Fifteen - A Curious Clown -

 

 Soon, we had exited the suburban part of town altogether and now entered the other side of Coolsville, where it was wide open and appeared to be a little more fancier than the shop part we had first arrived in. Now, the beeping from the tracker was getting just a little bit louder. 

My eyes gazed upon our new environment; a courthouse, a grocery store and other such buildings of mild importance. Close by, there was a skating rink..I wanted so badly to grab my skateboard and start rolling all over God's creation, seeing as how we didn't have a rink near where I lived.

But the problem was, my skateboard was back home and I had a bunch of kidnapped kids to locate. Lemme tell ya, though..the 2000+ era is heckin boring. How I wish it was still the 90's. )':

"This part of town is huge!" Master exclaimed. "I don't even see the school yet.."
"Judging from the beeping.." I whirled the tracker in a circle, where its beeping lessened and quieted until I turned back to my original position and the pace accelerated once more.
"It's beyond those buildings ahead. Little weird for a school to be on the farthest side of town.."
"Not really. Schools are put anywhere they'll fit..besides, you'd have buses to take you there."
"Huh..."
"'Huh'?? You mean you never rode a bus?"
"I never went to school."
The boys all darted their eyes in my direction.
I quickly shook my head to correct myself.
"I mean, I went to school, but I was, it, the-- homeschooled."
Master naturally rolled his eyes away. "Well that explains a lot."
I naturally clunked him upside the head. "Hey! No cheap jabs! If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't have been at home as much to become as obsessed with y'all as I am now. And therefore wouldn't have been HERE. So you watch your heathen mouth, boyo. Be glad I was taught in the comfortable quarters of my home." 

Jim glared at him. "Yeah, BOYO. Watch your back."
Joker sniffed a laugh. "Bet you didn't have a lot of friends.."
I cut him a vicious glare.
"Besides the kids that bullied me?"
They each looked a little uncomfortable.
"..Yeah..I had friends. Kids I protected from the bullies, mostly."
I fell into a quiet state as I stepped forward, before J suddenly and unexpectedly rushed ahead of me and stopped me dead in my tracks. While I gave him a look riddled with confusion, he lowered his head, swallowing thoughtfully, as I think he was..registering how to react next..
He got my attention..now what?

"...How old?"
I lifted my chin. Might have been enigmatic to everyone else..but someone like me knew exactly what he was getting at. "Seven."
He nodded an understanding nod. "..I was just a kid, too."
"So was I." "Me, too.." "...As was I."
All four boys sunk as memories were blatantly being replayed in their minds..their once villainous and confident demeanor was falling into a heavy, heartbreaking state of solemn depression and shear vulnerability. I've seen their evil armor crack one or two times since we started our adventures...but this was truly the first time I'd seen them look almost...childlike. In a not very positive way.
I now looked ahead, as memories flooded my own head, as well.
I squeezed my eyes shut to fight the images, gently shaking my skull.
Joker's gaze returned to me.
"...Physical or psychological..it leaves scars."
I looked back at him and slowly nodded.
"It does..in ways no one else understands."
I took a deep breath, shrugging my shoulders.
"That's why I relate to you boys more than you think..I know what it's like to be pushed around past my breaking point..having my mind poisoned against myself and everyone else. And the only thing you have left is just rage..pain..and a need for revenge on everyone."
I sighed quietly. "..And one day, you find yourself hating everything."

It was here that Bane halted and his expressive eyes moved to meet mine.
"..Miss Demens...how did you..stop? How did you fight those feelings within you? The hatred?"
The question was rather surprising..
"..I didn't stop. I never stopped feeling that way. Only..I learned to rise above them. I don't want those people to win. The ones who put them in me to begin with..I refused to become what they made me. A monster...and you're only a monster if you let yourself turn into one."
Master tightened his jaw as he rolled his shoulders.
"Then I guess by your book, it really is too late for us."
"...No...cuz you're still hurting."
I turned my head to them. "And I, for one, don't give up on people who are hurting."
I expected sarcasm and it came from, surprise surprise, Joker.
"You're ridiculous. And a drama queen."
I smirked and sent a wink his way, while my gloved hands lifted up innocently.
"Learned from the best."
His eyes narrowed..yet he sniffed a chuckle.
I felt we were really breaking barriers, wow.

