[Hey everyone! Welcome to another chapter! Updates will be moved to Fridays, since I more than likely won't be able to make Wednesdays because I started school again. And I do Advanced Placement and college level work, so yeah, writing for this series might start getting slow. Please be patient with me. :)

Thanks and enjoy the chapter..!]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 36

Ben's POV

Faster than my mind could process, I instantly teleported out of the way of Ellie's first attack. I appeared behind her, readying myself to strike, but her Dark Hands slammed into me from either side and got a hold of me. I groaned as they lifted me up to Ellie's front and hung me upside down. Her one red eye glinted at me past her black hair and a warped chuckle escaped her lips, sending chills through me.

"It's been a long time since we last met, but I still remember how you fight," she stated with a menacing hiss. Before I could counter with any move, her Dark Hands flung me into the building next to us. The next thing I knew, I busted through the entire thing, tumbling onto the other side with rubble all around me.

Despite the aches in my body, I gathered the energy to lift myself up. Ahead, Ellie sauntered through the gaping hole of the broken building, her Dark Hands following behind with a macabre grace. Shaking my head, I pleaded, "Ellie, don't do this. Stop...! This...This isn't you...!"

"Ah, if only things were as simple as saying I'm not myself," she began, "and then I could magically return to normal..! But you can't claim who I am. You don't have that power. No one does."

Once I got up, I finally summoned my bracers onto my arms, launching the handles attached to them and releasing the electrified cords within. Steeling my gaze, I growled, "Well, I can claim this: I still remember how you fight too...!"

"We'll see about that," she taunted, before charging forward at a dangerous speed. I waited her out right up until the last second, then teleported to her left and caught one of her Dark Hands in my whip. For a split second, her back was open, and I launched my other cord at her. To my surprise, a black wall of spikes shot up from the ground, blocking my second attack. The other Dark Hand that I didn't catch came around the side, reaching to grab me but I teleported away just in time. Unfortunately, I had to release the Dark Hand I caught, but that wouldn't have gotten me anywhere anyway. It would barely slow Ellie down.

The wall of spikes fell away and the demented girl turned to face me with a twisted grin on her darkened face. She's faster than she used to be, I'll give her that, but sure enough she's still on the offensive side of combat, and reckless with it too. If I can just brute force her, then I'll gain an upper hand at some point. With this in mind, I grit my teeth and ran towards her. She laughed amusedly and sprinted forward as well.

We closed in on each other quick and readied our respective attacks. I wrapped an electrified cord around my arm and prepared a powerful punch. Her wall of spikes formed in front of me, but I sensed that move a mile away. With my current momentum, I teleported behind Ellie and carried on the force of my punch to the back of her head. Like that, I slammed her face into her own wall and bright light burst with the impact of my fist. 

Quickly, before she could react, I released my other cord and wrapped it around her neck. As the spike wall disappeared and Ellie stumbled forward, I hissed, "These things can carry up to a thousand volts, and much more, of electricity. I'd suggest you stand down before I have to hurt you..!"

A dry laugh left her mouth and she replied, "You sound so dumb threatening me like that, Ben. You don't have the balls to kill me...!"

I really don't want to. But...

"I'll do it if it means your destruction will end!" I barked with bravado.

She cackled at me this time. "Go ahead then! Kill me! Do it! KILL ME!"

My heart pounded aggressively in my chest as I clenched my jaw and released 1,000 volts. Ellie's reaction was immediate and her body went into violent convulsions. Distorted screams cut through the air at shrill volumes and a sulfur-like odor burned my nostrils. Electrocuting Ellie already disturbed me, but she began to cackle manically while still screaming in agony every other moment. The smell of burning flesh started to unnerve me, but I kept her body held in the blaze of white, hot light. It was hard to bear, but it had to be done. Eventually, she fell to her hands and knees, and the Dark Hands dissipated into smoke. Her shrieking died down and that's when I ceased the flow of electricity. Surprisingly enough, she was still conscious and huffed exhaustedly.

Holding her down with my foot, I tugged on the cord around her neck and ordered, "Stand down, Ellie. This is over."

With a raspy voice, she croaked, "Y-You're so...stupid, haha... This won't be over...until I'm dead. And I'm not gonna be dying any time soon!"

Suddenly, her Dark Hands burst from her back and sent me flying into the air. In a matter of seconds, I landed on the busy freeway and hit the concrete divider in the middle with a hard thud. Vehicles kept rushing by as if I hadn't crash-landed right in front of them and was curled up on the shoulder lane. Slowly, I gained my composure again and sat up. I need to get off of this freeway before I lose Ellie. If she runs off, then...

