The Colors And The Deal With Death - Chapter VIII: The Dance With Death

As I step through the door, I find myself at the top of a balcony, overlooking a huge dimly lit room, where people in all shapes and sizes are wearing suits and dresses like this one, maybe not as awesome as this one, but still. A group of violinists play softly in the corner, playing a sultry and creepy, yet somehow calming melody, though everyone is still just standing around and talking amongst their little cliques. While I have always wanted to go to one of these parties, the nice kind, not the front for a drug-riddled orgy pile kind, I have to remind myself that I’m here for a reason, to take my life back, and that starts with letting the other two in.

Not wanting anyone to see the rest of my face, I reach into the pocket of this gown and find a little black fan, as I wave it open and hold it against my face. Passing by a few groups of people who have settled themselves next to the stairs, I gently slip by them, like a fly on the wall. I start to walk down the stairs, the floorboards creaking with every step I make, which signals everyone to turn towards me.

“Crap. Slowly, slowly. Come on Lizzie, you can do this. Lady steps.” I tell myself quietly, as I stay completely still until everyone goes back to what they were doing.

Remembering what I taught myself years ago in case of a potential date, I walk down the stairs with a little more grace, putting one foot in the other with more fathomless finesse than a swan princess. As a result, the creaks, albeit not entirely gone, are quiet enough for people to not notice them. As I get to the last step, I see that the ground floor is much bigger than it looks on the outside, with a huge dance floor in the centre, where the pews likely stood once upon a time, made even more apparent with the remnants of the dust that built up over the years. At the front of the room, a huge stage area stands proudly, as the men and women in purple, likely the patrons of this party, watch us from that position, standing completely still. Behind them, there are red velvet curtains covering the rest of the stage area. I suppose that’s where the pews are being kept for the time being.

Making sure not to say a word, I pass by the people who are just standing around, making my way to the room under the women’s restroom. No sign of Mandy just yet, but if she really is here, she’s in for a hell of a ride, if all things should go to plan. Where the hell is she?

Finally, my normal outfit, how I missed you so much. As I take that stupid hat off and take back my staff, I can feel the power from the crown once again flowing through me, the coldest yet the most outstanding feeling in the world. I guess I should just wait behind the curtains until it’s time. No doubt the others discovered my little trick, so it should be fun to see them fall with such anger in their stares.

“Miss Carlyle? Everything okay?” One of the Founders says to me, standing just behind me.

“Hey. Don’t sneak up on me like that, you pest. I mean, yeah, I’m fine. Just watching the festivities before I step in.” I say, a little surprised, but I can’t show my colours just yet.

He walks away and I go back to watching the people just stand there like sculptures in a outlandish art museum.

“When I see that Lizzie again, I’m going to get her. You saw what she had. I should have taken it when I had the chance.” The woman in white says, from... somewhere.

I poke my head out of the curtains, and see the white and red ones talking from the makeshift bar just across from the stage. They seem to be wearing the outfits I found for them, though I can’t tell with this dim red lighting.

“I know what I saw, but let’s just give her the benefit of the doubt before ambushing her, okay? Why don’t you get another drink and I’ll go see about requesting your new song with the band?” The man in red asks, finishing his drink, putting it back on the table and walking away.

“Oooh please do. That should liven up this graveyard a little.” The woman in white says, knocking back her drink like some men I have known in the past were able to do.

So I haven’t been discovered yet, but I think it’ll be better to stay here for the time being, if she’s going to cause this much of a scene already. I still can’t believe I have managed to poison them against poor little Lizzie without even trying. Don’t worry, dear sister, you’ll make it up again in the afterlife.

In the next room, I find the kitchen area, where something smells nice in the white oven by the corner of the room. It smells like something chocolate, something I honestly haven’t tried in- Ahhhh!

I suddenly fall to my knees, my stomach starts to get worse, until the pain makes my vision go dark and blurry. Time is running out, as I have yet another weight to carry before I inevitably explode. Adjusting to the pain, I can’t help but wonder how everyone back in Watcher Central is holding out, as I walk through the kitchen, going to the back wall, where the other two are most likely on the other side. I knock on the thin plastered wall three times before a giant portal-like hole appears, letting me see Brooklyn and Bonnie on the other side.

