The early morning rays of light peeked over the trees. The carnage of last night cast a heavy gloom over everything, muffling what little sound there was. Even the wildlife seemed to sense death, as the birds sat silently in the trees. Liy and Taco were stationed up in a nearby tree. Taco blinked awake to see Liy sitting straight up, just as awake as when Taco dozed off.
"Have you been awake all night?" Taco asked. Liy nodded.
"You didn't hear it?" She asked. Taco rubbed her eyes.
"Hear what?" She asked.
"The screaming. Three more are gone," Liy said as if she were relaying the weather forecast. Taco sat straight up.
"Holy—Liy! Why didn't you wake me up?" Taco scolded. Liy gave her an unamused look.
"You really wanna try and kick her ass?" Liy asked. Taco simply glared at Liy, but sighed in defeat.
"If she could take on three people, what do you think we can do?" Taco asked. "She'll tear us to shreds!"
"Not if we weaken her first," Liy said, looking back to the hotel. "If we can get a couple of numbskulls to fight her, they can tear her up enough so that we can handle the rest if they pass,"
"You're not seriously considering sacrificing people for this, are you?" Taco groaned.
"Do you want more people to die?" Liy glared at Taco. "Listen, this is killing for the greater good. If you can't stomach it, feel free to go hide in your room," Taco huffed.
"...This better work, or else I'm haunting your ass," Taco muttered. Liy grinned and snorted.
"Not if I die first. Besides, Stapy's already got the privilege of haunting me when he dies, so there,"
"Well, who are you gonna send out after her?" Taco asked.
"Oh, don't worry, I got my two," Liy assured. "But I will need you to do something while I get them,"
——
Book sat on the floor of her apartment, stroking IC's hair and mumbling to herself. Early rays of light crept through the drawn curtains, casting tiny strings of light against the wall. IC held her breath, trying to ignore the smell of death, filth, and bile on Book's clothes.
"I'll keep you safe, darling, don't worry," Book mumbled in a sing-song voice. "As long as you stay with me, Pencil can't hurt you,"
"I'd rather be with Pencil right now," IC growled, trying to wriggle away. Book's grip only tightened, and she shook her head.
"I know you don't mean that darling," Book said. "You want to be by me, I know you. I know you well," Book chuckled to herself and resumed her mumbling. IC held back the urge to vomit. The images of last night kept crawling back into her mind, burrowing into her and making her sick. She wanted the old Book back, the one who would sit with her on the roof of Freesmart's clubhouse, the one who would hold her not to control her, but to comfort her. Tears pricked her eyes as the sticky residue of who-knows-what rubbed against her.
A sudden clank of pans rattled outside in the hall. Book's calm demeanor dropped as she snapped to look out the door. A shadow raced past, and another clatter of pans filled the air, making Book wince.
"You..." Book growled. She stood, holding IC tight in her grasp. "Stay with me, this shouldn't take too long," Book grumbled. She stomped out the door and followed the racket as it rattled down the stairs, the noise echoing off the walls. IC whimpered, burying her face in Book's hand.
——
"So, lemme get this straight," Snowball said, leaning against the wall. Liy, Pen, and Snowball stood in Snowball's room, as most of the furniture was covered in his laundry, both dirty and clean. Whatever wasn't buried under heaps of clothes was blocked by weights, or just plain tipped over. "You want Pen and me to go out there, find Book, and beat her up?" Snowball asked. Liy nodded, trying to avoid looking grossed out by his room.
"Yeah, pretty much," She said. "Look, you're strong, right?" She asked. Snowball beamed with pride as he flexed his hairy arms and puffed his chest out.
"Strongest one around!" he said. Liy turned to Pen.
"And you're good at like, running, right?" She asked. Pen adjusted his cap and thought.
"Kinda, I'd say I'm pretty fast," Pen said. "But...you heard last night, didn't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, but would you two rather sit here like a couple of chickens, or do you wanna take her on?"
"Well—"
"We aren't chickens!" Snowball raised his voice and slammed his fist against the wall, leaving yet another dent in his wall. The smaller two flinched. "Come on! Let's go kick her ass!" Before any of them could say another word, Snowball was already pulling on his coat. He grabbed Pen and dragged him out the door, the smaller one sputtering and squirming. Liy followed close behind, a sly grin on her face.
——
"This is gonna get me ki-illed~," Taco sang to herself as she ran around the woods, banging her pans together. In the distance, she heard Book fuming. The noise filled her with a familiar pang of guilt, but she shook it off. "This isn't Book, this isn't Book," She said to herself, banging a rhythm on her pan. A yell and crash of shrubbery told her all she needed.
