WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS PHYSICAL AND IMPLIED SEXUAL ABUSE! READER DISCRETION ADVISED!
Man, action scenes are always the hardest.
Title Song: "Speechless" from Aladdin (2019)
By the time Valentino returned downstairs, Vox was done with Carrie and Camille.
"What took you so long, Val?" Vox asked as he buttoned his shirt.
"Turns out you were right." Valentino held up his phone. "Didn't take long for the itsy-bitsy spider to come crawling back into my spout."
Tina tensed at the mention of Angel Dust. When he had called Valentino, she had wanted to scream for help. But with her mouth sewed shut, that was impossible.
Why had Angel called the abusive boss he had just escaped from? There was no way he would ever make a deal with Valentino again. There had to be another reason.
"Well, get your clothes back on." Vox tossed the fur-lined coat at the pimp. "We gotta decide what's next for our special guest."
Meanwhile, on the bed, Camille lay sprawled on his belly, too sore and humiliated to move. He turned to Carrie, who was slipping her dress back on.
"H-How can you be so…calm?" he stammered. "You just…l-lay there and t-took it."
Without meeting his eyes, Carrie replied, "What do you think I did all those years we were married?"
She pulled back her hair to tie it up. "The truth is, honey, that after you died, I was left with nothing. Nothing to lose." She snapped her scrunchie into place. "Nothing to care about. Besides," she said, turning so he could see her smirk, "though these guys may be rougher, they're way better in bed than you ever were."
"Hey, birdie," Vox called. "If you want in on this, get over here."
Carrie joined the Vs at the St. Andrew's cross. Now that Velvet was no longer holding her eyes open, Tina hung her head and stared at the floor.
"So, what'd you think of the show?" Vox pulled Carrie to his side. "Think your hubby will like it? Cuz we'll be sending him a tape."
"We'd email it," Velvet said, rolling her eyes, "but you know, the guy's such a grandpa when it comes to tech."
"Probably better we send it by snail mail anyway." Vox chuckled. "As convenient as modern technology is, it still hasn't found an easy way to send corpses to your enemies."
So, that was their plan. All this torture hadn't been just for Tina, but for Alastor to see the events leading up to her death.
"And don't worry," Valentino said, "we'll save Radio Boy the trouble of chopping you up. Then he can just toss you into his cooking pot."
"Imagine," Velvet said with a snicker, "if he had no idea where all that flesh came from, and he cooked you up before he watched the tape! Aw, the look on his face would be just priceless! Hey, think we can sneak a camera in that box to get his reaction?"
"Can we just kill her already?" Carrie stretched and yawned. "It's been a long night, and I wanna get to bed."
"You just did, doll face." Vox tightened his grip on her waist. "And don't think just cuz you helped bring the bitch here that you can boss us around."
"Of course not, but seriously. What are we waiting for? The longer we keep her alive, the higher chance someone from the hotel will figure out she's missing."
"Thought you said Radio Boy was a hot mess right now," Valentino said.
"Well, yeah, but what about the Princess?"
The Vs all burst out laughing.
"You think that namby-pamby princess would dare go up against us?" Vox slapped his knee. "That's the funniest shit I ever heard!"
"That loser chick couldn't hurt a fly!" Velvet showed a Sinstagram photo of Charlie taking a smiling selfie with one of Hell's insects on her wall. "Even if the royals didn't have that 'don't get involved in Overlord business' rule, we could easily take her in a fight!"
"She's not the only one in the hotel who cares about her," Carrie warned.
"Like who? Radio Boy's pet cat? The Princess's squeeze?" Valentino waved a hand. "They're no threats. Even if they do show up, the guards we've got posted upstairs will take care of 'em."
"The canary has a point though," Vox said. "Ring or not, it's only a matter of time before Bambi gets wise to what we're up to."
"Already?" Valentino grunted. "Can't I go a round with her first?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake." Vox slapped his screen. "Must it always be about sex with you? It hasn't even been five minutes!"