“Wow Lizzie, you’ve changed since I’ve last seen you.” Brooklyn says, nudging me on the shoulder and wolf whistling at me.

“Thanks. Alright, you two are in now. I have a plan. The balcony upstairs overlooks the stage area here. Since Mandy is the guest of honour here, she should be making a speech on that stage. That is the best time to-“ I explain to the two as they open another portal to the next room.

“Don’t sweat it, short stuff. I hear you loud and clear. You go find those friends and wait for the fireworks. We got it from here.” Brooklyn says, as the two disappear into the portal, closing just behind them.

Heeding their words, after my work is done, I take one last whiff of that chocolates goodness and go back to the main room, slipping back into the crowd before anyone had noticed I was even gone.

On the other side of the room, through a small gap in the crowd, I can see a little seating area with four people I know very well, talking amongst themselves like they’re bored. They all seem to be wearing new outfits to blend in with the crowd. Poppy is wearing a strange yellow dress, made from what appears to be feathers from a giant canary, with a feathery yellow mask. Andy is wearing a black suit with a red tie, with a red face mask. Nuko is wearing a similar suit, but it looks a little more stained and tattered around the edges, prettied up with a pristine green tie. On his face, he is wearing a patchwork face mask, very fitting. Roxy is in a blue dress with little snowflakes and stars around it, along with the face mask. Her dress however looks about two sizes too small, making her... features stand out a bit, though with the way she is covering herself with her arms, I’m sensing she’s not all too thrilled about the fact.

Alright, enough of me just staring at them, I owe it to myself to demand an explanation of why they left me to die back there. Another thing that crosses my mind is wondering where Blanche is. As I slowly walk towards them, they each turn back to me, and their reactions are... disappointingly lukewarm.

“Hey Lizzie, that was quick. Hey, you look lovely. Check it out, it’s like I’m wearing a giant chick... oh god, I hope not. That would be awful.” Poppy says to me, looking at me from all angles before getting herself no doubt upset over her own words.

“You’re fine, Poppy. Anyway, I really have to ask you guys some quest-“ I say before the band suddenly starts to grow louder.

We all look over and see that Blanche, in her white battle outfit, is now with the rest of the band, as she takes the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you all ready for something a little more upbeat? This is a little ditty I’ve been playing around with, and I expect you all to lose your frickin’ minds out on that dance floor. 3,2,1 go!” Blanche shouts in the microphone before a heavy beat with the drums, guitar and violin kicks in.

“I wanted her to request her song, but she said they wouldn’t do it justice, so she wanted in.” Andy says, looking at her with a half smile on his face, bursting with both pride and worry.

“Oooh, can we just enjoy ourselves for a while?” Poppy asks, jumping excitedly.

“Well, we technically have a few minutes before midnight when everything starts, so sure, why not.” Roxy says, continuing to keep an eye on the main stage, waiting for someone to come on.

It’s strange, everyone is just going on as if nothing ever happened, as if I’ve been with them this whole time or something. I want to say something to them so bad, but making sure this plan goes off without a hitch is more important for now. All I have to do is wait for midnight, and I’ll be-

“Come on Lizzie, you gotta have some fun too.” Poppy says, grabbing my hand, pulling me with her and making me lose my train of thought.

Oh no, where is she taking me? I don’t belong in a lot of places and scenarios, but the dance floor is definitely in my bottom 10, for sure. I can feel myself start to tense up, my throat shrivels dry as a bone, my face starts to burn red. Throughout all of these years, I have had to live with one huge flaw, something I never thought I would need and never thought to fix... I don’t know how to dance, like at all.

As the four of us approach the dance floor, I go to tell Poppy the bad news, but I would honestly hate to see her disappointed puppy dog eyes again. Am I going soft? I think I must be.

As Blanche starts to sing her tune, Poppy starts to dance in time to the music, her dress twirling with the motions, little feathers coming off it as she goes, floating gently into the air. I try my best to recreate what I see other people doing, but I somehow look even stupider than I anticipated. As I turn to leave in embarrassment, my face burning on the inside, as a drop of sweat cascades from my forehead, I feel Poppy grab my hand, which just makes me more embarrassed.

