Driving the truck made me extremely stressed. Not because there was a man possessing my significant other sitting behind me barking orders, but because I was very concerned about being spotted. I hadn't bothered to update the licensing, so if anyone felt suspicious, they'd have no problem in reporting the vehicle. It's still registered under the previous owner from Hayesville, which would instantly be a red flag in the eyes of the law.
"Now that you're nice and comfy and about to die, let me give you a little rundown of how this is going to play out," Jerry spoke, using Willy's jagged claws to stab at my back.
"I'm trying to concentrate," I grunted back, leaning forward. Driving the truck required much more focus than the Mustang.
"What's the big idea cleanin' us up?" Arthur called from the back.
"Yeah, why are we clean all of the sudden?" Oswald added.
"Because I don't find myself wanting a blood-transmitted disease from any of them," I replied, shrugging.
"You ruined us," Oswald whined, shuffling around in the back. I rolled my eyes.
"It's a good thing you guys won't be here for very long,"
"Says you," Sasha shot from behind me. Jerry coughed loudly.
"Anyways, where were we? Oh yes. Your little boyfriend put up quite a fight, I must say," Jerry started again. I eyed him from the rearview mirror as we raced down I-80. "He was the last one standing by the time everyone else had made their transfer. That bloody idiot made sure I was plenty ripped up by the time I got Luke to help,"
"You deserved it,"
"150 psi is enough to do some very heavy damage, Vicky," Sasha jeered.
"I'm aware,"
"Once I got Luke involved, however, Willy seemed to take compassion on the lad. Why?" Jerry asked.
"Luke is still family to us," I replied, turning off down the dirt road, "And he always will be, no matter what,"
"After I got Willy distracted trying not to hit Luke, I made my move. And now that we're back where we belong, we're going to continue where we left off last time,"
"You're going to get caught, you know, there's a lot more officers in Ely ever since your little Hayesville act,"
"If we get caught, you're going right down with us, and so are your little friends,"
I paused for a moment. Well there goes that plan. Pulling into a parking spot, I was instantly flooded with relief when I realized most of the people there had left. I assumed they'd been scared out of town by the school massacre. Everyone, that is, with the exception of the ride operators still taking apart their rides, and the fortune teller. She and I instantly made eye contact from the driver's seat. She was hauling her supplies and blankets into an old, very well taken care of Mercedes-Benz, not even bothering to turn around as the cultists flew from the truck trailer and began ripping apart the ride operators in a terrible fashion. I wasted no time in instantly running towards the fortune teller.
"Ma'am, please," I started.
"Your brother is an idiot," She replied, not even bothering to look at me.
"I know he is, I tried to help him but Jerry-" I tried to continue.
"I'm not going to be offering you any assistance, you know," The fortune teller interrupted. I paused for a moment, slightly taken back.
"Your entire town is going to fall to the hands of one of the worst cults Nevada has ever seen, you have the power to help me stop them. My friends are in grave danger right now," I pleaded, considering stepping between her and her car.
"I'd say," She scoffed, "One of the absolute worst cults I've ever seen,"
"So you'll help?" I asked, hope rising in my voice. The woman finally turned around as Jerry began speaking with Oswald.
"He wanted it from the fair," Oswald sneered, motioning to Luke, who carried a floppy, yellow, lion plush in his arms. Jerry and Oswald shared a strange glance, before Jerry's attention was captured by the fortune teller beginning to speak again.
"I have my own life to live now. I'm not helping someone who didn't bother to care for their own safety first," The fortune teller hissed.
"Not so loud, I'm not trying to let the whole town know we're here," I muttered to her. Jerry narrowed his eyes, as the woman smiled triumphantly.
"Anita," Jerry growled.
"Jerry," The woman replied.
"Look at me now, woman, I've got all the respect and power you could only dream about," Jerry roared. The two obviously knew each other, but how? Anita rolled her eyes.
"I'd hardly call yourself respected, I can't remember I saw a dancing weasel doing anything important," She shot back. Jerry looked himself over slightly.
"Yeah well at least I'm not spending my time reading tarot cards for a dime,"
"You obviously haven't grown up one bit. You're still the same stuck-up little brother I've been forced to put up with my entire life,"
"At least my family is still alive,"
Anita scoffed loudly, obviously unimpressed.
