Page 110 of How To Take Down A Cult At The End Of The World
She moves to the side and motions for the people near her to get up. “Go home.Now.” She snaps her fingers at the people across from her. “Get inside if you know what’s good for you. It’s not safe here.”
“Now what the fuck is going now? This is my town! I will have order!” The sheriff yells from behind us. We ignore him and the crowd scatters off. Some run to their homes, but I see some of them stay. They huddle at the edges of the square or in the road with the marching band who decides to stay put right where they are, which is definitely a choice. I hope they aren’t staying because of the tuba thing.
“Is Wrath okay? I’ve been worried but we had a little end of the world sitch because this bitch needs a midnight snack situation.”
“He’s good. Mostly healed. He helped me track you and Charlie here. He’s a little tired, but should be here soon with backup. Who is she?” Buffy asks.
“A god or whatever. Doesn’t matter. She’s dead.”
Eri snarls when I say that. “I am aHallowed World Eater! I am eternal and holy beyond all comprehension. I am divine.”
“World cuisine snack attacker. Got it.” Buffy looks at me and gives me a sad smile. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately.” She holds out a hand to me. “Or that I haven’t been bringing you on patrols. I didn’t mean to.”
I take her hand and squeeze it. “I know you did it to keep me safe. Sorry Roy got you jumped. If it makes you feel any better I snapped his neck like a glow stick.”
“Morbidly, that does make me feel a lot better. Thanks.”
“Anytime. I’m a witch now, too.”
“I heard. Sunday tattled.”
“Sunday is such a snitch.”
“Are we going to fight or are you two gal pals going to keep yapping? Doesn’t anyone care that I have a schedule to keep?” Eri looks put out. It would be funny if I wasn’t so keen to see her dead.
“Not particularly," I tell her, “but since you asked so nicely I’ll get back to beating your ass.”
“Wait a hot minute.” Buffy points at Eri. “You did that?”
“Yeah.”
“Niiiice.”
“That’s it!” Eri screams and a second later she’s slinging magic at us in the form of lightning bolts. Buffy throws herself to the side to dodge them but I don’t. I deflect them and send them right back to Eri before I start hitting her with my own. After blocking the first two she starts getting hit. She can’t keep up with my attacks. It’s satisfying to watch Eri overpowered by my magic. She’s not as strong as me.
Some god she turned out to be. What a loser.
I lift my hand and fire a bolt at her chest. I aim for her heart and it strikes true. My magic hits her in the heart in a fiery blast and Eri falls. I don’t wait for her to get up to know if she’s down for real or not, I go to Eri. She’s on her back, arms and legssplayed like a starfish. I stand over her and look at her. I don’t see a god or even a person. I see a selfish and controlling ghoul.
I drop down into a crouch beside her and for a second, I think about doing exactly what I promised her about ripping her heart out, about killing her. Then I hear a tiny cheer. I look up to see bat boy and his pumpkin balloon. He’s towards the edge of the square with his parents but he’s a few steps away from them and jumping. He waves his balloon over his head like a tiny maniac cheering for me. He looks so small, so much like the boy Jaak was when he made his deal with Eri.
“You got her! You got her! You did it! You’re a hero!”
I jerk away from Eri. Reality presses in around me. This isn’t me. I can’t do this. I won’t do this and become what she is.
I stand up and wave at bat boy with a forced smile. “Thanks for helping with justice today, bat boy!”
“You’re welcome!”
“Well now I feel like I overreacted with the jumping and everything,” Buffy says from where she’s still laying on the ground.
I smile and walk over to her and hold a hand out to help her up. “Better safe than sorry.”
She takes my hand and stands beside me, giving the town square a once over. “This place is pretty cute. I mean, I’ve never been anywhere outside of Sweet Tooth but this is nice. Very cutesy.”
“It is. I like it here.” I’m not lying, I do. I think of the house that knows me, the one that’s probably still guarding the now useless book I left in its charge, the one that Jaak carried me over the threshold of. I think of stuffed waffles with Jaak and the toy store. Hell, I even think of the floral shop. All of my memories with Jaak are here.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A lot of good memories.”