"Yeah, but I didn't get to finish with the bird. And this bat bitch has been dodging me for years. You said we'd all get the chance to get even with her."
"I wouldn't mind watching," Carrie said.
"That would make a great grand finale for our tape," Velvet said. "Oh, that'll make the Radio Demon really mad!"
"We've got enough footage as it is," Vox insisted. "Let's not forget what happened last time you got too cocky. Pun very much intended."
"Come on, look at her." Valentino gestured to Tina. "Her spirit's broken. Her mouth is caput. She's got no way of fighting back."
"Then ya might as well fuck her corpse." Vox drew a white revolver from his jacket. The one filled with holy bullets. "We can't afford to waste any more time."
"Just gimme a minute." Valentino swiped the gun from him. "That should be long enough to give this bitch one final punishment before the end."
Knowing better than to argue with his partner while he was armed with a holy weapon, Vox held up his palms and backed away. Velvet got her camera app ready.
"Hey, Lizard Boy," Valentino called over his shoulder. "Wanna watch the show? If you're good, I might even let ya have a turn."
After being taken by the Vs, Camille had been drained of all self-respect. However, this prospect that the woman he hated most in this hellhole would get to suffer in the same fashion as him boosted his energy enough to rise from the bed and join the others at the cross. Carrie avoided his gaze, which was fine. She didn't matter to the chameleon anymore.
Even if he was to be a slave for these perverts for the rest of eternity, at least he would have the satisfaction of witnessing the death of the bitch who killed him.
"It's a shame." Valentino stroked Tina's cheek. "Those nudes you posed for me were really something. You would've made me lots of money. Oh well." His hand wandered down to her chest. "Least I finally got ya right where I want ya."
He cupped her breast. She didn't react. Valentino frowned, then grabbed her behind. Nothing. Tina just kept her eyes downcast and closed.
"What are you waiting for?" Carrie demanded. "Rail her already."
Valentino seethed. "It's no fun if she doesn't struggle."
"Then shoot her," Vox said.
"Just wait. Hey! You asleep or something?" The pimp shook her shoulder. "Wake up! Didn't ya hear what I said?"
He slapped her across the face. Tina's head flopped to the side like a ragdoll.
"Do ya even give a damn that I'm about to rape you?" He clasped his claws around her neck. "Answer me!"
Then came a low moan as her sewed-up mouth twisted.
"Right." Valentino released her. "Suppose ya can't answer me."
He stared at her in contemplation. Then, tucking the gun into his coat, Valentino lifted her head and stuck a claw towards her mouth.
"The fuck are you doing?" Vox demanded. "Do ya want her to release her sonic screech?"
"She knows the cuffs will shock her." Valentino dragged his claw between her lips, snapping the threads one by one. "And I won't make the same mistake of trying to kiss her again."
"But the whole point of sewing up her mouth was so she would feel powerless."
"Come on, Voxy, ain't ya interested to hear her last words?"
Carrie folded her arms. "I am."
"Me too," Camille said.
"Your opinions don't matter here," Vox said. "I swear, Val, if our plan goes awry because of this—"
"I'll make it up to ya in bed later." Valentino cut the last cord. "I'll even let ya use the defibrillator."
Spots of red appeared on the television's screen. He shook the fantasy out of his head.
"Fine. If nothing else, hearing her final pleas will piss Alastor off."
Once the threads were broken, Tina gasped for air. Her lips moved, but she said nothing. They were swollen and numb from the puncture wounds.
Her captors waited for her to speak. For several minutes.
"What? Nothing to say?" Valentino said. "Now that that mouth of yours is finally free, ya got nothing? No screaming? No begging for your life?"
"Forget it, Val," Vox said. "Just do what you were gonna do before—"
Then a sound came. A soft sound. A series of hitches in the Songbat's throat.
"Aw, I think she's gonna cry!" Velvet focused the camera on Tina's face. "You gonna cry, Bat Girl? Come on. I'm sure your hubby would love to see you cry."
