At the Zoo

Devi staggered into the apartment, exhausted, injured, humiliated and, damn it all to hell, horny. She was starting to hate her body for deciding to go nympho without letting her brain know before hand.

She dropped her bag and collapsed on the couch, ignoring the pain in her arm, her back, and her ass.

WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!

Devi groaned. "Not now, Sickness."

Not now?! NOT NOW?! One minute you're being chased by that psycho, the next I can't contact you. I have no idea what's happening to you, and I've been...well...worried.

"Why the fuck are YOU worried about me?" Devi asked.

Look, I KNOW you don't trust me. And that's fine. But this time around, you'll have to listen to me if nothing else.

"Listen to you about what?" Devi sighed. She didn't want to hear this. Johnny letting her go at the last minute was weird enough...

Prepare yourself for a shock. I'm going to give you a straight answer.

Devi blinked. "If it's truthful, that will be a shock. What?"

Sickness sighed. You and Johnny have been tapped again.

"What... FUCK! I thought I dealt with you!" Devi said, searching through her backpack for the screws.

No, WAIT! Not by me or my kind!

"Yeah. Sure." Devi said throwing stuff out of the backpack, looking for the screws.

Will you just LISTEN for once?! Sickness asked frantically. I can't tell you too much more directly.... THEY may be listening.

"THEM. Uh huh. Damn, Sickness, that just makes you REAL creditable." Devi sneered.

Dammit, Devi, do you really think my kind would let me tell you if it was us?

"All right...For argument's sake… They who?" Devi asked.

I...Sickness hesitated. I...can't tell you.

"Oh, gee, THERE'S a surprise." Devi replied, tired. She thought for a second. "Would They have stopped Johnny early?"

Stopped him early from doing WHAT? Sickness asked suspiciously.

Devi snorted, then pulled out the screws from her backpack. She went into the bathroom, and set the screws up so Sickness could see into the mirror.

"Can you see me?" Devi asked.

Yes. Stopped Johnny from doing what?

"Finishing what he started." Devi said, undoing the overcoat and dropping it to the floor.

Devi felt a sense of satisfaction when she hear Sickness make a sound that sounded like surprise and alarm.

How much did he do? she asked frantically, when she found her voice again.

Devi shrugged. "Most of what you see is what happened while I tried to get out of that fucking funhouse he lives in."

So why did you say he stopped? Did he stop in dragging you somewhere? Was he talking to anyone? Sickness rattled off quickly

Devi sighed. The fatigue was starting to catch up to her. "He stopped fucking me, Sickness."

Shit. ...Er... well, it's hardly surprising considering what's been going on lately... but... wait... he was fucking you INSIDE THE HOUSE?! Sickness asked.

"No, no, we were going at it in the back yard, OF COURSE IN THE HOUSE!" Devi screeched. She was feeling another headache coming on. "He had his hand on my throat and he was making me stay still while he..." Devi trailed off, trying to force a smile to her lips. "I swear... I never thought the little shit had THAT in him..."

WHERE in the house?

"Why, Sickness, you little pervert..." Devi giggled. Damn. She was starting to get punchy. She shook her head. "Um... the basement. The first level, I think. When he started screaming at me to leave, it was only one flight of stairs up to the front door."

Sickness sighed in relief. Thank G…G…G-Somebody. That's all right then.

Devi's eyes flashed. "All right?! ALL RIGHT?! NO, SICKNESS, IT IS NOT ALL FUCKING RIGHT!!!"

No, wait! I didn't mean--

"SHUT UP!" Devi cried out. "JUST GO BACK TO WHATEVER HOLE IN MY MIND YOU CRAWLED OUT OF! I'M TIRED, I'M HURT, AND I AM GOING TO FIND SOME WAY TO KILL THAT MOTHER FUCKER! AND I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP TO DO IT!"

With that, Devi picked up the screws, went into the kitchen, ran some water into the sink, flipped on the garbage disposal, and dropped the screws into it.

Devi enjoyed the screams for as long as she could bear, before flipping the disposal off and retrieving the now extremely battered screws. She dropped them back into her bag, and started to head for the bathroom to clean up.

She got as far as the couch before the exhaustion finally got the better of her, and she flopped down on the couch.

