Cocoaroo Chronicles

Chapter 25- The Skull Shard

Riley's POV

"Oh?  You would kill the person you originally came here for just to save Ri?"  Keaton/Galaxy said.

"Just to save Ri, you say.  JUST to save Ri.  OF COURSE I WOULD DO IT TO SAVE RI.  HAVE YOU EVER EVEN MET ME!?"  I screamed, "Have you ever met HER!"

"I'm just saying... How do you know Ri would do the same for you?" Keaton/Galaxy said in their creepy half demon voice.

"Why do you care so much about what she would do!  This isn't ABOUT what Ri would do.  It's about what I WOULD DO."

I looked over at Ri, and watched as a tear trickled down her scared face.  I looked back at Galaxy, glaring intensely. I watched as Galaxy walked over to a lever.  She stared intensely into my eyes as she yanked the lever down.

"RI!!!"  I watched as the chainsaw started going faster.

I looked back at Obsidian and Sasha.  They were running.  Running back into the portal.  Running away from the pain of seeing their friends in danger.  I fell down to my knees, and felt something pierce into my side.  I reached into my pocket and found the strange shard that Obsidian had given to me.  It had a skull on it.  It was also black.  What could that do to help me now!?  To help RI now!?  I looked back at Ri, and got a glimpse of how close the chainsaw was.  I couldn't do anything.  I was useless.  I threw the shard over to her, hoping something would happen.... and something did happen!  Rilooked at me, a stream of tears flowing down her face.  I looked down at my hands and saw a piece of paper....

I'm sorry you have to see me like this.... -Ri

"NO!!" I screamed, as if trying to wake up from a terrible dream.

I looked away, but a scream of terror and pain erupted through me.  It felt like someone was piercing me in the heart with a dagger.  I looked back up, to see a chainsaw cutting through Arianna's once glowing skin.  I watched as the color drained from her face and I listened to her last word.... Run

My eyes widened as I realized that Keaton was probably going to come for me next....  But Arianna couldn't be dead!? Could she?  She's escaped death so many times that it seems nearly impossible for her to die.  She had to have been faking it... Somehow... 

I lower my head to think.  To distract myself from everything that was happening.  But I jerk my head up when I hear a very high-pitched scream...

"Galaxy?" I say.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" I hear Galaxy say.

I look to Galaxy and see the fear on her face.  There was no sign of Keaton in her anymore.  I looked around, to anything that could've had something to do with where Keaton had gone.  The shard.... I look at the skull shard by Arianna... I had turned purple.  It was also vibrating.  Was Keaton somehow in the shard?

I gathered the strength to fly over the bloody floor, and picked up the shard. I heard screaming. Everywhere.  I looked around and it seemed that the terror on Galaxy's face had froze.  Obsidian and Sasha suddenly stopped moving toward the portal.  I stopped moving.  I suddenly put down the shard and started flying backwards.  Obsidian and Sasha started to run backwards.  And the fear on Galaxy's face turned back to a menacing grin and red returned to her eyes.  The chainsaw started moving up and I felt tears run back into my eyes.  Was time.... REVERSING? 

I watched as the skull shard flew back into my hand, and time went back to normal.  I saw the fear on Ri's face, Galaxy nearing the lever, and Sasha and Obsidian were still standing by my side.  I looked down and saw that the skull shard had turned black again, so it must've been Keaton inside of it that turned it purple.  Enough thinking, I needed to save Ri.... hopefully this time goes better than the last attempt.

Nobody seemed to be confused about what had just happened, so I must've been the only one that knew about the time going backwards.  That aside, I lept into the air and let my wings pull from my back.  I darted towards Galaxy and knocked her over onto her side.  I then put the shard up to her head, hoping that Keaton might go back into the shard... Nothing happened.  It must have been something about capturing Keaton or turning back time to save Ri.  In any case, I looked around frantically for any controls that would stop the chainsaw from going any lower.  

Finally I found a switch labeled 'chainsaw'.  I flipped the switch and watched as the chainsaw stopped and the table lowered and released Ri.  I saw a wide smile come across her face, but it soon disappeared as her eyes widened and she looked past me....