ACT II: SQUEEK!

Devi was seething as she sat at the kitchen table sipping her coffee. She was deep in thought, huddled in her well loved terrycloth bathrobe. To say Johnny's late night visit had been...inconvenient, would be putting it very mildly.

It had taken her most of the night to figure out how to get out of the cuffs. Not to mention the chaffing on her wrists and ankles. And on top of getting, maybe, 3 hours of sleep, she was still horny as hell. She'd gone through three packs of batteries after she got loose. And she still wanted more. Thank God she had already bought them in bulk.

But mostly, she was confused. How the hell had Johnny gotten into the apartment? She'd made sure the front door was triple bolted and chained when she got in last night. She hadn’t heard Tenna coming or going before she fell asleep. Her window was barred and as skinny as Johnny was, there was no way he could fit thorough the spaces. Plus the window was still intact when she got loose around dawn.

What did he do? Just walk in?

Breaking into her bedroom was an escalation. She would have been content to have left it at the raping in the alley, but now he'd raised the stakes. She'd have to think of something GOOD to get him with next time--

"Morning!" Tenna chirped as she bounced into the kitchen.

"Mmph." Devi replied, lost in surprisingly vivid fantasies of strapping Johnny face down over a bed of spikes and her bouncing on his back wearing only a cowboy hat.

Tenna fished the milk out of the fridge, "I said Morning, Sleepy head! You have a late night?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows

Devi growled and muttered something that would make a hardened nun weep.

Tenna just blinked. "Well aren't we Ms. Grumpy today? I thought you'd be feeling better, after your visitor late last night."

Devi blinked. "Last night?"

Tenna nodded, annoying-happy-morning-person smile still clinging to her face for dear life. "Oh c'mon. I realized he wasn't a dream after I woke up this morning and saw your clothes all over the hall! That and all the screaming last night. I didn’t think you went for the rough stuff… So how are the skinny ones? I don't go that light myself, usually like some FLESH..." Tenna made some vague obscene gestures.

Devi didn't reply, but just stared at her roommate.

TENNA let him in!

Devi felt a flame of anger course through her stomach. Devi had told her exactly what had happened in that alley, without embellishment, and she LET Johnny IN?! Didn't it even occur to her that maybe the psycho had shown up to KILL her?

"...He looked all sad and puppy dog like! At first I thought I was out of it, I mean how exactly do you get them that thin?" Tenna continued, not noticing Devi's quickly rising anger, "So, did you meet him at a club, or what?"

Abruptly, Tenna replaced Johnny in Devi's bed of spikes fantasy. And this time Devi was wearing cleats.

"Devi? Sun to Devi! You OK girl?" Tenna asked, waving her hand in front of Devi's face in the most obnoxious way possible.

In the real world, Devi clenched her teeth and went back to her coffee. She would not blow up at Tenna. She would not throw sharp objects at Tenna. She would not strip Tenna down, cover her in steak sauce and throw her out the window for the feral dogs who lived in the alley to devour.

"Geez, for someone who got laid twice, you sure are grumpy... You wanna talk to Spooky?" Out of nowhere, Tenna produced the obnoxious squeeky toy. *squeek squeek* The sound gave Devi an instantaneous and splitting headache.

"C'mon! I KNOW you wanna talk to Spooky now." Tenna said, happily.

"No...I do not want to talk to Spooky, Tenna." Devi said slowly. Forget the feral dogs, Devi could do wonders with gaffer's tape, a car battery and a pair of jumper cables.

"Oh c'mon! How could you know it wouldn't help? You don't even touch Spooky. Here, just squeeze his cute little tummy!" Tenna said, demonstrating. The happy squeek was like nails on a chalk board.

Devi felt her teeth grinding together. She was surprised they hadn't shattered by now. How could Tenna be so fucking clueless? Did she think this was cute? Did she think it was cool that Johnny had her helpless last night, about to be murdered or worse? Maybe Tenna would benefit from the same treatment Johnny got.