Johnny was surprised to see he was getting sleepy. He didn't usually get sleepy. Sometimes he could stay awake for days, weeks, months. But his mind was slowly putting him to sleep. It kept running over the same track of what he did to Devi, what he wanted to do, and wondering if she had gotten home all right.

Not the Rev. MEAT was making it any easier on him...

"Felt good, didn't it, Johnny?"

"Shut up."

"You KNOW it felt good. Feelin her hot, moist flesh clenching you, holding you, squeezing you--"

"SHUT. UP!" Dammit. It had felt good... he had wanted her so badly, wanted to keep going.. he just couldn't when he looked at her face. Dammit, why the HELL had he let her go?

"You think too much, Johnny." MEAT replied. "That's always been your problem. You can never be in the moment."

"I.. I thought I was. I was, for a while, wasn't I?" Johnny asked, unsure. He couldn't get Devi's eyes out of his head.

"Oh yes. For a while. And you liked it, didn't you? It felt good to possess her, didn't it? To have her under your complete control? To know you could do anything to her and she wouldn't be able to retaliate."

"Yes... yes." Johnny said. A smile starting to form at the corner of his mouth.

"And she deserved it didn't she? After everything she did to you in the alley..."

"Yes." Johnny said, without hesitation.

"… you'd like to do it again, wouldn't you? To make her yours. To give her the fucking of her life. To hear her scream in ecstasy and you make her come again and again..."

Nny's hands clenched around his knees. He could see it already. Devi's head tilted back as he fucked both their brains out. Her body aching for his. And no talking, no speaking, just them together in continuous motion. He could already feel his heart start to beat out of his chest. "YES..."

"Well, then, Johnny, you need to stop THINKING about what you're doing when it happens!" MEAT chided. "Be in the moment. LIVE in the moment. The moment is all."

"Hell yes!" Johnny said, leaping up. "The Meat speaks the truth!"

"HALLELUJAH!" MEAT cried. "Now, Johnny, rest. Tonight, you'll go out there, you'll get her and then the circle--er--you'll show her what REAL pleasure is!"

Johnny looked a little confused, but nodded and went off to find whatever room he used as a bedroom. He WAS a little tired...

On the table, MEAT watched him go. When the door slammed, his grin got even wider. "Yes, sleep, Johnny...you'll need your rest."

Devi heard, in the far off plane of reality, a happy little squeek that could only belong to one thing.

She woke up almost immediately.

She tried to sit up and look around for Spooky or Tenna, but she couldn’t seem to get her eyes open. Damn. Everything still hurt like hell. If she could just go back to sleep for a few more hours she would be fine...

"Hey!" Tenna’s voice said, happily, "You're awake!"

"Barely." Devi grumbled. "What are you doing home?"

"It's 6, Devi. I'm always home at six." There was a splashing sound.

"What the hell was that?" Devi asked, squinting.

"Huh?" Tenna asked. "Oh, I'm just cleaning out your hideous mutilated arm wounds."

"Oh. Thanks. Er... remember to put disinfectant on it when you wrap ‘em up. Night." Devi said, trying to slip back into sleep again.

"Hang on, you don't want to fall asleep yet. You're still in the tub."

"WHAT?!?!?" Devi said, abruptly sitting upright. "HOW THE HELL DID I GET IN HERE?!" she bellowed

"Whoa!" Tenna cried as water splashed over the edge of the tub. "Relax! I dragged you in here when I found you passed out on the couch. You looked really bad, Devi! I thought you were dead!"

Devi took a couple of deep breaths, and tried to relax. "Heh... I probably was. I...well, it's a bit of an understatement to say I've had a hard day, huh?"

"Huh?" Tenna replied, looking at Devi wide eyed. "What happened?"

Devi looked at the bloodstained water. "I… er... I don't really want to talk about it now. Could you just help patch me up? I'll tell you all the gory details later, kay?"

"Kay!" Tenna said cheerfully.

Devi shuttered and held out her arm. "Just hit me with some disinfectant Tenna..."

"So, you gonna tell me now, what happened?" Tenna asked as Devi tried to drink some hot cup-a-soup.

"Not yet." Devi told her, carefully taking a sip.

"Oh......... how about now?" Tenna asked, hopefully.

"No, Tenna." Devi said. "Right now, all I want to do is climb into bed and sleep for about thirty years."

"But I wanna knoooow!" Tenna complained.

