"Sickness! Listen to me!" called a voice. Nny sat up and looked towards the window, and Todd stood there, holding Shmee. The bear was calling to Sickness.
"You have to stop this now. Get back into your body and listen to me!" he said with enormous authority. In a few moments the doll began to twitch and come to life, and Sickness looked at Shmee, trembling.
"It'll be OK, Sickness. You will soon be in full control of yourself again." He turned to Devi. "Sickness was tainted by evil forces while she was still just a painting on canvas, and was unable to fight it off. It wasn't her fault, Devi. They preyed on her ambitions, fed on her will to become animate. Those were the same evil forces that have silenced Nail-bunny, Johnny. They could find no weakness in him, so they did the next best thing. They made him unable to interfere in their designs. Nail-bunny is still protecting you, though you can't hear him." Johnny nodded, then looked around himself, childishly trying to see his spirit hovering about him. Devi picked up the now-helpless doll, who was crying and sobbing uncontrollably.
"I remember..." she said sadly. "I remember when I first met you... you just wanted out before they could get you. I thought I was crazy..." she said, her mind flooding with memories. Then she took out Sickness' eyes again and put them into a coat pocket, and deposited the doll in her purse. Johnny spoke up then.
"So, what does that make the doughboys? Are they my guides, too?" At this question, Shmee scoffed.
"I should say not. They were never supposed to have come into being. They were extensions of the evil forces that are affecting Nail-bunny and Sickness. They are gone now, thank goodness, but the evil forces are not. Now, that is the reason I have brought you all here now." Johnny and Todd passed expectant glances between each other. They were finally going to learn what Shmee knew.
"Now, firstly, Devi, you are a Luck-drainer. You are supposed to absorb bad luck and convert it into good luck before it builds beyond a manageable level. Unfortunately, due to Sickness'... er... sickness, you actually bring bad luck. You cause bad things to happen to you and those around you. Am I correct?" Shmee asked. Devi nodded her head, trying to repress a snicker. Some of them were quite funny. Heh heh. Smoke bombs. Now, Shmee turned to Johnny.
"Now, Johnny, you are a Waste-lock. You absorb negative energy- 'bad vibes', if you will- and store them up until, when you die, they follow you to the grave. Unfortunately, you were never really suited to the job. It's a testament to your own mental strength, and the work of your guide, that you haven't degenerated into a mindless insanity. But if Nail-bunny hadn't worked so hard, he wouldn't have been strong enough to resist the evil forces. I, however," continued Shmee, "have not come into contact with any of these evil forces. I remain untainted, and hope to keep things that way. That is why you will have to carry out my mission without me." Todd suddenly felt cold and scared. He managed to squeak,
"Why?"
"Because I must not become contaminated. Now, I will tell you your mission. Listen carefully."
Todd, Devi and Johnny sat down, their full attention focused on the stationary teddy bear.
There are evil forces," began Shmee, "and they are getting strong. Feeding off of you in particular, Johnny, or more specifically, feeding through you." Johnny cocked his head at this. "Every time you absorb the ill will of others, they drive you to kill them so that they can relieve you of it. But all of that doesn't matter now. What matters is that they are growing, coming together again, as one. They are on the brink of escaping. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week..." Here Johnny shook his head.
"No. We have... what time is it? 5 AM? We have 43 hours left until it's free," Johnny said darkly.
"How do you know?" asked Todd.
"It told me," came the reply. Shmee grunted knowingly.