Hot little angry fantasies passed across her vision. Yeah, that would show her. Tie her up, torment her, show her what real fear was…

*SQUEEEEEK*

Devi blinked as the Beast What Squeeks interrupted her reverie. What the hell was she thinking? She couldn't do that to Tenna, no matter how annoying she was. Yes, annoying…irritating, clueless, reckless, brainless…
The visions came back. Devi shook her head and tried to blot them out…

"Tenna, I say this to you now. Get that thing out of my face or I will not be responsible for my actions." The anger was spreading now. It was making her eye twitch like she hadn’t felt since she left employment at the book store. It was traveling across every pore of her being and...oh FUCK. Devi just realized that the panties she was wearing under her robe were literally SOAKED.

Tenna looked crest fallen, and pulled Spooky away from Devi. "She didn't mean it Spooky." she told the little doll as she headed back to her room. Spooky squeaked in response.

And Devi's control snapped like a brittle twig.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!" Devi cried, leaping from her chair and tackling Tenna from behind. Spooky went flying and hit the end of the hallway with a pitiful "squeek!"

"Spooky!" Tenna cried. Devi snarled.

"Shut the fuck up, Tenna! That stupid doll is the LEAST of your worries!"

"Devi!" Tenna cried. What did I--WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

The latter exclamation was because Devi was in the process of removing Tenna's duck-printed panties.

"I TOLD you to SHUT THE HELL UP!" Devi told her, working Tenna's panties off her knees.

"Look, if you're out of clean underwear, I'll be happy to loan you a pair but I've been wearing those forMMMMMPH!" Tenna's words became unintelligible as Devi used them for a makeshift gag.

Devi let go off of Tenna and jerked the other girl to her feet, twisting one arm up behind Tenna's back. "March." Devi ordered, pushing Tenna down the hall towards her room. Tenna marched, mostly because Devi kept kicking her in the ass every time she stalled.

When they were in Devi's room, Devi turned and bolted the door. "Stand here." she ordered Tenna. She then turned and began rummaging in her dresser.

Tenna, meanwhile, stood and watched, thoroughly perplexed as to why her friend seemed to have suddenly gone stark raving mad.

When Devi finally pulled out a pair of handcuffs, Tenna blinked. She never knew the girl had it in her. She didn't think Devi had the guts to chain both her hands behind her back either, but Devi showed her on that front too.

"Do you know what you've been?" Devi asked in a husky whisper.

"Mmm?" Tenna mumbled. When this didn't work she shook her head.

"You've been bad." Devi said, with a smile that was enjoying the taste of each word in the sentence.

Tenna blinked, thoroughly confused.

"You've been very bad." Devi elaborated, "You let someone in who shouldn't have been here. Do you understand?"

Tenna thought for a moment then shook her head.

Devi sighed. "Think about it, Tenna. I rape a guy who I told you made my date look like something spit out of a Cuisinart, I come home, and you LET HIM IN?!"

You could see the gears turning in Tenna's skull. Finally all the cylinders clicked into place, and brief look of horrified embarrassment and annoying pity crossed her face.

"That's right, Tenna. You nearly got your friend KILLED last night. Luckily for me all he did was gloat, BUT that doesn't excuse the fact that you let him in!"

Tenna tried to look sorry for a little while, before doing a discrete version of her "Details!

Details!" dance she usually did after one of Devi's dates.

Devi's frown deepened. "No, you AREN'T getting any details, Tenna. You did a bad thing...and now you're going to be punished for it."

Tenna rolled her eyes without thinking about it until they came back to Devi, who was getting more pissed off by the minute. Tenna was suddenly trying for nodding frantically.

Devi snarled. "You just don't get it, do you?" She then back handed Tenna across the face, causing her to fall sideways onto the bed. "Does THAT give you a FUCKING clue?!"
Tenna silently shook her head, and tried to get back up. Damn, her head suddenly hurt like hell…

"No?" Devi asked. "It doesn't give you a clue? Then how about this?" She grabbed Tenna's hair, hauled her up slightly and threw her face down onto the bed.

Tenna was now lying half on the bed, her rear sticking up the air, quite exposed since the oversized T-shirt she used as a nightgown was bunched up around her breasts.
Tenna started to roll herself over when Devi started spanking her ass with loud hard swats.

"MMPH!" Tenna cried. Devi slapped Tenna's ass over and over again, harder and harder until the bed was rocking back and forth on it's squeaky frame. "YOU...ARE...A...BAD...BAD...GIRL!" Devi shrieked, administering another swat between each word.