It seems that I didn't have to worry about her escaping. The demented girl came to me and landed on top of a nearby freeway sign with ease. In a haughty fashion, she strolled along the edge of the sign without so much as a slight waver. Wherever she stepped, a black substance crawled across the sign, like a spider's web. Ellie's distorted voice spoke aloud over the rush of traffic, "What happened to you, Ben? Where's all that moxie you once had? You've gone soft. Ao must be really struggling, huh. If a soldier isn't as strong as his leader, then what good is he? What good is the leader? She's supposed to be humanity's precious savior--the ultimate guardian...! Such a shame she isn't living up to that title."

Gaping at her in disbelief, I scowled and said, "Why?"

She tilted her head. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this? What happened to you? How did you become...this?!"

Her sharp-toothed grin was chilling and she stifled a dark chuckle. "Ahh, you see, to put it in simple terms...I got hungry."

With a showy swipe of her hand, she summoned a wall of black spikes that cut through the freeway and barely missed my feet by a few inches. I reeled away out of surprise, then began to panic once I noticed the freeway shifting down. There was a cacophony of honking vehicles as they tried reversing away, but I couldn't do anything for them. More spikes pierced the asphalt and deteriorated the structure until the whole section fell apart. I hit the ground below and was assaulted by falling pieces of concrete, and then a whole car. The pain of my broken bones and crushed limbs was too immense for me to concentrate on teleporting out of this mess.

While my body tried to heal despite the heavy weight that was still on top of me, I heard the sound of terrified screams beyond the rubble. Then, the car that had crashed down into me was lifted up and carelessly tossed away. To my dismay, Ellie's figure loomed over me, and she stomped her foot into my chest, breaking my rib cage with intense strength.

"You know," she started in an eerie, low tone, "there is a part of me that doesn't want to be fighting you. Deep down, I don't want to hurt you. Haha, crazy, right? I actually really wish that I could return to normal. But, you see," --she took off her jacket to reveal her arms to me and I saw horrific mouths on her skin undulate with a red glow--, "these things here tell me otherwise. I feel...SO alive, thanks to them! Haha! They're stuck on me for what'll be forever. And they get reeeaaal hungry. So, as long as I keep them satisfied, I'll be happy too! Plus, if I don't listen to them, they'll break my bones and twist my limbs and rip my veins apart like I'm some fucking rag doll, and trap me in an eternal cycle of suffering and misery and pain!!! Hahaha!!!

"So I have to do this... There's no buts about it! If the mouths are happy, then I'll be fine! And then I'll be able to claim what's mine and protect what's most important to me. Unfortunately for you...you're not what's important..!"

Just as she raised her Dark Hands to strike at me, I finally recovered from my injuries and teleported out from under her. Quickly, I appeared behind her and landed a kick into her back. She went stumbling forward and I took this brief chance to wrap a cord around her, trapping her arms at her sides. Aggravated, I roared, "I don't care if I'm not important to you!"

Mustering up my strength, I heaved the cord to the side and sent her flying through the air. She tumbled for a moment before stabilizing herself and skidding across the ground on her feet. From my place, I could hear the monstrous growl emanating from her throat. No matter how menacing she looked or behaved, I wasn't going to back down. Standing across from her, I whipped both cords across the ground, causing bright sparks to fly. As strongly as I could, I yelled, "I'm not letting you take over this world, and I'll do whatever it takes to stop you! You wanna see moxie? I'll give you some fuckin' moxie...!"

Adrenalized, I sprinted forward and Ellie retaliated by shooting to the side and rounding in on me. Just in time, I teleported out of her line of attack and showed up above her. I would have landed a kick to the back of her head, but one Dark Hand caught me and yanked me to the ground. Ellie growled ferociously and leaped up to pounce on me, but I flickered out towards her and rammed a punch against her jaw. Her body jerked backwards and I hooked my arm against her neck, trapping her in a headlock. I had the thought to break her neck right then and there, but my body hesitated unconsciously. She can't die, so just do it! But...what if she can?

Even though my hesitation was barely two seconds, it was too long and Ellie clamped her hands against my head. Sharp fingernails dug into my scalp and I winced from the pain. I saw the mouths on her flexed arms throb creepily as she shifted her stance, then tossed me above her. I went sailing through the air, but quickly reacted and shot a cord to her legs. It wrapped around her knees and pulled on them as I landed meters away. Quickly, I stood up, tugged on my cord, then dragged Ellie across the ground so I could toss her onto the other side of the street. She landed in an empty shop parking lot with a crash and I retracted my cord back into its handle.