The sound grew louder. It wasn't a sob after all. But a chuckle.
Everyone gave their prisoner questioning looks. The chuckle became a laugh. The laugh became a cackle. Then the Songbat lifted her gaze. Her eyes were glowing. Not in their natural purple. But red.
Camille stepped back. "What the fuck?"
"And just what," Vox said, crossing his arms, "is so damn funny?"
Tina wheezed. "Th-Thanks to you—ha-ha—morons, I can die with—ha-ha—no regrets!"
All five of them were disturbed by her sudden maniacal laughter. Velvet lowered her phone, Carrie hid behind Vox, while the men stared at her in bewilderment. The shortness of her ha-has, the twisted nature of her smile, the deliriousness in those glowing, red eyes. It was all eerily familiar.
Vox's screen glitched. "The bitch is as crazy as her psycho husband."
"Ha!" Tina threw back her head. "You're ones to talk! My husband may be a psycho, but at least he ain't kinky about it!"
She rolled her wrists, pointing at Vox and Valentino. "Instead of rapin' his victims, he just goes straight for the kill! Oh, sure, maybe he drags it out a little bit, but least when he cooks 'em into gumbo, they ain't hurtin' no more!"
"Hey, guys?" Velvet whispered to her partners. "Did I miss something, or has Twinkle Toes always been this…unhinged?"
That made Tina laugh even harder. "Ya forgot I can hear everything in this room, dolly!" Her ears twitched. "Ha-ha! But I don't blame ya for being put off! Honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long to finally snap! Ha! Who knew all it would take was my mouth gettin' sewn shut and being forced to watch hours of non-consensual smut! Ha-ha-ha!"
Now the Songbat understood why Alastor smiled and laughed all the time. Even though she was cuffed to a cross, trapped by five of her greatest enemies intending to rape and or kill her, with laughter came this feeling of euphoria. And with euphoria came fearlessness. Not even the stinging from the puncture wounds in her lips could cease her laughter.
Nothing could break her now. She was already broken.
"S-Stop laughing!" Carrie shouted, her voice reducing to a real stutter. "And w-what do you mean n-no regrets? D-Don't you s-see you're about to d-die?"
"Eh." Tina shrugged. "Hard to be scared of death when it's already happened to you once."
"N-Not true!" Carrie stepped up and stuck a finger in the bat's chest. "If you die in H-Hell, that means you n-never come back! You're g-gone! Forever! Don't you g-get that?!"
"Don't you?" Tina tilted her head. "I did wonder about ya, Carrie. How your husband's death would affect ya. Would ya be sad? Would ya hate me if I tried to make it up to ya?"
She sized up the canary. "Now I see ya don't care a lick for the bastard. To think." She scoffed. "I tried dumpin' him to spare your feelings, but you're just as much a sadistic loon as he is.
"And you, Ethan." She turned her gaze on the chameleon cowering behind Valentino. "Can't believe I regretted killin' ya. That I let your death haunt me for years." She widened her grin, showing off her fangs. "I even let ya haunt our daughter."
Camille blinked. "Daughter?"
Carrie glanced between him and Tina. "D-Daughter?"
Velvet gaped as she raised her phone. "Voxy, take notes for those soaps of yours! This is good shit!"
"That's right." Tina shook her head. "Ya died before I could tell ya. Shame. She had your eyes, ya know?" Still smiling, she glared into Camille's shocked blue eyes. "Would've been pretty. If they weren't yours."
Camille looked down at his hands. "I'm a…a father?"
"You bitch!" Carrie screeched as she snatched Tina by the shoulders and shook her. "You had a baby with him too?!"
"Ha-ha! Let me guess!" Tina wasn't even fazed by the outburst. "You were infertile, right? God, it must hurt, knowin' I did what ya never could! Again!"
Carrie clawed at her face. Camille grabbed her around her middle and pulled her back.
"What happened to my daughter?" he demanded. "What was her name?"
"Doesn't matter." Although Tina's cheek was bleeding from the scratches, she kept on giggling.
