For a brief moment, both Jerry and I thought I was the one trying to instigate a fight. I was too dazed to realize that the voice had actually been uttered from Liv, who was standing right beside Nick, right behind Jerry. Jerry seemed to pick up on the voice once he realized I wasn't the one instigating. Whipping himself, and me, to face them, there was a moment of tension shared.
"Look who came to join her parents," He sneered, "I remember your eighth birthday, something the both of you came to regret,"
"Leave Vic alone," Liv spoke, holding what appeared to be half of a broom stick. Jerry glanced at me, then back at the two.
"Or what? Gonna hit me with a stick?" Jerry asked, before all the cultists began to laugh.
"You hate her guts just as much as we do," Gustav spoke to Liv.
"That's not true, Vic and I are frien-"
"Friends?" Sasha interrupted, "Your friends with someone who destroyed your own town? Someone who's vandalized and stolen? Someone-"
"Vic didn't do any of that. Don't think Nick and I don't know what's going on, we're not clueless like the rest of the town," Liv interrupted again.
"Even if it wasn't her, who is the law gonna believe? A teenager who gets her kicks off spending one-on-one time with an animatronic?" Jerry asked.
"They ain't gonna believe you, Jerry," I spat, barely able to speak at this point. Although I was practically dead, I still had some concept of my emotions. And I was pretty ticked off. After attempting to call Jerry several crass terms, Carlos placed his hands over Luke's ears.
"My my, Vic, what a dirty mouth you have,
"You're both too late, Vic's soul is too far gone for redemption now," Jerry hissed, looking down at me. "What more does she even have to live for? She's already destroyed everything she loves,"
"YOU destroyed everything she loves!" Liv screamed back.
"Jerry, we need to move," Camilla muttered, hearing the sirens drawing closer. They wouldn't make it in time, they were still too far away. Ignoring Liv, Jerry's attention turned back towards me. Holding the front of my dress, Jerry thrust his hand into my neck, causing me to choke. I relished in my last few moments on earth, feeling the night time desert wind whip my hair. My last moment was spent in Jerry's grasp, listening to my best friend try to save me.
"Say bye bye!"
"Wait, Vic!" I heard Luke scream. I hadn't the time to respond, despite the fact Liv also screamed my name. Before I knew it, I was back inside the forcefield inside Jerry's mind. Lying in place, I didn't have the strength to move. At this point, all I could do was relish in my last moments alive.
"Vic?!" Willy screamed, running towards me.
"I'm dying," I whispered. "I'm actually going to die,"
"No, no, no," Willy replied, pounding on the forcefield bubble surrounding me, "I can't let this happen,"
"It's fine, I'm content, this is what's supposed to happen,"
"I can't believe that dipstick convinced you of have such a long life ahead of you, please just hold on for a little longer," Willy grunted, continuing to beat mercilessly against the forcefield. I wanted to help, but I knew it was no use. The other animatronics finally caught up to him, gathering in front of me.
"Willy, it's no use, she's stuck in there, and we don't know the slightest thing about the dark forces Jerry is using," Ozzie spoke.
"It's okay Vic, we're right here for you," Sara spoke, placing her hand gently against the forcefield. Willy sighed, finally stopping his pounding.
"Oh man," He breathed, "It really is coming down to this,"
"Is this how it feels to die?" I asked. It was a terrible feeling. It was a mix of sickness and sleepiness, and both were fighting to be first. I could feel my heart beginning to slow down.
"At least you're goin' out surrounded by us," Arty shrugged, trying to laugh.
"Just give it whatever you have left. You had a really good run," Cammy whispered. I smiled weakly at her.
"Vic," Willy breathed, "I'm not one to be good with emotions,"
"You got that right," Arty scoffed. Knighty was quick to hit him on the head with his sword.
"So, since it's come down to the final line, I might as well tell you that I freaking love you," Willy continued. "I don't think you wanted to hear it from an animatronic weasel of all things, but I'd never lie to you,"
"Love you too, big guy, I wouldn't wanna hear it from anyone else," I breathed, trying to find the least bit of humor to lighten the situation.