"Oh yeah? Some family! A delusional cancer patient, a reckless thrill seeker, a homeless delinquent, a lovesick bouncer," She started, causing Sasha to instantly flush a deep red, "a whining pickpocket, a self-absorbed cosplayer, a total doormat, and an idiotic brat,"
Everyone looked pretty upset at Anita's words.
"Your recruits are getting younger and younger! First it was the Sanchez boy, and now this little tyke," She then spoke, glaring at Luke. A confused look was spread across Luke's face as Jerry sighed loudly.
"Luke, this is my older sister, Anita,"
"You have a sister?" Luke asked.
"Unfortunately, I was born into the same family as this snob," Anita shot back, crossing her arms.
"You're the unfortunate one? What about me?" Jerry growled back.
"Not everything revolves around you, despite the fact you always have believed it has,"
"What have you even done with your cult? Last I checked, everyone was dead but you,"
Anita stopped for a moment.
"Yes. They're all dead but me, and it's all your fault,"
"My fault? It wasn't even my cult!"
"If it wasn't for you and your obsession with dark magic, I would've never been dragged into this mess in the first place!"
Jerry and Anita erupted into an explosive argument, as I stood there next to her awkwardly. At this point, I doubted I'd be able to convince her to help me out.
"And for the record, Victoria, I am NOT helping you," Anita spoke, smoothing down her dress quickly.
"Ah, usual Anita, only caring about herself," Jerry sneered.
"You are such a coward, why can't you help me? Do you not know what it's like to lose someone you love?" I shouted at her. Anita pushed her arms towards me swiftly, sending a gust of powerful air to knock me off my feet. I screamed as my feet flew out from under me and I hit the ground. Anita stormed into her car, rolling down her window.
"Bye for now, baby brother! Try not to destroy Ely too quickly, you know what it does to the traffic," She shouted, before putting on a pair of vintage sunglasses and rolling up her window to leave.
"Remind me not to get on her bad side," Arthur mumbled. I got shakily to my feet, dusting myself off. Seeing the carnage from the few people Jerry managed to get ahold of was just as sickening as the first time I saw something like that. I couldn't focus on that, though, as I had turned deep in thought about Jerry and Anita. They obviously belong to different cults, but how Anita end up getting into dark magic? She regrets ever doing it, but there still has to be some way to convince her to use her powers for good.
Jerry relished in his anger for a moment, stomping around on the ground, before tossing another lighter into the desert grass. It instantly ignited, and began to spread.
"Vic!" Jerry shouted at me, instantly drawing me from my thoughts.
"Looks like you've got some family issues," I replied boldly.
"Don't we all," He sneered back, "Since you're willing to speak up about it, why don't we pay yours a visit?"
"My Dad is dead, idiot," I shot back, beginning to smell the burning grass.
"Where's your Mom's neighborhood?"
I froze, as Luke's eyes instantly shot to mine, "Mom lives here?" He asked. I pretended to be confused, as I had no intention of revealing where Mom lived to any of them.
"No, she lives all the way down in Texas," I replied as convincingly as possible. With all my years in Hayesville, I had practiced up on my lying skills. I got away with quite a bit until Sheriff Lund managed to catch on.
"Ha, ha, very funny. You're lying. If you forgot already, I can see right through your soul; all of your deepest intentions and thoughts," Jerry explained, taking a step towards me.
"I'm telling the truth," I replied, crossing my arms defiantly.
"I'll give you three choices. One, you can come quietly and give me your mother's address. Two, I will rip the information straight from your mind, which will hurt you much more than I. Three, I turn your soul into an all-you-can-eat style buffet for us," Jerry explained. The cultists, including Luke, began to crowd uncomfortably around me. I sneered iritadly at Luke, trying to figure out why he'd want anything to do with eating my soul.
"Oh, I hope she stays quiet," Sasha teased.
"The last time I saw her was the day she signed the divorce papers and left, have you seen her since?" I asked Luke, trying to get the cultists to take their hungry eyes off of me.
"Don't put this on Luke. Speak now, or forever hold your silence," Jerry threatened. I kept quiet, backing up slowly.
"I don't know where she lives, I haven't se-" I started. Jerry's eyes met with mine as a sharp pain shot through my skull. I cursed, holding my head.
"This is only the beginning of a long process, you might as well speak now," Jerry shrugged, not taking his eyes from mine.