While I backed away and brainstormed what to do next, I was taken by surprise when a black, spike impaled me through my stomach from behind. As it returned into the ground, I fell backwards with it. Just as my stomach began to heal, another spike emerged at my feet, curled down towards me, and pierced through my chest. Although the pain was terrible, I tried to breathe and get through it. Yet, I was rudely interrupted by Ellie's figure appearing above me, Dark Hands ready to smash me into the ground. The second she was about to land, I teleported a ways away from her behind a random car in another parking lot.

There, I crouched low and waited for my wound to heal up in no time. Far to my left, I heard Ellie's deep, foreboding growls, then her warped voice taunting, "Beeen? I know you're still around. Come out, come out, wherever you are....!" I'm not easily creeped out, but her voice never fails to send goosebumps across my skin.

What am I going to do? We're in a public area, one that's too close to where Reese and Hunter are at right now. I doubt this fight will end quickly, or cleanly. If I can just call Ao and have her come as backup, maybe we'll have a chance of capturing Ellie. Will her and I be enough, though? I also need to get Reese and Hunter away from here without compromising anything. More importantly, I need to get them out of here alive.

The second I reached for my phone, the car I took cover behind was lifted up and Ellie appeared next to me. "There you are," she hissed, then snatched me by the neck and picked me up off my feet. I attempted to teleport, but for some reason I couldn't. That's when I felt the jolt grip my body and my thoughts were filled with agony. Every inch of my skin was struck with severe numbness, yet I began to tremble. Deep down inside, I sensed something crawling. It was scraping and scratching away at me; a mental parasite invading my mind. I felt fear, and isolation, and unadulterated suffering without ever being able to move. I recognized this sensation. It was only brief, but it was what I felt when the black substance touched my foot in Newark.

Gazing up at me with a cruel grin, Ellie said, "So eager to flicker away. In my opinion, I think it's an unfair move. Take it easy on me, won't you?"

"Wh...Why can't I...move...?" I wheezed.

"Looks like no more running away this time," the demented girl before me remarked.

"St...Stop...! Ellie...!" I pleaded, finding the strength in my arms to feebly claw at her hand at my neck. Each time I pulled away, black, slimy strings would stick to my fingers. Ellie clenched her hand tighter and I struggled for air. Inside I could feel my lungs aching. There were dots in my vision but nothing happened to me. All there was was this sensation like I was stuck in a tortuous void without a moment of reprieve.

"Please...," I whispered, "Ellie... Let go..."

"And let you get away?"

"What...do you hope...to gain from this?"

She cocked her head, pondering my question. "Now that you mention it, this fight is a bit pointless. Sometimes you don't need a reason though. You just do, and things work out."

"I just...want...to help...you...," I admitted.

She chuckled bitterly at me and sunk her nails into my skin. "Help me? Didn't you say you'd take me down no matter what? Didn't you attempt to kill me via electrocution? Don't you lie to me!!!"

She tightened her grip and blood began to drip slowly the more her fingernails drove inside my neck. "You and her are the same. Saying you want to help me as you attack me. I never wanted help to begin with! All I wanted was to be left alone to bear the burden of these mouths! I wanted to stay away from you all in hopes that I could avoid hurting everyone, or even worse! You can't even fathom the power of these mouths. I tried and tried and tried again to resist them, yet I've killed thousands of human beings now to sate their hunger! Sometimes, Ben, you have to face the music and realize things aren't going to work out as hunky-dory as you want. Look at me! I'm a shining example! Sometimes good doesn't win!"

"That's...not...true...," I argued weakly.

"Get off your fuckin' high horse!" she barked. "Whatever kind of shit Ao is stuffing into your head isn't always the right thing! Like how you want to save me? Like how I'm better than this? Bullshit! You want to get rid of me! You want to destroy every piece of me until there's nothing left, so you can save this pathetic human world!"

"Ellie--."

"DO NOT SPEAK WHILE I AM TALKING," she roared fiercely and I instinctively clamped my lips tight. Huffing, she continued, "There is no helping me anymore. I don't want to return to the mansion and be a part of a group with a basis of hypocrisy. I'm done with your family. And unlike you all, I still care, which is why I will not go back. If I truly despised you all, everyone would be annihilated by now."

Clutching onto her wrist, I choked out, "Ellie...we still care about you. I mean it! Especially Ao. Day and night...she works to perfect her magic...so that she can fix things. She thinks about you all the time. She wants to save you...!"

"Liar..."

"But we fight because you keep refusing to accept our help--."

"It's for the best..."

"You're hurting...and we want to heal you."

"Be quiet! This is what I have to do! This is a part of me now!"

Shaking my head, I said, "Don't you see? You're self-destructing. Pushing away the thing you need most."

"I don't need you! I don't need Ao!"

