Chapter 5: Stan's Revenge

"Johnny's right out there? This is going to be easier than I thought." Devi's head was swimming in confusion. A voice named Stan who hated Nny even more than she did? Was this just another version of Sickness? No, Sickness was different. She was almost equally as destructive, but different. Sickness had never been able to control her physically. Her hand slid the lock of the bathroom stall open and she peered out and to the opposite wall. Nny wasn't there, but she could hear him opening doors to the left, looking for her. "This is it." She could hear Stan talking and feel him control her, but couldn't do anything about either one of them. Nny was getting closer, it sounded like there were only a few door remaining between them.

"What are you going to do?" she tried to ask Stan. She didn't know if that would get a response, or if she even wanted to know the answer. But she couldn't do anything else. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

"I'm going to get my revenge." Devi didn't know exactly what that meant, but it didn't sound like anything pleasant.

The door to the stall opened and Stan made her lunge out and pin Nny to the ground.

"Breathe on him! Breathe on him!" Stan shouted from the depths of her mind. But for once she resisted. She pulled herself off and away from him.

"Devi? Are you okay?"

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!!!"

"But why? What's wrong? I just wanted to apologize."

"JUST DON'T!! I don't know what's wrong with me. But there's something in me that wants to hurt you. Some voice in my head that calls himself Stan? I don't know how, but it has something to do with the bags with smallpox on them. And."

"And what?"

Stan had taken over once again. "So we meet again Johnny. You thought you got rid of me the first two times, didn't you?"

"Stan? But how are you in Devi? How did you come back as something well..not quite human?"

"The idiots that run Heaven and Hell didn't want me. So I got sent back as smallpox, a new strain that can possess its victims. They said not to go on another killing spree like last time, but if I infect enough people I can never die. I was able to hack into your little girlfriend's memory and see that her little sister Melanie, and presumably that pathetic little Squee friend of yours are going on a field trip near here. To the Aquarium? I guess I'll be going now to slowly torture the two remaining victims." Stan made Devi jump up to get out of the open window. "Oh, by the way. You've probably been infected by talking to me. I should be able to possess you within a few hours." She jumped out the window, but Nny never heard her hit the ground. Outside the window she was still nowhere to be seen. The cell phone rang again on the ground. Nny picked it up, hesitantly.

"Hello?"

"Devi? Are you there? You sound.odd." It was Devi's scary friend with the squeaking doll, otherwise known as Tenna.

"No. This isn't Devi. It's Johnny. I just found Devi and she said she was possessed by someone named Stan. I know him from.somewhere. I know this is all my fault and he only wanted to get me. And I think he did, the virus should set in soon. I really should go now, he's planning on getting Devi's sister and my friend too."

"But what could you have done that would make him want to do this?! It's not like just a few people will be infected!"

"That's the thing. He wanted to get me, but knowing him he'll get everyone else he can too."

Nny looked out the window again and saw Devi jumping on the back of a car behind a school bus. A closer look would reveal that Squee and Melanie were sitting in one of the front seats. Then something REALLY unexpected happened. Tim came staggering in through the door before collapsing on the ground at Nny's feet. His rash thing had only gotten worse and now looked like gigantic zits that wouldn't fade or pop. The sweat he was covered in despite the relatively cool temperature outside indicated that he had a high fever. There were also stamps from several airports as far away as London and Tokyo. Apparently that plane wasn't going to Boston on the first flight.

"Stan stopped speaking to me, but I know he's still there. I feel like that Listerine never wore off. I can't even see straight! Why am I here again? Oh yeah. Nny! I can't remember why I wanted to talk to you, but I know I wanted to."

"Stan told you? No need to, I'm already infected. But will you please let me go now? I need to stop him before he gets Squee."

"Jump on the cars, it's how I followed you. Hehehe. use the force!" Nny backed away and out the window to do the only thing he could think of, use the force.

"May the forks be under you." Those were Tim's last words before finally expiring from a disease that had sickened him for almost three weeks.