Chapter 5.25: The Second Coming

Billy's boss was behind Santos, and he glared at him, eyes glowing a sinister scarlet.

Santos turned, and one of his large wings brushed him in the face. This made him turn red in the face. "

Sorry," Santos mumbled.

   "This is Jesus," Billy declared. "Show your respect." The Boss rolled his eyes and glared at Santos, who merely had a crazy grin on his face.

"Yes, show your respects," Santos sneered.

  "You stupid inbred idiots," the Boss yelled. "Why would Jesus be here, on this ship?"

"Do not question his ways, Clarence," Billy argued. The Boss stared at the ground. He was so angry he almost popped a vessel.

Now they know my name, Clarence thought. Now I have to kill them all. What a waste of time and bullets.

Santos chuckled.

"Don't ask questions, Clarence. Just go with it."

  Clarence merely glared at him and he suddenly was smacked down to the ground as if he were hit by a truck. "Ain't no God up in here," Clarence declared. "Would he fall so easily to me?" Billy instead, did not think this was the case.

"You've defeated Jesus," Billy whispered. "Marvelous."

  Rikka took her chance to slowly slip away, and she walked back to Ace. "I don't think we're going to die," Rikka whispered. "I'm impressed they even know how to shoot a gun." Ace nodded. "Let's take everyone and leave while we have the chance."

  Santos was stuck on the ground and couldn't move as much as he tried. It was if he were stuck, glued to the floor. "If you somehow figure out how to get up," Clarence drawled. "I will crush your heathen ass into a fine pulp on the ground." Santos screamed in anger as Clarence simply walked over him into the ballroom.

"Come here girl," Clarence shouted. "I ain't gonna hurt you."

  Rikka held Ace's hand and refused to move. Ace was feeling quite smug that now the woman who looked like she was going to tear a new whole in his face was now dependent on him for his life.

I'm stronger than her, Ace thought. I can win this.

He could not.

  "I guess I'll just bring you to me," Clarence sighed. His eyes flashed red and Rikka and Ace were pushed towards him. They tried to not move, but the more they resisted, the more they were being pushed. Ace refused to let go.

He blinked and they were in a different spot.

"Got a cute trick," Clarence observed. "Don't worry. So do I."

  Clarence stuck both of his pointer fingers at them and moved them away. Ace and Rikka moved along with them, dragging across the floor. Rikka screamed and Ace gripped her hand tighter, trying to not let go. It was impossible, as Clarence's gravitational fields could push, pull, and crush with a flick of his wrists.

"Hush," Clarence grunted.

   He moved his right pointer finger down, and Ace slammed down to the ground, headfirst. He moved his left finger towards him, and Rikka flew towards him faster.

  He grabbed her by the waist and she screamed, smacking his arm and struggled to push him away. Ace couldn't move. Just like Santos he was pinned to the ground. The more he squirmed, the harder it was for him to breathe.

  "Let go you pervert," Rikka screamed. "Now don't be like that dear," Clarence scolded her. "I'm your biggest fan."

  "It's true," Billy nodded. "He has all your albums."

  Shut up, Rikka thought. Clarence leered at her chest, and Rikka smacked him in the face. "I told David they wanted me! I was right!" Clarence smacked her back and she stumbled.

"No you stupid girl, I want your necklace. You're not the only pretty bitch in the world who can sing a tune!"

  Rikka clutched her necklace. It was a simple golden chain, with a golden cross. "You can't have this," she shouted. "I will die before I let you have this."

   "Fine by me," Clarence laughed. "Just another dead bitch as far as I'm concerned." Clarence grabbed her by the arm and she struggled.

"Let go", she screamed."I'll claw your eyes out before you take him from me!"

  "Love it when they fight," Clarence moaned.

  Rikka cried as he held her down to the ground and tore off her necklace. The small clasp easily broke and he held it in his hands. "Give him back," she sobbed. "Don't hurt him."

  Clarence grinned like a hyena now that he finally had the Slater's heirloom. Immidiately once he touched it he felt stronger. Taller. Like the world was his and everyone else hadn't realized it. Clarence felt like he had met his best friend, and that they would be together forever as he held the small trinket it in his hand.

  He knew what power it held. With a spoken word he could kill them all, himself included. He decided to take the risk that he alone would live after he used it, logic be damned.