"We like you too, Vic," Arty scoffed.
"I like you all too, thanks for being my best friends," I smiled back.
"Just breath, let your final moments be peaceful," Sara spoke. As I lay there, breathing shallowly, I couldn't help but admire the awkwardness of the situation.
"Not once did I think it would ever come down to being stuck in here with y'all," I coughed.
"Neither did we, quite frankly," Tito replied.
"I hope we end up finding you in the afterlife, maybe then we can finally get some time alone," Willy spoke. I scoffed.
"That's the last thing the two of you need," Arty scoffed. I rolled my eyes, smiling softly.
"Hark, fair maiden, your departure will not be in vain. Thou gavest Jerry one hell of a battle, and in our manuscripts, thou won," Knighty comforted.
"Thank you," I whispered. There was nothing I could do at this point but wait for Jerry to finish me off. I was at peace with myself. Sure, I hadn't lived the most honorable life, but I sure as hell lived it out to the fullest. My eyes fluttered slightly as I began to hear my heart beat lighten. My breathing shallowed out as I opened my mouth to breath.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
"I'm right here. I promise I'm not gonna move girly," Willy replied softly.
"There's no one I'd rather have here than y'all," I smiled. "Especially you," I glanced towards Willy.
"And there's no one we'd rather comfort dying than you," Arty spoke. Knighty hit him atop the head again. "Would you quit that?" Arty growled. I snickered. I let my eyes close slightly, trying to hold on to whatever soul was left. If Jerry was distracted with Liv and Nick, it might give me a few more moments of life. Not that I didn't want this punishment to end, but I wanted to hold on to whatever memories I had left. Laying in a bubble allowed me to reflect on all my favorite memories. Learning to ride my bike with Dad, meeting Liv for the first time, graduating top of my class despite what everyone assumed, the time Luke and I went all out for a neighborhood Nerf war, when Dad taught me to drive the Mustang, when I finally reunited with the animatronics...I wonder if I'll remember any of this in the afterlife. Crossing my fingers, I calmed myself with the steady decline of my heartbeat.
"Aye, look who Liv is with," Tito spoke. I tried to see over Willy's shoulder without lifting my head.
"Nick?" I asked sleepily.
"Ha, Jerry doesn't stand a chance. He better say his prayers now, he'll need 'em for where he's goin'," Arty laughed.
"Y'all know him?" I asked, glancing up at Willy.
"I don't think you wanna know, it could tarnish Willy's rep," Ozzie teased. Willy glared at him for a second.
"We had a bit of an interesting run-in with Nick when he stopped by the restaurant. Let's just say it took a lot of fighting to get him to believe we weren't the cultists," Willy replied. I blinked, trying to process the reply. Jerry was quick to interrupt the conversation, beginning to yell at us.
"Why are you all acting so smug about Nick, huh?" Jerry shouted.
"You'll find out why soon, loser," Willy replied loudly. I winced, closing my eyes. Please hurry, Liv.
Luke's POV:
I didn't quite know how to feel about the whole situation. On one hand, I had a firm belief Jerry and his friends were doing this to keep themselves alive. That was a noble cause for trying to devour the souls of the innocent. On the other hand, I wanted my life back. And Vic. According to Jerry, Vic's energy and soul were slowly being drained over the course night. She didn't even have the energy to try and stop us inside Walmart. I hardly remember any of what happened in Walmart anyways, everyone was moving so quickly. In a few screams and cracks, it was over. Jerry told me they'd teach me how to do that too. I didn't quite know how to feel about that either.
Surprisingly, seeing my dead sister didn't really affect me. I'm not sure if that's from the rest of the unsightly deaths I witnessed, or I somehow knew she'd be passing on to a happier place. At least, hopefully that was the direction she was headed. Whatever the case, Liv had the exact opposite reaction I did. Almost as soon as Jerry put Vic back in his mind, Liv began to get mad. Really mad.
"What is wrong with you?" She screamed at Jerry, running towards Vic's body.