"You...you're the same as Jeff," I stated, and her aura radiated more ferocity. Despite that, I went on, "He...he self-destructed many times. Has hurt himself and others because he thought it was the best thing...or the only thing that could keep him unharmed. But he was falling apart. Still is. Without you, he's lost."

"Stop it..."

"But he's starting to shape up again," I added. "He wants to get better. He realized he wasn't doing any good and...and reached out. We want the best for him, and yeah...we screw things up...have arguments...stress each other out. But that's family, and no family is perfect. Right now...you need family."

"I don't have one," she growled.

"You have us..."

"No, I don't..."

"Ellie, come back."

"Be quiet!"

"We need you just as much as you need us."

"Don't say that! You don't know shit! Stop it!"

"Jeff needs you too! You can...get better with him!"

"Don't talk about him!"

"And you know I'm right! The only person you're mad at is yourself!"

"Shut up!"

"All of this anger and disdain is for you! Everything that goes wrong is because you torture yourself, when all you need to do is reach out and--!"

"SHUT UP!" she roared again and crushed my throat in her hand. The effects of the black substance were ramped up as well, yet as much as I wanted to, I couldn't scream out loud.

"You don't get to tell me what I feel, what I should do, or what I am!" she bellowed. "You're nothing but a liar! And don't you use Jeff as something to use against me! You dare speak his name again and I'll rip out your fucking tongue! I don't care if that shit regenerates, I'll keep doing it over and over again! Jeff is not a part of this mess, do you understand? Leave him out! He's mine!

"As for your righteous spiel on 'saving me' and 'healing me'--quit talking out of your ass! I'm tired of this noble outlook Ao keeps polluting you all with! She should never have become Proxy. She's fucking the whole thing up! For someone who's supposed to be humanity's protector, she doesn't even seem to be doing a good job of saving all of the lives I've taken! She's a naive, spineless girl with the title of a god just because Slender said so! I don't care about how hard she works to save me, or how much she still cares about me, because that doesn't mean anything! I'll still wreak havoc in this realm, killing every pitiful, disgusting human there is! I won't stop until everything is gone, and you better believe I'll achieve more than Zalgo EVER could! So have fun with the humans while it lasts, because I'll rip their lives away soon enough! And I'm not just talking about the special mortals you're associated with..."

The moment she stole a glance at the building where the indie rock concert was being held at, I understood her and gaped in horror.

Grinning that cruel smile again, she muttered, "You don't think I know, Ben?"

My throat was able to heal enough for me to choke out, "Don't...Don't you fucking dare...!"

"There is part of me that wishes not to," she retorted. "Then again, these mouths are unpredictable. Maybe you're not even talking to the real Ellie? Oh, who knows..."

"You...watch what you fucking say...!"

"Geez, I wonder how your beloved boy would feel knowing he got caught up with the wrong guy. Bet it would be a real kick in the gut if everything just suddenly went oh so wrong--."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I barked, and wrapped my legs around her arm to snap it in half with one quick twist of my body. Instantly, her grip loosened and I fell away from her. Ellie growled from the pain and held her broken arm, which hung limply at her side. Too angered to spare her a moment, I wrapped the cords around my hands and lunged in for a punch. I was able to land a hit to her jaw right away, but didn't stop there. With as much strength as I could, I kept punching her across that monstrous face of hers. I even heard something crack at one point, but didn't care to stop.

"I thought I could've gotten through to you!" I growled as I punched. "I thought you would've come to your senses! But I was wrong! All I want to do is help you, but I'm not about to stand aside and let you threaten innocent people! If helping you means I can beat the ever-loving shit out of you, then I'll gladly do so!"

With a grunt, I kicked her square on the chest and had her stumbling backwards. Unraveling my cords from my hands, I electrified them and said, "Don't you fucking go near my 'beloved boy'!"

Seething with rage, I whipped my cords across Ellie's torso, one after the other, over and over again. Cuts and gashes began to appear on her body, cauterized since each hit would shoot paralyzing electricity into her.

"I've already lost so much!" I roared. "I'll be damned if I lose someone else! You can maim me as much as you like, but the moment you hurt that boy, I'll come and make you beg for hell's embrace! New ruler of chaos or not, you're not invincible nor are you fearless. And so long as I'm still kicking, you will never be safe from me...!"

The next thing I knew, I slashed both of my cords down Ellie's body, and somehow severed her arms at the shoulders. She released a beastly screech as she fell to her knees, and her Dark Hands seemed to deflate in reaction. I panted heavily and retracted my cords while I watched her body writhe on the ground. Crimson blood was quick to puddle underneath her despite the portions of her flesh that were burnt. I'll admit that I felt a tinge of guilt seeing her figure crumpled over, moaning in pain, but then I imagined all of the horrendous things she could do to Reese. That bit of guilt seemed to disappear with ease at that thought.

