STOP. That word snarled through my head like a demented hellhound, hoping the desperate plea would reach her, but it had no effect. She continued grinding the blade against Jookie's neck like a giddy schoolgirl.

If he died, they'd never let us live. Never.

DO something! Ah, I kind of like seeing Jookie get his ass whooped. Did you forget that if he dies, we die? No, I didn't forget. I completely understand, but what do you want me to do about it? Stop being fucking useless. I'm useless? You can't do anything either! AND let's not forget that YOU let the heifer out in the first place. I thought we were past that already. No, we're not.

Jookie let out a high-pitched cackle, tiny speckles of blood splattering his face and her wrist. "You kill me, and they'll kill you."

"Will they?" She shrugged, head falling to the side. "I don't think they particularly like you, and I can't say I blame them. Just looking at you makes me want to guzzle Pepto. Touching you is worse."  She scrunched up her nose. "It makes me want to bathe in boiling bleach with open wounds." She leaned over him. "With you gone, they'll probably make me the new host."

Jookie coughed and stared up at her. "You could never do my job."

"Hi! I'm Jookie. My voice sounds like horny bees fucking in Antarctica, but I keep talking because I enjoy annoying the hell out of strangers and being a goofy doofus. I like to laugh and giggle all the time for no reason except to make my own tiny, microscopic dick hard. I love blood and guts because of my unresolved mommy and daddy issues, and I enjoy making fun of crying, vulnerable girls because I'm a pathetic dipshit with no life except standing in front of a camera torturing innocent people. Welcome to Battle of the Killers." She smiled down at him. "See? Not hard."

Jookie scoffed. "I don't sound like that."

"You mean you don't giggle like you have a frightened gerbil crawling in your rectum?"

"It's my signature."

"Whoever told you to pick that as your signature should die a painful death. Preferably something involving a rabid monkey, a moving train and gonorrhea," she said, pressing harder on her knife. "But sadly, you won't live long enough to see it."

Jookie grinned at her, teeth red. "We'll see." He kicked her between the legs, catching her off-guard enough for him to throw her off him. She slammed into the wall, as he began to crawl away, thick strings of sticky liquid dripping from his face to the floor in small pools.

When he got to his feet a moment later, she tackled him to the floor with her shoulder. He face-planted, and she hopped on top of him, crashing her knees into his spine. Gripping his head back to face the wall with one hand, she positioned her blade at his throat with the other.

She mimicked his high-pitched giggle as droplets of blood colored the tip of the blade. "Ready for that smiley face?"

"Stop," I screamed before she could move her wrist, sending all the dark energy from my body into the atmosphere, hoping it would make her hear me.

She acted like my words never even hit her, as she continued pressing and mimicking his giggle. "I'm starting to see why you giggle, it really does make you feel powerful."

"Fuck you," Jookie murmured.

"I know you want to, but my vagina is off-limits to simpletons. Sorry." She leaned down to his ear. "But maybe, you'll find a nice little tortured soul in hell to smash. I mean they're getting tortured, so I don't think their standards will be very high."

A low laugh left his throat, blood leaking down in long ribbons. "Trust me, you'll be there right next to me."

"You wish," she said, tightening her grip on the handle.

"Please stop," I screamed again, putting all my desperation into it. "Please. Stop, Nite." 

This time, she flinched, swinging her head back.

Wait, I think she heard you. Say her name again.

"Nite?" I whispered, saying her name on a soft breath.

She paused, eyes circling the room. "Huh?"

It's her name. It's our connection to her. Talk to her.

"Nite, don't kill him," I said.

A rough sigh slipped from her lips as intense rage formed on her features. "You told me to kill this wacky imbecile," she said, grinding her teeth. "And now you're having second thoughts? Why do you care for this waste of life?"

I jerked back, trying to think of how to answer her question. I didn't really care about him, but I didn't want to die. "Uh, I don't, really. But if you kill him, we'll all die. They're not gonna let us live after that."

She squared her shoulders. "Death is a glorious thing. We should not fear it. It is inevitable."

Look here, Ninja Warrior. I don't want to die. Put the knife down now and step away from the giggling fuckboy.

"I don't have to listen to you, Betinia," she said aloud in a harsh tone, fingers pulling on Jookie's hair harder. 

"Umm I don't know if it's the pain or the depressing fact that I could lose my balls at any second," Rucker said, making his chains rustle. "But has she been speaking in a third person? I thought I was imagining it..."