Tenna gave a few little strangled yelp before rolling her head back, face first onto the mattress. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she could feel her ass stinging. And still Devi kept spanking her.

Devi was just repeating that she was a bad, bad girl over and over again. She finally stopped when her arm started cramping up.

Devi undid the gag and tossed it aside before flipping Tenna over onto her back. Devi was breathing heavily and looked very flushed. The top of her rob had loosened and Tenna could see one of Devi's breasts in the gap at the top of her robe.

"Well, you irresponsible twat...are you sorry?"

There was a long pause.

"Well?!" Devi asked, getting frustrated.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking..." Tenna said, her eyes suddenly locked onto Devi’s exposed tit.

Devi snarled again. "Thinking? THINKING?! NOW is not the time for you to be thinking! You SHOULD have been thinking LAST NIGHT!"

"I was half asleep!" Tenna protested, "Besides, he looked harmless..."

Devi's expression hardened. She reached down and undid the belt of her robe. She slowly slid it off her shoulders and let it pool at her feet. He panties followed suit.

She sat down on the bed next to Tenna, and took her chin in her hand. "Harmless...let me ask you something, Tenna. Did you think I looked harmless this morning when you came out to the kitchen?"

"Uh... yeah. Cranky, but, yeah..."

Devi smiled evilly and began running one hand up Tenna's inner thigh. "Well, Tenna...the lesson you should learn from this is..."

Devi lay down on the bed next to Tenna, spooning her. She placed her lips close to Tenna's ear.

"Appearances can be deceiving." She said, before biting into Tenna's ear, while her fingers slid deep into Tenna's folds.

Tenna gasped when Devi's fingers entered her, but strangely didn’t do much else.

No matter what little twists and turns Devi pulled on her outer and inner lips, not to mention her clit, Tenna didn't say much of anything.

"You're awfully quiet, Tenna. Usually, I can't get you to shut up. What are you thinking?"

"Huh?" Tenna said.

Devi frowned, and removed her hand from Tenna's slit. She shoved Tenna's T-shirt up under her chin and began playing with Tenna's perky breasts.

"Ooo..." Tenna moaned softly.

Devi smirked and sharply pinched Tenna's stiff nipples.

"OOO!" Tenna happily squeeked.

"So you like that, do you?" Devi whispered.

Tenna nodded happily.

Devi placed both her hands firmly on Tenna's breasts and pulled her close. The head from Tenna's abused buttocks was warming the tops of Devi's thighs nicely.

"And this?" Devi whispered.

Tenna nodded again.

Devi reached her other hand down and fumbled under the bed. Where the hell was it? She could have sworn...THERE.

Tenna tried to peek over the bed with Devi, but she pushed her back into the position.

"Don't move." Devi ordered. She drew her hand back up, with the object and rested it on her thigh. "What would you like me to do?"

Tenna winced at a twinge in her back. "Well, as long as you're down there, could you give me a back rub?"

"A back rub?" Devi asked, running the fingers of her free hand lightly along Tenna's spine.
"You would really like that?"

"Well...yeah. Sure! You know any good ones?"

"No...I...DON'T!" Devi snarled suddenly, jamming the handle of the hair brush she found under the bed deeply into Tenna's womanhood.

"GAH!" Tenna choked out, "Devi?! What the fuck!??!?

"EXACTLY!" Devi yelled. She began brutally pumping Tenna with the brush handle, going fast, hard and rough.

"Whoa! Devi! I...OAH! Devi You.. I... oh...ooo.... Oh...OOOooo...." Tenna start moaning. Devi cocked her head. Was it just her imagination or was Tenna suddenly... enjoying this? Hmmm, better try adding to the pain factor. Devi thought. She leaned her head over and sunk her teeth into Tenna's neck.

"AGH!" Tenna screamed.

Devi smiled. Much better.

"Hey girl! Tenna said, "Don't.. don't stop now! To... the left!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Devi thought. The little hyperactive freak WAS enjoying this!

"..ooki...ooo.... oosp...." Tenna was muttering under her breath. Constant, building and falling with her own pleasure.

Devi was pissed. This wasn't supposed to be ENJOYABLE for Tenna!

"Spoo... ook... oooo.... kiiii....."

And what the fuck was she saying?