“Not the dancing type? Don’t worry about it, I’m not either. Just do what comes natural.” Poppy says to me, before pulling me in slowly.

We start to dance together, trying my best not to look around, feeling leering eyes on us. After many years of judgemental eyes on me, I have grown numb to it, so I say let them look. After a few minutes, the song ends and everyone applauds the band and Blanche.

“Thank you, thank you, you’ve all been wonderful. Thankfully, I have one last song that I can sing for you tonight.” Blanche says, before a slower song starts to play, and though she seems to be looking in our direction, she seems to be leering at me in an angry way...

Wait, did she want to get rid of me back there? No, she couldn’t have, we became friends... but what if she was just pretending? I’ll have to talk to her later about it.

“Well, that was fun. Onto the next one, eh?” Poppy asks, skipping off towards Nuko, who is just staring vacantly into space, likely looking for escapism in this land of boredom.

As Nuko and Poppy meet, I can see Andy walking towards me, though I already know what he’s coming for.

“Shall we?” Andy asks me, offering me his hand, like a prince from those cheesy princess movies.

“Lead on.” I say, taking his hand, hoping he knows what he is doing.

As the song continues to play, we start to dance together to the slow song, though his hand is pressing into my back. Trying to spare his feelings, I take his hand and lift it up a little. Other than that, he seems to know what he’s doing, allowing me to just mimic what he is doing, and at least look presentable. To my surprise, he picks me up as if I was a rag doll and spins me gently before putting me back to the floor. As much as I have always hated seeing that move, experiencing it for myself makes me see it in a whole new light. Before too long into the song, Poppy and Nuko come over, still dancing together. Too perfect to not be planned, the two men spin us in their arms, essentially trading us, as Nuko catches me.

Now dancing with Nuko, I quickly notice a change in styles, since he is a little less gentle than Andy was, as we spin and swing, though I can’t say I entirely hate it. Before we know it, the song is over, as the sound of applause once again erupts into the air. As I take in what just happened, my heart starts to pound in my chest, the fastest I’ve ever felt before. I just hope it’s not what I think it is.

“Thank you, thank you. Good night. Love you all.” Blanche says, the brightest smile on her face.

Blanche jumps down from the stage, and walks towards us, as everyone goes back to doing what they were doing before, and the band continue playing their ambient tunes.

“Hey, you were pretty good. Do it again sometime?” Nuko asks, holding his hand out for a high five.

“Of course.” I say to him, not knowing fully what to say, as I reciprocate the high five, a small smile on my face.

As we all regroup, everyone is crowding around Blanche, as she continues to stare at me in a menacing way. What the hell did I do to her this time?

“Another great show. I knew you couldn’t go five seconds without being the centre of attention.” Andy says, knowing how she is better than any of us.

“You were incredible out there.” Poppy says, rubbing her shoulder in excitement.

Without another word, Blanche walks towards me before coming to my side. She comes to my ear, as I stay completely still, preparing my body for anything that she can throw at me.

“Meet me outside in five minutes. We have to talk.” Blanche says, sounding more disappointed than angry, before walking away from us.

“Blanche?” Roxy asks, watching her go.

“Oh no. Lizzie, I wouldn’t.” Andy says, looking in my direction.

“I will. After I see what she wants, I have to talk to you all as well.” I say, trying not to get too angry, especially after what turned out to be a pretty nice moment between us.

As everyone falls silent, I walk out of the chapel, as the front doors slam in the wind behind me. With a heavy heart, I walk towards Blanche, who is standing by the car, waiting for me.

“Thank you for coming alone. I don’t want this to get out to everyone else.” Blanche says, the same disappointed tone in her voice.

“Blanche, what is this all about?” I ask her, genuinely confused why she has it out for me all of a sudden.

“You know damn well what this is about, and I want it back.” Blanche says, raising her voice, as she pulls herself up from the car.

As we face each other, the wind grows stronger, a change that only the two of us can appreciate.

“I suppose you were the one that told the others to go without me, right?” I ask, wanting the truth from him before I can begin to trust her again.

“What are you talking about? Please Lizzie, you promised. You promised that you would catch the culprit, and here she is, in all her hypocrisy.” Blanche says, walking closer to me.