"Sob all you want, Vic is as good as gone," Jerry shrugged happily. Liv's weird friend stood there menacingly, not taking his eyes off Jerry. The other cultists seemed slightly taken back by Liv's friend's presence, as they didn't seem to be going after him. I stood between Camilla and Carlos, watching the whole scene. In the distance, there seemed to be sirens, which meant the burning inferno of what used to be Walmart had gotten someone's attention.
"You're a monster!" Liv screamed, holding Vic close to her. I hadn't realized how close Liv and Vic actually were. Vic spent a lot of time complaining about how Liv was being so annoying. After Dad finally told me about what happened to Vic at Willy's Wonderland, I assumed there was nothing wrong between her and Liv. I guess I was wrong and right in a sense.
"Hm, I've heard that one before, don't really care," Jerry spat back.
"I will get my friend back," Liv growled, getting back to her feet.
"I'd say you've got about five minutes before I force-feed the rest down Willy's throat, so you better get workin' baby," Jerry laughed loudly. The other cultists laughed. I forced myself to laugh too, trying to fit in. Liv sneered, reminding me of something Vic would do. Using the stick she brought, she swung it like a baseball bat against Jerry. This caught Jerry off guard, sending him stumbling to the side. The other cultists joined in the fight, surrounding Liv. I was kept back by Carlos. Liv grunted, swinging her stick as hard as she could. Arthur caught it, ripping it from her hands. She squealed, holding her hand from the splinters. She glanced back at her friend, who stepped forwards aggressively. All attention turned towards him. I'll admit, he looked totally cool. As far as I was concerned, he was the last janitor to come through Willy's Wonderland. Before Vic.
"Turning to your little friend, huh?" Jerry teased, grabbing Liv's neck. Liv screamed loudly, thrashing as hard as she could to escape. "Just think, you can join Vic AND your parents in an endless slumber-"
Before Jerry could continue, Liv's friend backhanded Jerry with another mop. Where on earth is he getting all of his weapons? Jerry released Liv as she stumbled into Sasha, who slammed her head against Liv's. Liv fell to the floor, trying to get to her feet. Leading with some random karate, Liv's friend flew forward, instantly hitting Kevin. It almost looked like he had done this before.
"Luke, how about you go finish off Liv," Jerry grunted, trying to slash Liv's friend. I wasn't sure what he meant, till Carlos shoved a wooden plank into my hands.
"Where'd you get this?" I asked.
"Questions are for later, we fight now," Carlos replied, who then begin to struggle with Liv. Most of the cultists had turned their attention to Liv's friend, who was doing a good job of holding them off. Carlos, on the other hand, was struggling with Liv, as she had located several vantage points, one of which being between his legs. Without my own doing, my feet moved me towards Liv. I tried to draw Liv's attention to me, but something was binding my mouth. I couldn't warn her in time. Against my will, I crept behind her as she tried to get her bearings, and swung the bat against her head. Liv fell forward, being knocked out cold. This, unfortunately, caught the attention of the aviator-wearing man who was kicking Arthur and Oswald to the ground.
"Stay here, chico," Carlos maneuvered towards me to shove me out of the fight. I was too short to see what was going on. I got that from Dad's side of the family. Vic got her height from Mom. From what I could tell, Liv's friend was whipping their butts. In fact, he and Jerry duking it out over Vic's body was something I'm sure Vic would've enjoyed seeing. With a swift swing of his arm, Jerry had knocked Liv's friend over. He clutched his side, holding four distinct, bloody wounds through his shirt. A slight beeping came from a watch on his wrist, which he promptly attended to. Shutting his alarm off, he walked back to his Camaro, neatly parked in one of the parking spaces. He seemed to be completely ignorant of the fact there was still a raging battle going on, and Liv was still knocked out, but I guess he wanted a break.
"Looks about right," Arthur spoke, standing up and shaking his head.
"We need to get these souls through us," Jerry spoke, backing up slightly.
"What?" I asked.
"We've held the souls for a time, and now we're running low on energy," Kevin explained.
"We didn't know if there'd be enough souls to last us, so we saved 'em up. But now, we know there's plenty more where they came from," Oswald joked. I nodded, understanding.