"You're not." Jookie laughed, making her jerk his neck up a bit higher. "She's fucking crazy, and I love it."

"Betinia," Rucker said, slowly. "I don't know what's going on—"

"I'm saving you," she said to Rucker and then turned to Jookie. "And you — stop talking. You're really irritating my soul."

Look, I know you don't like me, but you need to stop this.

"You replaced me," she grounded out. "And then you two buried me away."

Cause you were causing trouble.

She glowered down at Jookie, digging her nails into his scalp. "I did what Tini couldn't do — what she needed me to do. Just like now. He needs to die."

I know that's what I said, but I got so overwhelmed that I wasn't thinking then. I don't want him to die.

"I don't care about what you want any more," she said, glaring. "What about what I want, huh? No one gives a shit about what I want, so piss off. I'm in control now, and I don't like him."

Stop it now. Yeah.

"No." Her blade sliced his collarbone, and Jookie let out a guttural moan. And then, she went in again with a smile on her face.

"Stop it," Rucker yelled, his voice running through all of us at once like a circuit, making us all pause at once.

That's when she turned to look at him, and I could finally see him. A sluggishness saturated his tanned face, as his wounded body looked rough and haggard like he just survived a burnt car crash. Just the sight of him like that, knowing it was my fault, brought goopy tears to my eyes, flooding down my cheeks. Betinia sniffled next to me.

"Don't do this," Rucker said, trying to reposition himself away from the buzzing saw between his legs.

"I'm saving you," she said, body shaking.

Rucker looked at her, a softness forming in his eyes. "Killing Jookie won't save me."

She sucked back her sadness, blinking back tears.
"Yes, it will. If I do this, everything will be okay. Killing makes everything better."

"In most situations I would agree," Rucker said, staring at her. "But not now. Killing him won't do anything but get you killed."

"No, it'll keep you safe," she whispered, shaking her head. "It will — it has too. It's all I have left... it's all I know."

"No, we can finish the game and win," Rucker said.

"The game is rigged," she screamed, digging the knife into Jookie's neck. "Jookie wants us to lose. Everyone wants us to lose."

Jookie smiled, spit leaking from the corners of his mouth. "The audience can see the answers, so it's not rigged. And um yeah — him dying makes good TV. Plus, you got yourself into this mess. Don't blame us for you not following directions. You're the only one to blame for this situation. If Rucker dies, it's all on you."

Does he want to die? I'm starting to think he does.

"And you're going to be the only one to blame when I slit your goddamn throat," she bellowed at him, slicing his chin, causing more blood to drip down his neck.

"Calm down," Rucker said in a soothing tone, as she panted in anger, putting tiny cuts on Jookie's skin.

"I'll calm down when this senseless fool isn't breathing anymore," she said, fingers twitching on the handle. His blood soaked her blade and her hand, dyeing her fingertips bright red.

"Fuck him, alright?" Rucker snapped in a savage tone, bringing her attention back to him. "We're partners, and we promised to keep each other safe. I know you're trying to protect me, but I want to protect you too."

"Protect me?" she murmured before letting out a melancholic snicker. "No one protects me. Everyone just uses me and then throws me away when I become too much." Her intense sorrow ripped through me, blending with the guilt that was already swirling in my tummy.

"I always came when you called. Always," she whispered for only me and Betinia to hear. "No matter what, yet I'm the bad guy." Her words echoed in my head, bringing a sob to my throat. She did always come.

"I never used you," Rucker said, bringing her attention back to him again. A bright smile twitched on his face, fighting through the pain of his wounds. "And I will never throw you away. You're my sister, and I will spend my dying breathe protecting you because I love you."

She froze, fingers grating into the knife handle. "What?"

Huh? My heart thrashed in my chest, as tiny droplets swam in my eyes.

Rucker... Betinia whimpered beside me, her white light trembling.

Rucker smiled, eyes pinching. "I love you, and I will always protect you even if it costs me my life." 

"I-I-I" she stammered, body shaking as a glowing green shell formed around me and Betinia, and it flickered like a weak lightbulb.

Tini, she's vulnerable. GO!

It took me a moment to realize what Betinia meant because I was so into my crying, but she didn't hesitate. Betinia gripped me and flung me forward like a doll she didn't want anymore, her white light latching onto me like a leech, forming with my essence. We became one, her light and my darkness. We drilled into the greenness, causing cracks to form in the shell.

Gasping, she dropped the knife and tumbled back onto the floor, clutching her chest. Jookie collapsed in a loud heap, groaning as his face fell into his own blood pile.

