Chapter 11: Johnny C.'s Day Off
The next morning, Johnny jumped upon hearing a loud THUD! erupt from April's bedroom. He leaped up from the sofa and dashed into the room, his heart pounding with fear. "Mary, what's-AGH!"
He ducked as a boot sailed through the air in his direction, allowing it to plow into the wall instead of his face. It dropped to the floor along with several other items of apparell.
"What the hell are you DOING?" he asked, peeking into the closet.
April was rummaging around inside, tossing out everything that covered the floor into the actual room.
"I have to clean this place out...I figured out that this is where IT wants to feed," she replied, throwing out more stuff.
Johnny stiffened. "How did you come to that conclusion...?"
April paused for a moment, then shrug. "I dunno. I just know somehow..." she muttered as she started sorting things out again. "Hey, Nny, can you go out to the car and get Sickness?"
"...In a minute," Johnny murmured. "How are you feeling today?"
"Eh, I'm all right...I'm sorry for falling out on you..."
"Don't worry about it. You had a rough evening yesterday."
April sat back on the floor and let out a long breath. "...I've got to get blood today. The floor was growling at me a minute ago..."
Johnny flinched at the thought of that spine-chilling sound, memories flooding his mind.
All the things I did because of that sound... he thought, sickened.
And here was April in front of him, about to embark upon the same path to self-destruction that he had tred so long ago.
I don't even know what to do...I don't know how to get her out of it or anything...I have no clue where I could even start!
April stood up and stretched. "Oh, forget about Sickness, Nny. I'm going out anyway. She can just come with me."
"Where are you going?" Johnny asked instantly, his concern piqued.
She shrugged. "I have to get blood now for IT. If I don't, something tells me that I won't like the consequences."
"I'll come, too," he said.
"No, I think it would be best if you stayed behind. I don't want you to be tempted to start killing again," April shook her head.
"Hypocrite," Johnny muttered, following her into the kitchen. "Well, what am I supposed to do all day if you're gonna be gone? You can't leave me here by myself with that...THING."
"You won't be by yourself," she replied simply, pouring herself a mug of coffee.
"Huh...?"
"You heard me-" April was interrupted by a knock at the apartment door. "That must be her."
"...'Her'...?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow at April. " 'Her' who?"
April opened the door to reveal who stood on the other side.
"Hi, Johnny!" Xin said enthusiastically as she bounded into the apartment. "April called me over to keep you company for the day!"
"Is that so..." Johnny turned to April. "Really. You want a teenager to babysit me."
April just smiled at him and slung her purse over her shoulder. "I'll be back later. Try to have fun, okay?"
She hugged Johnny warmly and ruffled Xin's hair as she walked out the door. "Have a good time, guys. Try not to destroy my apartment, please."
"No need to worry about us, sis. See ya!" Xin called after her.
Johnny shifted on his feet nervously as April's stepsister closed the door and faced him. "So, uh...What are we supposed to do...?"
Xin shrugged. "Whatever we want, I guess." She turned a cartwheel suddenly, just barely scathing the coffee table in the process, and bounced into the bedroom. "Holy damn, what the hell happened back here? Did April's closet explode or something? Where did she put her Play Station?"
Johnny followed Xin closely in order to make sure she didn't go near the closet. "I don't think Mary has one of those..."
"Yes, she does. She just never uses it. Oh, if she sold it, I am gonna be PISSED!" Xin wormed her way underneath the bed and disappeared completely.
Johnny stooped to the floor and peeked under the bed at her. "Don't you think it's kinda rude to go through her belongings like that?"
"Nah, she doesn't care. I'm not Nick, I won't sort through it all looking for love notes from other guys or some crazy shit like that."
"...Am I to understand that that Nick fellow partook his such bad habits?"
"Oh, yeah. The guy was a complete nutjob. I'm glad he's dead," Xin replied. "I just wish I could have at least been there when it happened. I'm soooo jealous of the lucky bastard that got to push him."
Johnny allowed himself a brief smile at this, but only because the teenager under the bed couldn't see it.
"Has April even talked about it?" she asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Nick's death, goober."