"You'll never meet her. I made sure of that. After all," she said, pointing upwards, "God never damns babies to Hell."
Camille's hands flew to his mouth. "You…you didn't!"
Funny how he was perfectly fine with committing sexual violence on women, but the idea of harming a child horrified him.
"I did." Tina turned her palms out in a shrugging manner. "Turns out what I did to her was a mercy. Now she'll never learn that her father was a sleazy, spineless asshole that only pimps can make useful."
She turned up her nose. "I made a lotta mistakes in life, and in death, but killing you, Ethan? That was not a mistake. In fact," she said, pointing at the Vs, "compared to what these whackos just did to ya, what I did was small change!"
Her eyes glowed brighter as she scanned her captors. "And ya know something? If ya kill me, my husband won't have anything distractin' him no more. Then he can focus all his time stainin' the streets with your blood, and then feastin' on whatever's left. So, yeah!" She laughed. "The thought of that is fucking hilarious!"
"Shut up!" Valentino slapped her. "Shut the fuck up!"
No matter how many times he slapped her, the laughter would not stop.
"Hey, Al!" Tina looked into the lens of Velvet's phone. "If you're watchin' this, be sure to slather a whole lotta hot sauce on my meat chunks, okay? I know how ya like it spicy!"
"You bitch!" Valentino squeezed her chin. "You won't be laughing after I'm through with ya!"
"Go right on ahead!" She glanced at Camille. "Ain't nothing you can do to me that this pussy ain't already done! Ha-ha!"
"Ugh, screw this!" Carrie stuck her hand into Valentino's coat and pulled out the holy gun. "Let's just fucking kill her al—"
BOOM! The basement shook as an explosion came from above. Followed by a much closer BAM! In her surprise, Carrie had pulled the trigger. Valentino yelped and jumped back as his hat was blown off.
"Crazy canary!" Vox swiped the gun from Carrie. "This thing ain't a fucking toy! Any idea how many demons I had to fry to get ahold of these holy bullets?!"
Valentino grabbed the bird by the neck. "I could've been erased, you idiot! Or was that your plan all along?"
"Yo, dudes." Velvet put down her phone and pointed upwards. "Shouldn't we be more worried about the fucking boom that just happened?"
As she said this, a red ball bounced down the stairs. Camille was the first to notice it. Including the fact that it was lit. Instead of warning the others, he ducked under the giant bed.
The bomb exploded, filling the room with smoke. Everyone coughed and sputtered.
Angel Dust's voice cut through the air. "Someone order a rescue mission?"
Valentino yelped as he was hit from behind with something hard and sharp. He rubbed his back and squinted through the clearing smoke. There stood Angel Dust. Raised over his shoulder was a spiked baseball bat.
"Oh yeah." Angel smirked as he twirled the bat in his hand. "That felt good."
"What the fuck?" Vox said.
"Didn't I warn you, Vox," Alastor said as he materialized behind the television, "to keep your hands off my wife?"
A dark tendril sprang from the floor, going for Vox's neck. But he was quick and grabbed it with an electrified hand.
"Okay," Vox said as he yanked on the tendril, "who's the idiot that gave away our location?"
He glanced at Velvet, who held up her palms.
"I swear, I wasn't streaming! This time! Ow!"
Velvet dropped to her knee. She looked down at the cut in her leg. Niffty released a battle cry as she came charging back towards the ragdoll, armed with two knitting needles. Velvet stumbled to her feet and dodged. Then she took out her own pair of knitting needles and parried Niffty's next attack.
"Well I didn't share our location with anyone." Vox sent a bolt of lightning towards the Radio Demon, only for him to swerve away. "So how did—?"
"Oh, Val!" Angel put a dramatic hand to his forehead, while another pair of hands swung at Valentino. "I'm so sorry, is there any way I can come back to ya?"
Vox scowled at the pimp. "Really?"
"I didn't say anything!" Valentino drew a dagger from his garter. "They must've used some kind of trick!"