In the distance, I faintly made out the sound of sirens. Whether it's police or paramedics (probably both), we can't be here. I looked at the venue where Reese is and sigh sadly. Looks like I won't be seeing him anymore tonight. And I really wanted to get that pizza with him and Hunter. I'm gonna need pizza and Reese after this ordeal is over.

I glanced at Ellie again, but was taken aback as I witnessed her crimson blood turning an inky black. The wounds where her arms were severed began to throb until black fibers emerged from the flesh and sought out the lost limbs. These fibers attached to the arms and pulled them towards Ellie, until everything mended together...and she was whole again. The mouths on her arms flared to life again, snapping their teeth together and cackling with glee. Ellie had no trouble standing up and she rolled out her shoulders as if she hadn't gotten dismembered. After flexing her ink-stained fingers, she chuckled and said, "So that's how my arm grew back. I was wondering what the hell the twins did."

Her red-eyed gaze shifted in my direction and a grin cracked across her face. "What was it you said about me not being safe from you?"

I hardened my gaze and readied my weapons, knowing full-well that what would come after this would be a mess.

"I've never seen you so angry," the demented girl remarked, slowly strolling towards me. "You gave me a little spook there, haha. It'd be nice to see more of 'ferocious Ben', but those sirens are getting louder, and I'm still pissed off. I'll make this quick."

In the blink of an eye, Ellie charged forward and the Dark Hands grabbed onto me. A split second later, they hurtled me away and I struck a billboard sign faster than I anticipated. I sat in the dent I made, trying to recover from ruptured organs and a dizzy head. Stupidly enough, when I tried to shove out of the dent, I was stuck. "Wow, really?"

My sour mood changed when I was startled by the billboard structure shaking. Just as I looked down, Ellie came bounding up the 30 foot pole and rammed her Dark Hands into me straightaway. With the force of her hit, the whole structure began to groan and fall back. I screamed on the way down, until the deafening crash drowned out my voice. Once the initial shock subsided, I heard multiple screams of terror along with a blaring alarm. My vision cleared up and I saw that the billboard had crashed through the roof of a grocery store. My body was caught on one of the ceiling beams, my legs were tangled in wires that weren't my own, and my arm was twisted between two bars of metal. Below, Ellie laid on the floor in the middle of a cereal aisle.

Hurriedly, I managed to teleport out of my entanglement and stood on the other side of the store's roof. There, I allowed my arm to heal and took a breather. From what I could see, no one seemed to be hurt. Everyone is rushing out of the building, leaving in their cars. Two cars already bumped into each other trying to exit. At least they can leave without Ellie potentially hunting them down. Then I felt a little jealous that these people can leave for home, while I'm stuck having to fight a demon girl.

Suddenly, the concrete at my feet broke away as a giant fucking, evil hand snatched me up and yanked me down. Dammit, karma's a bitch.

I landed smack on the tiled floor in the middle of the cleaning supplies aisle. Bits of ceiling fell onto Ellie and I, covering us and the shelves in a light sheet of dust. I coughed and wiped it away from my face, while Ellie stood up without a care for the debris around her. She aimed her focus on me once again and emitted a low, rumbling growl from her throat. I finally stood up and sighed at her. "Here we go again, huh."

"You know it," she quipped, before sprinting at me in a millisecond. Immediately, I teleported out of the way by reflex and manifested in the next aisle over. Before I could activate the electricity in my weapons, the grocery shelves next to me were knocked over like it was toy blocks and it toppled onto me in no time. Ellie stood atop, hissing at me with anger in her glare. As she swiped her hand in the air to summon spikes to trap me, I flickered out of my spot and showed up to her right. I quickly landed a jab to her face and leaped on her back while she was turned around.

Just as I elongated the cord on my right bracer to wrap it around her neck, she blocked it with her hand and used it as leverage to pull me off. I wasn't able to retract the cord in time and ended up being thrown to the side, against the next wall of grocery shelves. It didn't topple over like the last one--until Ellie punched her Dark Hands into me, then it fell over with items clattering loudly onto the floor. Ellie must not like these grocery shelves, apparently, because a Dark Hand grabbed my leg and shoved me into another one again. And if that wasn't overkill, a volley of spikes broke through the tile and punctured into my torso. The sheer force and momentum of the spikes made me ram through multiple grocery shelves, until I reached a wall.

Groaning tiredly, I fell off the spikes and crumpled on the floor. The pain from my injuries was overwhelming and my head felt too fuzzy to properly think. To my dismay, the moment my mind cleared and I could focus my attention, Ellie pounced and punched a Dark Hand into me, sending me through the wall. I ended up landing near the store's adjacent gas station. No cars were parked at the stations, nor were any willing to pull in for gas. It seemed one person didn't finish filling up their vehicle and left the hose lying on the ground, spilling out gasoline.

