The Apotheosis

Join Us...And Die!

Elphaba grabbed Fiyero's hand in hers and was just about to run out when she heard the crash of lightning outside. Fiyero pulled her towards him and whispered, "Fae, wait. It's too dangerous."

"We can't wait, Yero. For all we know, she could already be doomed. The faster we get there, the easier it'll be for us to save her," Elphaba retorted.

"I know. But look," Fiyero said, pointing towards the entrance. Elphaba gasped in shock as Glinda let out a piercing yell.

For Milla was walking towards them, with an evil gleam in her eye, and her insides hanging out. And whatever was hanging out didn't look human anymore, for it was blue. And Boq was just behind her, cracked skull and Al, with an equally twisted look in his eyes.

"It's time," Milla declared, in a horribly twisted voice.

Elphaba whispered, panicked, "For...for what?"

Milla let out am evil laugh and approached them, singing,
"To die!

Sorry to interrupt
But we got bones to pluck
The time for chaos is long past overdue
Death isn't optional
In fact it’s optimal
Your time is up
And now we go through you

We tried to convince you
In soliloquy
But now we'll kill you
With more than harmony!
Just die-"

Elphaba was definitely panicking, for she was hyperventilating and her eyes were wide with fear. Glinda had no idea what to do, for she had only seen it happen once,and then, it hadn't been that bad. But Fiyero had seen it countless times. To him, it was a reminder that Elphaba's magic would soon spiral out of control and cause something big. He gently took off his coat and draped it over Elphaba's shoulders, whispering, "Here, put this on. I know it's happening again. Like it did back at Shiz. And I don't want you going into shock again."

Elphaba nodded as she wrapped the warm coat around herself. Truthfully, even Fiyero was scared as Boq joined in, harmonising with his wife,

"Join us
And die
Join us
And die
Join us
And die

All you gotta do is

Join us
And die
Join us
And die
Join us
And die

All you gotta do is!"

The duo had closed in on the rest of the group. Elphaba was trembling visibly as Glinda sidled up to her and gently clasped her hand. Avaric was smirking, as though he was the only one genuinely enjoying what was going on. Milla's face broke into a twisted grin as she sang,

"Here's how it’s gonna go
We're gonna kick your ass
And then we're gonna
Fucking kick your ass!

We're gonna puke all that goo
Into your mouth where your food
And all your cells will renew and be enhanced
It's a death-like process that you gotta see,
Your own body
Is your front row seat
To die!"

Boq joined in once again, in a scary high-pitched voice,
"Join us
And die
Join us
And die
Join us
And die

All you gotta do is

Join us
And die
Join us
And die
Join us
And die
Join us and-"

Milla and Boq began to approach Fiyero, prompting Glinda to cry out, "No, not him! He's got kids!"

But it seemed as though they didn't want Fiyero, for they turned to Avaric. Boq punched him in the stomach as Milla practically strangled him. Boq knocked him down, and the two of them rode him as though he was a horse before Boq dragged him up and Milla kicked him in the groin. Avaric recoiled in pain.

Just then, there was a loud explosion that blinded the still-living members of the gang in a haze of smoke. When it cleared, Boq and Milla were on the ground, apparently dead. Fiyero had his arms around Elphaba, who was shaking violently. Glinda was stroking Elphaba's hand, trying to calm her down by using the same tactic that she had used that morning.

"Breathe, Elphie. Nice and slow. That's it, just try and relax," Glinda whispered. Elphaba slumped slightly and Fiyero hugged her a bit more tightly. Just then, Doctor Dillamond marched into the room and asked, "Now, what happened here?"

"I...it was me, Doctor Dillamond," Elphaba said, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to kill Milla, I swear!"

"Miss Elphaba, you've done us a good turn. You didn't kill Milla. You only killed her body. Whatever was inside wasn't the Milla you knew. That girl died the moment a note left her mouth. After lengthy examinations of the blue shit, I have come to the conclusion that Boq was no longer human. The blue shit was an alien brew that genetically reconstructs the infected from the inside out. They're wearing our skin to fool us. Which means, any one of you could be one of them. So, we shall have a little test to prove who is human, and who is merely a musical doppelgänger. Sing the story of the creation of Oz, as written in the Oziad!"

"But that's not the true story!" Elphaba began, "The Oziad is just a frilly retelling of darker myths in the form of a musical ballad-"

"I said sing, Ozdamn it!" Doctor Dillamond interrupted.

They all started singing, starting at different points, but it was obvious that Elphaba was the one who knew the words the best, closely followed by Glinda. Doctor Dillamond stopped them and said, "How disgraceful! Not a single one of you was singing at the right pitch. Miss Elphaba and Miss Glinda were the closest to the original, but for Miss Elphaba, it was only to be expected. So, I hereby conclude that we are all ordinary humans and Animals here."

"Wait, but Doctor Dillamond, why did you expect Elphie to know the song? As far as I know, she's hated musicals for years," Glinda asked.

"I used to be a singer, remember? This was one of the first songs I learnt. Before all the hymnal nonsense Frex made me learn. Though, to be fair, I could never sing it in the original key. It was a tad too high for me," Elphaba explained, and then asked Doctor Dillamond, "But what of Fiyero's daughter? She's being hounded by them and we need to help her!"

"Miss Elphaba," Doctor Dillamond declared, "I have a feeling that she might already be doomed. You see, these...things, their tactic is to hide amongst us. And as their numbers grow, they become bolder, and more violent. But I would still tell you to go. Go through the less populous areas, take shortcuts, and all should be fine. Miss Elphaba, my trust lies with you. Go with Master Fiyero. I can see you are close to his daughter. If anyone can help him through a potential disaster, it's you. Is he armed?"

"He should have his service revolver," Elphaba replied.

"Then you'd better take that," Doctor Dillamond said, indicating a rifle on the wall. "Just in case you need backup."

"Yes, Doctor Dillamond," Elphaba said, taking the gun from Doctor Dillamond, and followed Fiyero out.
***
Song: Join Us (And Die)