"...'Goober'...?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow at her before answering her query. "No, Mary hasn't said much about it. Why?"
"Just wonderin'," Xin muttered, crawling out from beneath the bed. "Why do you keep calling her 'Mary', anyway?"
Johnny blushed a light pink. "It was a joke...Before we were properly introduced, I just started calling her that because of her hair."
Xin snickered at him. "Because it's red? That's kinda lame."
"Yeah, maybe, but it just stuck. Even after I knew her name, I couldn't bring myself to call her anything else." Johnny shrugged.
Xin skipped out of the bedroom and back into the main area of the apartment. "How'd you guys meet, anyway?"
"Uhh..." Johnny felt a knot turn in his stomach. "Well...A-At the mall, back when she was in college..."
That wasn't a complete lie, after all. The mall was where he and April had had their first encounter, though no words had been exchanged between them at the time.
"What happened?" Xin asked eagerly.
"...Why do you want to know?"
"Because as April's sister, it's my job to know everything about you two and to decide whether or not you're good for her!"
"Wha-?" Johnny's mouth fell slightly agape. He shook his head violently. "No. It's nothing like that between us."
"Pfffft, dude, I go to high school. I can tell when a guy and a girl have a thing going. Besides, even if that weren't the case, how else would you explain why you're living together?"
"...Touche," he muttered. "But can't we talk about something else?"
"Not right now, no," Xin answered with a devious smile.
Johnny's left eye twitched slightly in irritation. He marched to the sofa and plopped down. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"How come?"
"I just don't."
"Aw, c'mon, Nny!" she whined. "Did you guys go party or something? April used to party like no tomorrow when she was in school...Course, Charlotte kind of let you in on that one..."
"It's hard to believe a woman like that is Mary's mother. She's so...repulsive," Johnny muttered.
"Tell me something I don't know," Xin replied.
An awkward silence fell between them for several minutes before she spoke up again.
"Nny, I told my friends that I met you...One of them claims to even know you."
Johnny turned his full attention to Xin now, his curiosity piqued. "Oh yeah? And who would that be?"
"His name's Todd, but most of the people at school call him Squee. He said you used to live next door to him. You're the guy who broke into his house when he was a little kid screaming about bactine or something."
"Squeegee?" He had to grin. "Yeah, I did live next door to him. That was when we first met. I had to break in, though. The window was locked."
Xin cocked an eyebrow at him, clearly a little disturbed by his logic. "Uh-huh...So anyway, they really would like to meet you. Wanna go out and say hi?"
"...Dunno if leaving the apartment without Mary is a good idea," Johnny muttered.
"You'll be with me!" she said. "Come on, it'll be fun. We won't be gone that long." She bounded to the door and opened it. "April said you like Brain Freezies. I like them, too. You wanna meet them at the 24/7 and get one?"
A smile spread across Johnny's face. "I can't resist an offer like that. Let's get going!"
They both dashed outside of the apartment, locking the door behind them in the process.
Neither of them heard the low growling that sounded from the bedroom closet as they left...
Xin cringed at the loud slurping noise ringing from Johnny's cup as he tried to suck every last bit of his Brain Freezy through his straw. "I think you drained it all there, buddy."
Johnny peeked at the bottom of the cup, inspecting it carefully. "Nope! There's still a tiny bit in there!" he said, commencing the slurping once again.
Xin rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile at him. "You're like a big kid, you know that?" she giggled. "It's about time April got such a laid back guy as nice as you."
"I thought I made it clear that I'm not her boyfriend," he said distractedly, determined to finish every drop of his icy beverage.
"Even if you're not, I can tell she likes you."
Johnny shook his head. "Mary and I are just friends, and that's all we'll ever be."
"...So then why're you guys living together...?" she asked, confused.
"Because I lost my house, so to speak, and she took me in because she's nice like that."
"So...then you're going to move out...?"
"Probably. Eventually." Johnny managed to finally finish off his Freezy and tossed the cup into a nearby trash bin.
Xin looked disappointed. "Do you even LIKE April that way?"
"You're kinda nosey, aren't you, kid?" he asked, laughing at her.
