“but i don’t get it… why’s my dad bad now? he’s been trying so much for so long to be better for everyone else, & even when everyone kept on rejecting him for his past actions, he always tried to do better for people… he’s really changed… why can’t people just see that? why can’t they just accept that he’s changed? he’s not evil, i know it. he raised me without ever yelling at me once, even when i burnt down that pizzeria with his c00lgui without his permission… he’s a good person now. why is it so hard to see that?” c00lkidd was sat on the couch, sobbing. the incessant stream of tears that leaked through his closed eyelids stained his iconic “team c00lkidd—join today!!!” tee, the one which he’d loved wearing so much ever since his father had made it specially for him, with the text being printed on a shirt of the exact same colour of c00lkidd’s vibrant red skin. he was sat on the couch, legs crossed & his wrists constantly rubbing up at his teary eyes, voice cracking & broken with emotion. a survivor was sat next to the bawling child. guest. guest was a former soldier, having reached the rank of colonel before having been forced to retire as a result of a severe burn injury after an incident involving a barrel of petroleum & a rogue matchstick. now, guest was in better health, yet the burnt part of his body was mostly numb to all sensations, including pain. therefore, guest took this to his advantage & used his burnt arm to block attacks from any monsters out in the new forsaken world, & used his other hand to deliver punches that could send even the toughest of killers into next week with just one blow. guest was sat next to c00lkidd on the couch, letting the child lie down with his head on guest’s lap whilst the kid sobbed his eyes out. guest’s stern expression didn’t falter as he lightly patted c00lkidd on the head, not quite knowing how to comfort children as he hadn’t seen his own daughter in what felt like eons. “your father’s done some bad things, kid. i personally haven’t been subjected to it, but apparently that device he used to cause havoc has caught up with him regarding its side-effects. there’s nothing we can do about it now, & the best thing to do is to just let it go.” c00lkidd shook his head against guest’s lap at that statement from the ex-militant, a petulant grunt leaving the child’s mouth. “no, i’m never gonna let my dad go! you can throw me out to him as bait for all i care, & i’m as sure as dogs have tails that he’ll never hurt me. i just know it,” c00lkidd retorted, a stubborn pout now replacing c00lkidd’s previous expression of anguish. guest remained silent at that statement. behind him, a second survivor, a chicken-loving man called shedletsky, smirked to himself at the idea he’d gotten from c00lkidd’s stubborn response. throw him out to 007n7… & he won’t die.. “hey, kid.” shedletsky stood up from his chair, walking over to the cabin door & extending a hand out to c00lkidd meanwhile. “come out with me for a walk, yeah? clear your head a little,” he grinned. c00lkidd reluctantly sat up & trodded over to shedletsky as the latter took the child by the hand & led him outside. guest let the kid go, oblivious to shedletsky’s plan. shedletsky led c00lkidd out to the rundown city, far away from the cabin where the survivors found refuge in. c00lkidd whined a bit at the sight of the blood on the buildings, but shedletsky kept dragging c00lkidd along. eventually, the two came across 007n7 himself—007n7 now being a corrupted version of the man he had been before. shedletsky ducked behind a wall, taking c00lkidd with him, forcing c00lkidd to stay against the wall as well even as the kid struggled in an attempt to call out to his father. shedletsky waited until the moment he felt 007n7 approaching the wall before giving c00lkidd a sudden & brash shove, pushing the child out from behind the wall & making the kid fall down on his back straight onto the dirt with a yelp, right in the line of sight of 007n7. shedletsky snickered to himself, unhooking his sword from his belt as he awaited 007n7.