"It wants to taunt you, I suppose. But you must not let it escape. This isn't the first time, but fortunately, when it was released last time, Johnny, you were "dead", so it was released into a void, because at the time your consciousness was nonexistent. It was forced back into its prison, but now it is almost strong enough to escape. And if it does, it will kill off your entire species. In fact, within 24 hours, I'm quite sure that it would have every man, woman and child in this city hunted down and ripped in two. That is where you come in; you must be back at Johnny's house when it emerges, and destroy it while it is still soft and weak. And you are the only ones who can do this. Remember, it is made of the very same things that you have been made to control all your life. Now, that is where your guides' bodies come in. You will have to use them to channel the components of this creature. Now, I cannot show up until the very end, it would be far too risky. But don't worry, I will find a way. Now I must leave. I have some... things to see to. Take care of Todd, Johnny and Devi." With that Shmee went silent. Todd was overcome with a wave of nauseous unease. He had never been away from Shmee for two days since he could remember. He buried his face in the bear and almost cried.
"Please come back, Shmee! Don't leave me..." he pleaded.. Devi didn't particularly enjoy being around most children, but her heart went out to this poor little boy. It was obvious that this bear was her only friend. She put a comforting arm around Todd's shoulder.
"Shmee is your best friend, isn't he?" asked Johnny, mirroring Devi's thoughts. The boy nodded.
"He's the only one in this world who seems to care for me. Even more than my parents," he moped.
"Todd, I'm sure your parents love you and care about you," Devi said, not quite sure she believed it. Todd just shook his head. They cared enough to send me to the funny farm, he thought bitterly. Tactfully trying to evade the subject, Devi looked around, turning to Johnny. "And we care about you too, don't we, Johnny?" she asked.
"That's right, Squee," said Johnny, nodding emphatically. "We're looking out for you, too."
Todd lifted his eyes from the bear. His face radiating gratitude and happiness, he reached out to Devi and gave her a tight hug. He hardly knew her, but this tall, wonderful woman was more "mother" to him than his female biological parent had ever been. Devi returned the hug, and felt a warm, maternal glow for this lonely little boy. She beamed a smile at Johnny, but she saw a strange, strained look on his face. She looked back down, but the smile was gone from her face.
(Meanwhile...)
"Hmmm. Hey, dear, Todd's not in his bed. I can't find him."
"Well, fuck, I'm sure as hell not getting up."
"Oh fine, I'll go to the store then. ...grumble grumble drunk bitch grumble..."
"You have to stop this now. Get back into your body and listen to me!" he said with enormous authority. In a few moments the doll began to twitch and come to life, and Sickness looked at Shmee, trembling.
"It'll be OK, Sickness. You will soon be in full control of yourself again." He turned to Devi. "Sickness was tainted by evil forces while she was still just a painting on canvas, and was unable to fight it off. It wasn't her fault, Devi. They preyed on her ambitions, fed on her will to become animate. Those were the same evil forces that have silenced Nail-bunny, Johnny. They could find no weakness in him, so they did the next best thing. They made him unable to interfere in their designs. Nail-bunny is still protecting you, though you can't hear him." Johnny nodded, then looked around himself, childishly trying to see his spirit hovering about him. Devi picked up the now-helpless doll, who was crying and sobbing uncontrollably.
"I remember..." she said sadly. "I remember when I first met you... you just wanted out before they could get you. I thought I was crazy..." she said, her mind flooding with memories. Then she took out Sickness' eyes again and put them into a coat pocket, and deposited the doll in her purse. Johnny spoke up then.
"So, what does that make the doughboys? Are they my guides, too?" At this question, Shmee scoffed.
"I should say not. They were never supposed to have come into being. They were extensions of the evil forces that are affecting Nail-bunny and Sickness. They are gone now, thank goodness, but the evil forces are not. Now, that is the reason I have brought you all here now." Johnny and Todd passed expectant glances between each other. They were finally going to learn what Shmee knew.
"Now, firstly, Devi, you are a Luck-drainer. You are supposed to absorb bad luck and convert it into good luck before it builds beyond a manageable level. Unfortunately, due to Sickness'... er... sickness, you actually bring bad luck. You cause bad things to happen to you and those around you. Am I correct?" Shmee asked. Devi nodded her head, trying to repress a snicker. Some of them were quite funny. Heh heh. Smoke bombs. Now, Shmee turned to Johnny.