"I just want to know," she muttered. "...But I still think you two have something going on, even if you won't tell me about it."
"You're free to think what you want, but that's not gonna change the truth...Where are your friends, anyway? I don't think staying out here too long is a good idea." Johnny began looking around, hoping to spot Xin's friends himself. He pictured a group of goofy punk-goth teenagers that dressed in a similar fashion to Xin herself-Brightly colored hair (Xin's was pink), band tees, and lots of spiked accessories. His only hope was that they wouldn't be a bunch of morons who would scream Happy Noodle Boy quotes at him. It was bad enough to walk down the street and hear random hobos doing that.
"Xin!" called a boy's voice from behind them.
Johnny and Xin turned to see five teens-three boys and two girls-approaching them. The one who had called to Xin was in the front of the group. His head was exceptionally large and he wore a long black trenchcoat and glasses. His hair was black, with a large portion of it forming a spikey hooklike figure over his head.
"WOW," Johnny muttered, "I wonder how much of that extra headspace is filled with brains..."
"Not much," Xin snickered. "Hey, Dib!" She waved the group over to them.
"This is him?" the boy asked, staring up at Johnny. He was only a few inches shorter than the older man. "You wrote Noodle Boy?"
"Yup!" Johnny replied proudly. "You read it too?"
"Not like Xin does, but yeah. I read it. My name's Dib Membrane. Nice to meet you. And that's my sister, Gaz," Dib held out his hand, gesturing to the purple haired girl with his eyes.
Johnny was hesitant but he shook it anyway. *Membrane, huh? That can't be a coincidence...Better be careful around those two,* he thought.
"My name is Vyx!" the blunette girl bounded forward to also shake Johnny's hand. "I'll say it, I'm so excited that I get to meet you!" She grinned broadly at Johnny before stepping back.
Johnny turned to the other two boys. He instantly recognized the taller of the two as his former neighbor, Todd Casil.
"Hey, Squeegee!" he said cheerfully. "Long time, no see!"
Todd nodded and stared at his feet. "...I thought you were supposed to go away forever, Nny..." he said quietly.
Johnny's smile faded instantly. "...Yeah. I was...but there was a change in plan. I'm living with Mary now."
"You mean April. I never knew she and Mary were the same person..." Todd murmured.
He stepped forward and managed a smile at Johnny. "But it's good to see you, Nny. I got kinda lonely after you went away..."
"Sorry, kid." Johnny ruffled his hair apologetically.
"So, YOU'RE Johnny C.," the shorter boy spoke up suddenly. His voice was cold, stiff, lacking any sort of emotion.
Johnny eyed him warily, hesitant to respond to him. After all, there was something about this kid that felt familiar to him.
"That's me," he replied slowly after several moments.
"My name is Pepito. I believe you were acquainted with my father several years ago," the boy said.
"...And your father would be...?" Johnny prompted, hoping that it wasn't someone that he had slaughtered in the past.
"My father is Senor Satan," Pepito answered matter-of-factly.
"Aw, not THAT again, Pepito," groaned Xin. "You can't just walk around declaring that your dad is Satan."
"You know he is! You've met him!" Pepito shouted, pointing dramatically at the pinkette, his eyes bulging insanely.
Xin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I have, I know," she sighed.
"Anyway, Father has really been wanting to speak to you again," Pepito said, turning once more to Johnny. "He's been acting rather strangely as of late. I think it's related to you somehow."
"...Me?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow at him. "I haven't done anything in a long time. What would he want with ME?"
"I could tell you now, but it would be best not to discuss it in front of the others," the younger boy shrugged. "But if you could, I would like for you to stop by my house this evening to talk with him...I do know it involves a certain woman you've become attached to."
Johnny's already wide eyes grew a little larger as he stared at the Antichrist. "You mean Mary." It wasn't a question.
"The hell you can't discuss it around us!" Xin cried. "April is my sister, Pepito! What's going on with her...?"
Pepito sighed. "You're always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Xin. Just this once, let it go."
"Fuck NO!" she shouted. "What's wrong with April? Tell me, damn it!"