“I’m assuming you mean the necklace you mentioned the other day? Why would I have it? I’m looking for-“ I try to explain before she puts her finger to my lips.

“Why do you lie? I saw you wear it so proudly when we arrived. I’m not asking for much here. Give it to me, and nothing has to happen.” Blanche says to me, getting a little more angry towards me.

“I’m not lying. This has to stop, we came here for a reason, we have to find-“ I try to say to her, before she pushes me into one of the many cars around us.

“You know what, I’ve always looked past your rough shell and toxic personality because I thought you were a good person underneath. All I want is what belongs to me.” Blanche says, her hands shaking and her breathing rapidly getting faster, as if she doesn’t really want to do this.

“Toxic personality? At least I keep to myself. I don’t live my life just to impress people and become the centre of attention.” I say, dusting myself off as I prepare myself for the worst.

In a fit of anger, she attempts to punch me five times, as fast as she can, but I manage to block four of them, before grabbing her fist on the last one. With a tight grip on his fist, I dash behind her and kick out her legs, bringing her to her knees. I pull back her arm as far as it can go without causing lasting damage, as she starts to shout in pain. As I keep it there for a moment, Blanche begins to sob quietly on the floor, little tears hitting the dry dirt, forming little puddles.

Feeling bad for her, I let go of her fist gently, as she rubs her arm.

“Screw it. I’m not a fighter. I’m nothing like my parents wanted me to be. I gave up their expectations to pursue my dream, and look where it got me. Keep it if you want, I give up.” Blanche says, trying to pick herself up with one arm, but is unable to.

“I know I’m one to talk, but don’t think like that. I’m terribly sorry, but I really don’t have the necklace.” I say, wondering how she even came to that conclusion.

Before Blanche can respond, we can hear a familiar scream coming from the inside. Knowing the voice instinctively, the two of us immediately turn to each other.

“Poppy!” We both shout, as we run for the door as fast as we can.

We slam the door open, and see that shocks us both to our very cores. Most of the partygoers are sprawled out on the floor, lifeless without a fighting chance. The sight makes us feel a little sick, just thinking about all of the families that they will leave behind. The few survivors remaining panic and run past the two of us. In the right corner of the room, the other four are all checking the people for survivors.

We run to join them, as we check frantically for survivors with them.

“What the hell happened here?” Blanche asks, running from person to person in a panic.

“I don’t know. They were all in their own little groups, and they all suddenly fell.” Nuko says, putting his ear to one of their mouths.

“I tried to save them, I honestly tried. This is just horrible. This is so horrible.” Poppy says, trembling and shaking with the most upset look on her face.

Before I can open my mouth to speak, we hear footsteps from behind the stage curtains, growing louder and louder. We all watch helplessly, preparing ourselves for whatever steps from behind the velvet.

“That was too easy. Okay, now I’ve had my fill, time to head back.” A woman voice says, as she slowly lifts the curtains.

As she steps out, the air goes cold, and the smell of death grows in intensity, filling the room. We are a little too far away to see her face, but it looks like she is wearing a dress of bone, with a sceptre in her hand, complete with a glowing green orb placed on top. On her head, she seems to be wearing a green crown.

“Ahh. Of all the people who lived, it had to be the people I wanted dead the most. It’s true that cockroaches don’t go down easy.” The woman says, in an annoyed yet sarcastic tone as she comes to the end of the stage.

“Let’s just say we weren’t going to fall for any tricks this time.” I say to her, slowly forgetting how it felt to not feel this pain in my stomach.

“Oh. You’re alive too?” The woman asks, before laughing at me, getting louder and louder until it devolves into a scream. “This is certainly a surprise.”

“I’m guessing you’re the one who did all of this? From the frothing of the mouths, I’m assuming it was something in the water?” Roxy asks, pushing up her glasses.

“Actually, it was the wine.” The woman exclaims, as if it makes a notable difference.

“You... you... you big old meanie!” Poppy screams to her, with more anger in her voice than I thought possible.

Poppy suddenly starts running at the woman, as we all try and fail to catch her in time. Just shy of the woman at the end of the stage, she gasps before looking back in my direction.

