Chapter 23: Fatal Faith
Lillia burst through her front door with Rick hard on her heels. She was in an utter panic. "Where is Popuri?" she screamed as loud as she could, "Please. You have to be okay."
"Mom! Calm down. You have to calm down! Your condition." Rick panted heavily. He was out of shape. How was she running so fast as sick as she was? He couldn't even hope to keep up. She was going to be hospitalized if she didn't slow down. "Mom. Please. Stop." He panted heavily as she turned around the street corner. If Popuri was... it was too horrible to think about. She had never been missing before.
Jack walked up to Rick and tapped him on the back, "What's wrong? You seem exhausted!"
Rick looked up and Jack and smiled. Here was his mom's savior. Jack was enough in shape to stop her before she got hurt, "My Mom... Crazed. Help. Stop her. Sick."
Rick could barely pant out the words he needed to, but it was enough for Jack. He nodded at Rick, strapped his scythe to his back, and ran off as fast as he could after Lillia. Rick did the best he could to walk after Jack, breathing heavily the whole way.
Jack found Lillia banging her fists on the Mayor's door, screaming in a mania, "Where is Popuri? You have to find Popuri! Bring me Popuri! I want Popuri! Where is she? Popuri!"
Mayor Thomas opened his door and Lillia began to pound her fists on him, screaming the same thing over and over. The mayor cried for help and cowered away from the tornado unleashed upon him. He attempted to close the door as Jack tried to restrain the out of control Lillia. The mayor did his best to stop her, "I'll send somebody out immediately. Just stop it. We'll find her!" Thomas said it, but he didn't believe it. He knew in his heart that Popuri was the murderer's newest victim.
Rick stumbled up behind Jack and did his best to help him. The two of them managed to restrain the now mad Lillia. She arched her back and howled in rage. Suddenly, Lillia stopped fighting against them and stood their limp. They let go of her and stepped back a few paces to give her room. Rick helplessly watched his mothers eyes roll back in her head as she screamed one last time at the sky before dropping to the ground like a limp rag doll, dead.
Rick dropped to his knees and cradled his dead mother's head against his chest. Tears rolled down his cheeks, "Her body just could take the strain..." he said quietly.
Gotz dashed down the road towards the mayor's house waving, trying to catch their attention. He yelled out, "I just found Kai and Popuri's dead bodies at the foot of Mother Hill. We now know the murderer's next victim."
Utter despair entered into Rick. Jack got down next to Rick and placed his hand on his back, "It's okay Rick. I'm here for you. Just come to me if you need anything." He was a little unnerved by the look in Rick's eyes.
Suddenly a bright flame ignited in his eyes. Rick saw his solution. With unparalleled speed, Rick snatched the scythe from Jack's back and pulled it close to him.
Jack stumbled backwards, "Rick, you don't want to do this."
The mayor hid behind his closed door and called out, "Please Rick. They wouldn't want you to end it this way."
"To hell I don't. This is my only hope. The blade is my only hope."
Gotz took a step towards Rick with an outreached hand but quickly pulled it back as Rick swung the scythe at him.
"NO! You won't take this away from me." Tears poured down Rick's cheeks, "Everything that mattered to me in my life is dead and gone. And I'm going to be gone with it." He quickly pulled the point of the scythe across his throat, slitting it and coating the blade in blood. He fell down on top of Lillia. With his last bit of life in him, he kissed his mother on the cheek and wrapped his arms around her.