Death Wish

ALTERNATE ENDING

I stared at two options for the ending of this story for a very long time. I didn't know whether to wrap everything together or keep dragging this story by its ankles into a sequel. 

After a long while, I decided this story is its best as a single. I can write about the details of how certain people met or became the way they did, but I can't bring myself to write about what happens after everyone goes home.

It's just not good enough to be its own story like this was. 

Yet I have nowhere to put my alternate ending for said unnecessary sequel but here. I hope you enjoy the idea that I played with before ultimately realizing continuations aren't always needed. 

For example, Taken 2. What the hell was that.

~ ~ ~

I'm on the floor holding my side wound as the pentagram around me burns up all of my strives for success. Nothing could have blown up more in my face than this - not only did I fail to undamn my brother, but now I'm going to be just like him once I die. I groan as I can do nothing about it but wait.

Frank and Mikey refuse to sit still on the other side of things. They drop everything and run to me to help, catching Bob's attention away from Ray's apparent turning. He gulps as he looks to Ray once more before abandoning him to help me.

"Dying is almost easy this time." I laugh at the reality of the thought, making me appear more than hysterical. Frank worriedly grabs a hold of my wound for me to stop the blood himself. "Just hold on a sec, we gotta get out of here -" He glances back to Ray before to me, "Can you stand?"

I snort, "I can't stand anything anymore.." I wince when I laugh and stop my chest from shaking with a firm hold. I grumble, "Piece of shit."

To say I'm getting worse is treading lightly; I'm starting to bleed heavier and heavier with my opening wound. As Frank hastily tries to find a good way to pick me up and get me out, Bob snatches the blood vial from the pentagram and rips the cork off.

Mikey glares, "What're you doing?"

"Backup plan." Bob takes me by the jaw and dumps half in.

I cough and sputter through it, "I haven't had a man do that in a while," I chuckle groggily.

Frank rolls his eyes and gets a better grip on me before attempting to write curse symbols on his hands, "Everyone meet us by Rose's, I'm getting Gerard out of here before something bad happens."

"This isn't bad?" Mikey glares.

There's a sudden snap and crack in the cement walls around us. We all look up expecting it to be Ray, but it isn't. Streams of cracks go around the walls, all wrapping together in their unfolding wreckage, before forming a circle and breaking open. Whirs of darkness pour out from the gaping hole, blowing gusts of wind our way and making it impossible to look away. Ännwns come out of the portal seconds after it appears.

"That's bad." Mikey confirms.

"Wait, I had more time than this to get the book back!" Bob says.

"I forgot that was even a thing..." I slur from the corner.

The Ännwns don't hesitate to instantly snatch the ghost. Everyone yells and jumps back, not wanting to be taken with. Bob swings his hands about the floor, desperate to cling to one of us for safety, "Wait, I'm so close - !"

The beasts grip Bob tight and drag him towards their whirring vortex despite his protest. He wriggles uselessly before looking to all of us where we brew in our own panic of problems. Frank can only watch his friend being taken for so long before he remembers my own apparent danger. He shakes his head as he has to move on to open a portal to take me and himself away in. Mikey stands there in shock, unsure what to do about the hellish situation. He looks between both Bob and his own brother before making a clear decision.