When Pepito didn't respond, she whirled around to face Johnny. "You! You have to have some idea as to what's up. Is this related to why April's been acting so damn weird lately? I thought it might have been because of her breakup with Nick or because you moved in with her, but if there's something else going on, you'd better tell me about it right now!"
Johnny swallowed hard, wishing heavily that Pepito had not mentioned the current subject around Xin. It was only natural that the girl would be concerned for the only sibling she'd ever known, but he didn't want her to be involved with the chaos that was sure to come in the near future.
"Xin...I think it would be for the best that you listen to Pepito. Please?" he said at last.
Xin crossed her arms and glared at him, the look in her eyes rather blatantly stating that she would rather drop dead.
Johnny groaned. "What is it with me and the uncanny ability to attract women to getting into trouble?"
"I'll find out what's going on eventually, even if you don't tell me," Xin threatened. "You better start talking."
"...Not here, and certainly not now," he replied. "I want to speak to...Senor Satan..." he spat the name as though it were a piece of filth upon his tongue, "...before we discuss anything. Okay?"
Xin pouted for a brief moment before resuming her former determination. "Then I'll go with you. If April's in trouble, then I want to help her."
Johnny heaved an exasperated sigh, shaking his head at the girl. "You're more stubborn than Mary ever has been. What am I going to do with you?"
"Nothing! You're gonna let me do as I please," she giggled. "After all, I'm the one who's looking after YOU. Not the other way around. Right, Nny?"
He rolled his eyes at her before turning back to Pepito. "So when should I go to your place?"
"Before you decide to head home," Pepito answered. "You don't want your precious little Mary to find out you left her place, right?"
"..." Johnny winced at the thought of walking in April's apartment after she reached home.
She would be furious, he thought.
"Yeah, all right. I'll go now, then."
The Antichrist seemed to approve and then turned to the rest of the group. "I think it would be best if all of you went on home...Except for you, Dib. Johnny might require your assistance."
Dib was surprised. "Mine? What for?"
"You're well in tune with the supernatural, are you not?"
"You know I am!" The taller boy was now fully interested in what he was being offered.
"And you, Todd," Peptio said to his closest friend, "Bring over that creepy bear of yours. You know, the one that talks."
"...Shmee?" Todd flinched at the mentioning of his childhood companion. "Why do you want Shmee? You're not going to try to burn him again, are you?"
"No, no. But he seems knowledgable about these things. Bring him over so we can talk."
Todd didn't seem too keen on the suggestion, but he agreed to it anyway. "...Okay, Pepito..." he sighed, staring at the ground.
"Excellent. I'll expect everyone at my house at four o'clock. Until then, I have other matters to see to. Later." Pepito waved dismissively at the group as he took his leave.
"...What a little prick," Johnny muttered, making Xin giggle.
Dib was giving him a rather curious look. "So, what's all this paranormal business that he was talking about? What's April got to do with it?"
"...You'll just have to hear it when we go to Pepito's," Johnny muttered. "What am I supposed to do until four?"
"Ooh! Ooh! We could shoot paintball guns at random pedestrians!" Xin suggested excitedly. "Load them with red paint, and aim to the head! We can pretend they're ZOMBIES!"
"Goddamn, Xin, who in their right mind gave you sugar?" sighed Gaz.
"I did," Johnny replied, smirking. "But I'm not quite in my right mind, so my offense can go unexcused, right?"
"...Yeah, whatever."
"I got the guns at my house! C'mon, Nny, c'mon!" Xin yelled, pulling him down the street.
"Don't pull so hard!" he whined as she led him away.
A few hours later, Johnny, Xin, Dib, and Todd all sat in the living room of Pepito's house.
The agonized screams of the damned echoed from the bowels of the basement beneath their feet, giving Johnny an aching urge to slaughter a few unfortuante souls for his own guilty pleasure.
He shook the thought off and pinched his own arm as a means of getting a grip on himself. After all, he hadn't killed anyone in months-maybe even in a year or so-and he did not exactly wish to get back into the habit.
Xin sat next to him, looking rather anxious. Her knees were pressed to her chest as she stared at the floor, obviously deep in thought.