Groggily, I stood up, and, a few meters away, Ellie walked through the hole in the wall. I wiped the blood off my lips and rolled my shoulders. As she came closer to me, she said, "Do you have me begging for hell's embrace yet?"

"Soon enough," I grumbled.

She chuckled. "Well, don't keep me waiting. I'm sure those police coming would make for good fodder anyway..."

I sneered at her and set my bracers ablaze with bright, white electricity. "Don't worry, I'll finish this right now...!"

As fast as I could, I ran forward and Ellie cackled amusedly. She charged towards me too with a wild grin on her face. But then I flashed away immediately before we barreled into each other head-on, and appeared on top of the gas station's roof, out of sight. Ellie anticipated an attack from behind, so she turned around only to see no one. This confused her and left her open for me to flicker next to her, whip my cords around her neck, then throw her against one of the gas station pumps. She broke the whole thing and was made dazed for a few seconds. In that time, I teleported to her and punched her as many times as I could. Eventually, she gained her composure, caught my fist, twisted my arm, then shoved sent me off to the side with annoyance.

The demented girl turned to look down at me, but all she turned to was a gas dispenser staring her in the face (the one I saw on the ground earlier). With one hand on the credit card terminal, I muttered, "Drink up," then sent a spark of electricity through my fingers to activate the pump. Gasoline shot out of the dispenser in gallons and Ellie was doused within seconds. She sputtered and coughed violently, and she reeked of pungent gasoline. As she wiped at her face, I backed up and readied my bracers. When she looked at me, she growled, "What kind of petty move was that?!"

"My move isn't petty," I retorted. Then, as I stared her right in the eyes, I whipped a cord across the ground and sent sparks flying--towards the gas-drenched girl in front of me.

In the blink of an eye, Ellie went up in flames and she uttered an inhuman screech of pain. While she was busy burning alive, I whipped my cords around two support beams, and discharged a high voltage of electricity so that the wire burned through the metal. With one pull, I had the roof groan and come falling down, right onto Ellie's flaming figure. Her screams immediately stopped and I muttered, "Now it's petty."

All of a sudden, due to broken gas pumps, an explosion erupted right before me and I was sent back a few feet. I sat up on the ground and watched the flames flicker before me. The gas station roof was broken apart now, becoming jagged. Underneath somewhere was Ellie, burning, crushed. Everything was silent save for the crackling of fire. I couldn't even hear the sirens.

The sound of creaking made me tense up and I looked into the blazing fire ahead. Huge hunks of the roof began to shift, slowly at first, until something black emerged from below. I sat in horror as I saw Ellie stand up from the debris, clothes tattered, hair a ragged mess--burnt in some areas. Her black mask had fallen away to reveal a patchy, raw face affected by the fire. Despite her awful state, she still bore a large smile of something twisted. The mouths were practically swimming across her skin and glowed the same bright red as her eyes. Her silhouette was terrifying, but that's not what rattled me the most.

Her Dark Hands formed from her back again, looming over her, but then another pair appeared from behind the first. Four hands. She has four...!

Before I could move an inch, Ellie released a vicious cry and ran at me with impossible speed. As soon as she was on me, she pounded her two sets of Dark Hands onto me. Luckily, I managed to teleport after a few seconds and appeared several meters away. Despite this, spikes shot through my chest from behind and pulled me back. I tumbled across the ground, spilling blood along the way, then stopped by the big fire. My body ached terribly and I was slow to turn over. As soon as I did, a metal pole pierced through my stomach from above and held me down. Ellie leaped on it and perched herself casually, hanging over me. Her stark, black hair tickled my face and I could smell the gasoline and smoke on her. The poisonous, black substance came from her fingers and made its way down the pole, into my wound. I cried out in agony and grit my teeth.

"You are right, Ben," she said with a strangely calm voice, "about me not being invincible or fearless. I have my fears--I'm afraid of myself--and I have my weaknesses. Unfortunately, you're not strong enough to wear me down, nor can you get through to me. You're reaching for a wilted rose whose thorns have grown too much and too sharp, and they will only cut you up with every move.

"I will not stop," she declared. "I have to do this. Have to adhere to the mouths. They will only bring punishment if they're not cared for. They hunger. I hunger and suffer. And they will make me stronger for it. I feel them...giving me strength, broadening my power. If I'm powerful enough, I can claim what's rightfully mine and protect what I hold dear...who I hold dear. And nothing will get in my way, do you understand? If I have to take over this world to achieve what I need, I will do it! If Ao wishes to fight against me, so be it! It's time she got off her high-horse and learned her place as the unskilled child she is. There can only be one true ruler, one true queen, and that will be me!"

