it glitched from the moment the visitor was with him and then the next second...Snerz is gone along with that stranger and...t-that monster."

"Monster?" Gluntz inquired, catching the word.

"I'm not sure if it's a man or a monster but...he was the one who cut a couple of my co-workers in half. One of them was mangled into bits...it's so bloody...I-I--"

"You don't have to describe the scene," Louis soothed Bob, who seemed nervous. "Do you mind if we investigate the building?"

"Of course. Of course. I need a drink of water from thinking about what happened."

"Go ahead. We'll take it from here," Gluntz assured Bob.

"Thank you," Bob replied as he sighed and sat on the chair in the room.

"No problem," Louis responded with a sympathetic smile.

~.~

Gluntz and Louis were investigating down the hallways together.

Man, this popcorn is so good with butter. Mmm-hmm! It's so delicious --oh wait, am I supposed to be narrating now? Shoot, uh, well, um, Louis did have a gut feeling like there's someone here in the prison besides Bob. Maybe he's just being paranoid but he wanted to go with Gluntz just in case something bad happens when they separate. Just for her safety...not that he didn't think Gluntz could fight for herself...he just didn't want her to get hurt.

Louis scratched the back of his head while trying to think up of a good conversation starter. "So...what do you think of all this?"

"All what?" Gluntz asked while examing the hallways.

"Well, the case...what Bob said about the monster...stuff like that."

"I felt sorry for Bob...he must have been traumatized by whatever killed his co-workers. Like, how would you feel if you see people you work with being slaughtered?"

Louis pondered about it. "I usually work alone but if I were in Bob's shoes, I would be horrified."

"It could happen to anyone. It could happen to either you or me--"

"Don't overthink it. As long as we got each other's back, that monster won't get us."

Gluntz smiled, finding a bit of comfort in Louis's words. "Right...I mean for the other people though."

Louis glanced ahead of him while putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "If we focus on the case, maybe it will prevent fewer deaths."

"Maybe." Gluntz's face suddenly scrunched up after she sniffed something decomposing in the air. She stopped herself while having her eyes widened. Louis's hand drifted off of her shoulder while he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her with concern on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Gluntz covered her nose with her hand. "Did Bob say that he saw a couple of dead guards during Snerz's escape?"

"Yeah, why?" Louis sniffed in the air too and noticed that the smell was unbearable. "Do you think that--?"

The scent led them to the door beside them, where the awful smell was from. Louis warily placed his hand on the doorknob and opened it. There were a couple more bodies that fell instantly onto the floor with flies buzzing around them, which scared both Louis and Gluntz with a surprised yelp.

Gluntz pinched her nose. "Ugh! That's where that smell came from."

Louis took out his flashlight and beamed the light into the dark room, discovering that there were about ten more bodies of guards that were mangled and tangled on the floor.

"This is much worse than I thought," Louis muttered underneath his breath.

"Oh my gosh! What kind of monster would do this?!" Gluntz questioned Louis, her tone panicking.

"I don't know...and why is Snerz worth all of those dead bodies? He must have been valuable to whoever was freeing him."

"The question is...who?"

"Right. Who?"

Both of them took a deeper examination of the bodies, horrified by the sight. It's sudden that they both heard a scream from someone familiar. They glanced at each other for a quick moment.

"Bob!" They both shouted as they sprinted back to the room where they questioned Bob.

When they reached the room, they found Bob's dead body sprawled on the floor. Blood seeped into his clothes and the cold tile floor. The light was flickering in the room as Gluntz turned her head to look at the writing on the wall that was smeared with blood.

"L-Look!" Gluntz pointed at the writing.

Louis shifted his focus on the bloody writing that said: Rejoice! Death is not the end.

~.~

Guy slept on the sand in the bright sunny morning, twitching in his sleep. He's mumbling something incoherent, shivering from the cold gentle breeze. The waves suddenly crashed on top of him, causing him to snap open his eyes and sat up abruptly from the dreadful nightmare. He breathed in and out heavily while intaking his first breath as if he's been drowning in his sleep. Seeing the open ocean gave him a sense of calmness but it's only for a little bit. His eyes still widened from waking up from the horrible nightmare. He couldn't even remember what it was even about.

He stood up to his feet while the cold ocean water splashed towards his legs. He gazed at the rising sun, at least relieved that it's finally morning. How did he fell asleep last night? He glanced next to him to realize that Cat wasn't there with him.

"Cat?" Guy uttered a question. In an instant, he felt his eardrums vibrating, hurting his ears from the screeching noise. He squeezed his eyes shut while covering his ears and collapsing on his knees. When the screeching noise stopped, he reopened his eyes and found himself standing on the ashes.

"What?" Guy immediately straightened himself up. He looked around the beach and noticed that the sand was ashes and the waves were blood. He stumbled back away from it as he gazed at the deadly orange sun with the blood-red sky. His hand began to tremble again while gripping it tightly. He couldn't sweep his gaze away from the sun...why?

He felt his palm and wrist burning as Guy quickly glanced at his hand again to see the cursed circular mark. But it's not only on his palm...it's on his wrist too.

"W-What's happening?" Guy muttered, tears forming out of his eyes. He stared back out into the open bloody water, his body trembling. His eyes were fixed on the burning horizon in front of him. He couldn't move...he couldn't even comprehend what's happening.

"Guy."

Guy heard a familiar voice but the voice was drowned out by a bunch of screams and cries in pain. Tears continued to roll down on his cheeks non-stop, his heart racing.

"GUY!"