Running out of ideas, Devi began thrusting the brush handle harder and faster in and out of
Tenna, while using her other hand to reach down and pinch Tenna's much-abused ass.

"AH!" Tenna screamed, "Oh Spooky...."

Devi almost stopped. No. Tenna didn't just say what she though she did. She couldn't have. She wasn't THAT nuts. Devi kept up what she was doing, increasing the tempo to as fast as she could go, and pinching as often as she could.

"Spooky! Oh Spooky! Harder baby!" Tenna was nearly screaming now...

And Devi stopped.

She pulled out the hairbrush, tossed it aside, got off the bed and started to get dressed. It wasn't as though she didn't want to fuck Tenna, but even she had limits.

"Huh?" Tenna asked, confused, from the bed, "What's going on?"

"I need to go for a walk." Devi said, pulling on her pants, then her boots.

"But...but it was just getting GOOOOOD!" Tenna whined.

Devi shuttered. "I'll be back… whenever. Don't wait up." She picked up her backpack and Johnny's trench coat and scrambled out the door as fast as she could.

"But what about the cuffs?" Tenna yelled, completely non-plused, as the door closed. She pouted. "Dammit. Never fails."



Devi was walking as fast as she could through the nice little park, her hands shoved inside Nny's trench coat’s pockets. She knew Tenna was out of it before, but now she didn't know if she could face her again...

Well, THAT was certainly interesting.

Devi froze. Oh no, NOT NOW...

I never realized you went for girls...there's some interesting stuff in here, but nothing to indicate closet lesbianism...intriguing.

"Shut up." Devi whispered.

So, tell me, when did you decide to become a wanton sex goddess?

"I said shut up, Sickness." Devi muttered under her breath.

Or what? You'll rip my eyes out? Oops. Too late, you already did that.

"Are you here just to make me look like I'm talking to myself, or do you have something to say?" Devi muttered, trying not to attract attention to herself. "You've been quiet for almost three months now."

I was asleep. You have no idea how mind numbingly dull it is watching the contents of your purse jingle around. That pack of tampons expired last month, by the way. But, I just thought I'd crop up to comment on your recent sexual awakening.

"MY SEX LIFE IS NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" Devi exploded. Devi blinked and looked around. A small crowd was staring at her strangely. Devi blushed, hunched over and made for the park exit.

You know, you CAN talk to me without using the vocal chords. I'm inside your head, after all...

Fine. What the fuck do you want, Sickness?

Still foul mouthed as ever, I see.

Sickness!

All right. You may find this hard to believe, but for once I'm trying to help you.

Excuse me while I laugh.

Look, I know you have no reason to believe me...

There's an understatement.

Sickness sighed. You aren't going to make this easy, are you?

I don't see a reason too, considering you were out to turn me into someone like Johnny.

Ah, so you figured it out.

Yeah. And if this is another offer, forget it. I have no desire to be like THAT skinny fuck.

Interesting choice of words.

Devi frowned.

Well, gee, Devi, what do you think woke me up?

Sickness... Devi growled mentally.

You screaming like the Dominatrix Bitch Queen from Hell tends to wake most people up.

You aren't a person.

Don't change the subject. You know what I'm getting at.

No, I don't.

Bullshit. Devi, in the last twelve hours you have committed rape...or at the very least put both your roommate and the nicest guy you've ever dated through two of the harshest grudge fucks I've ever seen...and I've been around. Would you agree that this is SLIGHTLY out of character...even for an overly sexually repressed antisocial borderline sociopath like yourself?

"That's IT!" Devi snarled. She opened her backpack and rummaged around in it, unearthing the screws that served as Sickness's eyes. She dropped them on the ground, and spent a full six minutes stomping on them, Sickness's cries of pain ringing in side her skull.

"Now SHUT...up!" Devi said, putting the screws back into the backpack. Sickness only whimpered in reply.



The prisoner currently strapped into the Gears of Pain had been unfortunate enough to dress up like the Crow AND told his friends a certain thin young man in black was a "fucking fag". He had had no food or water in 48 hours, and he had been in the catacombs for more than a week. His flesh hung off his bones, making it very easy for the two to be separated.

While he had very little energy or life left, what he had was going into the effort of begging for his pathetic existence. Something about please, let him go, he would do anything, his parents would pay him, he do anything, the typical rant.