Dib was poring over some book on demons, while Todd sat on the opposite side of Johnny, his teddy bear Shmee perched upon his lap.
Johnny curled his lip in a subtle disgusted snarl at Shmee, having an intense dislike for the toy. It had insulted him once, you see, and they had not been on good terms since the incident.
"Stop glaring at me," the bear snapped after several moments. "It's not like I will combust into flames if you do."
"How about I rip out your stuffing again, eh, you singular-toothed fuck?" Johnny retorted.
Todd stared at him with wide eyes and cradled the bear against his chest. "Don't do that, Nny! It took forever to fix him when you did that the last time!"
"Could you all settle down?" Pepito sighed as he and his father entered the room. He took a seat in an easy chair next to the sofa.
Senor Satan eyed the group carefully, his sights landing on Johnny last. He grinned, showing a set of razor-sharp teeth. "Well, well, Mr. C., we meet once again."
Johnny cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're not gonna make yourself look like a cheerleader again, are you?"
Satan just laughed. "Not today, I'm afraid. We have far more important things at hand than my amusement."
He snapped his fingers and a large horned armchair sprang out of the floor across from the sofa. "Now, then, allow me to address the current situation, shall I? No doubt you haven't forgotten about our last conversation concerning your little house guest and your job as a flusher, right?"
Johnny glowered at him. "No. Not hardly."
"Very good, then I do not have to brief you on that a second time." The Devil seemed most pleased. "Moving along, then; I suppose you are aware that the creature is inhabiting the closet floor of your precious little April Black?"
"...Yeah. I'm aware," he muttered.
"Do you know WHY it's there, then?"
"...Because IT's doing to Mary what it did to me..."
"...Something like that. Only this time, I'm afraid it's much more than just using the girl for a meal ticket."
"...What's IT doing to her, then...?" Johnny was growing wary.
"I couldn't hazard a guess," Satan murmured. "But it's far more than the lust for human blood. I have reason to suspect that this...IT, as you call it, might be trying to join in the competition for becoming the main influence upon the world. Well, I can assure you, sir, I am not ready to give up that title just yet."
"What do you mean 'competition'?" asked Johnny. "You're the only one who DOES anything. If you're referring to the chubby Buddha man-child that I still don't believe was God, then there's hardly anything to compete with!"
Satan just laughed. "Indeed, he would have you think that. But he remains active just enough to give me a hard time in snaring all the wayward souls I can in this sad little universe...Either way, I can't have this newcomer coming into the picture and destroying everything I have gained thus far. IT has to be eradicated immediately. I won't stand for the insolence it has displayed."
"What'd you have in mind, then?"
"Unfortunately, until I can figure out what IT's game is, I have no plans. I would have suggested not feeding IT to see what it would do, but you did that already and nothing very profitable came of it...Besides, April has made a deal with IT. She has agreed to serve IT as long as her friends and family remain protected from harm. We just might have to do harm to one of the family members she loves most to break that promise IT made to see what would happen. If my guess is correct, she would be freed from her enslavement to IT and we might be able to catch it before it moves on to some other unsuspecting soul..."
Satan turned and met Xin's eyes. He smirked. "I see you have already brought the family she loves most. Little girl, would you mind having a shin or two broken for the sake of your sister? Maybe a punctured lung?"
Xin's face paled. "Wh-WHAT...?"
"Not Xin," Johnny growled. "Mary would KILL me if anything happened to her...You can hurt me, though...I'm pretty pain-oriented."
"No, I need you in order to eliminate the threat...Why don't you bring me one of the girl's parents? Preferably her mother."
"Charlotte?" Xin gasped. "You wanna hurt Charlotte...?"
"Well, to be honest, I've been trying to snag that woman's soul for a while now, but the man upstairs just won't fork her over," the Devil admitted. "What would it matter, anyway? You hate her, and April hates her, so what is the problem?"
"The problem is, even though I can't stand her, she's the only real mother I've ever known and she makes my dad happy!" Xin exclaimed. "You can't take her! It would break my dad's heart!"
"Yes, death has a knack for doing that to people, but you misunderstand, little girl. I don't mean to KILL the woman. Just wound her a little."