Devi put the soup down and stood up. She took a couple of steps and winced as needles of pain shot through her bandaged feet. She wasn't going to be able to wear shoes for a while. She wondered if she still had those old men's work boots she had gotten at the thrift shop last month.

"You need some help?" Tenna asked

"Yeah." Devi said. Tenna got up from the table and threw one of Devi's arms around her shoulder.

"Okay, starting on the left." Devi said.

"Your left or my left?" Tenna asked.

"Tenna!"

"All right, all right, your left, Ms. Grumpy. Aaaand, left... left.... left, right, l-"

"Tenna, quit it."

With a minimum of effort, and a maximum of grumbling, Tenna and Devi managed to make it into Devi's room. Devi sank gratefully down onto the bed. "Thanks Tenna. Good night."

Tenna shook her head. "You aren't going to bed like that."

Devi opened one eye, annoyed. "Like what?

"With clothes." Tenna pointed to the bathrobe Devi was wearing. "The arm and feet need to stay covered, but the rest of your wounds need to breathe."

Devi grumbled and clumsily tried to strip off her clothes.

"Oh quit it. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

"Well, those were unusual circumstances..." Devi said, wincing, "Um... little help here?"
Tenna sat down next to Devi and pulled the sleeve of the robe off the injured arm. "Look, I know you sleep in the nude during the summer anyway. This shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?"

Devi looked back at Tenna, concerned. "How the hell do you know that?" she asked.

Tenna blinked and looked embarrassed. "Well, uh...um...."

Devi sighed. "Never mind. Don't want to know. I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Night!" Tenna left the room. Devi switched her bedside lamp off and was about to go to sleep when Tenna stuck her head back in "Spooky says he hopes you feel better!" She squeeked Spooky a couple of times before ducking out of the room again.

"Thanks Spooky…" Devi called, waving her hand in Tenna' general direction.

Out in the living room, Tenna sat down and flipped on the TV. "Oooh! Softcore porn!" she squealed and squeeked Spooky in happiness.

Devi made a face. "Um... Tenna? Turn it down, will ya?"

"Sorry, Devi!" Tenna grabbed the remote and thumbed the volume.

"Thanks..." Devi mumbled.

Tenna turned her attention to the TV while Devi was finally drifting off to sleep. Mmm.... it was so nice to be back in her own safe bed again, all warm and happy. She didn't think she'd ever want to leave..

She drifted contentedly through her dreams for a while. Enjoying the silly and absurd images her mind projected. And elephant playing hockey with two winged bunny rabbits. Ted Koppel’s head exploding like a party favor. Something from Monty Python. Tenna in the door way, with Spooky wearing nothing but a pair of tube socks... wait a minute...

Devi blinked blearily as Tenna came into the room. "Tenna?" she muttered.

'Hey girl..." Tenna said, silkily, "I just thought you'd like some Get Well tips from the Joy of Spooky." She squeeked Spooky long and soft and pulled a can of whipped cream out from somewhere…



15 minutes later Devi was more or less dressed and hobbling out the building into the early morning sunlight. God, her roommate was scaring her! The Joy of Spooky? Right.

Devi hobbled over to a nearby bus stopped and waved down the 8:15. She had to get out of here and away form Tenna NOW.

The bus was half empty. Just the driver and two fat middle aged women who gave off a horrific, spicy scent that made Devi gag. She maneuvered herself to the back of the bus and looked at where the loop was going.

Downtown. The mall. The zoo. The airport and back downtown again.

Devi thought for a while. Where would be a good place to go where nobody would be looking for her?

The mall just made her sick... the airport was too tempting... the zoo? She hadn’t been there in a while. Maybe she could see the penguins again..

She looked at her watch. 8:24. The zoo probably wouldn't open til ten.

She could get some food. She hadn't eaten anything for the last couple of days except the soup the night before., then. To the mall, for a burger, then onto the zoo.

She finally allowed herself to relax against the seat of the bus. She was exhausted.

Between Johnny's rat maze, the alley and all the other weird shit that had been happening the last couple of days, she knew what she needed was about 18 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Unfortunately, with Tenna's attentions she had only gotten 8 hours or so of sleep last night. Shit. You always couldn't sleep when you really needed too...

And why the hell was it that everybody in her life recently had turned into a raving sex maniac? Herself included. She had never had any feelings towards Tenna in that way before, but she had banged Tenna with a hairbrush and then Tenna had tried to return the favor.