"Doesn't matter how we got here." Vaggie jabbed at him from the side, narrowly missing his hip. "We're here to take back our friend."
"Yeah!" Husk jumped onto Vox's back, trapping him in a chokehold. "So give her up!"
By this time, the smoke had cleared. While Vox was busy shaking Husk off his back, Alastor slipped over to the St. Andrew's cross.
"Tina, darling." He took her face in his hands. "Are you alright?"
Despite the excruciating pain in her mouth, Tina pushed it into a genuine grin. "Didn't think you'd show up this time."
"Oh, Tina. I'll always…" His smile shrank when he noticed the bruises and cuts on her face. "What have they done to you?"
"Eh, you know." She shrugged. "Sewed my mouth shut. Hit me a few times. Ya got here just before they could get down there."
His eyes narrowed into radio dials. "I'll kill them."
Tina couldn't believe it. Even after that awful fight, after she abandoned him again, he had still come for her. And was willing to kill for her. As if nothing had changed.
"Why?" she uttered. "After everything, why?"
Alastor's eyes softened to normal. "Mon amour, when will you understand?" Being mindful of her injuries, he pressed his forehead to hers. "There is nothing, nothing in all of Heaven or Hell that will stop me from coming to your aid. Oh, my sweet darling, can you ever forgive—?"
"Hey!" Husk cried. "Can ya save the sissy talk for after we deal with these guys?!"
His voice alerted Alastor just in time to sense the electric coil launching towards him. Swiveling, he summoned a shadowed tentacle to catch it and absorb the electricity.
"Perhaps we should discuss this later," he said.
Tina nodded. "Agreed."
There was so much that needed to be said between them, but that could wait until they were out of danger.
"I'll go fetch the key." He turned back to kiss her forehead. "Hang tight, sweetheart."
She gestured downward. "Not much of a choice here."
The Radio Demon gave his beloved one last look before meeting Vox head-on. Last time, the key to Tina's shackles had been tucked away in the television's jacket. So, Alastor summoned more tendrils to pick at his pockets. Hopefully, Angel, Vaggie, Husk and Niffty would distract the others long enough for him for him to find the key. Then once Tina was free, she could use her sonic screech to incapacitate the Vs and they could all get back to the hotel.
Carrie, who didn't have much in the way of physical combat, backed towards the stairwell. Only for it to be blocked by Velvet pushing Niffty backwards with their dual knitting swordplay. With no other options, Carrie dropped to the floor and crawled towards the bed. Vaggie, seeing her out of the corner of her eye, left the battle with Valentino to investigate.
Meanwhile, Angel was swinging at Valentino with all his might. "I've waited so long for this!"
The pimp blocked his blow, wedging his dagger into the spiked bat. "You dirty traitor!"
Angel was caught off-guard as Valentino used his other hands to snatch his wrists. The action took Angel back to all those times he'd taken him. And that left him frozen stiff.
"I give you everything," Valentino said as he pulled him closer, "and this is how you repay me?!"
He squeezed the spider's chin. "Just cuz I ain't got your soul no more, doesn't mean I can't punish ya."
A shot fired. Valentino cried out and dropped Angel. Husk stood behind the pimp with a smoking pistol.
"Really wish Al had let me bring holy bullets." Husk raised his hands. "'I don't wanna accidentally shoot Tina,' he says! But it would make this fight a lot easier!"
Though Valentino's shoulder was sore, he spun around and seized the cat. "You should've never gotten involved in this, kitty! Now, I'm gonna—"
That woke Angel up in time to whack the pimp on the head, knocking him out. "That's my kitty you're talkin' to, asshole!"
"Not your kitty," Husk grumbled.
"If ya say so." Angel winked.
On the other side of the room, Vox fried two of Alastor's shadowed tendrils in both hands. "You've gotten rusty, old man."
"Rusty? Me? Ha!" Alastor used a series of smaller tentacles to poke and prod at Vox's jacket. "I'm not the one made of metal."