There was a sudden surge of shame as I realized our little messed up party completely forgot the existence of Gavin, who was trailing behind us. To be honest, it was unfortunately easy to forget he was there since he was so bloody quiet and seemed to blend in to the environment if he wasn't directly standing next to you. As I remembered he was there, I slowed down a bit to reach behind me and tug him up to my side. "Gavin, my dear, I apologize, I didn't mean to neglect you."
"Ugh, why'd you remind me the punk's still here?!"
J tossed his hands up in irritation.
"Shush, you'll hurt the boy's feelings." Moriarty strangely defended..as he then put an arm around Gavin's shoulders. He was only a couple inches taller than Ninja Boy, but he tried to make himself appear much more broad and imposing as let's face it..he's a skinny sausage.
Mind you, Gavin wasn't much more impressive himself, build-wise..but I was confident that if Jim pushed him too much, Gav would whoop him into the next century.
Battle for my affections?
I'm in.
...Sadistic like that.

"Pay no mind to my humorous traveling companion, darling boy. He's just jealous of your scarless good looks..as he is mine."
"Peh..YOU? Good looks?!"
"You two look like sissies. If anything, the clown is jealous of MY rugged handsomeness."
"Oh my god, boys, please."
"Excuse me, you look like a squashed banana. If I'm jealous of anyone..I'm jealous of myself."
J flipped his hair in an exaggerated fashion and they rose in defiance.
"Well at least we don't look like HIM!" Jim pointed at Bane, who perked in offense.
So uncalled for.
"HA! You idiots WISH you were as juiced as the B-man!"
"What is 'juiced'? Is that derogatory?"
I pinched high into the air with both hands, my gaze narrowing.
"The testosterone..you can feel it..it's everywhere.."
"SO.." Master abruptly shoved the others aside and took hold of Gavin next, putting HIS arm around his shoulders. I was deeply concerned about why these scoundrels were being so buddy-buddy with him all of the sudden..
"..Gavin, is it? You seem awfully quiet..I hope me and the boys aren't frightening you."
Gavin's brows crinkled. "Not at all."
Master grinned wickedly. "Excellent! I wouldn't want you feeling uncomfortable or..out of place..I mean, with you being so good and..uncorrupted..."
He gave me a glare and I knew..he was baiting me.
"I think it's quite clear by now...that's the real reason Demens has taken such a tender liking to you...am I wrong? Because you're..well...not like us..."
"ALRIGHT, back off, alien butt."
I snatched him by the collar of his hoodie and shoved him away from MB.
"Uh oh, did I strike a nerve?" Master had the gull to joke, even as I violently broke him away from my poor tormented new friend. "HUSH your mouth at once or I will literally devour your face."
"Wow, resorting to cannibalism, you really did strike a nerve!"
My muscles tensed, my fists tightening.

Gavin had heaps more patience than I..his hand laid upon my shoulder and almost instantly, I felt a layer of calm wash over me. Before I knew it, our eyes met and he sent a warm smile my way which made me feel all weird, the heck.
"It's alright..I'm fine."
But my brows still lowered and I waggled my finger angrily at the other four.
"Yeah, well I'm not. I ain't having these hooligans mess with ya."
"Ooooh, so protective! I really think she-YEOW!!!"
Joker doubled over as he immediately grabbed a hold of his knee, of which I kicked as hard as my body could possibly kick and he had to stop walking altogether as he held it painfully for several minutes. His entire facial expression wreaked of agony. I wanted to laugh, but I simply just stood behind him, both my fists clenched.
"You little--!!!" J growled aggressively instead of finishing that sentence.
Master and Jim both broke out in ridiculous levels of laughter, as they pointed mockingly at the bent over clown. Bane merely shook his head and he reached in, snatching Joker by the arm to pull him to his feet. "Get up, you fool."
At this did I chuckle. Bane calling anyone a fool made my day.

Joker waved his fist in retaliation. "She assaulted me, you saw it!!"
"Man up, dude." Jim insulted. The scowl that River Dance received was too much to handle.
"Y'all vicious." I acknowledged. Before I grinned rather wickedly. "I love it."
J shook his head with anger, pointing at Gavin. "I bet you the kid was a boy scout!"
"With excellent grades!" "Helped old ladies cross the street!" "And perfect teeth!"
"AND believed in Santa Clause!"
Jim froze, looking to Joker with the most horrid look of absolute innocence.
"..You mean Santa isn't real??"
Gavin opened his mouth, "Actually--"
"And always did his chores!" "And sang in the church choir!"
"And washed behind his ears!"
Meanwhile, Jim was still distraught about Santa Clause.
I facepalmed. "Oh my god."
Gavin sighed, desperately. "But I never--"
"Look at you now, you ridiculous little perfection nut-- I bet you never broke a law in your life! I bet you you're on some sort of health craze! And only eat fragments of the earth's core and drink the tears of the sun!" "Okay, y'all have officially lost it."

