"We have one final offer and will not change it." It certainly didn't sound like Billy's dad. The raspy, thin voice was more like what Freddy had imagined the monster under his bed sounding like as a kid. "Give us the wizard's power and we will let you live."
Freddy gritted his teeth. Even if the thing wearing Sivana's face was being honest, he couldn't be too sure about his friends following along. Wrath seemed just a bit too happy clawing at him. Freddy had never felt this body's left leg before. Something told him that might change if it got pulled off.
It had all happened so fast. One moment, they were laying on the ground, surrounded by the living embodiments of everything that was wrong with the world, the next they were on the verge of being ripped in two. Lust was holding back his arms, while Sloth and Pride had each taken hold of Billy's limbs. Gluttony didn't need a partner to hold Annie down.
Freddy had tried blinking, he really had. When he'd opened his eyes, he'd still found himself in that dark, musty cave with a pair of beady red eyes and two rows of knife-like teeth staring back at him.
Greed walked forward, picking up the staff from the ground. Its three other arms quickly circled the wood. Walking forward, it presented the staff to their leader.
"Have you made your decision?" It was looking straight at Billy, that strange orb crackling as it spoke.
Billy's mouth was set into a firm frown. "I'll do it."
The sins instantly dropped him. Billy rubbed at his head but quickly stood.
"What?" Annie cried. Freddy turned his head. This was the first time she had spoken and very well could be her last. Gluttony threw a fat hand over her mouth and nose. She shook, but that only made it hold her tighter.
Billy looked back to both of them. "He's my dad!"
"Jesus Christ, man! Weren't you listening to me? He's not your dad!" Freddy struggled, pulling his arms frantically. Lust only tightened its grip, its claws sinking beneath his wrists.
So this was it, wasn't it? The world was going to end because his friend was a Grade A idiot. It didn't matter what the sin said. Even if they lost their powers and got sent home, they'd all die once the demons started ripping the world apart. Billy would only be pushing back the time between now and the moment they became maggot food.
"Good boy."
The sin stepped forward, the end of the staff held out. Billy took it.
"Billy, plea-" The word died on his lip. Wrath twisted his right leg. The crunching snap echoed in his ears so long that for a few moments he couldn't hear anything else. Tears dotted Freddy's eyes.
For just a moment, he was six again and stuck in bed post-surgery. He'd tried sleeping, but it was impossible with how badly his legs hurt. Screaming only got him so far. He was on the verge of going hoarse but still his mother hadn't so much as peaked her head through the door.
Of all the fucking ways to die!
Billy's face was dripping with sweat. Though he gripped the staff, nothing crossed his mind - no visions or sounds. All he saw before him was that smirking face and the only sound that reached his ears was his own wavered breathing.
He forced down the lump in his throat. It was now or never.
"Shuh!" As he spoke, the thing's grin grew wider.
He kicked his leg out, straight into the creature's chest. Hard. It gasped, its grip loosening from the staff. It seemed to fly across the room and hit a rocky wall in slow motion, sending rocks scattering.
Billy threw the staff to the ground and hurried forward. This time, he put both feet down on the thing's chest and kept them there, his hands going for its neck.
The face staring back at him was wide-eyed, its lips silently parted. His stomach clenched. Quickly, Billy shut his eyes.
"Shazam!"
Billy opened his eyes to a smoky haze. The smell of sulfur tickled his nose. His hands were still wrapped around soft flesh.
When his vision cleared, he didn't recognize what he saw. The skin of the thing's face was black and covered in blisters. With its lips gone, he could see every single one of its teeth. Where its nose had been were now two holes. Its eye was gone but that silvery blue ball was still glittering in the dim light. He could see his face reflected back at him on its surface.
Billy reached his hand forward. The ball felt so solid and smooth and much too heavy for something its size. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his hand back.
Billy had taken off his bandages before he got into the shower. His skin had been clear and unstained. He hadn't been able to meet his reflection's gaze.
Annie had given him a fresh towel and bar of soap. It stank of coconut, the smell so strong that it brought tears to his eyes. He had rubbed his skin until it had gone red and his fingers turned pruny.
The mirror was fogged over now. Billy rubbed at every part of himself with his fuzzy towel until he couldn't feel a speck of water. Goosebumps decorated his arms and legs.