A minute went by of the Radio Demon trying to fend off Vox while searching his pockets. Alastor's brow furrowed as his tendrils came up empty.
"Where is—?"
"Looking for the key, Bambi?" Vox laughed, electric wires grabbing the tiny tentacles. "Ya think after last time, I'd be stupid enough to leave the key on me? You won't find it here."
Damn it. Alastor would have to find another way to free Tina. Surely, if he hit the blasted bucket of bolts enough, he would tell him where the key was.
"Should've known you three were up to something other than a few insignificant photos." Alastor wrapped a large tentacle around Vox's middle. "You've been trying to separate me and Tina from the beginning."
"Us?" Vox zapped the tentacle, making it loosen its grip. "We barely did anything. It weren't our fault you and the little bat couldn't make it work." He gestured to the Songbat on the cross. "Oh, sure, maybe we gave ya a nudge with them nudes, but you two did most of the fucking up for us."
Alastor weaved through an onslaught of electric coils. "Why wait this long then? Tina left me ten years ago. What kept you from taking her before?"
"Because," Vox said, rolling his eyes, "ya wouldn't fucking leave the bitch alone! Not even my person on the inside could get you to go away! Not to mention she just wouldn't get over you!"
Alastor grinned at Tina. "Is this true? You never got over me?"
"Focus, dumbass!" Tina shouted.
Fortunately, she snapped him back to his senses in time to duck from Vox's coils.
"Then there was that ring of hers," the television said. "We couldn't make a move until she ditched the damn thing."
"And that," Alastor said, pointing, "is where you made your mistake. To think a ring was the only thing tying me to Tina." While his tentacles fended off the coils, he placed a hand over his chest. "As long as my heart beats for her, and hers for me, we will always be there for each other."
"Gross." Vox stuck out a virtual tongue. "Marriage has made you even cornier." Then he smirked. "Well, we won't have to worry 'bout your hearts beating for much longer."
While everyone else was dueling, Vaggie was peering under the giant bed. There, she found Carrie crawling away from a naked chameleon.
"Seriously, let's get outta here while they're distracted," Camille whispered.
"They'll just find us later, genius!" Carrie hissed. "It doesn't matter if we get away!"
"Carrie." Vaggie aimed her spear under the bed. "You've got some explaining to do."
The canary's eyes widened. Then she sniffed.
"Oh, M-Miss Vaggie! Thank g-goodness you've come!" She poked her head out so Vaggie could see the tears. "I'm s-sorry! They m-made me help them! I had no ch-choice!"
Vaggie lowered her spear and backed away to give Carrie room to crawl out. "I knew it. They tricked you into giving your soul away, didn't they?"
Even though they'd discussed Carrie's betrayal, Vaggie had found it hard to believe such a meek little soul could have a malicious bone in her body. It made sense that she would be as much a victim of circumstance as Tina.
"P-Please," Carrie said, her eyes glistening as the tears flowed, "can you h-help me?"
"Of course." Vaggie held out her hand. "Let's get you out of here."
It was then that Tina noticed what Carrie was doing from across the room. "Vaggie, wait! Carrie is not what you think she is!"
"Huh?" Vaggie turned and picked at the plug in her earhole. "Sorry, what did you—?"
She was cut off as Carrie tackled Vaggie, forcing her to drop the spear. With no weapon of her own to use, Carrie sunk her teeth into the moth's shoulder. Vaggie screamed in pain.
Alastor turned at the sound. Upon seeing the canary who'd betrayed his beloved, he growled.
"Husk, Angel!" he shouted. "If you're done with the pimp, take care of this bucket of bolts for me!"
He slithered away while Husk and Angel stepped in to fight Vox.
Carrie and Vaggie rolled on the floor, the former ripping into the latter's flesh. Her beak was a lot sharper than it looked. While the Radio Demon was all for cannibalism, and wasn't too fond of Vaggie, he hated the canary even more. He pulled on Carrie's ponytail, prying her off Vaggie, then raised her to his eye level.