“What’s the matter, little bird? Is there something on my face?” The woman asks, as she jumps off the stage and pushes Poppy to the side, making her fall on the floor.

“Poppy!” We all shout, as the others all run towards the woman.

One by one, the four of them swing for her, but they are quickly subdued and brought to the floor, as if she is kind of superhuman. With nobody in her way, she walks slowly towards me. A strange shiver crawls down my back, feeling an uncomfortable air around this woman, which only grows as she walks closer. This all feels so familiar, but I honestly thought that it was just from a dream. Before I can even think more on the matter, her face comes into view, and she looks... like me...

Suddenly, everything made sense to me, like a lightbulb in my head flickering to life.

“Now I understand. You’re the one who used my name, the one who slaughtered all of those innocents.” I say, finally able to piece it all together in my mind.

“Wait, you were the one who took my mother’s necklace too.” Blanche says, picking herself up from the ground, and while I can see the fire in her eyes rekindling.

“Oh, you mean this one? You were that bratty little princess? Here. Take it.” The woman says, taking the necklace off her neck, holding it out towards Blanche.

Blanche slowly reaches out to grab the necklace from her hand, but as she grabs it, the woman suddenly grabs her wrist. She then pulls out a pocket knife from the lining of her gown and plunges it into Blanche’s stomach, pulling it downwards a little, making a thick incision in her skin, as blood pours from out of her bare midriff. As I run towards the two, Blanche’s eyes grow heavy as she falls to her knees, fruitlessly pulling out the wound, trying to keep it together, but the blood still pours from between her fingers. The woman, not yet satisfied, licks the knife clean before aiming for her neck.

With no concern of my own safety, I punch her hand to make her drop the knife to the ground, before the second fist lands on her jaw, making her double back, though it didn’t seem to phase her at all.

“Who the hell are you?” I ask her angrily, as I tend to Blanche, who is trying to crawl towards the door, still clinging to life.

“Come on Lizzie, you really forgot about your big sister? I suppose that’s understandable, since our so called father burned all the pictures of me, as if I never existed. It’s me, Amanda. Although, you can call me Mandy. And this thing on my head is the almighty Crown of Death... bet you wish you had one right now.” Mandy says, walking towards me, as the air grows more and more stagnant.

I can hear strange whispers in the air, and though the words are muffled and unintelligible, I can sense they are in distress and pain.

“You’re no sister of mine. You’re nothing to me.” I say to her, taking out the gun and shooting three times, landing in the arm, chest and forehead.

Though she remains still for a moment, she springs back to life, as the bullets slowly leave her skin and fall to the floor with the faint sound of lead hitting the hardwood floor. She looks at me and smiles, before she dashes towards me.

“You guys find safety, and patch Blanche up, I’ll deal with this.” I say, finally finding my confidence in the midst of action to spout out commands, like a leader.

I watch as the others quickly run out of the building as the wind slams the doors closed, but as soon as I look back to Mandy, she is standing right in front of me, as if she was just waiting for me to notice. She grabs me by the neck with her hands, which despite her gloves, feel so cold as she lifts me off the ground.

“You know, I have a lot to thank you for, Lizzie. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off so brilliantly. And for that, you deserve a second chance.” Mandy says, as she drops me back to the hard floor.

As I fight for my breath back, crawling on the floor like some sick puppy, Mandy cracks her knuckles as she backs away a couple of feet, smiling a creepy grin in my direction.

“If you can beat me fair and square, I promise I won’t rip you and your cowardly little friends apart tonight.” Mandy says, putting a small black sword on the floor before kicking it towards me.

I pick up the sword, as though I may put on a brave face for the others, I have never been more terrified about the promise of a fight. She extends and wiggles her finger to me, beckoning and daring me to make the first move, though she chooses to remain unarmed.

“Fine. I was just getting sick of you anyway.” I say as I run towards her, the demons inside relishing at every moment.

I swing the sword at her multiple times, but she seamlessly dodges everything I throw at her, like trying to grab smoke. Even after putting all of my energy into that one flurry, not one hit landed.

“Finished already? I must say, I’m disappointed.” Mandy says, as she grabs my hand and drops the sword to the floor.