That's the point, when the six of us were actually having a somewhat decent time together, that the rudest and most jerkiest clown around decided to crash our party..and I think y'all know who I'm getting at. "What a touching scene!"
We all jolted and looked frantically around for the owner of the unsettling, forced and screechy voice that was made by an animal trying desperately to mimic a human.
"What the *beep* was that?!" J exclaimed.
Even he was freaked out. And that's saying a lot.
My heart raced as we all huddled together, searching the wide-open empty space that now felt as if it know served only as a trap. We were now feeling an altogether different vulnerability.
For a being with exceptionally terrifying levels of power was floating bodilessly around us..
ready to make a strike.

That's one thing..me and my boys are heckin' badtail..but we don't have the exact means we need for the supernatural elements belonging to the vast majority of our foes.
Cuz in cases like this, the boys were honestly just as human as me.
  ..Maybe we were over our heads.

"You're all so sweet.."
His voice grew closer.
I breathed. "Frick."
At once, we either rose our weapons or rose our fists. Readied battle stances, we were fully prepared to take on the mischievous fear-addicted spider clown.
"Come on out, sugar, and I'll show ya just how sweet I can be!"
He chuckled in the most sadistic and demonic way possible. I rolled my eyes.
"Ya know, only a sniveling little coward hides in the shadows instead of coming out and FIGHTING face-to-face!"
Master cast a glare. "Don't bloody provoke him!!"
I whirled my head to him. "You should know by now, provoking is what I do best!"

Gavin swiveled his own head to the rest of us, who had inched even closer to me in a protective manner. "Remember, he draws his power from our fear! Don't give him what he wants!"
"Fear, pretty boy? Over that overgrown cockroach?" Joker scoffed. "He should take a few notes on being SCARY first!"
Oooh, clown wars. Might as well step aside for J, dem were fightin' words.

But no, it was perfectly evident J was bluffing. He was just as terrified, if not more, as everyone else. He was just very good at masking it.

"You really do seem at home with your little friends."
My chin lifted. The boys cut their eyes in my direction.
"..I think we both know why that is."
"..Why..cuz we're the SAME? Is that it?"
Pennywise chuckled. "..You're saying it's NOT?"
I suddenly felt vulnerable, indeed.
Something struck me, making me gasp, as I froze in place and stared dead ahead in a trance.
A memory floated in my mind.
A memory that made me squeeze my eyes shut in realistic pain..
Pennywise' poisonous words rung in my head like a thousand bad songs, cutting into me like a freshly sharpened knife.
"I've been inside your head, remember?" His screechy voice hissed.
"I've seen the things you've done."

...The things I've done...

That made me tense my whole body. As the memory reached into every crevice of my mind and enveloped every other thought I had to offer..
"Who are you kidding, playing the hero?"
I let out a stifled whimper as I held my head.
"You have no business saving anyone."
Pennywise had unleashed powerful magic. But not the supernatural kind.
The kind that holds you prisoner to your own past. The memory of your sins.
Kept alive and preserved for the shear control of evil.
A vile means of control that even those on the right side will regrettably hold against you.
The very roadblock for those with a dark past, the exact thing that prevents redemption and a second chance. The age-old lie to keep the prisoners of evil from leaving.
How can I go back to being good after being evil?

The sad fact is..nothing is born evil. Everything starts as a pure existence.
Even evil itself transformed into what it is today.
It is the corruption and the poison of sin that eats away the goodness found in us..and it makes monsters of us. Some more aggressively than others.

But even knowing this..I still got caught in Pennywise' little web. He held me against my will with a memory that formerly made me feel strong..but was that strength misplaced?