Finally the gears swallowed his head, stopping the cries in one gurgley terrified scream. Johnny pulled another lever and three bins opened, showing the separated flesh, bone and clothing, al in messy shreds. It was a beautiful sight, modern engineering tuned to perfection, flawlessly doing what it had been designed to.

Nny took very little comfort in it.

"It's just not the same." he softly told the floor.

He slowly made his way back up the nearly endless staircase that lead up to the top level of his house. He couldn't stop thinking about Devi. Not just thinking about what went wrong in the whole thing, or how wonderful she looked tied up and helpless... but why the hell she wasn't giving him any slack.

He had been so sure that she had still liked him, He just assumed that she was just afraid, reasonably so, that he would try to kill her. He had thought if he tried to give her space things would get better. But apparently she had though in terms of something other than following her. And after she had left her bookstore job, he couldn't even watch her though a store window anymore. He couldn't do anything right.

And now he had to punish her. Get her back for what she had done to him. Some part of him didn't want to do it, but he had hated her when he had woken up in that alley, cold, bleeding and discarded like the paper hat of an ice cream man... She HAD used him, used what little trust he had left in the world, and then congratulated herself on it. Laughed at him!

Johnny HATED being laughed at.

He finally reached the top step, his mind and body, hatred and hormones fighting for dominance over his soul. He felt sick. This was probably one of those things you slept off, if you slept at all. Maybe there was a can of spagettos left in the kitchen...

"Thinking about that young girl, aren't we Johnny C.?" Reverend MEAT asked, smiling his unmovable Big Boy smile.

Johnny sat down on the couch and managed to look even more depressed than usual. "It's not like I'm thinking of anything else." Nny admitted.

"Oh, come now, m'boy. Admit it, you LIKED it."

Johnny shyly rubbed the back of his neck, "Some parts,..."

"Such as being tied up and called her bitch?" MEAT asked.

Johnny looked up suddenly, angry, "NO."

"Oh...well, it must have been being fucked with the handle of your own knife..."

Johnny snarled, "NO! Dammit, why did she even... how did she know how to do that, anyway?"

"Well..." MEAT mused, "Oh of course, it was when she made you lick up your own--"

"NO!" Johnny roared, suddenly scared and nauseous all over again.

"Not that either? Well then...it doesn't sound like you enjoyed it very much at all then."

"I didn't!" Johnny told him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, was it suddenly cold in here? "Not that! Not anything of that!… Well, nearly everything… But... but near the end... I could have sworn..."

"Sworn what? That she LOVED you?" MEAT's odd voice chuckled hollowly.

"No..." Johnny said, a little shaky as he lied through his teeth, "Tolerated, maybe... nothing that big... But at the very least, she could stand me again..."

"Of course, and you've only been stalking her after you attempted to kill her at the urging of those ridiculous Doughboys."

"Hey!... I'm sorry about that... I was afraid to loose her... and it seemed like a good idea at the time..." Nny tried to explain.

"Killing her seemed like a good idea? You'd loose her then anyway. The POINT, Johnny C., is that she DOESN'T love you. She HATES you. And she went too far, didn't she?" MEAT said, pointedly.

Johnny's eyes darkened. "Yes."

"She hated you so much that she used you for her own needs, and humiliated you in the process.

And when she was done, she didn't even do you the courtesy of killing you so you wouldn't have to live with that knowledge."

"YES." Johnny's hands clutched around his knees.

"Well, the question remaining is: What are you going to DO about it?" MEAT's grin seemed to be growing by the second.

Johnny got up and sprinted back to the basement door. "I'll prepare a space for her downstairs. She'll be getting an unwanted visitor very soon." Johnny's voice faded off as he was swallowed up by the darkness of the basement.

"Whoa there, Cowboy! You, uh… you really think you're going to be able to get back into her apartment?" The Rev asked nervously. He didn’t want to push the boy this far… yet… "And besides which, is killing her REALLY the best solution?"

Johnny's footsteps reappeared at the top of the stairs. "Who said anything about killing? Or her returning to her apartment?""

"Ahhhh." MEAT said jovially. "Never let it be said that you can't surprise me Johnny C."