"Not a chance," I hissed painfully. Another sharp wave of pain shot through my skull as dark circles formed in my eyes.
"Last chance," Jerry smiled. Another wave shot through me as I began to taste a sour substance. I opened my mouth, seeing my own blood falling to the ground. I exclaimed loudly in shock, gasping for breath.
"Fine!" I screamed, feeling blood race down my chin, "I'll talk!"
Jerry blinked, instantly removing the pain from my head. I dried my teary eyes, trying to wipe the blood from my face.
"18 Larimer Way," I breathed, eyeing Luke. He didn't look the least bit upset about seeing Jerry torture me. In fact, he looked like he couldn't care less.
"That's a good girl," Jerry smiled. I gagged rudely.
"Now drive,"
Liv's POV:
"Alright, enough of this nonsense, anyone wanna give up some ideas?" Ozzie asked, "And remember, no ideas are dumb ideas,"
"Maybe we can build a giant Trojan horse and offer it up to Jerry as a gift! Then when he takes it out of his mind, he takes us out too," Gus suggested. Ozzie blinked.
"That was the dumbest idea I've ever heard,"
Sara groaned loudly, cartwheeling across the floor. I sat patiently with Nick, trying to figure out how to solve our issues. For the last hour or so, we'd done nothing but watch Jerry and his cult murder some of the fair employees, get into a heated argument with a woman, and nearly kill poor Vic.
"Willy, ideas?" Ozzie sighed, watching Willy continuing to pace across the floor. He didn't reply.
"Are you still moping about Vic?" Cammy asked him.
"I might be, what's it to ya'?" Willy replied.
"Listen, Willy, Vic will be fine. I can't think of a single situation I could throw her in that she wouldn't find some way out of," I comforted, trying to lighten the mood.
"She's only got so much of her soul left. Dark magic will do a number on it," Willy explained back.
"Hadn't she healed over the year?"
"Yea, but it'll take much longer than a year based on the damage Jerry did to her,"
"Is there any way to, uh, get her soul back quicker?"
Willy shook his head.
"Jerry will send her back in here sooner or later, knowing Vic, she's gonna do something that ticks him off," Arty shrugged.
"And then?"
"And then we'll sit here and complain more," Ozzie sneered.
"Not helping," I retorted.
"I don't know if you guys remember, but we're all being eaten right now. Slowly but surely," Willy interrupted.
"What?" I asked, sitting upright.
"Yea, it doesn't affect us as much, but you humans are a different story," Willy spoke, becoming quiet.
"This is just great," I sighed, leaning against Nick. As if right on time, a light flash temporarily blinded me, as Vic tried to catch her balance.
"Vic!" I smiled, running towards her to help.
"I cannot believe the audacity," She mumbled, forcing a light smile across her pale face.
"Are you okay?" I asked, holding her chin. Blood had dried running down her neck.
"I'll be fine," Vic replied, running her hands over her eyes.
"What happened out there?" Willy asked, joining me.
"Jerry forced me to tell him where my Mom lived," Vic replied.
"Your Mom lives in Nevada still?" I asked in return.
"Yeah, I guess, I saw her yesterday. But between all of us, she's not gonna be there once Jerry finally gets me to drive," Vic smiled.
"How do ya' know fer' sure?" Willy asked.
"She might not look like it, but she's a smart woman. She knows when to leave," Vic chuckled, before being taken back out into the open air again.
"We didn't even get to ask her how the rest of us can get out," Ozzie whined.
"We're stuck here like chickens in a coop until Jerry decides we can come out," Gus explained.
"Do you think we could bribe our way out?" I offered.
"Unless you're willing to sell Vic's soul, I doubt there's anything else he wants," Arty shrugged. I sighed loudly. This was proving to be much more difficult than I thought.
Vic's POV:
Although I had taken a wrong turn towards Mom's neighborhood, it wasn't intentional. I had nearly forgotten how to get there, seeing as how I had stumbled upon it by accident. The truck wasn't very concealable on the narrow streets, making it hard to swerve around bicyclists. Jerry urged me to not move for them, but I wasn't about to start killing people just yet. Pulling onto the curb, I slammed the brakes forcefully. I listened to the trailer door open, as the truck shifted with the weight leaving the back. Watching through the window, I watched the cultists maneuver quickly out of the open space and towards the back. Luke looked around himself, following them closely. I didn't see any other neighbors out, which was slightly relieving. With several crashes and glass smashes, the cultists were quick to return back to the trailer. Jerry raced towards the front, pulling open the glass window.