As I go to pick up the sword, she whacks my nose with an uppercut, as I hear an unhealthy crunch echo out. I land on the floor, as she stands just above me.

“Maybe I was wrong about you after all. All I wanted was a challenge to mark the end of an era, but you had to go and ruin it.” Mandy says, before kicking me in my ribs, harder than the buck of a horse.

I try to stop myself from screaming out in pain, but it is far too overwhelming to contain, as she presses her foot into my already pained stomach.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t give you a chance. It’s been fun while it lasted, but the party is officially over.” Mandy says, squeezing down tighter.

Suddenly, the black sword reappears, going through Mandy’s chest, as her cold blood pours on me. Brooklyn appears from behind her, leaning over her shoulders.

“Br- Brooklyn.” I say, shockingly lost for words to describe my happiness to see her.

“Miss us? We decided to let things play out for a while, and see how you’d cope. You have a lot to learn still, kiddo.” Brooklyn says, pushing the sword in deeper.

“You two again? You can take me on a thousand times, but you can’t kill death itself.” Mandy says, surprisingly calm and casual about the situation she is in.

“Maybe, but we think we found your weakness, and I’m eager to put it to the test. So, how about you leave the small fries and entertain us instead?” Brooklyn says, moving aside to show Bonnie, who looks angry.

“Alright. Just one last thing.” Mandy says, waving her hands, as the crown starts to glow with a green aura. Suddenly, like something from a hyper-realistic horror movie, all of the partygoers that died tonight... start to spring to life and stand up by themselves.

“Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served. It’s been nice knowing you... sister.” Mandy says, before getting punched into the portal by Bonnie, as the two follow her, the portal closing a second later, leaving me on the floor as an army of the damned start to loom over me.

The people all have their eyes to their heads, still frothing at the mouth and completely void of any life. As they try to grab me, I bat them away and try my best to get back to my feet, putting my whole being into ignoring the immense agony, but I am unable to, just falling back to the floor as my stupid body fails me.

As we push the scumbag through the portal, we arrive back at the other side of the door, where the graveyard of cars remain, like obedient puppies waiting for the owner that never came back... wow, I made myself feel bad for something as stupid as a car. Anyway, back to the asskicking. Across the way, I see the four of Lizzie’s friends, as they tend to the singer’s wound from earlier. They all turn around immediately to look at us, as Bonnie and I hold Mandy down to the ground.

“Hey, Lizzie’s in trouble in there. Be a dear and go help her, would you?” I ask them, in the kindest and calmest way I can.

The others all grab their weapons from their car and run towards the door, and the singer seems a lot better all of a sudden, for someone who was just shanked in the side. As they open the door, the yellow bird girl doubles back, with a serious look on her face.

“Wait, the only reason we came here was for the cure to that toxin. Could you find it in your heart to-“ The girl asks in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard.

“Give you a cure? If you feel confident enough, find me in the castle between reality and fantasy, and I’ll think about making you one.” Mandy says, giggling to herself as she manages to break free of our grip and picks herself up off the ground.

The girl runs to the door, closing it behind her, as Mandy vanishes into smoke. She reappears just behind us, swinging one of her many black swords at us, which we both avoid by just a hair. Using her strength, Bonnie manages to pick up one of the many cars, throwing it at her, but instead of just dodging it, Mandy uses the same sword to cut right through it.

“Girls, why don’t you just accept the fact that you’ll never win?” Mandy asks, just standing there, too confident in the belief that there is nothing we can do... how wrong she will be.

With a plan in my mind, I gesture for Bonnie that the plan is in action, as I keep Mandy busy. I pull out my guns, and just open fire at her. Although they all land, and create little holes around her body, which no longer have blood left to pour out, she walks towards me, taking off her gloves.

“You know what? I thought it was cute at first, but this has gotten out of hand. If you’re not going to stop following me, I’ll just have to end it here.” Mandy says, as I get the impression that maybe, just maybe, she is sick of seeing us... oh well.

As she drops her sword to take off her safety gloves, Bonnie comes up behind her and gives her a bear hug, holding her place. She tries to break through, as she materialises balls of fire that fall on Bonnie, though she bears with it for the time being, like a true trooper. I take the sword and begin to saw at her neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Mandy asks me, putting on an astounding poker face for someone who’s about to feel a weight lifted from her shoulders.