"Now, Johnny, you are a Waste-lock. You absorb negative energy- 'bad vibes', if you will- and store them up until, when you die, they follow you to the grave. Unfortunately, you were never really suited to the job. It's a testament to your own mental strength, and the work of your guide, that you haven't degenerated into a mindless insanity. But if Nail-bunny hadn't worked so hard, he wouldn't have been strong enough to resist the evil forces. I, however," continued Shmee, "have not come into contact with any of these evil forces. I remain untainted, and hope to keep things that way. That is why you will have to carry out my mission without me." Todd suddenly felt cold and scared. He managed to squeak,
"Why?"
"Because I must not become contaminated. Now, I will tell you your mission. Listen carefully."
Todd, Devi and Johnny sat down, their full attention focused on the stationary teddy bear.
There are evil forces," began Shmee, "and they are getting strong. Feeding off of you in particular, Johnny, or more specifically, feeding through you." Johnny cocked his head at this. "Every time you absorb the ill will of others, they drive you to kill them so that they can relieve you of it. But all of that doesn't matter now. What matters is that they are growing, coming together again, as one. They are on the brink of escaping. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week..." Here Johnny shook his head.
"No. We have... what time is it? 5 AM? We have 43 hours left until it's free," Johnny said darkly.
"How do you know?" asked Todd.
"It told me," came the reply. Shmee grunted knowingly.
"It wants to taunt you, I suppose. But you must not let it escape. This isn't the first time, but fortunately, when it was released last time, Johnny, you were "dead", so it was released into a void, because at the time your consciousness was nonexistent. It was forced back into its prison, but now it is almost strong enough to escape. And if it does, it will kill off your entire species. In fact, within 24 hours, I'm quite sure that it would have every man, woman and child in this city hunted down and ripped in two. That is where you come in; you must be back at Johnny's house when it emerges, and destroy it while it is still soft and weak. And you are the only ones who can do this. Remember, it is made of the very same things that you have been made to control all your life. Now, that is where your guides' bodies come in. You will have to use them to channel the components of this creature. Now, I cannot show up until the very end, it would be far too risky. But don't worry, I will find a way. Now I must leave. I have some... things to see to. Take care of Todd, Johnny and Devi." With that Shmee went silent. Todd was overcome with a wave of nauseous unease. He had never been away from Shmee for two days since he could remember. He buried his face in the bear and almost cried.
"Please come back, Shmee! Don't leave me..." he pleaded.. Devi didn't particularly enjoy being around most children, but her heart went out to this poor little boy. It was obvious that this bear was her only friend. She put a comforting arm around Todd's shoulder.
"Shmee is your best friend, isn't he?" asked Johnny, mirroring Devi's thoughts. The boy nodded.
"He's the only one in this world who seems to care for me. Even more than my parents," he moped.
"Todd, I'm sure your parents love you and care about you," Devi said, not quite sure she believed it. Todd just shook his head. They cared enough to send me to the funny farm, he thought bitterly. Tactfully trying to evade the subject, Devi looked around, turning to Johnny. "And we care about you too, don't we, Johnny?" she asked.
"That's right, Squee," said Johnny, nodding emphatically. "We're looking out for you, too."
Todd lifted his eyes from the bear. His face radiating gratitude and happiness, he reached out to Devi and gave her a tight hug. He hardly knew her, but this tall, wonderful woman was more "mother" to him than his female biological parent had ever been. Devi returned the hug, and felt a warm, maternal glow for this lonely little boy. She beamed a smile at Johnny, but she saw a strange, strained look on his face. She looked back down, but the smile was gone from her face.
(Meanwhile...)
"Hmmm. Hey, dear, Todd's not in his bed. I can't find him."
"Well, fuck, I'm sure as hell not getting up."
"Oh fine, I'll go to the store then. ...grumble grumble drunk bitch grumble..."