Chapter 9
Two Endings
It was morning, shortly after school had started. Talim was in the school locker room, the place where this all started for her, the place where Ivy and her friends took it too far and shot pictures of her penis. Talim looked in the mirror in front of the sink. She was completely naked and had a weapon in her hands. She also noticed that for the first time in her life, her penis was erect. Talim wasn't sure how this was possible. Her man parts didn't actually work. She looked at her gunblade. There was something magical about it, something that could make the impossible happen, something that could make one's darkest and most psychotic dreams come true. She could hear students coming in for gym class. Soul Calibur spoke to her.
"A target is near. Subject: Mina is coming your way."
It was true. Gym was one of Mina's morning classes. It was a perfect opportunity to test her weapon.
Talim hid inside of a locker and waited. She watched students come in, change into the gym clothes, and leave. She saw Mina, one of the last girls to go in, take a locker close to her. This was Talim's chance. She jumped out and grabbed Mina by the shirt.
"Remember me?" Talim said.
Mina and the other girls in the locker room were shocked. Before any of them could react, Talim drove her blade right into Mina's neck. Her throat was slit. Talim threw the bully's body to the floor. She turned to the other girls.
"The hell are you looking at?" She said.
Talim left the locker room. A few of the girls in gym class stared at her. She ignored them and listened to her weapon's words.
"Target Mina eliminated. Next target: Sophitia. She is currently in history class."
Talim could hear the principal's voice over the Public Announcement system.
"Students, we are going into lockdown. No one is to leave their classrooms. Lock all doors. Everyone sty under their desks."
Talim remembered this protocol. She learned it through School Safety Drills, ones that had the classrooms all locked up and the students protecting themselves in case a dangerous person was on the premises. Soul Calibur spoke to her.
"Talim, the police have been informed."
"I don't care. I just need to kill a couple more people. Then I'm done." Talim said.
Talim approached Sophitia's history class. She squeezed the trigger and blew the lock off the door.
"Oh, Sophitia?" Talim said.
She kicked the door open. Sure enough, she saw Sophitia in her history class. Many of the students were huddled together in fear.
"Talim?" Sophitia said.
She broke from the huddle. Her teacher called out to her.
"Sophitia, get back down!"
Talim ignored her. She fired Soul Calibur. It would have missed, but its bullets were magic. They always hit and always killed. Sophitia fell to the ground, her chest bleeding. Talim walked away from the classroom with a satisfied smile. She could hear screaming from the classroom.
"Where's her sister?" Talim said.
"Cassandra is in the auditorium, her study hall class." Soul Calibur replied.
Talim walked toward the auditorium. She shot the door open, only to be met with screams. The students were scrambling up the stage, looking for the backstage exits. Some of them broke through the windows to try to flee.
"Fire. I'll be sure you hit." Soul Calibur said.
Talim squeezed the trigger. She saw someone fall down. She wasn't sure if it was Cassandra, until she heard a boy scream out in despair.
"Cassie? Cassie? Get up, Cassie! Get up!"
"Target Eliminated. Next target, Ivy. She is escaping through the window across the hallway."
Talim left the auditorium. There were students running and panicking through the halls. Some of them stopped to stare. A naked hermaphrodite with a gunblade and a fully erect penis was an unusual sight. Talim saw Ivy with Raphael. They were both running away, through the parking lot and toward their car. Talim looked at Raphael. Her bullet hit him, as though Soul Calibur knew which one she was aiming for. Ivy tried to carry Raphael. Talim ran up close to her.
"Going somewhere?" Talim said.
Ivy turned around.
"You? What?" Ivy said.
"I'm here to have fun." Talim said.
She sliced Ivy across her arm all the way to her torso with her the blade on her gun. Ivy fell back, covered in her own blood. It looked like she tried to say something, but was in too much shock to say anything. Talim finished her off with a quick slash to her throat. Ivy was dead.
"Target Ivy eliminated. Last target is right behind you."
Talim turned around and saw Amy. She was horrified at what she had seen. Talim pointed her gun. She wanted to squeeze the trigger, but couldn't.
"Talim… I'm sorry." Amy said.
She started to cry.
"I know I hurt you. I hurt you so much. I'm so sorry, just please, put the gun down." Amy said.
Talim felt like dropping her gun, but held on.
"No. This place, this whole system is corrupt. You have the people at the top, and they shit on others to feel good about themselves! Then…"
"Talim, I'm sorry. Just please, stop." Amy said.
She moved in close to Talim and tried to pull Soul Calibur away from her. Talim instinctively pulled her away.
"Stay back! I'll slash you!" Talim said.
Amy wrapped her arms around Talim and sobbed.
"This is all my fault. I should never have betrayed you. I'm sorry. If you can please…"
Her tears slurred her speech. Amy's words melted into sobs and moans. Talim only understood two words that were at the end.
"…forgive me."
Soul Calibur was not pleased.
"No, Talim. Kill her. She is guilty, just like the others. Justice must be served. She is guilty. None are innocent."
"Don't listen to him. He's evil." Amy said.
Talim wanted to put the gun down. She did, but there was a force keeping her from doing it. It was Soul Calibur.
"Kill her. She kicked your shins. She shit on you. She made you into a fool so that she could improve her social standing. She is a part of this economy of insecurities. She must die." The weapon said.
"No. She's my friend. She was always my friend." Talim said.
Soul Calibur grew angry.
"Justice! Vengeance! Kill her!" It shouted.
Talim dropped Soul Calibur. When she did, her penis went flaccid, back to being a shriveled up mess. She hugged Amy.
"I'm so, so sorry." Amy said.
"It's okay. I forgive you." Talim said.
Soul Calibur growled.
"Fine. I'll do it all myself."
One bullet.
Two bodies.
When the police found the shooter, they couldn't find a murder weapon.
The news headlines were livid.
The End
A/\A/\V\/V\/
Alternate Happy Ending
Because I like happy endings better.
It was morning, shortly after school had started. Talim was in the school locker room, the place where this all started for her, the place where Ivy and her friends took it too far and shot pictures of her penis. Talim looked in the mirror in front of the sink. She noticed that the entire Ivy Fun Club was behind her. Talim turned around and pointed Soul Calibur at them.
"You! All of you! I'll have my revenge!" Talim said.
Ivy kneeled onto the ground.
"Do what you need to do. We deserve it." She said.
Amy kneeled beside her.
"I'm probably the worst of them all. I betrayed you." Amy said.
Talim tried to squeeze the trigger, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She tossed the weapon away. It shattered on the floor like it was made of glass and dissolved into nothingness.
"No, this isn't me. I'm not a killer." She said.
Amy looked up, surprised at what she was hearing.
"How? How can you forgive us? How can you forgive me?" She said.
Talim smiled.
"I don't know. Why do I need to know? Killing isn't right. I don't care what you did to me, it's not worth it."
Amy jumped up to hug her friend.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I…"
Amy's words melted into sobs.
From then on, Ivy and her fun club never bullied anyone ever again.
Amy and Talim went on to become the best of friends through high school. After graduating, they even went to the same college, and kept that friendship for the rest of their lives.
Thank you for reading my story.
Happy Ending