"Alright Vicky, where is she?" He growled.
"This is her house. She must've left," I shrugged, moving out of the range of his arm.
"She's not there," Sasha called to me.
"I don't know where she would've gone," I replied, genuinely not knowing where Mom ran off to. I didn't see her car, which meant she wasn't hiding.
"Since when did Mom get a dog? The place smells like-" Luke started.
"Bonzo still lives with her," I interrupted, glancing behind Jerry to see Luke.
"Bonzo, our dead dog?" Luke replied.
"He's still alive, acting the same as we remember him," I smiled. Luke's eyes lit up for a moment, before they instantly clouded over again.
"Enough talk, we spotted a neighbor watching us, so we need to get a move-on," Jerry said. I drove forward down the street, waiting for further instructions. I can't afford to be caught.
"To Hayesville?" Jerry asked the rest of the trailer. My stomach dropped upon hearing the name of the town. Why on earth would they want to go back? Everything has been destroyed...except for the restaurant.
"To Hayesville," The other cultists agreed.
"We've got some things at the restaurant that we need to take care of," Jerry smiled. Like what? Questions flooded my head as I began the drive back to my hometown. I didn't dare argue, knowing very well my friends were still trapped in Jerry's mind. Jerry wants your soul. You could trade yourself for your friends, and become a part of his cult. I shuddered at that thought, trying to come up with a better solution. It'd all be worth it to save them. They're your family. I had become so distracted, I didn't notice the helicopter flying above the truck. Then the two police tanks drove alongside us. Then a whole wall of cruisers blocking the interstate. Coming to my senses, I slammed on the brakes, causing the truck to squeal to a halt. There were several curse words strewn from the back, before Jerry reappeared in the back window.
"What the Hell-" He started. I breathed heavily, as the officers aimed their guns at me. There was a mix of troopers, state officers, and SWAT members, which could only mean they had found the right group. Turning off the truck, I raised both hands into the air slowly.
"Victoria Halifax, please exit the vehicle with your hands in the air," One of the SWAT officers spoke through a megaphone.
"Jerry," I breathed, hoping he'd somehow bail me out of the situation.
"Better you than us," Jerry sneered, retreating back into the trailer. Realizing he'd be of no help, I slowly slid for the cab, keeping my hands in the air. There was no use in trying to drive away from this.
"On your knees, now!" The officer screamed, as two others approached me. The others kept their guns at the ready as the helicopter hovered above us. They've actually found me...who told them? I dropped to my knees as I was instantly cuffed.
"By authority of the Nevada state law, I arrest you for participating in the murder and destruction of Hayesville,"
"I don't know-" I tried to interrupt.
"You have the right to remain silent," The officer instantly interrupted. I noticed several other armed officers moving towards the back of the truck.
"Smith, we found the animatr-" The officer spoke. Before another word was uttered, the terrifying sound of people screaming for their lives filled the air.
"What the-" The officer detaining me spoke. I closed my eyes, feeling blood splatter against my body. Gunshots rang out, but instantly were silenced. Opening my eyes, I watched as Jerry used one of the artillery weapons to gun down the helicopter. I had only seen sights like this in movies. As the helicopter spiraled to the ground, it exploded into a gas-filled inferno, causing my skin to burn. I got to my feet, backing up quickly.
"Well that was fun," Camilla laughed, dancing around in the carnage. I stared at my surroundings, trying to take in the fact that Nevada had finally ratted me out. Somehow they had caught onto my trail. But how? I played all my cards right. I completely reinvented myself.
"Now the entire town knows you're here," I breathed, trying to wrap my mind around the events that were unfolding.
"Good. That's the kind of publicity we need," Sasha replied.
"Luke, are you alright?" Carlos asked, walking towards Luke, who was also covered in blood.
"I'm amazing," Luke smiled, "I've never felt so alive,"
"I guess that's what happens when you're around people who care about you," Kevin replied, glancing towards me, as I began to hear more sirens in the distance.
"We all want you to be happy," Carlos added.
"You guys make me the happiest I've ever been. You're like the brother I've always wanted," Luke spoke, hugging Carlos. My mouth dropped as Jerry shot me a triumphant sneer. Luke, also noticing my visible change in expression, shot me a rude glance. I didn't dare say anything, though, as I knew it would just involve more nonsensical arguing. I had never heard Luke ever mentioning wanting a brother. If anything, he would complain about wanting to be an only child.
