Calypso had never seen someone so terrified of a falling book. She laughed, loudly and hysterically—to the point she was surprised that she could laugh in such an uproar.
But the skeletal monster girl couldn’t enjoy—bask in this delight yet. She had seen how those frenzied bloodstreams could be.
So, Calypso quickly got behind Melissa—grappled her possessed arms to her sides via a bear hug, knowing that the on-pouring blood would rush down both of their legs.
Nevertheless, Calypso still had her razor-sharp grin.
“SHOW HER!” Calypso commanded the Tome, hiding how they practiced the exact wording so much to get this pitch-perfect, exactly right here and now. “SHOW HER HOW WE’VE GROWN—ULTIMATELY SHOWCASING HOW SHE HAS INDEED FAILED!”
What was eerily controlled, almost “gentle” cascading of the Tome turned into a meteoric strike. The ancient tome soared downward, flipping over to expose the constantly turning pages and before Calypso knew it—everything went white.
She was so happy that the plan was working.
***
“C’mooon… Juust a lil’ more…!”
Gale couldn’t study and listen to her iPod at the same time. The sheer fact that she was swatting away pissed off Subsumed while trying to pry a hole into existence at once is a miracle she felt iffy about—because it’s using up the “miracle juju” in the air that her friends and the victims needed desperately.
She felt scared at she was merely “slapping” them away. Even with most of these guys depowered, even Gale knew better not to underestimate these things.
But it was apart of the plan.
As soon as one was staggered, a series of flying yellow cells peppered the crap outta the poor monster that fell down. Natalie was above the skies, watching out for Gale and easing the load.
Which made Gale feel bad, since it felt like a ton of work on Natty’s end—but she shook her head to herself.
She had to keep what she had in mind.
The swamp monster girl lowered her arms from their poses. Took a cleansing breath, through the nose and out the mouth. Into the mouth, and out the nose.
Bringing her hands into a prayer, she closed her eyes.
“You can do this, Gale,” Gale said grimly to herself. “You’re gonna save the effin’ world.”
She thrusted her hands outward with a yell she never thought she could make. “Digging” her claws into the air, and slowly separating her hands away from each other.
And in turn, her massive vines that were burrowed into the auditorium, began tearing the center of the structure into two.
Gale could barely hear the screeching that was all around her, all she could hear was… Harmony, oddly enough. She was still connected to the Earth, and simply heard… Nature. Animal chittering, forest ambience. The wind around them, rushing water from so far away.
There was this instant shot of rage that surged within Gale. All of them could’ve literally been doing something better than all of this.
And as much as she felt instantly bad about being so angry… She let that superego-checking out the door. She wanted that rage to build and give her the boost that she needed right now.
Gale flexed her straining hands with an open, cold glare etched on her face.
It was like the vines themselves became engorged with a sudden uptick of water and nutrients, the now bulging plant life made the seam within this structure grow larger, creating this massive ripped-apart entrance with multiple Subsumed parts raining down into the ground.
The perfect entryway for the Calvary.
Leading the way was Sal and the rest of the Grimes, except Cal’s mother. Most of the other farmers Gale saw come in and out of town just as quickly as they brushed off her waving at them, Old Man Paul, looking grim but determined, most of the small crowd that her and the girls saw in the weird heaven court were there—even a cute boy with long hair Gale was SURE she didn’t notice—
All of them. Armed with shotguns, some kind of melee weapon if they didn’t have a gun: a total angry mob in the modern day.
“Yo!” Sal tried to maintain her small. She was so cool. “What’s the damage so far~?”
“Bad—” Gale struggled as tried to maintain the exit she created with her extra “limbs”. “So the bad—please help—”
The hot guy turned to Sal, with an arched eyebrow. Long, dark hair like a rockstar and a chin that movie stars could weep at. “Didn’t you say that they were helping us…?”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Shut it, Topher—” Sal hit him quickly on the shoulder. “—Yer just as green as I am—”
“As much as I love comedy scenes…” Artemis grimly held her shotgun firm. “Let’s play exterminator, folks! And don’t you die on us!”
The mob ran forward, as a rainfall of cells was hitting everything but them as they quickly ran up the path.
Gale took a breath, and flung at least two vines behind herself. Making sure to go wide, around the crowd, only to make a dash and come together at a single point.
That being the hall’s massive doors, as Gale caves them in.
***
Richard simply smiled. He smiled and watched all of this finally unfold.
The Subsumed that he knew was playing dead—that got nervous about what was going on, he watched as they were being gunned down. Looking over to his right, seeing the townsfolk that were aware made their way into the fractious.
“Oh thank goodness! Help has arrived, everyone!”
Richard scoffed softly through his nose. Of course his mother was still going to act, it was what she was good at and why they’ve gotten so far in the first place. 110% enthusiasm in everything she does.
The remaining victims looked on with a glazed-over daze. Still frightened, but with such a distant expression on their faces.
It felt like home, oddly enough.
Martha pointed, while still having an arm coddling Richard. Despite the size difference. “I’d say we should follow them out! Is that a good idea, Officer Berra…?”
Despite the euphoria of the plan working out… It did pain Richard a little, seeing this strong-willed woman like this.