I took deep, forced breaths as I wrapped my arms around my head, trying to block his voice out.
Were the others able to hear him say all this to me or was he just whispering all this from inside my skull? The former made the most sense, however, as they all seemed to look at me in somewhat..pity..actual pity. Like, for one second, they felt the same guilt as me.
That's what made me realize..that's what broke his spell.
I was getting to them. After all this time of their reign as villains, someone had finally gotten to them.
And that someone was me.
There was hope..I was making a difference. For the men I first met would have never come this close to any type of guilt. It was then, I lifted my eyes. "SCREW you."
There was an electricity in the air. A good old fashioned shock.
"WHAT?"
"I said..SCREW YOU!! Get out've my head, insect!"
The boys widened their gaze as I didn't give the spider clown enough time to react.
I barred my teeth and thrashed my head as my nails dug into my skin.
"I said, get out of my HEADDDDDD!!!!!!"

Just as my voice rung throughout the empty portion of town with a vengeful shrill, echoing for several seconds..that's when the boys suddenly disappeared. Meaning they instantaneously were sucked up into the ground as if they fell through a puddle and my heart leaped, stopping for several seconds, causing me to grasp my chest in a taken back gasp. My eyes widened in confusion and horror.
"BOYS!!!!" My voice shrieked in a panic.
Dear god, did he KILL THEM?!

I looked frantically around, my mind racing.
But I couldn't think straight. I tried to stay calm, but it's very hard to do so when your friends are cartoonishly slurped into the ground like jello, right before your very eyes.
"Guys!! GUYS!!"
I desperately tried, but received no reply. I decided to zip my mouth shut as this was no doubt exactly what he wanted. For me to panic.
That's, of course, when I turned around in a lightning fast spin, just as a sound that resembled when you get sucked underwater seared into my ears..and I spun right into Pennywise.
The air grew instantly silent and cold, as he immediately grabbed hold of my shoulders, towering over me with a horrid grin. I couldn't help but gulp as we locked eyes.
I was all alone..just like my dream, I was all alone..just like he wanted.
But..surprisingly..I didn't panic. Instead, I felt..anger.

"What'd you do with them, you pestilent little FREAK?!"
"Little freak??" He repeated, his grin relaxing. "Is that any way to talk to your new bestfriend??!!"
He suddenly released my shoulders and did a little dance. That was it. I'd seen too much.
I gave him a really weirded out expression..this dude was trippy.
"YOU VILLAGE IDIOT!" At this, I grabbed his throat.
Yes, I grabbed his throat. Grabbed the freaking evil clown's throat. 
This made him freeze in utter shock, that I had the nerve to do such a thing.
"Stop acting like the freaking castle jester and tell me where my FREAKING FRIENDS ARE!!"
Pennywise shot his hands up, choking through my hold, as his eyes rolled back.
"OR WHAT?" He croaked.
My expression darkened. I then jammed my gun aggressively underneath his white makeshift chin.
"Or I paint the concrete with your gross little bug entrails."
His head then snapped at me in a very surreal manner and his forehead enlarged as if it were about to pop. "OH---Goddddd.....YOU REALLY AREN'T....Afraid of meeeeeeEEEEEEE..."
His body trembled within my grasp. "Don't.....do........this...."
I waved my open hand.
"I'm not the one doing anything!! YOU'RE the freaking one up to a bunch of crap!!"
He tightened his neck, his face now growing cherry red. I realized how tightly I was squeezing..
Much to his surprise, I let go.

He fell to the ground like a dramatic actress from the Hollywood days of old..and he rolled.
Rolled. R o l l e d  from side to side. As if he were preparing himself to serve as a burrito.
I couldn't raise my brow any higher.
"Whyyyyyyyyy...." He moaned, his hands resembling the claws of a mantis.
"Whyyyyy are you not playing the gameeee?!!!"
"Ain't nobody got time for no games."
His rolling continued and that got old faster than a head of lettuce.
I kicked him. "Stop that."
My blunt command caused him to cease.

He suddenly was up on his feet again. And he was frowning, miserably.
"You're no fun."
But I only rolled my eyes. "Look, CLEARLY you're not the mastermind of this little operation..that only means the big bad will be waiting for me atttt..."
"-The school."
whoa wow what.
I jerked my head back in surprise.. he literally just gave up their base of operations.
Who hired him again?