"Dammit Pencil! Quit taunting me!" Book yelled. Taco flinched. This definitely wasn't Book, she thought. She ducked behind a thick tangle of shrubs as Book threw herself into the woods, stumbling into view. She looked around, her one good eye mad with fury. Little traces of sunlight struck her face, making her flinch. "Ghh!" Book groaned. Taco peered out from the bushes watching the shell of the woman she knew look for her. In her hand was the tiny form of Ice Cube, now unnaturally pale, but still alive. IC looked around but froze when she saw Taco. In a panic, Taco shook her head and traced a line across her neck. A moment of understanding passed between the two, and IC pursed her mouth shut with a nod. Taco vanished into the shrubs.
"Of course Icy's the one person she recognizes," Taco mumbled. She banged her pans together and ran further into the woods, closer to a nearby lake.
——
Liy sniffed the air, eyes wide. Snowball and Pen turned to her in curiosity.
"She's close," Liy said. Pen looked Liy up and down with a cocked brow.
"You...You can smell her?" He asked.
"You learn the scent of death real quick," Liy said. The distant banging of pans filled the air, confirming Liy's suspicions. "Alright, here's the plan. Snowball, you go out and try to weaken her. You're our first line of defense."
"Got it," Snowball pounded his fist into his palm and ground it.
"Pen, in case she passes Snowball, you're next. I want you to run to the lake,"
"On it!" Pen saluted and turned to run, but Liy grabbed him by his shirt. "Ah! Hey, what gives?" He asked.
"Not now," Liy said. "You're the bait."
"W-What? Why me!?" Pen sputtered.
"You look like Pencil already from a distance, if she spots you, she'll chase you. I want you to lure her into the lake. That way, she'll soak herself and won't be able to stay together," Liy said. Pen tried to think of a way out, but the look on her face told him otherwise. From the bushes, Taco stumbled out. She dropped the pans, careful not to bang them.
"She's here," Taco panted. "She's got Ice Cube, so be careful," Liy nodded, a content smile crossing her face.
"Good, good. Snowball, go show her what's what. I'll make sure things go smoothly,"
——
Book smashed through the branches and into a clearing. Her face burned a bright red and her jaw was clenched tight. Her fist threatened to crush IC, who writhed in discomfort.
"Come out, Pencil!" Book called out. "You can't run forever!" A mad cackle escaped her, making her body convulse and twitch. The shrubbery parted, and IC gasped from a mix of fear and Book squeezing her. Snowball emerged from the bushes, grinning and cracking his neck.
"So, you wanna fight, huh?" He teased, towering over Book's small frame. Her expression twitched into one of surprise, then a snarl.
"Psh, nice clone," She grumbled. "At least now you're putting up a fight," Book seemed to forget that she was holding Ice Cube as she readied her fists. Snowball looked down at the feeble figure and rolled his eyes.
"First off," He started. He reached for Ice Cube. "Let's get Tiny out of the—"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" A shrill shriek filled the air as Book swung her fist into Snowball's face, sending him reeling back. He held his bruised cheek and growled.
"You wanna do this the hard way? We'll do it the hard way!" Snowball got down and charged. He grabbed Book by the shirt and slammed her back into a tree. The deep gash on her back split open, making her gasp in shock. He pulled back his fist and struck her face, though she didn't seem to react. Her nose cracked, but even then, she didn't show any sign of pain. Snowball looked at her in bewilderment. "Wha—"
"Get off of me!" Book kicked him square in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Snowball dropped her, but before he could recover, Book was swinging wildly at his face, punching and screaming. She was completely separated from reality, not even processing IC's cries of pain as she slammed her against Snowball. "I've had enough of you and your clones! Stop tormenting me and leave us alone, you...you.." Book reeled back the fist with IC in it, who was now limp in a daze. "You heartless bitch!" Book struck Snowball's face.
CRACK!
A few of Snowball's teeth fell out as he stumbled to the ground, eyes wide in shock. Book panted, her fists balled. One of her fists was cold, much colder than normal. She felt liquid dripping past her fingers. She...She didn't bleed, right? Book looked down at her hands and froze, and for the first time in a while, remorse hit her like a truck.
Amongst the mess of color on her hands was a tiny cloak, now limp. IC's wide eyes were frozen in terror, a scream that couldn't be heard escaping her mouth. Deep cracks ran up and down her face. Her entire body had been crushed, and it now leaked freezing water all over Book's hand. Scorching tears welled in Book's eye, her lip trembling.
"I-Icy? Ice Cube!?" Book whimpered, holding the dead body as it melted away, leaving cold water in her hands. Tears dripped from her face, joining the puddle of the one she cherished.
An unholy wail escaped Book as she screamed to the sky. Banshees would wince at the sound that escaped her, the echoing cry of a mother losing her child. Book sobbed, holding the remains to her chest and dropping to her knees. She curled into a ball and wept, screaming into the earth.