"This'll be fun, Luke, follow me," Jerry spoke, beginning to lead me to a secluded part of the parking lot. I watched for a bit as Liv's friend popped some sort of soda can from the door, and began to chug it. Vic hated soda. Why am I thinking about Vic? The sooner you let her go, the sooner you stop feeling guilty she's dead. Upon reaching Jerry's said-location, which was right near the dumpster, Gustav and Kevin stood in front of us, guarding us from any outside spies. Crouching down, Jerry used Willy's extremely sharp claws to etch a very familiar symbol into the parking lot. A green, luminescent glow began to arise from the etch marks. My eyes widened at the sight.
"This, Luke, is how we make the magic happen," Jerry explained to me, stepping back to marvel at his work. The symbol was exactly the same as the one he had me draw in the Super Happy Fun Room. A pang of guilt shot through me at the thought of that, but I displaced it instantly. "Now you're gonna stand riiight here," He positioned me at one of the lines of the symbol. The other cultists chose a spot like mine, and all faced each other. Each of them seemed to know what they were doing.
"Back straight, shoulders back," Sasha smiled, adjusting my posture. I followed her commands, keeping my head facing forwards. I didn't want to blow this for them out of fear of how they'd react. Jerry glanced to both his sides, making sure everyone was ready.
"Let's get this over with, those two chickens are gonna come back any second," Kevin spoke, as he and Gustav joined us. Jerry began to mumble something under his breath as all the others joined hands. I was between Sasha and Kevin, holding their hands in mine. A strange sensation surged through me. It felt powerful.
"This is so amazing," I whispered, almost laughing. Jerry chuckled as he kept reciting the phrases.
"This is a very big moment for you, Luke," Camilla smiled.
"You've got the capability to perform that whole thing," Arthur added.
"Really?" I asked, looking at the mark on my hand.
"Yep. You just have to know what to say," Jerry smiled. I was about to question Jerry on this new capability, when we were suddenly interrupted by Liv and her friend again. Liv looked a little woozy, but her friend seemed to be just fine.
"Do you guys honestly think you can just walk a few hundred feet and try to perform a ritual and have me not realize?" She shouted. Jerry sighed loudly.
"Geez, who invited these losers, tryna ruin our party, huh?" He replied.
"I'm here to end your little charade. You can't knock me out now," Liv continued. Jerry broke his stance from the circle, ending the ritual.
"Your little friend doesn't seem too interested in helping you out, does he?" Oswald asked.
"He's got something you all wish you could have," Liv sneered in reply, glancing at her friend.
"And what would that be, girly?" Jerry asked, approaching them.
"That Vic's nickname, don't call me that. And-"
Without letting Liv finish, Sasha swung her leg towards her, knocking her mouth. Liv stumbled back in shock, before reciprocating with a punch. Then, the fight continued. I was shoved from my place, and stumbled backwards awkwardly. Liv's friend was extremely strong, as he managed to knock Sasha, Camilla, Kevin, and Arthur over. In fact, he almost sat on Sasha's face to choke her, when Liv had to remind him that they're trying to render the cultists weak, not destroy the bodies. Whatever makes them happy, I guess.
I was slightly irritated that the ritual hadn't finished. I was honestly excited about getting these new powers, which I'm sure Vic would have a fit over. Jerry was extremely proficient with the use of his arms, as the claws attached to either end were extremely lethal. Everytime they came in contact with Liv or her friend, it would send them back in agony. As Liv's friend buckled Jerry's knees, I could tell Jerry was beginning to lose strength. The ritual was interrupted, so I doubted there were any souls absorbed. In the fiery ashes of Walmart, the two of them kept battling against the eight cultists, using whatever they could find as weapons. Liv had managed to find a large stick, and her friend was using a shank of some variety.
"We just need to wear them down a little more," Liv grunted to her friend.
"Are you gonna help, Luke?" Jerry asked, blocking a hit from Liv.