The vision finally glitched back to the breezy paradise reality as Guy glanced down to see Sam gazing up at him with a worried expression written on his face.

Guy noticed tears leaking out of his own eyes and wiped them away.

"I-Is everything okay, buddy?" Sam stuttered, holding his friend's hand.

Guy raised his brow with a question on how Sam got here next to him. He then turned his head behind them to notice Cat sitting in the driver's side of a golf cart with Gabriella sitting at the back. She appeared to be a bit concern and confused while Cat grinned from ear to ear stupidly.

"Top of the morning to you! How are you doing on this fine day?" Cat chirped, his positive tone coming back.

That's weird. Wasn't he emotional last night?

Cat noticed Guy's dried tears while losing his grin. "Did the beach site touch your heart?"

Gabriella furrowed her brow and turned her head to look at Cat sternly. "I don't think that's why he's crying."

Guy cleared his throat and shifted his focus on Sam with a slight nod. "I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, still concerned.

"Yeah, I'm sure. How--how did you guys find me?"

"Cat knows his fantasy island better than most of us. Sometimes I still find myself lost," Gabriella explained while blushing.

Cat nodded his head in confirmation. "Probably should've had someone with you in case you get lost."

"But---" Guy sealed his lips, trying to ponder about something to say. He took a deep breath in and out calmly. "Nevermind. Are we going to be stuck on this island forever since we're being hunted?"

"That is an option for you. Although, I don't think you should stay here for too long," Cat suggested while patting the empty passenger seat next to him. "Hop in! Let's discuss it."

Sam hopped into the seat next to Gabriella. Guy sat in the camper next to Cat as Cat shifted the stick to drive and drove the cart through the beach.

As the cart drove through the beach, paradise music began playing as the four of them enjoyed the view.

"Isn't this lovely?" Cat sighed wistfully at the end of his sentence with a satisfied smile. He leaned back against his seat and put his feet up on the wheel, letting his feet take control of the wheel while his tail pressed on the gas pedal.

Guy nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Yep," Sam responded with a smile. "I have never seen your fantasy island before. You talked about it so much but you never showed me it."

Cat giggled. "Now, you get to see it in its full glory."

Gabriella edged a grin. "Well, it's been a while since I've been to 'reality'."

"You should definitely come with us!" Sam chirped, excited about the new person joining the party.

"Wait, we can't risk any more lives," Guy urged mostly to Cat.

Cat relaxed back on his seat. "Gabriella knows how to fight. I trained her in case she ever goes out into the real world. You'll never know what kind of creeps you'll run into eventually."

There's a distant pause as Cat pondered the next question.

"So...where would you guys like to go? That's safe?"

Guy thought about it. At first instinct, he wanted to go to Stovepipe Junction just to hide but...he remembered what happened last time. Good thing his parents and his brothers were alive now but...if it wasn't for the fact that Guy had healing abilities, his parents and brothers would've stayed dead.

"What are you thinking, buddy?" Sam asked while gazing up at his friend.

Guy turned to Sam. "I was thinking about going to Stovepipe but...that's too risky. Especially with my family...I don't want to put them at risk."

"Yeah, me neither. I mean, especially after all that Ghost situation," Sam input with a frown.

Gabriella raised her brow. "Ghost?"

"Yeah...they're deadly assassins that only kill innocent lives. They're basically a cult," Sam explained to Gabriella.

Cat twitched his ear back, frowning suddenly. Guy noticed this while trying to read the Cat's mind. It's silent...too silent. There wasn't the usual chaos in his brain...it's just complete and utter silence. Then, Cat randomly dropped his feet from the wheel and took back control of the wheel with his gloved hands.

"Hail Hydra!" Cat blurted out randomly and without context.

"Hydra...?" Guy uttered, remembering hearing that word before.

Cat plastered a playful grin at Guy. "You know, Captain America...have you ever seen Captain America?"

"Um...what's Captain America?" Sam questioned while raising his brow.

Cat lost his plastered grin. "All of you are so uncultured...Anyways! This Hydra group is pretty much bad people. You know what they do that's so evil?"

"What?" Guy spoke up, taking an interest in the conversation.

"They experiment on people," Cat explained simply. "Painful experiments...believe it or not."

"Why...experiment on people?" Sam awkwardly inquired.

"To use them as weapons, of course," Cat answered abrasively. "Or they just want something to toy with...either way, they're still hurting and killing people with experiments."

"But...is this Hydra thing...real?" Guy stuttered a bit.

"A Hydra is just a myth...many people reference it for some reason. They say about the creature that if you chop one of the nine heads off...two more will grow in its place," Gabriella pointed out. "I read that in the library somewhere."

"Knowledge is power. Fist bump!" Cat responded proudly as he held up his fist for her to pound it.

While Cat celebrated the fact that Gabriella knew something, Guy was suddenly taken back to the memory where he's pinned up against the wooden fence in the dark alleyway with the shadow just glaring at him.

"Have you heard of a Hydra?"

Guy's hand began to tremble from hearing those words.

"If you chop one head off, two more will grow in its place. Doesn't that fascinate you?"

How could all of this connect? How? Guy brought himself back to the present as he glanced over at Cat, who had the worried look on his face. Sam and Gabriella had their looks of concern as Sam put his hand on Guy's shoulder.

Cat licked his lips and finally came up with an idea. "Hey! I know a place where we can be safe from those...hunters...let's go!"

"Wait...where are we going?" Guy immediately asked after Cat took off of hat and tossed it in front of them, creating a portal. Cat drove into the portal with everyone screaming while the portal took them into someplace...unknown. 

To Be Continued...