by Bryan Cohen
Chapter 37
Nigel had told Sandra she'd feel hesitation when she trapped Ted. After all, part of the old Sandra was still inside of her. She'd still have the emotions and the memories. There would be a part of her that still believed she was Ted's friend.
"But imagine how much you'll miss out on if you give into those feelings," Nigel said.
Shortly after the dark soul had crossed into her body, Nigel explained her role in things.
"If I don't trust my feelings, what do I trust?" Sandra asked.
The old her often used her gut to make key decisions. She recalled her co-workers telling her she was "all heart."
"Trust in your new identity," Nigel said. "You are a warrior from a better world. Ignore any humanity left inside you."
Sandra had felt the power coursing through her after the crossover. She also came with the knowledge that she was on the front lines of a war for her people. She wanted to fully trust Nigel, but her old inhabitant fought to push through at key moments.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked.
"There's a good girl."
Nigel presented her with a list. It included the names of all the students in sixth period drama class. She immediately recognized several of the names.
"Pick two. Prep them. Bring them over to our side."
"Right now?"
"Yes, we'll need them for tomorrow."
She ran her finger down the page, feeling a sort of power in choosing who she was going to kill. She settled on the twins: Jason and Phil Torello. Like everyone else, she got the two of them confused, so it was impossible to know which one of them grabbed her behind at Page's last year or which one left her board game money as a tip a few months ago. Either way, she knew this one would be enjoyable.
It wasn't hard to find the Torello residence, and it was even easier to figure out the room that Jason and Phil shared. From the lawn, she could see their faces illuminated with the multi-colored hues of their X-Box. Sandra had changed from her normal bedtime attire to something a bit more alluring. If one of them had wanted a piece of her in her waitress outfit, imagine what he would think of her with actual skin showing. Sandra took a pebble from the Torello's backyard path and nailed the center of the twins' window with ease. Both Jason and Phil poked their heads outside.
"Who are you?" one of them said.
Sandra tried out her best girly laugh.
"Just someone looking for a good time."
She watched the two of them confer. When they both smiled at the same time, Sandra knew she had them.
"We'll be right down."
Before long, Sandra had driven the two of them to Wayne Park. There was only one other car in the parking lot, but it appeared to be abandoned. When she stopped the car and turned off the lights, she looked over at her prey. Despite the late hour, the Torellos were as bright and awake as could be.
"So, since I'm in front, do I get to go first?" Phil asked.
"Before we start," she said, drawing out the words. "I need to say a few words."
Sandra began to chant, placing her arm on Phil's shoulder. It didn't take long for her to finish the incantation, placing the symbol of the dark souls on his upper arm.
"How'd you do that? What... what is it?"
Phil's attempt at a cool veneer was fading.
"Ancient virility symbol. It allows for increased pleasure."
Jason presented his arm right away.
"You're gonna let us both get it, right?"
Sandra smiled. Within two minutes, the twins were both prepped.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Both of the twins approached her. They reminded her of poor, defenseless puppies. Sandra flipped the headlight switch on and off. She leaned into the side of the front seat twin's face.
"I'm sorry."
Two car doors opened before Yarrick and Carter threw the twins to the ground. Sandra stared straight ahead as she heard her human compatriots sap the life from the Torello twins. The two of them uttered similar high-pitch squeals before they were silenced.
Sandra found herself thinking of that night as she finished tying Ted up to the rafters.
"When he wakes up, he's going to break off the backboard and throw it on your head," Dhiraj said.
Sandra rolled her eyes for the third time in as many minutes. Nigel had never said anything about a sidekick. While it took three or four exercise bands to adequately restrain Ted, Dhiraj only required one.
"If you don't keep quiet, I'm going to stuff one of those unwashed practice jerseys down your throat."
"Ted saved your life. You should be grateful."
Ted was still unconscious from the metal pipe to the back of the head. It took a fair amount of willpower to land the blow. The old Sandra's memories were swirling with many thoughts of Ted's kindness.
"There are casualties in war," she said. "Today, it'll be the three of you."
Dhiraj pulled against his restraints.
"What war? There's only two of us here."
"Not for long," she said.
She saw Ted's eyes open. Sandra touched the back of his neck.
"Hey, sleepy head. I thought you'd miss all the fun."
Sandra felt the pain from Ted's eyes. She knew he was the living soul, but he looked a lot more like a melancholy teen than anything else.
"Sandra. It's me. Why would you do this?"
His voice cut at her. She tried to replace it in her mind with Nigel's admonitions.
"I can't be a waitress forever. It's nothing personal."
"Tying someone up is very personal," Ted said.
She watched his eyes dart around the room. Sandra saw some gym equipment float out of the back closet. A hockey stick, a few dodge balls and a jump rope hovered in the air.
"It's time for a workout," he said.
The hockey stick came whizzing across the room. Before it could pass midcourt, Sandra put up her hand. The stick fell to the ground, as did Ted's other attempted weapons.
"Sorry, your powers aren't going to do you much good."
Ted looked confused.
"Sandra, please. Let me go. This isn't you. Where's the girl who said she'd always protect me?"
Right then, a dodgeball flew by Sandra's head. It barely missed, slamming into the metal handrail of the rafters. The force from the toss nearly broke the rail off its hinges.
"She's gone, Ted," a voice said from across the room. "But she's not going to win."
Sandra stood up. Her opponent was finally here.
"I thought you might never come. That you'd finally resigned to your fate," Sandra said.
"Yeah, yeah," Erica said. "Come and get me,"
Sandra came running at Erica, but another dodgeball slammed her in the chest, knocking her off balance. By the time she'd recovered, Erica was right in her space. Sandra reached for the pipe she'd used to lay out Ted, but before she could lift it, Erica struck down on it with a pipe wrench. The clang of metal on metal shook through Sandra's body.
"You know, your cheapskate dad never tipped me much," Sandra used all her strength to free the pipe.
The two of them pointed their weapons like swords.
"I guess you weren’t very good at your job," Erica said.
Erica came at Sandra with such speed, it was nearly impossible for Sandra to counter all her blows with the much heavier pipe. She took a wrench blow to the shoulder, then to the abdomen. When Erica wound up for a blow to the head, Sandra was ready, swinging the pipe so hard that both weapons went flying across the room. Sandra leapt through the air with her right foot forward. Erica sidestepped the kick, caught the leg and slammed Sandra to the ground. The impact only hurt for a second as she picked herself back up.
"Why do you fight for them? They're all going to die some day, but we don't have to. We can go on forever," Sandra said.
"Not gonna happen."
With that, Erica spun her leg around so fast, Sandra couldn't possibly react. Erica followed it up with a punch to
Sandra's stunned jaw, and the room began spinning. Sandra thought of Ted and the way he’d saved her life as Erica landed the final blow: a shot to the forehead that knocked her completely unconscious.
