A New Perspective

The Beginning, Again?

  When Henry woke up for the fourth time today, the first thing he did was swore. The second was to to look for Sammy.

   Fortunately, it wasn't hard to find the other man, because he was right next to him. Sammy looked tired, and Henry suspected he looked the same, and now had a pale line across his throat.

  Henry sat up, briefly wincing at the stings in the cuts. Only the ones left by the Demon were still there. Sammy looked over at the movement, and had a look of relief when he saw what it was.

  "Are you okay?" Sammy knew the question was dull in tone, but it still held meaning.

  "Yeah? I mean I think so. What's with the..." He grabbed his own throat, indicating the line on Sammy's.

   "You don't remember what happened with Alice?" As Sammy spoke, he reach over and grabbed Henry's hand, and looked at over.

"I do but...oh.'' Now he knew why Sammy was checking his wrist. There was a thin line drawn across it, as if a sharp object had cut it and left a scar. Which he supposed it had.

  "Yeah." Sammy had lifted the hand closer, and had a thumb pressed over his friends pulse, as if to make sure it was still there. "Is this how she... y'know...killed you?" The heartbeat under his thumb quickened.

  "Y-yeah. And I'm guessing she did the same to you? Only in a different place."

"Yep." He let go of the hand, and subconsciously touched his throat, wondering why Alice's attitude had suddenly changed like that.
 
"Where are we Sam?" It looked kind of familiar actually.

"Right outside of the Music Department. Again. The Demon must've restarted the loop. But we remembered it this time. That's why we have the scars."

"How long have you been back?" He still felt tired, and was hoping they could just head back to the infirmary.

"About an hour. You were here first, but you were out. Scared me for a minute honestly-" Sammy was about to continue when another voice joined the fray.

"Wha-what the hell.  I thought it would...I'm such an idiot. An idiot idiot idiot...just like before." It seemed the Angel had followed them somehow. She didn't seem to notice them yet.

But, something was different about her. The melted part of her face had gotten worse, not better. A punishment for a sin. An angel stripped of wings.

"I thought it would help." She had a manic look in her one remaining eye. "It didn't..." There was ink running down her face.

"Alice?" Henry tried quietly, though Sammy shot him a warning look that clearly meant, 'No. Do you know how bad of an idea that is? It could-and you're already doing it.' That kind of look.

  Her head turned so quickly, that a loud crack sounded. She cringed, remember-  ing how the Demon had disposed of her.  Doll. Now the name made sense, since he'd handled her like a rag doll. She returned their gazes, and felt ashamed.

They'd trusted her. She betrayed them; so she felt as if she was as bad as Joey. It might have been a mercy if she just would have stayed dead.

"Yes?" She tried to put on a cold facade, but it wasn't working. She felt broken all over again, as if the Demon was still crushing her bones.

She watched, as Henry got up and walked towards her. She tensed when he leaned down, afraid of what might happen. Sammy watched, he too had gotten up, still wary of her.

"Do...you want a hug? Or a pat on the shoul-" he was cut off as she threw her arms around him, mumbling apologies all the while. She really had been trying to protect them.