"I mean-" I started to say. Kevin grabbed my hand, pulling me into the action. Liv was the first thing I came into contact with, as I slapped her across the face. Willingly. Both of us were taken aback by what I just did, but she took the opportunity to hit me right back. The sirens were getting much louder.
"We need to act now, Nick!" Liv screamed, pulling something from her hand. It was a paper. Jerry seemed to not like that.
"Why you little-WHERE DID YOU GET THA-" Jerry started, before his knees were hit by Nick. Liv trembled, holding the paper in her hand.
"Found it in the Super Happy Fun Room, looks like you left it behind," She spoke, as Nick blocked Jerry from approaching her. Liv began to recite whatever was written on there. It sounded extremely similar to the words Jerry had spoken not that long ago, and the ones he had me recite. Jerry tried to fumble with his pockets, turning out all three of them. The paper Liv had must've belonged to him. While trying to dig in his pockets, Jerry kept fighting off Nick.
"Do not let her finish that!" He screeched. The other cultists were even more worn out than him, as each time Nick dealt a blow to them, it took them a bit to get back on their feet. Liv backed up from the scene, trying to keep her focus on the reading. Nick continuously beat down the other cultists. I tried to help, but Nick wasn't about to let that happen. He simply shoved me to the side like a doll. Liv sped up her speaking, growing louder and louder.
"Stop her!" Jerry screamed even louder. Before anything else could happen, a blinding beam of light rocketed into the sky from the center of the fiery Walmart rubble. A deafening boom followed, sending everyone to the ground. All the fighting stopped, as we all realized what was happening. Liv had just recited the spell to send Jerry and the cultists back. Jerry began to stumble. His eyes shot towards Liv, who breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nick," She spoke, pulling Nick away from the cultists. Slowly, they began to be pulled towards the glowing beam.
"No," Jerry spoke, fighting against the pull, "I am not about to let a stupid teenager ruin my years of work!"
"Looks like she did," Liv shot back, continuing to back up. I tried to back up with them, but the pulling force seemed to be upon me too. If it wasn't for Liv grabbing my arm to pull me away, I would've been sucked into the beam. Camilla was the first one to come into contact with the beam, causing her to scream. A strange glow radiated from her, as she struggled to exit the glow. In an instant, she was pushed from the beam, stumbling.
"W-what," She started, "Luke?"
"Cammy? Is that you?"
"Oh gosh," Cammy breathed, examining her surroundings. Jerry shot her a horrified glare, "I made it out alive,"
"Camilla!" Jerry screamed towards the beam.
"Camilla is no more, she's gone back to where she belongs, how about you join her?" Liv sneered. Jerry growled, trying to move towards Liv. Gustav pulled at the ground, trying to get back to his feet as he was slowly sucked towards the beam.
"This cannot be happening," Jerry shouted. Liv braced herself against Nick as they helped Cammy away from the beam.
"Luke, get over here now!" Liv shouted towards me. This made Jerry laugh loudly over the sounds of the other cultists panicking. I was also being drug towards the beam, but was being supported by Kevin's firm stance on the ground.
"Don't you get it, Liv, he's part of OUR family now, he's bound to us forever," Jerry replied to her. Liv stared at me.
"It's true," I added, holding up my hand with the circle symbol on it.
"Jerry, is there any way to stop this?" Sasha asked, tripping as she was steadily drug towards the beam. I found it hard to believe the blinding light wasn't attracting any unwanted tourist visitors. With the exception of the sirens several miles away, of course.
"Do any of you have the energy to perform a counter spell?" Jerry asked the remaining cultists irritably as Gustav was yanked into the light. "I didn't think so,"
"Jerry, what's going to happen to you?" I asked. I didn't want any of them to suffer. If there was a way to save them, I wanted it. Vic always said family sticks together, they're my family now.
"Me and the others are going to be sent to, what I'm assuming to be, the deepest pit of hell, where we're going to suffer or whatever," Jerry grunted. "You're going to finish what we started, I'm counting on you,"
I didn't have a response for that.
Vic's POV:
"Look, Willy," Sara spoke happily. My eyes fluttered open slightly, hoping Willy wasn't about to leave me. I watched as Willy turned from facing me, to facing the hazy projection from Jerry's vision.