"Since the bears are closing in, might as well leave now," I spoke, interrupting Luke's happy moment.
"What a great idea, girly," Jerry mocked. I rolled my eyes, brushing my knees off.
"Now, be a doll and continue driving to Hayesville," Sasha added.
"Which one of you ratted me out?" I asked, hauling myself back into the seat. There was no use in trying to take this backroad, as it was still completely blocked off by police vehicles.
"Shocking that you'd think one of us would do that," Camilla sneered.
"We want you, Vicky, haven't we made that obvious?" Jerry asked. I backed up the truck quickly, trying not to jump lanes.
"I can't think of how they found me. None of you are concerned they finally have the police on our trail?" I asked back.
"What, don't want your boyfriend's body taking a beating?" Jerry teased. I glared through the rearview mirror.
"I don't want you guys to get arrested yet. I want my friends back first," I retorted.
"Where's your sense of self preservation?" Arthur asked.
"As long as my friends are okay, that's all that matters," I replied, returning my eyes to the road. I just want this to end.
Luke's POV:
Who could've imagined being part of a cult would be so exciting. It's everything I didn't know I needed in life: friends, family, alliances...everything I lacked. The thought of death, and even seeing it for that matter, had become something that seemed normal. I remember being scared of it back in Hayesville. Seeing people dying around me before had me feeling sickened and frightened. Maybe that was because Vic was influencing those emotions. Now, it all seems like a blur. Completely normal. My cult was doing it for a good reason though; to keep themselves alive. We've gotten souls from the entirety of Rockwell Junior Senior High, some of the cleanup crew from the fair, and now a good handful of Nevada's elite forces.
"So, why are we heading back to Hayesville?" I asked Jerry quietly, to avoid Vic listening in. It was awfully cramped in the back of the trailer, and the lack of airflow made the blood on everyone smell disgusting.
"You see, getting energy is a two part process. First, we need to trap the souls. Then, we absorb the souls," Jerry explained.
"So we're going back to perform the ritual to absorb them?"
"Righty-o," Gustav smiled. I glanced at Vic through the window, seeing her eyes glued to the road. That's a first.
"Do you know where your mother is?" Jerry then asked. I shook my head.
"Vic didn't tell me she was still in Nevada. I thought she moved away," I shrugged.
"I can't believe your own sister would keep that information from you," Camilla replied.
"I don't know why she wouldn't tell me, it's not like we were born from different people," I said.
"You deserve to know where she is. We never keep secrets in this family," Carlos added. I smiled at him. Seeing Vic's reaction to me referring to Carlos as an older brother was priceless. To make things even better, I genuinely felt like that. Displacing Vic was much easier than I thought. Now, she felt like more of a slave than an actual family member.
"We're going to be tracked down again, you know," Vic called back to us. Jerry growled, getting to his feet.
"Is there an issue?" He shouted.
"Yeah. I don't want to be put on death row," Vic called back, racing down I-80. I could see the Hayesville welcome sign out of the windshield.
"Stop your whining, there's nothing that can get in our way now," Jerry spat back. Watching Vic's reaction to seeing everything in Hayesville was interesting. It was an emotion I hadn't ever seen from her. Her glassy eyes made it clear she didn't want to be there.
"Park behind the restaurant," Sasha called to her. Vic didn't even have to ask to know which restaurant Sasha was referring to. It wasn't until I got out of the trailer that I got to see the aftermath of the wreckage. Most everything was burnt to a crisp, with the exception of Willy's Wonderland. There were a few trailer homes still standing that had probably been turned into crack houses by the local homeless. There was police tape strewn about the restaurant, signifying no one had entered since the year prior. Jerry grunted loudly, dismounting from the trailer.
"Ah, it feels good to be home," He laughed.
"You said it, I didn't think we'd ever be back," Oswald scoffed.
"Well thanks to Luke we are," Carlos added.
"Vic, this is your que to come here. There's some important things we're going to need to teach you," Jerry called to Vic, who was standing near the side of the road. Her eyes were locked on the scene in front of her. She turned around slowly, lowering her eyes.
"What do you want from me?" She breathed. Carlos worked quickly with the lock, letting us into the restaurant. Jerry held a tight grip on Vic's arm.
