Part 24: An Angel's Wrath
Madison had been waiting for this. When the bomb had detonated, she'd known right away who was responsible. And a simple glance up at the shattered skylight had confirmed her suspicion. Mandy was sitting on the roof staring down at the chaos as Clover and Alex came down on their cable wire. Sam grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close, leaning down.
"Stay here, Madison, we have to take care of this!" Sam and Brittany left her side to take care of Clover and Alex... but Madison's gaze had stayed fixed on Mandy, staring down at the chaos. She could imagine a satisfied smile on her face, knowing she'd played everyone... she'd hurt everyone... she'd used her little sister...
Madison found her way up the flight of stairs to the door that opened onto the roof, stepping out into the pouring rain with an expressionless mask covering her emotions. She walked toward Mandy, not announcing herself, but Mandy must have heard her boot steps.
Mandy looked over at her in surprise. "Madison!" She turned to run toward her, but stopped when she noticed the pre-teen's dark gaze and clenched fists. "Madison... what's wrong? Come on... it's me, your sister."
"You killed dad..." Madison growled darkly. "You cut off Sam's hand..." She stepped forward, her fists clenching even tighter. Mandy's eyes widened as she backed away from the little girl. "You left me when I was little..." Madison's voice rose as her anger built up inside of her chest. "And you used me!" She howled, throwing herself forward.
Two sets of Catfight Claws sprung from her violet gloves, lashing out at Mandy in a flurry of silver as the lightning flashed overhead. Her older sister scampered away from her desperately to keep out of the way of the flashing steel. They were designed for rock climbing and scaling walls, but they were still blades, and they were still sharp.
"Madison, stop!" Mandy shouted as one of the claws slammed into the roof right next to her foot. She jumped back, her boot slipping on the slick rooftop. Madison lunged for her, howling like an animal and thrusting one set of claws toward her stomach.
Mandy threw herself back to avoid being impaled, slamming into the roof just feet away from the open skylight. She scrambled toward it to avoid Madison's blades as she approached, her face contorting with hatred. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't use you! I didn't kill dad! I told you that!"
"Lies... LIES!" Madison swung her claws in a wide upward arc, from which Mandy barely escaped by rolling to the side. Madison's claws slammed into the roof and she lurched off balance, slipping in the torrential rain. She managed to stop just before stepping over the boundary of the skylight that would send her plummeting to the floor below.
"Madison, be careful!" Mandy shouted. Madison whirled on her, growling. How dare she try to act like a concerned sister now? She was a liar and a murderer. She couldn't be her sister anymore, she didn't have a sister anymore.
"You shut up." Madison growled, turning toward her with the Catfight Claws raised. "Shut up and DIE ALREADY!" Madison screamed, running at Mandy with a loud scream. Mandy watched her carefully, then stepped to the side with her longer legs, grabbing Madison's wrist and using her momentum to throw her off balance. Madison tumbled to her hands and knees, slipping on the running rainwater.
She felt Mandy grab her from behind, hunched over on top of her. Her hands gripped Madison's wrists, keeping her hands, and the claws, pinned to the roof. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't kill anyone! I love you, don't you ever doubt that!"
"GET OFF OF ME!" Madison screamed desperately, trying to lift her claws to jam them straight into Mandy's black heart. "LET ME GO! I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE! I HATE YOU!"
"MADISON!" Mandy screamed over the roar of the wind that send a chill running through both sisters' spines. Lightning flashed in the distance, as if adding urgency to their screams in the violent storm. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I LOVE YOU! LISTEN TO ME!"
"I DID LISTEN!" Tears flowed down Madison's cheeks, but were quickly washed away by the torrential rain. "I LISTENED TO YOU! AND YOU LIED LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEFORE! YOU SAID YOU'D COME BACK! YOU SAID YOU WERE INNOCENT! ALL LIES, EVERY SINGLE WORD!" Finally Madison pulled one wrist out of Mandy's grip, whirling and slashing her claw upward.
Mandy shouted in pain and surprise as the claws cut right through her silver and black suit, raking across her chest like an animal claw. Blood spilled to the roof as Mandy fell to her back, clutching the three deep wounds painfully with one hand. Blood flowed through her fingers and down the front of her suit, but it too was quickly washed away by the torrent.
Madison marched toward her, bringing the Catfight Claws up in front of her. Mandy scrambled back across the roof, shaking her head in desperation and keeping one hand over her wounds. "Madison... you don't want to do this. Please, think and listen. I'm your sister... no matter what you think I did I'm your sister!"
"LYING MURDERER!" Madison screamed in a primal fury as she raised her claws to bring them down again violently. Lightning flashed dangerously close, lighting up the world around her to the point of rendering her blind. By the time the light faded, Mandy was gone and she was already off balance, falling toward the skylight.
She couldn't think as she fell through, like a drop of rain joining her buddies in falling peacefully toward the ground. "MADISOOOOOONNNN!" Mandy's scream echoed from the roof. Strangely, she wasn't afraid even as she looked up at the fast approaching ground underneath her. She was numb... as if somewhere along the line she'd lost her emotions. She wished she could find them again... she remembered enjoying them once...