"Betinia?" Rucker called in a frantic tone. "Betinia!"

But she couldn't answer, only choking noises left her throat, as her body spasmed.

We continued attacking her toxicity until it exploded into sharp, jagged pieces. Those pieces floated in mid-air, and we sucked them into us like sipping liquid through a straw until she was no longer in control.

Our body collapsed next to Jookie, eyes closed.

Once the noxious green was all slurped up, we formed her into a box and wrapped our mixed essence around it, creating a glowing chain as a pit formed below us. The suctioning hole called to her like demons in hell, whispering for her to come back.

We tried to drop her back in, but she fought us, using her last bit of energy to toss us back. She kneeled down in front of us, shaking her head.

You called me and I came. I always came. Her sadness and defeat fluttered up my neck. I did what you couldn't, and you punished me for it.

I'm sorry. Her wild emotions slashed at my body like an irritated cat, breeding with mine. I won't send you back. WHAT?! We can't control her. She almost just got us killed. Hell, they could still decide to kill us because of what she did to Jookie.

Jookie's an idiot just like you. That loopy piss-ant deserved everything I did to him. First off, I'm not an idiot. And, so what? Everyone knows he's a fucking worm, but he's still THE HOST. We can't attack him. One of the reasons we're in this mess is because Tini put hands on him. I already apologized for that. Like that means anything. I'm so sick of you judging us like you haven't made mistakes before. What have I done that was so bad?

One, you're annoying. Two, you overthink everything. Three, you kept saving Layla's incompetent ass. Four, you're weak. I'm weak because I don't go around killing stuff without a reason. There's always a reason to kill someone. What if they have bad breath? Or hate cheese? Or prefer Chocolate over Vanilla? Vanilla is better. You're a stupid bitch nozzle.

They bickered back and forth, insults getting worse and worse.

Stop it. Both of you are acting like babies. They both stopped talking and turned to me in unison.

Says the person who can't follow basic orders. Not to mention she likes that cackling fungus. I know, right? Like what does she see in him? I don't know. I find used sponges and drain hair more appealing.

Hey, get off my case, alright? And stop ganging up on me. I created both of you, bitches. You're supposed to worship me, okay? I'm top bitch.

More like top moron. Or top —

Look, we don't have time for this. So let's just get everything out in the open. I'm sorry for burying you before. But I wouldn't have gotten out of that hospital if you were still around. 

But you replaced me. Fury highlighted every word. I didn't replace you. I didn't even know you existed really, but I just made someone who could help me get out. NO. YOU REPLACED ME WITH SOMEONE OF LOWER CALIBER. I AM NOT LOWER CALIBER! Yes, you are. You couldn't even find out who really killed Layla.

She's right, you know. You two bitches couldn't figure it out either. I know there are two killers. And I know there's someone you haven't been looking into like —

Jookie coughed, bringing our attention to him as he sat up, wiping his mouth. Rucker continued calling our name, confusion and anxiety in his tone.

I needed to save him now. I didn't have time to keep arguing over nothing.

Look, we don't have time to keep arguing. We need to save Rucker. She started it. I like how I'm always the bad guy. You are the bad guy. Really?

She let out a low chuckle, body shaking. Fine. I'll take it. I'll be the bad guy, and I'll remember this when you call me again. Because you will. You always do. You'll need me again, and you'll have to beg next time. Yeah, okay.

Betinia kicked her back into the pit without a care. She went in without a fight this time, a condescending smirk on her lips. The pit sizzled with toxic smoke as it engulfed her in one slimy mouthful.

Then, Betinia spun a sheet of white light and covered the pit, stringing loose chains overtop, following up with a padlock.

The only thing that remained of her was a thin, tattered rope that looked burnt and frayed. Not even Betinia could get rid of it. It laid limp in the darkness, our only connection to her. A connection that neither of us could erase.

Unlike before when I didn't know she existed, I could feel her now in that damaged rope. It was a very weak pull like feeling a wet petal on your skin, but she was there, still a part of me.

Go. Betinia punched me forward into the driver seat, and I regained my senses, coughing as I sat up in my own body again, moving my fingers.

What about her — we'll talk about her later. If we can anyway. We don't know what our punishment is going to be for her attacking Jookie.

That's right. I kicked Jookie in the balls, and they put me through hell. Now, I almost killed his ass in front of everyone. What the fuck would they do to me now? Kill Rucker just for spite?

♟♙♟