"We're going to teach you about what your life is going to be like from here on out," Jerry explained.
"My life is going right back to normal as soon as I figure out how to get you out of there," Vic hissed back.
"You seem to have forgotten that I created Willy. He and I are basically the same, there's really no point in longing for your past life," Jerry replied.
"You and Willy are nothing alike," Vic said simply. Inside the restaurant, nothing seemed to have changed.
"Well this is lovely," Sasha spoke, "I forgot Vic did some cleaning for us,"
Vic rolled her eyes.
"Luke, would you like to help us set up the ritual?" Jerry asked me, walking towards the Super Happy Fun Room. Vic seemed to sulk back.
"Would I ever," I replied, elbowing Vic out of the way to follow. I had only been in the Super Happy Fun Room once, and even then it was too dark to really see what was going on...except for the fact Willy and Vic were in there. With more lighting, it was very clear Vic had completely missed this room in her cleaning. The air conditioner had obviously not run since the restaurant was left vacant, so the rooms didn't smell at all that good.
"Where on earth are you getting all those lighters from?" Kevin asked Sasha, who was lighting candles in here from the last time there was a ritual.
"I always come prepared," Sasha sneered back, glancing at Jerry for approval.
"Vicky, come in here," Jerry shouted, causing Sasha to frown at his disregard.
"No," Vic replied from outside.
"If you don't, I'm going to send you right back inside my mind, where I will keep eating you," Jerry continued. Vic was quiet.
"Fine you little brat," Jerry shouted, before muttering something under his breath. A white light flashed from the hallway, before the sound of Vic's body hitting the floor echoed through the building.
"Teenagers," Gustav muttered.
"Can she just stay in there forever?"
"I need to teach her how to do repairs on us," Jerry laughed, "Plus, we need a driver,"
"I'm a good driver," I offered.
"Technically, you've got another four years," Sasha replied, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, if Vic ever decides she values her own life over her friends', you'll make an excellent driver," Jerry smiled. Vic really has lost a complete sense of self-preservation. She's obsessed with the animatronics, Liv, and Nick. Maybe it's best she just stays in Jerry's mind forever.
Vic's POV:
"I don't want to go back," I whispered, resting my face on Willy's shoulder.
"There's got to be some way for us to help you," Liv consoled.
"Unless you've got yourself some dark magic skills, there really isn't anything any of us can do," Arty shrugged.
"I don't know what they want me out there for, I don't know where anyone else lives," I explained, looking up at Willy, "And now they're going to absorb all those innocent souls and I can't do anything for them. And on top of that, the police caught onto me,"
"How do ya' think they figured it out?" Arty asked. I shrugged, not letting go of Willy's arm.
"We didn't do it," Gus spoke.
"I know you guys didn't do it, don't worry. I have no idea. I don't go out ever, so it's not like I use my credit card at all," I spoke, pausing. "Ugh, Luke!" I groaned, burying my face back into Willy.
"Identity theft is a crime," Ozzie affirmed.
"I know it is, and at this point, they might as well give me the death sentence," I mummbled.
"Don't say that Vic, we're going to get out of this mess. We can still hear what's going on," Liv spoke, quieting down to a whisper, "Do you think we could use the energy spell?"
"Reverse it?" Cammy asked, whispering too.
"It's just crazy enough to work," Liv smiled, paying close attention to the words Jerry was speaking.
"Would that actually work?" I whispered to Willy. Willy thought for a moment.
"You've got me there, I don't know much about the spells," He replied. Watching the projection on the strange screen, I saw the cultists chanting together, Luke included. It sickened me to see my own brother taking part in something so ghastly. To make matters worse, he was enjoying it. The look on his face was unlike one I had ever seen before. He was having the time of his life.
"Willy?" I asked, looking up.
"Yea?"
"Are they going to kill my brother?"
Willy paused.
"I'm not gonna let 'em. I promise,"
"Thank you Willy," I breathed. Even though Jerry thought I was stupid, I figured the contract Luke signed would follow him straight back to Hell with the cultists. They're all souls, which means they have other-wordly capabilities. If they want to keep Luke, they're probably gonna force him into the same boat. I could hear the sounds of the poor souls being absorbed by the cultists. As much as I tried to block it out, there was no use. Everything Jerry saw and heard was projected for me to see. I was in the middle of listening, when I was pulled from Willy's arm back into reality. I sat up in place quickly, watching the ending of their ritual.