"I ought to deep fry you for what you did to my darling." Alastor snarled as he took the canary's arm. "But I think this will hurt a lot more."
He opened his maw. Instead of freaking out, Carrie only smiled. Tina saw this, and figured out what her plan was.
"Al, stop! Her feathers are—"
But it was too late. The Radio Demon had already chomped down on Carrie's arm. She did not cry out, or even whimper. She simply watched and waited.
Then Alastor opened his eyes in alarm. He dropped the canary and coughed. He'd eaten feathered beings before, but never had one tasted so…well, fowl.
"What…?" Feathers sputtered from his mouth as he clutched his throat. "What is this?!"
"Her feathers are toxic, you idiot!" Tina shouted.
"That's right." Carrie chuckled on the floor, not even caring that her arm was bleeding. "They won't kill you, but you'll be out within minutes."
She said this with such conviction that the Radio Demon couldn't doubt it was true. How else could she have drugged Tina earlier? His body was durable against most injuries, but not toxins.
He had to free Tina before it could take effect.
"What now?" Vaggie cradled her bleeding shoulder as she stood. "You couldn't find the key?"
Alastor shook his head. "Vox doesn't have it on him. And I am not certain picking the locks will work on these particular shackles."
"We should at least try. Here." Vaggie took a bobby pin from her hair. "Get your shadows or whatever. If Carrie's right, you don't have much time. And I don't know how much longer the others can keep this up."
Sure enough, Angel Dust and Husk were already panting from dueling Vox. Niffty had several cuts staining her dress. And Valentino was waking up and glaring daggers at Angel.
"Can you still fight?" Alastor asked Vaggie.
She rolled her injured shoulder. "I can push through the pain."
"Good." One of his shadows sprang up and took the hairpin. "Then buy me time."
Vaggie picked up her spear and she and Alastor returned to the fray. She went for Valentino, while he assisted Angel and Husk with Vox.
The shadow slithered over to the St. Andrew's cross and inserted the hairpin into the shackle on Tina's left wrist. As soon as it did, the shackle sparked to life. Both Tina and the shadow wailed.
"I don't think that'll work," she said. "Maybe the key's somewhere upstairs?"
The shadow nodded and floated towards the stairs. Then it stopped and slumped over.
"What's wrong?" Tina asked.
The shadow did not seem to hear her. It let out a moan and then disappeared into the floor.
Its master, meanwhile, could already feel Carrie's toxin taking over his body. His vision blurred and his movements slowed. With every second that passed, he found it harder and harder to control his shadows. One of Vox's coils managed to strike his side, sending an unpleasant shock through him.
Husk stood in front of him to block the next attack. "You okay, boss?"
Alastor shook his head. "The bird…wasn't…lying."
He clutched his chest as his heartbeat rang in his ears. He had to keep going. He couldn't collapse now when his beloved needed him most.
This whole time, Camille had been cowering under the bed. Why did he get himself into this mess? He should've known better than to get involved with the Vs. Even if he survived this ordeal, he was still stuck as their property for all eternity.
Then he spotted something white and pristine a few feet away. The revolver filled with holy bullets.
He grinned as he crept out from the bed and reached towards the gun. Perhaps there was a way out of this, after all.
"Oh, no you don't." Carrie snatched up the gun. "You're not taking this away from me!"
"Hey, come on!" Camille jumped up and swiped for it. "This is as much my revenge as it is yours! Let me be the one to fire it!"
"Not in a million years!"
"Give it to me, bitch!"
Carrie aimed the gun at him. "I'm not your bitch."
Camille stepped back and raised his palms. "Okay, okay. All yours, baby."
She snorted as she turned the revolver on the St. Andrew's cross. Husk was the first to notice her.
"Boss!" He pointed. "Holy gun!"
Everyone turned and multiple things happened at once. Camille and the Vs ducked for cover. Angel and Vaggie sprang towards Carrie with their hands outstretched. Alastor leaped across the room.
And Carrie pulled the trigger.
That's right, I'm a jerk.