"What the," Willy started. I could barely hear him at this point. "Did Liv actually do it?"
"What?" I mumbled lightly, trying to figure out if I was even alive still.
"Hold in there, Vic, you're not going away just yet," Willy spoke. "Just keep breathing,"
"Cammy went back!" Ozzie exclaimed happily, "And so did Gus!"
My mind said I was excited, but I didn't show any physical reaction.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but there's something very important I need to take care of before I rip Liv to shreds," Jerry shouted. My ears had become extremely sensitive, and rung loudly with each word Jerry spoke.
"Get the hell out of here!" Willy shouted back.
"This is my mind, not yours, you don't make the rules anymore," Jerry sneered, "Now, Willy, since you've been so kind to volunteer, you get to be the honoree that gets the last little bit of Vic's soul,"
"I swear if you-"
Through my faded vision, I began to see Willy struggling. A pain shot through my chest, as my vision began to blacken.
"Leave him alone, Jerry, you've already had your fun," Tito exclaimed.
"Get, lost," Willy grunted, shuffling to the side. I couldn't quite understand what was going on, I could only focus on my heart. It was getting ready to stop. I could feel it. Slowly, slowing…
"Vic!" Willy shouted, "I am so sorry, I promise I didn't want any part of your soul,"
I tried to force a smile, reminding him it was okay, but I doubted it came across like that.
"Thou canst focus on us and Sir Nicholas at the same time," Kevin shouted, watching the projection as Nick shoved Jerry towards the radiating beam. One by one, the animatronics disappeared from Jerry's mind, till Willy and I were the only ones left. I was hopeful. Liv had held through to her promise.
"What's going on, please don't leave," I begged quietly, placing my hand against the forcefield.
"I promise you'll be out of there in just a minute, Liv is-" Willy didn't have the time to continue before he disappeared. Tito and I were the last ones left.
"Chica, hold on," Tito spoke faintly. I could barely hear a word he said. My hearing was gone. My vision was gone. I relaxed my muscles, feeling the last bit of life leave my body. Good bye, I tried.
Before I had a chance to let myself go, I felt my stomach flutter. I heard a loud pounding in my ear. My heartbeat. A gust of air flew into my lungs, as I sat up in place, inhaling loudly. My muscles were tense as I contracted my legs, trying to get as much air into my lungs as possible. I kept breathing loudly, clutching my chest. I'm alive, I'm alive. I repeated that to myself over and over again, hoping to believe it. I was back in the Walmart parking lot, right in front of the flaming rubble. Just like I saw in Jerry's projection, the blinding streak extended from the center of the fire into the night sky. I was a little taken back, as I had no idea what was going on.
"Vic!" Liv shouted, helping me to my feet and embracing me in a hug. I had been sitting right next to her.
"Oh my gosh," I breathed, feeling the life returning to me, "What the hell is going on,"
"We're not done yet," She spoke, turning towards Walmart. We were within fifty feet of the scene. It gave off a radiantly cool feeling. There were people inside the beam. People I knew. Deputy Evan, Sheriff Lund, my Dad…they had a very faint outline, but were all inside. Those are the souls waiting to be freed.
"You found the spell," I whispered, marveling at the glowing beautiful light. It had a pull to it, as Liv and I were struggling to keep ourselves away from it.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Nick says it's a portal to the afterlife. Once Jerry and his jerks go in there, the life of the animatronics should be restored. All the souls will be freed too," Liv replied.
"Luke, amigo, help!" Carlos spoke as he was slowly drug towards the beam. Everyone but Carlos and Jerry had gone through the beam.
"Don't even think about it Luke," I quickly looked around, trying to find him. Luke was standing in front of the beam. Carlos dug at the ground with what little claws Tito had. I suppose possessing an animatronic does have its drawbacks afterall.