"Here to behave?" Jerry taunted. I sneered, getting to my feet.
"Your such a monster," I breathed, "Those were innocent souls,"
Jerry thought for a moment.
"Most of them, at least,"
"Why are you so bent on enjoying everyone's death?"
"Because we need these souls," Jerry started, approaching me. I stayed put.
"I wonder if the others we take will taste just as sweet as yours," He chuckled, stroking my cheek. I pursed my lips.
"You will NOT use my soul for something as indignifying as an energy ritual," I grunted, teeth clenched.
"Of course, I'm not gonna eat you...yet!" Jerry laughed, followed by laughter from the rest of the cult, "I'm enjoying hurting you too much at the moment,"
"Enjoy it while you still can, it's not gonna last for much longer," I smirked.
"You're pathetic, really. A sheer nuisance," Sasha hissed.
"If I'm such a nuisance, why don't you just leave me in your mind?" I spoke snidely. Jerry stepped forward, bending down to meet my eye level.
"By the time I'm through with you, you're going to beg me for the sweet release of your eternal oblivion," He growled, eerily close to my face. I took a step back, not breaking eye contact. No matter how hard I tried to boost my confidence, I had the sinking feeling that Jerry was right. A truly frightening thing to feel as you watch your own brother laugh happily with a group you sought to destroy.
"This is your fault," I hissed at Luke, instantly grabbing his attention. I hadn't been angry at anyone for a long time, so I nearly forgot how it felt.
"My fault? This is all on you. If you hadn't taken my family in the first place-" Luke started.
"They are not your family, Luke!" I shouted.
"You wouldn't know anything about family, Vic, you're delusional," Luke shouted back.
"Me? Delusional? You think living with serial killers is normal? Thank the sweet ground we walk on your not related to them," I spat.
"You're living with eight sentient animatronics, and to top that, you've somehow decided it's normal to treat one like a living human!" Luke argued.
"Are you talking about Willy?" I asked, sneering. Luke wasn't making good points.
"Yes, I'm talking about Willy. I can't remember the last time you got a decent amount of rest sleeping with that freak," Luke sneered back. Sasha scoffed loudly, as I gasped.
"Luke Halifax," I hissed.
"He's not a human, Vic, I can't tell you how embarrassing it is for me to be related to someone who thinks that's normal," Luke shouted.
"Let's get one thing straight. I don't treat Willy as a human, because he's not. Understand? I treat him as another sentient being like myself," I hissed, pointing a warning finger.
"You'll never know what it's like to be accepted, Vic," Luke laughed.
"I don't need the acceptance of others to make me feel wanted," I sneered back. Jerry seemed to be enjoying the argument thoroughly, as his eyes kept darting between Luke and I with each harsh comment we threw.
"I hate you, Vic," Luke finally spoke, causing me to cock my head in shock. I had heard that fromLuke several times, but this time felt different. I was outnumbered, and it hurt.
"It definitely seems like it," I spoke back.
"I wish you and I weren't born into the same family. In fact, I wish you were never born at all! I wish you died at that damn restaurant like you were supposed to! But no, you HAD to live. You HAD to drag me back into that mess. And now, you've got the consolidation of a group of robots and two people who pity you for thinking it's okay to sc-"
"SHUT UP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was beginning to cry at the hands of my own brother, who wanted me dead. I wiped my eyes, trying to calm myself.
"Go on, cry! See if anyone cares. You've spent your whole life manipulating people for your own benefit, it's time you got a taste of your own medicine," Luke sneered. I wanted to leave the room and find somewhere to cry alone. I felt hurt, alone, afraid. I didn't think Luke had it in him to say such nasty things about me.
"Ah, sweet history. Always repeatin' itself," Jerry cooed. I looked at him through my teary eyes. I don't think he's talking about me...I paused for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. I wanted to be far away from Luke. It took alot to hurt me, but Luke officially crossed my line. He's talking about him and Anita.
"Willy's demanding to speak with you," Jerry spoke, interrupting my thoughts.
"Me?" Luke asked. Jerry nodded.
"Why the Hell does that stupid weasel wanna talk to me?"