Ellie clutched onto my hair, smothering black ink on my forehead, and hissed, "Since you can't die, I want you to run back to her. I want you to run away and give the nosy brat a message. Tell her I'm coming. I'm coming, and I will take all she has, including her life...! And no matter if she flees, fights, or tries to reconcile, I will decimate her, and the humans will join her...! She will be no Proxy, no hero, no savior--nothing, when I am done. Now...go give my message, and give your 'beloved boy' a hello!"

The last thing I saw was Ellie's crazed yet determined expression before she raised her fist and punched me unconscious.

...

When I awoke, my body had healed completely from the injuries I gained, yet I could feel the ghost of pain in my limbs. I held my head, trying to come to my senses. Far away, to the front of the grocery store, red and blue police lights flashed across my vision. Looking down at myself, my clothes were torn and stained with blood, dirt, and harmless ink in some places. I frowned and stood up so I could leave without being spotted. As I came to the street and willed my bracers away, I recalled what happened before I was knocked out and froze up. I did a quick survey of the area, but Ellie was no where to be seen. Nervously, I reached for my phone (still instact, somehow, thank goodness), so I could contact Ao to tell her the news. But then I remembered something else.

Reese and Hunter.

Instead of calling Ao, which I should've done, I called Reese's number and hoped he would pick up. Unfortunately, the dial tone went on and on and I was greeted by an automated voice. I dropped the call, only to try again. And again. And again. And again. And again...

I remembered what Ellie said about Reese...about killing him.

Nononononono.

On the verge of tears, I teleported to the venue where the concert was held and saw that the place was cleared out. I've been unconscious for thirty minutes, from what I saw on my phone's clock. The concert probably ended not too long after I blacked out, and there were still some people leaving. There were also security and police at the front. They probably got concerned with all the ruckus of my fight with Ellie and told everyone to leave immediately.

Panicked, I raced toward the security personnel while I pulled up the concert picture I took of Reese and I earlier. Without greeting any of them, I showed the picture to three men and asked, "H-Have you seen this boy?"

They shook their heads and I moved on to another set of security guards, and even police officers. The cops asked me questions, like when was the last time I saw him, did we come to the concert together, and why I looked beaten up. I couldn't answer their questions because I was caught up on finding Reese and his brother. Their car isn't here anymore. Did they leave in time? Are they home now? If so, why isn't Reese answering his phone?! Did it die? Is it off? Is he away from it? Is he okay at all?! Why doesn't he answer me?!

After getting away from the cops, who weren't pleased about me leaving, I ran a few blocks to nearby places in search for Reese. Whenever I came upon people, I desperately asked them if they've seen him and show them the picture. No one has seen him. But I kept running about, going several whole blocks up and around. Nothing. Nothing at all. Where is he?!

Ellie couldn't have gotten to him...could she?

Just as I was about to have a mental breakdown in the middle of the sidewalk, a voice called out, "Ben..!"

My body tensed and I looked across the street. A figure was there but it was too dark to see features clearly. Still, I recognized the voice and bolted across the street, barely missing a passing truck. By the time I reached the curb, tears were streaming down my face and I leaped into Reese's arms.

He grunted from the sudden jolt, and we ended up spinning for a few seconds. Despite the surprise, he held me tight as I sobbed into his shoulder. I could still smell the cologne on his neck and leaned into it without hesitation.

"Ben, where have you been?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Where have you been?!" I answered back, lifting my head to look at him.

He was taken aback with my tone and murmured, "I-I was with Hunter. Security suddenly had to clear the concert out. We went around looking for you, but then we heard loud noises and... What happened? Did you fight something bad?"

"I...I did," I said feebly. "What did you tell Hunter?"

"I didn't tell him anything, just to keep looking for you and avoid the mess. He wanted to stop driving around, so I hopped out of the car and searched myself--look, this isn't important right now. You're okay, right?"

"I can't die."

"Doesn't matter. Are you okay?"

Tears stung my eyes again and I shook my head. "No... No, I'm not...!"

Again, I pressed my face into his shoulder and cried. I sounded so gross and miserable, and I was practically digging my fingers into him, but Reese never flinched away. His arms stayed at my waist, keeping me close. Through my tears, I whimpered, "I'm so glad you're okay..."

"Me, too," he replied. He squeezed me a little and added, "Don't run away from me like that again."

"I'm sorry...," I murmured.

Reese sighed and said, "Don't apologize. Just...stay here. Right next to me, alright? We need to find Hunter."

