Revenge, Photos and Covenants

Chapter 20: Caught

Zack's vision swam as he stirred on the cold hardwood floor of Lindsey's living room, his head throbbing from when he hit the floor after being shot. As he blinked away the grogginess, he couldn't hear Kenzie's plea to help him anymore and wondered what Sarah had done to her while he was out. He looked up to see Sarah standing over him, she must have been waiting for him.

"You heal faster than I expected," she began, "It's amazing the power you get for making a deal with the devil isn't it? You and I, we used to be nothing. Just two ordinary people destined to live boring ordinary lives. But now we have the power to take anything we want in life."

Hauling himself to a sitting position, Zack rubbed his temples, his blue eyes scrutinizing her. "I didn't have a choice, Gluttony chose for me just like you chose for Boon," he said.

Sarah took a deep breath. "I gave Boon exactly what he wanted, endless power, it's not my fault he didn't ask for more details. And you did make the choice, Ethel could have killed Gluttony and you would be human and yet here we are." She paused, collecting herself. "You seem to think less of sins because we chose to be sins, but our only alternative was death. We chose to survive, that night at cheer practice I chose to survive."

"And then you chose to kill." Zack spat.

"Things are black and white to you, aren't they? unfortunately for you, our world operates in shades of grey," Sarah continued, a haunted look crossing her face. "The Dean wanted to celebrate our progress that night and asked us to meet him for dinner. Tom, Nancy, Maria, William, Pete, and Mark all went pre-drinking and then drank even more at the dinner. I don't even think they noticed I left early, I only lived a few blocks away."

Zack felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he imagined what happened next.

"They didn't see me, Zack," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I remember feeling the car slam into me, and the feeling of the blood leaking from my head, I knew I was going to die. I could hear them talking, not about calling 911, no, about how to get rid of my body. They buried me in a shallow grave close to Grand River, even though I still had a pulse."

Zack felt sick to his stomach, he still didn't have the strength to fight. All he could do was listen, and question who the real monsters were in this story.

"After I made my deal I tried to go to the dean," she added bitterly. "He warned me not to tell anyone, blaming me for drinking too much. He said dismantling the team was punishment enough and I was alive so no harm, no foul."

"But what about Kenzie and Lindsey, they are completely innocent in all of this," Zack asked, trying to Sarah to see what her quest for revenge causing.

"If it weren't for you trying to stop me, they would have been fine," Sarah replied. "But I do have to thank you for something Zack, getting rid of Gluttony was a huge help. We sins tend to be very territorial so he wouldn't have been very welcoming of my presence."

Zack listened intently, confused by her words.

"I could feel it when you sealed him away," Sarah continued, her voice steadier now, "A so I started with the dean, waiting until he was alone. With Gluttony gone and the exorcists weakened, it was the perfect moment to strike."

For a moment, Zack sat in stunned silence, processing the gravity of her confession. "Sarah, I'm sorry... but killing isn't the answer. You should have gone to the police to get justice."

"Zack, you have no idea what it is like to die," she said coldly. "This is true justice."

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Just a few feet away in the front foyer Ethel still had your claws extended into her leg, the venom almost completely drained from her body. She could feel sensation returning to her legs and arms.