"Maybe because you're being an ignorant-" I started to mutter. Luke instantly flashed his eyes at me, causing an unseen force to blast me into the wall behind me. I hit the wall loudly, feeling a sharp pain shoot through my neck. Falling to the ground, I gasped, shoving myself as far from Luke as possible.
"Ah, now you're catching on!" Arthur smiled. Luke smiled back. In a flash of light, Willy stumbled awkwardly.
"Where the Hell," He started, before seeing Jerry.
"You ruined Vic's hard work," Willy grunted, looking Jerry up and down.
"It's nothing the two of you can't make up in the endless slumber I'm going to put on you," Jerry shrugged, "Now speak,"
Willy instantly turned towards Luke.
"You little piece of sh-sh," Willy started pointing at Luke, "There is nothing that can describe how ticked off all of us are,"
"Do you think I care about any of you anymore?" Luke asked.
"You might not give a damn about us, but we sure do about you," Willy replied, "And now that you've chosen to blatantly disrespect your sister like that, I'm left with no other choice but to defend her,"
"There's nothing you can do, remember? You're just a soul," Luke laughed.
"Luke," I groaned, rubbing my pulsing head, "Don't talk to Willy like that,"
I could hardly hear anything that was going on, as my hit on the wall made my ears ring loudly.
"You're not my mom, Vic. And Willy has nothing on me," Luke sneered back.
"I doubt that," I shrugged, sneering.
"I don't want to hurt you Luke, I really don't. But if you're going to hurt her, then I'm going to have to hurt you back," Willy threatened. Luke rolled his eyes. I wasn't about to try and defend Luke at this point, because he had completely broken my trust.
"There's nothing you can do except complain and tell me how awful I am," Luke shot.
"I know a few things about dark magic, Luke. Things that Jerry isn't telling you," Willy replied, glancing at Jerry.
"Oh yeah?" Jerry asked, instantly butting into the conversation, "Like what?"
"Luke's gonna have to sign his body to death to stay with you guys forever," Willy started. I noticed a change in Jerry's body movement.
"Luke, what are we gonna do with this loser?" Jerry asked, cutting Willy off.
"Shut up, I'm not finished-" Willy started, before a swift movement from Jerry's hand made him silent.
"I want to watch Vic lose her beloved Willy," Luke spoke sadistically. I widened my eyes in fear.
"Ah, that's the spirit," Arthur sneered.
"A member of our family, through and through," Oswald added.
"There's a way we can do this to satisfy all party members," Jerry spoke, glancing at me and Willy. "Since both of them have gotten on your nerves, I'll let you try their souls,"
I gave a disgusted look to Luke, as Willy instantly walked in front of me.
"I am not gonna let you touch her soul again," Willy growled, finally able to speak again.
"Oh it's too late for that, you both are irritating our cult," Gustav spoke.
"Bye bye you two, have fun relishing in your last bits of life," Jerry waved, as a white light blinded my eyes. In an instant, I was back in the darkness of Jerry's mind.
"Thanks for not trying to beat up my brother," I smiled at Willy.
"Ah, about that," Willy replied.
"There you two are," Liv shouted, running towards us.
"Thou gavest a truly valiant effort," Knighty spoke.
"All right you two, playtime is over, time for our midday snack," Jerry's voice boomed overhead. I felt a sharp pain shoot through my chest as I winced. Willy shifted in discomfort, clutching his chest. I noticed Luke's facial expression changing on the projection.
"Either of them any good?" Jerry asked him.
"They're both different. I think Vic's is definitely more enjoyable, though," Luke replied. Your own brother just ate a part of your soul.
"Once Vicky decides to behave, we'll teach her a thing or two about repairs. She may not be alive for much longer, so it's important we make her fix us up now," Jerry explained. Another pang of fear shot through me as I instantly grabbed Willy's hand.
"I swear that man is gonna get one Hell of an ass-whooping once we get out," Sara growled.
"Don't worry, I'm right here," Willy whispered to me. Trusting in Willy was the only thing I could do at this point. I'm sure we both knew I didn't stand a chance against Jerry's dark forces, and there was only so much longer my soul had left to stand. And now with the cops on my tail, there's only telling how long I have before they find me again. Maybe Jerry will hide your body somewhere.
"Guys, I think I have an idea," Gus spoke, nodding his head slowly.
"Oh what is it this time?" Ozzie asked, "It better not be a Trojan horse,"
"No, not this time. This is something that's gonna work,"