Officer Berra held her head, softly massaged her forehead. As if she knew something was happening, something clearly wrong here…
But lacking the strength to do anything about it.
“Yes,” Officer Berra nodded. “Yes it is! Garcia, Michaels and Shay—you usher these people out! Smith and Gilligan: you’re with me and we’re helping the Calvary! This is gonna be the fight of our lives, boys!”
Richard looked over to the stooge that caused them so much trouble. With his moppy black hair and sharp, tight features conveyed how much he hated his life and everyone in it.
And he nodded. Wordlessly, even.
As the scene was playing out before them, Richard continued to smile. And he looked down to his mother, who shared the same level of contentedness with their darkness.
Richard felt a slap against his shoe. Puzzled, he looked downward towards this pitiful thing. A half of a Subsumed, only left with an upper body that was only the left of it.
“H… How…?” it asked him. Maybe at the Fates That Be.
Either way. He felt like monologuing.
“It was the plan, friend~ You would’ve slaughtered us with ease, even with our combined knowledge of the unknown and dark… So we. Upped our chances of survival.”
Richard pointed to the since-ruined table of refreshments.
“Our Miracle Matter can only survive in so little compounds without the necessary care involved… Everyday booze, and drinks, and snacks can be deadly weapons, despite the sacred nature of breaking bread. Regardless, everyone in this gathering either got laced with our material or got into contact with them. And the larger the intake of Miracle Matter… The deeper our mitts are digging into their minds~”
Martha giggled, and Richard moved backward slightly to kneel down towards the panting thing. The boy reached forward, and put his hand atop the Subsumed exposed skull.
“It’s just business, friend. And it’s about learning from my mistakes—to be better. It’s nothing but up, from here on out. Maybe you’d like what we’re going to have planned for you all in the future, given how much you lot thrive on being a group of defeatists~”
Richard applied pressure. Slowly but surely squeezing the head of this monster. Watching, feeling its cranium on the verge of bursting.
Until it did, and the spray of shadow flung everywhere.
“Too bad you ruined my suit,” Richard sighed in disgust. “It’s very nice, y’know.”
***
Cassie used Melissa’s eyes to dart about their surroundings. She was trapped in Melissa’s body, how it laid on her back, slack, still shocked at hoe badly this went. How they’re once again inside of a stage that was covered in a haze of darkness, how the spotlight was the only source of ether.
The haze somehow grew darker, as the memories that Cassie had yet to have, floated within the ceiling.
Cassie saw first-hand, how she fucked up.
“I always found it trite that people urged the villains to kill the heroes, at every turn and at every encounter. And keep in mind, I read ghastly, fucked up literature—and the so-called ‘complaint’ still nettles me…”
Cassie growled, forcing Melissa to rise to her feet. Turning to face a sly Calypso, her claws behind her back.
“But you really should’ve, when you had the chance~” Calypso purred smugly.
“You fucker—” Cassie growled from Melissa’s maw. “Now I can’t properly do it if this stupid question isn’t met! Or I fucking do kill you and I’m just stuck here! You piece of shit! You fucked us both regardless!”
Calypso sucked at her fangs, “So you ARE aware of the fact you sprayed everywhere and the clocktower might be burning as we speak… I really wanted to mess with you, with that—”
“The book won’t burn, but we fucking will!” Cassie roared. “I thought you wanted to be a monster’s monster and all that! I thought you wanted to save this whiny lil’ bitch! Now you’re throwing it all away—you hypocrite!”
Calypso made a curt chuckle, immediately spreading her sharp arms outward, as if she’s a presenter at Apple, on stage to showcase the new hardware on the PowerPoint behind her.
If anything, she was that in the strictest sense.
Each scene flashed before Cassie, as Calypso was making her point.
“You threatened all of us. We had no idea what to do. You made us go into extremes, you made us realize that we were nothing but the pathetic wastes you called us…”
It showed Calypso, huddled around her friends and family, all this stylized in shadow play. A rare moment of being vulnerable that wasn’t just one person, unable to hide her pain and misery despite covering her face with her small hands. And they comforted her regardless.
It cut to the three of them—her, Gale, and Natalie. All in the forest, before Mrs. Moses.
Tome in hand and stern expression in tow.
“We had to get creative.”
The same flash of white ensued, which made Cassie to force Melissa’s void eyes to grow wide in panic.
Various scenes of each of the girls, forced into the tomb to do the same exercises. Over and over and over again.
Despite the self-doubt. Despite the immediate failures. And even despite the various wounds and maiming.
“So we got good. We worked ourselves to your level. Or at Melissa’s, really, since she’s doing all the work here~” Calypso purred.
Cassie huffed through Melissa’s nose, and a smirk was formed. Wide, pissed… But nevertheless proud.
“You got me,” Cassie forced Melissa into a primal stance. “Now I’m really kicking myself about not getting you. Forget being some lackey, a fall girl—a fantasy pack mule… We should’ve been partners.”
Calypso in turn leaned forward, glistening her fangs with her long tongue.
“Oh, dear Terrorizer… That implies that we would’ve been equals. Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore—no… It wasn’t the case at all. There’s only one Calypso Grimes. And I’m going to show you how little any of you measure up to me.”