"Is that him?" I pointed out as a gray car rounded the street corner a few feet away and came our direction.

"Shit, speak of the devil," the blonde boy commented. He waved at the car, but Hunter already noticed us anyway and pulled up by the curb. The passenger window was rolled down and Hunter scolded firmly, "Don't jump out the fuckin' car, you psycho!"

"I wasn't gonna let you stop looking," Reese grumbled.

"Reese, there were explosions! And I passed by the grocery store across from the venue--that place is fucking destroyed! And the freeway! The god damn freeway!"

"Please," I started, "don't be mad at him."

"I'm not mad," the older brother said a little too angry-sounding. He took a moment to pause and rephrase, "I'm freaked out, okay? And where have you been? Why'd you run?"

"I--," I began, but Reese interjected, "Lay off him. He's had a rough night."

"I'm just asking where he's been. I have to know. He could've been in danger."

"Well, he's okay now, so stop asking him questions," Reese said with a bit of growl to his voice.

Hunter frowned, obviously frustrated, but he sighed and said, "Just get in the damn car, both of you. This discussion isn't over."

Reese went ahead and opened the backdoor for me. I got in, and was surprised when he ended up joining me. Hunter rolled up the passenger window and drove away from the curb, completely silent. I could feel his sour mood and I felt bad for causing him trouble after he made the effort to invite me to the concert. At the thought of disappointing Hunter, I started to tear up again. But then I felt warmth hug onto my hand and I looked down to see Reese holding it. My breath hitched and I looked up at him with wide eyes. In the faint light coming through the car windows, I saw him look at me and give me a small, comforting smile. My heart was racing fast and hard and I was afraid I'd squeeze his hand too tight. I dared shift the tips of my fingers through his, and he went ahead and intertwined them fully. Fuck, I'm gonna convulse...!

From the silence in the car, Hunter asked, "Where does Ben live? I'll take him home."

"Oh," I spoke up, "um, i-it's alright. You don't have to..."

"He's coming home with us," Reese stated.

Hunter scoffed. "We can't do that! His parents will have a fit, I'm sure!"

"They'll be okay with it. Right, Ben?"

Reese glanced at me and I agreed, "Y-Yeah, they will..."

"Reese," Hunter groaned, "after all of this, we can't--."

"He's coming home with us," Reese proclaimed again. "We have spare pillows and blankets. I'll make him something to eat. Mom won't mind. Plus, tomorrow's a Sunday."

"Reese--."

"He's coming home with us," the blonde boy repeated adamantly.

I chuckled nervously and said, "Listen, I know you two are very concerned, but don't worry so much. I don't have to stay--."

Reese squeezed my hand and my heart fluttered instantly. Shakily, I murmured, "I mean...I don't have to stay if I'm not welcome. I don't want to intrude."

Hunter frowned at us through the rearview mirror and groaned a defeated sigh. "Ben, you're welcome any time... Go ahead and stay. Promise me we won't get shit from your family though? Our mom will be bad enough."

"Sure," I assured him lightheartedly.

After that, Hunter was silent again, and turned the car radio on to fill the tension. It shouldn't have been a long drive back, but because of the broken freeway and the blazing fire at the grocery store, authorities had to reroute us and it was a slow process. Through it all, Reese continued to hold my hand and doing so made me feel two different things:

It made me feel overwhelming love, and I almost thought that maybe I'd have a chance at being with him. His hand is so warm, and firm, and he cares enough to never let go at all. Imagine if I could hold his hand any time I wanted if we were together. I wish that'd be the case. Regardless, his concern is heartwarming, and a nice remedy after what happened earlier. I'm so lucky to have him. God, I love him...

But, along with love, I felt fear. Fear for Reese's well-being. He's only human, and there's so much out there that he can barely understand. Him holding my hand is just a reminder that he's right here, right now, alive and well, when he could be easily killed at any time. If Ellie meant what she said about hurting him, then I can't slack off. I need to keep my guard up from now on, for Reese's sake, as well as his family's. They mean everything to him and I need to keep Reese content. And if he's happy, then I'm happy. I can't lose him. I can't lose anyone. Never again.

Reese squeezed my hand to get my attention, and I looked up at him. His eyes held worry, and he asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

I nodded tiredly and murmured, "As long as you're with me, I'll be fine.."

He stifled a chuckle and rubbed his thumb against mine slightly. "That's good to hear. Guess I shouldn't leave your side then."

I managed to smile and hoped the dim lighting in the car hid the blush on my cheeks. "No, you shouldn't."

You shouldn't. Not at all. Not ever. You're my love, my hope, my freedom--my perfect peanut butter cup.

And I'll make damn sure no one rips you away from me.

Never again.