Tenna bounded out of Devi's room stark naked.

"Woo! I finally got out of those cuffs... tricky bastards... now get over here my little squeeky toy of-"



Meanwhile, in a coffee shop on the other side of town, Devi was pulling the finishing touches on a sketch of a sleeping homeless guy when she next heard Sickness’s voice.

Aren't you... well that is... it's getting kind of dark, isn't it?

Shut up. Devi thought automatically.

Very--ahem--I just meant that it's getting dark and, well, HE might be out there. And pissed.

You know, Devi thought, as she signed the sketch, If it was anybody but you, I'd swear that sounded like concern.

"Well, there's concern, and then there's common sense. I mean, where would you do better if you were attacked? At home, or in a coffee house of pretentious bastards, who wouldn't even try to save you unless you were trying to get them their cafe lattes?"

Here. He'd have to kill all of them, and that would at least slow him down.

Are you sure he'd go for them first, though?" Sickness pointed out.

Shut up. I'm not leaving. Besides...there's Tenna.

Oh yes. That WOULD be an awkward situation wouldn't it. "Hi, Tenna, I'm home. Sorry I fucked you with that hairbrush." Well, don’t worry about it . Tenna is behind closed doors have much more fun than is legal with a squeeky toy." Sickness said.

Devi shuddered. Thanks so much for that image. And home is going to be any safer than here?

There you have deadbolts and bars on the windows, and after your little "reminder," I don't think Tenna will be letting him back in again.

I am NOT going back there. Especially if YOU want me to. Devi said, turning to a blank page in her sketch book.

I'm TRYING to HELP you here, Devi!

"Yeah, right." Devi muttered.

At that point the waiter, a zit faced college freshman came up to her table. "Anything else for you? It's last call."

"Last call?" Devi asked, looking up.

"We're closing in 20 minutes." the waiter replied.

Well, now you don't have a choice do you.

"All right, all right." Devi thought to sickness, as she packed up her stuff, I'll pay the bill and start walking home.

She could feel sickness squirm, "ER... What's wrong with public transportation?"

I want to walk, Sickness. And it isn't like I don't have anything to protect myself with. She gripped the tazer in her pocket.

Sickness blinked. "What a pretty tazer. Where'd you get it?

Where do you think?

Sickness thought, then sighed happily, "He's nothing if not well prepared, isn't he?"

Shut up, Sickness.

I'm just saying...

Devi paid the check and went out into the approaching night. And I'm saying shut up...or do you want another session of the Happy Eye Stomp Dance?

…. Shutting up.

***

Why don't we take the long way around?

Devi sighed. We just aren't. Through the park is quicker. you want to get home quicker, don't you?

I don't know... Something isn't right. This place doesn't feel safe...

My, the great Sickness is afraid?

Shut up, will you? I'm trying to do this for your sake as well! Don't you even care if he kills you or not?

He's not going to.

And exactly how do you know that?

Because if I were him, I'd want to pay me back for the alley before I did.

Great. Just great. Your sole consolation is that he'll rape you before he kills you. Really brilliant Devi. Why couldn't they have sent me into a sensible host?

If you're going to go that route, you might as well ask why I got saddled with such a whiny imaginary enemy. Devi shot back, And as far as rape is concerned, he's not going to get that far even if he tries anything.

Sickness was indignant. Who are you calling imaginary? And how can you be so sure? He's a pro and he's not tied up and beaten in an alley way anymore. And all you’ve got is a taser!

And in case you didn't notice before you came here, I kicked his ass the LAST time he tried to kill me. That's why they sent you to me, isn't it?

Well, yeah that’s true, but... I mean, what? He tried to kill you?

You're a lousy actress, you know that?

All right, all right. I was sent here to take you over after you not only beat the crap out of Calvin, but when he started feeling sorry after you wouldn't talk to him again. You were a threat. You had to be neutralized. and if you can beat them, get them to join you, yes?

Tell me something I hadn't already figured out.

Like why you went from being pissed at the boy wonder to screaming his name in a deserted alley?

I was taking care of a problem. He was handy and he killed the original applicant for the job.

Yes, but why him? You said it yourself; you hate his guts, yes?

Devi was quiet.

Alright, alright, you don't want to talk to the thing that was trying to eat your brainmeats. But answer me one question: do you think it's a little odd?

