Anybody But You

104

Chapter One-O'-Four

Vibe: Call Me Devil by Friends in Tokyo

Flashes of black. Whispering of voices. A dizzy show of colours. And blood... lots and lots of blood.

As Alice came to, the chants were silenced, her head no longer hurt, and her memories were but flashes of images and sounds that made no lick of sense. Looking around confusedly, she flicked her eyes to John who finally saw her alert and well—his own face warping into complete disbelief.

Handing the stunned man the emptied chalice, she cleared her throat, "So... do I just cross the river now?" She looked over to see Useless standing in a trance with the cup still to his lips; his opened eyes completely whitened. "Or do I wait for him to finish...? This doesn't really seem like a very fair fight."

"H-How did you...?" John stuttered, his eyes glued to her like she was a frightening illusion that would disappear.

Frowning, Alice shrugged, "Simply—I just slaughtered all your gods." Murmuring the joke absentmindedly, she looked over to where Geoffrey was—on the opposite side of where Henry and Arthur were. "Hey, Geoffrey, buddy." She gestured for him with a hand and the click of her tongue, "I think I broke Johnny boy. I was blasphemous and he didn't even hurt me for it." Shaking her head, she carefully took a few steps towards Henry—away from the trembling John.

Geoffrey looked over to where John was still gaping at her as he slowly slid to the ground—his brain trying to work out a seemingly impossible calculation as he collapsed. The big man's own face flinched as he stepped towards Alice.

That's right. Follow me into the fox hole, little bunny. Just a little closer...

And then with an untimely gasp, Useless awoke, stealing everyone's focus. He looked like the epitome of death—his features abruptly caving in as he struggled to come to. While he was skinny like a twig before, his pale skin and muscles were seemingly melting and decaying into his bones now—becoming one in the same. His skin taut over his bones, his eye sockets sunken and darkening while his cheeks dramatically caved into the hollows of his face. His entire body seemingly being sucked of life force.

He was like a living corpse... or perhaps just it's skeleton.

Alice's thin brows pulled in, the word 'deteriorate' suddenly loud in her brain as she remembered John saying something about it happening 'too quickly'. Is that what happened to people when they drank the water? Were the mages also forced to drink it, causing them to be so... inhuman?

Most importantly, why wasn't she deteriorating? Was that why the two men were so shocked to see her? Because she was still... alive?

Useless—or whatever was left of him—looked murderous as he glared at Alice; as if all he could see was her. It wasn't in his normal snarky, resentful way... It was something cold and empty. Something that made Alice's hair stand on end as if her body understood something she didn't.

Like he'd destroy every part of her that had ever existed.

With trembles rolling down her body, Alice shakily stepped back; her lips quirking up as she breathlessly laughed through the fear threatening to paralyze her. "What are you doing?" She asked Useless in a high-pitch as he slowly turned towards her—his mangled feet dragging with each step he took. Her vocal-cords shook as she spoke, "Y-You can still win if you cross the river—get your redemption... or whatever..." She tried to remind the human he was before her voice faded to nothing.

Instantly side-stepping further towards the others, she felt the sickening swoop in her stomach as she realized Useless wasn't 'Useless' anymore.

She wasn't sure how a corpse even had the muscle for it, but Alice watched as whatever Useless had turned into, grasped tighter to the iron baton that he still had hidden up his sleeve. Her mind raced as she kept stepping backwards, unsure of what to do. She couldn't let him reveal it but if she came within reach of him, he would surely swing it.

She just had to reach the others. They were only a—

As her heels hit the rocks behind her she realized she was effectively being cornered—the river water sounding out behind her and hooded mages blocking her side paths. Useless only a few short steps away from her now. Swearing under her breath, Alice backed up onto the cold rocks; the cool air from the water brushing up the backs of her bare legs as the river rushed behind her in the glowing blood-red stream.

It wasn't like the water had never effected her before and no longer posed a threat, however, her options were limited as the monster Useless had become crept closer, muttering indistinguishably under his cold breath.

"You don't belong here, Alice." His voice, like an empty void of whispers, sounded out suddenly all too clear. "You aren't supposed to be here." He repeated monotonously—blank eyes staring at Alice as she hesitated before the water.

How did it know her name?

"Fuck." She hissed with a pounding heart, stepping into the freezing cold water and running towards the line of people watching her with expressions of horror that she herself was trying to push down.

Ignore it. Repress it. Focus on the plan.

As the enchanted water flowed around her legs, she refused to think of anything but her next move—Useless's corpse trying to find a way to her without stepping in the water.

"Holy hell, what did they do to him?" George's voice swore out loudly as Alice hopped out of the water—her entire body and soul vibrating from the immense energy.

The earth beneath her feet blackened as the water dripping off her legs fell to the ground. It took everything in Alice to push back whatever the river was trying to pull her into—its hold on her akin to a hand grasping her by the ankles and trying to yank her into an abyss under a layer of earth beneath her.

Running to her set goal post, she reached Jay, speaking quickly as she kept her eye on Useless's corpse, "What I said before—that's what the mages are casting a spell on. Not us or just our heads." She rushed out, "The lower you are, the less heavy—but I think they can make it heavier. So don't let them see." She warned hurriedly, watching his eyes widen in humbling shock before she headed towards her next destination.

She was far from prepared for it. She hadn't even really completely stopped to process it. But if they were going to survive...

Geoffrey had to die.

~*~*~

A.N.

I hate zombie like things. Useless makes my skin crawl lol. What do you think's going on?

Thanks for reading!