Dying Wish

[29] Behind The Mask

I took Alice for granted. Her transposes were always so gentle.

Tonight, I'd been plucked off my feet and hurled into the black void; when it broke, I was still flying. For a second. A hard surface slammed into my spine. One swift grimace was the sound I made on impact. I slid down what turned out to be a wall, I felt a coldness seep through the fake leather, into my hamstrings. This roughness against my fingertips, was this stone?

I could barely see it was so dark. Dusty, too. My body tried to replace the air my lungs lost, but it choked on dust mites. I coughed three times. Then, the muscles at the base of my throat locked. The condition spread to my jaws. I vomited yellow splatter onto the floor.

"Try not to take it personally," Batch said. "I am faster than Alice. More practiced, is all."

I heard a faint spark. Candle wicks ignited near the door; thus, the room took on a soft orange glow. I lifted my eyes up her jeans; she had on a short coat, with all this fur clumped down the zipper. She stood over me, she kept her fingers pinched. "I can still do it, you know. Anytime I want. Understood? Be a good boy and answer me, Gray."

I spit the last bit of bile on the floor.

"Sure," I said. "I got it."

"Splendid."

So where was I? Difficult to say exactly. But if I had to guess from the urns behind the cases of glass, it had to be a cemetery. Possibly the very same cemetery where I first met Alice. Had she been following us this long?

"I'll be honest," she said, "I'm a bit disappointed it's coming to an end. Playing your ditz of a teacher was fun. It forced me to think... outside the box. You really put me in a bind after the Fourth of July. Killing my insects. Back to the drawing board. In the meantime, I had to use all my self-restraint not to take the Death Coin myself. Didn't want to use my powers against you. Too risky. Seeing as the new God has such a soft spot for you."

"If you say so. Should've guessed this. You told me to take Alice to the game. You—"

"Have access to your student records, including both your home addresses. I can also ask just about anyone at the school— anyone in the neighborhood. Everyone knows the Alpha students always have a Fourth of July picnic. Too bad you didn't figure things out on your own. So sorry, Gray. There won't be any extra credit on this one."

"Wow," I chuckled wryly, "you're enjoying this."

"Aren't you?"

"Can't say I am," I said.

"Oh, please," she said. "I bet you and Alice have had a blast using the Death Coin. That kind of power is fun, isn't it? My power. My Death Coin. All this could've been avoided if things went the way they should've gone. With me finally getting what I've deserved for eons. But no, I get this..."

Her wrist twirled in front of her body. A cupped hand produced an object.

A bone white coin. Oh, no.

"I got the boring pony for Christmas."

Alice, you were right. I thought this as I coughed and staggered to my feet.

My body felt so heavy, it must've still been recovering from her transposition. Still, when I did make it upright, I said, "Life's not fair." I coughed again. "Neither is AfterLife. Hm. See what I did there?"

"You're right, it's not. You know this better than me, Gray. Question is, does Alice? Does she know about all the dirty little secrets you've been hiding? I'm dying to find out." She parted her pinched fingers. "You can use nema now. Call her here."

My defiant scowl gave her her answer.

"You think this is a trap. Adorable." She smiled so confidently. "I don't need to set some kind of petty trap for her. Even if it's inferior, for someone as experienced as me, the Conquest Coin is more than enough. Go on, Gray. Call her."

The pain in my body was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. Even if that was true, and, I'll be honest, it felt like it was, I couldn't do it. Not to Alice. I used this power called nema once before, but that was different. Batch was different. I could feel it. I'd accept the consequences of refusing, whatever they were. That's when I saw them, a flutter of sparks connecting Batch's fingertips.

"I'll end you, Gray," she threatened.

"You will, huh?" I chuckled. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, THEN?!" This voice I roared echoed inside this stone coffin. When the vibrations finally withered away, the space was left silent. What I'd done furrowed Batch's brow.

Finally, she said, "If you ever prided yourself on being unlike your father, don't. Because you... you're just like him. Too stubborn to see beyond anything you think is right. Fine—" she grinned to make me gasp— "I'll do it. You're willing to die for her. But she's just too pure to let that happen. And if she doesn't get here right now, there won't be any bones left!" She lunged at me with a handful of crackling light. "Nema!"

This one word detonated a deafening explosion. A simultaneous assault on my eyes and ears. More pesky dust mites went down my throat. The more I coughed, I wonder, did I add to the ashen cloud or help clear it? I doubt I'll ever know. 

Everything happened so fast. She was so fast.

I wish I was talking about Alice.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! 

MORE TOMORROW!! (FORGOT TO ADD THIS LOL, WOULDNT BE RIGHT WITHOUT IT!!)