There was a few beats of silence on Devi's part, before she said, out loud, "A little. A lot, actually. But it was functional." she grinned evilly. "VERY functional."

"SO glad you ENJOYED it." came a new voice.

Devi blinked. She shook her head. Your voice changing this late in life, Sickness?

That wasn't me.

Devi blinked again. "Well then, who was it?"

Oh no... DAMMIT DEVI, RUN! Sickness yelped from inside her head.

"What?" Devi looked around wildly, but was stopped by something... landing on her back and driving her into the ground. She pushed herself up on her arms, spluttering grass, when her face was smacked back down against the ground, again and again... After a few moments, the smacking ceased and she felt her head being dragged up by her hair and turned.

She looked into the eyes of a homicidal maniac.

"Hi there." Johnny said.

"Mmmuuh?" she got out, spitting grass, "how’d you...."

"Easy." He grinned, "It a habit. I’ve been following you around for so long, it had better be." Johnny chided her, as he flipped her back over onto her stomach, "You should really try some different routes now and then..."

Devi twisted her body quickly and tried to scramble out of Johnny's reach.

Johnny slammed her head again. "Quit squirming. You KNEW this was coming."

"Let. GO." Devi said through gritted teeth, fighting again.

"Now, why would I want to do a thing like that?" Johnny mused. "You didn't let me go in that alley."

"SICK FUCK!" Devi screamed, at the top of her voice, clutching her head.

"Save your breath." Johnny said, grabbing her arms. "You know no one’s going to hear you." he began pushing

Devi's arms together behind her back. Even fighting him with all of her strength, Devi didn't stay uncuffed for long. But she still knew how to deliver a fierce roundhouse kick to Johnny's skull.

Johnny was able to duck most of the kick, but even the fraction he got sent him spinning. "BITCH!" he screeched, clutching his head, as Devi struggled to get to her feet, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it?! I'll KILL you, dammit!"

"Tell me something I DON'T know, asshole!" Devi retorted, before delivering a flash kick to Johnny's jaw, and running into the park.

The park was even darker than it's outskirts, and Devi frantically looked in the darker shadows for a place to hide.

Her head was still spinning and her feet were unsteady beneath her. She needed to get her bearings before she made a run for home. Think Devi think...

I could use one of your phony compassionate suggestions Sickness! She mind-growled.

Don't look at me. I'm usually doing the chasing...

Worthless imaginary entity... Devi thought, ducking behind the largest tree she could find.

Johnny stalked into the grove of trees. "Deeeevviii." he called, grinning. "You might as well come out. You know you won't be able to get away..."

She could feel her heart in her throat, as she tried to catch her breath as quietly as possible. Lessee... the building over there is always on my left when I walk home... so if I could just make the sprint of 50 feet, I would be in the clear.. wouldn't I?

She looked around where she could to see if she could see Johnny. Nothing but shadows.

Great.

And home is going to help you, HOW exactly? Sickness interrupted, He knows where you live!

Like you said, bars... and locks... and.. oh hell, what the hell do YOU think I should do? Give up?!

At that point, a large boulder sailed out of the darkness and landed uncomfortably close.

I suggest we refer this discussion to another committee and run like hell.

Devi scrambled to her feet and started to run as hard as she could. Things kept whizzing by her head, but she ignored them and ran like a bat out of hell. Her ponytails came undone and her hair flew in her face, obstructing her view. But she just kept running. 30 feet..20 feet... 15 feet.. c'mon, almost there, almost there...

BAM!

Devi stumbled back and looked up at the brick wall which she had run into.

"When the FUCK did they put this here!" she yelped. Damn abruptly appearing stone structures…

"Your apartment is in the OTHER direction." Johnny said, coming up behind her and throwing an arm around her neck. "You got turned around in the dark."

"FUCKER! LET GO!" Devi rasped out, still fighting.

"An apt choice of words, Devi." Johnny said, taking a blade from beneath his coat, the honed blade gleaming in the bad light. "Good night…" Thinking he was going to cut her head off, Devi began struggled franticly. But Nny turned the blade around and bashed Devi in the back of the skull with the handle. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she went limp.

Johnny picked her up and started walking back into the darkness of the park, whistling all the way.