"...No."
"It's either you or her, Xin," Pepito spoke up.
"...Then hurt ME," she cried. "I couldn't let my dad go through that knowing that I could have stopped it."
"No way, kid. You sister would slaughter me if you got hurt," Johnny sighed.
"Well, it seems we've reached a stand-still," Satan murmured, shaking his head in aggrevation. "There is no other way of freeing April from the contract she's made. If you don't decide something soon, it could mean dire circumtances for mankind."
Xin met Johnny's eyes with a terrified gaze. "Nny, I don't want anything to happen to April...I want to help her...Please let me do this..."
"Sorry. I can't," Johnny muttered.
"Don't be so selfish! If you don't, then something bad will happen to April!" she cried, tears brimming her eyes.
"...Can't you just give her a papercut or something?" Johnny asked desperately.
"I don't think that quite classifies as the type of harm that was bore in mind when April made the deal," Satan replied. "We're talking about mortal peril here, such as a terminal disease or becoming a little grease spot like that ex-boyfriend of hers."
Johnny groaned. "Then no! I can't allow you to cause Xin that kind of physical harm."
Xin burst into tears and kicked Johnny in the shin. "You son of a bitch! My sister might die, and you won't let me save her! You son of a bitch!"
Todd embraced her to offer some comfort. "It's okay, Xin...Nny's just doing what he thinks is best for you...He's always tried to look after me, too."
"I don't NEED looked after! I need to help April!" Xin sobbed.
"Stop crying! We'll think of something else," Johnny snapped. If there was one thing he hated, it was hearing other people cry like babies when they couldn't have their way...Or rather, people crying like babies in general...
"Well, until you do, that poor girl remains ever in life-threatening peril," Satan reminded with an apathetic sigh.
Johnny just glared at him. "We could do without your sarcasm, Senor."
"Oh, yes, don't mind me, the only individual who can help you right now."
"..."
Fuck, he's right, Johnny thought. And if that's the case, then we're probably all screwed.
"I'm home!" April called, carrying a capped bucket of blood in hand. "...Nny? Xin?"
"Good riddance," Sickness muttered. "That bastard Johnny...I think I'll shave him bald again when I see him next for locking me in the car all that time."
"Would you drop it?" April sighed. "Johnny? Xin?" She searched the entire apartment, but neither of them could be found. "Damn it! I bet they ran off as soon as I left!"
"Why don't you go look for them after you feed Master?" the doll suggested, hopping down from her shoulder and landing gracefully on the floor.
"...You're right. I should give IT this blood so I can wash out the bucket..."
April stooped down on the closet floor and slowly poured the pail's contents over it. The floor soaked up the crimson substance like a sponge, followed by a loud groaning when it was all gone.
"Oh my god..." April jumped up and stood back as the floor began to twist and contort. "What the hell...?"
A figure rose out of the wood, dripping with the sacrificed blood April had gathered. It was the most hideous thing she had ever had the displeasure of laying her eyes upon. "W-What...?"
"Thanks for the snack," IT chuckled in a scratchy demonic voice. "Gave me just enough of an energy boost to get out of there...Now then, Mary dear, we have some business to attend to..."
Still soaked with blood, the beast began stepping toward April, who was paralyzed against the wall in fear.
"What are you DOING?" she shrieked as IT wrapped a slimy tentacle around her.
"Why, I'm taking a new form, of course," IT laughed. "I can't very well take control of this world in my current form. It's too bulky, too slow...It would only slow me down. But YOU, Mary...You've got such long, capable legs, and a pretty face to boot. And we all know that money and beauty are two of the three things humans love the most. With your body, I'll be able to get what I want in no time at all!"
"NO! I won't let you! You can't-!" April's words were choked off as IT tore open her chest.
"This will only be uncomfortable for a moment, but I promise you that you'll be fine," IT chuckled, crawling into the hole it had made in her torso.
The wound in April's chest closed, as if it were never there.
All faded to black before the redhead as she crashed to the floor, unconscious.
"Have a good sleep, girl," IT cackled within her. "When you wake up, the real fun will begin."