And then there was Johnny...Johnny, who never seemed to want to touch anyone except to kill them.

It's THEM.

Don't you EVER knock? Devi asked Sickness.

I don't need to, I'm still inside. In great amounts of pain but still inside.

Great. Not only are you a cryptic dolly who lives in my brainmeats, you're becoming a passive-aggressive, cryptic dolly who lives in my brain meats... So, are you ready to talk about THEM?

I was ready to talk about THEM last night, but SOMEBODY decided it would be more fun to throw my eyes in the garbage disposal.

No you weren't! You couldn't.. couldn't...say... Devi reminded her, mimicking her.

Cute. All right. I'll tell you what I can.

OK.

On our side of reality, there are things worse than us. Things that hate humanity even more than we do...and they hate us as well.

All right... Devi said

So they spend their time trying to figure out how to wipe you all out. And as a result, since we feed off you, us as well. But, like us, they can't get through to this plane of existence without a conduit of some sort.

So... me and Johnny are the conduits?

Pretty much. And the fact that there's two of you and you're opposite genders makes it really bad.

Ok.... why the fuck is that?

Normally, THEY only get through when only once person is receptive. But because you neutralized me and Johnny did...whatever he did, has just increased the risk factor.

Again... why the fuck is that?

Sickness hesitated. Well..they, uh...they want to AIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Devi blinked. Sickness?

..devi... Sickness whispered, as her voice started to fade away ...they ...blocking ...sex...they control ...through...sexxxx...

Devi slapped the side of her head. What's happening to you? Sickness?

There was no reply.

Devi shivered as the bus drove on into empty streets.

Devi watched two baby penguins happily waddle around with their mom in the zoo's Pillar O' Penguins. The little ones dove into the water, and began playing a rather vicious game of underwater tag, while mom looked on. Devi sighed happily. She reached into her backpack for her sketch pad and a pencil.

She drew a quick sketch of the mom and a few of the older penguins in the tube. She started to relax for the first time in days. It felt good.

But as she relaxed, she felt her eyelids growing heavy. Maybe she could fall asleep here... would anyone notice? The area by the penguins was dark, with groups of people hanging out on the benches or niches in the wall. She might scare little kids… better stay awake..

"Caffeine." she murmured. She reached into her backpack looking for her wallet. She found some spare change in the very bottom...along with Sickness's eyes.

Devi frowned. The screws were now charred and blackened, like they had been through a fire. She lightly tapped them, expecting a reply. She got nothing. She shook her head. Sickness was gone, and she didn't want her back, so why should she look a gift horse in the mouth?

Devi tossed them back into her backpack, and went looking for a soda machine or a concession stand.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted a concession stand that looked like it was an Obnoxious Overpriced Coffee franchise.

Better than nothing. She walked up and joined the line of parents with squiggly children.
After she paid for her coffee ("COFFEE flavored, you dolt!"), she went to the set of tables near the stand, and sat down to drink it.

So many happy, blissful people... people who would go through their lives, never knowing the shit she was fighting with. People who would have happy, safe, little relationships. Children who would care for their parents, until they became teenagers. Dates that would break it off because of different interests, not large knifes and kicks to the face. Perfectly normal little lives.

It made her so jealous, she felt nauseous.

"A Cherry Fizz-Whiz please."

Devi stiffened. Oh SHIT. NOT NOW! She carefully looked over her shoulder as her hand rummaged franticly in her backpack for her can of mace.

Johnny was at the concession stand, paying for his drink. Devi made sure to keep her back to him. This couldn't have been a coincidence. But how the hell else could both of them know where she was?

Sickness. The damn little BITCH! She... could she have betrayed her again? it was entirely possible.. but what had dragged her off their frequency?

This was getting complicated fast. She had to get out of here...

Leaving her coffee behind, Devi got up and headed to the reptile house. It was opposite of the way Johnny was going.

She walked as calmly as she could until she got behind the door of the house itself. Then she started to run, as fast as her injured feet would carry her. She was knocking over little kids, employees, she just didn't care. She had to get out of here NOW.

"Hey watch it lady!" one of the keepers yelled.

"Sorry, gotta get this flesh eating virus back to the lab!" Devi said, trying to sound official.

"WHAT?!" the guy yelped

"Is there a back way out of this place?" she asked, franticly looking around.

"Uhhh… yeah, it's in the back."