"Carlos, my hand," Luke spoke, offering Carlos his arm. Carlos went to reach for it, before another hand emerged from the beam, pulling Carlos inside. Deputy Evan's. Carlos screamed, as Luke exclaimed in sadness. Nick quickly pulled Luke away as Jerry slashed at whatever he could. The strength of the beam was increasing. The force seemed to have a strong pull on Luke, who had to be held back by Nick.
"I swear on my soul that I'll be back!" Jerry screamed, "Just you wait, Vic, the next time I return, you're in for one hell of a bad time, Jerry's playtime is OVER! JUST YOU WA-"
Several hands reached from the beam, grasping Jerry and pulling him into the beam. I held my breath, covering my sweaty mouth. Slowly, Willy stumbled from the beam. Liv gasped.
"Holy hell, what the-" He paused, glancing around. Nick looked cautiously at all the animatronics, who all seemed to have returned.
"Um, we're back," Sara smiled, waving awkwardly.
"Can anyone tell me what just happened?" Arty asked, walking around, "And where are we?"
"Outside a Walmart, dingus," Ozzie replied, ruffling his feathers.
"Walmart?" Gus asked.
"Yeah, a grocery store, where humans buy stuff," Willy replied, stretching his arms. "It's good to be back,"
"What would you know about buying anything?" Arty asked.
"More than you, obviously," Sara sneered, before her attention drew elsewhere, "Look!"
Everyone's attention shot towards the glowing beam, where two figures stood.
"Deputy Evan? Sheriff Lund?" I asked, as Liv and I approached them slowly, as the pull from the beam was no longer there. It felt safe to approach.
"Victoria Halifax, I knew you'd pull through," Sheriff Lund smiled, punching my shoulder. Her touch was so comforting.
"You've got a lot of fight in you, Vic," Deputy Evan added. They both hugged me as I began to cry softly. I knew there was no point in trying to get them not to leave. They were both heading towards a better place.
"Go live your life like you want to," Sheriff Lund spoke, letting go. I nodded, wiping my eyes. Liv stood beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Liv, c'mere,"
Liv approached Sheriff Lund, hugging her too.
"You'll always be the mother I never had," Liv sniffed.
"And you'll always be the daughter I always wanted," Sheriff Lund smiled. In an instant, both of them were gone. Liv stepped back, before her friends appeared.
"Chris!" Liv laughed.
"Liv," Chris smiled, embracing her in a hug.
"Aaron, look at you," I smiled at Aaron, who extended his arms towards me. I hugged him tightly, smelling Kathy join in.
"I'll miss you," Aaron spoke.
"We'll see each other again," Dan smiled.
"Not too soon," Kathy added.
"Chris," Liv started, "I'm sorry for not taking you seriously. I liked you too, dummy, and I never told you,"
"Don't worry, I kind of figured," Chris shrugged, pecking Liv on the cheek. In a faded glow, our friends faded into the night.
"Dad," I began to cry. Dad smiled at me as Luke ran towards him.
"Vic-" He started. I hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry for not being the Dad you needed. I was a jerk to both you and Luke, and I'm sorry,"
"Dad, please don't leave," Luke cried, joining the hug.
"I love you both, please don't forget that we are family. I will always and forever love both of you, and wish nothing but happy memories for the future," Dad replied, glancing between the two of us. "And you,"
He beckoned for Willy to come towards him. Willy awkwardly shuffled forward, looking down at Dad.
"Yes, sir?" Willy asked.
"Take care of my daughter,"
"Yes, sir,"
Dad smiled at Luke and I one last time, before he disappeared as a soul into the night. I sighed lightly, closing my eyes. The beam dropped from the sky, rocketing into the ground. A shock wave sent everyone stumbling backwards, as the fire from Walmart ceased. Only the burnt chars were left, smoldering in the desert wind. Everything was silent, except for the increasingly loudening sirens. My hands shook slightly as I stood before the damage. There was so much to take in, and I was still trying to convince myself I was still alive. All that for a stupid speeding ticket. Closing my eyes, I let my senses slowly return to me. Tears were still running down my face as I felt my pulse through my hands. Sleepily, I took a deep breath, feeling the desert air fill my lungs again. It's all over, Vic, it's all over now.