"ICY~! ICY~!" She wailed. She lost grip of the remains, letting them drop to the earth as she mourned. Above her, Snowball stumbled to his feet. He glared down at her and cracked his knuckles. Just as he readied to deliver a blow to the back of her neck, Book snapped her neck up to stare him right in the eyes. An untold fury burned straight through him, replacing the grief she felt. Snowball stopped, a mistake that would cost him.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Book screamed and lunged at him, Before he could react, she climbed up onto him and had him by his head, clawing at his eyes and face. He tried to shake her off, prying at her hands.
Snap! His body tensed, then fell limp. Book held onto his head, now bent at an unnatural angle. She screamed to the heavens, eye bloodshot. From behind a tree, Pen covered his mouth. Liy, on the other hand, only looked mildly disturbed.
"Now, your turn," Liy said. Pen was shoved out into the clearing. Book snapped her neck nearly 180° and snarled at Pen. He didn't hesitate to turn and sprint towards the lake. Book tore after him, nearly running on all fours like a rabid beast. Her mouth frothed with rage, and one could've sworn her eye glowed red.
"Get to the lake, get to the lake, get to the lake!" Pen screamed to himself. He broke out of the treeline, stumbling and tripping. As he tried regaining his footing, Book pounced from the treeline and tackled him, slamming his head into the dirt. A deep gash formed on his forehead as he was knocked out cold, leaving a trail of black ink dripping down his face.
"Shit!" Liy cussed. She burst out of the shrubs after him. Book grabbed him by his scalp and reached back to bash his head into the dirt, but was tackled by Liy. The two girls tumbled on the ground as Liy tried to pin Book to the ground. "Taco!" Liy called out. "Get Pen to safe—Gkkh!" Book grabbed Liy by the neck and rolled over so that she was on top. The lake was a mere few feet away. Book grabbed her by the hair and dragged her towards the edge of the water, a sick grin stretched across her face. Liy froze, realizing what was coming.
Book shoved Liy's face into the water and held her there. Liy thrashed, splashing around and trying to free herself, what little air she could get quickly being wasted. Meanwhile, Taco grabbed Pen and tried to drag him away, trembling as she avoided looking at the gash in his head. Finally, Liy's thrashing slowed, and her body went limp. Book's attention turned to Taco, who froze. Book walked closer, her grin wide and manic.
"You really thought you could stop me?" Book said, her voice edging on laughter. "I'll go through every single one of you, Pencil. I'll make sure each and every little iteration you make die by my hand," Book lunged and grabbed Taco by the throat. She lifted her off of the ground, letting her writhe as she tried to break free.
"Book! P-Please!" Taco cried out between chokes. Her vision blurred and grew spotty as Book's grip tightened.
"You'll feel every little inch of my wrath, Pencil," Book growled. "Even if it takes my whole life, I'll make you suffer the way you made us suffer," Book's grip tightened, and Taco gasped for air. Her vision clouded and faded to black.
"AAAAAA!" A sudden scream filled the air, and Taco dropped to the ground. She gasped for breath as her vision became clear again and looked up to find Liy, wet and drenched with mud, holding a thrashing Book by the waist. Book screamed, her eye practically popping out of her head. Liy continued to scream as she ran into the lake and threw Book, sending the woman splashing into the water. Book's screams were replaced by gurgles as Liy retreated from the waters, panting.
"Jokes on you, bitch! I've had to fake my death in harder ways than that!" Liy called out, grinning wildly. From the water, Book arose. She let out a gurgled cry and tried to lunge after Liy, but her body was already suffering from the water damage. Layers and layers of paper mache skin sloughed off, leaving sludge drifting in the water. Her voice was a gargled cry, and she collapsed on the bank of the lake, body dissolving into a pasty mush.
It was at this moment Book finally had a moment of clarity. Everything that had happened, everything she did, it all hit her like a freight train. Her pupil dilated to normal, and with a final wail of grief, terror, and regret, her body melted into a brown, green, and blue sludge. The three living contestants stood around, panting and huffing. Taco rubbed her neck and stood.
"She's...She—"
"She'll be fine," Liy said. She approached the body and dug around the remains. Pen blinked back into consciousness and winced.
"Am I dead?" He asked. Taco reached down and helped him up, letting him lean on her shoulder. "Ugh...my head hurts."
"You split your head open, Pen," Taco said. "C'mon, let's get you back to the hotel,"
"What about Snow...Snow—"
"He'll be fine. Once Two gets back, everyone'll be fine,"
"And Book?"
"...Well—"
"Nice!" Liy grinned to herself as she picked up Book's wire skeleton and admired it. "Consider this a payment," Liy hoisted the bones over her shoulder and walked past the two. Pen and Taco collectively shivered.
"Well, it's the least we can do given the circumstances..."