Hekkatomb mumbled weakly as he dangled a shaking leg out the car door. He moved with the finesse of a sick old man.

Carter eyed him with concern, since far as she was concerned anyone that skinny shouldn't even be alive, but there he was. The "stickman" as he was called didn't look like he had a single muscle or bone in his body. Yet he could talk and speak, if not barely.

"You alright there?" asked Carter.

Hekkatomb suppressed a disgusted glare at the unwashed savage, but managed to feign a pained expression to elicit sympathy. Just to add to the effect, he whimpered like a starving puppy and nodded pleadingly.

"Oh dear." said Carter as she put a hand near the junction of his head and arm where his shoulder ought to have been. "Just hold still. Tell me if you want to get back in."

Akai came over, flip phone in hand. He rang 911, only for his call to end in a long beep. "Zero reception out here. I think we have to use the radio."

"T-thank you." stammered Hekkatomb.

The car ride had taken about an hour, and every minute of inane chatter and annoying pop music had him stewing in violent fantasies the entire time, all while he played the role of innocent victim. Yet this humiliating charade Malachi had forced him into wasn't even the worst part. He'd never admit it, but for some reason he'd come to enjoy the attention. The idea sickened him to his core. Hekkatomb couldn't wait to put these three idiots on the missing persons list.

Weakly, Hekkatomb blinked and rubbed his eyes and was hit by a kaleidoscope of eye-searing gradients from the other side of the road. Then he heard a shout. What he saw made him question his grip on reality. He stood right there, gobsmacked, arms hanging limply by his sides. No. It couldn't be. No, no, no... Was that really her?

"Carter?" called the bedazzled pooch.

And standing right beside her was his hated enemy, Kashi.

None of Hekkatomb's daydreams could have possibly foreseen this. All this time he'd imagined himself force-feeding Carter eight kilograms of cinnamon powder. He'd pictured Raku-Tak being thrown to a pit of rabid mongooses. He'd visualized sriracha-dipped cucumbers being forcibly lodged into Akai's various orifices.

Yet this moment of serendipity was more than anything he could have ever asked for. Hekkatomb was overcome by a deep sense of gratitude. He thanked the universe for allowing him to be a part of it. He could feel Carter's bewilderment. Her disbelief. And how quickly it was washed away by joy and solace when she gradually recognized the wolf's voice. It was so palpable he could taste it. All the while injured Kashi hobbled closer, barely noticing him. His face contorted into a wicked smile.

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Nothing could ruin this moment. He'd enjoy every second of it.

Hekkatomb grabbed Carter in both his arms and lobbed her against the road. She skidded against the asphalt for three seconds before slamming into a tree with enough force to snap it. Then with a single step he vanished, appeared right behind her, picked her up, and in the space of a second he punched her in the abdomen three times and in the head twice.

Jessica and Kashi raced over to the grisly scene. Carter was unconscious and still breathing. Hekkatomb licked his lips. "So! Let me diagnose your sister real quick. "From what I can see, Carter's bleeding out, and she'll be dead in thirty minutes. Bring me the Fruit and I'll make sure she's dead in thirty years. Don't know how long the life expectancy is around these parts but that's my best guess."

Akai stepped in, fangs bared. His hands were curled into a claw shape, as if he was going to leap at him and scratch his face off.

Hekkatomb lifted his hand in his best approximation of a tut-tut gesture. If he had fingers he'd wag one. "And if one of you tries anything funny, it'll be three seconds."

And Akai stopped.

By now the other four had gathered around. It had happened so abruptly it took a few of them a moment to realize what was going on.

"Hekkatomb-" Chou gagged at the sight of Carter's beaten up body, the smell of blood, and the shock of sudden betrayal. "-can we go look for it?"

"Yeahhhh..." Hekkatomb droned as he drew it on for as long as possible. He scanned their faces, savoring their pain like a hearty soup. "-No sorry."

With both arms, Hekkatomb gently lay Carter down by the side of the road. Then he saw Akai reach into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. He jerked his head in his direction and barked "Put-the-phone-down!" as he giddily lifted his foot above her face, threatening to bring it down.

Hekkatomb was overcome with excitement. He started to sing and dance like a madman, jumping from one foot to another, pretending to stomp on the unconscious girl's face. Akai's glare of contempt, Chou holding back tears, Raku-Tak's deep pity, and whatever feelings those two mutts had, were beyond priceless. He'd remember their faces forever, treasure the memories for years.

It was around this time he'd noticed Kashi. He stood there, sad and dejected, knowing he couldn't do anything. This was a person who, on a good day, could easily kick him a mile across the forest in less than a split second. Today was not a good day. For Kashi, at least. Oh, it was perfect. "Aren't you going to defeat me and save the day? Hm? Why are you just standing there? Are you going to let her die?"

Then he got bored and stopped dancing. "Okay that's enough. And that was a question for you, Jessica. Are you going to let her die?"

Jessica looked at him.

Hekkatomb looked back at her. "God, you are so ugly! You look like you should be on the headlines for third-world animal abuse. And you better get used to it, that's your life now. But that's beside the point. Are you going to let her die?"

Jessica froze.

"You can either go about the rest of your life as a wild animal and your sister will be just fine. Or I can just put you out of your misery." Hekkatomb said. "You win either way."

"No." said Jessica.

"Very kind of you!" Hekkatomb said. "But if there's one thing I don't like, it's people who don't walk the talk. Like our pal Kashi over here. Doing good, fighting crime. Always talking about doing the right thing. But when push comes to shove, he throws you under the bus. Like he's doing - right - now."

"So put your money where your mouth is and MOVE!"