Try as he might, he couldn't push the earlier images away. That burnt face that no longer looked anything like his dad's suddenly collapsing into a smoking pile of ash when he pulled the ball away. Thrusting it skyward and watching the other sins evaporate into smoke. Annie and Freddy hitting the ground. The cave shaking, stalagmites hitting the floor and the ground opening up. Freddy barreling towards him and grabbing him by the waist with such force that he'd half expected him to crush his spine.
Opening his eyes again to find himself in Annie's backyard.
Billy's throat tightened.
Try as he might, he still couldn't piece everything together. He knew what had happened but the why still largely evaded him.
Picking up his singed clothes from the tiled floor, he changed.
Billy found Annie and Freddy, both back in their real bodies, downstairs in the kitchen. A half-eaten plate of waffles sat in front of Freddy. Annie was chewing on a piece of badly burnt toast.
The electric wall clock read 05:39.
"You hungry?" Annie asked.
He shook his head, his eyes looking just past her head. The kitchen walls were decorated with framed watercolor paintings of flowers. His gaze bore into a field of lilacs.
He stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket, his skin rubbing against that cool metal ball. He shivered, quickly pulling his hands back.
"He's dead, isn't he?"
"Billy," Freddy began.
"You know he is. Didn't you see what happened to him?"
It was hard to call that thing his father but it had been him, hadn't it? At least it had been before.
"That might not have been him! Maybe it was just some illusion."
"Do you actually believe that?" He clenched his fists. Billy had never expected anything like this to ever happen in his life. So why had it? Why had he of all people had to have his very reality rewritten?
"We could revive him."
Freddy froze. Annie dropped her toast onto the table.
"Dude, did you just hear that?" Freddy asked.
Billy fished the ball out of his pocket. It was glowing. Looking into it and seeing his own face was like gazing into a distorted, blizzard struck snow globe.
"What the hell? You still have that thing?" Freddy cried. He reached for one of his crutches.
"Where was I supposed to put it?"
"You would be surprised at how simple it would be."
"Shut the fuck up." Billy stuck it back into his pocket.
"I thought you left that thing back at the cave!" Freddy quickly put on his second forearm crutch. He stood, pushing his chair back with his leg so hard that it fell over. The wooden thump echoed through the room.
"That place was falling apart! Did you want it to get crushed by falling rocks? It could have broken into a million pieces and released those bastards all over again. What then?"
"Those are the things that kidnapped your dad, right?" Annie grimaced. "I don't want them in my house!"
"Where the fuck am I supposed to put them?"
No one spoke.
Billy's shoulders slumped. Yep, this was most definitely not the direction he ever saw his life going in.
"Hey, Freddy, you want to know something?"
"What?"
"Being a superhero sucks."
"So what do we do now?"
"Wait for Billy to wake up."
"I didn't mean that!" Annie finished off the last of her tea. "I mean, what do we do now that we're superheroes?"
She'd never truly seen herself as a superhero. Tonight had cemented that fact for her.
"We don't really know what you can do yet. Once we know your skills, we should have a better idea of how to go forward."
"What good will it do us?" Annie groaned. "I got superpowers and that didn't keep me from almost being eaten."
She could still feel that fat thing's tongue wiggling through her hair. Its whole body had been ice cold and covered in slime. And what all had she been able to do besides flop around like a dying fish as it tightened its grip?
She was no Wonder Woman. Hell, she wouldn't even pass for a Friday Foster.
"Yeah, that fight sucked."
"You call that a fight?"
"Look, this is usually a lot easier for me. I've beaten up a lot of guys on the FBI's most wanted list." He grinned. "Doing that's a lot of fun, actually. You should really try it out."
"Something tells me I won't have much of a choice." She sank further into her chair. It was a Saturday. Her mom wouldn't fly back from her business trip until Tuesday night. Come Monday morning, she'd have to slap on a smile and go to class like things were normal. Then she'd have do it again the next day and the one after that, forever and ever and ever.
"So what happened to Uncle Thaddeus?"
"He, uh, got cremated." Freddy bit his lip. "Sorry for your loss."
"Thanks, but I think Billy needs to hear that more than me. He knew Uncle Thaddeus way better than I did." She looked down to her lap. "Like, how did he get possessed?"