"Bo-"

  Suddenly, the power vanished, and Clarence felt alone and naked. His friend was gone and the world felt off, like everything was skewed to an angle and he didn't realize until just then.

"Why don't it work," Clarence asked. "What did you do, you whore?!"

   Rikka laughed at him. "He said he won't listen to you," she spat. "All you have is a useless piece of metal." Clarence turned red and started to heave. "Y'all can start shooting now," Clarence declared. "Keep shooting until this fucking necklace does what I want."

They all looked around in confusion.

  "Why would a necklace work, if we shoot these people," Billy asked. "That makes no sense."

"This necklace is alive," Clarence shouted. "You think I did all this for some dumb girl?"

  Rikka was hysterical. She could still hear his voice calling out to her inside the necklace, promising that he would never leave her for another. She was sobbing and laughing, still terrified but excited that maybe, just maybe they would live and make it off the ship.

  "He said he won't work even if you kill everyone," Rikka giggled. "In fact, he said if you do it, he'll never work for anyone ever again."

  "You bitch," Clarence roared. "Make it work! Do it now!"

  Rikka cackled and shivered, enjoying every moment of despair. Levi and her were truly related, enjoying the misery of others and reveling in their demise. "I can't," she grinned. "He only works if he wants to. I can't do a thing."

   Clarence was now absolutely furious. He had lost all focus, as his anger took over, and Ace rolled free. During this entire time, Candice had skulked away.

  Everyone was so preoccupied that they never noticed her quickly make her way out and around the ballroom. She went through the back entrance onto the stage and watched the entire scene unfold.

  She peered through the curtains and looked through the ballroom for her new tools. One by one, the corpses of dead passengers started to twitch and shake. Screams erupted from the ball room as people saw friends and family return from the grave.

"It's the end," Billy screamed. "We're going to die!" "You're going to die if you don't shut up," Clarence screamed.

  The kidnappers shot the corpses, but many of them missed for the head, or just missed entirely out of fear. One of the corpses grabbed a kidnapper, and he covered his neck in fear.

This idiot has watched too many movies, Candice thought. Don't damage the head, she instructed them.

  The corpse pushed its arm straight through his chest, unfeeling, unrestrained by the limits of a living human body. The kidnapper screamed in agony, and fell onto the floor. He bled out as the other corpses made their way for Billy.

  "What is this shit," Clarence scoffed. "These idiots can't be telling the truth." Screams echoed through the ballroom as living corpses tore through the kidnappers. Soon the guests began to notice that none of them were going for the passengers, and only the attackers. Some of them picked up the dropped guns of the dead attackers and pointed them at the others.

  Levi saw that the battle was turning to their favor and promptly started taking off the grounders of the others.

This must be Candice, he realized. That monster actually has a concious to help us.

She didn't and was merely concerned with her precious redhead living so she could consume him next.

"What are you doing," John asked. "They're going to kill us!"

"Not if we kill them first," Levi mumbled. He saw Fenton and Harmonia on the other side of the ballroom near the entrance.

I have to get the passengers out of here first, Levi thought. They might be able to handle this on their own.

  Harmonia wasn't about to miss the chance she had gotten to leave alive. She ripped the grounder off of Fenton and herself. "We need to get these people out of here," Harmonia whispered. "Let's go while they're distracted." They led a small group of people out the door while Clarence was too distracted with trying to get rid of the corpses.

In the madness he dropped the necklace to the floor and Rikka quickly grabbed it.

  She ran away, towards Levi, and she ran straight into his arms. "I missed you," she sobbed.

  "It's okay Rikka," he mumbled. "I'm going to get us out of here." He hugged her tight and promised that he wouldn't let her die. She clung to him tightly, and was relieved that she had gotten her best friend back and that Levi would live as well.

Clarence noticed the necklace was missing and started to scream like an animal. "Fucking bitch," he screamed. "Give him to me! I can't live without him!"

  Levi's eyes rose at the declaration of love. By simply picking up the celestial object, some became obsessed with its power. Clarence was no different, and now, just like Rikka he would rather die than ever live wtihout the capitive soul inside the simple necklace.

Santos briskly walked over to Clarence and smacked him with his wing. He went flying into a window with a loud thud.

It cracked.