Devi sprinted the direction the guy indicated. The map she was looking at earlier had said that the birdhouse was right next door. If she could get through that, she could catch the shuttle to the bus stop.

She turned the corner, dodged a 1st grade class on a tour...

...and ran right into Johnny, spilling Cherry Fizz Whiz everywhere.

"Oooo..." Devi said, rubbing her head. Then she looked up. "… Oh SHIT." she scrambled to her feet and started running back the way she came, scattering the 1st grade class again.

Johnny watched her go, thought, then went the opposite direction.

How the HELL had he found her? He didn't see her leave, at least not that she knew of... And he was going in the other direction! Dammit, was there another side door to this place? She found another door marked "Exhibit closed for cleaning." Well, that would do.

She threw open the door and scrambled inside, ducking and weaving around the various debris scattering the floor. Crocodiles and alligators slept in tanks set into the floor. Plexiglas fences at waist height kept observers from falling in.

Devi dashed across the room to the other exit, and threw open the door.

"Hello." Johnny said, pleasantly

"God... DAMMIT!" she screamed, backing away from Johnny. "How the fuck did you find me?!"

Johnny looked thoughtful. "I just went to the other likely door you'd go through." He said as he stepped into the room, the door closing and locking behind him.

"How'd... how'd you know I'd choose this side and not the other?" Devi asked, suspiciously, as she discretely felt around for something to throw at him.

Johnny considered for a moment. "I don't know. It just seemed likely."

"It's not like anyone told you to go to a certain door?' Devi asked, starting to slowly head for the door.

"No. I just got this...vibe...that you were in here." Johnny grinned. "I'm glad I ran into you."

"Oh?" Devi asked as lightly as she could. Dammit, where was the door handle...

"Yes...how's your arm?"

"My... my arm?" Devi asked, surprised. "Um... well my roommate put something on it last night... and wrapped it up. It should be fine. ...Why?"

"And your feet?"

Devi shrugged. "Same thing. Still hurt like hell..."

"But you can obviously walk on them."

"I had to." she said shortly. She could feel the door against her back... DAMMIT, where the FUCK was the HANDLE?!?!

"You HAD to?" Johnny asked, still grinning. "Why? I would spend the day on the sofa avoiding using my feet if possible."

"I would too... but ah... Tenna went nut ball on me... er... long story. Let's just say I'll never look at whip cream or rubber the same way again." Devi said as her hand closed around the doorknob. She gripped it tightly and slowly turned it.

It was locked.

How could it possibly be locked?!

It was open a few minutes ago!

Johnny leaned into her. "Problem?"

"Just a little one." Devi admitted. She suddenly pushed Nny away and did a forward roll away from him. When she was upright again, her can of mace was in hand, and her finger on the trigger.

"Stay.. stay back." Devi said as she leveled the can on Johnny. "I just want to leave..."

"Aww... what's the matter, Devi?" Johnny said, smile still firmly in place.

"I don't want to fight you today!" Devi growled, "And why are you still smiling?!"

"Because I like you, Devi."

"What the... You follow me, chase me down and lock me in a zoo cage because you LIKE me?" Devi asked, "You aren't trying to Immortalize the Moment, again, are you?"

Johnny's smile got wider. "Not in the same way."

Devi tried not to shutter too violently with disgust. "Well then, what are you doing here?!"

Instantly, Johnny was across the room. His foot flashed up and the can of mace went flying. The next thing Devi knew, she was lying on the floor of the concrete path between the tanks, Johnny kissing her deeply.

"Mmmrph?!" she asked. Johnny just laced his fingers through her hair and began to rub her neck. Well this was new...

Johnny separated just long enough to say "Shut up...and enjoy it. I still have to finish what I started yesterday."

"WHAT?!" Devi screeched before Johnny's mouth silenced her again. The bastard. The fucking BASTARD! and she had almost thought he was human! She was going to kick his ass. She was going to kick his ass, and feed him to the crocodiles. She was going to rips his balls off and use them for tennis practice! She was going to rip his tongue out and strangle him with it! She was...

...GETTING UNBEARABLY TURNED ON AGAIN! FUCK!

She got one arm free and tried to push herself up, but her arm was still killing her. Then she tried to pull herself out from under Johnny, but he held her down and started lightly kissing her neck.