"He got that ball stuck in his head somehow. Billy said he did it because the wizard wouldn't give him superpowers. You know, the guy who made Billy become... That word. And no, I never met the wizard. I don't know much about him." Freddy ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you have a lot of questions, but I can't really answer them. I hardly know any more than you do. Hell, Billy doesn't even know what's going on!"
That was just great. It was hard to take comfort in knowing everyone else was drowning when her lungs were heavy and desperate for air.
Annie got up and poured herself another cup of tea. "I've seen you on TV before."
Freddy brightened. "Yeah, that never stops being fun. I swear, this will be awesome once we start fighting regular criminals."
"It better be."
It was only when she was halfway finished with her chamomile that she spoke again. "I know someone we can go after."
Freddy looked up from his phone. "Who, a supervillain?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "I guess you could call him that. Did Billy ever tell you about my dad?"
He shook his head. "I know he said that his dad didn't get along with his family."
"You can say that again. Nobody could believe it when Uncle Thaddeus said that he was coming home for Christmas. I hadn't seen him in forever." She shook her head. "I'm getting off track. Look, this Christmas was not the best holiday. My dad killed my grandpa and burnt his house down." She spit the words out before she could stop herself.
Freddy blinked. After a moment, he spoke. "Uh... I'm sorry. Your dad sucks."
"You wouldn't know the half of it." Her shoulders tensed. "Nobody's found him yet. He hasn't used his phone or any of his bank accounts or credit cards for weeks. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth."
Damn, Freddy thought. What the fuck is wrong with Billy's family?
"My mom and I couldn't believe it. My dad and I never really got along, and my mom hates him, but he didn't seem like a murderer."
The memory hit him like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait! Annie?" He looked her straight in the eyes.
"What?" She tilted her head. "I know this is a bit extreme. It's definitely not something I like talking about. I can shut up if you want."
His voice rose. "Was your dad named Sid?"
She nodded. "Why?"
"Annie, we aren't going to find your dad. Your uncle told me and Billy that he was dead."
In the end, he'd lost two against one.
"Where else are we going to put it?" Freddy had asked.
"It's not like we can stick it in my mom's gun safe." Annie had added.
And, truth be told, Billy couldn't complain. It's not like he wanted to keep the damn thing.
The first thing Billy saw when he arrived back at the cave was the crack in the ground. It started from the center of where the wizard's throne had once sat and ran all the way to where he thought he'd first woken up after passing out. That suddenly felt like it had happened decades ago.
"Can you see the bottom?" Annie asked, peering downward.
"No," Freddy replied. "Think I should fly down and see if there's anything down there?"
"No!" Billy shrieked. "Let's just get this done with, okay?"
He stepped forward, following his mind's eye back to where he'd first seen his father approach the ball decades before.
"Champion, please!"
"Eat shit," he muttered, clutching it tighter.
Once he'd finally reached the spot, he held his arm out and released his hold on the ball. It floated, glowing a silvery grey. The light around it began to pulse, softly at first and then suddenly in a bright, harsh flash.
Billy blinked. When his vision finally returned, the purple globe circling the orb had returned. It sat atop a carved stone pillar. Where there had once been nothing but piles of stones was now a row of statues.
"Hey, Billy?" Annie called.
He turned his head around, his eyes widening. Gone were the cracks and rock piles. The thrones had returned, sharp, regal, and empty as ever. Leaning against the center throne was the staff, its crystals gleaming.
She pointed behind her. "Is it supposed to be like this?"
He nodded. "It's just like I remember it."
"Annie, can I borrow your phone? I need to call someone."
"Is something wrong? Do you need to talk to Freddy?"
Billy shook his head. "Someone else. Please, I won't use it long."
Her face softened. "Of course you can use it. I just thought..." She shook her head. Fishing her phone from her pocket, she turned it on and hurriedly pressed a few buttons. She held it out towards him. "Go on and take as long as you need."
Billy looked down to the dial options, his eyes glazing over the numbers. It was only when Annie had left the living room that he finally pressed some. By the time he hit the fourth number, a name appeared. He quickly clicked it and it went straight to dial.
He brought it to his ear. It rang seven times.
"Hello, this is Thaddeus Sivana. I'm afraid that I can't answer your call right now. Leave me a message and I'll reach back to you as soon as I can."
The phone beeped.
Billy's vision was blurry and chest tight. He ended the call. Then, with a shaking hand, he dialed the number again.
"Hello, this is Thaddeus Sivana..."