"The school, huh?" "That's what I said, dummy!"
He crossed his arms, huffing. I crossed my own arms.
"You ruined the surprise, for shame!" "Nyehhh!"
boy, this guy was a literal child.
"Your bosses aren't gonna like that!"
He then cut the temper tantrum, spun on his heels and waved his hand in a flamboyant fashion.
"I don't care anymore..go get your little breadcrumbs..they're crying and begging and sniveling..it's scrumptious, but I can't have them. I'm bored now."
"Bored, because...we're not afraid?"
He didn't even look at me. Just face the other direction for several moments.
"You didn't play the game.."
I furrowed my brows. "..Pennywise...I know you've done.....horrible things....but...hear me out.."
"AH!"
He was suddenly in my face all over again, so close I could feel his breath..I tensed my body.
"Trying to two-time me?! Trying to bring me to your level?! Make me a LIAR?!"
"I'm not a liar, clown. I know what I am. And I'm not fighting it. That's the thing..I'm not letting my past control me. I set myself free. Everyone can. Even you."
He laughed horridly, in ways that made me cringe. What I was saying was crazy.
It was perfectly reasonable why he was cackling.
But...it felt like...I needed to do this.

"You don't have to be a monster anymore..I won't judge you!"
"NO NO NO!!"
He exclaimed, throwing his head back to thrash it about, covering his ears all the while.
"I'M NOT LISTENING!!" He wailed.
"I'M NOT LISTENINGGG!!!"
I waved my fist,
"Confounded, man! LISTEN to me! You're being used as a pawn; ALL of you are! I'm trying to save you! Let me help you!"
His teeth clenched, of which he gritted. In that moment, he grabbed my face.
"WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO SAVE ME? YOU KNOW WHAT I AM. I'M A MONSTER, REMEMBER?"
"Cuz I'm one, too, remember?"
His face eased..to the shock of us both..I put my hand over his wrist.
"And I want my own to be happy..all of them."
He looked down at my hand, flinching like I had a fatal disease.
That's when he quickly let me go and backed away several feet away, looking at me with a face full of confusion and rage...but soon, his face lit up like a Christmas tree once more..and he smirked.
"..You're crazy."

Just like that..he vanished.
The empty, numb feeling I had went away with him.
The sound of a slurpy reaching its end rung in my ears and I swung around to see the boys suddenly emerge from the concrete and were now sprawled out on the ground, writhing in aching pain.
They moaned and groaned as they wiggled like upside down beetles.
I rolled my eyes as I huffed at their complaints and went to help them.
Still, I couldn't help smiling at the fact they were still alive.
"Lord save my soul.."
I advanced towards them. "Get up, ya old men. We got kids to save."
I took hold of each of their hands and helped them to their feet. They staggered, but soon regained their balance. Master held his head, letting out a grunt.
"Ugh..what...bloody happened?"
J shrugged his shoulders, shaking off the incident. "The *beep* did that bug go?! Did ya get 'im?!"
I picked at my glove, my eyes trailing away. "You could say that.."
Joker puffed up his chest, his fists curled.
"Well you shoulda seen us..there were hoards of zombies--like thousands--and we kicked all their *beep*-- mostly me-- and they kept coming-- I was too quick for them."
By golly, it seemed Joker was actually trying to impress me with his tall tale.
I smirked as I placed my hands inside my hoodie's pockets. "How fearless."
He nodded with pride. "I am..I am fearless."

However, Master was busy rolling his eyes to the sky and sighing in exasperation..
"What he means to say is..we were practically drowning in a pool of black liquid. Almost like..slime? Or oily mud. It was creeping into our mouths and dragging us down."
My brows lifted. "..Black goo?"
"In crude American terms, yes."
My eyes lowered to the ground. "..Oh.."
I slowly shook my head. "..The frick..were you guys in there the entire time?"
J cut his eyes away, smacking his lips. "I don't know about any goo..I was killing zombies."
"There were no zombies, you moron." Jim hissed.
He then checked his suit. "That muck didn't leave any stains, did it?!"
That's when Gavin recovered and he hurried past the boys to check on me.
"Are you alright?!" "Yes yes, good lord, I'm fine!"
Thankfully I stopped him before he could hug me or something.
His hands still had to do something, apparently, because he made the effort to pat my shoulders.
s i g h