TO BE CONTINUED
Madison had been waiting for this. When the bomb had detonated, she'd known right away who was responsible. And a simple glance up at the shattered skylight had confirmed her suspicion. Mandy was sitting on the roof staring down at the chaos as Clover and Alex came down on their cable wire. Sam grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close, leaning down.
"Stay here, Madison, we have to take care of this!" Sam and Brittany left her side to take care of Clover and Alex... but Madison's gaze had stayed fixed on Mandy, staring down at the chaos. She could imagine a satisfied smile on her face, knowing she'd played everyone... she'd hurt everyone... she'd used her little sister...
Madison found her way up the flight of stairs to the door that opened onto the roof, stepping out into the pouring rain with an expressionless mask covering her emotions. She walked toward Mandy, not announcing herself, but Mandy must have heard her boot steps.
Mandy looked over at her in surprise. "Madison!" She turned to run toward her, but stopped when she noticed the pre-teen's dark gaze and clenched fists. "Madison... what's wrong? Come on... it's me, your sister."
"You killed dad..." Madison growled darkly. "You cut off Sam's hand..." She stepped forward, her fists clenching even tighter. Mandy's eyes widened as she backed away from the little girl. "You left me when I was little..." Madison's voice rose as her anger built up inside of her chest. "And you used me!" She howled, throwing herself forward.
Two sets of Catfight Claws sprung from her violet gloves, lashing out at Mandy in a flurry of silver as the lightning flashed overhead. Her older sister scampered away from her desperately to keep out of the way of the flashing steel. They were designed for rock climbing and scaling walls, but they were still blades, and they were still sharp.
"Madison, stop!" Mandy shouted as one of the claws slammed into the roof right next to her foot. She jumped back, her boot slipping on the slick rooftop. Madison lunged for her, howling like an animal and thrusting one set of claws toward her stomach.
Mandy threw herself back to avoid being impaled, slamming into the roof just feet away from the open skylight. She scrambled toward it to avoid Madison's blades as she approached, her face contorting with hatred. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't use you! I didn't kill dad! I told you that!"
"Lies... LIES!" Madison swung her claws in a wide upward arc, from which Mandy barely escaped by rolling to the side. Madison's claws slammed into the roof and she lurched off balance, slipping in the torrential rain. She managed to stop just before stepping over the boundary of the skylight that would send her plummeting to the floor below.
"Madison, be careful!" Mandy shouted. Madison whirled on her, growling. How dare she try to act like a concerned sister now? She was a liar and a murderer. She couldn't be her sister anymore, she didn't have a sister anymore.
"You shut up." Madison growled, turning toward her with the Catfight Claws raised. "Shut up and DIE ALREADY!" Madison screamed, running at Mandy with a loud scream. Mandy watched her carefully, then stepped to the side with her longer legs, grabbing Madison's wrist and using her momentum to throw her off balance. Madison tumbled to her hands and knees, slipping on the running rainwater.
She felt Mandy grab her from behind, hunched over on top of her. Her hands gripped Madison's wrists, keeping her hands, and the claws, pinned to the roof. "Madison, listen to me! I didn't kill anyone! I love you, don't you ever doubt that!"
"GET OFF OF ME!" Madison screamed desperately, trying to lift her claws to jam them straight into Mandy's black heart. "LET ME GO! I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE! I HATE YOU!"
"MADISON!" Mandy screamed over the roar of the wind that send a chill running through both sisters' spines. Lightning flashed in the distance, as if adding urgency to their screams in the violent storm. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I LOVE YOU! LISTEN TO ME!"
"I DID LISTEN!" Tears flowed down Madison's cheeks, but were quickly washed away by the torrential rain. "I LISTENED TO YOU! AND YOU LIED LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEFORE! YOU SAID YOU'D COME BACK! YOU SAID YOU WERE INNOCENT! ALL LIES, EVERY SINGLE WORD!" Finally Madison pulled one wrist out of Mandy's grip, whirling and slashing her claw upward.
Mandy shouted in pain and surprise as the claws cut right through her silver and black suit, raking across her chest like an animal claw. Blood spilled to the roof as Mandy fell to her back, clutching the three deep wounds painfully with one hand. Blood flowed through her fingers and down the front of her suit, but it too was quickly washed away by the torrent.
Madison marched toward her, bringing the Catfight Claws up in front of her. Mandy scrambled back across the roof, shaking her head in desperation and keeping one hand over her wounds. "Madison... you don't want to do this. Please, think and listen. I'm your sister... no matter what you think I did I'm your sister!"
"LYING MURDERER!" Madison screamed in a primal fury as she raised her claws to bring them down again violently. Lightning flashed dangerously close, lighting up the world around her to the point of rendering her blind. By the time the light faded, Mandy was gone and she was already off balance, falling toward the skylight.
She couldn't think as she fell through, like a drop of rain joining her buddies in falling peacefully toward the ground. "MADISOOOOOONNNN!" Mandy's scream echoed from the roof. Strangely, she wasn't afraid even as she looked up at the fast approaching ground underneath her. She was numb... as if somewhere along the line she'd lost her emotions. She wished she could find them again... she remembered enjoying them once...
TO BE CONTINUED