"Let... me.... go!" she whispered, trying to crain her neck away. Devi felt little electric shocks run through her body. He wasn't being forceful this time. He was kissing her neck softly, gently, occasionally running his tongue along the tendons in her neck. Devi's legs rubbed against each other involuntarily. No...she couldn't...she already went through...through...

"Oooohhhh..." she whispered.

As much as she fought it, she felt herself starting to relax. Johnny's hands gently pulled her shirt out of her slacks and began tenderly rubbing her stomach... moving upward...

"Mmmmm." Devi hummed involuntarily. His hands were warm. She hadn't noticed that before.

They moved around to her back, gently rubbing it, and slowly releasing the claps on her bra. She felt it give, and Nny's hands gently stroking the length of her back.

"I love your skin." Johnny murmured.

Devi blushed. She was about to thank him, when reality came crashing down on her.

What the HELL was she doing?!

She opened her eyes and looked down. Johnny was kissing her stomach and driving her absolutely insane.

Ah, what the hell... what could giving into a crazy lunatic with good hands really hurt, anyway? She hadn’t felt this good in years... Course after they finished, he would probably try to kill her... Still, there were worse ways to die… NO! Devi forced herself to get up. She wasn't acting like herself. She had to clear her head. She had to leave.

She had raised herself on her elbows, when Johnny slid his hand into the front of her pants and began gently stroking her.

The little shocks had turned into a great BIG series of shocks.

Devi's body collapsed back onto the concrete with a loud -thud- "Ooohhhh...." she moaned, trying to catch her breath.

Johnny kissed her again before moving down her body. He undid her boots, took them off, then turned his attention to her pants.

Devi put up some fleeting resistance to Nny undoing her fly, but as soon as he slid her pants and underwear down around her knees, she started sighing happily.

The cold air of the room made her burning lips feel very good.

Johnny's lips on her inner thigh felt even better.

And when he hummed on her thigh, she nearly lost it.

She tried to fight her way back into reality one more time, but she realized Nny's skinny body was between her legs she was back on the floor again. He was kissing her everywhere he could below her waist, teasing every single one of her nerve endings....

He lowered his head to lick her, and she settled back to enjoy herself, when suddenly...

...uuuuhhhh...owwwwww...

Sickness?

Yeah...barely...but yeah…

What are you doing? Where did you go? You... OOOHHHHH yeaaaah....

There was a moment of silence then:

What was that?

Devi bit her lip. Uh... what was what?

It was at that point that Johnny nibbled gently on Devi's clit.

WWOOOOOAHHH BAAABYY!!! WOOOO!!!!! YEAH DO IT TO... Uh.... um.... I mean.... nevermind?

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, DEVI?!?

Um... nothing?

Sickness snorted. Bullshit! You're having sex with him again aren't you?

Well, TRYING to… Do you mind?

Didn't you listen to me before? These things CONTROL you using sex!

Well... all right, yes. So? You never told me they were this nice.

THEY want you to be off balance and confused! Arousal is the best way for them to do that AND get both of you to do what they want!

Yeah? Devi asked cautiously, So, what do they want?

They WANT- NYAAAAAAIIIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Sickness? Dammit, stop doing that and talk to me!

They want you to AAAAAA! TO-- ERRRRRGH! to g-g-IT HURRRRRTS!

What the fuck is going on with you?

HOW CAN YOU BE SO F-GAAAAAH! F-FUCKING DENSE?!

Maybe if you didn't have a SCREAMING FIT every time you got CLOSE to a LOGICAL ANSWER?!

Sickness screamed again. They...they want you...to...give...birth. There was another scream that reverberated throughout Devi's skull.

Devi blinked and sat straight up, forcing Johnny off of her. "Tell me you didn't just say what I think you did..."

Sicknesses voice came back. It was weak and faint. they...don't want me...to tell...you...they're hurting me...it hurts Devi...run...run away...

Devi quickly considered. Considered what had been happing and what she knew of the current situations. And she finally came to the conclusion that if these... Things could hurt Sickness so effortlessly, then her own brain meats were just the next step. She got up and started tugging her clothing back on.

"Um...Devi?" Johnny asked, confused.

"I'm sorry. Johnny, I'm sorry, I can't stay. An evil demon is trying to take over my brain. I need some time to think." Devi said, snapping the last button into place.

Johnny blinked.

"What? It's not like you can't relate..." Devi pointed out.