"Good lord, huh?" Master scoffed. "Did you wave the bible at him?"
"Yeah or sing 'Amazing Grace'?"
"Or invite him to bible study?"
My eyes couldn't roll any further back into my skull. "No, you clods. Religion is the last thing on that thing's mind." "You'd think it'd be the last thing on your's, yet here we are."
I thumped Saxon good and hard on the noggin. He flinched.
"If I have to assault you a third time on the same day, Master, I'm going all out next time, and a stretcher will be needed."
He gently rubbed his skin, closing one eye. "That's fair.."
"But seriously, is my suit okay?!"
"YES, good grief, your suit is fine! You five are lucky to be alive, for crying out loud, and you're crying about a stupid cheap looking suit?!"
Moriarty looked shocked and his mouth fell to the ground. "THIS IS WESTWOOD."
"WELL I'M ABOUT READY TO GO EASTWOOD. SHUT UP."
"Sarah--what did he say to you? Did he threaten you? Did he touch you?"
"I am FINE! NO, he did not hurt me! NO, I don't need to be coddled like a freaking china doll!! Do I look injured?!"
Gavin looked away, sighing gently. I was probably being rude, but like..dude.....
....did not mean to rhyme...

Bane then stepped forward, delicately laying a hand on my shoulder.
"Out of all of us, the creature seemed the most interested in you..forgive us for the concern."
I shook my head, my gaze drifting off into the distance.
"He and the others are only interested in my role as the queen..I'm a threat to their plans..that's about it. They see you four as traitors now..so..yeah."
They shrugged uneasily at that last comment.
MB curled his lips back as he stood like an uncomfortable child and he lifted a finger at himself.
"..And me?"
I rose a brow. "..Not sure they entirely know what to make of you, Gav..perhaps just a punk inconveniencing them and getting in their way.."
"Or a little punk who doesn't belong." J remarked, eyes setting on the back of Gavin's head.
I ground my teeth, feeling once more that unmistakable surge to defend Takeo.
"Maybe he's not the only one."
Ah..that came out VERY wrong. I basically screamed the truth, but..they didn't seem to grasp it.
J, I believe..took it as me referring to HIM..and his gaze turned away quickly..
His expression displayed that of hurt or anger..or both.
Little did they know..I was referring to myself.

I bit my tongue... dang it, Sarah.
My head shook and I wound up speaking things that I now trusted my companions enough to share with... "If I wasn't the queen..no one would even pay attention to me, would they?"
They all looked a little uncertain. Master rubbed his neck in thought.
"...I mean..probably not?"
I deepened my stare. "..YOU wouldn't pay attention to me?"
Their glances indicated they weren't entirely sure.
Gavin's eyes rested on me and took a deep breath. "..You know I would.."
I couldn't help but dart my own eyes at him in alarm and my heart once again betrayed me as it melted with adoration for this boy.

That's when he turned.. "How do they know she's the queen, anyway?"
The boys were quite puzzled about this. J shrugged.
"Beats me. Maybe they got a vision or something like the rest of us?"
"Perhaps the prophecy was told to not just the four of us..but to the rest of Cataclysm, as well."
I scoffed and pushed my way past them. "Prophesy.. you don't even know if that's true or not."
They gave me weirded out expressions. "Are you DOUBTING something, Miss Believer?"
"Yeah, thought you ate up something like a prophesy?"
My face was flushed as I realized I was once again giving myself away.
At this point, I wondered if maybe it was becoming subconsciously intentional.
Maybe..deep down.. I wanted them to know the truth.

"Everything else from it has happened." Jim called out.
"Besides, when has the truth ever stopped you from believing?"
I froze dead in my tracks and tensed my fists, gritting my teeth.
"Jim, shut up." "Why?!" His voice yelped.
"Cuz I hate it when you're right."
"Oh, I'm right, am I?!"

I had enough. Thankfully, though, I remembered now..we needed to continue and Jim needed to leave.
I turned back and began to push him away.
"You need to go! Go with Velma!"
"Oh bloody....I thought you forgot about that."
"Go, shoo, go!"
I scooted him along as he skid his shoes against the ground.
With an open hand, I talked into the walkie. "Velma..Jim's on his way to you! Be safe!"
I looked back up at him as he stared at me with his big brown puppy eyes. And I made a face.
I brought the walkie back to my mouth.
"..And I'm sorry in advance." 
He narrowed his eyes, knowing what I was getting at. "..You'll miss me."
"Goooo!!" My hoarse voice had enough of yelling at him and I shoved him away.
He got the idea at last..he trudged off, without speaking another word.
Then I turned back around. I sighed. "Let's do this."

Onward we proceeded...