“We’re giving you a deep tissue massage, what do you think we’re doing?” I ask, putting most of my energy in cutting through her thick skin.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Mandy says, chuckling under her breath, like she knows what is going to happen.

“Hey, if this doesn’t kill you, I will just show it to the master, say we did you in, and return it. We get paid, and you run free. Everyone wins.” I say, wanting her to see the brilliance of the plan, since she is probably just as bored of it as we are.

As I finally make the final cut, Bonnie pulls at her head, as it comes clean off. Suddenly, huge black tentacle appendages emerge from her neck. We try our best to fight them off, but we are grabbed by our legs and tossed about like ragdolls. Oh, a tree-

Slowly losing consciousness, I still attempt to pull myself up to my feet, but I am completely surrounded by these disgusting creatures, who all try to sink their teeth into me. The heat from all of the bodies, alongside my claustrophobia makes me sweat from top to toe and makes my vision go blurry, to the point where I can’t make a single shot with my gun anymore. I just hope the others got out safe.

Suddenly, I can hear people walking towards me, cutting down the human remains as they go. I look over and see Andy offering me his hand, smiling down at me. I take his hand as he helps me to my feet.

“Lizzie, thank the stars you’re alive. Come on, we got to get out of here.” Andy says, cutting through the ghouls left and right with his heavy sword.

Fighting for our lives, we decide to stand close to each other and form a circle, making sure no one can sneak up on us.

“How are we going to win this? I really don’t like this.” Poppy says, taking potshots from afar with her bow, visibly wincing at every hit.

“Hey Nuko, you thinking what I’m thinking?” Roxy asks, poking Nuko and winking.

“Really? You’re going to let me do it?” Nuko asks, in a very excited tone.

“Yeah, just don’t overdo it this time.” Roxy says, as she points to the four support beams around the room. “Hey Andy, could you help us secure a path to the beams?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Andy says, leading the group of three towards the beams, cutting the ghouls as they cross their path.

“The rest of you should get as far away from this place as can be, this place is going to light up the sky like the Fourth of July.” Nuko says, speaking confidently, like he feels in complete control of the situation.

The rest of us run to the entrance, avoiding and whacking the ghouls as we go. As we run outside, it doesn’t take long before the other three join us, closing the door, as we all barricade the doors with the bins that are scattered around the outside.

“So, what did you do?” I ask, wondering what they were doing in there, since we have already escaped so easily.

“It’s one of Nuko’s little surprises. You’ll find out. For now, let’s just get the hell out of here.” Roxy says, as she grabs my arm and starts running.

We all quickly run towards the car, dump the weapons, and start to drive away. Damn, I just noticed that this lovely gown is nearly completely tattered and torn, just a reminder that nothing good ever happens to me. As soon as we reach a sizeable distance away from the building, we all watch the building as it bursts into flames and eventually collapses in on each other. I start to feel terrible for the people who were left in there, but honestly, I think they’d have preferred it this way, finally free. Mandy isn’t just a woman who looks like me and took my name, she is a monster, one who essentially signed my death warrant, one that I will dedicate my last breath to bringing down with me. Speaking of which, where did Brooklyn and Bonnie go? Hope they’re okay.

The air goes awkwardly silent, as we all still try to properly grasp the situation we just narrowly escaped from together.

“Oh man... that is so going to leave a scar. I can’t believe this.” Blanche says, having the nerve to say that after what we just saw the others experience.

“What do we do now?” Nuko asks, still confused about the whole thing.

“We find somewhere to rest for the night. We need to rest up for tomorrow, and figure out a plan from there.” Roxy says, seemingly already deep in her mind, thinking of what the next logical step is.

“Let’s just go.” I say to them, as my head feels too many emotions at once that it just can’t express any of them.

Continuing the awkward silence, the car engine starts again, leaving the ashes of the proud Founders behind us in their house of worship. I hope they found peace wherever they ended up, and they will be able to rest easier when we avenge them and all the others whose lives were cut short by Mandy. For now, the party is over...