"But...I thought you said that doll or whatever wasn't able to hurt you anymore."

"I thought so too... but apparently, I was wrong. Dammit, how the hell do you get out of here?'

Johnny didn't answer.

"Should I ask the crocs?" Devi said lightly.

Johnny still didn't reply.

"Um... are you all right?" Devi asked, mildly concerned.

Johnny stood up, and turned away from her, looking down at the crocodiles snoozing in the tank below.

"Nny? Er... look... I'm sorry, I think... and it's not like I don't want to go ahead. But if we keep going I think my brain might be eaten by other worldly spirits. I just need some time to clear my head... Umm... Nny? You OK?"

"I'm fine."

"All right... well... bye?" Devi said, walking over to the other door.

"Bye?" Johnny turned around. He had a dark, hateful look on his face. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere just yet."

Oh shit. "Why's that?" Devi asked. Keep it light, keep it innocent...

"Because you obviously don't care about anyone but yourself. I try to show you how much I care about you...even getting down and licking—"Johnny shuddered. "But you're just like all the rest, aren't you. You take and take and TAKE!"

"But I didn't WANT to take anything from you." Devi said. Then paused. What about the alley? Don't bring up the alley, just keep talking. "And I told you that it's not like I want this to end... far from it! Maybe we could do it some other time... but right now I've got demons eating my imaginary enemies!"

"Do you have any idea how STUPID that sounds?" Johnny asked.

"No more stupid than talking doughboys." Devi pointed out, "It's only stupid if it's not true."

Johnny didn't answer. He kept coming closer to her.

Devi had finally backed up to the second door. She reached down behind her and turned the knob.

This door was locked too.

"Something wrong?" Johnny asked.

"Nny?" Devi asked. He was going to attack her. Thinking quickly, she took her backpack and slammed it into his face, sending him down to the floor.

Johnny looked up, blood trickling form his temple where the metal buckle of the backpack straps had grazed him. The expression on his face told Devi all she needed to know. He was going to kill her now.

"Shit." Devi said.

Before Johnny could spring to his feet, Devi lashed out with a foot, catching him under the chin and sending him sprawling onto his back.

Devi looked around for a blunt object of any kind but kept coming up empty. Johnny was getting up again...

Fuck it then. she thought. She took a couple of steps back then took a running leap, intending to jump over Johnny and get the hell out of there.

But Johnny grabbed her ankle, tripping her and sending her into the edge of the croc pit. A few of the crocs woke up and began thrashing.

Devi landed double on the railing, causing the air to be knocked out of her. Johnny grabbed the back of her hair and started pushing.

"Look!" He yelled. "The ultimate eating machine, Devi! They're meaner than alligators you know."

Devi growled long and hard and managed to get her hands on the glass. She pushed off as hard as she could...

The two of them sailed back, and hit the railing over the alligator pit. Now Johnny was bent double, backwards, looking down at the huge reptiles.

"Well?" Devi asked as the overgrown reptiles made their way over to the struggling pair. "Why don't you tell them that?"

"Why don't you?" Johnny sneered, before grabbing Devi's shirt and yanking with all his might. At the same time, he placed one of his feet, so that, as she was pulled forward,

Devi tripped over it, flying over the railing…

…Devi suddenly grabbed his shirt, sending Nny with her....

… As Johnny tumbled down into the alligator pit…

…Devi shot out her bad arm and managed to grab the railing.

Pain screamed into her entire body, but the gritted her teeth and let go of Nny's shirt, leaving herself hanging at the edge of the pit.

"DEVIIIIIIII!" Johnny screamed as he splashed into the pit. Instantly the gators were upon him snapping and thrashing around.

"Damn... that's got to hurt..." Devi said. She quickly grabbed the railing with her good arm and pulled herself up.

She walked over and checked the door closest to her. OPEN....

What the fuck is going on here? she thought as she entered the rest of the reptile house
This was starting to get seriously weird. Even weirder than when Sickness first started talking to her.

And what had she meant, by 'giving birth'?

Did that mean that she and Johnny were doing this so she would...

Devi shuddered.

As she walked out of the Zoo, she suddenly felt light headed and staggered, clutching the exit gate for support.

"Miss?" a pimply-faced attendant said. "Are you all right?"

She was getting out of this damn zoo. And she was never going to talk to Nny again.

"I'll be fine if you tell me where the bus stop is."